Di Hongkun: At worst, we'll blow the Known Universe apart!

Seeing that the person in question had arrived, Du Kao immediately put on a warm smile and softened his voice.

"Here's the thing, Rena. We just discussed it and felt it was time to devote serious resources to developing Ge Xiaolun and the others. But resources really are tight on our end. After thinking it over, we decided to strengthen our cooperation with Lieyang."

He paused, watching Rena's expression, then continued, "As long as Lieyang provides the resources we need, Blue Star is willing to offer some living space to Lieyang. What do you think?"

Rena stood before the hospital bed, her expression giving nothing away. She even wore a perfectly measured smile, but inwardly, she was already cursing up a storm.

Shameless!

Absolutely shameless!

Ever since Angel Yan had dropped that hint before leaving, she had become more wary and found time to secretly check Blue Star's Dark Plane information.

She would never have known without looking, but one look had made everything clear.

The angels wanted to recover the resources spent researching Galaxy Power, and Du Kao and the others were frantically looking everywhere for a way out.

All this talk of strengthening cooperation-weren't they just counting on her being young and easy to fool, hoping to use her to put pressure on Pan Zhen?

Unfortunately for them, this goddess was no fool. She was clever as hell!

The smile on Rena's face remained unchanged, her voice steady and polite. "You have a point, Old Du. But as you know, Pan Zhen has always handled Lieyang Star's affairs. I can't make a decision this big. If you want to strengthen cooperation, just go to him. I have something to do, so I'll be off!"

Without waiting for Du Kao's response, she turned and headed for the door, her steps light and brisk, without the slightest hesitation.

The room fell silent for several seconds.

The smile on Du Kao's face crumbled bit by bit, finally darkening into a storm cloud.

"Since when did Rena get so sharp?"

"Looks like someone among the angels has already tipped her off. We were too slow."

Du Kao gritted his teeth and said nothing.

After leaving the hospital room, Rena did not return to the Training Ground. Instead, she ducked into a utility room, shut the door, leaned against the wall, and immediately opened a Dark Communication channel.

"Old Pan, got a moment?"

There were two seconds of silence on the other end before Pan Zhen's steady voice came through, carrying a trace of surprise.

"Rena? What made you think to contact me?"

"There's something I need to fill you in on."

Rena lowered her voice, but could not hide her excitement, as though saying, You'll never guess what I just went through. "The angels are hounding Super God Academy for the resources used to research Galaxy Power back then. They can't pay them back, so now they've set their sights on Lieyang."

Pan Zhen's end went quiet for a moment, as though he had set something down. When he spoke again, his voice had become cautious. "What terms did they offer?"

"They're planning to trade a piece of land on Blue Star."

Pan Zhen fell silent for several seconds, then gave a cold, meaningful chuckle. "Heh. Is their land made of gold? The nerve of them to demand so much."

He did indeed covet Blue Star, but not blindly.

Even if Lieyang needed a planet to migrate to, it could not possibly trade everything it had for an empty promise.

Besides, could he authorize a transfer of resources that large without Di Hongkun's approval?

Du Kao and the others had underestimated him.

"Rena, you handled this very well."

A rare note of approval entered Pan Zhen's voice. "It seems your trip to Blue Star really has helped you grow up."

At his praise, Rena's tail nearly stuck straight up into the sky.

"Of course! I, Di Rena, am Lieyang's chief god, after all. How could I do anything that harms Lieyang's interests? Anyway, what are you planning?"

"I understand the situation now. As for a decision, I'll discuss it with the other ministers and see whether we can secure greater benefits for Lieyang."

"All right, all right. You handle it yourselves. As long as we don't lose out."

Rena waved a hand indifferently. "That's it for now. I'm hanging up."

After the connection ended, the utility room fell quiet.

Rena stretched, pushed the door open, and walked out. Sunlight fell on her face again, and she narrowed her eyes toward the Training Ground in the distance, a relaxed smile on her lips.

Meanwhile, far away on Lieyang Star, Pan Zhen did not go to consult the ministers as he had said he would.

He sat silently at his desk for a moment, then rose and headed toward the Heavenly Dao Tower.

As he passed through the heavily guarded stone gate and entered the tower that soared into the clouds, the light abruptly dimmed, and an ancient, tranquil air filled his surroundings.

The tower's four inner walls were densely covered in runes. They glimmered with faint golden halos in the gloom, like countless breathing eyes.

Pan Zhen walked to the center of the tower and bowed slightly.

Deep within the tower's core, a mass of flowing golden light sensed his arrival and slowly emerged. It gathered and took shape in midair, finally transforming into a blurred, towering human figure.

The figure's face was difficult to make out, but the pressure radiating from him made all the runes throughout the Heavenly Dao Tower flash in unison.

"My god."

Pan Zhen lowered his head, his voice filled with heartfelt reverence. "My deepest apologies for disturbing your rest. But there is now a matter concerning Lieyang's future that requires your decision."

"What is it?"

Pan Zhen briefly recounted what had happened.

After listening, Di Hongkun seemed thoughtful.

When he spoke again, however, he asked an entirely unrelated question.

"Pan Zhen, how are the preparations for your Heavenly Dao Plan coming along?"

Pan Zhen froze slightly, then replied, "My god, preparations on Lieyang's side are complete. However, there is a troublesome monkey on Blue Star. My plan was to have Rena deal with this problem in secret."

"Has Rena taken any action, then?"

"Well..."

Pan Zhen was at a loss for words.

He could hardly tell Di Hongkun that after going to Blue Star, Rena had completely forgotten the mission she had originally been assigned.

Every day, she was either fooling around in the Super Soldier Company or going further and further down the path of shopping nonstop. She had not touched a single hair on that monkey.

Di Hongkun seemed to see through his embarrassment, a faint note of understanding in his voice.

"You don't need to make excuses for her. I know her temperament well enough. Since our preparations are more or less complete, let's take this opportunity to carry it out. If we wait any longer, I fear that girl's heart will turn entirely toward Blue Star."

At these words, Pan Zhen's brows shifted slightly.

"But my god, how should we answer to the angels?"

Di Hongkun's voice abruptly deepened, carrying an unquestionable imperiousness.

"Why should I, Di Hongkun, explain my actions to anyone else? If the angels want to interfere, then we fight! At worst, we'll blow the Known Universe apart!"