Chapter 41: Imperial Generals, Section 9

Even after returning to his warship, Hei Fa remained puzzled. The small statue was in his hands, flipped over and played with. Under the light inside the warship, it emitted a purple, mesmerizing glow.
Amber gold was an extremely rare material. Even in human society, this metal was very scarce. Let alone in the Moor Empire, where people were accustomed to using stone. From this alone, it could be seen just how valuable the statue was. But the question was: how could such a statue possibly become a weapon?
Did he mean for him to stab the statue into the emperor’s chest?
Nonsense. If he really did that, it would be an act of stupidity. Hei Fa didn’t think a statue could be more effective than a knife, even if it was made of expensive amber gold.
So, what exactly was the reason why Duke Zi Yan gave him this statue? And what made it a true weapon?
Hei Fa stopped speculating and, upon returning to the warship, handed the statue to Monkey right away.
“Send it for analysis immediately. I want the most detailed report possible without damaging the statue’s structure. Time is of the essence. This report must be on my desk by tomorrow.”
“Understood, boss,” Monkey replied promptly, grabbing the statue and rushing off. In such a critical situation, he became serious too. There were only two days left before the emperor’s award ceremony—no, to be precise, just one day and seven hours. Every minute and second could determine Hei Fa’s life or death.
The emperor couldn’t die—that was Hei Fa’s decision. So, there was a lot they had to do. Besides ensuring they weren’t used as scapegoats, they also needed to figure out Old Man Zi Yan’s trump card in order to take appropriate action; otherwise, it would all be meaningless talk.
During this time, Hei Fa checked the strength at his disposal. He now had three Swan Ships and five Imperial Giants. These were private troops assigned to him by Duke Tarot. In other words, even the emperor’s orders wouldn’t hold any weight without his approval. Moreover, as his greatest trump card, Li Feng was always by his side, hidden under layers of disguise. With Li Feng’s strength, he would be no match for even an Imperial Giant—indeed, he might even be stronger in certain situations.

Of course, if analyzed in detail, the several “angels” under Li Feng can also be considered part of Black Hair’s power. These eerie recreated creatures are akin to nuclei. Though their appearance is completely different, their powers are extremely terrifying. Black Hair once discussed this with their leader and received a clear answer: if necessary, these angels can use a special skill they call “Division.” Within just two hours, each can produce twenty offspring. Although their strength is only one-third that of the parent, they possess almost all of its skills—provided there’s enough energy. They can even recreate the red network arrays Black Hair has seen before, splitting space to exile enemies into spatial rifts.

Undoubtedly, this is a power of extreme terror. The most formidable aspect lies in their offensive capabilities. Perhaps these “angels” have near-zero defense; even the fire from the most rudimentary warships could send them to their doom. Yet in terms of offense, not even imperial battleships can compare to them. Those space-splitting network arrays, just like Black Hair’s black hole cannons, truly ignore defense. The formidable stone-precision armor of imperial battleships is useless against them. If not for the long activation time and greatly limited coverage of these arrays, Black Hair might even regard them as another type of black hole cannon—a near-range black hole cannon with no side effects.

However, no matter how powerful, even strength is constrained by the environment. Even without calculation, Black Hair can conclude that with his current strength, he would likely rank at the bottom in this barbaric star region. Although there are many ships, compared to the overwhelming number of imperial battleships, they are negligible.

After all, this barbaric star region is packed with an astronomical number of imperial military forces—ranging from massive battleships to ordinary attack ships, and even regular civilian vessels, totaling well over ten thousand. Moreover, due to the militaristic culture of the Moore Empire, most of these ships, whether military or civilian, are equipped with high-powered energy weapons. His own limited resources would make no impact here, let alone cause any significant disturbance. The only thing Black Hair can consider is how to use his limited strength effectively, like using a lever’s fulcrum to lift a heavier weight.

It sounds complicated, but it’s actually not hard. Isn’t the greatest lever fulcrum already chosen? Other than the imperial emperor, Black Hair really can’t think of a more suitable target. Since Duke Ziyan wants the emperor’s life, that moment and location of the award ceremony will be Black Hair’s choice.

