Abyss Solo

Chapter 80: 049 Double Line Approach

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Yang Ming hurried back to the parking lot of the luxury hotel and got into the rented luxury hover car.

Ding! Ding!

A virtual anime girl popped up from the edge of the car’s fixed screen,

having switched from combat mode to a normal home mode—now dressed in a regular dress.

“Great teamwork! Boss, you were absolutely cool when you threatened that guy!”

“More than that, Lyu, how did Kolev manage it?”

Yang Ming started the hover car, asking with a bit of puzzlement.

He had received a message from Kolev, which was simple; Kolev first reported that he was safe, then boasted about his astonishing achievements.

Kolev had already become an official member of the local Industrial Association!

While Yang Ming was having a brief dinner with the deputy chief of staff, Kolev had already infiltrated the wealthy circles of Ilando and established initial friendships with several old guys from the Industrial Association.

Yang Ming wondered, “Did he show others his asset list?”

“Not directly, but some elders conducted a simple investigation on Kolev—more accurately, on the assets under Mr. Haton’s name.”

Little Lyu analyzed earnestly,

“The other side acknowledged Kolev’s wealth as the main reason. This old pirate has been working for more than forty years, essentially dealing with those capitalists. I mean, after attacking their merchant ships, he always found ways to get ransom.”

“So I found the right person, didn’t I?”

Yang Ming squinted and smiled as he drove the hover car around a half-circle, slowly arriving at the hotel entrance.

“Lyu, help me book a medical exam, I’ve been feeling a bit anxious lately.”

“Sure, boss, to be safe, you should probably reach the opposite side of Ilando before making the transfer.”

Yang Ming whispered, “They’ve come out, hide for now.”

Lyu’s projection disappeared immediately.

Seven or eight elderly gentlemen and ladies escorted Kolev to the hotel door, saying goodbye with hugs.

Kolev’s ‘Einstein Classic’ hairstyle looked both wise and debonair at this moment.

Yang Ming pressed a button beside him, the car’s rear door opened slowly, and Kolev’s voice came in:

“What an unforgettable evening it was, thank you all for your warm hospitality. I think the next time, it should be my turn to hold a small gathering, and I hope we can continue to chat then.”

“Eagerly anticipated!”

“Mr. Haton, your erudition is truly impressive,” an elderly lady in an evening dress said warmly, “Have you found a place to stay? My estate is always ready to host distinguished guests.”

“Haha,” Kolev laughed, “I wouldn’t dare visit your mansion, my wayward nephew would definitely be charmed by your beautiful and gentle granddaughter! Next, we have to conduct on-site investigations to choose a province to set up a factory. Tonight’s conversation was very rewarding, and I will seriously consider the suggestions given by you all. Yes, everyone’s here for the Rhodium-6 ring, yet ignoring the already somewhat weak light industry system here. Alright! I’ll leave you all here, goodbye!”

Kolev gave an elegant hat-tip and got into the car’s back seat under the reluctant gazes of the elderly ladies.

The car door closed and the hover car slowly pulled away.

Little Lyu turned on the internal and external shields.

“Phew—”

Kolev exhaled deeply, leaned forward, and patted Yang Ming’s shoulder strongly.

“All’s well, oh, all’s well… Little Lyu sent me a message earlier saying you were taken away by the military, and I was ready to evacuate anytime. Did you handle it?”

“Mm-hmm,” Yang Ming squinted and smiled.

“How did you do it?”

Kolev asked in a low voice, his old face tinged with curiosity and concern.

Yang Ming said calmly, “I grabbed the neck of the country’s fourth-ranking military officer and made him kneel and sing a conquest song, that’s it.”

“Who’d believe that,” Kolev sneered, “If you did that, you’d have been blasted to bits by ship cannons long ago!”

“Alright,” Yang Ming said helplessly, “I impersonated a senior agent of the New Federation, and the other side feared the New Federation.”

“So that’s it,” Kolev said in realization.

The old man started worrying again, “If the other side is connected to the New Federation, we might be exposed. Maybe we should leave here first; it would be safer that way.”

“Don’t worry,” Yang Ming said, “The military won’t cause us any trouble for the time being; let’s find a place to rest tonight, and discuss our next steps tomorrow.”

“Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

Kolev yawned, exhaling some alcohol fumes.

“Those old women actually had designs on me; my damn charm, Mimili wouldn’t want a stepmother.”

Yang Ming smiled silently, planning in his mind how to make the best use of the ‘resource’ that was Gudun Mah.

Grab it while you can and don’t waste it.

“How do you feel?” Yang Ming asked, “Can we use the businessmen here?”

“Businessmen are the same everywhere,” Kolev said dismissively, “I think we can go the route of a super-corporation, monopolizing the economy of a poor Administrative Star as quickly as possible, that way we can make a lot of money and complete your assessment.”

“It’s not that simple,” Yang Ming said, “All indicators need to be considered, but the idea of a super-corporation is a good one and can be a concurrent plan.”

Kolev laughed, “Concurrent? Do you have another plan?”

“I already explained in detail why I chose this place earlier,” Yang Ming smiled, “In this country, it’s still up to the Emperor and ministers. I need to think of a way to get close to the Emperor of the Wind Empire, and then ask him for a fief.”

