Chapter 97

After receiving the order, Cocolia arrived at the office.

Compared to three years ago, her appearance had not changed much, and she had long since officially stepped down from the position of Supreme Guardian.

However, after stepping down, her aura of authority had not only failed to wane but had instead strengthened significantly.

This was because Lin Qi had granted her a new position.

A position that, in the eyes of many, was quite inconceivable.

Fleet Admiral of the First Fleet of Jarilo.

To many, Cocolia was simply militarily illiterate; the fact that she could utter something as utterly ridiculous as "let the archer initiate the team fight" made her seem like a fool.

The reality was not so.

It was simply that she had been bewitched by the Stellaron, sending the Silvermane Guards to their deaths just so she could bring Belobog along to become Fragmentum creatures.

Her true military level was hard to judge, but she certainly would not have made such a stupid mistake.

On the other hand.

Lin Qi's fleet was assisted by intelligent units; such errors would not even be processed by the system.

Unless Lin Qi granted a special command.

"Commander, are we about to take action against the interstellar pirates?" Cocolia asked.

"You guessed correctly."

Lin Qi nodded, saying, "If we don't give them a taste of something harsh, I'm afraid the petty scoundrels in the universe will think we only have weapons of mass destruction!"

Just as a country seeking independence and autonomy must have not only nuclear weapons but also various types of aircraft, artillery, and warships.

Otherwise, one couldn't just throw a nuke at every small-time thug that showed up, could they?

The equivalent here was using star-system-level weapons.

If he really did that, I fear that before others could team up to deal with Lin Qi, the Amber Lord would descend and give him a few hammer blows.

That was a last resort, used primarily to deter major factions.

"I will also transfer the command of the Apostle Legion to you; you will set out with the First Fleet when the time comes."

Lin Qi held up three fingers and said, "Conduct a patrol for at least three years, mainly along the routes our caravans frequently travel, with a focus on striking those major pirate groups! Do you understand?"

Cocolia nodded, feeling incredibly invigorated.

The Apostle Legion?

She had heard of this legion's reputation long ago and had even managed to witness it once or twice.

How should she put it...

The Automaton Grizzly was already considered a decent piece of large-scale machinery.

But in front of the Apostle Legion, it was practically a toy.

Although the size of the Automaton Grizzly was significantly taller than the humanoid mechs of the Apostle Legion, they were simply not on the same level in terms of either agility or destructive power.

The time Cocolia observed the Apostle Legion was experimental in nature, letting one "Apostle" fight the Automaton Grizzly.

Not one Automaton Grizzly.

But ten!

And these Automaton Grizzlies were modified versions, not the standard engineering models.

But the result was no different.

The ten Automaton Grizzlies were completely powerless to resist!

The "Apostle" they were compared against literally suffered no damage whatsoever.

Because the Automaton Grizzlies couldn't break through its defenses at all; before their attacks could even get close, they were blocked by an invisible force field.

This was true for both physical and energy attacks.

From that moment on, the Apostles left an indelible memory in Cocolia's heart.

If Belobog had possessed such humanoid weapons before the Cataclysm.

Even if a Doomsday Beast had arrived, they could have dealt with it, right?

At the same time.

She also dreamed that one day, she could lead the Apostle Legion to fight for the Commander across the four corners of the world.

She hadn't expected.

That she would have the opportunity to realize it now.

Next.

Lin Qi gave Cocolia some further details, telling her not to treat the Apostle Legion like a regular unit.

They were very special—both powerful and yet immature.

The immaturity here referred to two aspects.

On one hand, it meant the Apostle mechs still had plenty of room for optimization; this needed to be solved by Ms. Ruan Mei, and it would just take time.

On the other hand, it meant the pilots of the Apostle mechs were immature.

That's right.

The pilots were all children, with an average age of no more than fourteen.

The commander and deputy commander of the legion were only eleven or twelve, about the same age as Cocolia's daughter, Bronya.

This stunned Cocolia; it was the first time she had learned this secret.

As for why...

She wouldn't ask.

Only what the Commander took the initiative to tell her was what she should know.

Everything else, no matter how many doubts she had, should be kept to herself.

Two system-hours later, Cocolia left.

Carrying Lin Qi's orders, she began to prepare the fleet and allocate various supplies, making preparations before the expedition.

After Cocolia left, Lin Qi did not stand up but looked toward an empty corner.

He spoke.

"Seele, you've been eavesdropping for so long, it's time to come out, isn't it?"

"I knew I couldn't escape the Commander's eyes."

Seele laughed a few times, then revealed her figure.

She then climbed onto Lin Qi's desk and sat on it.

It must be said.

She was the only one who dared to be so bold in Lin Qi's office.

Hmm...

The second one.

The previous one was indeed even more restless than her.

Lin Qi didn't mind her actions.

Everyone had their own personality; Seele's personality was frank and lively. If he made her follow rules, she wouldn't be herself.

Of course, he couldn't spoil her too much.

"There are chairs over there," Lin Qi said with a straight face.

"That's too far from the Commander; my hearing isn't great, and I'm afraid I won't hear clearly," Seele said, acting shamelessly.

"It seems I'll have to ask A-Ruan to equip your Butterfly cockpit with a hearing aid."

As he spoke, Lin Qi made a gesture as if he were about to contact Ruan Mei.

"Don't!"

Seele immediately cowered.

She was even scared enough to shiver.

Was this something to tell Ms. Ruan Mei?

If she let her know there was something wrong with her hearing, she'd have to undergo a hundred checkups!

Just thinking about it was terrifying.

"I'll get down, okay?"

Seeing Seele back down, Lin Qi didn't continue to tease her but asked.

"What is the current situation of the Apostle Legion?"

"Same as usual," Seele said, spreading her hands. "The number of members officially broke through one hundred last month, but there are still only eighty-six who can safely pilot the Apostle mechs, and from that, we have to subtract thirteen who lack experience and twenty-three who haven't loaded Light Cones." ===== CHAPTER 98 =====