But before that, Kurokami needed to figure out the meaning of that statue. For some reason, he always felt uncertain. He wouldn’t dare make a final decision until he understood the statue’s actual purpose.
Wasting time in waiting was boring, but Kurokami didn’t mind. Good patience was a must for any excellent commander, and he had always excelled in this regard. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to stay hidden in the finals of the competition for half a month. So when the Monkey rushed in again, he found Kurokami leisurely sipping red wine.
“Thud.” A report was thrown in front of Kurokami, followed by the Monkey’s dissatisfied grumbling.
“Boss, you’re really too relaxed. I’m swamped here, while you’re still drinking. You really don’t care about your subordinates. Having you as my boss is pure bad luck.”
“But it seems like you don’t have any other choice.” Hearing the Monkey’s complaints, Kurokami simply smiled faintly and picked up the report on the table. “How’s the situation?”
“Check it yourself. It’s not a big problem.” The Monkey grumbled a bit more, then sat down next to Kurokami, casually filled his glass, and drank it in one gulp.
“The statue’s structure is simple; there are no mechanical components inside. It’s almost entirely made of purple gold, so no major issues seem to exist. But there’s one thing that’s strange.”
“Oh?” Kurokami flipped through the report, humming without looking up. “What is it?”
“It’s the back of the statue’s hands. Boss, haven’t you noticed? Although this statue was modeled after you, there are slight differences in some areas.”
“Hm?” Kurokami froze, then followed the Monkey’s gaze. Sure enough, on the back of the statue’s hands, he saw something unusual.
It was a delicate glove with a wrist guard, worn on the statue’s hands. The glove was intricately crafted, with every texture clearly depicted. And perhaps to emphasize the statue’s value, the glove had been further refined—small gems were embedded in its back, reflecting colorful light under the room’s lighting. It was very beautiful.
The glove was exquisite, but Kurokami was certain he hadn’t worn anything on his hands during his battle with Siget!!
In other words, if the statue itself was fine, then this glove must be the key to the problem!!
“Have you analyzed it carefully?” Without further inspection, Kurokami raised an eyebrow and asked directly about the crucial point.

“I’ve analyzed it. The gloves are made of the same material as the statue—amethyst gold,” Monkey replied cheerfully. “But the gems on them can’t be identified.”
“What do you mean?” Black Hair was puzzled.
The Moor Empire thrived on stone materials. It could be said that it was undeniably the best in the universe when it came to the research and use of stones. Gems might be precious, but they still fell under the category of stones. If even the Moor researchers on the ship couldn’t figure it out, that was extremely unusual.
“Simply put, we can’t determine the type of gems. But one thing is certain: these gems have stable structures. They’re not explosive and contain no radioactive substances. They’re very stable and pose no danger.”
“It’s strange if there’s no danger,” Black Hair frowned. “How much time is left until the award ceremony?”
Monkey checked his watch. “Three hours.”
Three hours. Black Hair’s head started to ache. He certainly knew how much time that really meant. Although it said three hours, if preparation time was included, he only had about an hour. Trying to uncover the secrets of those gems in such a short time was nothing but fantasy.
So, what if he didn’t bring the statue?
That wouldn’t work either. Black Hair shook his head, dismissing the idea. After all, from what he knew about Duke Amethyst Rock, that old man would never stop at just that. Even if he didn’t bring the statue, it would eventually end up in his hands. Since the old fellow dared to do it, he would definitely go to extremes. There was no way he could interfere.
In that case, he had no choice but to take a risky gamble. He would bring the statue to see what tricks the old man could pull with those gems.
With that thought, Black Hair hesitated no longer.
“Monkey, go and pack this statue carefully, making it as exquisite as possible. Also, modify the packaging by secretly using some explosion-proof materials. If something really goes wrong, it might save a life.”
“Understood. Boss, when are you leaving?” Monkey raised his head and asked calmly.
“I’ll leave as soon as it’s packed. I’ll go to Duke Tarot and Miss Veli first. Follow after you finish. Time is running out, and we still have a lot to do. The specific plan isn’t decided yet, but arrange the position of the warship to be as close as possible to the UFO Station. And this time, stay by my side.”

“Got it, Boss. Do you want me to take action?” Upon hearing Black Hair’s final instructions, Monkey immediately became excited. He knew well that since Black Hair had ordered him to follow, he wouldn’t worry too much about the danger of exposure. At a critical moment, he might even be tasked with operating the mecha in battle. At the thought of this, Monkey felt eager to try it out.
Through the porthole, Black Hair gazed at the pitch-black universe outside. There, a massive space station was brightly lit, with countless ships of various sizes gathered around it, like stars surrounding the moon.
Three hours—would that be the moment that determined fate?
Emperor of the Moore Empire, I will finally get to see you with my own eyes. Today, your life or death will depend on my hands…