Gu Qingshan set down the communicator and began constructing the Seraph Prototype Mecha.
Beneath the stars, a secret order was being issued.
"Mission complete. Order all personnel to withdraw."
The enormous starship flew away from the concert venue.
The mecha combat groups withdrew, and the special operations soldiers who had been checking the crowd quickly left as well.
Su Xue'er lowered her communicator and watched the scene unfold before her. Puzzled, she asked, "Weren't they supposed to search the place? Why did they all leave? What on earth is the Federation playing at?"
Everyone at the concert was just as baffled as she was.
Only the girl standing onstage gently raised her head and glanced into the depths of space.
Four hours later.
Gu Qingshan had quietly returned to Changning Steel Armor Technology Company.
He lay down in the lounge on the underground fifty-fifth floor to rest for a while.
Even he, a fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator, felt somewhat exhausted after such prolonged, punishing work.
The Seraph Mobile Armor was complete. Goddess of Justice would conduct the follow-up tests, then have it delivered straight to Su Xue'er.
Because the technology was so sensitive, Su Xue'er would be the only person permitted to use the armor.
Goddess of Justice had made a request: to further test the armor and prevent the technology from leaking, she would personally dispatch a top-secret unit to protect both Su Xue'er and the armor.
That would ensure Su Xue'er's safety.
It was an unexpected bonus, and Gu Qingshan readily agreed.
In addition, Goddess of Justice would further organize and compile the technology he had contributed, turning it into a classified research achievement.
With the birthday present taken care of, Gu Qingshan stretched, folded his legs, and began drawing in Spiritual Power.
The flow of Spiritual Power through his body greatly benefited every limb and bone, slowly nourishing his physical form.
Gu Qingshan gradually entered a deep meditative state.
Meanwhile, the world was only just beginning to boil over.
Many countries urgently contacted the Federation, asking why its military forces had been redeployed so frequently.
The President had also put everything he had into covering it up. Only after considerable effort did he manage to leave each country half-convinced.
Changning Prefecture, casino.
The man in sunglasses and the beautiful woman stood in a Secret Chamber, staring intently at the news coming through their communicator.
The man in sunglasses let out a long breath. "That scared me half to death. I thought the Federation was about to start a war."
The woman kept her eyes fixed on the screen. "You believe the Federation president?"
The man in sunglasses scoffed. "Politicians lie through their teeth. He claims it was a large-scale military exercise held early to celebrate the Federation's three-hundredth anniversary. Only a fool would believe him."
The woman said, "The Federation's three-hundredth anniversary is still a full twenty-one days away. It does sound like a stretch."
Then she countered, "But what could justify sending out two star fortresses, three starship battle groups, and an entire squadron of starfighter mechas?"
The man in sunglasses added, "Martial Saint Zhang Zongyang and Sea Emperor Li Dongyuan were deployed too. They spent five hours on the front line and near the coast, respectively, and only just withdrew."
The two exchanged a glance, both feeling completely stumped.
What on earth had happened in the Federation?
Just then, the communicator lit up, and a hoarse voice came through, punctuated by a fit of coughing.
Their expressions tightened. They straightened together and said, "Your Majesty."
The hoarse voice coughed for a long while before speaking slowly. "Mm. You've both worked hard out there, especially my dear Princess."
The woman replied softly, "Father, it's my duty."
The hoarse voice chuckled. "Find out what on earth the Federation is playing at. They gathered a huge military force, then dispersed it all again just a few hours later."
"Yes."
"By the way, my child, Anna, I'm granting you discretionary authority in the field. You'll be in charge of all the work that follows."
Only generals were entitled to discretionary authority in the field.
Anna's eyes widened. She fought to steady her trembling voice. "Thank you, Father."
The hoarse voice said, "Mm. Take care of yourself, and stay safe."
The communicator went dark.
"Your Highness Anna, congratulations," the man in sunglasses said sincerely.
Anna stared blankly at the communicator, feeling a rush of sweetness and bitterness, joy and sorrow all at once.
She had left the palace because she refused to become a political pawn in a marriage alliance. She wanted to serve the empire through her own talents and hard work.
The Emperor had not made things difficult for his daughter. He had only told her that if she couldn't endure the hardship, she should come home and marry into the Holy Church.
The Emperor had made her work her way up from the bottom, granting her no special privileges.
The risks at the bottom were considerable. Even though Princess Anna was exceptionally strong, she had come close to losing her life several times.
Fortunately, she had finally made it through and earned the Emperor's recognition.
She quickly pushed her feelings aside and regained her composure. "Let's get to work."
"Yes."
Even after working through the night, the two still had no leads.
Goddess of Justice's algorithms were practically flawless. It was impossible to uncover the truth by tracing the military's movements.
After all, even the Three Armies Commander and the Federation president had no idea what had happened.
Anna rubbed her temples wearily, her gaze never leaving the Light Brain's screen.
"Your Highness, coffee."
"If you want to keep me awake, bring me a bottle of brandy."
"Could you please drink a little less?"
"No."
Anna turned and smiled, took a fresh bottle of brandy, then plunged back into her work.
Seven or eight empty bottles were lined up neatly at her feet.
Suddenly, she froze, then turned back toward the images on the projection screen.
"What is it?" the man in sunglasses asked.
"What are you looking at?" she asked.
"Surveillance footage from every prefecture in the Federation," he replied.
Anna narrowed her eyes. "What about our talent program? How many surveillance robots did we send out?"
The man in sunglasses slapped his forehead. "Six hundred and ninety-one in total. Damn, I forgot the surveillance robots can record the areas they're assigned to watch in real time, not just monitor specific people."
The two hurriedly pulled up the surveillance footage and began reviewing it, one clip at a time.
Time slowly passed.
Anna suddenly tapped the man in sunglasses and pointed at the screen. "Look at this."
He glanced at her screen. On it, a powered mecha was flying out from the top floor of Changning Steel Armor Technology Company.
The man in sunglasses immediately adjusted the Light Brain, his fingers flying over the keyboard.
"Pull up the images from the orbital spy satellite."
The satellite images took some extra time to transmit, so the two waited in silence.
After a while, the footage came through.
At an altitude of ten thousand meters, a medium-sized starship caught the powered mecha and flew straight out into space.
"The Temple Star Fortress happened to be passing over Changning Prefecture at the time."
"Exactly. This starship was probably taking someone up to the star fortress."
The man in sunglasses murmured, "The question now is, who was inside that powered mecha?"
Princess Anna suddenly asked, "Where was Gu Qingshan at the time?"
The man in sunglasses worked the controls rapidly. "Let me check."
A line of text soon appeared on the Light Brain.
"Life signs gradually ascended to an altitude of 19,217 meters, where radar signals could no longer track them."
The two read it, then fell silent.
After a long while, Princess Anna finally said, "Release a news announcement. The day after tomorrow at nine in the morning, the Saint Orlanka Empire's Crown Princess will make an official visit to the Free Federation. Her first stop will be Changning Prefecture."
The man in sunglasses hesitated. "Your double is at the farthest end of the empire, making a charitable visit. It even made the news. Two days aren't enough to cross three countries and get here."
"Then add that the Princess will try traveling by high-speed Flying Shuttle."
"Won't it seem too rushed?"
Princess Anna stared at the surveillance report on the screen and said softly, "No. It's only too slow for me."
Before you continue