https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-944-Crafting-a-Legendary-Quality-Set/12827298/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-946-The-Outbreak-of-Public-Opinion-on-Skru/12827301/
Chapter 945: The Defector, Rance
Chapter 945: The Defector, Rance
Rance was able to contact his brother through Emperor Hongwu without being discovered by Emperor Manina or his forces, thanks to his recent involvement with a special organization—the "Sunspots."
This "Sunspots" organization is not related to internet hackers but rather refers to the dark spots on the sun.
The "Sunspots" organization is the counterpart to the "Flares" organization of the Sunfire Empire.
The "Sunspots" organization has a grand goal: to overthrow Manina's rule in the Sunfire Empire!
Moreover, the founder of the "Sunspots" is a significant figure, known to everyone in the Sunfire Empire—Hayden Sunfire, the seventh-rank Grand Duke who was recently exterminated by Emperor Manina. Hayden Sunfire has returned to the Sunfire Empire, and he is ready to take his revenge!
The story begins over a month ago:
Over a month ago, the severely injured Hayden Sunfire arrived in the country of Beck, seeking refuge with Cindy Doppler.
Given that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," Cindy Doppler promptly took him in and settled him in a nature reserve.
Shortly after, Emperor Liu Che and other Earth cultivators also came to the nature reserve to settle, becoming his neighbors.
With the enthusiastic help of the Earth cultivators, Hayden Sunfire's injuries were completely healed, and his strength was almost back to its peak within half a month.
Now that his strength was restored, he naturally had to start causing trouble!
His mind was filled with hatred, and the only thing he wanted to do was to storm into Sun City and tear Manina apart!
However, he knew he couldn't act rashly.
After all, he was only a seventh-rank, and acting rashly would only lead to his death. He needed to find a way to deal a fatal blow to Manina through covert means!
Hayden Sunfire couldn't accomplish anything while in Beck.
So, half a month ago, he left Beck and secretly infiltrated the Sunfire Empire, where he founded the "Sunspots" organization.
Thus, the ultimate goal of the "Sunspots" organization became the seemingly absurd task of overthrowing Manina's rule in the Sunfire Empire.
...
Hayden Sunfire still had a group of loyal followers in the Sunfire Empire, particularly in Longlin City, who had not been executed.
He organized these people, selecting the most reliable to join the "Sunspots" organization, forming the foundation of the group.
He also found his secret stash of money, using large sums to fund the organization.
With his generous spending, the "Sunspots" organization rapidly grew in strength. Within just half a month, it tripled in size and became a formidable force!
...
During the formation of the "Sunspots" organization, Hayden Sunfire quickly identified his first major target—Rance, the favored one by Emperor Manina.
He knew Rance very well: Rance was straightforward, strong, and fiercely loyal to Manina. After returning from the "End Secret Realm," Rance had a high chance of advancing to the divine realm!
However, Hayden Sunfire knew that Rance had a significant weakness—his brother, Rambert.
Rance and his brother Rambert had grown up together and had a very close relationship.
Unfortunately, Rambert had been relentlessly pursued by the "Flares" for various reasons.
Hayden Sunfire believed that targeting Rambert could break through Rance's psychological defenses, or at the very least, gather some crucial intelligence.
Thus, he contacted Cindy Doppler to gather information on Rambert's recent whereabouts and secretly reached out to Rance without arousing the suspicion of Emperor Manina's forces.
Cindy Doppler, who was already collaborating with Emperor Hongwu, provided a steady stream of information about Rambert's true situation.
The contact with Rance also went smoothly.
Through a secret channel opened by an acquaintance, Hayden Sunfire successfully reached out to Rance, avoiding detection by the "Flares" and AI Sunshine.
Rance, on the other hand, was becoming increasingly desperate about his brother's safety.
To Rance, although Emperor Manina had been kind to him, repeatedly promoting him and providing him with abundant and high-quality resources for cultivation, his brother Rambert held a much greater place in his heart.
He was well aware of Emperor Manina's vengeful nature. As long as Manina lived, Rambert was doomed to die, eventually assassinated!
The only way to save his brother Rambert was to overthrow Emperor Manina's rule and prevent him from controlling the "Flares"!
