Then let the witch offer her loyalty

"I just think it's quite interesting to do, haha."

Anies rested her chin on her hand and looked in another direction.

That's the direction of Gaia's home planet.

Her eyes were unfocused as she murmured, "As for me, I want to go back to Gaia's home planet. Actually, I've had this idea for a long time, but the home planet is too far away from me. It would take more than ten years to go there, and half a lifetime to go back and forth. I don't have that kind of time."

"If the Stargate Project is fully completed and humanity gains the ability to travel between stars, I want to go back to my home planet and see the place that nurtured human civilization."

"I've heard that it's different from Cicero, which is only left with minerals. It has vast grasslands, green mountains, clear waters, and an endless sea. If I have the chance, I really want to go and see it."

Chen Moxin and Annie were looking in the same direction. Chen Moxin narrowed her eyes and said meaningfully, "Yes, I miss that place too."

Anies was unaware that there was a deeper meaning in those words that she could not comprehend.

She gently patted Chen Moxin's arm: "Alright, you've had your fill of reflection. Go and do your thing."

Chen Moxin nodded and said goodbye to Anies.

"Oh, right." Just before leaving, Anies suddenly called out to him.

Annie pursed her lips, as if pondering something, and finally asked slowly, "Wilson and the others arrived last night, but you only came this morning... Did they not tell you that I was unconscious last night?"

Chen Moxin shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.

“Okay, I understand.” Annie’s gestured for Chen Moxin to leave, a deeper meaning creeping into her eyes.

Chapter 146 Entrustment

The following period was a mix of joy and sorrow for everyone in the Governor's Office.

Since the breakthrough achieved in the last Stargate Base experiment, the research progress has been like boarding a high-speed train, rushing forward at an unprecedented pace.

The barriers that once hindered scientists have been broken down one by one, and new progress is made every now and then.

According to feedback from Deng Xuemin, chief engineer of the Stargate base, if this trend continues, the final data of the "Reality Veil Tearing Experiment," which is the most important experiment for the entire Stargate project, is very likely to yield significant results in the near future.

This is undoubtedly exciting news for everyone who has been looking forward to the Stargate. Their long-awaited dream is no longer a fantasy, but a tangible reality.

At the same time, an increasingly oppressive gloom lingered in everyone's hearts.

Since her last illness and hospitalization, Anneliese's health has not only failed to improve, but has actually deteriorated day by day.

At first, it was just excessive sleepiness and nightmares.

Later on, he was in a semi-conscious state almost all day long, unable to communicate with the outside world. He was only conscious for a few hours each day, and the time he was conscious was getting shorter and shorter.

During her delirium, she kept muttering incomprehensible ramblings, saying things like "That thing is here," "It saw me," and "It's inside my body."

The best medical team at the local hospital conducted multiple comprehensive examinations on Anies, but no matter what they did, they found no pathological features.

On the contrary, Anies' health is better than ever before.

Originally, she had some chronic illnesses that current medicine could not cure due to years of overwork, but now they have all been miraculously cured.

The various unprecedented phenomena left the medical team completely helpless and caused great concern among everyone.

One afternoon, Chen Moxin received a message from the hospital that Annie had woken up and asked to see him alone, so he rushed to the hospital immediately.

Upon arriving at the floor where Annies was located, the attending physician stood outside the ward, nodded to Chen Moxin, and said in a low voice, "The Governor's condition is very bad, and she looks a bit... frightening. Be prepared."

Chen Moxin nodded, opened the door, and entered the ward.

The familiar smell of disinfectant lingered, the air was cold and oppressive, and dark clouds filled the sky outside the window. Occasionally, arcs of light from the operation of stargates would streak across the sky, adding an eerie feeling to the oppressive atmosphere.

Wearing a blue and white striped hospital gown, Anies lay on the hospital bed, her body connected to medical equipment via various cables. Her breathing was very weak, as if each breath required a great deal of effort.

Her first impression of Chen Moxin was that she looked younger.

Annie is 37 years old this year. Although she takes good care of herself, you can still see signs of aging such as freckles and wrinkles on her face when she is not wearing makeup.

But now, her skin has become delicate and flawless, like a newly unfinished porcelain. The few freckles on her face have also disappeared, and she seems to have become more than ten years younger, turning into a beautiful young woman.

However, Chen Moxin soon realized why the doctor said she looked somewhat frightening.

Because on that flawless, translucent skin, at the corner of her eyes...

It has thorn-like black marks!

Those black marks seemed to possess some kind of life, constantly moving beneath her skin. Whenever Anies' body trembled, the black lines would split into tiny branches, like the decaying roots growing in her blood vessels.

As a witch hunter, these thorny black marks were all too familiar to Chen Moxin.

This is a clear sign of being corrupted by fanaticism!

But it has already been verified that the psionic energy in this world is pure, so why is Anies showing signs of being corrupted by madness?!

At this moment, Anies noticed Chen Moxin's arrival. Her face was illuminated by the cold white light of the ward. Her eyes were slightly open, but they were empty and devoid of any spirit. Combined with the thorn-like black marks at the corners of her eyes, she looked quite eerie.

