89: 8th

"Minister—you're finally back!"

Kano pounced forward, only to be intercepted by Verres. "Stop, stop, stop... I can't handle a tackle like that."

Looking at the mountain of piled-up work, Verres felt nothing but a headache.

A miscalculation. She shouldn't have left in such a hurry. She should have taken a few more days off.

Settling back into her main seat, Verres began pulling out Kano's logs, reviewing what had happened during her absence.

Unsurprisingly, it was the same old story: minor issues left to fester into major problems.

Rubbing her temples, she started tackling the backlog of documents. But her mind was elsewhere, preoccupied with the conversation she'd had with her boss.

"...While I understand you believe he could be a valuable partner, I still consider bringing him into the Federation a highly risky gamble," the Director General leaned against the wall, beginning her analysis. "Therefore, I want someone to monitor his actions at all times. If any dangerous behavior beyond our control emerges, I demand immediate incapacitation, or even... termination. Choose a suitable candidate."

She wasn't joking, which presented Verres with a new problem:

To closely monitor Li Ming's every move.

His personality was soft, almost incapable of initiating conflict with others. Yet his abilities were almost the polar opposite of his temperament.

Undoubtedly, he posed a significant threat. Precisely because of that, she needed to control him, not leave him as a potential ticking time bomb over there.

In the long run, a reliable, productive friend with common enemies would benefit everyone.

So, here lay the problem. No matter how soft he was, he was still a leader. Therefore, this 'overseer' had to be exceptionally capable—someone who wouldn't rub Li Ming the wrong way yet could enforce strict control.

Kano happily slurped her bubble tea. Life without ministerial-level duties was truly blissful.

With the sound of the final slurp, the thread of Verres's contemplation finally snapped.

"Kano, I have an assignment for you."

"Huh? What is it?" Kano immediately sat up straight, eyes wide as she stared, afraid Verres might run off again.

"Don't worry, I won't be involved this time." Verres narrowed her eyes, placing her hands on the desk and smiling at her, looking utterly amiable. "The mission target is the same person I met during my recent trip, so it should be fairly straightforward for you."

"Huh? Me?" Kano was surprised. This was someone the Minister herself had personally received.

"No need for that much pressure, and you'll have some time to prepare." Verres shook her head. "But this is a task from the Director General, so you need to be careful. Our Director General is a bit... on edge. This time, she's pre-authorized a termination order."

"Hah?" Kano instantly became serious. "Minister, are you joking? Even during the Owencity tragedy last time, the Minister didn't issue a termination order..."

"Exactly, which is why I said she's a bit on edge." Verres spread her hands. "But if nothing goes wrong, there won't be a problem. Your job is surveillance, and there are no restrictions on your methods."

"I understand." Kano still looked somewhat... excited.

Well, she had been cooped up in the General Bureau for a long time. Letting her get out and move around a bit wasn't a bad idea.

"So, when do I leave?"

"It's still early. For now, sit down and help me with these documents."

"Aww..."

——————

For some reason, ever since the research center started developing computer technology, Li Ming had been feeling off.

He kept glancing at the room's cameras, feeling as if something was watching him. But when he asked others, no one else felt it.

What was going on? Li Ming's intuition wasn't usually accurate, but this feeling was rare.

However, nothing seemed to happen. After confirming that nothing unusual had occurred recently, Li Ming gradually suppressed the feeling and forgot about it.

Time passed quickly, especially during days with nothing to do, spent purely resting.

Spending every day being lovey-dovey with the Ship Girls, Li Ming almost didn't recognize himself anymore. It was a strange feeling.

Undoubtedly, Gang Yishawa's actions might have broken some barrier within him, making him yearn for more intimate relationships with everyone?

How odd, how odd. Li Ming sat down, picking up the box of shiting to read today's information reports.

Lately, with resource zones gradually coming online, development in the Industrial Zone had been relatively smooth. Although some industrial capacity had to be diverted to shipping, overall, their own development was progressing quite well.

The only real difficulty remained at the technological level, as breakthroughs still required considerable time.

Thinking this, Li Ming recalled the molecular printer in the Industrial Zone and the quantum printer built into the qinglong ship.

The quantum printer on the qinglong ship hadn't been activated in a long time, partly because it wasn't needed and partly due to its massive energy consumption. In fact, aside from the living and office areas, most parts of the ship had been neglected for a long time...

Maybe he should visit the Bridge.

The Bridge—that place where he was electrocuted, activating the entire ship. That was the beginning of everything.

Opening the door to the Bridge's Central Control Center, Li Ming looked around. Everything was as usual.

The central processor activated all electronic screens the moment the door opened, the light allowing Li Ming to reassess the interior.

Everything was exactly as he'd left it the last time he departed the Bridge.

If there was anything strange, it was that despite being left unattended for so long, the place showed no signs of dust accumulation.

Highly unusual.

Li Ming sat in the captain's chair, observing everything on the Bridge from left to right.

Outside the bulletproof and blast-resistant glass was a mid-range view of the port area. Li Ming looked at it daily but never grew tired of it.

Shifting his gaze back, Li Ming suddenly remembered the camera issue and turned to look at the cameras inside the Bridge.

If he remembered correctly, the camera hadn't been pointing directly at him earlier, had it? And he hadn't adjusted it.

...No way. Goosebumps rose on Li Ming's back.

If memory served, the last one to play games with cameras like this was MOSS from *The Wandering Earth*.

Activating the holographic projection screen from the captain's console, Li Ming initiated a system self-diagnostic.

Central Control Core: Optimal.

Shipboard Artificial Intelligence: Self-Activated.

As expected, huh? Li Ming thought, beginning his attempt:

"MOSS?"

"Hello, Comrade Commander. I am not MOSS. I am merely a standard artificial intelligence designated Logic."

"Uh, okay, Logic... Logic?"

Chang, Zheng, Ji?

...

...