After the cocktail party, the tipsy Kolev was helped back to the door of the small villa by two clever factory middle managers.

Dismissing the two opportunists, Kolev hummed a tune and turned to open the door. The safety lock opened with a click.

Xiaolu's figure appeared on the small screen of the safety lock and made a silent gesture.

What's going on here?

Kolev closed the door and looked curiously toward the living room, where he saw Yang Ming sunk in the sofa.

Yang Ming didn't even change out of his military uniform, he just sat there with his arms folded.

Kolev strolled over slowly, took the soothing tea from the housekeeping robot, thanked him, sat down directly next to Yang Ming, and raised his hand to pat Yang Ming's thigh.

"Is there trouble?" Kolev asked.

Yang Ming took a long breath.

"It's not too much trouble," Yang Ming muttered, "I'm just a little scared."

"Hmm?" Kolev laughed, "Scared? What else can scare you?"

Yang Ming turned to look at the old man.

The weak light emitted by the electronic clock shone on the side of Yang Ming's face.

"I...forget it," Yang Ming sighed and lay back again, "I'd better not tell you about this, so as not to put too much pressure on you."

"Hey!" Kolev complained dissatisfiedly, "You have to share information with me, but I left behind the manor I spent a lot of money to build and followed you here to take risks and start a business!"

Yang Ming said weakly: "Lu, you can explain it. There is no need to hide it from my dear uncle."

"Okay boss!"

The projection device in the corner projected a few rays of light, and Ritsu's virtual image appeared between the two of them.

She maintained a height of twenty centimeters and sat on the edge of the sofa, holding her chin glumly.

"My boss and I planned a nearly perfect fake assassination incident."

"Then?" Kolev frowned, "You guys are really too courageous."

"This is just about converting our technical advantages into resources. During this period, it is inevitable to bear some risks."

Lu said calmly, pursed his lips, and showed a slightly thoughtful expression.

"I have never been able to enter the emperor's palace before, and I didn't find anything unusual while observing the emperor.

"To this day, my boss is wearing a watch - this thing was modified by me and has some more sophisticated functions - and I discovered it at the same time as my boss."

She deliberately paused for two seconds to whet Kolev's appetite.

Just when Kolev couldn't stand it any longer, Law already said:

"The Emperor is an advanced bionic robot that operates alone. Note that it operates independently and is not controlled synchronously."

Kolev was stunned for a moment and wondered: "Isn't this normal? We have used this thing before."

"It's different, uncle," Yang Ming murmured, "Compared to the one in the deepest part of the palace, the one we used is more like a toy."

Law explained: “Evaluating whether a robot is an omnic depends on whether it can produce clear self-awareness, and whether the humans interacting with it can determine that it is a normal human being and not a program without knowing it... various signs

It shows that the old emperor definitely did not become a bionic robot in the near future."

Kolev was stunned for a moment: "Omnic Crisis?"

Yang Ming clicked his tongue: "If it is an omnic crisis, then instead of being under pressure, we can find more opportunities. Although this expectation is a bit sorry for Edwang."

Lu continued: "I have just analyzed everyone around the emperor, including maids, ministers, guards, and concubines, and determined that they are all normal human beings. In the entire palace, only the emperor appears strange, which is somewhat intriguing."

Kolev thought for a few seconds and asked out of the blue: "Is it possible that the old emperor wanted to secretly create a substitute, and then the substitute gave birth to his own mind, and in turn killed the old emperor?"

"Very good imagination," Lu commented.

"Unlikely, Uncle Hatton, if a single omnic is placed there, and it is still being watched by everyone in the palace at any time, he will inevitably make mistakes."

Yang Ming said calmly:

"Considering the daily maintenance of the omnic and the helpers needed to cover up this matter, there must be a force secretly controlling this omnic and someone covering it for him.

"There are only three situations now.

"First, the omnic was placed there by the real old emperor. The old emperor controlled everything remotely and had a personal maid responsible for delivering the message.

"Second, the omnic was built by the Sherman Empire, which is the most likely. They may have made such an arrangement in order to better control the dependent countries.

