Super Mothership
Although Nie Yun had been focusing most of his energy on the Proxima star system lately, he still occasionally used his mechanical insect avatar to meet with Chu Xiaoxiao.
The “Thinker” statue he had previously gifted to the Chu family as a “guardian against evil” had become a medium for his arrival.
The mysterious disappearance of the strange statue naturally aroused Chu Xiaoxiao’s suspicion, but after knocking and testing it several times—discovering that the material was extraordinarily sturdy, even resistant to cutting tools—she gave up trying to get to the bottom of it.
After all, Nie Yun wouldn’t harm her. It was probably some kind of black tech from the Ghost Organization, right?
“So, Leader, did you come back this time to inspect your subordinate’s work?” Xiaoxiao leaned against the railing with a teasing smile, clearly in a great mood thanks to Nie Yun’s arrival.
The night breeze lifted her long hair and the hem of her dress, outlining a picture of a beauty beneath the moonlight, stirring a ripple in Nie Yun’s heart.
“Mm! I came back today to handle a few things… but before that—just as I got back, I heard you made quite a splash again?” Nie Yun looked at Chu Xiaoxiao with admiration.
“The Energy-Standard Plan for Infinity Coin—was that your idea?”
Though the Prometheus Project had been spearheaded by him, this financial strategy was entirely Chu Xiaoxiao’s work.
“That’s right. Currency value supported only by a person’s credit is like a castle in the air—very unstable. After all, we don’t have the backing of national credit, so pegging Infinity Coin to real-world assets is a necessary move!
And now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!” Chu Xiaoxiao nodded as she spoke.
“Is the Ghost Captain’s credit not enough?” Nie Yun asked with a confident smile.
“Of course not! The Captain is the idol of all humankind!
But it’s not a long-term solution. What if, decades from now, he passes away? Or… what if the Captain sacrifices himself in the war against the Gemini System?”
Nie Yun: “…”
That felt like an arrow to the knee…
Seeing Nie Yun’s speechless expression, Chu Xiaoxiao assumed her argument wasn’t convincing enough and said seriously:
“The monetary system is deeply interconnected—any disturbance could send the global economy into chaos. We can’t afford even the smallest carelessness. No matter how small the risk, we must treat it with caution.
If you don’t plan for the long term, you can’t even manage the short term! Even if we’re not thinking for now, we must think for the future.”
“Ahem! You make a very valid point. The organization fully supports your plan. Go ahead with it!” Nie Yun said with a slightly awkward cough.
Then, with a more serious tone, he added, “If there’s anything you can’t handle, just let me know. Right now, there’s nothing on Earth that can’t be solved with a single blast. And if one blast isn’t enough—then we’ll do it again!”
To Nie Yun’s aggressive declaration, Chu Xiaoxiao didn’t argue as expected—she simply nodded softly in agreement.
Chu Xiaoxiao had long understood that, although what she was doing was purely commercial activity, once the scale reached the level of a corporation like Atlantis, its influence had essentially become global.
That meant nearly every move they made had to consider the risk of triggering military conflicts with other countries. If it weren’t for the absolute deterrent force of the Ghost Captain, Atlantis’s recent economic expansion alone would’ve been more than enough to spark a third world war!
“By the way, didn’t you say a while ago that things were tense on the front lines and you couldn’t get away? How come you’re able to return to Earth today? Has the fighting ended?” Chu Xiaoxiao asked.
“Hmm… I wouldn’t say it’s over, but there’s a temporary ceasefire. Plus, I’ve promoted a few newcomers recently who are helping lighten my workload.” Nie Yun thought for a moment and decided to be honest.
He had recently flipped Catherine to take over command of the Gemini forces, acquired Rose’s “Kara Civilization” to manage the war on Planet Kara, and even tamed an immortal being. He really had brought quite a few “new recruits” on board lately.
“A ceasefire? Why?” Chu Xiaoxiao asked in surprise.
At present, Earth only had access to intel within the solar system. Information about the Proxima war zone was still classified, so there was no way she could’ve known.
