Major Horn could barely make out what appeared to be a mechanical construct, perhaps a large riot patrol robot, or maybe heavy external power armor. But now, none of that mattered. A sudden, immense force slammed into the front of his vehicle, and the steering wheel in his right hand immediately spun out of control.
He felt the space around him begin to spin, the city dome, the ground, and the distant stars all swirling in his vision, no longer able to distinguish up from down. Then, with a heavy thud, he felt his entire body go numb, his mind hazy, barely able to watch as metal feet stepped closer and closer on the ground before him, and then he lost consciousness.
When Major Horn awoke, he found himself neither in a hospital bed staring at an unfamiliar ceiling nor in a lightless prison transport. He was still at the site of his overturned vehicle, only now his body was secured with two sets of handcuffs, and a restraint collar was clamped around his head.
He sat by the roadside, not far from his overturned and burning hovercar. Three or five security personnel in power armor were inspecting it, but the person who had acted earlier was nowhere to be seen.
Major Horn painfully twisted his neck and saw Yang Xiyi and Warrant Officer Yu Lian, who had just disembarked from a security hovercar, and his cheek twitched.
He probably knew he had no chance of escape, so he simply slumped to the ground and loudly demanded with righteous indignation, "A cigarette!"
Yang Xiyi glanced at him but didn't move. Instead, Warrant Officer Yu Lian pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes and walked over.
Major Horn watched Warrant Officer Yu Lian approach, his body twitching uncontrollably, but he forced himself to calm down, allowing Warrant Officer Yu Lian to place a cigarette in his mouth and light it.
"Tsk... lao dao (old blade) brand? Couldn't you at least give me a Golden Rhino?"
"Sorry, poor student, can't afford it," Warrant Officer Yu Lian said matter-of-factly.
"You people, you really have no manners. I'm injured like this, can't I get some decent humanitarian treatment?"
"You only fainted for a few minutes, and you seem to be in such good spirits, you won't have any problems for a while..." Yang Xiyi chuckled. "Truly worthy of a spiritual energy user! If it were me, all my bones would be shattered by now."
"No, actually, among all spiritual energy users, his physical fitness is considered poor," Warrant Officer Yu Lian replied.
Major Horn felt another blow and decided to ignore Warrant Officer Yu Lian, speaking only to Yang Xiyi: "So, I was calculated by you from the very beginning?"
Yang Xiyi narrowed his eyes, giving him a smile that invited him to figure it out himself.
"I, I don't understand. I've been diligent in my work at the Command HQ, and, and I've been respectful enough to you! There are many people with ulterior motives in this military district, in this fleet, why must you target me specifically!"
"I'm in charge of intelligence! Suspecting everything is my professional duty. It's precisely because you were too diligent that I suspected you."
"Huh?" Major Horn was dumbfounded.
"Before you served in the Outer Rim Fleet, you successively held positions as the Quartermaster of the New Tokyo Ground Defense Force and the Procurement Director of the Weishong Shipyard. Oh, those were all lucrative positions. Yet, your entire family still lives in a small apartment of less than 100 square meters in New Tokyo, your furniture was only bought when you got married, and there have never been any rumors of corruption or using power for personal gain. How could such a person not have a problem?"
Warrant Officer Yu Lian always felt like he had heard this character description somewhere before, and he immediately felt that Teacher Yang's words were incredibly sensible.
Major Horn, while dumbfounded, also showed an expression of "that makes sense," before suddenly reacting and shouting, "Nonsense, utter nonsense! I'm not the only honest and upright person in this fleet. With that old stubborn watching, who would dare... Oh, no, anyway, I am an upright person! You are insulting my character, and you are insulting my intelligence! No, insulting... Yes, why are you arresting me? Which military law have I broken? At most, it's reckless driving, traffic accident, and destruction of public property. Is that really worth such a big fuss?"
Yang Xiyi nodded: "Indeed, no evidence was found in your apartment, office, or the room just now."
"So, wait, you are not allowed to harass my family! Did you hear me, otherwise I'll..."
"We didn't harass your family, we just searched the small apartment you bought here."
Major Horn's face stiffened, a hint of nervousness flashing across it, but he still spoke with conviction: "That, that is also my private property. I, I've been an officer for so long, what's wrong with making some investments?"
"There's really no problem, but..." Yang Xiyi looked at Warrant Officer Yu Lian: "As you know, our country currently lacks standardized legislation for conflicts between spiritual energy users. Well, especially for some mental or anti-physical damage, it's simply impossible to sentence. Therefore, I can only resolve it using your own methods as spiritual energy users."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
Warrant Officer Yu Lian just complained that you used spiritual energy illusions to harm him in a dream, uh... there's really no evidence, and you probably won't admit it. So, I've decided, according to the terms of the 'spiritual energy user Honor Duels Convention,' to find a quiet place, clear the area, and let you resolve it yourselves."