Coincidentally, this plan aligned perfectly with the goals of the "Sunspots" organization.
Thus, Rance made a bold decision, one that even Hayden Sunfire found hard to believe—he would secretly join the "Sunspots" organization and work with them to overthrow Manina's rule!
When Hayden Sunfire first heard of Rance's decision to join, he was extremely surprised, feeling an overwhelming sense of disbelief.
Lan Qi was, after all, a close confidant of Emperor Manina, loyal to the core. How could he suddenly turn traitor? Could he have come in as a spy?
However, after listening to Lan Qi's explanation, Hayden Sunfire began to believe him.
Lan Qi's willingness to see a change in who sat on the throne for the sake of his brother was a reasonable stance.
Thus, Hayden Sunfire personally welcomed Lan Qi into the Black Pawn organization.
After joining the Black Pawns, everything became much smoother.
With Hayden Sunfire's facilitation, Lan Qi successfully contacted his brother, Lan Bo, through the line of Emperor Hongwu, leading to the events of today.
...
As for the "three months" Lan Qi mentioned, it referred to the start of the interplanetary war.
Once the war began, the "Solar Flare" organization would certainly not be left behind to waste resources; they would most likely be sent to the front lines, ensuring Lan Bo's safety!
Once they overthrew Emperor Manina, his brother would no longer have to worry about his safety.
Therefore, Lan Qi repeatedly emphasized to his brother the importance of surviving the next three months and not giving up hope!
After hearing Lan Qi's explanation, Lan Bo fully understood the situation.
He solemnly promised over the phone, "Don't worry, I will do my utmost to survive these three months. You must also be careful while you're with Manina. Don't let him discover you."
"No problem, Brother, I know what I'm doing."
...
After a lengthy catch-up, the call finally ended.
After the call, Lan Qi's line was transferred to Emperor Hongwu.
Emperor Hongwu had not eavesdropped on Lan Qi's conversation with Lan Bo, so he was unaware of what they had discussed.
Emperor Hongwu sternly said, "Lan Qi, now that you've spoken with your brother, it's time to fulfill your promise!"
Lan Qi didn't hesitate, immediately nodding. "Of course, I will keep my word."
He solemnly stated, "Just a little while ago, the Skrull Expeditionary Force suffered a devastating defeat at the Kilimanjaro Spring. In this Spring Guard Battle, two Seventh-Rank powerhouses were killed outright! Sixty-two Sixth-Rank powerhouses, five hundred and sixty-two Fifth-Rank powerhouses, and over twenty thousand regular troops were captured..."
Lan Qi recounted the events of the Kilimanjaro Spring Guard Battle without much emotion.
To contact his brother Lan Bo, he had promised to provide the Anti-Alliance organization with a military secret from the Skrull Expeditionary Force. The "Kilimanjaro Spring Guard Battle" had just concluded, and the United Government had implemented the strictest information lockdown, making it a genuine military secret and highly valuable to the Anti-Alliance. Thus, Lan Qi shared this information.
In reality, Lan Qi possessed even deeper military secrets, such as the entire war plan of the Skrull Expeditionary Force. However, he had no intention of revealing all of it at once.
While he was determined to join the "Black Pawns," he couldn't render himself valueless.
These military secrets were his greatest asset, and he could gradually reveal them to the Anti-Alliance at appropriate times.
...
After hearing Lan Qi's detailed account of the battle, Emperor Hongwu was genuinely surprised.
"Who would have thought the battle would turn out like this?" he marveled, his mood unusually elated.
He couldn't believe that Chancellor Cao, Emperor Shi, and the others had managed to kill two Seventh-Rank powerhouses and capture several hundred high-rankers in one go.
This was a glorious victory for Earth's humans!
Moreover, this information was highly useful to the Anti-Alliance, providing them with many opportunities to exploit.
"Understood," Emperor Hongwu said sternly to Lan Qi. "I will make sure to publicize this information online as soon as possible and hype it up to the maximum, undermining the United Government's credibility!"
"Alright," Lan Qi nodded expressionlessly.
After a brief pause, Lan Qi added, "Emperor Makaton, I hope you will take good care of my brother. You can see that I don't want to lose him."