“Even though the Geminis are aliens, they’re still intelligent lifeforms. They can be negoti—uh, I mean—ahem… what I meant is, they can be reasoned with too!” Nie Yun explained.
“Oh… well, that makes sense,” Chu Xiaoxiao nodded. She wasn’t particularly interested in war anyway, and quickly shifted topics.
“You said you promoted a few newcomers. So how many people do you have under your command now?” Chu Xiaoxiao asked, locking eyes with him.
“Hmm… around twenty or so,” Nie Yun said after thinking a moment.
A dozen or so scientists, the Three Bosses, Ba Tiao, Code Name, plus a few new recruits—at most, it didn’t exceed thirty.
But strictly speaking, among these, there might not be a single one who could be called a “normal human being”...
“Twenty or so? Then… how many people are in our entire organization?” Chu Xiaoxiao continued her questioning.
As Nie Yun gradually loosened restrictions on intelligence access, Chu Xiaoxiao was reaching deeper into the organization’s inner workings. Her understanding of the Ghost Captain’s entire power network had grown more detailed.
As the Ghost Captain’s representative on Earth, the Atlantis Corporation held vast, nearly unimaginable resources and authority.
To entrust her with such a position—there was no doubt that Nie Yun held incredible sway within the organization!
Twenty-something people might not sound like much—about the size of a small department in an average company.
But Chu Xiaoxiao now understood that, despite the massive scale of Atlantis Corporation and its tens of thousands of hired employees, in terms of actual core members of the organization, there were only two: her and Codename.
Seen in that light, the level of elite selection within their organization was absolutely staggering.
If Atlantis Corporation was considered just one department of the organization, then Nie Yun—who had over twenty people under his command—would essentially be a senior manager of several departments.
And if each department had a scale similar to Atlantis, the amount of power Nie Yun held was downright terrifying…
To say Chu Xiaoxiao wasn’t curious about Nie Yun’s role in the organization would be a lie.
Especially since last time, Nie Yun had vaguely hinted at wanting to “replace the Ghost Captain”, a thought that had nearly scared her out of her wits.
But Nie Yun never seemed willing to tell her the truth. So she decided to take a more indirect approach.
“How many people are in the entire organization?” Chu Xiaoxiao asked.
Nie Yun’s eyelid twitched.
That was a tricky question. One wrong answer and his identity could be exposed.
He’d actually been looking for the right opportunity to tell Chu Xiaoxiao the truth. But the fact that he could “transform” was such a shock to the human psyche…
Just imagining Chu Xiaoxiao learning the truth and running away crying while screaming “You’re not even human!” made Nie Yun break into a cold sweat.
But the truth couldn’t stay hidden forever. It might be time to reveal the Ghost Captain’s identity—at least that part of it—to help prepare her mentally.
Last time, he had almost told her everything, but she’d nearly misunderstood it as an attempt to usurp power, which forced him to backpedal fast.
Now, though, it looked like Chu Xiaoxiao was already beginning to suspect something. His careful effort to gradually expose her to the organization’s inner workings wasn’t in vain.
It seemed… the time was almost right.
“Xiaoxiao, I know what you’re trying to ask. I’ll be honest with you: my position within the organization… is very high,” Nie Yun said seriously.
“Mhm! How high?” Chu Xiaoxiao asked without surprise, pressing further.
“As high as you can possibly imagine!” Nie Yun gritted his teeth and went all in.
Chu Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened in shock. “Don’t tell me… you’re the Ghost Captain’s number one henchman?!”
Nie Yun: “…”
You’re this rich and still can’t afford a better imagination?
“Ahem! Slightly higher than that…” he coughed awkwardly, trying to hint.
At his words, Chu Xiaoxiao’s eyes slowly widened even more.
She stared at Nie Yun in shock, her expression a mix of panic and fury. “You… you really did rebel?!”
Nie Yun nearly stumbled on the spot!
So this is what it means to be rich enough to let your imagination run wild?
TL Note- Being poor limit our imagination....
Comments
Post a Comment