Super Mothership
“Heh! It seems Lord Arthas is quite dissatisfied with me,” Beckman said with a laugh.
Even though Nie Yun had just mocked him with sharp words, Beckman didn’t show the slightest sign of anger — as if the ridicule hadn’t been directed at him at all.
“Yes! That’s right!” Nie Yun nodded with a completely natural expression.
“Uh…” This time, Beckman’s calm expression finally cracked, and everyone else’s faces turned awkward.
That was… a little too blunt, wasn’t it?
Sure, most soldiers were straightforward types, but this level of bluntness was rare even among them…
Ignoring the looks on everyone’s faces, Nie Yun continued seriously, “I’m the kind of person who hates beating around the bush and playing mind games!”
Everyone: “…”
Hey, hey! Are you sure it’s okay for you to be the one saying that!?
“In my view,” Nie Yun went on, “a soldier should be like Lord Reno — responsible and accountable! You can’t make mistakes, then run your mouth to shift the blame onto front-line officers — especially not onto someone as brave and outstanding as Lord Reno! Otherwise… what’s the difference between that and a politician?”
Everyone’s eyelids twitched violently, and quite a few people glanced secretly at the cold-faced Gillard.
Nie Yun’s words were bold — too bold. He was clearly targeting Beckman, but in truth, his criticism was aimed squarely at Gillard.
Especially the word ‘politician’ — even a deaf man could hear the sting of sarcasm in it.
First, Nie Yun had silenced his critics with a powerful personal achievement. Now, before the sting of that slap faded, he followed up with another one!
A full combo attack!
Many of the visiting officers couldn’t help giving him a silent thumbs-up. Nie Yun was saying exactly what they all wanted to say but didn’t dare to.
Of course, they all knew that the only reason Arthas had the guts to mock a big shot like Gillard was because of the Cruze family and the Speaker standing behind him.
No matter how dissatisfied Gillard was, he had to consider the forces backing Arthas — he couldn’t openly move against him.
If anyone else had said those words, they’d already be crushed into the floor by now.
But this was precisely the result Nie Yun wanted. A scattered, disunited foreign corps needed someone with strong backing to stand up and speak for them!
When Beckman realized Nie Yun had turned his guns directly on Gillard, a strange look flickered in his eyes.
Of course, he couldn’t just let Nie Yun control the narrative, so he quickly said, “My lord, you must be mistaken. As I’ve said, this operation was entirely in service of a greater strategic objective. Some sacrifices are to be ex—”
“I know! But we lost!” Nie Yun cut him off sharply before he could finish.
“I said, it was all for—”
“I know! But we lost!”
Beckman: “…”
Even with Beckman’s self-control, a vein twitched visibly on his forehead.
Isabel couldn’t help but chuckle at the scene.
Sure, Nie Yun was being a bit unreasonable — but he wasn’t wrong. No matter how pretty Beckman’s words sounded, the fact remained: they were the losing side.
Hundreds of warships had been lost in exchange for a bit of intelligence. If that wasn’t defeat, what would they call it? Would they shamelessly declare themselves the victors?
Just moments ago, Beckman had cleverly shifted the discussion to downplay the decision-makers’ responsibility, while the front-line commanders had become the scapegoats.
But as the tension in the room grew heavier and heavier, a cold voice suddenly cut through it.
“Enough!”
Gillard finally couldn’t hold back anymore. His face was like ice as he spoke — he knew that if he let Nie Yun continue, the discontent he had just managed to suppress among the officers would flare up again.
Gillard cast a cold glance at Nie Yun… He had to admit, he really had underestimated this man before.
“The responsibility for this defeat will naturally be judged by the Parliament,” Gillard said coldly. “Although our losses are severe, the enemy’s condition is likely no better than ours.
Right now, what we need to focus on is how to destroy the enemy’s wormhole expansion device — and reverse our disadvantage!”
Gillard didn’t bother continuing his argument with Nie Yun about who was to blame for the failed campaign. Instead, he directly moved on to the next topic.
Nie Yun sighed inwardly. It seemed that was as far as he could push things today.
After all, Gillard was the supreme commander. It was one thing to use Beckman as a proxy to throw subtle jabs, but to openly defy the commander-in-chief would be tantamount to challenging the entire military hierarchy.
Still, the day hadn’t been wasted. He had successfully sown discord between the factions — that was enough for now.
“So, according to your Excellency’s judgment, what should be our next move?” someone quickly asked.
“Simple… we launch a second assault!” Gillard’s eyes flashed with cold determination.
“……”
…
An hour later.
After shutting down the conference system, Nie Yun sat in silence, deep in thought.
He truly hadn’t expected this!
Gillard actually planned to launch a second offensive immediately!
Normally, after suffering such a major defeat, the Gemini Alliance should be taking time to regroup, repair, and reorganize — maybe even switch from offense to defense.
But Gillard was doing the exact opposite — planning to strike back while the enemy’s defenses were still in disarray, catching them completely off guard!
It was a risky move, but the more Nie Yun thought about it, the more he realized — it could actually work.
Gillard had clearly been preparing for this in advance; the detailed battle plan for the second assault was already complete and distributed to all commanders.
“As expected of one of Gemini’s top generals… this move is brilliant,” Nie Yun admitted inwardly.
Without wasting any time, he summoned Catherine.
“What? A second assault? And we’re participating too?” Catherine’s eyes widened in disbelief when she heard the news.
“That’s right! The detailed battle orders will arrive soon. In the meantime, instruct the fleet to rendezvous with Isabel and prepare to join the main corps in combat. The pre-battle preparations are your responsibility.”
Having said that, Nie Yun gave a casual wave and turned to leave.
“Eh?” Catherine blinked in confusion, then suddenly realized something and shouted, “Wait! My lord — where are you going?”
“To watch the show.”
Catherine: “…”
…
Meanwhile—
“Young Master Beckman, that Arthas was far too arrogant just now! Should we teach him a lesson?” a middle-aged officer asked angrily.
“Teach him? Heh… there’s no need,” Beckman replied with a faint smile, completely unbothered by what had happened during the meeting.
The officer frowned, puzzled. “I don’t understand, sir. From what I saw, you were the one who got put on the spot in that meeting. That can’t be good for your reputation.”
“Tell me,” Beckman asked calmly, “who does our Strategic Department ultimately serve?”
“Why, of course — Lord Gillard!” the officer replied immediately.
“Exactly. Which means our reputation is his reputation. So… do you understand now?”
The officer paused to think, then his eyes lit up. “Wait — you mean, you let that kid provoke Lord Gillard on purpose?”
Beckman chuckled softly. “Suppressing the arrogance of the foreign corps has always been part of Lord Gillard’s will. If Arthas hadn’t stepped up to defend Reno, I might have gained a bit of respect for him. But the moment he opened his mouth — no matter how eloquent he was — he overplayed his hand and lost more than he gained.
Even if we don’t do anything, do you really think Lord Gillard will let him get away with it?”
“I see! So your plan is to let Lord Gillard deal with him himself — brilliant, young master!”
Beckman simply smiled faintly at that.
But what he didn’t know — what he couldn’t have known — was that Nie Yun had never taken him seriously in the first place. From the very beginning, his sights had been set directly on the real boss — Gillard himself.
In short… he had gone straight for a boss-level challenge.
TL Note- Boss fight....
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