“Brother Yao, say no more. We all know that it’s an outrageous request to ask the Star Glory Federation to assist the Imperium of True Human Beings.”
Biting his teeth, Li Jialing said, “If any of us were the leader of the federation, we would barely be able to persuade the people to make such a risky decision.
“If the federation decides to ignore the conflicts at the center of the cosmos, that will be completely understandable.
“I can only say that if the federation does send their troops to the center of the cosmos, I’ll always remember the friendship, try my best to protect their safety, and meet your demands. Anything will be negotiable.
“Besides, the reformists and the Star Glory Federation are on the same boat at this moment. Once the reformists collapse, whether the four families or the Covenant Alliance wins, they will definitely consider the federation their next target. Or even worse, if the Covenant Alliance finds the mausoleum and wakes up hundreds of primeval experts, it will be the doom of mankind. Can the Star Glory Federation survive it?
“The federation is too weak to impose influence on the center of the cosmos except right now! Now, you can play a critical role. It’s a great opportunity for you. So—”
“Your Majesty, you do not have to be so yearning.”
Lei Chenghu coldly interrupted Li Jialing and said, “Do the Immortal Cultivators really have to beg for the Cultivators for help? We can still defeat the rebels of the four families and the Cultivators without the Star Glory Federation! Even if the primeval experts are woken up, so what? We’ll teach those people who should’ve died a lesson that we’re no longer the slaves we used to be hundreds of thousands of years ago!”
“General Lei Chenghu, we should stop arguing between ourselves.”
Li Yao clenched his fists and made a decision. “I cannot make a decision for the parliament of the federation. To be honest, I’m wavering too whether or not the soldiers of the federation should shed their blood at the center of the cosmos.
“However, I do have a solution about sneaking into the Covenant Alliance and acquiring critical intelligence.
“General Lei Chenghu, if I can get intelligence from the Covenant Alliance or even disrupt their pace of attack so that they will be slowed down for a couple of months, will you be able to finish off the four families in the meantime?”
“Why, of course!”
With dazzling brilliance in his eyes, Lei Chenghu snorted. “The main forces and the elites of the four families have been destroyed in the Battle of Seven Seas and the battle in the capital. The remainder of them is absolutely worthless. I can finish them easily as long as I have enough time!”
“But Brother Yao, how are you going to do it?”
Li Jialing asked earnestly, “Are you trying to resort to the Sunspot Plan that Wuying Qi 3.0 left?”
“Exactly.”
Li Yao murmured, “It’s highly risky, but we don’t have a choice. Only if we get tremendous intelligence on the leadership of the Covenant Alliance, find out their plan, and even raise a riot within the Covenant Alliance, can we save the precious lives of the soldiers of the Imperium and the federation.
“To prevent the soldiers from dying miserably like the garrison of the Thick Soil Sector did, the plan is worth a try however risky it is!”
Li Yao smashed his fist on the table, leaving a deep dent on it.
The special meeting lasted a whole night. Lei Chenghu, Boss Bai, and other leaders of the military discussed the details of their march. Li Linghai and Li Yao exchanged more secrets on the Supreme Emperor’s mausoleum, whereas the Fist King offered his input to the automatic defense system of the capital. When the meeting was over, the sun was already rising in the east.
Everybody left the royal palace with a heavy heart. Long Yangjun, however, invited Li Yao to her shuttle, claiming that she would take him to somewhere special.
“To the Association of Demon Hunters?”
Frowning, Li Yao said in the cold wind, “Forget it. I prefer to explore the secrets of the Gold Crystal Pyramid and figure out the details of the Sunspot Plan in the next couple of days.
“The sooner I get the intelligence on the leadership of the Covenant Alliance, the sooner I will grasp the pace of the Covenant Alliance’s attack. Countless people will be saved!”
“If you’re going to sneak into the Covenant Alliance to obtain intelligence and stir trouble, shouldn’t you get a deeper understanding of the Covenant Alliance first?”
Long Yangjun said with a smile, “Come on. It won’t be a waste of your time.”
