"Continue to observe, no rush. Once the fleet has passed, it's like putting a lid on a pot. Let it simmer a bit longer. We'll stir it when things float to the surface," Jiang Ye replied.
"Understood," Che Zhen responded.
Jiang Ye's blood quickened, a mixture of slight tension and excitement. It was akin to a high-achieving student being told about a surprise exam – confident of topping the class again, yet slightly apprehensive about the specific questions.
At two in the morning, the sleeping Jiang Ye was once again roused by the phone.
"One of our missing spies, sent to the soft-hearted Valk, is alive. His name is Bauer Hyman. He reappeared half an hour ago, and it seems he's changed his allegiance," Che Zhen said, his tone serious.
"What do you mean by 'changed his allegiance'? Is he working for Valk?" Jiang Ye sat up in bed.
"Uncertain. He might have sided with Valk, or he could be neutral," Che Zhen replied.
"Neutral? How can a spy be neutral?" Jiang Ye was bewildered.
"We just received a short message from Hyman's personal channel. 0404, the coded signal for this operation, meaning a major emergency. We'll contact you later," Che Zhen said. "Hyman has a signal device in his residence on Wheeler. It's connected to the bottom of the kitchen cupboard. Kicking it at a fixed frequency with the tip of a shoe sends an emergency message. So, he should have returned to his residence, but he might be under surveillance, making direct contact impossible for now."
"If he sent this signal, there are three possibilities. One, he hasn't defected, experienced some complications, cleared his name, and escaped. Two, he's become a double agent, keeping secrets from both sides. The third, and most dangerous, is that he's faking it, using this signal to pretend he's still one of us," Jiang Ye stated. "Have you notified the other spies to be cautious?"
"Rest assured, Commander. The team over there consists of three people. After Hyman went missing recently, his two partners immediately withdrew. The contact methods for other teams are completely different, and they don't know each other. Even if Hyman betrays us, it won't implicate others," Che Zhen assured.
Che Zhen then reported a few less critical pieces of intelligence, and the call ended.
Jiang Ye's drowsiness vanished. He didn't go back to sleep but sat at his desk and started working.
This is how planetary leaders are; regardless of day or night, there is always endless work.
Spiral Planet had completed the initial migration of one million people, who were dispersed across ten cities.
A significant portion of Jiang Ye's pending tasks involved the living conditions of these million people. Various data were being submitted, including not only conventional metrics like per capita income and median medical expenses but also more obscure data such as per capita internet usage, kinship migration intentions, and food delivery order numbers.
Per capita internet usage could indirectly reflect the living standards of Spiral Planet's inhabitants. For instance, a shorter usage time for job-seeking apps would indicate that people on Spiral Planet were gradually finding work and earning money. Conversely, longer times spent gaming, watching short videos, or reading novels would suggest that many had settled down and were engaging in leisure activities.
Kinship migration intentions revealed the living experiences of Spiral Planet's residents. Only if they found the planet to be a good place after arriving would they encourage relatives and friends to migrate. If they were greatly disappointed upon arrival, they would undoubtedly warn their relatives and friends not to come.
Food delivery order numbers reflected even more. For example, the development of catering businesses and the food delivery industry in Spiral Planet's first batch of cities. The average order price could indicate the general consumption level, especially for food expenses. The urgency of work for Spiral Planet's residents would also affect the number of delivery orders.
Jiang Ye had a habit of regularly reviewing some of the more obscure data. Mainstream data could be manipulated or concealed through various means, but obscure data often revealed anomalies. He learned this technique from a finance minister of a certain planet during a past extraterrestrial visit. That finance minister, instead of focusing on the economic reports of various cities, would secretly check electricity consumption to gauge a city's prosperity.
As he was busy, the phone rang again.
"Speak," Jiang Ye answered.
"Hyman has sent a message. He says Valk wants to meet us in person," Che Zhen reported. "If we agree, Hyman can act as an intermediary."
"Valk wants to meet?" Jiang Ye frowned. "What's his purpose for meeting? Does he want an alliance, to surrender, or to issue a warning?"
"We don't know yet. Hyman says Valk's attitude is very ambiguous, and his words and actions don't reveal his thoughts. Valk only said he wants to meet with someone influential from our side as soon as possible for a private discussion," Che Zhen said.
"Let Hyman arrange the meeting. Communicate the specific details," Jiang Ye instructed. "What time, where, who will attend, and what matters will be discussed – have Hyman clarify all of this so we can coordinate."
"Understood," Che Zhen replied.
The sleepless night had begun.
Half an hour later, Hyman sent the first version of the meeting communication details.
Jiang Ye's vast organization accelerated its operations. Diplomacy, military affairs, and numerous think tank personnel were urgently awakened from their sleep and put to work, analyzing the other party's demands with great intensity.
The same scene was undoubtedly unfolding within Valk's warlord forces, and their pressure would be even greater. After all, Jiang Ye held a terrifying absolute advantage in strength. While the current relationship between the two sides was unclear, a meeting between a small animal and a super beast was inherently not a simple matter.
Jiang Ye was also constantly making calls, communicating with his subordinates. Although the two sides had not yet met, the game of negotiation had already begun remotely.
Both sides wanted to gain an advantage in the form of the first meeting.
Valk hoped that the representative from Jiang Ye's side would go to his territory.
Jiang Ye hoped that Valk's representative would come to Jiang Ye Planet, or at least to a warship of Jiang Ye Planet's fleet.
Valk wished for the meeting participants to be of equal rank. For example, if Valk were to attend, Jiang Ye should meet him personally.
Jiang Ye unceremoniously pointed out that Valk's forces were not the sole governing power on Wheeler Planet but merely a separatist warlord. They were not recognized by the Galactic Empire, nor even by most of Wheeler Planet's populace, thus inherently holding a lower status.
Valk wished to meet as soon as possible.
Jiang Ye also wished to meet soon, but to project an attitude of "I don't care about insignificant figures like you," he remained vague about the meeting time.
The two sides engaged in back-and-forth negotiations over various conditions.
Jiang Ye stayed up all night, growing quite impatient.
What he desired was for Valk to surrender obediently and voluntarily become a puppet.
But judging by the other party's demeanor, it seemed they wanted to be equals.
Jiang Ye was inwardly displeased. Who did Valk think he was, to dare to be on equal footing with him?
Let alone being a mere local warlord, even if he were the planetary governor of Wheeler Planet, he still wouldn't be able to stand on equal footing with me!
I have two classes of students at the planetary governor and general level!