by <unknown>
The mental devil was slightly stunned. "… Huh?"
"Look, for Wuying Qi and Lei Chenghu, in order to minimize their losses, they should sit on the fence while the two tigers fight. The fiercer the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and the four families fight, the better. It will be best if both parties have suffered heavy losses before the Astounding Thunder Fleet jumps out to clean the mess. That's the way to maximize the returns and minimize the losses."
Li Yao said, "Judging from Wuying Qi's infiltration of the Seven Seas Space Zone, he was absolutely capable of that. He did not need to go so far and make the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors collapse so hard!
"Now, even if the Astounding Thunder Fleet wins in the end, it will certainly suffer heavy losses. Why would he do that?"
The mental devil pondered for a long time, with a colder and eviler expression.
"What if Wuying Qi does not want Lei Chenghu to win easily?"
The mental devil said coldly, "It's his purpose to consume Lei Chenghu's strength as much as possible. What he wants is not the mutual destruction of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and the coalition fleet of the four families, but the 'triple destruction' of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, the four families' coalition fleet, and the Astounding Thunder Fleet!"
"What do you mean?"
Li Yao was greatly alarmed. "Are you saying that Wuying Qi does not trust Lei Chenghu at all, just like he never trusted Jin Yuyan?"
"Isn't it only natural?"
The mental devil sneered, "How can someone like Blackstar the Great really trust anybody apart from himself? He wouldn't have trusted his own father or son, let alone Lei Chenghu."
"But Lei Chenghu is different. Lei Chenghu is a 'real Immortal Cultivator'. He is Blackstar the Great's zealous admirer!"
Li Yao said, "We chatted with Lei Chenghu so many times. His firm belief in the true path of immortality and his admiration for Wuying Qi are not questionable. It is not an exaggeration to say that Lei Chenghu is willing to die for Blackstar the Great anytime. Can't Wuying Qi tolerate such a loyal subordinate?
"Even if he can't tolerate Lei Chenghu, he should at least make good use of him first instead of killing the supporters at such an early phase, right?"
"Wrong. It suddenly occurs to me that we may have misunderstood Lei Chenghu's admiration for Wuying Qi all the time."
The mental devil said, "Think about it. Wuying Qi is an ancient man from a thousand years ago. Lei Chenghu has never got in touch with Wuying Qi in person. The Wuying Qi he knew was just a false image presented by the twisted information in the textbooks, propaganda, movies, games, and history books of the Imperium.
"What he worshipped is the bright, perfect, selfless ancestor of Immortal Cultivators on the altar. It's the psychological projection of the morals in his own heart. That is an illusional and nonexistent person. Is the real, living Wuying Qi who has walked off the altar someone like that? Does he really deserve Lei Chenghu's admiration?"
Li Yao scratched his head hard. "I don't understand. What do you mean?"
"You don't understand? Let me give you the simplest example."
The mental devil explained, "Assuming that in the Star Glory Federation decades ago, there was a young Cultivator who zealously and extremely worshipped 'Vulture Li Yao, dominator of three Sectors'. He adored the father of the federation as the greatest hero of his life. He even lived his life by the standards of the perfect father of the country that was shaped by all kinds of propaganda materials.
"In the mind of the young Cultivator, 'Vulture Li Yao, dominator of three Sectors and father of the federation' should be an immaculate man, who was ambitious, benevolent, charismatic, handsome man. He was wise, determined, farsighted, invincible, and never made any mistake. All in all, he was a god-like saint. Yes, that is exactly how you are described in many promotional materials that Jin Xinyue made up.
"Assuming that the young Cultivator was truly convinced by that, only to see you in real life someday, what do you think the young man would feel after getting in touch with such a so-called 'nation's father'?
"Will he continue to zealously worship the… shameless, cowardly 'father of the federation' who is terribly beaten up every other day, or will his worldview be shattered, making him believe that the whole world is an illusion and a lie? He may be so disappointed in you and the federation that he even abandons the path of the Cultivators in fury and hatred, right?"