Li Yao knew that Long Yangjun was fond of making jokes, but she was trustworthy on critical matters. He pondered for a moment and got into Long Yangjun’s shuttle.
The shuttle flew agilely in the early morning mist. Soon, it left the downtown area that was full of skyscrapers and moved all the way to the ocean, before it slowly landed on an island that was not far away from the shore.
Looking down at the island, Li Yao realized that the island was quite huge with many white buildings on it.
Li Yao had thought that it was some sort of oceanography institute, but when he noticed the high-voltage defense towers and the barbed wire fences, he thought it was a prison. However, when the shuttle finally landed, he saw “The Third Research Institute of the No. 7 Hospital of Imperial Medical University”.
Li Yao knew that the Third Research Institute of the No. 7 Hospital of Imperial Medical University was one of the best hospitals in the country specializing in mental diseases.
Why had Long Yangjun brought him here?
“You know the No. 7 Hospital, right?”
Noticing his confusion, Long Yangjun smiled and said, “The Third Research Institute is a place that studies violent patients, but since a hundred years ago, it has also been studying the people of the Covenant Alliance. This is one of the best research centers on Covenant Alliance.
“You’ve seen a lot of people in Godly Might Prison, but they were all common people who were not worth studying. The senior commanders of the Covenant Alliance, as well as the captives whose brains are abnormal, have all been sent to places like the Third Research Institute.
“Actually, the Association of Demon Hunters has a similar research center, but our research level is not high, and we do not have the best specimen. So, I often come to the Third Research Institute to discuss with the specialists here and to elicit intelligence from the Covenant Alliance captives.
“Zhuge Jinglun, the director of this place, is my old friend. He’s not only one of the best specialists on mental diseases in the Imperium but also an awesome Meditation Healer. Besides, he’s a legitimate heir of the Ring-Tu School. You can ask him anything about the Covenant Alliance.”
“An awesome Meditation Healer?”
Li Yao was briefly stunned. He knew about the Ring-Tu School, which was an organization of scholars who came up with a test to distinguish the people of the Covenant Alliance from normal people. “He still lives in the capital? Why was he not captured by Wuying Qi as fuel for the Next Sun Plan?”
“Hahahaha. Wuying Qi was not crazy. He did not catch all the Meditation Healers!”
Long Yangjun said with a smile, “Director Zhuge is a pure scholar, and his research is of paramount importance. Think about it, whoever assumes the power—Wuying Qi, the four families, the reformists, or even the Cultivators—has to deal with the Cultivators next, don’t they? Specialists like Director Zhuge are indispensable in the war against the Cultivator, so no matter what happens in the capital, he’s always safe. Even Wuying Qi never thought to harm him.”
“It does make sense.”
Li Yao thought for a moment and remarked, “You do have a lot of connections. Such a specialist is your ‘old friend’?”
“Well, Director Zhuge’s research institute has been half official and half private. It couldn’t have been sustained without the donations from the four families.”
Long Yangjun explained, “Dongfang Renxin, the former prime minister’s elder brother, was interested in Director Zhuge’s research. He even became a great sponsor for Director Zhuge after their academic discussion.
“At that time, I was appointed as the president of the Association of Demon Hunters, and I got to know Director Zhuge.
“A lot of violent patients were kept in Director Zhuge’s place. Many of them had strong desires to kill because of their active demonic genes. In other words, the targets of the Association of Demon Hunters were the objects that Director Zhuge studied. Therefore, we communicated a lot.
“Also, I was personally interested in Director Zhuge’s studies too. You know that I’m from the primeval age. Maybe Director Zhuge’s studies on the Covenant Alliance will unravel more secrets in my brain? For that purpose, I maintained my contact with him and even advised him on the side he should take in the political conflicts in the capital. Otherwise, an unworldly scholar like him could’ve been killed!
“As time went on, Director Zhuge and I became good friends, and he always shared with me the results of his latest studies. Of course, most of them are purely academic and cannot be applied to real battles. But I think they might come in handy for your Sunspot Plan.
“So, let’s go. I’ll introduce you to Director Zhuge.”
