Space Odyssey from Abandoned Mining Space Station

Chapter 682: Chapter 207: Arrival

Bai Quan’s action made Chen Ming feel that Bai Quan was asking him questions as a friend he knew, rather than as the Vice Admiral of the Fourteenth Legion.

Actually, Chen Ming could choose to take things slowly, to gradually and subtly express his desire to join the Fourteenth Legion to Bai Quan.

But after considering it, he found that he couldn’t find the key point for changing his attitude at all.

He simply couldn’t find a completely reasonable excuse to wander over to the Fourteenth Legion’s base while his external exploration and development were still ongoing.

No matter when he went, he would inevitably face Bai Quan’s doubts.

So, Chen Ming straightforwardly came up with an excuse to go over right now.

Bai Quan could certainly find Chen Ming’s actions strange, but he had no reason to refuse.

Furthermore, he only decided to go to the Fourteenth Legion because, with the prosthetics, he now had the courage to, and he didn’t have any negative thoughts about the Fourteenth Legion itself.

This point could be proven over time, so Chen Ming didn’t explain more, he just responded to Bai Quan’s question: ”Because I now have the capability to have this thought.”

Bai Quan could see that Chen Ming didn’t want to answer the question specifically, and his attitude was firm.

He didn’t say more, after all, inviting Chen Ming to join the Fourteenth Legion, even if not in a true sense, but just to have him come to the Fourteenth Legion, was something he’d always wanted to do.

Bai Quan put on the badge he had just taken off, and confirmed one last time: ”Are you sure you want to come?”

”I’m sure.”

With the safety assurance of the prosthetics, Chen Ming could even take the initiative to go into places more dangerous to him.

”When?”

”Now?”

After the communication between Chen Ming and Bai Quan ended.

Bai Quan thought over and over in his office, and finally decided to pick up the terminal and contact the Psychic friend who helped him probe Chen Ming’s whereabouts before.

After briefly explaining what had just happened, Bai Quan asked: ”Why do you think Chen Ming wants to come?”

The other end of the call was silent for a while before answering: ”You don’t understand, so you’re asking me? I’m very busy, you know. All those suspected Mechanical Race important targets sent from your side need me to confirm, I really can’t figure out where all these false targets come from.”

Bai Quan coughed awkwardly twice, not engaging with that topic, and pulled back to his earlier topic, saying: ”You are a Psychic, you can surely understand Chen Ming’s thoughts better than I can.”

”His psychic abilities are continuously improving, and as his value keeps going up, he’ll eventually be quasi-imprisoned, and I can’t stop it.”

The Psychic didn’t answer Bai Quan’s question and asked: ”I can’t figure out how you’re going to restrain him either.”

Bai Quan assuredly said: ”There’s a way, it’s just not going to happen quickly.”

”If it’s not happening soon, what are you worried about? Maybe Chen Ming really wants to join your Fourteenth Legion and is just planning to scout it out?”

”Then he wouldn’t have reiterated that he doesn’t want to be restricted by the military before coming.”

After Bai Quan finished speaking, he sighed, and then continued: ”If he really wants to come, I’d be more than happy.”

”As long as he’s sincere, forget about just our Fourteenth Legion, even the Empire would invest massive resources to support him.”

”But looking at his journey, is it possible?”

The Psychic thought for a while and said: ”True. Then on a different note, maybe he’ll leave in a couple of days?”

”If your preparations aren’t ready in time, getting into a conflict with Chen Ming early won’t be fun, right? You can’t just stop someone who wants to leave, can you?”

A flash of disgust suddenly appeared in Bai Quan’s eyes as he said: ”There are always people with their own ideas, wanting to realize them, even if those ideas are wrong.”

”Who can have such ideas? Isn’t it up to you to decide here?”

Bai Quan shook his head slightly and said: ”I know several people who think highly of themselves, and besides, the only place I have a say is the Fourteenth Legion outpost; outside isn’t my domain.”

”His visit was smooth this time, but if he wants to leave the base, it might not be so easy.”

Just as Bai Quan finished speaking, the Psychic abruptly changed the topic and said: ”I somehow feel that you’ve become more even-tempered. If it were before, wouldn’t you have directly taken a ship to warn others, and I’d take your surname?”

”That was then, now I’ve been managing this army, with so many things from top to bottom for several months, I really can’t just act on a whim anymore.”

”Even if a lot of people in key positions make you wonder if their brains and their behinds got swapped, I have to try to talk nicely to whatever part is on the other side, be it head or behind.”

The Psychic directly spoke to the essence of Bai Quan’s problem: ”The era of exploration has ended, new cakes can’t be made anymore, so what’s left is comparing who has better connections.”

Bai Quan nodded in agreement, suddenly understanding the mindset of the Empire’s high command in launching this war.

He had always urgently hoped for one thing to happen, but he had never said it out loud.

That is.

”To have another exploration era, and let the capable people below kick all those above who are like garbage out.”

”Aren’t you practically insulting your own people?”

”Yes.”

Even though the Fourteenth Legion had undergone a reorganization, Bai Quan couldn’t ensure that everyone in it was sane.

Otherwise, how did his old superior find all these soldiers mixed with spies and troublemakers to put under his command when sending him to the Gallo Star Realm to increase the difficulty for him?