"A few hundred people, more than thirty spaceships in total. Their ships are very fast, recharging by catching lightning with kites. They have old-fashioned firearms and rapid-fire anti-aircraft guns." Jiang Ye's expression was grim. "I suspect that planet has become one of the Galactic Separatist Organization's strongholds. There should be many terrorists hiding in the junk mountains. I request the army be sent to suppress them!"
"How did you confirm they were from the Galactic Separatist Organization?" Li Nannan asked.
"We tamed a garbage processing dog on the junk planet. That robot dog is very smart. It said it saw those people ten years ago, and they were from the Galactic Separatist Organization," Cen Yemeng interjected.
"Where's the dog?" Li Nannan looked at her.
"We were rescued by the trauma team. They only saved the two of us, not the robot dog." Cen Yemeng's face showed a hint of sadness.
"We two and that robot dog developed feelings for it. If possible, could you hire someone to go back and look for it?" Jiang Ye asked. "With luck, we might find it and bring it back for repairs. My wife and I could treat it like a robotic pet."
"It's unlikely. Such a huge planet, finding a small dog that randomly burrows in the junk mountains is harder than finding a needle in a haystack," Li Nannan chuckled. "What's so good about raising a robot dog? And a cheap garbage processing dog at that? If you want a pet, you can buy a genetically modified dog. They can live for over a hundred years, are smart enough to do math problems, and you can keep them for a lifetime."
"A pet is essentially about emotion, not about its quality," Cen Yemeng suddenly said, speaking gently. "Just like Jiang Ye and me. There are many women in the world more beautiful and virtuous than me, but Jiang Ye chose me because we met and developed feelings, which made us special."
"That's not entirely accurate. I haven't met any woman more beautiful than you," Jiang Ye said, taking her hand. "You are as beautiful as a celestial fairy!"
"Alright, alright!" Li Nannan exclaimed. "I didn't come here to be fed dog food!"
Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng returned to seriousness.
"The situation on the junk planet is very peculiar. Do you know why that planet became a junk planet?" Li Nannan asked.
"Because there's a lot of junk on it?" Jiang Ye guessed.
"Damn it, that's obvious! I'm asking why that planet was used as a dumping ground?"
"Were its resources mined out? Did its economy collapse?" Cen Yemeng blinked.
"Jiang Ye, marrying her is really a step up for you. Look how smart she is!" Li Nannan nodded. "The planet's mineral resources were completely depleted, its core began to cool, its ecosystem was destroyed, and coupled with an economic collapse, its population dwindled from tens of billions to tens of millions, thus becoming a junk planet. Everyone on the planet emigrated to other worlds, and before leaving, they rented out their land to other planets to dump garbage, collecting rent continuously."
Jiang Ye nodded. An idea surfaced in his mind. Humans were like viruses, and planets were cells. Once the viruses consumed the nutrients, they would leave to find other cells.
"A planet whose mineral resources are completely exhausted is not monitored by the Galactic Empire. Even if a small number of terrorists are hiding there, the army won't spend a lot of money to clear them out. The usual practice is to let them fend for themselves there, as it's a place of suffering anyway," Li Nannan said.
Jiang Ye remained silent, staring at her intently, waiting for her to say "but."
"However, if there's funding assistance, it's a different story. I can take my own troops there to search for and eliminate the terrorists on the junk planet," Li Nannan mused. "Oh, right, and we can also look for your robot dog."
"How much money is needed?"
"When guns fire, gold flows like water," Li Nannan said, tilting her head to look at him. "How much can you provide?"
"I want to kill all the terrorists on the junk planet. However much money it takes, I'll pay it!" Jiang Ye's temper suddenly flared. "Annihilate them all! Leave heads rolling everywhere! On a smaller scale, my wife and I have a blood feud with that group; we almost didn't make it back! With such an organization existing, I feel like a sharp sword is hanging over my head when I sleep! On a larger scale, this is also about eradicating a terrorist organization, contributing to humanity's prosperity and the happiness and well-being of billions of families!"
"We will only provide some financial support. The credit for fighting on the front lines goes to you and your subordinates," Cen Yemeng added.
"No problem, then it's settled," Li Nannan said, standing up. "My job is to do this. You can rest assured."
After Li Nannan left, Jiang Ye took out his phone.
His account only had a little over a hundred million left, which was certainly not enough.
He sent messages to Feng Zishuang and Che Zhen, obtaining a total of tens of billions in military funds, all of which he transferred to Li Nannan.
Cen Yemeng sat over, took Jiang Ye's hand, and wrote on his palm.
She wrote with her right hand, while covering it with her left.
Jiang Ye's heart tightened. She wasn't speaking, and she was covering her writing on his palm, clearly indicating she was afraid of eavesdropping or hidden cameras. It also meant what she had to say couldn't be heard by others.
He calmed himself and focused on feeling the words on his palm.
Cen Yemeng: "Your superior seems greedy for money. Giving her the money directly, is it some kind of tribute?"
Jiang Ye nodded.
Cen Yemeng: "She's so young. Is she a reliable backer?"
Jiang Ye held her hand, also covering it with his left, and wrote on her palm with his right.
"My becoming the Planet General was her doing. Although she is young, she has achieved brilliant military merits and has good relationships with her superiors, making her quite reliable. Moreover, she is not a person who is solely driven by profit. During my disappearance, she instructed Jiang Ye Star to ignore the newly appointed Planet Governor and demanded that everyone wait for me."
After resting his fingers for a moment, Jiang Ye continued writing:
"She is now tied to me. I need her to protect me, and she has invested a lot in me. Our relationship is very complex, involving mutual interests, friendship, a superior-subordinate relationship, and each other's leverage. She is trustworthy."
Cen Yemeng grabbed his hand and wrote a sentence, "Then I can rest assured."
Both of them were somewhat tired and went upstairs to the bedroom to rest.
The amenities here were indeed good. As soon as they lay on the bed, two columns of data appeared by the headboard, including weight, blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar, respiratory rate, body temperature, and emotions.
Jiang Ye didn't know how these data were measured, perhaps from a high-tech mattress or headboard.
His own emotions were [Fatigue 28%, Tension 6%, Happiness 40%, Anxiety 19%, Calm 7%].
And Cen Yemeng's emotions were [Fatigue 20%, Jealousy 30%, Happiness 30%, Tension 10%, Anxiety 10%].
Jiang Ye rubbed her head. "Why are you jealous?"
"Oh, this bed is so annoying! Can these data be turned off?" Cen Yemeng's face suddenly turned bright red.
The data by the headboard also fluctuated. Jealousy dropped to 10%, and shyness increased by 20%.
"No, why are you jealous?" Jiang Ye hugged her, asking with great confusion. "Who are you jealous of?"