Magic? My Iron Torrent will sweep it all away!

While the two were talking, Liu Yishou had already walked through most of the viewing area.

He was originally surrounded by a group of officers, but when his gaze fell on the row of seats in the chief's seat, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he quickly walked over.

When he reached Lin Mo, he immediately stopped and raised his hand in salute.

"Commander Lin!"

Lin Mo also stood up, returned a standard military salute, and then said with a smile:

"General Liu, congratulations on your promotion."

"Oh, not at all, they haven't been appointed yet!"

Liu Yishou verbally declined, but he couldn't stop smiling, and even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were squeezed together.

"This matter is not settled yet. The final arrangement depends on the decision made by those above."

He said he hadn't decided yet, but his true thoughts were written all over his face.

Lin Mo smiled and said:

"General Liu is too modest. In terms of military merit, seniority, and ability, this position is undoubtedly yours!"

"Haha, compared to Commander Lin, I'm just showing off my limited skills before an expert!"

Liu Yishou, modestly, joked:

"However, if I were to be appointed, would Commander Lin have any congratulatory gifts?"

Those around him immediately felt a chill run down their spines. Openly demanding a gift? That was strictly forbidden!

Oh no, General Liu seems to have gotten carried away. If the higher-ups find out, he'll probably be punished.

Lin Mo remained calm and smiled:

"General Liu is about to command an interstellar fleet, would he still be interested in my congratulatory gift?"

"That's different."

Liu Yishou chuckled:

"The spaceship needs a large amount of Zhengjin metal and dwarven runes. My entire fortune depends on you."

"The fleet hasn't even been officially established yet, and General Liu is already starting to equip it?" Lin Mo chuckled.

"An army marches on its stomach."

After hearing this, everyone smiled; it turned out to be this congratulatory gift.

That's true. Everyone here is in a high position and has everything they need, so it's impossible for them to take bribes or leave any evidence against them.

I think too much.

Liu Yishou seemed to be aware of the misunderstandings people had about him, and he saw them all.

Seeing the expressions of sudden realization on the faces of the people around him, he felt a surge of satisfaction. "I, Old Liu, am not that vulgar. My understanding is far superior!"

After finishing his conversation with Lin Mo, he turned and nodded to Zhao Gang:

"Deputy Commander Zhao."

Zhao Gang responded with a smile:

"General Liu, congratulations in advance."

"Sigh, waiting for the appointment, waiting for the appointment! Haha!"

Liu waved his hand and then seemed to only then notice Long Zhan next to Lin Mo, his face showing a somewhat exaggerated surprise.

"Hey, Old Dragon, you're here too?"

Long Zhan looked at him expressionlessly.

"If your eyesight is bad, just donate it. You're so old, how can you see the universe clearly?"

"Oh dear, what are you saying! What era are we living in? Why would I need to see with my own eyes?"

"Tch! The appointment hasn't even been finalized yet, and I bet you've already picked out the Starfleet office, haven't you?"

Liu Yishou chuckled:

"I haven't chosen an office yet, but I've already thought of a few names for the flagship store."

"What's your name?"

"Leave your number if you come!"

Long Zhan looked at him and remained silent for two seconds.

What a lousy name this uncultured brute has chosen!

He said irritably:

"Why don't you call it 'Liu Yishou Universe'?"

"This name is not bad either. I'll have the publicity department look into it later."

Several officers around them couldn't help but laugh as they watched the two bickering and making sarcastic remarks.

Lin Mo shook his head and chuckled.

The two appear to be at odds, but in reality, they have a very good relationship.

Back in the Great Xia military headquarters, Liu Yishou and Long Zhan were well-known rivals, but they also respected each other. They would always compare themselves to each other and would inevitably exchange a few sarcastic remarks whenever they met.

Later, Long Zhan took charge of the Terra Expeditionary Force, and Liu Yishou also arrived with his fleet to take charge of the security of the Terra seas.

The two worked under Lin Mo, and their relationship deepened. Of course, they often bickered, but for men, this was a sign that their friendship had reached a certain level.

So their bickering at this moment is more like a joke between two old friends.

Joking aside, it is a fact that Liu Yishou is about to take control of the interstellar fleet.

Looking at his smiling face, Long Zhan was still a little annoyed.

Liu Yishou knew he was unhappy, so he deliberately put his hand back on Han Niba's shoulder:

"Old Han, look at Old Long, he just can't stand seeing his brothers doing well."

Han Niba glanced at him:

"Say a few more words, and I'll prioritize allocating the resources Terra harvests to other departments from now on."

Liu Yishou immediately shut up and looked at Lin Mo and Zhao Gang, wanting the two of them to make the decision.

The two pretended not to see them and greeted the other officers.

There was no way around it; his smug attitude was just too much to bear—he was a typical brat with a sharp tongue.

Just then, the previously noisy viewing area suddenly fell silent.

As if receiving some unseen command, the crowd lowered their voices layer by layer, and all eyes turned to the entrance of the square.

A group of people dressed in military uniforms and dark Zhongshan suits were walking from the end of the passage.

The elderly man at the head of the group had gray hair, but his steps remained steady and powerful.

It was Old Zhao.

When Mr. Zhao walked off the stage, everyone around him stood up at the same time.

Lin Mo, Long Zhan, Liu Yishou, Han Niba, and Zhao Gang all stood up straight and saluted Elder Zhao.

Mr. Zhao raised his hand in return and then went up to the podium.

In the square and the stands, people from various underground cities, engineers, researchers, soldiers, and representatives from all over Terra fell silent as they watched the old man.

Kyle sat upright with his hands on his knees, looking calmly at the stage.

Thorin abandoned his usual laziness, sat down in his seat, and stopped swinging his legs, which had been dangling without touching the ground.

Fendona's emerald green eyes reflected the stage lights, and her small face was solemn.

Grom, unusually, didn't look around; his massive body stood ramrod straight.

Old Zhao walked to the microphone and adjusted its position.

"Fellow countrymen, comrades, friends from the continent of Terra, good morning!"

The sound was amplified in all directions through the loudspeakers in the square, and also transmitted to the thirty-six underground cities, the moon, and the Kona base via live broadcast.

"Today, we gather here to witness the establishment of the Great Xia Interstellar Fleet and to witness the long-awaited spaceships completing their acceptance tests and being put into use."

"But before I make this announcement, there are a few things I'd like to say to everyone."

The square was so quiet that the only sound could be the wind rustling through the leaves of the trees.

Old Zhao said slowly:

"Since the cataclysm on Earth, every step we have taken has been fraught with hardship and difficulty."

"Geomagnetic field deterioration, slowed rotation, uncontrolled climate, tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions have caused widespread death and reduced the population by half."

"Even now, there is still the ever-approaching threat of the demon race, which once brought us to the brink of extinction."

"We lost our families, we lost our hometowns. When we left the surface and entered the underground city, we didn't even know if we would ever see the sunlight again."

"We've had our share of luck, and we've received help from friends across Terra, but we've never relied on luck."

"From the very first day that Project Ark was launched, the builders of the thirty-six underground cities have been racing against time."

"Researchers worked day and night, workers worked continuously, soldiers stood firm on the front line, and the people also reduced their consumption and obeyed orders, leaving limited resources for where they were most needed."

"It is the perseverance of millions of people that has allowed our Great Xia to survive the catastrophe and stand strong to this day!"