Chapter 504: Reprimand (Asking for monthly passes at the beginning of the month. By the way, it seems I can speak now.)

Snapping his fingers casually, blood-colored electric arcs danced between his fingers, triggering the warship's high-energy alert.

With the extra installation from the [Life Codex] finished, Li Yu was even considering whether he should directly replace his third gene chain.

Just as Peyton had said, he could completely wait until replacing his fourth or fifth gene chain to use the gene chain modulated from Ego's Gene Sample.

However, this thought merely flashed by before he erased it; he wasn't in a hurry for the time being.

Moreover, even if he used other gene chains, he would need to carefully consider and select them, and the time spent would not be short.

After all, this extra installation was a special ability of the [Life Codex] and wouldn't have any impact on him himself.

But truly replacing a gene chain was different.

The [Symbiotic Colonization Armor] crawled all over his corporeal form, and the substantial feeling of power made Li Yu take some time to adapt.

"We have connected to the Silver Ring Arm's network, and through data analysis, we have obtained some clues. Someone is purging Meditation, and a large number of puppet leaders are fleeing..."

Listening to Hunter's report, Li Yu was noncommittal. He walked to the holographic screen, looked at the star map in front of him, and asked: "Have we contacted Siegel yet?"

"We've contacted him. He has already found a landing spot for us."

"Then let's set off."

...

At the same time, Klein convened a high echelon meeting. After more than a month of high-speed construction, the Central Star System had gradually gotten on the right track and begun to recover to its pre-war level.

With the blessing of high-end technology, post-disaster reconstruction was not that complicated.

"...According to the news from Commander Horus, out of the 38 terrorist organizations currently identified, he has already annihilated 24..."

"...Under the oppressive force of Commander Horus, out of the remaining 14 organizations, 8 already want to surrender and have begun negotiating with us..."

"...Two more have left Return Star, and the number of terrorist organizations still putting up a stubborn resistance is only 6..."

"...According to our analysis, this rebellion has basically been quelled. The public opinion is also very satisfied with the speed at which this attack was put down."

"...Most citizens expressed their surprise and highly praised Commander Horus. The Empress's approval rating has seen a slight increase..."

Hearing the intelligence analyst's words, the expressions of the numerous high-ranking officials varied.

They had long obtained the specific battle reports. According to the information shown above...

It was as if Horus had turned on an X-ray hack. He was completely ambushing them on the enemy's routes of action, basically waiting for the rabbit.

With Horus's strength, he completely crushed these terrorist organizations. By predicting the opponent's action routes, it was basically slicing melons and vegetables.

It was basically wiping out one terrorist organization a day.

Obviously, Horus had a special intelligence channel that could learn of the opponent's battle plans.

Knowing the opponent's action routes in advance, even a pig leading such a massive fleet could suppress this terrorist attack.

"Horus completely went to pick up merit..." Prince Connor muttered, glancing at Aisel, who had no reaction.

With Horus's return and his recently increasing prestige, Aisel was no longer the sole dominant figure in the military.

Klein nodded in satisfaction. She naturally knew that it was the intelligence provided by Li Yu to Horus that allowed the other party to quell the rebellion so quickly.

Li Yu didn't seek fame or fortune, but Klein wouldn't let her man make selfless contributions.

"Commander Horus's achievements this time are certainly astonishing, but the one providing information and intelligence support behind the scenes is Duke Li Yu." Klein sat upright at the head seat, scanning the crowd:

"He likewise has an indelible merit in quelling this rebellion."

Titus's eyes slightly narrowed, and Alexei paused his movements.

Li Yu?

Li Yu again?

The hearts of many high-ranking officials skipped a beat. Did this little bastard plant bugs under the beds of those terrorist organization leaders?

To even be able to get the opponent's action routes, and not just one or two.

Horus had wiped out close to twenty terrorist organizations using the method of waiting for the rabbit before the other party managed to recover and change their original battle plans.

They didn't harbor any suspicions regarding Klein's statement. It was impossible to forcibly grant Li Yu merit using this kind of matter.

Otherwise, it would be fundamentally offending Horus, which completely outweighed the gains.

