Abyss Solo

Chapter 74: 045 Start Not Valuing Martial Virtue

Before getting into the rented luxurious car, the uncle and nephew duo:

Their gestures were exaggerated, voices loud, eyes vacant, speaking in a dialect from the Galaxy with a tinge of coldness, discussing business involving millions in daily transactions.

After getting into the luxurious car with its network connections blocked…

The smile on Yang Ming’s face quickly vanished, his gaze turning sharp. He aligned the watch face to the car’s system and swiftly pressed a button.

Kolev operated his monocle for a few seconds, scanning for any possible listening devices inside the luxurious car.

As the hover car just left the rental company, the interface on the center console began to change.

A virtual girl in a blue and white striped short dress leaped out from the edge of the fixed screen, energetically greeting:

“Boss, long time no see!”

Lyu successfully took over the luxurious car.

“It’s only been two days, how is that a long time?” Yang Ming said, “Report Feinan’s location.”

“In the synchronous orbit on the planet’s far side.”

With hands behind Lyu’s back, a topographic view of the planet’s surface appeared beside her, with a pale purple light dot on the planet’s far side, naturally indicating Feinan’s position.

Lyu reminded, “Boss, there’s an expensive defense system on Ilando Star. Feinan cannot directly approach the surface.”

The projection on the car’s center console quickly changed, and a retro castle built atop a mountain attracted Yang Ming and Kolev’s attention.

This grand castle was right in the scenery alongside them on the left.

Lyu’s voice was very cheerful:

“This is the Wind Palace on the edge of Ilando City; boss, you should be able to see it directly now.

“The mountain under the palace has been hollowed out, containing a large military base, with that defense system inside. Additionally, it has a large number of anti-ship surface defense cannons and sensitive detection systems.”

Lyu paused and added:

“Feinan getting close to that Imperial Palace has a ninety percent chance of being detected, and getting close to Ilando City has a fifty percent chance.”

Kolev asked baffled, “How were those probabilities calculated?”

Yang Ming smiled, “It’s a danger coefficient assessment; Feinan can’t provide us direct fire support for now.”

“But I can provide comprehensive intelligence support,” Lyu said with a smile, “Boss, just as you said, things here are chaotic.”

“Switch to auto-pilot,” Yang Ming said, “Transmit the information in text directly to me, and find a way to track down this person.”

His watch projected a photo of a seductive woman.

Lyu pursed her lips, “Boss, your secretary has only been gone for two days, and you’ve already targeted new prey? Are you some primitive creature driven by lower instincts?”

“Get to work! So much nonsense.”

Yang Ming scolded irritably, and Kolev laughed with squinted eyes from the side.

It was rare to see Yang Ming flustered without a comeback.

A few seconds later, Yang Ming’s watch vibrated lightly, messages popping up one after another.

Yang Ming concentrated on compiling intelligence while Kolev began to enjoy the driving pleasure on the edge of the bustling metropolis.

“Tsk.”

Yang Ming scratched his head in vexation, whispering, “Lyu, did you find that woman’s whereabouts?”

“I just found some clues, boss,” Lyu explained, “Without your authorization, I can’t hack into the military network here and can only search diffusely through the two police patrol ships that took the target away.”

Yang Ming said, “Block the outgoing signals here and ensure my words aren’t intercepted.”

“Okay, boss.”

“Things are bad?” Kolev asked.

“We might be in trouble,” Yang Ming said, “That woman’s identity is crucial, and we must figure it out quickly… However, on the other hand, we’ve come to the right place.”

“How so?”

Yang Ming turned his head to watch the bustling districts rapidly passing outside.

“It seems peaceful here, doesn’t it? In actuality, it’s like a powder keg ready to explode.”

Kolev’s eyes lit up, “Are we here to act as the fuse?”

“We’re here to reap benefits; why would we want to ignite it?” Yang Ming squinted and smiled, “Let me go over my plan with you.”

Kolev yawned, “Alright, while this old man’s energy isn’t completely drained by the long journey.”

“According to the intelligence gathered by Lyu, there are currently five major forces on the Luofeng Empire, or rather, on this Ilando Star.”

“Five?” Kolev was surprised, suddenly becoming energetic, “What’s holding this country from splitting, then? Who are they?”

“Since it’s an Empire, the largest power naturally belongs to the royal family.”

Yang Ming briefly introduced, “You might not imagine that this prosperous, crowded, modernized city we see now actually has an autocratic monarchy for a political system.

“Note, this isn’t a parliamentary, cabinet-overridden monarchy.

“It’s an actual autocratic monarchy where any affair is deliberated by the Emperor of the Luofeng Empire and his ministers.”

“Oh?” Kolev mumbled, “This is rare indeed. How could various interest groups endure a real-power emperor for long? Like in the Sherman Empire, after the last reform—namely, the reform marked by the promulgation of the New Calendar—a balance between the military and government was formed, rendering the royal family nearly completely powerless. Though the Emperor retains the power to declare war and make peace, he must respect the opinions of ministers and the Senate.”

“The reason is simple,” Yang Ming smiled, “The royal family of the Luofeng Empire, in essence, is a puppet of the Sherman Empire’s royal family.

“The tribute paid annually is directly deposited into the private accounts of the Sherman royal family.

“The Sherman Empire does not allow the Luofeng Empire to reform, and naturally, the Luofeng Empire cannot reform. The Emperor here is a true-power emperor, but also a puppet emperor, leading to the royal family splitting into two factions.”