Chapter 2583: The Greatest Loophole and Opportunity! |
"Hmm…"
Attracted, Li Yao thought carefully for a long time. He suddenly realized it and frowned. "What are you talking about? Why don't I deserve to be 'dominator of three Sectors and father of the federation'? Why am I disappointing the young Cultivators and making them suspicious about the world and their life? Explain yourself!"
"That's just a metaphor to make it easier for you to understand."
The mental devil hurried to add, "All in all, it's nothing personal. All I'm saying is that the glorious image of any leader who has been divinized always has a major gap from what he actually looks like. You were only away from the federation for a hundred years, and you were already deformed in the propaganda to the extent that your own parents wouldn't have recognized you. It is needless to say that about Wuying Qi who has been away from the Imperium for a thousand years. Chances are even smaller that he is what the textbooks of the Imperium describe or what is in Lei Chenghu's mind.
"However, once Lei Chenghu realizes the gap, it will be like falling from a cliff ten thousand meters high, with all his hopes gone. He will completely lose his calmness. Who knows what he will do in his fury?"
"You do have a point if you put it that way!"
His eyes glittering, Li Yao smashed his fists hard. "Lei Chenghu is a 'real Immortal Cultivator', if not 'the last Immortal Cultivator of the Imperium'. However, he lives in a corrupt, decadent age where 99% of the Immortal Cultivators are selfish and hopeless. It is impossible for him to save such a crooked and bizarre society on his own, restoring it to the 'beautiful age of Immortal Cultivators' in his dreams. When a skyscraper is falling, it is barely possible to support it with one pillar. It's not hard to imagine how depressed and frustrated he is!
"Twisted by his depression and frustration, he regarded the legendary Blackstar the Great as his sole psychological support. Wuying Qi in Lei Chenghu's mind is a hero and a savior who will return to save the Imperium someday!
"Then, it is needless to say how ecstatic and admiring Lei Chenghu is when Wuying Qi does show up.
"However, the more hopeful one is, the more disappointed he tends to be later. When he realizes that Wuying Qi is actually no different from the 'false Immortal Cultivators' like the four Kurfürsten, if not worse than them, he will certainly be hit by the collapse of his idol and feel that he has been betrayed by Blackstar the Great, the Imperium, and even the whole universe!
"Wow, if he does fall into desperation and realizes his dream is just a joke, he will definitely retaliate against Wuying Qi. Or maybe, if he does not die because of mental derangement caused by the collapse of his beliefs, it will be possible that he will abandon himself and walk on the path of the Cultivators, starting to worship me, the 'dominator of three Sectors and the father of the federation'!"
"I think you are overthinking. However crushed and upset Lei Chenghu is, he is never going to be a Cultivator, much less your fan."
The mental devil said solemnly, "However, we are certain about one thing. Lei Chenghu is a man who holds the extreme belief in the true path of immortality and who fights for not his personal interests but for his dream. It is even safe to say that he is a 'fundamentalist Immortal Cultivator'. If he finds that Wuying Qi's beliefs don't fit with his own, or that Wuying Qi is a 'false Immortal Cultivators', he will not hold any loyalty toward Wuying Qi. He will not hesitate to kill Blackstar the Great by then!"
"That's right!"
The more Li Yao talked, the more excited he be
came. "Right now, Lei Chenghu hasn't seen through Wuying Qi's real appearance. That's why he is loyal and obedient to the thousand-year-old ghost and jumps to the swamp of the Seven Seas Space Zone without any hesitation. However, hate often grows from love. Once he sees through Wuying Qi's beliefs and realizes that Wuying Qi intends to be the eternal sovereign of the Imperium, which will result in the complete rigidity of the whole civilization of mankind, he will certainly rebel!
"Wuying Qi knows the point very well. Then, he has every reason to believe that Lei Chenghu poses a greater threat than the four Kurfürsten and the merchants of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors. Therefore, with a few tricks, he has placed the Astounding Thunder Fleet, the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, and the coalition fleet of the four families in the same trap, allowing the three threats to stall and fight each other. In the meantime, he will be given an opportunity to deal with the ace fleets of the four families. As long as the plans in the capital and the Seven Seas Space Zone both work out, it will be impossible for him to lose. Who in the entire Imperium can be a match for him?
