EOL Chapter 42

Alfred stared at the empty picture frame for a few seconds, forcing himself to return to the current situation.

 

He turned to Marshal Stone and his son, and before he could speak, Marshal Stone asked, “Your Highness, when do we attack?”

 

“Wait for a while.” Alfred gestured for a pause, indicating that they should put that aside for now, but instead, he said to Austin, who was standing behind him, “I need you to contact someone for me. I have something to tell him… no, I want to give him an opportunity.”

 

“Who to contact?” Austin was a little confused, wondering who could be more important than that giant flying object at this moment.

 

“Amber”.

 

Who is Amber?

 

Alfred said impatiently, “It’s Mei. Didn’t you buy tickets to his concert?”

 

Austin was startled, a chill running down his spine.

 

After breaking up with Alfred, Xiao Mei debuted as a singer and was about to hold his first concert on the main planet; he had indeed bought tickets. This wasn’t a big deal, nor was it anything important; even his father didn’t know, yet Alfred knew about such a private matter…

 

His father, now a Grand Marshal, remained cautious in everything he did. Whenever he was out in the field, he would often pretend to be a rough and unassuming soldier with no guile. As a child, Austin couldn’t quite understand this, but now he was beginning to understand.

 

Royal families trusted no one and were extremely difficult to get along with. The emperor was like this, and this young prince before him was even worse.

 

Only after recovering from the shock did Austin realize something else, “How come Xiao Mei has another name?”

 

Alfred glanced at him, but didn’t answer the question, instead giving instructions on his own.

 

“Tell him that the crew of the third cantilever film is here; whatever they are filming, he’ll be playing the lead role. You make arrangements for that.”

 

The survival crisis had just passed, and the so-called “entertainment industry” was emerging, currently a game for the rich. Austin, having disguised himself as a playboy for many years, had many friends in the entertainment industry. Xiao Mei’s rapid rise to fame and the success of his concerts after his debut were due not only to his excellent singing skills but also to Austin’s help.

 

He would certainly be happy to introduce Xiao Mei to acting, but it was too strange that Alfred would personally give such an order at such an urgent time.

 

Austin tried to follow the train of thought and asked, “Is it the film crew that you just instructed the butler to find the production team for?”

 

“Yes,” Alfred said briefly, without explanation.

 

Austin was increasingly confused. It seemed Alfred wanted to enter a new industry, investing in a TV series and personally selecting the lead actor. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem… but why now?

 

Before he could figure out what was going on, Alfred had already turned to his father.

 

“How fast are they moving? How long until they reach the border?”

 

“It’s very fast, much faster than we expected.” Marshal Stone stared at the holographic display floating above his communicator as military reports streamed across it. The display was heavily encrypted. No one else could read it. Only the implants in the marshal’s eyes allowed him to view the classified information.

 

“They’ve already cleared the Capital Planet’s orbital zone. At this speed… they could breach the border in less than two days.”

 

How long would it take the Empire’s fastest military ships to travel from the main planet to the border at full speed? Half a month?

 

The main force stationed near the main planetary orbit could not catch up no matter what, and even if they wanted to pursue with their entire army, it would be impossible.

 

Alfred closed his eyes and said, “Understood.”

 

“I suggest we open fire,” Marshal Stone said calmly. “They’ll pass several military garrisons along this route. We can attempt to destroy them with heavy interstellar weapons. If we let them reach the border unscathed, our forces stationed there will not be enough to stop them.”

 

“Do not attempt to destroy it for now,” Alfred said. “Inform the garrison units along the route to attempt to intercept it and immediately report back to assess the enemy aircraft’s combat capabilities.”

 

“Your Highness, I understand that attempting to use interstellar weapons near any planet would inevitably affect them,” Marshal Stone argued. “But even if it comes at a cost, we must capture them. We cannot let them go. The Crown Prince took a large number of classified documents, and the High Priest possesses core genetic technology. If they cross the border, the consequences will be unimaginable. Even if it’s just a trial, we must—”

 

“I said,” Alfred cut him sharply, “do not attempt to destroy it!”

 

Prepare the fastest warships immediately.”

 

“Your Highness…” Marshal Stone hesitated, “We cannot catch up with them.”

 

“I told you to have every garrison intercept them and buy time. Didn’t you hear me? Go. I need to see the Emperor. Hopefully he’s awake. Then I’ll personally lead the pursuit.”

Marshal Stone’s eyes widened.

“Your Highness, that’s unacceptable! Whether we intercept or shoot down that ship, or it breaks through the border and leaves, you should not leave the main planet. It’s too risky. If something goes wrong, the Empire will have to rely on His Majesty; judging from His Majesty’s behavior today, this is not a good idea. Your Highness, both for public and private reasons, I believe you should take control of the Empire in the current situation.”

 

“I’m already in control of the situation. All you have to do is carry out my orders!” Alfred said coldly. Everyone could tell he was in a terrible mood and wouldn’t tolerate anyone contradicting his commands.

 

This matter was of utmost importance and far too risky. Marshal Stone seemed to want to dissuade him further, but Alfred added, “By the way, Your Excellency, there is something else I wanted to tell you. The one carrying the large number of classified documents is not the Crown Prince. It is your nephew.”

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“We will pass through more than one military garrison ahead. Given the current Grand Marshal’s tactical style, they are very likely to intercept us along the way at all costs.” Xiu spoke calmly.

 

He was inside an immaculate white room with rounded corners aboard an impossibly fast spacecraft. At least, impossibly fast by Imperial standards.

Perhaps it was motion sickness; he felt slightly dizzy and nauseous[mfn]Bam bam BAM lol[/mfn]. No one could tell, as His expression remained perfectly composed.

The translator dutifully translated the sentence, and the two men sitting on the other side of the long table began to discuss it amongst themselves. Yes, two men. With identical eyes, a nose, and a mouth, and the same body structure and proportions, they appeared virtually identical on either side of the long table, except for their language and appearance.

 

But Xiu knew they were different. By the Empire’s standards, these people were nothing more than “ordinary people” without any advanced genetic abilities. In fact, based on Xiu’s observations over the past few hours, their average height and physical fitness were even inferior to those of ordinary people in the Empire.

 

Yet they brazenly appeared in the imperial city in their spaceship, lingering above the Holy Golden Palace, which represented imperial power, easily accomplishing what no one in the vast empire dared to do and were able to easily escape unscathed, withdrawing at a speed that was impossible to pursue, and they were merely space pirates.

 

A short while later, one of the men said something to the interpreter.

“Sir, our conventional military technology should be immune to any interference from your armed forces’ standard methods,” the interpreter relayed to Xiu, speaking with a slightly awkward accent. “You don’t need to worry about that.”

Sir.

It was an unfamiliar form of address. Xiu was used to honorifics and lofty titles. No one had ever simply called him sir before.

“No,” Xiu replied. “You’ve misunderstood me. I’m not worried about our safety.” He paused before continuing. “I simply believe the primary purpose of your mission is to bring as much intelligence as possible back to your homeland…”

He hesitated, deliberately using a word he had only just learned.

“…back to the Federation. Since you’re confident your vessel can withstand any attack, then why waste such a rare opportunity? This is a chance to penetrate deep into Imperial territory. Why not make full use of it?”

The interpreter looked at him.

“You mean…?”

“I mean there’s no need to leave in such a hurry,” Xiu said calmly. “I can guide you personally. I can take you to several of the Empire’s most important military bases. You mentioned earlier that your newly elected President is more than willing to pay handsomely for valuable intelligence, didn’t you?”