Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 787

Chapter 782, I can also talk

Yinbarshim’s disheveled hair.

He has always been a man who cares about his image, appearing with a small mustache and meticulously combed hair. His stern appearance is part of how he conveys authority.

But now all of that is gone.

When the Space Marines dragged him out of the underground safe house, they didn’t intentionally abuse him, but they didn’t give him any special treatment either.

Wanted to ensure he was dressed neatly when he was dragged out? No way.

Yinbarshim’s expression was completely unable to maintain his composure and composure.

He wanted to do this.

Even as a loser, he had to maintain his dignity. Just like those tragic heroes in movies and TV shows, before dying, a heroic death is a good ending when there is no other choice.

But when he was actually dragged out and saw the hundreds of Angels of Death in two different costumes looking at him indifferently, the trembling in his two muscles was a purely physiological reaction, uncontrollable.

His face was pale, his lips trembling involuntarily. A single grasp would have rendered him powerless to resist. Any warrior here could easily crush his skull. The thought of this robbed him of all resistance, his heart gripped by fear.

He couldn’t help but speak, begging for mercy, but all he received was the deathly silence of the Space Marines.

No one paid him any attention, unless his voice was too loud, in which case a finger would gently tap his head. It

was truly light, for the Space Marines, that’s how it felt. A little harder would have likely torn a hole through his skull.

At this point, Yinbasim could only tremble with fear as he followed the Space Marines.

He hadn’t gone far, in fact. In his Wuji Palace, in the largest and grandest hall, he met the man who would determine his fate.

He knew this hall well. For the past three or four years, he had worked and lived there.

But now, it felt strange.

Many bodies lay scattered, and someone was collecting them. Blood splattered everywhere, and the once magnificent palace was now in shambles, with no time to clean up.

Even the bodies hadn’t been cleared away, let alone anything else.

And yet, amidst this chaos, someone was setting up something new.

A banner was being hung.

It read, “Provisional Acting Government of the Eastern Universe.”

Beneath it, two people stood, conversing with each other.

Yin Basimu knew both of them.

One, Xie Lihong, was the Alliance’s ambassador to the Eastern Universe.

The other, Cui Ru, was from the Cui clan of Wuji Star. The Cui clan was a prominent family among the local elite. Cui Ru was the daughter of a marriage between the current Cui clan and another powerful local clan, the Jiang clan. Her brother was the current head of the Cui clan, and her husband was the head of the Jiang clan. Cui Ru herself had held numerous important positions during the reign of former Chairman Zuo Zhaofeng. With

her powerful background and her own prominent positions, Cui Ru was undoubtedly a crucial political figure not only on Wuji Star but also throughout the entire Eastern Universe. She was indeed capable, particularly skilled at networking and uniting diverse factions.

During Zuo Zhaofeng’s administration, she was the one who championed improved relations with the Alliance and facilitated the signing of a series of economic, political, and military cooperation agreements. This, in turn, brought her greater political prestige, as she brought wealth and vibrant economic development to many parts of the Eastern Universe.

While the Eastern Universe certainly couldn’t achieve the Alliance’s annual growth rate of over 8% over the past decade, their GDP increased by 40% over the past fifteen years, a truly remarkable achievement.

Prior to this, the Eastern Universe had been stagnant for at least two hundred years. Annual growth of 1%-3% built up wealth for several years, but then unrest, economic crises, or natural or man-made disasters wiped out the gains, potentially leading to a further decline.

Such sustained growth for over a decade is truly rare.

Furthermore, increased trade between the two sides would not only benefit everyone from economic development but also directly generate substantial profits. Many planets would also save significant sums by outsourcing their defense to the Alliance.

During that period, Cui Ru was affectionately known as “Madam Wealth,” reflecting her prominent position in the political arena of Wuji Star and the Eastern Universe.

After Yin Bashim arrived in the Eastern Universe and took power, he targeted pro-Alliance factions within the Universe. Unsurprisingly, “Madam Wealth” was the first to be targeted.

Soon, she was dismissed from all her positions within the Universe government.

However, many things didn’t necessarily require formal positions. Madam Wealth could still facilitate smooth business between the powerful and the Alliance through other means, even simply through private connections and communication.

Furthermore, she had the backing of two of Wuji Star’s most powerful families. The Cui and Jiang families were not only powerful themselves, but also had a network of disciples and former officials throughout the Universe, making matters much easier.

This situation was unacceptable.

As a result, Yin Bashim’s persecution of Madam Cai, her natal family, and her husband’s family intensified over the following years. Over

the next two years, several members of the two major families were framed and met tragic ends.

In an attempt to make an example of someone—or perhaps simply to make an example of someone else—the Cui and Jiang families suffered near-destructive losses in the space of a few years. Their visible influence, members holding public office, were imprisoned; their assets were confiscated; their leaders were tortured to death…

Madam Cai’s brother died; her husband followed less than a month later.

She would have died too had she been captured by Yin Bashim.

Fortunately, she escaped quickly, and the alliance rescued her and several of her descendants.

Cui Ru had never imagined that, at over two hundred years old, she would have endured such a tragic loss of her family.

One can imagine her feelings towards Yin Bashim.

A dangerous smile stretched across her lips when she saw her blood feud.

“Long time no see, Chairman Yinbarshim. I’ve missed you terribly.”

“Hello, Ms. Cui Ru.”

Seeing these two, Yinbarshim regained his composure a little.

Unlike before the Space Marines, even with the Angels of Death still standing behind him, meeting these two ‘acquaintances’, ‘politicians’, he felt as if he had returned to his old political struggles.

It was a more familiar state for him, at least not the helpless feeling he’d felt when he was with the Space Marines.

