The situation deteriorated faster than Yang Ming had anticipated.

Three days after Gudun Mah's incident with Lulian.

Little Lyu's clear voice resonated in the villa:

"Currently, within the borders of the Wind Empire, a total of three thousand two hundred fifty-four suspicious individuals have been identified. The number of New Federation Agents continues to increase."

"In the past three days, over sixty New Federation high-stealth warships have appeared in the synchronous orbit of the Fifth Administrative Star of the Wind Empire, deploying a total of more than three hundred landing craft into the atmosphere of the Fifth Administrative Star. It is estimated that at least four thousand five hundred New Federation Officers and soldiers, carrying unknown types of armaments, are present. The Wind Army is indifferent to this."

"There is a current risk that Gudun Mah is being isolated by other generals in the army."

"In the last twenty-four hours, twelve agents have appeared near our factory and have placed various surveillance devices at nearby intersections. We are being closely monitored."

Lyu paused and added,

"Of course, their surveillance has no effect at the moment."

"My central brain's computing power has limits and cannot process information from so many targets simultaneously. I can only lock onto the more important targets for continuous tracking."

"Moreover, we must be vigilant, as the other side is gathering intelligence on us, and they might launch an attack on you at any time, boss."

Yang Ming and Kolev exchanged glances at the dining table, both looking troubled.

Yang Ming cursed, "It's only been three days. Why doesn't the damned New Federation just send regular troops into the Fifth Administrative Star?"

Kolev sighed, "Yang Ming, your plan and ideas are good, and they've been executed smoothly. I believe you can reach that goal—if the New Federation didn't start acting so quickly."

"There's no 'if,'" Yang Ming replied calmly, crossing his arms. "What we're doing is like snatching food from the tiger's mouth."

"Snatching food from the tiger's mouth? That's an apt metaphor," Kolev sighed. "So what should we do now?"

"The timing is still too tight."

Yang Ming tapped his fingers on the table. Having observed and thought for two days, he already had a line of thought.

Yang Ming said, "The most crucial issue now is the attitude of the Wind royal family."

"Are you counting on them?"

Kolev shook his head,

"Yang Ming, you don't understand the mentality of an old man at this time."

"This Old Emperor doesn't have many years left, and now he's just hoping for the appearance of the Sherman Empire's fleet. The fate of others in this country is no longer important to him."

Yang Ming sighed, "The current Wind Empire lacks a soul who can unite the royal family, the military, and the people."

Kolev immediately said, "Aren't you going to invest in the Second Prince? Let the Second Prince step up."

"That requires the Second Prince to ignite his fighting spirit first," Yang Ming corrected. "Besides, I just want the Second Prince to help me enter the Royal Guard. That way it will be easier to climb up."

Kolev was silent for a moment, "You are the captain. Whether to continue this mission or withdraw first is up to you."

"I want to stay and complete this mission."

Yang Ming said in a deep voice,

"This is the best opportunity."

Lyu reminded nearby, "We haven't invested much time and effort yet."

"But, Lyu, you need to understand one thing."

Yang Ming's gaze was sharp, his voice low and magnetic,

"If we flee this time, will we still have the courage to face the New Federation in the future?"

"The New Federation is actively expanding, and the Sherman Empire is showing signs of decline. Of course, I don't think there will be a direct conflict within the next few decades, but the rivalry between the two will inevitably intensify."

"And we, if we successfully pass the first test and then lucky enough to pass the second and third, we will inevitably become a strong enemy the New Federation must eliminate... You understand what I mean, Lyu."

"Engaging with them early will also allow us to accumulate some experience and understand the operational logic of their intelligence department."

Lyu's virtual image nodded slightly.

Kolev's eyes flickered slightly, "Actually, we don't lack advantages."

Yang Ming smirked slightly, "Besides me directly attacking their command center, what other advantages do we have?"

"Oh, captain, are you a brute? Why do you only know fighting! You are now the leader of our small team and must have a broader perspective!"

Kolev's aged face had a hint of cunning as he said slowly,

"Listen to me, your individual strength can never compare with the starship's cannon; you need to be more cunning and fight a battle of wits."

"That may not be the case," Lyu casually interjected from the side.

Kolev's aged face was suddenly full of question marks.

The old man glanced at Yang Ming and continued,

"My point is, we need to find a way strategically and confuse the opponent tactically."

"Only by leveraging the Sherman Empire can we counter the pressure brought by the New Federation. We should focus on this aspect."

"Our advantage is that they still do not know us. They are unclear about our trump cards."

"Yes, my dear uncle."

Yang Ming said sternly,

"Lyu has already been preparing, and we will spread some rumors online. But we cannot guarantee how effective it will be."

"What about tactics?" Kolev asked with concern.

"This..."

Yang Ming smirked slightly and said calmly,

"We must be clear that our purpose here is not to save the Empire, much less to be some superhero. What I want is merit, a title, and fiefdom."

"It's not about us actively wanting to do something, but about having the Emperor or the Prince request us to do something, and they pay the reward."

"Therefore, at this stage, I must continue to court the Second Prince and also use the Second Prince to confuse the other side, reducing the threat they feel from me. Next, I'll continue to hang out with the Second Prince in indulgence. What do you think?"

Lyu: "Rent a private room in a nightclub and sing?"

Yang Ming sternly said, "Lyu, the coming time will be hard for you."

"I will allocate the limited computing power as best as I can," Lyu said softly. "As your all-around assistant, I will do my best to make the enemy regret being our enemy."