The so-called "spiritual energy user Honor Duels Convention" was an international convention promulgated by the Virtual Spirit Temple and the Galactic Civilization Council, considering the difficulty of law enforcement for spiritual energy users in most countries. The general meaning was to allow blood feuds and honor duels between spiritual energy users, and local governments were required to provide convenience for this glorious and sacred martial tradition... Although Warrant Officer Yu Lian felt that this convention had no positive significance for the construction of the legal system, he had to admit that at this moment, it was indeed very useful.
Then, Major Horn's face instantly went pale with fright. He stammered, looking at Warrant Officer Yu Lian, but he didn't know what he remembered, and his whole body trembled like a shuttle.
"Wait, I'll talk, I'll talk, I, I just wanted to play a joke on Warrant Officer Yu Lian... Boo hoo, no!" He wailed a few times. Seeing Warrant Officer Yu Lian's smile grow more cruel, he suddenly straightened his upper body and said with a stern face, "Actually, I am a spy!"
..." Warrant Officer Yu Lian restrained his villainous killer-like smile and once again felt profound respect for this truly brave man.
"Give me a chance, I actually want to be a good person. Arrest me." He said again with righteous indignation.
"Also, the reason I attacked you was because I used spiritual energy perception to eavesdrop on your conversation with Colonel Yang, and I felt you were the biggest threat to my operation." He then said to Warrant Officer Yu Lian.
So, the so-called spy, is he such an honest character?
"Also, after the last New Yumen incident, actually, you and Lieutenant Colonel Eleanor Bonaparte were both on Prince Charlen Lionmane's blacklist, uh, an unofficial blacklist, of course. Uh, that guy holds grudges, his blacklist could fill a whole book, but, if you are confirmed to have died by my hand, I can get a considerable bounty. I'm really sorry! I was blinded by greed and caused you trouble." He then bowed deeply and apologized loudly, his sincerity so earnest that people didn't know what expression to make in response.
Warrant Officer Yu Lian, however, felt that if Teacher Yang and so many people weren't watching, he would have long since tied this thick-skinned fat man to a Dreadnought's orbital main cannon shell and launched him directly into a star.
The other party confessed, but Yang Xiyi didn't seem happy at all. He looked the other party up and down with a grim face, then said, "Colonel Chaimen, I'll hand him over to you."
...Chaimen? What a name.
Around the corner of the street, the air suddenly blurred. A figure over three meters tall slowly materialized from optical ripples, revealing a majestic humanoid armored metal body.
It should be a size larger than a mobile infantry wearing Marine Corps power armor. Its silver-white, glossy exterior was adorned with colorful patterns carved from gold and red materials. As decoration, these carvings were perhaps a bit too flashy, and the combination of patterns was overly complex. It was more show than substance, yet it possessed a mysterious solemnity, somewhat resembling a Rococo-Gothic style.
Warrant Officer Yu Lian knew, however, that these were certainly not decorations, but spiritual energy arrays carved from expensive Zero Element. This mechanical body was neither a heavy combat robot nor could it be described with a cannon fodder term like "external power armor." Its essential construction materials included invaluable Zero Element, and spiritual energy arrays were embedded in the machine body, like ancient and sacred emblems representing noble bloodlines, thus earning the name "Emblem Machine."
Their drivers, of course, could only have one identity.
The mask on the mech naturally opened, revealing the face of a very tough-looking man, probably in his early thirties. He looked down at Warrant Officer Yu Lian and then chuckled, "Heh, I admire this kid. He should join us."
"He hasn't graduated yet, he's still a child," Yang Xiyi said.
What a cool entrance! But I'm still more concerned about your name. Warrant Officer Yu Lian thought.
Major Horn's attention was, of course, different from Warrant Officer Yu Lian's. He pointed at the magnificent machine and shouted, "Emblem Machine! You, you..."
"Yes, this is the Commonwealth's new toy. We are also eager to find a target to test the new toy on," Yang Xiyi's voice was deep with a hint of hidden excitement.
"An Emblem Machine belonging to the Commonwealth..." Warrant Officer Yu Lian knew that even someone as brilliant as Teacher Yang must be looking at the new mech with anticipation and longing, but he himself understood that this truly could not represent the future.
"A poor girl, it's fine if she doesn't study hard. But if she always tries to compare her outfits with a rich girl's every day, how can she pass her exams?" Warrant Officer Yu Lian sighed inwardly.