Two-Pronged Approach

Yang Ming rushed back to the parking lot of the luxurious hotel and climbed into the luxury hovercar he had rented.

Ding-ding!

A virtual girl peeked out from the frame of the car's built-in screen, then popped into view with a bright smile.

She had switched from her battle form to an ordinary homewear form, changing into a simple dress.

"Nice work, boss! The way you threatened that guy was so cool!"

"More importantly, Lü, how did Kolev pull it off?"

Yang Ming started the hovercar and asked, perplexed.

He had received a message from Kolev. It was short: first, Kolev had let him know he was safe, then he'd started bragging about his astonishing achievements.

Kolev had officially become a member of the local Industrial Association!

While Yang Ming had been having a casual meal with the military's deputy chief of staff, Kolev had already made his way into Yilando's wealthy circles and formed the beginnings of friendships with several old men from the association.

Yang Ming asked, puzzled, "Did he show the others a list of his assets?"

"Not directly, but a few of the old men did some basic research into Kolev's assets—or, more accurately, the assets under Mr. Haddon's name."

Lü analyzed the situation seriously:

"They accepted that Kolev was wealthy. That's the main reason. That old pirate spent more than forty years working, and his job was essentially dealing with capitalists. I mean, after attacking their merchant ships, he always had to find a way to get ransom money."

"Then I really did find the right man."

Yang Ming narrowed his eyes with a smile, drove the hovercar around the block, and slowly pulled up to the hotel entrance.

"Lü, make me an appointment for a checkup. I've been feeling a little on edge lately."

"Of course, boss. To be safe, you should wait until you reach the far side of Yilando before transmitting."

Yang Ming lowered his voice. "They're coming out. Hide for now."

Lü's projection immediately vanished.

Seven or eight elderly gentlemen and ladies escorted Kolev to the hotel entrance, where they embraced him goodbye.

Kolev's Einstein-style hair made him look both wise and debonair.

Yang Ming pressed a button beside him, and the back seat of the car opened slowly. Kolev's voice floated in:

"What an unforgettable evening. Thank you all for your warm hospitality. I think next time, I should host a small gathering, so we can continue our discussion."

"We can't wait!"

"Mr. Haddon, your vast knowledge has truly impressed me," an elderly woman in an evening gown said warmly. "Have you found somewhere to stay? My home is always ready to welcome a distinguished guest."

"Haha," Kolev laughed. "I wouldn't dare go to your estate. My wayward nephew would surely be swept off his feet by your beautiful, gentle granddaughter! We still have a site inspection to do, so we can choose a province in which to set up a factory. Tonight's conversation has given me a great deal to think about, and I'll carefully consider your suggestions. Yes, everyone's here for Rhodium-6, but they're overlooking the fact that the local light industry is already rather weak. All right, that's far enough. Until next time!"

Kolev gave an elegant tip of his hat. As the elderly ladies watched him with reluctance, he climbed into the back seat.

The door closed, and the hovercar pulled away slowly.

Lü activated the interior and exterior shielding.

"Whew—"

Kolev let out a long breath, leaned forward, and slapped Yang Ming on the shoulder.

"Good, you're all right. Oh, thank goodness you're all right... Lü messaged me earlier saying the military had taken you away and told me to be ready to evacuate at any moment. Did you sort things out with them?"

"Mhm." Yang Ming smiled with narrowed eyes.

"How'd you manage that?" Kolev asked quietly, his old face showing both curiosity and concern.

Yang Ming replied calmly, "I grabbed the country's fourth-ranking military official by the throat, made him kneel, and had him sing 'I Conquered You.' That's all."

"Only an idiot would believe that," Kolev chided with a laugh. "They'd have blasted you to bits with a ship's cannons!"

"Fine," Yang Ming said helplessly. "I pretended to be a Senior Agent from the New Federation. They're wary of the New Federation."

"I see." Kolev suddenly understood.

The old man grew worried again. "If they're in contact with the New Federation, they might expose us. We should leave now. At least that would be safer."

"Don't worry," Yang Ming said. "The military won't cause us any trouble for now. Let's find somewhere to rest tonight, then discuss our next move tomorrow."

"All right. I'll trust you."

Kolev yawned and breathed out the smell of alcohol.

"Those old ladies actually had designs on me. Damn, I'm irresistible. Milili doesn't want a stepmother."

Yang Ming smiled without answering, thinking about how best to make use of Gudunmaha as a resource.

He'd already gotten his hands on him, so he might as well put him to work.

"How's it going?" Yang Ming asked. "Can we make use of the local merchants?"

"Merchants are the same everywhere," Kolev said dismissively. "I think we should go the super-corporation route. If we monopolize the economy of a poor Administrative Planet in the shortest time possible, we'll make a lot of money and complete your evaluation."

"It won't be that simple," Yang Ming said. "We need to account for all the different indicators. But the super-corporation approach is a good one. We can pursue it as a parallel plan."

Kolev smiled. "A parallel plan? You have another plan?"

"I already explained in detail why I chose this place," Yang Ming said with a smile. "The emperor and his ministers still hold the power in this country. I need to find a way to get close to the emperor of the Luofeng Empire and ask him for a fief."

