Chapter 25

By the fifth day of the assessment, Chu Yunmiao’s team was running into more and more students. They had even encountered more than one group from their own class; that meant they had already reached the very edge of the assessment zone!

What was reassuring was that no one from Class 1 was missing. A small number had been injured, but nothing serious; everyone was still holding on.

It was also at this point that Chu Yunmiao received important intelligence.

“We accidentally helped someone from Class 4 earlier. They said their instructor once told them about previous assessments. Usually, at the very end of the assessment, the school sets up an extremely difficult stage so classes whose scores are close can really be pulled apart.” After reuniting with them, Anthony reported everything he had learned.

Chu Yunmiao narrowed her eyes. “You mean this assessment will also have such an extremely difficult stage?”

Anthony shook his head. “I’m not sure.

“First-year students usually don’t have combat assessments. Maybe the school won’t set up an ultra-hard stage just because we’re first years.”

Chu Yunmiao nodded. “That makes sense.”

But she still leaned toward her own judgment. “I think there will definitely be one. This class of students is too outstanding; that’s why the school brought out combat assessment in advance as its trump card. Since they’ve already opened combat assessment, there’s no reason to hold back. Besides...” She gave another obvious piece of evidence. “You’ve all probably noticed it too; the deeper we go, the stronger the monsters get. We may already have reached the boundary between the primary dangerous zone and the intermediate dangerous zone. The final obstacle, if I’m not mistaken, should be related to monsters from the intermediate dangerous zone.”

Lin Mo’s eyes nearly popped out. “Then what do we do?”

Chu Yunmiao looked toward the sky. “What do we do?” She answered calmly, “We adapt. No matter what kind of difficulty we face, we just do what we should do.”

At that moment, Lin Mo and the others finally understood why the person in front of them was called the “Empire’s treasure.” Setting aside Chu Yunmiao’s noble bloodline and status, her personal charisma alone was enough to win people over. With her here, it felt like no matter what sort of difficulty stood in front of them, they could get through it.

After a short rest, not only did everyone’s mood fail to grow heavy in anticipation of what they would face next, it actually became lighter than before.

Sure enough, just after noon that day, the entire mission zone had been cleared. All the first-year students gathered at the northernmost edge of the area, and for once no one knew what to do next. Because the rules explicitly forbade competing with one another, everyone could only stare at each other in boredom and wait for the assessment time to end.

With nothing else to do, some people began calculating class scores. Since no one dared reveal too much, after a round of discussion, everyone reached only one conclusion: the five classes’ scores in this assessment were extremely close, and the gap between them would probably not exceed one thousand.

Some in Class 1 started to panic. Among them, the most flustered was Lin Mo, who had been so arrogant before the assessment and had even thrown down harsh words at the other classes’ opponents. Stephanie teased her, “Oh no, Sister Lin Mo is probably about to get slapped in the face.” Pretending to be considerate, she suggested, “Why don’t you figure out your escape route first? Try your best not to run into those people before the holiday?”

Lin Mo’s face went from red to white and back again. After choking for a long time, she still managed, “Hmph, I don’t believe we’ll lose to the other classes! Even if the scores are close, Class 1 will still be first.”

Luke was somewhat pessimistic.

His strength ranked near the bottom in Class 1, so he had his own unique perspective. He said, “I actually don’t think it’s certain. I feel like this assessment isn’t really that hard for our first-year group. For example, even if I weren’t on your team and instead formed a group with a few teammates around my own level to compete for points, I could still survive to the end pretty smoothly and get a very decent score. The difference really comes down to efficiency. But you have to remember, this combat assessment isn’t just about strength. If some team is especially lucky and doesn’t run into other classes stealing monsters all the way through, they can actually make up for the lack in efficiency.”

He did the math. “Although I also think our class is probably first, there’s still a twenty percent chance we’ll fumble it. But since Sister Lin Mo offended people from other classes before, if the other classes have secretly squeezed our Class 1 resource zone, then that chance has to go up to thirty or forty percent.”

Lin Mo felt a little uneasy and turned to look at Chu Yunmiao.

