In the photograph,
one could see a starship without a single light, drifting in the silence of space.
Its engines were not running, and there was not a single light on it; it simply hung there all alone, as if it were a ghost ship.
But on looking closely, one saw little red dots on this starship, and on enlarging them one saw, plain as day, that they were corpses.
These corpses had been run through by spearlike weapons and hung on the surface of the starship.
And that was not the worst.
At the most conspicuous place, on the prow, one could see several heads set out, plain as day, as if mocking something.
At the sight of it, Zhao Chen could not help clenching his fists.
Minister Li Yaqi, beside him, had already gone bloodshot in the eyes, for she had recognized some of them.
One of them was a subordinate she had particularly valued and had meant to bring on.
That was why he had led the team on this mission to the Mahasi Interstellar Empire.
A young man not yet twenty-three.
A month before, they had even eaten together at a restaurant, and held a meeting.
And now he was, plain as day, a corpse.
Who could have imagined it would come to this?
It was true the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire had an interstellar ship of black technology that could bring Owl Dragon legion soldiers back to life.
For that, Li Yaqi even held a nominal post in the Owl Dragon legion fleets.
And as the Empire's Minister of Commerce, she knew one thing too: for some unknown reason, that black-technology interstellar ship could bring back to life only Owl Dragon women soldiers.
That perhaps explained why the Owl Dragon Emperor had recruited only women soldiers for his Owl Dragon legion fleets before.
So it meant this young junior had truly stayed out there in that stretch of the universe.
"Who did it?" Zhao Chen's icy voice rang out.
Huaya Nini felt for the first time the Owl Dragon Emperor's killing aura, so strong it seemed almost to take shape, and only at that moment did she realize that this man before her, who seemed so approachable in ordinary times,
was an Owl Dragon Emperor who had come all the way up through interstellar war.
"The scene has been taken under control by the Mahasi Interstellar Empire's people, and the interstellar cruise liner has been taken back to a starport by them. But our people have still found out some related information. It's said to have been done by a local band of interstellar pirates. Every bit of wealth on the interstellar cruise liner was plundered," Huaya Nini explained.
"That's impossible! This is certainly not something ordinary interstellar pirates would do. Leave aside that they actually dared rob and kill aboard an interstellar ship of our Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's. As everyone knows, whether it's our Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's starships or the Flower-Fairy Federal Tribes', when interstellar pirates dare rob them, all they're after is money. They could perfectly well use these people as hostages to extort us. Robbing the wealth on the starship alone would bring them a few hundred thousand star coins at most. If they extorted us, we'd pay millions, even tens of millions of star coins for it! We put that word out ourselves before!" Minister Li Yaqi stood up and retorted.
This sudden movement over here naturally drew the notice of those in the other seats in the conference hall.
Minister Li Yaqi clenched her fists; she knew she had lost her composure, but her feelings could not bear that such a thing had happened.
He was her subordinate!
A junior she had watched grow, learn and come this far!
"Minister Li, do you think in future we can become envoys who stand on our own?"
"Minister Li, today I closed my first Ministry of Commerce order all on my own!"
"Minister Li, my mom and dad used to think I couldn't join the Owl Dragon legion fleets, and often felt sorry about it. But now that I can work for the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's Ministry of Commerce, they're overjoyed; when I went home before, they even insisted I wear our ministry's uniform. Do you think the Owl Dragon insignia on our work uniform could be made a bit bigger? Hee hee hee…"
Huaya Nini looked at Zhao Chen carefully and said quietly, "We suspected that too. But for now we have no leads. And when our people wanted to step in and investigate, the Mahasi Interstellar Empire's side objected too. So for the time being we can't get any firm information."
Zhao Chen took a deep breath, put his hand on Minister Li Yaqi's shoulder, and said soothingly, "Yaqi, don't worry. Go on taking care of things here. Leave the Mahasi Interstellar Empire's business to me. I promise I'll give your Empire's Ministry of Commerce an accounting for everyone who died this time. And they must give us an accounting too."
When he had said this, Zhao Chen rose and, under the puzzled gaze of everyone in the conference hall, walked out of it.
This move left those present more astonished still.
What on earth has happened?
Something that can make the Owl Dragon Emperor leave at a time like this?
At this, everyone began setting their people to work, getting busy finding out about the matter.
And Huaya Lanlan on the stage was astonished too, but as host she kept her face under control, and carried on to the end of the conference.
When the conference ended,
the hall was almost all talk of the Owl Dragon Emperor's sudden departure.
And by now everyone had begun leaving the hall one after another.
Once out of the hall, the people each had set to work naturally reported what they had found out to their own leaders at once.
The news that the mission sent to the Mahasi Interstellar Empire had been massacred was no great secret to begin with, the more so as the Mahasi Interstellar Empire had even announced the attack publicly in the star region where it happened.
So looking into it was no hard matter.
"What? The joint mission the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire and the Bailan Interstellar Trade Group sent to the Mahasi Interstellar Empire was attacked by interstellar pirates aboard its interstellar ship, and not one survived?"
"Is this for real? In the known universe now, there's actually still someone who dares attack a starship flying the Owl Dragon insignia? Don't they want to live?"
"Something's off. Something's very off about this."
"What's off about it, brother? Isn't it just a band of interstellar pirates who didn't know any better and made a huge blunder?"
