Chapter 139: Early Exploration is Key
After returning to the main camp with Jubian, Lu Yuan saw a large number of captured Apollo vehicles, neatly parked on the sand outside, alongside the aerospace fighters.
After escorting the industrial ship to land, these aircraft flew back under the command of new and veteran pilots, totaling 12 fighters and one large transport plane.
From a distance, it was quite shocking, looking like a considerable army.
The thought that Omar had practically given them away made him even happier!
There were also more than a dozen parked in the industrial ship's hangar, perfect for serving as air defense for Red Iron Town.
Now, compared to planes, Cang Yuan was somewhat lacking in skilled pilots, making one lament the changing fortunes of the world, recalling how Apollo's "hummingbird" flaunted its might as if it were just yesterday.
"Executive Officer!" Chang Kong greeted Lu Yuan as he returned.
"Caoyuan just returned from his mission last night. He said he has important intelligence that he must report to you in person."
In person?
Lu Yuan was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright, I understand."
Halfway there, he turned back.
"By the way, the previous mission was executed beautifully, both by you and Loulan. Keep up the good work, you two ace gentlemen."
"Yes! We will not fail our mission!"
Loulan nudged Chang Kong beside him.
"What important intelligence does Caoyuan have? Why does he need to hide it from us? Is it necessary?"
Chang Kong: "I don't know, but it must be very important—"
Lu Yuan brought Jubian to his office and listened to Caoyuan's report, almost losing his composure from the shock.
Holy cow, a golden random event was triggered!
A hidden route, a vast backyard known only to Cang Yuan!
It's no exaggeration to say that this discovery instantly elevated the status of the Li Star System from a remote, obscure corner to an interstellar transportation hub, a strategic location that military strategists would covet.
Anyone who has played "Stellaris" knows how satisfying this is; as long as you can establish a foothold in this star system, it's like claiming a vast territory filled with habitable planets, research events, archaeological dig sites, and even megastructure ruins. Even if you can't develop them immediately, they are already within your grasp.
Thinking of this, Lu Yuan truly couldn't wait.
It must be said that as a former professional soldier, Caoyuan was meticulous about security, and his cautious attitude was highly commendable.
Once intelligence of this level leaks, Li Star will immediately become the focus of attention and contention for the major powers of the Star Alliance, and Cang Yuan's security will face significant challenges.
Cang Yuan has not yet officially contacted the Star Alliance. If no confidentiality measures are taken and the news is prematurely released among players, then on the day of formal contact with the Star Alliance, Lu Yuan will simply not be able to control everyone's mouths.
Especially when players themselves learn the Star Alliance language and communicate with Star Alliance personnel without the aid of a translator.
At that time, even if he strictly prohibits intelligence leaks and declares that violators will be permanently disqualified from playing, there will certainly be players who, due to accidentally getting high, drinking too much at a bar, or intentionally showing off, will—
—leak the intelligence.
New players who have just joined, being unfamiliar with the highly realistic nature of this "game," can easily underestimate the intelligence of NPCs and their social networks, thereby making this rookie mistake.
If one Star Alliance person knows, it's as good as the entire Star Alliance knowing.
When that day comes, no matter how strict the penalties for players, it will be useless, only making him look more like an incompetent, raging clown.
"For now, do not let anyone outside of us three know about this," Lu Yuan said gravely. "All tactical helmet recordings from today will be deleted afterward."
Jubian: "Yes!"
Lu Yuan looked at him, planning his next move. "You haven't seen that warp yacht we extorted before, have you?"
"It's not that I'm completely unaware," Jubian said. "I've seen inspection videos and photos of the cockpit control panel from other employees' shares in the player community—I mean, I have some understanding of its flight performance parameters."
Lu Yuan nodded.
"That's good. Put your other tasks aside for now and see if you can find the specific coordinates of Wormhole No. 2 from the storage device submitted by Cheng Yun.
"At the same time, I will grant you mission issuance authority. You can call Engineers from the industrial ship yourself to dismantle all the useless stuff like wine cellars and bathtubs on the yacht to maximize its flight performance; then find a few sufficiently steady first-tier employees, form a team of three to four people, and depart as soon as possible to conduct scientific research and find that wormhole!"
Jubian: "The other members of the squad will also need to maintain strict secrecy afterward, right?"
Lu Yuan: "What do you think?"
Jubian: "...Understood. Leave it to me, Executive Officer!"
Excellent.
As the enterprise expands, these core players around him should also be promoted to management positions.
After seeing Jubian off, Lu Yuan walked over to Caoyuan.
"How is Cheng Yun doing?"
"Smoother than we imagined before," Caoyuan replied with a smile. "I recorded all my conversations with him, and you can watch them yourself later if needed; in short, I believe he has enough courage and ability, and he will soon become healthy enough to respond to our upcoming siege plan.
"Moreover, he holds you in very high regard—"
After Caoyuan relayed Cheng Yun's apology, Lu Yuan also smiled.
The old man was quite endearing.
And sensible enough.
"Hmm, reputation, whether good or bad, spreads faster than our military might, reaching others' ears first, and this determines who will be our allies and who will be our enemies in the future. As the saying goes, 'a just cause attracts much support, an unjust one little.' As long as we believe that human civilization is still worth rebuilding, not to mention striving for pure goodness, we should at least seriously consider our moral principles and take responsibility for them.
"Unpleasant military might, no matter how powerful it is for a time, is ultimately a slow poison; this truth was first made clear to me by Nan Guo de Xue, and I am increasingly realizing its importance."
Lu Yuan patted Caoyuan's shoulder.
"But you are different; you probably don't need a similar epiphany process, having understood this long ago. You are a truly competent warrior."
Caoyuan felt a warmth in his heart and was a little embarrassed.
At least for him, this level of understanding and recognition was more important than equipment and experience.
"You flatter me, Executive Officer, I'm actually just—" He didn't finish.
It's just a generational legacy.
For the first time, Caoyuan felt a hint of doubt about the role of the Executive Officer.
Logically, would a faction leader NPC in a game undergo such a "spiritual evolution"? Aren't they usually labeled, templated, and unchanging in their character design?
"So when do I return to Oasis City? Do I return with the video tapes in a few days?"
Caoyuan temporarily set aside his doubts and confirmed his mission with the Executive Officer. "No," Lu Yuan waved his hand, "you're not going back. Keeping one Ye Xing in the city to work with Cheng Yun and his people is enough."
"Then I—"
"You have other missions. While Jubian and his team search for Wormhole No. 2, I also need to quickly take down that Apollo space station near Wormhole No. 1."
The next day, Ran Ge discovered he could accept a very special mission.
What made it special was that it could be completed during work hours outside the game!
【Produce a corporate promotional video for Cang Yuan, no longer than 3 minutes, showcasing military strength. It is recommended to use previous combat footage for editing, especially recent battles with Apollo; Experience points: Five times base, cangyuan coin reward: 7 times daily wage】