Big, breaking news: Marshal Chu’s mental power and physical constitution have both been restored!
Not only have his injuries and illnesses been healed, but both of his stats have also increased by a small margin.
After a joint diagnostic report was issued by five major hospitals, certified and confirmed by [Nuwa], and after Chu Huai Zhi personally gave a demonstration of his mental power to intimidate everyone, people finally accepted this seemingly impossible reality!
“Holy black hole, if falling into a coma can boost mental power and physical constitution, I’d gladly go into a coma eight hundred times a year!”
The higher your mental power, the harder it is to level up.
Especially at the 3S level — there are plenty of people who haven’t made any progress for decades.
Some researchers looked at Chu Huai Zhi as if they were witnessing a miracle: “What caused this transformation? Was it spicy crayfish?”
Chu Huai Zhi was full of confidence and vigor, standing there as towering and unshakable as a great mountain, unmoved by any storm.
“Although there’s no definitive conclusion yet, I’m absolutely sure — it was the crayfish!”
Instantly, the scene exploded into chaos.
Many people pressed for answers: “Where are these crayfish from? Can we extract the active ingredients from them? I remember the Ministry of Security seized a batch of spicy crayfish, right?”
If everyone gets a share, let’s divide them up!
The representatives from the Ministry of Security pretended not to hear anything.
As soon as they learned that Chu Huai Zhi’s mental power had recovered, they immediately transported the crayfish to their outposts.
A strong, top-tier combat force is the only guarantee for humanity’s survival in this dark universe!
These good things should naturally stay with the Ministry of Security.
The crowd was boisterous. The online meeting room was like a pot of boiling water, bubbling and gurgling away.
It was a sure thing that Chu Huai Zhi would resume his position as Marshal of the Federation. But what people really cared about was the story behind the spicy crayfish.
“This little creature looks pretty cute. All red and festive — it’s got good vibes. I feel a connection with it.”
“Heh, connection or not, the Ministry of Security isn’t going to share any with you. We’d be better off trying to find some on our own.”
“You’re thinking too big. If they knew where to find crayfish, would the Ministry of Security leave any for us? They would have scooped them all up long ago!”
Amidst the heated discussion, the military commander of the Sixth Star Ring, who had arrived late, suddenly blurted out: “Now that Marshal Chu is fine, does that prove Lin Xiaohe is innocent? Did we wrong her?”
Uh… well…
As soon as he said that, the meeting room fell completely silent.
The Star Ring Leader of the Sixth Star Ring frantically blinked at that bald guy, practically glaring at him.
You, the ultimate party pooper! Why bring up that sore subject? Our Sixth Star Ring came here to ask for favors. What if we piss off those petty people at the Ministry of Security and they make trouble for us? Then what?
But no matter how much his eyelids twitched from blinking, the other guy stood there like a wooden stump. Not only did he ignore his hints, but he also repeated what he had just said.
Now, no one could pretend the question hadn’t been asked.
A representative from the Federal Government said gently, “Of course, we will make an announcement to the public.”
The military commander of the Sixth Star Ring tried to press further, but the government representative cut him off: “She openly killed someone in the First Court, resisted arrest, and caused massive damage to the Federal Space Fleet. Those are facts, aren’t they?”
If Lin Xiaohe weren’t so powerful and hadn’t escaped to the Dark Zone, leaving the Federation with no way to deal with her, there’s no way this matter would have been brushed aside so lightly!
The federal representative wasn’t just speaking to the Sixth Star Ring’s military commander, but also to Marshal Chu.
Out of consideration for Marshal Chu, the Federal Government could issue a clarification regarding the [Lin Xiaohe poisoned Chu Huai Zhi] incident.
But if they were hoping for more apologies or compensation, forget it!
The atmosphere grew tense.
Chu Huai Zhi’s face was taut.
The military commander of the Second Star Ring stepped in to smooth things over: “Today’s agenda is about fighting the Zerg and the Empire. How about we focus on that?”
Everyone else chimed in agreement.
Set aside the secondary conflicts and focus on the main one.
The Zerg and the Empire posed the greatest threat to the Federation.
Chu Huai Zhi understood this as well. He took a deep breath and discussed the upcoming defense strategy with everyone.
After the meeting, the Federal Government heavily promoted the message: [Marshal Chu Takes Command in a Time of Crisis – United We Stand Against the Zerg!]
The massive headlines and huge photos successfully boosted the confidence of the Federation’s citizens.
No one noticed the tiny, inconspicuous line in the bottom corner of the official announcement: [Clarification Regarding the Poisoning Incident].
Without the trending names [Chu Huai Zhi] or [Lin Xiaohe], this clarification read like an ordinary, mundane social news story that hardly anyone paid attention to.
…
In front of the Stardust Wall, Lin Xiaohe told everyone about the time difference between the Dark Zone and the outside world.
“I’m not going to stop you from entering the Dark Zone, but the truth is, supplies are scarce in there.”
Lin Xiaohe gave them one week to think it over.
But many people didn’t believe her. If the Dark Zone was really as she described, why hadn’t Lin Xiaohe’s followers come out? Why did they choose to stay inside?
“Lady Lin, please rest assured. We will listen to you carefully. If you say go east, we won’t go west. We’ll follow you absolutely.”
“Right. We’ve brought our own supplies, so we won’t waste your energy. We’ll definitely be more obedient and more capable than your previous followers. We believe that under your wise leadership, our future will be very bright.”
“If they could survive in the Dark Zone, so can we.”
Lin Xiaohe raised an eyebrow. These people didn’t believe a word she said!
And on top of that, they were trying to guilt-trip her, implying that she should take care of them.
Lin Xiaohe curled her lip into a mocking smile.
Ever since she had taken a huge fall in the Federation, she no longer believed in such empty promises.
Feelings of gratitude or admiration were all hollow. Only material things were real!
Bringing them into the Dark Zone was already more than enough on her part. And they still expected her to guarantee their safety?
Just with sweet talk? In their dreams!
If others didn’t believe the time difference thing, Brother Dong certainly did.
He had a huge family business to inherit and didn’t want to go into the Dark Zone: “Xiaohe, I won’t be going in. These unmanned ships are full of supplies — you take them in. Um… can the green halo in Stardust City protect me?”
Brother Dong’s tone was humble and pleading.
Lin Xiaohe nodded: “No problem.”
Brother Dong’s reaction seriously shook the resolve of the others.
The leader of the Mantis Corps secretly contacted Brother Dong: “Brother, we’ve had a good partnership. Give it to me straight. Is the time flow in the Dark Zone really that fast?”
“Yes. My younger brother is now almost as old as me.”
Holy crap!!
If that was true, then entering the Dark Zone required some serious second thoughts.
Everyone thought they were being sneaky with their little chats, but Lin Xiaohe heard every single word clearly.
She patiently waited for them to make a decision.
They weren’t at the point of having their backs against the wall, so they just couldn’t bring themselves to commit to going to the Dark Zone.
Until the very last moment, a bombshell announcement prompted everyone to make a decision.
Marshal Chu had recovered his strength and was resuming his position as Marshal of the Federation!
“Sorry, but we’ve decided to go pledge our allegiance to Marshal Chu.”
“As men, how can we stand by when faced with a survival crisis? We’ve decided to sign up with the Federal military!”
Heh heh. The Federation was recruiting. This was their chance to clean up their records and get back on solid ground.
Given their firepower, they might even land some officer positions!