Chu Yunmiao was wiping down her equipment. Noticing the look, she finally lifted her eyes.

Of course she understood Lin Mo’s worry, but she understood even more clearly that simple words of comfort were actually not very useful. So she waved them over and signaled everyone to sit down and rest. “Remember the intelligence Anthony shared with us earlier? I’m certain the school and the Military Department won’t let us waste an entire afternoon here for nothing. If you’re really worried about the scores, then rest properly now and prepare for the hard fight ahead. That’s the main event that will truly widen the gap between classes.”

Hearing that, Lin Mo’s worry instantly turned into motivation. She nodded and found a place beside Chu Yunmiao to close her eyes and take a short nap. The others followed suit and began trying their best to recover.

Chu Yunmiao’s guess was extremely accurate. One hour after she said those words, all the first-year students received a message on their light-brain terminals.

[Urgent Notice: As the Military Department’s clearance operation is nearing completion, a batch of tusked beasts from Dangerous Zone II are fleeing into Dangerous Zone III. They are expected to reach the boundary between the two zones in thirty minutes. All students, please prepare for battle.]

With this urgent notice, the rules they had received earlier were also updated. The most important update was the addition of some basic habits of the tusked beasts, as well as the points students could earn by hunting them.

“Holy crap, the points for hunting one tusked beast are almost equal to three ordinary bloodsucking vines!” Lin Mo now had only one thing in her eyes: points.

Chu Yunmiao curved her lips. “See? The chance to pull ahead has come, hasn’t it?”

She gathered all the people from Class 1 together and held an emergency meeting. “The higher-ups won’t hand us this many points for nothing. That can only mean one thing indirectly; tusked beasts are much stronger than bloodsucking vines! Those vines are rooted in the ground, so even if you can’t beat them, you can still run. But animals are different. They’ll fight to the death!”

She quickly laid out her plan. “I’ll keep this short. For the next stretch of time, we move as a group. I already observed the surrounding terrain; there’s a slope to the northeast that’s suitable for building a temporary fortress. After the meeting breaks up, we’ll immediately seize that high ground. Use the last thirty minutes to build the fortress and trenches, then wait for the tusked beasts to arrive. Lin Mo, you take Stephanie and Ling Hongqiang and gather the stones nearby...”

Soon, one task after another was assigned.

Because Chu Yunmiao’s logic was so strong, the complicated work was arranged in just three minutes. The next moment, everyone from Class 1 dispersed on the spot and began carrying out their duties. The other classes nearby were left looking blank; they had no idea what Class 1 was planning.

In the warship monitoring room, Yu Changning was not there, and the few instructors present all looked somewhat grim.

After a while, one of them finally said sourly, “No choice. No one else can imitate the Long Princess’s leadership and organizational ability.”

At the same time, over in Yu Changning’s location.

Unlike the “man-made accident” Chu Yunmiao and the others had encountered, what her Military Department team ran into was entirely an unforeseen situation.

“Gone?” Yu Changning frowned. “How could something just disappear into thin air?”

One of the officers under her command looked pale. “I don’t know either, but the radar shows that the target item has indeed disappeared.” He took a deep breath. “The anesthetic will wear off in another twenty minutes, Lieutenant General... If we don’t evacuate immediately, we’ll have to face that guardian beast’s attack.”

Yu Changning thought for only two seconds. “We’re not leaving.”

She said, “The item was still there an hour ago. It’s impossible for it to have vanished without a trace now. Even if it did disappear, it couldn’t have gone too far from here. If we can’t find where the item is, do you think the guardian beast won’t know?” She ordered, “All units enter third-level alert. Wake the guardian beast early. Note that our target is the item, not the guardian beast. Once you find any clue, withdraw immediately; do not confront it head-on and avoid unnecessary battle damage.”

Several dispatch officers immediately answered, “Yes.” They then carried out her instructions.

About three minutes later, a deafening roar erupted from the cave in front of Yu Changning. A beast with white fur and red eyes, as tall as five or six stories, burst out in fury and charged away at full speed. Just as Yu Changning had expected, it did not spend much effort on them at all; instead, it headed straight for the southeast. The Military Department’s people were secretly delighted and followed behind it.