"Third, there are ministers, generals around the emperor, or external forces such as the New Federation, who have done all this without knowing it, and replaced the old emperor with omnics so that they can be launched at critical moments."

Lu reminded him: "The second option is the most likely."

Kolev asked: "Is the old emperor dead now or alive?"

"Not sure."

Yang Ming was silent for a few seconds and said in a deep voice:

"If it is the second scenario, it means...the Sherman Empire has been watching here.

"He was like a giant sitting on a throne on the top of a mountain, watching indifferently as the new federation, the military, the rebels, and the prince jumped around, and then stepped down again at the most critical moment."

"I understand this feeling," Kolev clicked his tongue, "It's just like the air battle we saw. A few small fish were beaten to death, and the dreadnought came and destroyed them all."

Yang Ming responded noncommittally, stood up and started pacing back and forth.

Things don't just get complicated.

After discovering the old emperor's secret, the entire Yilanduo planet could no longer give Yang Ming any sense of security.

The actual leader of this empire is an omnimachine of unknown origin!

Yang Ming is constantly reflecting.

He had indeed thought of the political game of this medium-sized country too simply and too idealistically before. Taking advantage of the intelligence advantage created by Lu, he did not regard the 'native forces' here as opponents at all.

This time, the Moth Project not only obtained important information about Emperor Luofeng, but also reminded Yang Ming himself.

"We should be more down-to-earth," Yang Ming said. "We must respect all opponents. If necessary, we should take the initiative to leave Ellando Star and go to Luofeng to develop other administrative stars and transform the current political capital... No matter what time, it is a small life.

most important."

Kolev immediately said: "I completely agree with this!"

"But boss," Lu reminded, "if you leave the political center, it will be almost impossible for you to obtain an official position, military rank, and prestige in a short period of time. Taking risks is a must, Lu insists on that."

"Risks should be avoided if they can be avoided. Don't be anxious. In two days, the Sherman Empire's envoy will arrive."

Yang Ming said in a deep voice:

"This is our chance to determine who owns the omnics in the palace.

"Law, be prepared to evacuate at any time, don't relax at all times, and see if there is anything strange about the envoy. If a member of the envoy has secret contact with the old emperor, it will prove that this omnic is from the Sherman Empire.

tool.

"Let's also investigate whether the old emperor visited the Sherman Empire for a long time before and after he ascended the throne, or whether there was any period of abnormal behavior.

"The fourth princess Emilia is twelve years old this year. In other words, the old emperor may have been replaced by an omnic within the last twelve years.

"Of course, IVF cannot be ruled out.

"If the old emperor is directly controlled by the Sherman Empire, then we must remind Edwan and let him find a way to leave the country, and we can only use a backup plan."

Kolev wondered: "Backup plan? Is it that crazy plan I heard about before?"

"Okay, my old man, just be responsible for making money and resources," Yang Ming patted Kolev's thigh, "When you find a good project, discuss it with Lu, and she will give you the money. The rest of the trouble will be taken care of."

Just leave it to me."

After saying that, Yang Ming stood up and walked towards the spiral staircase, walking briskly out of Kolev's sight.

Kolev also felt a little headache about this.

That night, Yang Ming only chatted with Miss Windsor for a few words and then fell asleep in a hurry.

He has a lot to do next, so he must keep his spirits high.

I'm going to see Edwang tomorrow, and I'm going to conduct a preliminary investigation into the forces behind the old emperor, and prepare for the mission's escort work.

However, what Yang Ming didn't expect was.

The old omnic emperor handed over the sensitive and politically charged task of picking up the envoys to the newly favored Edwang alone.

…

The day the mission arrived.

Flower Plaza in Ellando Star City.

Yang Ming looked up and could vaguely see the Sherman Empire's kilometer-class flagship hovering in low-Earth orbit.

Escorting nearby were a dozen warships from the Luofeng Empire's Second Fleet.

A 100-meter-long landing craft left the tail of the flagship, slid smoothly into the atmosphere, opened its protective cover and began to accelerate its descent.

Edwan, who was standing in front of several rows of guards, put his hands behind his back and crossed his fingers.
To be continued...