"You're still too naive. Do you really think interstellar pirates are behind this? What interstellar pirates would dare do such a thing? Don't we know what interstellar pirates are like? It's only ever for two things. Fame and profit. Fame means using some big affair to puff up their own reputation; attacking a starship under the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire would make a name, sure, but it's also stroking the dragon's whiskers; would anyone risk his life for fame? As for profit, if you said they wanted to extort the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire, pull this one job, then run off and lie low under another name, that would make sense. But by the intelligence, this band of interstellar pirates didn't extort anything at all; they simply slaughtered everyone on the whole starship!"
"Could… could something unexpected have happened? Say the people on the starship fought back to the death, and that's what led to this. It's not as if there's no example of it. Long ago, wasn't there a time when a band of vicious interstellar pirates, out to make a big score, attacked some interstellar kingdom's royal fleet, with a prince of the royal house aboard? The pirates had only meant to extort a big sum by it. But who'd have thought this royal prince would rather die than give in, and fight to the last with his own guard? In the end both sides went mad with killing, and the prince and his guard all died fighting. That kind of thing getting out of control can happen too!"
"What you describe really might happen. But look at this… these are pictures of the scene my people got hold of. Fine, this band of interstellar pirates killed people, but they also hung the bodies outside the starship for show, and even beheaded a few of the Ministry of Commerce representatives from the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire and set the heads on the prow. If it really were killing that got out of control, then after the killing you'd naturally hurry to get away, and keep the fallout as small as you could. This… such cruelty; does that look like killing that got out of control to you? This is plainly aimed at the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's people. This is slapping the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire in the face!"
The people around talked it over among themselves.
Just then someone noticed a figure walking past.
It was Marietis, the Bluewater Elf Queen, walking apart with her subordinates; because of the special standing of an Elf Queen of the Holy Elf Empire, the people around did not dare come near them for the moment.
But they drew people's attention all the more, for no other reason than that everyone wanted to know the Holy Elf Empire's stance on this matter.
If they could all get intelligence on this matter in time,
then the Holy Elf Empire's side could surely get the corresponding intelligence too, perhaps in more detail still.
So they all wanted to know what stance the Holy Elf Empire really took on this.
After all, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire was not unconnected with them now; it was one of the chief leaders of the universe trade alliance they had just set up.
If something really happened to the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire, the effect on this alliance would be huge.
Marietis, the Bluewater Elf Queen, naturally knew too that they were the center of attention now.
But not a trace of any feeling could be seen on her face.
"Lady Elf Queen, don't we need to state a position on this matter?" a trusted aide beside her asked.
Marietis, the Bluewater Elf Queen, said lightly, "This attack isn't so simple. Anyone with eyes can see it's aimed at the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire. One could even say it's because of this universe trade alliance the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire has organized. This is meant to slap the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire in the face and break its momentum. After all, doing cross-universe trade isn't so simple. It isn't just knowing how to do business; you also need enough prestige. Now, you've only just done something, and someone comes to slap your face: don't you have to deal with it? If you don't, how will others see it? How will the interstellar powers following you see it? However many wars you fought before won't matter; everyone will only think you're nothing much, that you can't even handle this little thing. Would you still have the dignity of a great power? Then in later cooperation, people's attitude to you won't be so respectful, and some restless minds may even start getting little ideas. So the Owl Dragon Emperor has to handle this properly. I'm rather looking forward to seeing how the Owl Dragon Emperor will handle it."
Marietis, the Bluewater Elf Queen, looked expectant, looking forward to how the affair would develop, and how the Owl Dragon Emperor would deal with it properly.
"You said just now that this is aimed at the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire? But in the known universe's civilizations now, who would dare enrage this great dragon when the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's might is at its height? Isn't that asking for trouble?" the aide said, puzzled.
"Isn't it plain enough already?" Marietis, the Bluewater Elf Queen, said calmly.
Plain?
The aide was taken aback, then looked as if he could not believe it.
"You mean the Mahasi Interstellar Empire is actually behind this? How could that be! They're a pack of old fossils who've always leaned on being a long-established power to swagger in front of newly risen interstellar civilizations. But they're a quasi-T6 interstellar civilization at most. How would they dare, at a time like this, provoke the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire, a true T6 interstellar civilization, a quasi-T7 one even, you could say? Isn't that asking to die!"
Hearing the aide's words,
Marietis, the Bluewater Elf Queen, said with a smile, "Sometimes the most unlikely things in this world are perhaps the likeliest; isn't there a saying that it's darkest right under the lamp?"
"But… but…" The aide still could not quite believe it.
"In fact the logic of this is very simple. The Mahasi Interstellar Empire may only be a long-established interstellar civilization, but it's their universe, after all. And a mission sent from a quasi-T7 interstellar civilization, to form an organization as important as a universe trade alliance at that: if it were you, and you learned there was such a mission starship on your ground, what would you do?"
The aide answered without thinking, "Send a fleet to follow and escort it, to make sure that starship was safe."
As he said it, the aide at once looked startled.
For this Owl Dragon starship that had been attacked had had no escort at all, which went against all reason.
"You see? Even you can think of it. How could the Mahasi Interstellar Empire's leadership not think of it? Yet why, of all things, did they send no escort fleet? And at just this moment, this starship from the Owl Dragon was attacked. It's all rather too much of a coincidence, isn't it?" Marietis, the Bluewater Elf Queen, said with narrowed eyes.
Beads of sweat appeared on the aide's forehead.
He swallowed; thinking of it this way, it really did seem most likely to be this Mahasi Interstellar Empire.