Very soon, the technician reported the latest news to Yu Changning: “Lieutenant General! The target has reappeared!

“It, it’s moving at high speed, just a little slower than us.”

“Hah.” Yu Changning gave a cold laugh. “An outside force has slipped in. You’d better find some time to think about how to write your report.”

Yu Changning had only joined them a few days earlier specifically to assist them. She had not participated in any of the early preparations, so she had also not expected such a serious mistake from the people below; they had actually failed to notice that thieves had slipped in.

The original person in charge heard her words and gave a wry smile. “It’s my fault. Cough... p-please trouble Lieutenant General Yu to recover the item as soon as possible.”

Yu Changning gave a faint “Mm” and wasted no more words, throwing herself fully into the pursuit.

However, looking at the direction the unknown force was fleeing in, she could not help feeling a trace of worry deep in her heart—

For safety’s sake, the other side was moving toward the lower dangerous zone, and that direction was easy enough to understand. But...

At this time, the first-year students of Huaqi University were conducting their final assessment there.

If they happened to cross paths...

Yu Changning narrowed her eyes. Her already intimidating gaze turned even colder.

——

Back to the first-year assessment.

Because of the early deployment, Class 1 was the most efficient and smooth class when it came to hunting tusked beasts. By the time the other classes reacted and started copying them, Class 1 had already opened up a lead in points. But soon, Chu Yunmiao faced a new problem.

These tusked beasts weren’t completely brainless. Driven by the instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm, once they sensed that Class 1’s fortress was impregnable, most of them actually began avoiding this position and charging toward the other, weaker classes instead. The other classes were crying out in misery, but Class 1, on the other hand, was starting to worry that there simply weren’t enough tusked beasts to hunt.

“This won’t do.” Chu Yunmiao would certainly not sit idly by in this situation. “Tusked beasts are strong; we can’t give up this fortress. We need to think of a way to force those beasts over here.” After considering it, she adjusted the work distribution inside the fortress again, mainly assigning the strongest students, including the tasks she herself currently had on hand, elsewhere.

“Lin Mo, Anthony, Ling Hongqiang; next, the four of us will leave the fortress and lure the beasts over from outside.” Chu Yunmiao looked at the three companions in front of her. “Remember, safety comes first. Return to the fortress every thirty minutes to rest for ten minutes before continuing.”

Tusked beasts might bully the weak and fear the strong, but they were vengeful; once attacked, they would lock onto their enemy. Using this trait, they could lure them over. But it went without saying that this was the equivalent of pulling teeth from a tiger’s mouth; it was extremely dangerous.

Fortunately, the people she had chosen were all excellent in strength and mental fortitude. They understood the significance of Chu Yunmiao’s arrangement and had no objections at all; in fact, they were already prepared. Chu Yunmiao added a few more details about their movements. Seeing no loopholes left, she led the three of them out from the fortress’s protection and began “pulling monsters.”

At first, Chu Yunmiao still acted together with Lin Mo, while Ling Hongqiang and Anthony cooperated with each other. But gradually, she and Lin Mo both noticed that because Chu Yunmiao was so much faster, Lin Mo couldn’t quite keep up with her and was even dragging her down a little. So after a brief discussion, the two split up. In that case, Lin Mo lured fewer monsters, but when her total was added to Chu Yunmiao’s, it still exceeded Ling Hongqiang’s and the others’, making their efficiency even higher than before.

Chu Yunmiao became increasingly adept, and the cooperation within Class 1 grew more and more seamless.

As the assessment neared its end, the number of tusked beasts inevitably decreased. What could be seen around them were all lonely beasts wandering on their own. Chu Yunmiao wanted to make one final push, so she gave up the small gains along the way and focused entirely on tracking a small group of five beasts.

But when she followed that group into a forest, she noticed the sound of other people moving around. At first, Chu Yunmiao thought they were classmates from another class, but soon she saw several adult men wearing gray tactical suits, covered from head to toe.

With her sharp intuition, she immediately sensed something was wrong. But since the other side had also discovered her, turning around and leaving right away would not have been a smart choice. So Chu Yunmiao deliberately relaxed her expression and asked them, “Who are you?”