At least his mind was starting to clear up a bit.

He quickly concluded he’d been captured; based on the outside information he’d received before being captured, he could also tell his forces were essentially doomed.

Even if they weren’t doomed now, even if the outside forces were fighting well, what good would that do?

The Alliance had taken action.

They’d actually dared to defy the will of the world and attack the Cosmic Domain Chairman sent by the Empire.

There was no chance of escape.

His troops were doomed to perish,

especially since he himself had already been captured.

What chance did he have of survival?

Honestly, it was slim.

However, upon meeting Cui Ru, he had a second thought.

The Alliance had undoubtedly played a significant role in Cui Ru’s escape; it might even have been the Alliance’s agents who had rescued her.

And now that the Alliance had released her, coupled with the newly hung banner reading “Provisional Acting Government,” the implication was that after his own death, Cui Ru would be the leader of the newly established acting government.

Given her status, prestige, and the level of Alliance support, it made perfect sense.

However, here, he felt he could offer the Alliance a new option.

He didn’t look at Cui Ru again.

This person had a blood feud that couldn’t be settled. At most, he wanted to avoid appearing superior or confronting anyone at this moment.

His gaze was fixed squarely on another man, whose smile revealed a refined demeanor.

That was the Alliance ambassador, Xie Lihong.

Xie Lihong had been serving as ambassador to the Eastern Universe for a while, so the two of them must have known each other well. They had certainly had their share of disagreements before, and had frequently argued at the negotiation table.

But ultimately, he was an Alliance member, not his business. No matter how much they had clashed before, they wouldn’t have done anything to the envoy unless they were truly at odds.

That was something they could talk about.

He said to Xie Lihong, “I can talk, and I can love the Alliance.”

“Oh?”

Xie Lihong chuckled, but said nothing more.

Yin Bashim’s heart sank, but he continued to struggle to find a way out.

He added, “If I cooperate with you, the benefits are immense. I can report to the Imperial Central Committee that what happened tonight was just an ordinary riot and has been dealt with.”

“Going forward, I’ll cooperate with the Alliance in all its operations in the Eastern Space Region.”

“I’ll be very useful. My cooperation with the Alliance is more valuable than anyone else’s!”

“Don’t worry about what these powerful local forces will do. Once we unite, they won’t have any room to resist. Even if they’re dissatisfied, we can suppress it.”

Only then did he turn his gaze to Cui Ru and continue, “I know I’ve wronged you before, but that wasn’t my intention. I can’t do anything about the responsibilities the Imperial Central Committee has given me… I don’t ask for your forgiveness, but at least give me a chance to make amends. I will make amends in the future.”

His words were spoken with great sincerity.

In his final struggle for survival, Yin Bashim gave it his all.

Although his legs trembled from the previous shock, and his voice trembled, and because he had so little time to think, his thoughts might not be comprehensive, or his words might not be well-formed.

However, this was the result of his full effort.

The crux of the matter lay in whether the entry point he had found could truly impress the Alliance.

As for the local forces represented by Cui Ru, that was secondary.

He knew full well that the opinions of local forces like Cui Ru were merely for reference. The true decision-maker lay with the ambassador, who represented the Alliance’s will.

Cui Ru couldn’t help but glance at Xie Lihong.

She feared Xie Lihong would agree.

But on the other hand, she also wanted him to agree.

This matter had two sides.

If the Alliance agreed, she would be unable to exact her revenge. Furthermore, because Yin Bashim had become the Alliance’s most important partner under this mechanism, he could help the Alliance conceal and deceive Holy Terra while buying more strategic time, giving them more time to develop before the situation spiraled out of control. This would significantly reduce the Alliance’s reliance on the local forces of the Eastern Universe, and a significant portion of the Alliance’s resources would fall into Yin Bashim’s hands, rather than being absorbed entirely by the local forces.

But similarly, if Yinbarshim took over all of this, the pressure on her and the local forces she represented would be dramatically reduced.

After all, according to the Alliance’s plan, tonight’s action had nothing to do with the Alliance; it was initiated by these local forces.

The Alliance would define it as an “uprising,” but regardless, from Holy Terra’s perspective, it was a rebellion.

The ultimate outcome depended solely on the outcome of the negotiation between the Alliance and the Imperial Center. The

best outcome, of course, was that the Imperial Center would accept the situation, blaming Yinbarshim for inciting the “civil uprising” and recognizing the soon-to-be-established interim government as legitimate.

However, the probability of this was low.

The worst-case scenario was that the Alliance ultimately lost. The cost to the Alliance, regardless of the consequences, was a matter for the Alliance itself. At the very least, those who instigated the rebellion would be deemed the culprits, the scapegoats, the first to be punished. Was

this a high probability? Cui Ru believed it was higher than the best-case scenario.

Even if the result is neither good nor bad, the game between the Alliance and the Imperial Center is always going on. In fact, they are also in a very uncomfortable situation. It is equivalent to being sandwiched between the struggle between the Alliance and the Imperial Center, and the future is precarious.

This is not a good thing, but the Eastern Universe has reached its current point and has become the main battlefield at the core of the struggle between the two sides. They have no choice. Regardless of whether there are problems with past decisions, at least for now, they have no choice but to follow the Alliance.

Whether the Alliance will agree to Yin Bashim is nothing more than deciding how to go about this road.

It is really hard to say, and Cui Ru herself is also very entangled.

But at this time, Xie Lihong said to her: “Our promise to you is to hand Yin Bashim over to you and let you deal with it. As for how to deal with it specifically, it is up to you.”

With the right to choose, Cui Ru became even more entangled…

(End of this chapter)