ISMW Chapter 83

Three days—this time wasn’t long or short, but none of the events that occurred were simple.

 

First was the experimental insect planet where the Severir insectoids appeared, which had now been placed under martial law. Yun Xunlan had arranged for warships to go sweep for any remaining insectoids that might be lurking underground. The publicly announced reason for martial law was the assassination live broadcast that most of the galaxy had witnessed.

 

The reason for Yun Xunlan’s prolonged absence was also claimed to be serious injuries from an interstellar pirate assassination attempt.

 

However, the situation before the assassination footage was cut off looked too much like a staged performance, so apart from citizens of the Galactic Empire itself, not many believed it. This was especially true after another major incident occurred—a transport and repair ship dispatched by the Corona Empire was also attacked by interstellar pirates.

 

Hearing this, Yun Xunlan slightly raised his eyebrows: “Captain Kos Telo was seriously injured?”

 

“Yes.” Jian Wenxi nodded repeatedly with his palm-sized face wrinkled in concern. “They even leaked medical records and hospital room injury photos, and those photos weren’t AI-generated or photoshopped—they were all real photographs.”

 

Kos Telo was precisely the alpha captain who had originally been responsible for transporting Yun Xunlan’s 3S mecha Jian Xing Chen to the Galactic Empire. So this time, as soon as the Corona Empire received news that Jian Xing Chen’s maintenance hatch was damaged, they immediately dispatched him and Vice Captain Lydon to lead mecha repair technicians to the Galactic Empire.

 

Who knew they would encounter successive attacks by interstellar pirates halfway there. They dodged wave after wave, not only delaying their journey but ultimately failing to escape. The transport repair ship was severely damaged in the attack, and Kos Telo was seriously injured in the confrontation with the pirates, forcing them to land on a nearby planet. Three days had passed and they still hadn’t reached Yaoguang Fifth Space Station where Yun Xunlan was located.

 

After this incident was exposed, it further “confirmed” that the experimental insect planet assassination was indeed staged by Yun Xunlan, with the obvious purpose of preventing Corona Empire mecha repair technicians from arriving, giving domestic engineers sufficient time to crack the 3S mecha design blueprints.

 

“This is pure slander!”

 

Jian Wenxi was furious about the slanderous statements thrown out by Corona Empire and Nebula Federation media, clenching his fist and slamming the table hard. After hitting it, he yelped “ow” and rubbed his painful hand while muttering: “Our arranged interstellar pirates haven’t even acted yet!”

 

Yu Chen, listening nearby: “…”

 

So you really did arrange for interstellar pirates to attack the Corona Empire’s transport repair ship?

 

But to crack the original 3S mecha design blueprints, Yun Xunlan and Jian Wenxi had to do this. They were also worried that the Corona Empire’s mecha repair technicians would arrive too quickly, leaving them insufficient time. In the current situation, the pirate group that seriously injured Kos Telo seemed to have helped them?

 

However, neither Yun Xunlan nor Jian Wenxi showed any joy on their faces.

 

Jian Wenxi still looked indignant about being wrongfully accused, while Yun Xunlan lowered his gaze and pondered for a few seconds before asking: “Wenxi, so during these three days, did you crack the original 3S mecha design blueprints?”

 

“Of course I cracked them.” Jian Wenxi said. “I have two pieces of bad news. Which would you like to hear first?”

 

Yun Xunlan: “…Either is fine.”

 

They’re all bad news—does it matter which one comes first?

 

Jian Wenxi began explaining to Yun Xunlan: “The first bad news is that the original 3S mecha design blueprints have design concepts almost completely identical to the theoretical assumptions and basic framework written in my goddess’s manuscripts. So the improvement solutions are still the same two: either replace the superconducting materials used in the core power source, or completely overturn the existing 3S mecha architecture and redesign a new generation of 3S mechas to add escape devices.”

 

3S mechas had indeed sacrificed the escape ejection cockpit systems that other level mechas had for more powerful attack performance—this allowed them to install the large and structurally complex core power source within the 3S mecha design framework.

 

According to current 3S mecha design blueprints, these two elements were incompatible and difficult to improve, because improvement would require iterative upgrades to the mecha’s core power source, which was no different in difficulty from designing a new generation of 3S mechas.

 

Yu Chen, who wasn’t participating in Yun Xunlan and Jian Wenxi’s conversation, suddenly asked Jian Wenxi: “Your goddess?”

 

Jian Wenxi said: “Yes, Professor Ran Xuechen. You must have heard her name too, right?”

 

Yu Chen also lowered his eyes, his dense long lashes concealing all emotions in his blue pupils, only saying flatly: “Whose name hasn’t heard her name?”

 

“Exactly, she’s the greatest mecha designer!” Once his goddess was mentioned, Jian Wenxi had endless things to say. “I believe only a team led by her could have designed 3S mechas. Her manuscripts already explained the related theories very clearly, but she died before 3S mechas came into existence… I feel that Duke Manyuin Hurst’s ability to design 3S mechas must have referenced her manuscripts.”

 

Jian Wenxi turned to ask Yun Xunlan: “Yun Xunlan, do you think the seller of my goddess’s manuscripts at that auction we attended could have been Duke Manyuin Hurst?”

 

“I don’t know.” Yun Xunlan continued asking, “What’s the second bad news?”

 

Jian Wenxi answered: “Many of the component manufacturing processes and technologies needed to produce 3S mechas are monopolized by the Corona Empire. Even if we spare no expense in building and perfecting the production supply chain, it would take at least six months before we could begin mass production of 3S mechas.”

 

“Six months…” Yun Xunlan pondered briefly. “Faster than I imagined, not really bad news.”