One of the tall Alpha men answered, “...We are people from the Empire’s Military Department. Yes, the Military Department.”

He was speaking the common language of the universe. To be fair, his accent was not very heavy, but Chu Yunmiao’s sixth sense told her this was not the Empire’s accent. The tonal characteristics were more like those of several neighboring states in the Empire’s eastern region... though exactly which one, she couldn’t say.

Many thoughts flashed through her mind, but Chu Yunmiao didn’t show any of it on her face. Instead, she put on a relieved expression. “You’re here to supervise the assessment, right? Did I reach the edge of the assessment zone?” She turned naturally, not forgetting to wave at them. “I’m heading back now. My companions are waiting for me up ahead.”

But she had only taken two steps when a net of electricity stretched out in front of her and blocked her path.

The man walked up to her. “I know you, Long Princess.”

He spread his hands, looking rather helpless. “Although I’m sorry, Long Princess, we’ve run into a bit of trouble and may need your help. With your mercy, you shouldn’t be stingy about lending a hand, should you?”

Chu Yunmiao knew she wasn’t getting away.

There were five of them in total. Although their individual strength was unknown, the weapons they carried were far better than hers; not that their weapons were necessarily so extraordinary, but because during the assessment, in order to train the students, the school had uniformly distributed only the most basic weapons, and they truly couldn’t compare with the ones in the other side’s hands.

She cooperated by turning around, trying her best to seem harmless. “Of course. I’m very willing to offer whatever help I can to Your Excellency. So...”

Chu Yunmiao asked, “Do you need me to help you with something?”

At her words, the man seemed to think of something and suddenly became a little furious. Even with his mask on, the angry tone still reached Chu Yunmiao’s ears clearly.

He toyed with a delicate dagger and, after a short pause, said, “A few of my companions... were captured by some very unpleasant people. Perhaps...”

He didn’t finish the rest of the sentence, which meant he thought the Imperial Crown Princess in front of him was a smart person too.

Chu Yunmiao naturally understood what he meant.

She vaguely sorted out the thread in her mind: people from another state had somehow appeared here, and had even come into conflict with the Empire’s Military Department. Since their companions had been captured, they needed to use her as leverage to confront the people from the Military Department.

Thinking of this, Chu Yunmiao spoke. “Perhaps there’s some misunderstanding here? I’d be very happy to help build a bridge of communication for you if you’d like.”

“Of course.” The man agreed.

He reached out, pulled the portable camera from Chu Yunmiao, crushed it directly, then half-guiding and half-hostaging her as he pointed the way. “Long Princess, this way.”

Chu Yunmiao gave one last look at the destroyed camera. She could only be thankful that by now, the message must already have reached the school. Then she stopped resisting and followed them away.

Yu Changning learned she had been kidnapped three minutes later, when the other instructors at the school saw what had happened in the monitoring feed and contacted her immediately. At that moment, Yu Changning was interrogating the thieves they had caught—

The lost mission target had already been recovered; she needed to figure out the other side’s identity and purpose.

Who would have thought that halfway through the interrogation, such a message would come through the communicator.

The interrogator sitting beside Yu Changning couldn’t help shivering. Before he even reacted, he saw Lieutenant General Yu, who had just been patiently waiting for the prisoner’s answer, suddenly stand up. Her right hand clamped tightly around the prisoner’s throat, forcing him to rise as well, trembling through the fear and danger of suffocation.

“I’ll ask you one last time; where are your companions? How do I contact them?”

The other man could barely breathe. His fragmented voice managed to piece together broken words. “You... don’t, don’t have the right to execute us. I demand...”

Before he could finish, his head tilted to one side and he lost consciousness.

Even the interrogator couldn’t tell whether the man was dead or alive when Yu Changning used the same method to question another prisoner. With the first man’s example in front of him, this time the other party was extremely tactful and explained everything in full.

After getting the useful information, Yu Changning left without even looking back.

By the time her figure had completely vanished, the interrogator immediately checked the unconscious prisoner. Only after confirming that he had merely fainted did he breathe a quiet sigh of relief.

