204: Chapter 204 Victory Celebration Banquet

The victory banquet was actually quite simple, a buffet-style affair, which made it easier for everyone to socialize.

While the format was simple, the ingredients on the long dining tables were anything but. Chu Ge glanced over and saw a fusion of Eastern and Western cuisine, with delicacies from both land and sea.

The base had really spared no expense this time.

Dilireba Nazha had her own social circles to attend to, and Chu Ge wasn't interested, so he didn't accompany her, heading to the drinks area alone instead.

After choosing for a while, Chu Ge picked up a glass of red wine. He still wasn't quite used to champagne, and in truth, he didn't really want to drink red wine either; it was just that for an occasion like this, he couldn't very well be empty-handed.

"Red wine is best decanted beforehand; the taste is much better that way."

Chu Ge turned his head. Yu Mengmeng was holding a glass of champagne, looking at him with a smile. Her gaze swept over Chu Ge before finally settling on his shoulder.

"So, red wine isn't suitable for soldiers; it's too much of a time-waster."

"Academician Chu—no, I should call you Lieutenant General Chu now. Thank you for your righteous intervention earlier today. I've been looking for a chance to thank you, and I've finally caught you."

"It was just a small effort. How could I let such a scoundrel act so arrogantly on Huaxia's territory?" Chu Ge said, taking a sip of the red wine and then frowning.

"By the way, is there any news about that Korean man?" Chu Ge asked casually.

"The police contacted me later and said they wanted him to make a public apology, but it seems Li Guangrong didn't agree. He even used his family's influence to get the Korean government to speak up. Now all of Korea is in an uproar, and the matter seems to have become a bit troublesome."

"Oh? All that happened?"

"Yes, I browsed some foreign news this afternoon, especially the Korean news. The media and netizens there... how should I put it? They're launching a crusade of words."

"They've always been like that. Do you know which country in Asia has the most religious sects and followers?"

"Korea?"

"Yeah. Eight out of ten people are religious followers of one sect or another, all sorts of them. Actually, this just shows that the people of that country are far too easily indoctrinated."

"Plus, they're extremely chauvinistic with hyper-sensitive self-esteem. Their men and women can split into two camps just to curse each other out, let alone different races. It'd be strange if they weren't cursing us."

Chu Ge snorted after speaking. That country was truly hard to describe in a few words.

"True, and they're twisting the truth. Netizens on YouTube have already posted videos showing the full context, but they still refuse to admit it. They're even claiming we're using this as an excuse to suppress their Sanxing Group, attempting to use Li Guangrong to blackmail them into handing over certain data keys to bolster Huaxia's technological strength. They... they even cursed you out quite thoroughly too..."

Yu Mengmeng's voice grew quieter toward the end.

"Let them shout as they please; the world speaks through strength. What did they say about me? I'm actually quite interested in that."

"Ah? You should probably go back and look for yourself; I can't bring myself to say it."

Yu Mengmeng said to Chu Ge with a smile.

"I have a ready-made translator here, might as well use you. I don't know Korean, after all—if you have the time, that is."

"I have time, but do you really want to hear it?"

Chu Ge nodded.

"It's mostly just saying you're acting like a big shot in your own country and challenging you to try that in theirs. They also said your technological research is all plagiarized, calling you a pseudo-scientist and things like that."

"Haha, reverse psychology? Don't worry, if necessary, I wouldn't mind paying them a visit. I'd like to see what they can do to me. However, I don't have time to deal with them right now. As for plagiarism, well, it was indeed plagiarized."

"Plagiarized from aliens, that is, haha."

Chu Ge laughed and looked around, only to catch Dilireba Nazha's resentful little gaze. "Cough, cough!" The wine in his mouth instantly choked him, nearly bringing tears to his eyes.

Yu Mengmeng also burst out laughing.

"Alright, thank you for the translation. I won't bother you any longer. See you around if fate permits."

"See you around, General Chu."

Chu Ge nodded and walked away immediately. If he didn't leave now, he was afraid he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

...

The victory banquet ended in a harmonious atmosphere. It wasn't too late, but the celebrities and socialites had very full schedules, so few stayed overnight in D City. They either headed to larger cities overnight for the next stop of their tours or simply went home.

Dilireba Nazha was the same. She had originally planned to stay in D City today, but plans couldn't keep up with changes. Her company had scheduled a last-minute show for tomorrow, so she had to rush back to Magic City overnight.

Chu Ge walked her all the way to the base entrance. On the way, Dilireba Nazha didn't forget to interrogate him about his conversation with Yu Mengmeng at the banquet. Seeing that Chu Ge gave a plausible explanation, she stopped throwing a tantrum and left reluctantly.

After seeing her off, Chu Ge wandered around the base alone. Unknowingly, he walked to the vicinity of the kunpeng. He looked up; the kunpeng was brightly lit.

"While it's docked at the base, one-third of the crew stays on board while the rest rotate shifts to familiarize themselves with the internal layout of the aerospace carrier as quickly as possible. Some functional systems are still running, mainly to test their reliability. The rest is for necessary maintenance and replenishment."

Commander Wang appeared like a ghost behind Chu Ge, seemingly answering his unspoken questions.

"Commander Wang, popping up with a sudden comment like that—aren't you afraid of scaring me?"

"You wouldn't be scared. With this thing here, who are you afraid of? Besides, out here, there's a whole regiment of guards stationed just under the aerospace carrier."

Chu Ge smiled.

"It's getting late. What's wrong? Can't sleep?"

"Aren't you the same?"

"I think we should go back and have a comfortable sleep. The people who can't sleep right now are those who are unfriendly toward Huaxia."

Chu Ge spoke slowly, but his words hit home for Commander Wang, who nodded in agreement.

"Commander Wang, I'll be heading back to Yanjing with Old Chen and the others tomorrow. I'll send you the blueprints for the Engineering Ship later. Have your engineers on standby; if there are no issues, we can be fully operational in two months."

"No problem, General Chu. Just give the orders. I'll keep the kunpeng in tip-top shape, ensuring it can be deployed at any moment."

"Alright, I'm off then. Goodnight, Commander Wang."

"Yes, goodnight. Hey? Chu—General, your quarters are that way."

"I'm going to have a chat with Soul Blade and the others. You go on back first."

As Chu Ge spoke, he had already walked far away.

Following along the kunpeng, Chu Ge arrived at Soul Blade's location. The three brothers were still standing there motionless, their eyes glowing with red light.

That meant they were still in standby mode.

Chu Ge walked up and gave Soul Blade's massive foot a kick.

"Hey, wake up. You've been sleeping all day. I really don't know what the military brought you here for; I feel like they just brought you here to sleep."