"While the whole scheme is slightly hasty and risky, Wuying Qi doesn't really have a choice. The army of the Covenant Alliance has lurked long enough in the darkness in space, and it's time for them to show up, isn't it? Wuying Qi has to unite the whole Imperium thunderously and unstoppably before the main force of the Covenant Alliance arrives. That's his only option!"
"There's another possibility."
The mental devil added, "Although there is no evidence, I'm doubting that something in Wuying Qi's trap in the capital crosses the boundaries of the Immortal Cultivators. He knows that his scheme is very likely to raise Lei Chenghu's resistance or even intense objection. That's why he takes action in advance to diminish or even kill Lei Chenghu!"
Li Yao was slightly stunned. "Something that crosses the boundaries of the Immortal Cultivators? The Immortal Cultivators barely have any boundaries, alright? If Wuying Qi is crossing such boundaries, what exactly is he going to do?"
"I don't know. However, assuming that Wuying Qi is truly transforming the capital planet into a gigantic crystal bomb to waste the hundred billion people and even the best fleets nationwide, Lei Chenghu would definitely object to it and even stop cooperating with him."
The mental devil further explained, "With our understanding of Lei Chenghu, he is both a devoted patriot and a zealous militarist. The military is the most sacred notion that is above everything in his eyes. Even the ace fleets of the four families are part of the military of the Imperium and the 'sabers of humanity'.
"Lei Chenghu's purpose is to unite all the troops of the Imperium and combine them into an army that truly serves the country. That naturally includes the ace fleets of the four families, which will even be the main force of it.
"If Wuying Qi is really going to take down so many fleets at the cost of the entire capital, do you think that Lei Chenghu will agree?
"Of course, like what we have analyzed just now, it is highly unlikely that Wuying Qi is going to detonate the capital planet. However, whatever his scheme is, it will be one of the brutal methods that involve mutual destruction, which will significantly undermine the military power of the Imperium. Then, as a fundamentalist Immortal Cultivator and a militarist, Lei Chenghu would never agree to that.
"Wuying Qi foresaw that, after his plan was activated, Lei Chenghu would object to it or even stand on his opposite side along with the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, in which case he would be doomed! Therefore, he prepared a scheme in advance and took the opportunity to kill Lei Chenghu, the future leader of the military. Does such a stone that kills two birds make sense?"
"It can't make more sense!"
Li Yao rose abruptly; his eyes glittering like a weasel that had just caught the buttock of a hen. He rubbed his fists and said, "This is Wuying Qi's greatest loophole and our best opportunity. Chances are that the scheme that he has worked on for such a long time will make us the greatest winner!
"Wuying Qi has placed the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, the Astounding Thunder Fleet, and the coalition fleet of the four families in the bloody, cruel swamp that is the Seven Seas Space Zone, intending for them to destroy each other. However, he couldn't have taken Boss Bai and the 'Coalition Fleet of Pyromaniacs' into consideration, nor could he have foreseen the existence of Xiaoming and Wenwen.
"If… If we can persuade Lei Chenghu and achieve a temporary alliance with him, with the Astounding Thunder Fleet's combat ability and Lei Chenghu's prestige, plus the disguise of the Coalition Fleet of Pyromaniacs and Xiaoming and Wenwen's computational ability, it will definitely be possible to clean up the four families' coalition fleet commanded by Yun Xuefeng as soon as possible. We may even be able to attract most of the starships on the enemy's side to join us!
"Then, it will be all about speed!
"The ace fleets of the four families are no more pigs than their coalition fleet. If they truly launch a comprehensive attack at the capital in the Empyreal Terminus Sector, however sophisticated and dangerous Wuying Qi's trap is, it will be impossible for him to annihilate all the ace troops in only half a month, right?
"Then, as long as we clean up the Seven Seas Space Zone before Wuying Qi's triumph and jump to the Empyreal Terminus Sector with Boss Bai's fleet, Lei Chenghu's fleet, and the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors' garrison fleet, the Imperial Guards and the Deep Sea Fleet there will have been exhausted in the battles against the ace fleets of the four families, right? Wouldn't we be the greatest beneficiary in the end? Haha, in that case, Wuying Qi will be a victim of his own scheme!"