In the Space Age, based on human rights, torture and forced confession were strictly prohibited. But it had to be admitted that sometimes, torture and forced confession were indeed the most efficient method. The interrogator called over two soldiers and had them take the two prisoners personally interrogated by Yu Changning away for treatment.

The soldiers were also stunned. “Sir, h-how are we supposed to write the reason for treatment?”

As the interrogator packed up his things, he said, “Can’t you tell?”

He cleared his throat. “These two clearly have congenital asthma. They had sudden attacks, so they need treatment.”

The soldiers: “......”

After a moment of silence, they echoed, “Y-yes, that’s right, congenital hereditary illness...”

Everyone tacitly agreed on the same story and quietly cleaned up the matter.

Night fell in the blink of an eye.

Yu Changning’s negotiations with that group had already gone through several rounds.

“Return my companions unharmed. Oh, and remember to have them bring ‘our things’ with them.

“People and things; not a single bit less.”

Encountering Chu Yunmiao was, for this group of uninvited guests, like a fat pie falling from the sky. Because they knew all too well the weight of the Imperial Crown Princess as a bargaining chip, they were equally ruthless when making demands. The Military Department’s negotiation experts spent more than an hour wrestling with them and still couldn’t make them budge.

But the Military Department did gain something.

“This group should be mercenaries from the Mingxing Empire.” The negotiation expert analyzed, “The Mingxing Empire has very loose control over mercenaries; there are many treasure-hunting teams like this over there. They usually operate within Mingxing Empire territory, but for some reason, this group actually infiltrated the Empire in secret. Still, I don’t think they’re ordinary mercenaries. Their equipment is extremely sophisticated, and they have anti-detection systems that can evade the Military Department. At the very least, they have some connection to the Mingxing Empire’s military.”

Yu Changning murmured, “Mingxing Empire?”

The expert said, “The Mingxing Empire has a pretty good relationship with us. Their connection to the Mingxing Empire’s military doesn’t necessarily mean this operation was ordered by the Mingxing Empire’s military.”

“That’s something for the Foreign Ministry and the military court to worry about.” Yu Changning brushed it aside, then ordered, “Agree to their demands. Have the Military Department send the people and the item over.”

The expert nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Very soon, the two sides met at the agreed location.

Although they had already confirmed Chu Yunmiao’s safety through live video, the moment Yu Changning saw Chu Yunmiao appear safely before her with her own eyes, her heart finally settled.

But the exchange did not go smoothly. These people refused to release Chu Yunmiao immediately.

“If you let us leave safely, our ship will put the person down at the nearest spatial jump point.” The mercenary leader said, “You people from Huaqi’s Military Department should know this kind of underworld rule, shouldn’t you?”

Yu Changning’s face was cold, making it impossible to read what she truly thought.

“Stealing from another empire’s subsidiary star also counts as part of that ‘underworld rule’?”

The other man hardened his tone. “Who says the thing belongs to you?”

Yu Changning lifted her chin. “The Huaqi Empire’s Military Department is not like you sneaky people. Since I promised to let you go, I will keep my word. So I hope you’ll cooperate properly with this exchange too.

“You know who the hostage in your hands is. I believe you don’t want to completely offend the Huaqi Empire’s royal family, do you?”

The man looked back at Chu Yunmiao, gritted his teeth, and insisted, “Of course I know. So please also believe that as long as you follow the conditions we set, I will absolutely not risk offending the entire Huaqi Empire by hurting your noble Long Princess.”

Yu Changning knew the matter could not be negotiated through. She secretly made a hand signal, intending to activate another plan.

But suddenly, she saw Chu Yunmiao quietly shake her head at her.

Yu Changning was distracted for a moment, and Chu Yunmiao took the chance to speak. “I agree to your plan. Let’s wait until the spatial jump point to send me off.”

She did not look at Yu Changning; instead, her gaze rested on the man wrapped up from head to toe. “I hope Your Excellency can keep your promise. Otherwise, this may become a war between two empires.”

The man bowed to her. “Thank you very much for your understanding.”

Chu Yunmiao turned to look at Yu Changning.

