Free Web NovelChapter 190: Chapter 177: Marshal Zhang, Grandpa Returns Early, Lin Family Ancestor Lin Haifeng
A mixture of anticipation, nervousness, and unease, along with a sliver of excitement, swirled in Lin Aoxue’s heart.
Lin Aoxue had no choice but to force herself to calm down for over ten minutes before finally replying to Zhang Yi’s message.
"Okay, happy birthday!"
"Go ahead and take care of your family matters first. I’ll be available to help you whenever."
"Just let me know once you’ve decided on a specific time."
The message showed as successfully sent.
Lin Aoxue’s tense heart finally relaxed a little.
And with that release of tension, Lin Aoxue collapsed directly onto her bed.
The room was quiet, but Lin Aoxue could clearly hear her own heartbeat.
She gazed out the window. ’I wonder what my fate will be in a few days...’
Meanwhile, seeing that Lin Aoxue hadn’t replied yet,
Zhang Yi opened his chat with Hong Tianyi. The log from their conversation last night was still there.
[Zhang Yi]: I’m cashing in that favor. Help me investigate the Lin Family’s situation, mainly the relationship between Lin Aoxue’s father’s branch and her uncle’s branch. The more detailed, the better. Thanks.
Zhang Yi’s message was sent, and he received a reply almost instantly.
[Hong Tianyi]: Cashing in the favor so soon?
Alright, I’ll get back to you within two days. I’ll send you the investigation materials tomorrow.
[Zhang Yi]: Thanks.
Without a doubt,
Zhang Yi had just used up the small favor Hong Tianyi had given him.
He used it to investigate the Lin Family’s background.
Their exchange was brief, with no extraneous information.
Hong Tianyi didn’t ask why Zhang Yi wanted to investigate the Lin Family.
And Zhang Yi felt comfortable entrusting this task to Hong Tianyi, unafraid that he would leak the information.
In truth, Zhang Yi’s reason for using the favor was quite simple.
Zhang Yi hadn’t completely believed Lin Aoxue’s side of the story.
It wasn’t that he didn’t believe her at all, but he didn’t trust her completely.
After all, his family had taught him from a young age that for matters like this, one must conduct a multi-faceted investigation to get a clear picture.
If you only trust one person’s word, the chances of being duped are high.
Zhang Yi had moved here for school following his father’s transfer.
Although his father, Zhang Zengyuan, possessed the Power of a Middle-Level Divine Being,
he had only been transferred here a little over a year ago.
Using military Power would certainly allow them to investigate the other party thoroughly,
but Zhang Yi was not Zhang Zengyuan, and he couldn’t wield military Power.
Therefore, when Zhang Yi wanted to conduct a thorough investigation into local matters, he knew that sometimes it was better to find a well-connected local.
And Hong Tianyi, who had previously canceled their bet and later offered Zhang Yi a favor, naturally came to mind.
Both the Hong Family and the Sima Family had assets in Golden City.
However, the Hong Family’s main branch was based in Golden City,
while the Sima Family only had their second branch here.
The Hong Family had operated locally for many years, and their intelligence network was deeply entrenched.
For an established Middle-level Divine Family, investigating a family that had just produced a newly promoted Weak Divine Being was a piece of cake!
Besides, there was a whole tier of power separating them!
With the Hong Family’s help, the investigation would surely be swift and efficient!
And sure enough,
last night, Zhang Yi had asked Hong Tianyi to use the favor,
and this afternoon, Hong Tianyi sent Zhang Yi a file containing information on every member of the Lin Family.
After accepting the file, Zhang Yi began to look through it.
...
Meanwhile, a colossal Starship was quietly docked at a Starry Port—the third largest by volume among all the ports in the Crystal Wall Systems controlled by the Blue Star Federation!
But even at this Starry Port, the third largest in the entire Blue Star Federation, nearly a quarter of the space at the southeastern entrance had been cleared out.
Only a single, enormous Starship remained docked there.
The Starship was so immense that it far surpassed the size of an ordinary planet.
The platform on the Starship alone could hold dozens of planets!
The entire Starship shimmered with a ghostly light, its hull engraved with all sorts of arcane runes.
Its main cannon was absurdly large, looking as if it could swallow an entire World Tree!
Its scale far exceeded that of ordinary combat or cargo-type Starships.
Just from its appearance,
it was a perfect fusion of a massive war machine and a personal luxury palace!
Combined with the fact that no other Starships were docked for millions of miles in any direction,
it silently proclaimed the noble status and immense wealth of its owner!
Inside the Starship, a capable-looking middle-aged officer—Qin Rui—with two stars etched on his epaulets, was speaking respectfully to another general standing beside him with his hands clasped behind his back. This general looked only slightly older than him but possessed a commanding presence that inspired awe without anger.
"Marshal, for this return trip to Blue Star’s Main Star, the Starship has been inspected twice and confirmed to have no issues."
"The Starship’s final self-diagnostic has also been completed and confirmed no problems!"
"All necessary supplies have been prepared, and we have finished coordinating with the military of the Blue Star Federation’s Main Star Guard."
"They have already cleared an exclusive route for us. We can begin the return journey to Blue Star at any time!"
Qin Rui’s voice was steady and strong, his speech maintaining an even pace.
"Following the route cleared for us by the Blue Star’s Main Star military, we estimate arrival at Blue Star tomorrow evening. We will land directly at the port in Golden City!"
"There will be absolutely no delay for you to attend your grandson’s birthday tomorrow, Marshal!"
This elder, standing with his hands behind his back, was none other than Zhang Yi’s grandfather, Zhang Shumo.
