Space Odyssey from Abandoned Mining Space Station

As for those within the military who were trusted aides of the station manager, they were all taken out by the commander during the recent battle.

The battle started abruptly but ended quietly.

Just when Chen Ming thought he could finally rest and safely proceed to the Star Realm Capital.

The long-silent boss suddenly spoke: "Little Mu, it seems like there's a big problem heading your way."

"What?"

Just as Chen Ming spoke, in the superspace where the fleet was located, at a distance from the fleet, ripples appeared out of nowhere, like space itself was wavering, something Chen Ming had never seen before.

Unpredicted by anyone on the battlefield, a Ruler-class heavy cruiser arrived in this patch of superspace through its teleportation engine.

"Damn!"

Originally groggy from the mental exhaustion, Chen Ming was suddenly wide awake.

"Boss! Ruler! Cruiser!"

"I'm already... trying... to connect... contact..."

The boss's voice came discontinuously with the last few words, and then the communication was completely cut off.

In Chen Ming's eyes remained only the terrifying heavy cruiser.

Meanwhile.

Within the Empire.

On a terrestrial planet in the Ascension Star System, located in the Prosperous Star Realm.

Here lay the headquarters of Sinda Corporation.

The upcoming board meeting was in its final stage of preparation.

Actually, it didn't require much preparation, since it was an online meeting, and getting everyone together was just a matter of adjusting schedules.

In the end, except for the chairman Xu Lin, present in person, everyone else attended the meeting room via virtual projection.

With everyone confirmed present, the chairman began directly: "This decision-making meeting was initiated by me and approved by half of the members."

"There are two issues requiring a board vote."

"First, whether it's necessary to reignite conflict with the military to reclaim the resource extraction rights of the star system."

"Second, whether it's necessary to protect Chen Ming, allow him to return to the company with a higher status, and offer him investment."

"The circumstances should be clear to all, except for the few who recently joined the board, the rest shouldn't have forgotten what happened thirty years ago."

"Let's not waste any more time and proceed with the vote for the first proposal."

The result was out in seconds, with unanimous approval.

The presence of Chen Ming has rendered the military's blockade on the star systems with resources rights granted to Sinda Corporation meaningless.

Reclaiming those rights is something the company must undertake.

"Now, onto the second proposal, please cast your votes."

Unexpectedly to the chairman, the final result was four votes for, eight against, and one abstention.

The collective opposition from the board cast a momentary shadow over the chairman's face.

A board member who voted against then said: "A psychic capable of controlling ships holds different values for different factions."

"We all understand Chen Ming's worth and know his abilities can hugely aid the advancement of our frontier technologies."

"However, the government just sent us a message."

"The Armor-Piercing Level we sold them suddenly ran off on its own, and we all know who did this, right?"

"Information about Chen Ming, with military interference involved, cannot remain entirely secret; the government will inevitably discover who took the Armor Piercing."

"After that, they'll realize how terrifying Chen Ming's abilities truly are."

"Who would dare buy our ships then?"

"Is it worth offending both the military and the government over one Chen Ming?"

"We must make a choice regarding the company's business and technology."

This board member laid out the pros and cons.

The chairman, aware of the validity of his words, sighed slightly and said, "So, what is the board's stance?"

"Chen Ming can only be seen as a utilizable asset."

"Find a way to earn his trust, securely exchange for the Sky Steel, and then sell him."

To prevent misunderstanding, the board member added another remark: "Of course, not to kill him, but to sell to other forces."

"Other companies, the military, or even the government, can all be potential buyers."

"Chen Ming is our bargaining chip, but in the hands of companies producing and selling ships externally, he is a liability."

"Yet for the military and the government, the liability doesn't matter, so they will be eager to buy Chen Ming from us."

"Is Chen Ming necessary? Of course, he is, but we can't keep him indefinitely, only for a while."

"This is the most beneficial choice for the company, and Chen Ming's personal wishes are irrelevant."

The chairman suddenly clasped his fingers together in front of his mouth and said, "But Chen Ming, the psychic, is valued by Wu An of the Spiritual Ability Association."

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

The board member in charge of the Pirate Space Station, who had voted in favor, also spoke up: "I can testify."

"Wu An has remained in the area I oversee, and his attitude toward our company is neither positive nor negative. I'm still trying to win him over, so I haven't disclosed this information to the board yet."

The meeting room was quieted again, and then the board member who had abstained said, "I think this matter needs serious consideration. I propose postponing the vote."

"Agreed."

"I consent."

"Seconded."

The board members unanimously agreed to postpone the resolution on Chen Ming's situation, as Wu An's presence necessitated careful contemplation of their stance toward Chen Ming and how it might affect Wu An's view of them.

At this moment, the door to the board meeting room was suddenly knocked upon.

Any matter interrupting such a meeting must be of utmost urgency.

The chairman immediately allowed his secretary to enter.

The secretary promptly handed a paper document to the chairman and left the meeting room.

Quickly scanning the document, the chairman spoke rapidly, "Emergency situation, the military is attacking the fleet I dispatched to bring Chen Ming back, and they're even using a cruiser to hunt him down."

"The military's explanation is that a cruiser captain illegally activated the cruiser and initiated a rebellion, and forces have been sent to suppress it."

The atmosphere in the meeting room turned tense and anxious.

Rapid discussions ensued over this dire situation threatening the company.

With his physical presence, the chairman knocked on the table to regain quietness in the room and said, "All else is immaterial; the most crucial thing now is that Chen Ming must not die."

"If Chen Ming dies, the rest is futile."

"Whether it's the Sky Steel, the intrinsic top-level research-type psychic with a certain degree of spacecraft technical knowledge, or the potential short-term relationship improvement with the Spiritual Ability Association, they're all ruined."

"Anyone capable of emergency rescue, act immediately; Chen Ming must survive."