She actually wasn’t sure whether Yu Changning would change her mind because of her words. After all, she was the Long Princess, but she had no authority in the Military Department. As a hostage, she should have waited quietly instead of taking matters into her own hands like this.

Their gazes met in midair.

Strangely enough, it had been a long time since the two of them had looked at each other for so long like this. In the past, whenever Yu Changning looked at her, Chu Yunmiao would instinctively choose to avoid it. But by some twist of fate, this accident had actually given them a rare chance to gaze at each other for an extended time.

Yu Changning’s expression still did not change much, but for some reason, Chu Yunmiao could just read the anxiety and concern hidden within it.

She thought in bitter amusement, “Maybe I really am different from other people. At the very least, if the hostage right now were someone else, Yu Changning wouldn’t be this nervous, would she?” But then she thought again: she was of noble status, an Imperial Crown Princess; there weren’t many people who could even be compared to her. Maybe Yu Changning was nervous because of her identity.

But these thoughts didn’t take up much of Chu Yunmiao’s mind. Right now, all she cared about was whether Yu Changning could understand her unspoken coordination, whether she would agree to her choice.

No one knew how much time passed; perhaps only two or three breaths. Yu Changning closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, her gaze was as calm as a windless lake.

“Alright.” She agreed, while secretly moving one hand behind her back to make a “cancel the action” gesture.

With her nod, the Military Department handed over the captured mercenaries and the important resource samples obtained from this planet. The mercenaries then took Chu Yunmiao aboard the warship and lifted off into the air. Of course, Yu Changning and the others would not just wait on the spot either. Several warships from the Huaqi Empire took off right behind them, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

On the warship, Chu Yunmiao was looking for a chance to escape.

The other side didn’t take a girl not even twenty years old seriously, so although most of her movements were restricted, they hadn’t actually controlled her mobility. In fact, perhaps in an effort to repair the Long Princess’s good will toward them, Chu Yunmiao could even move freely within a certain range. She just had to stay under their watchful eyes.

That actually gave Chu Yunmiao a huge opportunity—

The leader of the group was in the warship’s cockpit, and she had also been arranged in this most important place.

One must know that the reason she had spoken up at the crucial moment to agree to their demand was naturally because she had her own calculations.

During the time she had been held hostage, she discovered that this group’s equipment was extremely sophisticated and likely exceeded the Military Department’s estimates. If Yu Changning were to forcefully keep them on the spot, the loss could be unimaginable. The school’s transport ship was still nearby; if the other side became desperate and targeted that way, the students’ safety could not be guaranteed.

They had to be led away from that planet.

Once she felt the distance was about right, Chu Yunmiao found an excuse to approach the control panel.

The people present were not completely unguarded against her. But with the jump point just ahead, and with no desire at all to offend this Long Princess too severely, they didn’t say anything. After confirming that the Military Department’s warships behind them were still following properly, the leader even chatted with Chu Yunmiao for a couple of lines. “How many years into school is the Long Princess? Have you started learning how to drive a warship?”

The subtext was: do you even understand any of this?

Chu Yunmiao shook her head. “I’m only in first year.”

The other man smiled and nodded, probably a little proud of himself for mastering a skill that even the Huaqi Empire’s Long Princess didn’t know. He seemed to think he might be overdoing it a little; the Long Princess in front of him was just a child not yet twenty, with hardly any hair grown in—there was no need for all this pointless probing.

To hide his smugness, he tapped the console. “This is a very important skill. You should hurry and learn it. Of course... well, not everyone can learn it, either.”

Chu Yunmiao gave no response.

She changed the subject. “When you reach your destination, will you really let me go?”

The leader gave an “Mm.” “Rest assured. What I said to the Military Department just now was entirely sincere. If you were to put yourself in my shoes, you’d understand; people like us are only after money. There’s no way we’d hurt you and invite Huaqi Empire’s endless pursuit.”

Chu Yunmiao asked again, “After money? What exactly are you exchanging for from the Military Department? Isn’t that just a newly discovered low-level planet?”

The leader sounded a little guilty. “That’s not something you need to know. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand.”

Seeing that he wouldn’t answer, Chu Yunmiao did not press further.