"Well, while your plan sounds too wishful, it is basically fine."
The mental devil continued calmly, "There's only one problem. How are you going to negotiate with Lei Chenghu? Under what identity are you going to negotiate with him?
"On the surface, you are a traitor of the reformists who has joined the four families. As a great general on the reformists' side, and as a man of honor and integrity, Lei Chenghu would be barraging and blowing you into smithereens, alright?
"In addition, you are a Cultivator, which must've been known by Lei Chenghu thanks to Wuying Qi's information. Then, Lei Chenghu has even fewer reasons not to blow you into pieces!"
Li Yao blurted out, "Then, I'll talk to him as the 'Black Wind King'!"
The mental devil sneered, "Have you thought it through? The only reason why Lei Chenghu led the soldiers of his hometown to save the day in the front line, sacrificing so many brothers and comrades in order to hold the defense line, was because of the Black Wind Fleet's collapse and escape! Do you think Lei Chenghu will be particularly fond of the Black Wind King?"
Chapter 2584: I'll Have to Ask You to Give me a Hand |
"That does make sense."
Li Yao paced back and forth like ants on a hot pot, before he said, "However, I believe that Lei Chenghu is still a reasonable man who can see the big picture. If he is really a devoted patriot and considers the greatest interests of the civilization of mankind, he will definitely have enough rationality and patience for him to sit down and listen to me slowly.
"If it doesn't work out, I'll find a way to sneak into his flagship and kidnap him. I'll lock him in a secret room, tie him up, whip him, and put a chainsword on his neck. Then, I'll have a straightforward and heartfelt conversation with him. Will there be any way for him to resist?"
"What did you say? I am not hearing you correctly, am I? Come again?"
The mental devil scorned, "You really think that Lei Chenghu is a mediocre general like Yun Xuefeng, and the Astounding Thunder Fleet is a worthless troop that merely shows off with the equipment like the Adamantine Fleet? Let me tell you, the Astounding Thunder Fleet is a real great army that has been tested by bloody battles for a hundred years. Even the ace fleets of the four families might not be as experienced as the Astounding Thunder Fleet. Even a common soldier in the Astounding Thunder Fleet may be a survivor
in the cold, demanding frontline after hundreds of fierce battles against the Covenant Alliance. I can't possibly imagine how scary such a fleet is, and you are hoping to break through the defense of the Astounding Thunder Fleet, sneak into the flagship, and capture their commander? In your dream!"
"I'm not fighting on my own; there are still you and Boss Bai who can help me, right?"
Li Yao smashed his fists hard and gnashed his teeth. "In any case, this is our only opportunity. If we cannot persuade Lei Chenghu, everything will be doomed. Nothing can possibly stop the second rise of Blackstar the Great. The future Imperium of True Human Beings will be even more horrible, so horrible that even the Immortal Cultivators today won't be able to suffer it.
"Faced with such a dark future, we have no choice except to wager everything and take our chances!"
Taking a deep breath, Li Yao controlled the pores on his head to expand to let out the excessive heat provided by his brain cells. After lowering the temperature of his brain, he sorted through his analysis just now in utter calmness, ensuring that there weren't any flaws, before he contacted Boss Bai again.
The communication with Boss Bai did not go so well.
The Coalition Fleet of Pyromaniacs seemed to have been caught in an area of fierce battles with strong interferences. It took a long time before the connection was established intermittently. On the light beam that was full of waves and flakes, Boss Bai looked twisted and fuzzy too.
"Boss Bai—"
Li Yao had been observing the updates of the battle. However, it was barely possible for the warships to send the latest battle data back to the Seven Seas Grand Market. He could only ask directly, "What's the environment in space right now? Have you been engaged with the Astounding Thunder Fleet?"
"What environment? Madness! Everybody is mad! It's completely out of control!"
Boss Bai's eyes were red, and his hair was messy. Intense steam was popping up from his body, making him look like a boiling furnace. "Yun Xuefeng is out of his mind. He is now leading his main fleet to rush at the Astounding Thunder Fleet, planning to have a head-on clash with Lei Chenghu to decide the final winner!"