Hearing the report from his deputy, Qin Rui, a rare smile appeared on the face of Zhang Yi’s grandfather, Zhang Shumo.
"Mm, you’ve arranged things very well!" freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
"Yesterday, as soon as the school results were out, my son told me about my grandson’s final exam scores!"
"First in his grade on the second-year high school finals, at the best school in all of Golden City!"
"That’s quite good. He hasn’t brought shame to me or his father!"
"You’re being modest, Marshal!"
"The Young Master is exceptionally talented. It’s only natural that he would astound everyone with his exam results!"
"See? Isn’t that why you’re planning to return to Blue Star’s Main Star ahead of schedule—to give them a big surprise and attend the Young Master’s birthday?"
Qin Rui said with a smile.
"You’re right about that."
"I really couldn’t make it back for my grandson’s 18th birthday coming-of-age ceremony."
"But this time, the boy is about to enter the University Alliance Training Camp. If I don’t go back now and give him some guidance, I can’t really count on his father to do it!"
"You jest, Marshal. The Young Master is outstanding, but the Eldest Young Master’s excellence is by no means any less!"
As Qin Rui spoke, the smile on his face grew even wider.
"Sigh!"
"That last transfer, sending me to the Ninth Star Zone to guard this Crystal Wall System, the one that includes the Gourmet World... what a tough assignment that was!"
"The invasions from the Insect Clan and the Divine Alliance never stopped. And although the people from the Wizard Organization didn’t reveal themselves, I suspect they were the ones who lured that swarm of insects!"
"It was because of their ceaseless invasions that I was forced to miss my grandson’s 18th birthday ceremony!"
"Marshal, you bear the responsibility for two major Crystal Wall Systems on your shoulders. To safeguard them, you have remained at the front lines without taking a single day of leave. Your dedication to the greater good is truly admirable!" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Hearing his deputy’s words, Zhang Shumo smiled faintly.
"Alright, enough with the flattery!"
"I’m leaving things here to you!"
"I have faith in you. I trust there won’t be any mishaps on this trip back!"
Zhang Shumo clapped his deputy Qin Rui firmly on the shoulder, giving him a great deal of encouragement.
"Also, when we get back this time, I’m giving you some short leave. You should spend some proper time with your wife and kids."
"Yes, thank you, Marshal!"
Qin Rui stood at attention and saluted, a flash of gratitude in his eyes.
He had followed the Marshal on campaigns everywhere and hadn’t returned to Blue Star in a very long time.
He was actually very excited about this return to Blue Star as well.
After Deputy Qin Rui went through the mental map in his head and inspected the entire Starship one more time,
and after confirming everything was in order,
he went to the control room to inform everyone to prepare for the return to Blue Star.
After several more long minutes, when all preparations were finally complete,
the enormous Starship finally departed from the Blue Star Federation’s third-largest Starry Port, traversing space to begin its journey back to Blue Star.
Once the Starship was underway, Deputy Qin Rui was finally able to return to his quarters for a moment’s rest.
As Deputy Qin Rui arrived at his room and was about to rest,
he found an officer with a single star on his shoulder standing outside his door.
When this officer saw Deputy Qin Rui returning to his room,
the well-dressed yet visibly constrained and respectful middle-aged man immediately approached with caution.
He then said gratefully:
"This junior, Lin Haifeng, thanks you, Vice Admiral Qin, for allowing me to board the Starship and return to the Blue Star Federation with you!"
Vice Admiral Qin gave a faint nod.
He didn’t think much of this general, who had nearly exhausted his potential just to break through to Demigod, ignite his Divine Fire, and become a Weak Divine Being.
He had simply checked and confirmed that the man met the requirements, was eligible to return to the Blue Star Federation, and had the right to take leave.
After he gave the nod, the Starship brought the man aboard.
It was just a way to earn a small favor.
He was Marshal Zhang’s deputy.
In the territory Marshal Zhang controlled, there were naturally a few generals even more powerful than him,
but for this trip back to Blue Star’s Main Star, the Marshal had brought only him along. One could only imagine what that implied about his status.
So, when faced with a general who had merely exhausted his potential to become a Weak Divine Being,
if the man hadn’t reached the level of a Weak Divine Being, he wouldn’t even have been qualified to speak with him.
Lin Haifeng naturally understood this as well and didn’t dare disturb Deputy Qin’s rest for too long.
"Deputy Qin, thank you so much for this!"
"If it weren’t for your help, I definitely would have had to wait for the next public Starship. Returning to the Blue Star Federation then would have taken at least a year longer!"
Qin Rui nodded again.
"Remember to use official titles during work hours."
"Besides, I wasn’t the one who made the final decision. If you want to thank someone, you should be thanking Marshal Zhang!"
Hearing this, Lin Haifeng had a sudden realization. ’No wonder this man could become Marshal Zhang’s deputy!’
"Yes, yes, thank you for your guidance, Vice Admiral Qin!"
Seeing the fatigue on Vice Admiral Qin’s face,
Lin Haifeng said one last thing,
"Then I won’t disturb your rest any further, Vice Admiral Qin. I’ll take my leave."
Only then did Lin Haifeng cautiously return to the guest quarters on the Starship.
Watching his departing figure, Qin Rui’s face remained expressionless.
He opened the door and entered his own exclusive, luxurious room to rest.
Personally, he had indeed only mentioned it in passing.
The reason others had agreed to it had less to do with his own power and more to do with his position as Marshal Zhang’s deputy.
The contrast between the two men’s figures starkly highlighted their differing statuses aboard this Starship that was larger than a planet!