Instead, she tested the waters by extending a hand and pointing at a button on the console. “That’s the communication button, right? If I want to contact the Military Department warship following behind us, how do I operate it?”

The man’s expression darkened a little. “Please don’t touch things carelessly.”

Just as he was about to push Chu Yunmiao away, she pointed at the live feed and said to him, “Look, our Military Department warship seems to have come a little closer. Are they trying to do something?”

The man’s voice turned cold. “Hah. Their idea is the same as yours; they’ve been demanding communication all along.

“They’re probably worried I’ll harm you on the ship, so they want to monitor your safety in real time.”

At that, Chu Yunmiao raised a brow. “So you don’t dare answer?”

The man fell silent for a moment. There seemed to be a hint of mockery in his voice when he spoke again. “I don’t buy the provocation game, but I can tell you I’m not afraid. I just think it’s troublesome.” As he spoke, his light-brain received a new message. He read it quickly, then stood up in displeasure. “Those people are truly loyal. They’re demanding confirmation of your safety before entering the spatial jump station. Long Princess...”

Chu Yunmiao turned to look at him. “Mm?”

The man thought for a moment. “I can agree to your side and the Military Department’s request to let you two have a meeting, but I hope that during the communication later, you’ll make one thing clear to them: you only get one minute to speak, and it will be your one and only communication before entering the jump point.”

Chu Yunmiao reminded him, “You just said you weren’t afraid of us communicating.”

The man muttered, “I also said it was troublesome.”

He took Chu Yunmiao’s silence as agreement and busied himself at the control console. About ten seconds later, the communication connected, and Yu Changning’s face appeared on the giant screen in front of them.

At a glance, she locked onto Chu Yunmiao and asked, “Yun... Long Princess, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Chu Yunmiao nodded. “We only have one minute. What I’m about to say is very important.”

Without the slightest pause, she spoke at great speed: “Ah Ning, bomb the right wing and the aft cabin of the ship.”

The leader reacted swiftly, and almost the moment the word “bomb” left her mouth, he forcibly cut the communication.

Chu Yunmiao looked at him and smiled. “It’s useless. The TX-89 warship uses the latest communication technology; even after a one-sided cut-off, it can still recover one to five seconds of the later content.”

The man’s face was hidden behind his mask, but Chu Yunmiao could guess that his expression at this moment must be quite wonderful.

He asked, “Heh. Then do you think the Military Department people dare?”

After all, Chu Yunmiao was still on the ship; bombing it would also threaten her safety.

“That’s not for me to consider,” Chu Yunmiao replied.

She thought that no matter whether Yu Changning was willing to do as she said, she could understand.

“There’s one thing that is definitely your concern.” The man stepped closer and drew the weapon from his waist. “I don’t want to get to that point; you know that. But if you force me... Long Princess, when a rabbit is cornered it bites. You don’t believe I’d really go down together with you, do you?”

Without waiting for Chu Yunmiao to answer, he aimed the gun at her left leg and pulled the trigger—

This disobedient hostage needed a little lesson that wouldn’t hurt the foundations.

Bang—

After a soft report, Chu Yunmiao was completely unharmed.

Her right hand was pressing at a point beneath her collarbone, as if she had just activated some kind of device. Facing the other man’s confusion, Chu Yunmiao sighed. “You know I’m the Long Princess. Did you really think I wouldn’t have any defense device that could evade your detection methods?”

Actually, Chu Yunmiao had already considered activating it during the earlier exchange. But back then, facing the Military Department people head-on, they had been far more cautious than they were now, and had simply not given her such an opportunity.

Just as the man was about to say something else, the ship beneath their feet suddenly began to shake violently.

The pilot cried out in despair, “BOSS, we’re under bombardment!”

The man froze, and for a moment didn’t even know how to react. Ever since capturing Chu Yunmiao, he had never imagined things would reach this point. He looked up at Chu Yunmiao, only to see the Huaqi Empire’s Long Princess, who had just been someone he looked down on, curve her lips into a smile full of meaning.

Being trusted by Yu Changning felt really wonderful, Chu Yunmiao thought.