“That sounds good, but the Wind Empire only has these few Administrative Stars, they won’t give you one.”

Yang Ming said calmly, “Becoming the highest administrative officer of an Administrative Star is enough.”

“That’s not as reliable as the super company.”

“That’s why we need to carefully plan,” Yang Ming yawned, “First, have a good rest, conduct on-site research and then make a decision; it’s best for the two plans to proceed simultaneously as there won’t be any conflict.”

The hover car merged into the slow-moving traffic heading for a high-end administrative hotel, where Kolev had booked the top-floor star suite.

Yang Ming felt it was a bit extravagant, but Kolev did not change his mind.

He lacked everything now except money.

…

“Molly, are we almost out of money for wages?”

On that somewhat old pirate ship.

Mimili crossed her arms, staring at the captain’s console in front of her.

Beside her stood a life-sized projection of Molly, looking from afar like a pair of pirate sisters.

Mimili’s loose nightgown still couldn’t conceal her excellent body curves, her skin exuding a shimmering luster.

Molly, on the other hand, was ‘when in Rome’, wearing jeans, a cowboy hat, and even a pirate’s eye patch.

She enjoyed this side job as the pirate ship’s deputy captain.

Molly explained, “Because we purchased a new assault boat, reinforced the ship’s hull, and replaced the high-power main cannon energy storage module, the previous reserve funds have been depleted. We must quickly find a merchant ship to rob.”

“But,” Mimili frowned, “our plan was to upgrade the pirate ship first, then recruit new crew. The current crew is too old and not suitable for assault operations.”

Molly muttered softly, “Isn’t it because you were dazzled by the assault boat, we couldn’t stop you no matter what.”

“You don’t understand,” Mimili said earnestly, “it’s to improve combat capability!”

“Indeed,” Molly pouted her lips, “actually, you didn’t have to be so frugal; at least, you should have asked the old master for some seed money. In fact, he has a sum with me, just for you; you just need to say…”

“An excellent pirate captain should not live in the shadow of the previous generation.”

Mimili raised her head slightly, her smooth chin reflecting the light of the dashboard.

“Molly, pull a list for me of administrative stars that currently have the poorest living conditions and worst public security.”

Molly snapped her fingers.

A projection screen appeared in front of Mimili, with information from over thirty administrative stars listed.

“Remove the Cas Federation’s administrative stars,” Mimili reminded, “I want to avoid Dad as much as possible.”

“Yes, master.”

“Randomly select one.”

“Selected.”

“The Wind Empire? This seems to be a vassal state of the Sherman Empire. The indexes of this country’s Fifth Administrative Star align well with our requirements for recruiting pirate warriors.”

Molly marveled, “In the context of countries possessing nearly unlimited energy, there are still administrative stars where people struggle for basic survival, and such places indeed breed daredevils.”

“This is it!”

Mimili perked up.

“Prepare to jump into the target Star Domain, conduct advance deployment surveys, and aim to complete the first batch of recruitment within half a month.”

“But, Master,” Molly reminded, “what about the money? If we can’t pay wages, the crew’s job satisfaction will be terrible, let alone recruiting new crew; we might even face a mutiny from the old crew.”

“Alright, noted, I’ll think of something.”

Mimili felt a bit anxious being nagged by this artificial intelligence.

“Don’t worry Molly, I’ll make sure this assault boat shines with its true value!”

“Then go for it!”

Molly made a cheering gesture, while Mimili was full of worry.

“I might have insomnia again, probably.”

…

Gudun Mah couldn’t sleep all night.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw that rapidly enlarging fist.

The next morning, looking at his bedraggled reflection in the mirror, he couldn’t help but punch it… and then inhaled sharply as he clutched his right hand in pain.

How did that man do it?

Gudun Mah wouldn’t admit he was directly crushed by that young man.

He thought the real person who had pinpointed his weakness was the powerful force behind the other party.

This hypocritical New Federation!

Greedy, despicable vampires!

Gudun Mah cursed a few harsh words in his heart, then forced himself to continue thinking.

He had struggled for most of his life, climbing from the bottom of the military to his current position, fighting countless enemies, yet never had he been so passive.

‘Yang Ming’ must be a pseudonym.

The names of spies are meaningless; they can change identities and faces whenever they want.

The opponent’s strong individual combat capability, though insignificant compared to starship cannons, was indeed a symbol—a symbol that this man’s position in his intelligence organization was not low.

“What did he come to the Wind Empire for?”

Gudun Mah attempted to switch his thinking, a trace of suspicion crossing his eyes.

The current military corruption case was stirring the nerves of various forces in the Wind Empire, making everyone in the military nervous and continually uniting to pressure the monarchy.

Directly killing the maid was also their way of exerting pressure.

At this critical moment, if ‘Yang Ming’ wasn’t here for this case, what was he here for?

Or, what mission did the New Federation give ‘Yang Ming’?

To push for reforms?

Overthrow the monarchy and transform the Wind Empire into a vassal of the New Federation?

“Quite possible.”

If that’s the case…

Gudun Mah unknowingly sat back at his desk, a faint light shining in his eyes as he made a difficult decision, picking up the dedicated line caller.

“Ask Karmi to bring her No. 026 to see me, immediately.”

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