Chapter 1695: Inspecting the Solar Fleet |
The person who lured out the officers on the ’Flying Glory’ corrupted by Jian Qi was, of course, Gu Jing, who had a Magic Lord of Thousand Changes as his ’advisor’.
It’s not very realistic to use his Magic Lord of Thousand Changes to deceive extremely high-level beings. After all, his Magic Lord of Thousand Changes has only one appearance. Its nature in the Subspace was washed by Gu Hang.
In the eyes of some Great Demons of the same level, the distinction is very obvious. They can easily discern that the entity before them has only the appearance and is completely different in essence from a real Magic Lord of Thousand Changes.
However, to deceive those not at such a high level, it is quite effective.
Ordinary people can’t really identify things like Subspace essence.
Using sound, light, and perception to differentiate, even those with strong Spiritual Energy knowledge might struggle, as Gu Jing’s ’advisor’ itself was transformed from a Magic Lord of Thousand Changes, and its mode, method, and taste of using power are indistinguishable from a real Magic Lord of Thousand Changes.
Coupled with intentional deception, it’s simply invincible.
As for whether using the power of the Magic Lord of Thousand Changes counts as sacrilege... at least Marshal Song in front of Gu Jing doesn’t dare to say much.
His position as commander is supposed to be the highest Commander of the Solar Fleet.
His position is quite difficult.
Before the great catastrophe, he had basic management functions over the Solar Fleet. However, for combat missions and strategic command, he generally had to follow the orders of the Imperial Navy Headquarters. After all, his superior, the highest Commander of the Imperial Navy, the Grand Marshal was in Holy Terra, with him. So he, as a subordinate, had to reluctantly follow orders.
Although he himself was a senior member of the Command Center, he was ultimately not as independent as other naval fleets outside. Even for battle plans, he couldn’t directly make decisions but had to see what the Command Center arranged.
And after the great catastrophe, the situation became even worse.
The upper-level pressure and cross-level management still exist and have become stronger. Previously, the Imperial Navy Headquarters had to manage the deployment of the Empire’s entire navy, but now unable to contact them, managing just the Solar Fleet has become a hassle, hasn’t it?
Moreover, regarding the management of subordinates, various sub-fleets, and even specific combat ships, Song Min is gradually losing power.
Everyone knows the importance of the navy. Not to mention anything else, the trillions of people on Holy Terra consume water and food resources daily, which is an astronomical figure. Even if the recycling and utilization of water resources are done well, and synthetic food technology is advanced, resources from outside are still indispensable.
Precisely because of the closure brought by the great catastrophe, the value of the navy compared to the past has seen an unprecedented boost.
Various forces on Holy Terra are reaching into the Solar Fleet more and more.
Song Min initially tried to stop this, but later on, he couldn’t really stop it. Facing multiple personal risks, he could only choose self-preservation.
Now, the ships he can truly control in the Solar Fleet are probably less than a tenth, with a considerable amount squeezed near the moon.
Robert’s arrival with his Expeditionary Force brought a turning point to the situation.
Song Min was among the most active in contacting Robert.
Both for the Empire and for himself.
It went smoothly at first, but he underestimated the chaos among his forces.
Beyond the ground forces’ wooing and penetration into his Solar Fleet, there were batches of traitors.
Even after the negotiation failed, he still maintained communication with Robert’s side, trying to sustain mutual trust. However, pushing for another negotiation, especially for the peaceful handover of the Solar Fleet to His Highness the Regent King, is extremely challenging.
He’s also afraid.
If he makes a negligence in operation that leads to internal conflict and causes a significant part of the Solar Fleet to stand against him, it would ruin Robert’s major affairs — which will undoubtedly affect his own prospects significantly.
The point is, once such chaotic conditions occur, his personal safety will likely be unprotected too.
Against this backdrop, he received a message from Robert saying a special envoy would be sent to ’solve the problem’.
Of course, this is welcome.
However, what made him uneasy was that Robert provided a deadline:
"This special envoy will solve the problem in three standard Terra Days."
Song Min asked what would happen if the time was up, and the problem wasn’t resolved?
Robert only spat out two words:
"War!"
Song Min immediately understood.
It should be the final ultimatum.
He could only carry the apprehensive thought and welcome the envoy’s arrival.
Gu Jing, he knew this person.
Or rather, he knew Gu Jing’s father.
Gu Hang, one of the High Lords of the Empire, considered a challenger and threat to the central authority in the era before the great catastrophe, but similarly, no one could deny that he was the most powerful actual power figure locally in the Empire.
And over the past century, Holy Terra wasn’t entirely isolated without any news coming in. News from the Dark Side of the Empire occasionally passed through various ways. At his level, he could still hear some.