The words of Count Black Moon made Yu Lian’s eyelids twitch, and he quickly told himself repeatedly that the world-line was different, historical understanding was also different, and he must be tolerant and hopeful towards these people who lacked revolutionary spirit but still had room for salvation.
Let’s give it a try! No matter what, my difficulty is far less than Teacher Li’s.
“Don’t worry, I don’t expect you to trust me right now. My investigation of you has only just begun. However, I sincerely hope this will be a good start.” Count Black Moon said with a smile.
He walked over to Vice Admiral Vincent and looked directly at him from above: “So, everything he just said is true, isn’t it?”
“You, are you really Count Black Moon? If you are, you should save an innocent old man like me!” Vice Admiral Vincent wailed, “I really am just an ordinary person, an ordinary person who wants to do something for his comrades and earn some retirement money. Please, I beg you…”
“Hmm, confirmed, what he said is indeed true.” The Count nodded without explanation.
What, what kind of confirmation is this? Vice Admiral Vincent almost fainted. He truly felt his acting was flawless, so why did they insist on believing him?
He decided not to give in, even if it meant death. Even if he died, he would definitely disgust these two once.
Just as Vice Admiral Vincent made up his mind, Count Black Moon’s hand was already placed directly on his forehead.
“You, what do you want to do… Ugh…” He felt a sudden sharp pain in his head, as if someone was stabbing his forehead with a steel bar. The pain made him wail on the spot.
However, his wail only stayed in his throat, unable to produce even a sound.
He felt his brain being churned for a long time, his eyes began to turn white, his mouth wide open, and his body began to twitch, like a fish dragged onto the shore.
…If this scene were seen by others, everyone would probably think Count Black Moon was the big villain.
Yu Lian also watched from the side, feeling a bit of a toothache. He had, of course, seen this scene before. The Lord Bugs of the Bug Swarm also did this when absorbing the brain fluid of intelligent creatures.
Of course, what was better about the Count than the bugs was that although he absorbed people, he at least wouldn't absorb them to death. See, although Vice Admiral Vincent looked like he was in agony, he ultimately didn't die, did he?
A minute later, Count Black Moon let go of the other party and stepped back: “Interesting! Besides Senator Apwood, there’s also Deputy Speaker Jerell of the House of Representatives, Chairman Wei Qingshan of the Public Security Committee, Director Begel of the Planning and Coordination Department of the Transportation Committee, Deputy Minister Alstar of the Ministry of Labor, and a considerable number of military personnel… You contacted so many people in such a short time?”
“It’s not surprising at all. Those who dislike the current situation are not necessarily patriots; there will inevitably be a large number of opportunists. The world is most filled with opportunists, besides finance, it must be politics. History tells us that every illegal military coup ultimately benefits not the angry patriotic youth and ordinary people, but often them.” Yu Lian said, feigning calmness.
Vice Admiral Vincent lay on the ground, gasping for breath, looking as if he had been pulled out of the water. But then, he coughed a few times and then showed an expression as if he was about to vomit. He opened his mouth, just about to vomit out red, black, and yellow, when Yu Lian quickly grabbed his collar and pulled his upper body over the side of the ship.
Vice Admiral Vincent vomited profusely, probably throwing up yesterday’s breakfast, and by the end, he was coughing up bile.
He vomited for a long time, and the painful dizziness of spinning slowly lessened, the nausea slowly faded, and then, as he leaned against the side of the ship like a pile of mud, he saw Count Black Moon spread his hand, and a small ball of light floated in his palm.
Within the ball of light, countless images flickered, so fast that Yu Lian couldn’t see them clearly. However, Vice Admiral Vincent’s eyes were fixed, and as he watched, a visible panic gradually appeared on his face.
“Oh, very familiar scenes, aren’t they? Yes, this is your life, your memories, your Past, your history, all now in my hands. Hmm… but you didn’t meet Valent King, which is normal. It would be strange if a dignified Elector King of the Empire didn’t have some mystical protection.” Count Black Moon said with a smile, then gently clenched his fist, and the flickering ball of light containing Vincent’s memories disappeared.
Seeing Yu Lian staring at him, the Count explained frankly: “This is called memory extraction, and it’s considered a relatively difficult psionic spell. His memories are just a reference for me; you don’t have to worry about me going insane from reading too many people’s memories.”
This was truly judging a villain by the standards of a gentleman; Yu Lian’s thoughts were not so gentle. Memory extraction?
“Spirit Possession,” “Judgment,” “Co-fusion,” and “Wisdom” are all possible. Hmm, however, considering that Count Black Moon’s physical strength, martial arts, and stealth abilities are also top-notch, “Wisdom” and “Spirit Possession” can be ruled out.
…Hmm, speaking of which, “Eternity” also seems possible, but this information is not too certain.