"That sounds good, but the Luofeng Empire only has a few Administrative Planets. They'd never give you one."

Yang Ming replied calmly, "It'd be enough to become the highest administrator of one."

"That's even less reliable than starting a super-corporation."

"That's why we need to plan this out carefully," Yang Ming said with a yawn. "Let's get some rest first, then decide after the site inspection. Ideally, we'll pursue both plans at once. They shouldn't conflict."

The hovercar merged into the slow-moving traffic and headed for a high-end administrative hotel. Kolev had booked the Star Suite on the top floor.

Yang Ming thought it was a little extravagant, but Kolev didn't change his mind.

He might be short on everything else, but he wasn't short on money.

"Molly, are we really about to run out of money for payroll?"

Aboard the somewhat dilapidated pirate ship,

Milili stood with her arms crossed, staring at the captain's console in front of her.

Molly's life-sized projection stood beside her. From a distance, they looked like a pair of pirate sisters.

Milili's loose nightdress did little to conceal her graceful figure, and her skin glowed with a pearly sheen.

Molly, meanwhile, had gone native. She wore jeans and a cowboy hat, and had even put on an eyepatch.

She loved her side job as the pirate ship's First Mate.

Molly explained, "We purchased a new Assault Boat, reinforced the hull, and replaced the charging module for the high-powered main cannon. That used up all our savings. We have to find a merchant ship to rob as soon as possible."

"But," Milili frowned, "our plan was to upgrade the pirate ship first, then recruit new crew members. The current crew is too old for assault operations."

Molly muttered under her breath, "That's because you saw the Assault Boat and your eyes lit up. Nothing could stop you."

"What do you know?" Milili said sternly. "This is about improving our combat strength!"

"Of course," Molly said with a pout. "You really don't need to be so strapped for cash. At the very least, you should ask your old master for some startup funds. In fact, he has some money with me, set aside for you. If you want to use it..."

"A good pirate captain shouldn't live in the shadow of her parents."

Milili lifted her chin slightly, the glow from the control panel reflecting off it.

"Molly, make me a list of the Administrative Planets with the poorest living conditions and the worst public safety."

Molly snapped her fingers.

A projection screen appeared in front of Milili, displaying a list of information on more than thirty Administrative Planets.

"Leave out the Administrative Planets in the Kashi Federation," Milili reminded her. "I want to avoid Dad as much as possible."

"Understood, master."

"Pick one at random."

"Selection complete."

"The Luofeng Empire? Isn't that a vassal state of the Sherman Empire? The figures for its Fifth Administrative Planet do seem to fit our requirements for recruiting pirate warriors."

Molly sighed. "Even with the nations having access to virtually unlimited energy, there are still places where people go hungry and struggle just to survive. Places like that are bound to produce plenty of desperate people."

"That's the one!"

Milili perked up.

"Prepare to jump to the target star sector. Start gathering intelligence in advance, and let's try to complete our first round of recruitment within half a month."

"But, master," Molly reminded her, "what about the money? If we can't pay salaries, the crew will have a terrible time. Never mind recruiting new members—we might have to deal with a riot among the existing crew."

"All right, I get it. I'll figure something out."

The AI's nagging was making Milili anxious.

"Don't worry, Molly. I'll make sure this Assault Boat lives up to its potential!"

"Then give it your best!"

Molly made an encouraging gesture, while Milili's face remained clouded with worry.

"I'm going to lose sleep again. Probably."

Gudunmaha spent the entire night tossing and turning.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw that fist rushing toward him, growing larger and larger.

Early the next morning, he looked at his disheveled reflection in the mirror and couldn't resist punching it... Then he clutched his right hand and sucked in a sharp breath.

How had that man done it?

Gudunmaha refused to admit that the young man had beaten him head-on.

He believed what had truly brought him to heel was the powerful force behind the other man.

That hypocritical New Federation!

Those greedy, despicable bloodsuckers!

Gudunmaha cursed them viciously under his breath, then forced himself to keep thinking.

He had spent more than half his life clawing his way up from the bottom of the military to the position he held now. He had fought countless enemies, yet he had never been this helpless.

"Yang Ming" had to be an alias.

An agent's name meant nothing. If they wanted, agents could change their identity and appearance at any time.

His formidable ability in one-on-one combat might be insignificant next to the guns of a starship, but it was still a sign—that this man held a high position in his intelligence agency.

"What did he come to Luofeng for?"

Gudunmaha tried to look at things from another angle, a trace of suspicion crossing his eyes.

The military corruption case was currently making every faction in the Luofeng Empire nervous. The military was on edge, joining forces to put pressure on the royal family.

Killing that maid directly was another way of applying pressure.

At this critical moment, if "Yang Ming" hadn't come for the case, what had he come for?

Or, rather, what mission had the New Federation given him?

To bring about reform?

To overthrow the monarchy, remake the Luofeng Empire, and turn it into a vassal state of the New Federation?

"It's very possible."

If that was the case...

Without realizing it, Gudunmaha had returned to his desk. A faint glimmer appeared in his eyes as he made a difficult decision and picked up the secure phone.

"Have Calumi bring her 026 to see me. Now."