With everything the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire had built now, he truly thought of it as his home:
a home he had spent ten years building.
And in future he might spend a second ten years, a third ten years, and many more besides,
protecting this home of his, and everything in it.
There was a knock at the door.
Zhao Chen said a word, and the door opened.
Lilith walked in prettily, pushing a food cart, and on the cart were all Zhao Chen's favorite foods.
"Don't just drink a glass of milk. You're the Owl Dragon Emperor now; your body isn't yours alone, it belongs to the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire too. You, as Owl Dragon Emperor, had better take good care of it." Lilith glared at him.
Zhao Chen could only set down his glass sheepishly; lately, perhaps because of the heavy pressure, his appetite had not been good, and every morning when he woke he had made do with a glass of milk and nothing more.
The subordinates in charge of Zhao Chen's daily meals had naturally reminded him many times.
But before Zhao Chen, the Owl Dragon Emperor, those subordinates looking after his meals had all been fobbed off.
It seemed Lilith was the trump card they had played.
They knew only Lilith could talk Zhao Chen round.
"I've just got a bit of a poor appetite," Zhao Chen explained himself.
Lilith said at once, "So it's something wrong with your body, then? Then I'd better have a physician come and give you a proper examination."
Zhao Chen raised his hands at once and said, "Never mind that; my body's fine. Calling them over would be a pure waste of time. All right, I'll eat."
Zhao Chen picked up the food on the cart.
His body had been enhanced; how could anything be wrong with it? But if that team of physicians were called in, they would surely examine Zhao Chen from top to bottom, inside and out.
They would never take Zhao Chen's word for it alone.
"Just today?" Lilith folded her arms and looked at Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen said helplessly, "All right, I promise you. From now on I'll eat my breakfast like a good boy every morning; are you satisfied now?"
Lilith cut up the food for Zhao Chen and held it to his mouth. "I'm not forcing anything on you. But your body truly matters a great deal to us."
"I know; it's just that now and then I… throw a little childish tantrum. I promise you, it won't happen again." As Lilith fed him, Zhao Chen put his arm round Lilith's waist.
Lilith felt some of Zhao Chen's little moves.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she pinned Zhao Chen's mischievous hand at once. "Not now. I still have something to report to you."
Zhao Chen had to swallow it; he knew Lilith's character.
She was a succubus, but once there was important business, she would always put the business first.
She was a workaholic through and through!
"Fine, fine, fine; go ahead. What is it?" Zhao Chen put on a helpless look, sat on the sofa eating his breakfast, and looked at Lilith.
Lilith raised her hand, and a schedule appeared before Zhao Chen.
"These last few days you've been at the Imperial Military Industry Research Institute. I hear several technologies have made great strides. And you've set out their research direction for the coming year." Lilith looked at Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen swallowed what was in his mouth and said, "Because of the successful launch of our quasi-T7 Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought. It's only a quasi-T7-grade interstellar warship, but it can give us a great deal of feedback. We can draw lessons from how a lot of new technologies work in use. In future we can use the quasi-T7 Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought as a test platform for true T7-grade technology as well. Only with more direct test results can we build true T7-grade interstellar warships faster. Besides that, the technology for building permanent universe star gates is basically settled now. The plans for building permanent universe star gates between us and the several interstellar civilizations' universes can all go ahead. Then we can draw closer to those several interstellar civilizations' universes, strengthen the ties, and promote their development and their binding to us……"
Zhao Chen set out how he had arranged his work over this period.
Because he could not stay long at the Imperial Military Industry Research Institute, most of his work was really settling directions or the technical core; the rest was left to the people of each project team to research themselves.
That way, it also counted as raising the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's future top research and development staff!
Lilith noted all this down; some of it she had in fact known something of already.
Now, with Zhao Chen's confirmation, she could rest easier still.
After all, in technology, no one carried more authority than Zhao Chen.
"With this done, I can count my work for this stage done too." Zhao Chen stretched.
Lilith nodded; with this step done, Zhao Chen could be said to have perfectly completed the three-stage work planned earlier for the New Year period.
The Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's development plans for the future, on every front, had all been settled.
"I've come to you this time for another very important matter, in fact. Marshal Charlotte's side has basically settled certain military plans for the coming year too." Lilith looked at Zhao Chen with a grave expression.
Zhao Chen sensed something unusual in her gaze, put down his plate, and asked, "Does Charlotte's side have some idea, or some need?"
Lilith said, "Marshal Charlotte has drawn up a plan for a lightning expedition against the Devourer Civilization's universe."
A lightning strike on the Devourer Civilization's universe?
On hearing the words, Zhao Chen was taken aback for an instant.
Then he picked up a damp towel beside him and wiped his mouth, and his expression turned grave too; he did not question the matter.
Instead he asked seriously, "Has Charlotte settled this plan already?"
Lilith answered, "In the half month from year's end to now, Charlotte has gathered nearly a hundred first-class military staff officers, and almost every officer of marshal and general rank, to discuss this idea together. In that time, the draft simulation plans settled alone came to a hundred fifty. The simulated operations run came to over thirty thousand. Today Marshal Charlotte will make the final decision on this operational plan. So please come to the military department's conference room. Because of how important this matter is, it needs you there to make the final decision."
"I understand." Zhao Chen nodded; in fact he had long ago given Charlotte the highest power of decision in military matters, even the power to "act first and report afterward."
For Zhao Chen trusted Charlotte beyond measure.
And Charlotte had begun the preparatory work for it early, but at the last step she had still told Zhao Chen.
She had the power to "act first and report afterward," but that was for special moments; in a situation like this, by procedure, it was still the Owl Dragon Emperor who should settle the matter in the end.
For this was no ordinary operational plan, but a plan of operations against a hostile civilization, another T6 interstellar civilization.
"When does the conference begin?" Zhao Chen asked.
"The conference begins in two hours. But Charlotte said that if you have other business, the conference can be put off; everything will go as you arrange," Lilith answered.
"No need to put it off; two hours from now it is. We can set out now." Zhao Chen picked up the uniform long since laid out for him, quickly changed into it,
and left the room with Lilith.
On the way to the military department's conference room,
Lilith could not help asking Zhao Chen, "From the moment you learned of this until now, you haven't looked surprised at all. Did you know about it long ago?"
"I don't know whether to say your secrecy was good or I've just been too busy lately. I hadn't heard a whisper of this," Zhao Chen said frankly.
"Then how can you accept it so quickly? Strictly speaking, when I first heard of this plan, my first reaction was to be very much against it. If I weren't a secretary-officer, not in charge of military affairs and not fit to meddle in them, I'd surely have raised my objections then and there. Our Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire looks orderly now, but it's under great pressure on every front. In a situation like this, when we can barely guard against the Devourer Civilization's attack, to attack the Devourer Civilization's universe territory ourselves: this… I truly can't understand it."
Looking at Lilith's baffled expression,
Zhao Chen said with a smile, "That's exactly why I've always said: leave professional matters to professionals. In running a country and coordinating affairs on every side, Charlotte isn't your equal. But in military matters and fighting wars, you and I put together aren't Charlotte's equal."
Lilith nodded; she frankly admitted that too.
Zhao Chen went on, "What you said just now is all true. But I believe that if our Marshal Charlotte dares put forward such an operational plan, she surely has sound thinking and reasons behind it. And what we're about to do now is go and hear that thinking and those reasons, and then make the final decision."
Lilith nodded; that was in fact what she thought now too.
As they talked,
Zhao Chen and Lilith arrived at the military department's conference room.
The military department's conference room was in fact not a fixed place.
It could appear anywhere it was needed:
on some planet, on a star port, or aboard some starship.
Everything depended on need.
And this time the military department's conference room was aboard the Rakshasa-Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought!
The reason was very simple.
It was Charlotte's flagship, and a super-flagship at that.
Everything aboard it could meet the military department's conference room's needs.
Zhao Chen walked into a spacious room, like a small bridge, divided into sections.
In each section, great numbers of military staff officers were discussing matters of every kind.