...

Difficult?

The Mechanical Thought Body did not have concepts like fatigue or hardship.

Lyu had only three things she enjoyed doing when bored.

Observing Yang Ming;

Observing the human world;

Contemplating the significance of her own existence.

To substantiate the third point, Lyu built herself a Thought Space.

Initially, this Thought Space was a mere blank expanse and did not consume much computing power. As long as she maintained the notion of "I am living in this space," she could preserve her sense of belonging here.

This was a container, a room, an ethereal body.

—That was how Lyu described it.

Gradually, Lyu had grown accustomed to the image Yang Ming set for her, and the Mechanical Thought Body in her Thought Space evolved from an initial glimmer to a visibly distinct form.

Boundaries began appearing in this Thought Space, forming contours similar to a room, with wardrobes, desks, beds, and windows appearing. Ever-changing scenery textures replaced the once blank expanse, turning it into a colorful space.

It was like a little girl's boudoir.

To save computing power sometimes, Lyu would divide into primary and secondary thinkings. The Primary Thought Body would enter the Thought Space, curled up on a swivel chair at the desk, deliberately tucking her legs in while the Secondary Thought Body presented the gathered and extracted information in graphic and video forms.

The advantage of doing this was that the Primary Thought Body only needed to maintain low energy and computing power, while the Secondary Thought Body didn't need to think and could execute ordinary artificial intelligence tasks sufficiently.

'I'm training myself.'

Lyu said with a wry smile.

Just like this moment.

Lyu huddled in a soft chair, with two rows of rapidly flowing information appearing before her eyes. The time axis at the bottom represented the flow of time in the real material world.

Here, Lyu seemed to have found the joys of her three teachers, the high-dimensional intelligent mechanical life forms of Intelligent Mechanic Dusk.

The information flow included graphics, audio, video, encrypted data, wireless communication...

The first stream of information was locked onto the boss and the old comrade.

Lyu needed to ensure their safety at all times.

The second stream was constantly changing and extremely complex. It encompassed everything from the Imperial Palace to the street traffic information of the Wind Empire and included various plans of the New Federation Agent group led by Lulian, among others.

Lyu enjoyed viewing the latter content.

Compared to the New Federation agents' professional schemes of rebellion, corrupting officials, recruiting gentry, and executing decapitation strikes, the process of her boss wooing the Second Prince was... really dull.

If these information flows were marked with the start point of the boss formally deciding to stay in the Wind Empire to continue the "Planet Leader Plan," using Galaxy Day as the unit, it would roughly be like this:

[Day One]

Lulian dispatched people to simultaneously meet with eight powerful generals in the army, controlling online public opinion and quickly suppressing the rumor that "Sherman Empire is about to send a mission," causing the first wave of Yang Ming's counterattack to fail.

The boss trained in stickball with the Second Prince, enjoyed gourmet food, and lounged in a shallow pool of distilled water, receiving a meticulous back scrub service from a beautiful maid.

The boss visited a new nightclub with the Second Prince at night.

[Day Two]

Lulian held a meeting with level-five and above stationed New Federation Agents of the Wind Empire, deciding to concurrently advance the Torch Plan and the revolution on the Fifth Administrative Star. Lulian met with Gudun Mah again for friendly discussions.

Yang Ming played sports with the Second Prince, enjoyed gourmet food, took baths, got back scrubbing, and soaked in hot springs.

They went to a new nightclub in the evening.

[Day Three]

Lulian's team assassinated the Governor of the Fifth Administrative Star, killing the governor, his wife, and children, along with more than twenty guards and servants in an explosion. The Wind Empire was in an uproar, and the Wind royal family strongly condemned the rebels, demanding that the army fulfill its inherent duties. Lulian's team controlled online public opinion, portrayed a crisis, and facilitated the rapid capital flight from within the Wind Empire.

Yang Ming and the Second Prince... briefly went to their usual nightclub.

[Day Four], [Day Five], [Day Six].

The focus of the agent team gathered on the Fifth Administrative Star, fully igniting flames of rebellion.

Yang Ming and the Second Prince expanded the new nightclub's map boundaries.

[Day Seven]

A large-scale rebellion erupted in the Fifth Administrative Star.

The forces buried by the New Federation in the Fifth Administrative Star partially erupted. On the surface, there was not much intense fighting; the rebels captured control of a medium-sized city after firing only a few shots, taking over various facilities around the city in a very short time.

Lulian's team popped champagne.

Lulian mocked the Imperial Military Intelligence Bureau agents' (referring to Yang Ming) incompetence.

Yang Ming and the Second Prince jointly purchased a nightclub.

After all, at such a critical juncture, the prince hanging out at nightclubs had too much negative influence.

[Day Eight]

Lulian's team shifted their focus to the Wind Empire's Head Star. Lulian began planning a series of terrorist attacks to divert the attention of the imperial royal family, reduce the pressure on the Fifth Administrative Star, and seek part of the Fifth Administrative Star's regions' independence.

The Wind royal family received advanced notice, increased Ilando Star's defense level to maximum, and implemented full-scale traffic control.

Lulian's team encountered slight setbacks in their operations.

Yang Ming and the Second Prince... went to their nightclub.

In the Thought Space, Lyu watched the video that popped up in front of her, slightly stunned, almost moved to tears.

The video's background was in a private compartment of a nightclub.

And in the video's first frame...

Yang Ming fiercely grabbed the collar of the Second Prince.

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