Super Mothership
Fallen Angel.
Knock knock! Catherine knocked on Nie Yun’s door.
Whoosh— The door slid open, and Nie Yun appeared in front of her, rubbing his temples.
“Hm? Commander, did you not get a good rest?” Catherine asked, puzzled by Nie Yun’s exhausted appearance.
“It’s nothing, just... complicated feelings of being a father…”
“Uh…”
“Just kidding. What brings you here?” Nie Yun motioned for Catherine to come into the room to talk.
“Oh! Here’s the thing, sir. After this period of consolidation, I’ve completed all the special training tasks you assigned. Based on my assessment, the fleet's combat capability has improved and should be able to handle small-scale battles!”
After finishing, Catherine looked at Nie Yun with a hopeful expression.
“Good! You’ve done well,” Nie Yun nodded with satisfaction.
The "special" training missions he assigned were actually in preparation for the mechanical insect invasion. Now that they had all been completed, it meant that his control over the 3rd Sub-fleet had reached the desired level.
“This is just part of my duty!” Catherine’s lips curled into a brilliant smile as she received Nie Yun’s praise.
“No need to be modest. Honestly, I thought you would encounter many problems trying to manage the whole fleet without relying on me. But you never once came to me for help and completed the tasks I gave you almost perfectly on your own!” Nie Yun looked at Catherine with great appreciation.
The agent he had been nurturing had already exceeded his expectations. While her loyalty still needed to be tested, her abilities were more than sufficient.
After all, she had been carefully trained for years by someone else—stealing such talent was well worth it!
As for loyalty... Nie Yun never relied on that to restrain subordinates. His three top men could attest to that.
(The three brothers: “Heh…”)
“All of this is thanks to the miraculous substance, sir. My physical condition has been further enhanced recently, and I barely need to sleep anymore. I feel like I have endless energy...
So, I must thank Lord Arthas for his support!” Catherine said sincerely.
After experiencing the effects for a while now, Catherine fully understood just how powerful the substance Nie Yun had given her truly was.
That feeling of growing stronger day by day was simply addictive!
“Heh, treasures find those destined for them—this may be your fate…” Nie Yun said with a smile.
Speaking of which, he felt a bit regretful. The "Vampire Serum" was a miraculous substance he had accidentally created.
Nie Yun didn’t yet have a solid theoretical framework for how this substance fused with the human body to result in Catherine’s current state.
In short, the success last time was merely a laboratory miracle that happened by chance.
As for how to replicate that miracle—Nie Yun had no clue.
He had tried using his own blood, the blood of the feathered race, and even blood from sea clans, conducting numerous experiments, but none could reproduce the fusion miracle seen in Catherine.
The “Vampire Serum” simply couldn’t persist in these other blood types; the mutant plant enzyme would quickly break down and self-destruct in the bloodstream.
Nie Yun had no choice but to admit that unless he could conduct large-scale human clinical trials, he wouldn’t be able to create another “Catherine” in the short term.
But given Nie Yun’s current situation, he didn’t have access to that many experimental subjects.
Not to mention, Planet Kara was now completely sealed off by the Twin Stars, forbidding any aircraft from entering or leaving. Nie Yun, despite having tons of “Water of Life,” couldn’t get a drop of it into his hands.
With even the raw materials for experiments cut off, he had no choice but to temporarily abandon the “Vampire Mass Production Plan.”
“Um… Sir, I have a suggestion, but I’m not sure if I should bring it up…” Catherine said hesitantly, looking at Nie Yun.
“What suggestion?” Nie Yun asked curiously.
Ever since Nie Yun helped Catherine break free from the shackles of the Kruger family and granted her a new life, she had felt immense gratitude toward him. Any order from Nie Yun, Catherine would usually carry out without question or hesitation.
Proactively offering suggestions, though—that wasn’t her usual style.
“Ahem! Now that the internal affairs of the fleet have largely been straightened out, if Lord Arthas so desires, I can assist you in taking over the fleet at the fastest possible speed. I wonder if…” Catherine trailed off.
Nie Yun immediately burst into laughter.
Catherine was being tactful with her wording, but how could he not understand? She was deliberately avoiding suspicion!
And rightly so. As the fleet commander, he often neglected his duties and would go missing for several days at a time.
Meanwhile, Catherine was far too capable. In just a short time, she had not only reorganized the fleet but had also steadily built up her own authority within it. While that authority was built on Nie Yun’s delegation, it still created the impression that the subordinate outshone the superior.
At least within the fleet, most officers acknowledged Catherine’s leadership more than his. It was likely that even if Nie Yun gave a command, it wouldn’t be as effective as one from Catherine.
Catherine was worried that if this continued, it might provoke his suspicion—so she took the initiative to suggest that Nie Yun show his face more often and boost his reputation, so that his title as commander would be more than just nominal.
But what Catherine didn’t know was that Nie Yun never intended to lead through moral authority in the first place. Anywhere mechanical insects were involved would eventually be his territory, and reputation-building was just a waste of time.
More importantly, no matter how well Nie Yun disguised himself, he was ultimately a fake. In a remote system like Proxima, that wasn’t a big issue, but if he ran into anyone who actually knew him, the game would be up.
So, the final act of his “rebirth” plan would inevitably be… “slipping away like a cicada shedding its shell.”
Supporting Catherine and turning the Kruger family's spy into a double agent was also a preemptive move to plant a stake within the Twin Star faction.
On the other hand, not only was the entire fleet filled with his “eyes and ears,” but Nie Yun had also placed several layers of insurance directly on Catherine.
So, if anything, Nie Yun worried Catherine’s authority and rank weren’t high enough—he was never afraid of her rising too far and becoming a threat.
“Heh! I know what you're trying to say. But… do you really think I’d care about just the 3rd Sub-fleet?” Nie Yun smiled, his tone full of inexplicable confidence and dominance.
“But… it is still your foundation, my lord. Even if you wish to rise higher, these people can be a source of strength…” Catherine felt that even if Nie Yun trusted her this much, she shouldn’t overstep.
“No! These people are your strength. And you… are my strength.”
Nie Yun’s meaningful words made Catherine blush, but her eyes lit up as she looked at him.
A warrior dies for the one who truly understands them.
“I understand, my lord! I will not let you down!”
“Good! Very good! Oh right, I’ve recently been in seclusion and just developed a new way of using mental energy—it suits you well. I’ll teach it to you later. It’ll definitely take your power to the next level!”
Nie Yun shamelessly plagiarized something from the Immortals and began selling it like a secret technique—after all, he could never have too many test subjects.
“Mental energy? Then… thank you, my lord!” Catherine said gratefully.
Although she didn’t know what mental energy was, the fact that Nie Yun spoke so highly of it clearly meant it wasn’t something ordinary.
“Eh! No need for thanks! You handle the outside, I handle the inside—clear division of labor. Trust me, the stars and the sea will be ours someday!” Nie Yun said with a smile, patting Catherine encouragingly on the shoulder.
“Uh…”
TL Note- Stars and Sea.....
Comments
Post a Comment