Vimala looked up at her daughter and frowned slightly. Based on the current situation, Li Yu's momentum was already sufficient; there was no need to show off too much.

It was just that Klein hadn't considered this point at all and was being somewhat emotional.

Her initial guess was indeed correct; this person Li Yu would become Klein's weakness.

Vimala sighed inwardly. After her observation during this period, Klein was basically considered resolute and decisive in other aspects, thinking about problems rationally and advancing toward being a qualified Empress.

But the moment it involved Li Yu, she easily fell into her previous naive state and became very emotional.

However, having reached this stage, she had no way to stop it.

Moreover, Li Yu was indeed helping Klein stabilize Return Star. This was the most important thing. With their interests aligned, she had no reason to stop it and could only watch helplessly.

"...I remember a while ago, I dispatched a [Blood Thunder Dragon Gene Chain] from logistics for Duke Li Yu, and a few were very dissatisfied..." Klein seized the opportunity and coldly rebuked.

"Duke Li Yu's contribution to Return Star can be clearly seen by every citizen. What about those making sarcastic remarks behind his back? What have they contributed to Return Star?"

"Tolerating the younger generation to oppress the people into forming several resistance organizations!?"

She spoke with a stern voice and countenance, utilizing every minor incident to consolidate her prestige.

The many high-ranking officials present looked at each other in dismay, their faces awkward. They lowered their heads, unable to say anything in rebuttal.

"Empress, the primary issue right now should be discussing how to face the Council. Let's not discuss these matters for now..." Titus spoke calmly, an emotion in his eyes that no one could decipher.

"If we don't discuss it now, when will we discuss it?" Klein looked straight at Titus:

"According to intelligence, these terrorist organizations were entirely manipulated by certain people behind the scenes, attempting to create panic just when I ascended to the throne!"

"Perhaps, those people are hiding among everyone here."

When Klein said these words, she didn't look at Titus.

Many high-ranking officials remained silent. During this period, they could all notice the change in Klein's attitude.

From initially not directly communicating with Titus, to her forceful refutations now, it had only taken a month.

"Everyone seated here is utterly loyal to Return Star. It must be those organizations from the outside, or the Star Glory Empire." Alexei jumped out and smiled:

"Empress, the ambassador of the Star Glory Empire has submitted that proposal again, wanting to mediate."

"How do you think we should handle this matter?"

This was Alexei's role. When discussing crucial matters, no one would pay attention to his opinions. His value lay in reconciling the conflicts between Titus and Klein.

Vimala's expression flickered, but she didn't speak up immediately.

"There's a problem here. The Star Glory Empire couldn't possibly be this kind-hearted." Someone immediately voiced opposition.

"But the reasons they gave are extremely sufficient. The sudden attack last time is one thing, but if the Council launches an attack on us again, it won't just be a war between us and them." Someone else shook their head and said:

"It will be a collision between two civilization systems. The Star Glory Empire couldn't possibly sit idly by and watch this kind of war happen, and we can no longer bear another war."

The crowd discussed animatedly, with all sorts of opinions. For a time, it was difficult to reach a consensus, until someone asked:

"Exactly how important is that item the Star Glory Empire wants us to hand over to the Council?"

Not everyone knew of the existence of God's Throne. Only people at the level of Prince Connor were aware of it.

"It's very important, but this matter still needs to be discussed. Tell the ambassador of the Star Glory Empire that we are considering it..."

Vimala's expression remained as usual. She had already learned from the God of the Force that God's Throne was a fake and could completely be handed over.

But the timing of handing it over required waiting for his notification.

Therefore, Vimala could only continue to stall.

Vimala didn't speak often, but the opinions she expressed were met with little opposition.

Moreover, this time wasn't a decisive opinion, just temporarily stalling, so even fewer people raised objections.

After the scene quieted down, Klein suddenly spoke up: "...The Morton Civilization has once again suffered from a riot attack. More than half of their remaining 523 star systems have fallen. They have sent a request for aid to the Civilization Alliance."

"I plan to issue an announcement to severely reprimand those rebel organizations and provide humanitarian support."

