88: Ask for her opinion (bonus chapter)

"Hahaha, and here I thought it was some formidable character who dared to refuse my request. Turns out it's just a coward who doesn't dare to stand in my way."

Accompanied by arrogant laughter, a blonde youth kicked open the connecting door and barged into the command room.

"That's only natural. Who would dare stand in your way, Young Master Saike?"

Several sycophants dressed as adjutants following behind chimed in with flattery.

"Saike Okar, if there is nothing important, please return to your own fleet and cooperate with the escort mission. This is the order of the Statue of Liberty."

Gore watched the few people who had swaggered in, clenched his fists, and said expressionlessly.

"Don't try to pressure me with the Statue of Liberty. I understand its operating logic far better than you do. Only you plebeians would be afraid of it."

The blonde youth sneered, his gaze sweeping wantonly across the command room, finally resting on Zhang Huaiyuan, who was smiling by the window.

"So this is the person we're supposed to protect? He doesn't look much older than me. Could he be some kind of fraud?"

"Insolence!"

Gore's expression darkened: "Mr. Zhang is a national-treasure-level Researcher specially appointed by the Goddess. How dare you question him."

"Heh..."

The blonde youth's eyes narrowed slightly: "There are so many swindlers these days. Kid, what do you do? To think I have to go to the trouble of protecting you."

"Star Alliance secret, I cannot disclose it."

Zhang Huaiyuan calmly spat out these words, looking at the other party with interest.

【Saike Okar】

Classification: Carbon-based lifeform.

Ability: Heart's Desire — Mystery-type extraordinary, each time he satisfies his desires or keeps his thoughts clear, he can slightly increase a portion of his strength.

Ability Level: High-ranking.

extraordinary level: AA.

Favorability: -5 (He dislikes any peer who is better than him, even in just one aspect).

Strategy Suggestion: Not recommended.

Luck Value: 11.

So it's a Mystery-type ability like his. With this effect, plus his background... tsk, no wonder he's so arrogant.

Zhang Huaiyuan suddenly understood.

"Secret? I'd like to see what kind of secret it is."

The blonde youth sneered, tapped the integrated device on his hand, and aimed it at Zhang Huaiyuan: "Query the other party's identity."

"Insufficient authority, query failed."

A cold electronic voice sounded.

"What? My status as the third heir of the Okar Family doesn't have the qualification to query?"

A flash of astonishment crossed the blonde youth's eyes.

"I already told you it's a secret. Still checking?"

Zhang Huaiyuan scoffed.

"Very well. But there is nothing I want to know that I cannot get the results for. Someone, take our Researcher and bring him back to the lead ship. I want to have a good talk with him."

The blonde youth's expression darkened.

Upon hearing this, the few adjutants behind him stepped forward without hesitation.

But before they could get close.

An arc of light flashed, and three heads instantly fell to the ground.

It turned out that at some point, the hilt hanging at Gore's waist was already in his hand, and a blue blade-shaped particle beam was slowly retracting.

"Gore, how dare you kill my men."

A cold glint flashed in the blonde youth's eyes as he raised his hand, grabbed a laser weapon, and pointed it at the other party.

"My duty is to protect Mr. Zhang's safety as he travels to the Watcher Galaxy. Anyone who poses a threat will be killed without mercy."

Gore gently stroked the hilt of his blade, his expression calm:

"Saike, I advise you to think clearly. If you return to the lead ship now and cooperate with me to complete the mission, it's not too late."

As his words fell, a strand of invisible blade energy swept across.

The laser weapon instantly snapped in two.

"You!"

The blonde youth looked at the weapon that had broken silently in his hand, a flash of fear crossing his eyes, but it was immediately masked by anger.

Since he was young, he had never suffered such a loss.

"Damn it, relay my order. Have all main guns of the Okar Third Fleet enter charging status. If I lose even a single hair, blow this fleet to pieces."

"Young Master, this..."

The two remaining adjutants behind him changed expressions simultaneously upon hearing this.

Other things might be fine, but attacking a fleet in the same camp is a serious crime. If investigated afterwards, Saike has the Okar Family to back him up and would at most be confined for a few days, but the two of them would definitely be pushed out as scapegoats for not stopping him...

"What, do you dare disobey my orders too?"

The blonde youth turned his head, his expression cold.

"Sub... subordinates dare not."

The two looked at each other with bitter smiles, having no choice but to issue the combat readiness order in the control system.

This action caused everyone on the ship's expression to change slightly, unable to help but silently curse "madman".

"Very good."

The blonde youth revealed a gloomy smile and looked at Gore: "Now, I am going to take this Researcher away. Do you intend to continue blocking me and let the whole fleet be buried with us, or will you cooperate properly?"

"Saike."

Gore frowned: "I will remind you one last time, Mr. Zhang Huaiyuan is someone the Statue of Liberty personally named to be protected. You must not..."

"Shut up."

The blonde youth swept a disdainful glance at the other party: "I said, I understand its behavioral logic far better than you do. As long as I don't kill this kid and leave him with a breath when he leaves this Disaster Zone, the Statue of Liberty cannot punish me. This is the right granted to noble lives like me by Star Alliance law."

"Uh... sorry, excuse me."

Watching this farce, Zhang Huaiyuan couldn't help but speak up: "Saike, right... I'm very curious. You and I didn't know each other before, and there's no conflict of interest, right? Why are you so obsessed with making things difficult for me?"

"There isn't."

Saike glanced at him nonchalantly, a playful smile curling at the corner of his mouth: "But, who told the Statue of Liberty to force me to rush back from Nianhua Pavilion with a single order, traveling thousands of miles with an entire fleet just to protect a bizarre guy like you."

"This makes me very unhappy, so, you have already invited death upon yourself."

"So that's how it is."

Zhang Huaiyuan nodded, his face showing no fear.

"You're not afraid?"

Seeing this, Saike was instead stunned. He could tell at a glance that this guy had no aura of extraordinary abilities, yet he dared to speak to him, the dignified third heir of the Okar Family, like this.

"Why should I be afraid?"

Zhang Huaiyuan smiled calmly: "By the way, you just said you understand the Statue of Liberty very well?"

"Of course, and I'm not afraid to tell you."

Saike's eyes carried a sense of superiority as he spoke: "The Statue of Liberty was originally just a tool created to maintain the interests of the noble class like us. Most of the laws only apply to commoners like you. For someone with a noble status like me, they are just empty words."

"Is that so... what a coincidence, my relationship with the Statue of Liberty is also quite good."

The smile on Zhang Huaiyuan's face became even brighter. He reached out and gently touched the shimmering integrated device on his right wrist:

"Why don't I ask for her opinion?"

... Thanks to Boss Tingyu Shanju for the Great God certification, thank you very much~