"Don't worry," Emperor Hongwu assured him. "From now on, I will deploy our country's strongest security system around Lan Bo. If he is still assassinated by the Solar Flare, I will ensure I die before him!"
"...That's a bit extreme, but it makes me feel much better."
"I'll send you the list of casualties from the campaign later."
"Alright."
...
Three hours after Lance's call with Emperor Hongwu, a shocking news story exploded across the internet of the Skrull planet.
"Breaking News! The Skrull Expedition to Kilimanjaro Spring Ends in Catastrophic Defeat, Two Seventh-Rank Powerhouses Fall!"
Under the manipulation of the Anti-Alliance Organization, numerous IP accounts simultaneously posted detailed information about the "Battle of Kilimanjaro Spring." These accounts provided a clear account of the entire battle, with special emphasis on the names of the two fallen Seventh-Rank powerhouses, "Germantek" and "Fagu."
Since each account provided vivid and detailed accounts, and Emperor Hongwu and Cindy Doppler soon forwarded the related information, this immediately caused a massive uproar on the internet!
Especially in the Lankter Alliance, it triggered a nationwide shockwave! Germantek and Fagu were renowned powerhouses, ranking among the top thirty in the nation and wielding significant influence. In some smaller countries, their strength was enough to serve as national protectors!
The sudden loss of both these leaders in a single day was nearly impossible to accept.
The internet in the Lankter Alliance erupted:
"Did you see the news? Germantek and Fagu, the two leaders, were killed in battle!"
"What the hell?! Is this for real?"
"It must be true. Even the Speaker of Beaker Nation, Cindy Doppler, has forwarded it. If it were fake, she wouldn't have done that."
"I also think it's true. It's been over an hour since the news broke, and no one from the joint government has come forward to deny it. Speaker Kusman and Emperor Manina are both playing dead."
"Damn! These two leaders are really gone? This is just unbelievable."
"Who can say otherwise? Fagu was the President of the Rox Spirit Association. His death leaves the association leaderless."
"Whatever the case, Emperor Solary must give us an explanation! As the nominal leader, he should at least say something, whether it's true or not!"
...
This news caused such a stir that the entire internet buzzed with speculation.
Some believed the news was true and engaged in heated discussions online.
Others suspected it was a rumor and awaited official denial.
However, those waiting for an official statement soon became disappointed.
As time passed, the news continued to ferment for over two hours, becoming one of the hottest topics on all social media platforms. Yet, no official from the joint government came forward to deny the story. Instead, many posts by netizens were being deleted.
Amid the discontent and anger of the netizens, Cindy Doppler stepped forward and posted a lengthy article on her social media account.
The title of the article was — "Who Will Pay the Price?"
In the article, Cindy Doppler sharply criticized the joint government's disregard for the lives of its people.
"In the defense of Kilimanjaro Spring, two renowned powerhouses, Germantek and Fagu, have left us forever.
While mourning the loss of these two great leaders, I must ask: How many more soldiers and civilians will have to pay the ultimate price for this war?
Two Seventh-Rank powerhouses fell in this small prelude to the war. Who can guarantee the survival of other rank powerhouses and the expeditionary soldiers on the battlefield?
Why must we fight to the death on the battlefield? Can we not coexist peacefully with the Blue Star humans, without interfering with each other? Can we truly guarantee victory in future wars?..."
Most of Cindy Doppler's article was a reiteration of her previous stance, calling for an end to the war and peaceful coexistence between the two planets.
In the past, Cindy Doppler's arguments were not particularly popular. Most Skrulls, especially those from the Lankter Alliance and the Solary Empire, believed that their side could easily crush the Blue Star humans with minimal casualties.
However, now that even Seventh-Rank powerhouses could not guarantee their survival, let alone ordinary people, everyone was gripped by fear. No one wanted to fight this interstellar war anymore.
People flocked to Manina and Kusman's social media accounts, demanding answers.
Anti-war sentiment quickly gained momentum.
No one wanted to die, and the average person had little to gain from the war. A large number of netizens aligned themselves with the Anti-Alliance Organization, putting pressure on the joint government.
(End of Chapter)
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