“Furthermore, you lived quite well during your eighteen years in the Empire, where you married a wife and had a son. I wonder how your first wife in the Commonwealth would react to this news? When the New Paris Incident occurred, she ran around trying to confirm your life or death, and later, when hope seemed slim, she hoped to restore your reputation, absolutely refusing to believe you were a coward. Later, she was harassed by the media, so she simply left the general’s dormitory on Earth with her children, and now no one knows where she went. I’m very curious about their whereabouts now, so I’ll just go look for them.”
…What about the legendary First Great Hero of Earth in five hundred years? Yu Lian couldn’t help but glance at the other party.
Somewhat surprisingly, Vice Admiral Vincent did not refute or pretend this time, but sighed and said resignedly, “You won’t find them…”
“Oh?”
“Three years after they moved off Earth… my son died in a car accident. My wife never received news of me and lost all hope, ending her own life. The remaining daughter, I heard, went to the Alliance. I looked for her, but I couldn’t find her no matter what…”
“Is that so? Then I’m truly sorry.” Count Black Moon said with no change in his voice.
“You, is that your attitude, a casual apology?” He widened his eyes, a hint of excitement in his voice, this being the first time he showed genuine emotional fluctuation.
“But aren’t you going to launch a coup? I don’t know your wife and children, but I can be sure that what you are about to do will cause many people I know to lose their wives and children. Is there a problem?” Count Black Moon said as a matter of course.
The other party stood there stunned, and after a long while, he showed a smile that was either self-mocking or sarcastic: “I originally thought that the legendary Count Black Moon was just a figment of imagination, just a dream, just wishful thinking. But, I really didn’t expect that in this day and age, someone like you could still exist.”
“He’s been around for hundreds of years. It’s just that people like you are unwilling to believe he exists.” Yu Lian said.
“No… I was once such a person, but when I was most helpless, he didn’t appear. Yes! Count Black Moon, you didn’t appear! Where were you then?”
Yu Lian scoffed, not even bothering to hide his sarcasm. And Count Black Moon didn’t even bother to answer the question, saying directly: “Little brother over there, remember this. Vice Admiral Vincent’s other wife and son in the Empire currently live on Valent King’s fief, right in…”
“No, wait, stop! You, what do you need me to do?” The Vice Admiral quickly interrupted him loudly, even coughing loudly due to speaking too quickly. But as he coughed, his face turning red, he kept shaking his head at the Count, tears and snot streaming down his face.
After a while, he slowly lowered his head, as if all his spirit had been drained, and said in an almost numb voice: “I, I’ll do anything… Please, please spare them.”
“Very good.” Count Black Moon nodded and said to Yu Lian: “The rest is up to you.”
Yu Lian gave an OK sign and started fiddling with the camera.
For the next two hours, Vice Admiral Vincent, whose psychological defenses had been completely shattered, recounted his eighteen years in the enemy camp in detail, as if he were dictating his memoirs. For example, how he escaped the pursuit of the Raiders, and received funding and personnel suspected to be from Valente King; and how, with the help of mysterious strategists (who may or may not have been sent by Valent King), he finally formulated a complete and highly executable coup plan; and how, before returning to the Commonwealth, he communicated and discussed with some politicians and high-ranking military officials through mysterious channels.
As for his mental journey during captivity, his experiences and observations, his reflections on life, politics, and the future of the Commonwealth, these were all omitted.
Overall, it was full of substance.
Unfortunately, the biggest piece of substance, the role Valente King played in all of this, he didn’t mention, perhaps due to some kind of mental imprint. Yu Lian and Count Black Moon also didn’t ask; they both knew that now was not the time to settle accounts with that powerful Imperial Lord.
“The content is quite rich. If we edit it a bit and add some music to upload it to the Nebula Network, I can guarantee it will get over a billion views within a week!” Yu Lian said with a smile.
“So, do you really want to upload it online?” Count Black Moon asked.
Yu Lian looked at the other party: “If there’s no other way, then of course that’s what we’ll have to do. However, you just said you had a way to get him to where he needs to go, didn’t you?”
“Yes! Without anyone knowing, no one will suspect you. You can keep all the footage from just now. However, you’d best wait three more days before deciding whether to upload it online.” Count Black Moon stood up, casually slapped Vice Admiral Vincent unconscious, then grabbed the latter’s collar with one hand, like carrying a salted fish.
“Then, this counts as a pleasant cooperation, doesn’t it, Count… Black Great Hero.” Yu Lian said with a smile.
“Yes, this is indeed a very good start, and I hope our cooperation will continue to be pleasant in the future. As for you, no matter what small plans you have, please speed them up. I am very much looking forward to it. If I can see you stir up a magnificent hurricane and huge waves in my lifetime, then my life will be perfect!” The Count said with a smile.
He paused, then suddenly added: “So, young man, stand in the light!”
Yu Lian truly didn’t know what he had done to be so highly regarded by the dignified Count Black Moon.
He wanted to feel proud, but at this moment, his emotions were filled with a sense of absurd nihilism. He once again felt a kind of loneliness, but he didn’t feel particularly sad.
At this moment, Count Black Moon, carrying Vice Admiral Vincent, leaped into the air. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the gaps between the sea mist and the moonlight.