 

Jian Wenxi told him: “Because we’re sparing no expense, it will burn through a lot of money.”

 

Having experienced poverty from saving people in his previous life, Yun Xunlan paid great attention to material wealth in this life. His private assets were considerable, and besides, for something like building a 3S mecha industrial chain, Yun Xunguang would definitely allocate funds from the national treasury to subsidize him. So Yun Xunlan said: “Money isn’t a problem.”

 

—Wealthy people think alike.

 

Jian Wenxi, who hadn’t lacked money since differentiating into an omega, agreed: “Exactly, if worst comes to worst, you can sell more phero…”

 

“…Cough cough cough!”

 

Yun Xunlan suddenly covered his chest and coughed violently.

 

Jian Wenxi was startled: “What’s wrong with you?”

 

Yu Chen also went to stroke Yun Xunlan’s back, frowning: “Are you feeling unwell again?”

 

Yun Xunlan wasn’t actually unwell—he was afraid that if he didn’t pretend to be uncomfortable to interrupt Jian Wenxi, Jian Wenxi would expose his business of selling pheromone-scented products for profit, which Yu Chen absolutely couldn’t know about.

 

“No, my throat was just a bit itchy.” Yun Xunlan strategically drank some tea and quickly changed the subject. “Wenxi, we’ve already paid the deposit to the Shika Mercenary Group, right?”

 

The Shika Mercenary Group was the interstellar pirate mercenary group that Jian Wenxi and Yun Xunlan had hired to attack the Corona Empire’s transport repair ship. The hiring deposit had even been paid by Yun Xunlan, yet now he was asking Jian Wenxi as if he didn’t remember this matter.

 

Jian Wenxi didn’t think much of it, as this was something he needed to mention to Yun Xunlan anyway: “While you were unconscious these past few days, their boss contacted me. He couldn’t reach you and asked if we were planning to back out. He emphasized that if we backed out, he wouldn’t refund the deposit—he’d only refund it if the attack failed.”

 

Yun Xunlan smiled: “We’re not backing out. The plan continues as before.”

 

Since everyone was already saying they had hired interstellar pirates to attack the Corona Empire’s transport repair ship, they might as well confirm the rumor.

 

Jian Wenxi strongly agreed: “I think so too. Why back out? How much is the final payment anyway? Isn’t Kos Telo particularly arrogant? I don’t believe he’s really injured—he’s definitely faking it.”

 

But Yun Xunlan said: “Not necessarily fake.”

 

“Then he’s so weak. I don’t even know what he was pretending about that day.” Jian Wenxi clicked his tongue. “Only 72% resonance rate and he had the nerve to mention it?”

 

“It’s good that he mentioned it. 72%…” Yun Xunlan slowly repeated this number between his lips and teeth, his eyes flickering slightly. “A very distinctive resonance rate.”

 

Jian Wenxi didn’t understand what was distinctive about this resonance rate. It was memorable though—whenever 72% resonance was mentioned, he would think of Kos Telo.

 

“Alright, I’ve said everything I needed to say.” Jian Wenxi stood up. “I’m returning to the Imperial Star tonight. Yun Xunlan, are you going back?”

 

Yun Xunlan shook his head: “No, Imperial Sister has arranged other tasks for me.”

 

Jian Wenxi waved at Yun Xunlan: “Oh, then rest well. See you on the Imperial Star.”

 

“Goodbye.”

 

Yun Xunlan watched Jian Wenxi leave, then Yu Chen pushed him back to the hospital room.

 

As soon as they entered and the door closed, Yu Chen stopped walking. Instead of pushing Yun Xunlan back to the bedside, he bent down at the entrance, approaching the young man’s ear, and said slowly and mysteriously: “Lanlan, does your throat still itch?”

 

Although this excuse was something Yun Xunlan had said himself, hearing Yu Chen repeat it now felt strange, with an indescribable ambiguous feeling, as if when Yun Xunlan said it itched, Yu Chen could stuff something into his throat to relieve the itch.

 

Fortunately, the next moment Yu Chen continued asking: “Do you still want to cough?”

 

Yun Xunlan answered truthfully: “Not anymore.”

 

“Good.” Yu Chen straightened his back and walked around to face Yun Xunlan, looking down at him. “Open your mouth and let me see.”

 

Yun Xunlan obediently parted his lips. With Yu Chen’s vision, he could clearly see the young man’s moist throat—where sounds would emerge from deeper within.

 

However, Yu Chen was now only interested in the young man’s soft red tongue resting near his lower teeth. He pinched Yun Xunlan’s tongue with two fingers, gently pulling out the tip, and curved his lips: “Your Highness truly has a silver tongue.”

 

—He even used the long-absent honorific.

 

Yun Xunlan felt something was wrong and feigned confusion: “Mm?”

 

“Why did Your Highness interrupt Young Master Jian’s words just now?” Yu Chen didn’t beat around the bush. “What can you sell that I’m not allowed to hear? Is it pheromones?”

 

Yun Xunlan: “…”

 

With his tongue tip being pinched, Yun Xunlan had difficulty speaking: “…Baby, listen to my explanation.”

 

“Speak.” Yu Chen raised his eyebrows and applied more pressure with his fingers. “I’m listening.”

 

Yun Xunlan raised his hand to grip Yu Chen’s wrist, wanting the man to release him first: “Being pinched… can’t speak well…”

 

Yu Chen snorted coldly: “Then don’t bother explaining. You’ve already sold it—would explaining make you unsell it?”

 

Yun Xunlan: “…”

 

Indeed not. There was so much money involved.

 

**

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