Klein's topic was somewhat baffling. Many high-ranking officials were stunned. After pulling up the specific intelligence on their panels and pondering for a moment, someone spoke up: "My suggestion is that it's completely unnecessary."

"This riot is supported by the Reformers behind the scenes. This organization doesn't have much conflict with us, so there's no need to offend them for no reason."

"That's right. Morton has long been in a period of decline. Supporting them won't bring us any returns."

"..."

Everyone voiced their opposition, feeling somewhat amused. Return Star was still suffering from the harassment of rebel organizations.

Now going to provoke the old ancestors of the rebel organizations; with a single word from them, Return Star would face dozens more resistance organizations. Why bother?

"Morton is one of the founding civilizations of the Civilization Alliance and was once ranked alongside us. We should give them support." Klein's attitude was firm, which left many high-ranking officials feeling somewhat helpless.

They could oppose certain decisions, such as policies or deploying troops, because those had to be implemented practically and assigned by the people below layer by layer.

They could completely obstruct it from within, making the orders unable to be carried out.

But when it came to a reprimand like this, they had absolutely no way to stop it.

Because this thing only required issuing an announcement on the interstellar stage. Klein could do it herself; there was no need to seek their approval.

It wasn't like they could pull the plug on Klein's internet connection.

Vimala was also somewhat astonished. Klein hadn't given her a heads-up about this at all, and she didn't know what was going on.

But she couldn't possibly refute it on such an occasion. At most, she would discuss it privately with Klein.

As for Titus, he didn't say a word. He hadn't figured out Klein's objective, and blindly stopping her might bring unknown consequences.

Following that, the crowd discussed a few more matters before the meeting ended, and everyone's projections disappeared from the room one after another.

...

"Mr. President, news has come from the Civilization Alliance. They are also very regretful about this..."

"The ambassador of the Aura Civilization is staying behind closed doors and refusing to see anyone. As for Holivias... uh... they severed diplomatic ties with us a long time ago."

The Grand President of Morton—Danny Gosling—sat in front of his desk. His eyes were bloodshot as he angrily said: "Do these damn bastards just want to watch us die at the hands of those resistance organizations?"

The subordinate hesitated for a moment but still spoke up: "However, Return Star did give a reply."

Gosling, who was on the verge of collapse, seemed to grasp a lifeline. He abruptly turned his head to look at his subordinate: "Did they agree to deploy troops? Who is leading the team? Horus or Aisel?"

"No, but Empress Klein will severely reprimand those resistance organizations and simultaneously dispatch a humanitarian rescue team."

"Reprimand?" Gosling's eyes widened greatly, seeming like he wanted to curse, but his lips moved, and he merely said: "A reprimand... is better than no reprimand..."

His heart was currently extremely sorrowful. Both were founding civilizations of the Civilization Alliance, but Return Star had recently repelled the Council and their prestige was at the zenith of its power.

Meanwhile, they were retreating in defeat again and again under the attacks of the resistance organizations, helpless to do anything. The disparity between civilizations was nothing more than this...

Gosling was also extremely helpless regarding this. When he took over Morton, the situation was already similar to now. Even if he wanted to revitalize the Morton Civilization, he had the will but lacked the power.

...

A large-scale riot broke out in the Morton Civilization. Over half of its territory fell to the flames of war, with heavy casualties, drawing interstellar attention.

The Morton Civilization sent out requests for assistance, but almost no civilization responded. Only Return Star's new Empress, Klein, severely reprimanded the resistance organizations for this kind of riotous behavior that disregarded human lives.

Deeming that such resistance was no different from terrorist attacks.

This sparked widespread discussion in interstellar public opinion, believing it to be a manifestation of Klein displaying a tough stance externally.

But two days later, the majority of the riots in the Morton Civilization subsided, and the famous resistance organization, the Reformers, issued an external announcement.

Acknowledging that resistance actions aimed at slaughter were indeed no different from terrorist attacks, while simultaneously drawing a clear line with such behavior.

Once the news came out, the interstellar community was in an uproar!

(End of Chapter)