Outside the Imperial Palace, there were no reporters.

This left Yang Ming, who had prepared for a show, feeling deeply regretful after stepping out.

— This is Emperor Star, except for pre-arranged moments, there are few reporters who can get close to the palace module.

A stretch hovercar slowly approached; the door to the backseat opened, and Princess Daphne turned her head towards the door, giving Yang Ming a slight nod.

Yang Ming squeezed out an unattractive smile, gestured his thanks, and declined the kindness of Princess Daphne. He then took a few steps forward, unfolded a red membrane, and flew directly towards the hotel where he'd previously stayed.

Princess Daphne slightly frowned, "Can't Emperor Star legislate against humans flying around at will?"

The driving maid could only blink awkwardly and comfort the Princess: "The parents of Lord Earl are still in danger, so the Earl must be worried... Your Highness, where shall we go next?"

"Let's go back," said Daphne indifferently. "In current circumstances, whatever I do easily leads to criticism."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The maid softly responded.

Yang Ming looked back and, making sure Daphne wasn't following, heaved a long sigh of relief.

He hoped the Princess would take a hint and not entangle with him any further.

He had performed his trickery to this extent; the key scene of firmly resigning and withdrawing from the political circle of Emperor Star was imminent. He could not afford any scandalous news.

Speaking of which, the Emperor's expression was quite comforting.

After returning to the hotel, Yang Ming quietly sat in the lobby, placing his communicator aside to wait for news.

About ten minutes later, Major General Clion, accompanied by several young military officers, appeared in front of Yang Ming and saluted in unison.

"Earl Hanton! Next, we will report to you about the rescue operation of your family."

"We have detected a commercial transport ship at the coordinates provided by the kidnappers, and we have mobilized the closest combat units to provide full support!"

"Earl Hanton, the opponents are horribly vicious and well-trained bandits, we even suspect they might be a special military force from some nation… although that doesn't make much sense, a soldier's intuition tells us that your parents should be relatively safe."

Yang Ming slowly nodded: "Thank you, please take a seat."

Finally, in this young man in his early twenties, Major General Clion perceived feelings of vulnerability, anxiety, and helplessness.

Yang Ming's usual impression was one of extreme confidence, always maintaining a strong presence, capable of knocking out an entire ship of elite soldiers with a single disagreement.

"Everyone, please sit and keep an eye on the communication signals."

Major General Clion turned his head and reminded the young officers, who then sat down rather stiffly.

A few waiters ran over, bringing tea and drinks, showing quite an understanding of the situation.

Yang Ming asked, "Are we sure the New Federation did this?"

"At this stage, our primary suspicion is the New Federation, and we do not rule out internal powers colluding with them," Major General Clion whispered:

"In terms of motive, the New Federation is the prime suspect. Moreover, following the incident, they've been actively contacting our Foreign Affairs Bureau and Military Intelligence Bureau.

"They have been sending us strong and direct signals, even earnestly explaining that they have not taken any military action against the Empire.

"If we look at it from a macro perspective, the New Federation had recently suffered double disasters of the Empire's expedition and high-rank Insect Swarm genocide. With the domestic populace still unstable, it truly seems unlikely for them to carry out such an aggressive retaliation.

"This incident might have been orchestrated by other nations intending to use the Empire's power to crush the New Federation, causing mutual destruction between the Empire and the New Federation, thereby leaving some premium resources available."

Yang Ming nodded, "So you mean to say, we can't pinpoint who did this?"

A young officer said, "Their warships' performance is comparable to the elite fleets of the Emperor Star Circle... The opponents are highly organized and have strong operational capabilities…"

"That's right, we currently can't pinpoint who is behind this," Major General Clion sighed, "However, the truth will certainly come to light one day. At this stage, ensuring your parents' safety is our priority."

Yang Ming didn't say much.

He leaned forward, picked up a can of drink and put it back, lowered his head[,] sighed, and sat quietly, rubbing his hands over his face.

Someone captured this moment on camera, and it later became a viral image across networks within and outside Emperor Star.

Major General Clion whispered, "Three of the highest-ranking commanders have resigned, leaving vacancies in the Military Department's senior council of twelve members, which will probably stabilize after a few months."

Yang Ming softly said, "It involves several generals."

"You needn't feel guilty about this. The former Head Commander asked me to convey his sympathies to you. This kidnapping incident has exposed significant flaws in the local defense system, though this flaw has been attempted to be improved and filled by several terms of the Military Department, but was hindered due to insufficient military funding."

Major General Clion sighed.

Yang Ming countered, "Isn't the Empire's military funding always quite ample? And it's not disclosed to the public."

Major General Clion whispered, "In theory, it is quite sufficient, but as the Empire's local economies on the Administrative Star cyclically decline and population decreases, there are corresponding gaps in local military funding."

Yang Ming asked, "Why had the Military Department told me this?"

Major General Clion moved closer to Yang Ming, whispering:

"Although the three commanders resigned, they will join the military think tank, which means they won't appear before His Majesty anymore. Their influence remains substantial.

"The Military Department means… the general insufficiency of local defense forces' military funding is due to flaws in the local military funding system. It's a common phenomenon for noble private fleets to consume the funding intended for regular secondary forces."

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