"List..."

"I'm here." Chen Moxin walked over and gently took her hand.

Anies' eyes were vacant and unfocused as she said, trembling, "I feel terrible... I keep dreaming about that thing lately..."

"No...no...that wasn't a dream...it was something real...I don't know where it came from...but I can feel it, it's already inside me..."

"Countless voices filled my mind... all eerie whispers I couldn't understand... I began to lose the distinction between reality and illusion... I couldn't even control those sudden, insane thoughts..."

"Chen...I'm so scared...I'm afraid I won't be myself anymore..."

Anies has always been a capable and resolute person.

When Chen Moxin said he would shoot her in the face to create momentum, she agreed without hesitation after weighing the pros and cons, resolutely sacrificing her life to dance with death.

But now, Anies, whose willpower was so strong, was like a child having a nightmare in the dark, swallowed up by fear and confusion.

Chen Moxin asked softly, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Anies swallowed hard, her eyes clearing slightly. She forced herself to sit up and pointed to the safe in the corner of the room: "The identification card is in my coat, the password is..."

Following Anies's instructions, Chen Moxin opened the safe and found a thick briefcase inside with various seals.

Anies looked at Chen Moxin and said deeply, "All the seals required to exercise the authority of the planetary governor are in here."

“I am unable to work right now. During this period, I need you to act as governor and take over all my work, including the deployment of the Planetary Defense Force.”

Holding the briefcase that symbolized the governor's power, Chen Moxin remained silent for a moment before saying, "I thought you would entrust this matter to Wilson, after all, he is your deputy."

Anies closed her eyes, her voice full of exhaustion: "Theoretically, that's how it should be. If it weren't for the three of you, I would definitely have handed the matter over to him."

"But after working together for so many years, I know Wilson very well. He is a very capable person, that's true, but as a Spiritborn, he has inner flaws."

"He had no chance to become a psychic, yet he craved the status of a psychic, which led to a perverse desire for power. He would become extremely anxious whenever his status was threatened."

“Before, no one around me could threaten him, so he could work without any selfish motives.”

“But everything changed after the three of you came. You were already recipients of a higher status, and your individual abilities were exceptional, which made Wilson feel completely insecure.”

“If I entrust the governorship to him, he will do everything he can to sideline or even eliminate you in order to secure his own position.”

"If this power struggle escalates, plunging the Governor's Office into chaos and even affecting the Stargate Project, then I, Anies, will be a sinner against the entire Human Alliance..."

Anies opened her eyes again and looked at Chen Moxin, her gaze filled with vicissitudes and an unshakable determination: "Chen, now that this day has come, let me tell you my last words."

"I don't know the background of the three of you, but my intuition tells me that you approached me with a purpose, and it's definitely not as simple as it seems on the surface."

"But one thing I am absolutely certain of is that, at least regarding the Stargate Project, you and I are equally eager for its success and willing to pay any price for it."

"As long as this is true, then no matter what, we are comrades-in-arms."

"I have only one request for temporarily transferring the governorship to you this time—you must eliminate anything that threatens the Stargate Project."

"Project Stargate is my only dream in life, and it carries the hope of all mankind to reach the stars. We must see it through to the end, no matter the cost!"

Seeing Anise's determined gaze, Chen Moxin nodded emphatically.

Once again, like comrades-in-arms forging ahead together, the two clasped hands tightly.

...

After leaving the hospital, Chen Moxin returned directly to the Governor's Mansion to help handle some of the work that had been piling up recently, especially prioritizing matters related to the Star Gate Project.

In the afternoon, an unexpected "guest" came to visit Chen Moxin.

Chen Moxin, who was signing documents, looked up at the newcomer and gave him a polite smile: "Hey, Wilson, what brings you here?"

At this moment, Wilson seemed somewhat embarrassed, even awkward, for some reason. He scratched his face and forced an embarrassed smile: "Um... how should I put it... it's a little hard to say..."

Chen Moxin shrugged: "It's okay, it's just the two of us here, so just say what you need to say."

Wilson hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, and finally seemed to have made up his mind.

He made a very unexpected move, bowing 90 degrees to Chen Moxin.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Chen, I've come to apologize to you."

Chen Moxin was completely bewildered: "Uh... I'm sorry, you've confused me. Apologize? Apologize for what?"

Wilson lowered his head and said, "I want to confess something, and that is, ever since you and the other two recipients came to the Governor's Mansion, I have been somewhat jealous of you."

"In order to suppress you, I went to Ms. Anies to report on you and also made sarcastic remarks to satisfy my personal pride."

"But looking back now, I realize how naive I was..."

Chen Moxin stared blankly at Wilson: "You... um... wow... I must admit, I'm a little surprised... I didn't expect you to be so honest."

Wilson bowed even deeper: "In the past, I might have continued to argue with you, but now that Ms. Anies has fallen, in this critical moment, as her subordinates, we should put aside our past grievances and get through this together."

"So, I would like to ask for your forgiveness for my past naiveté. I'm sorry."

Chen Moxin smiled with satisfaction. He jogged over, helped Wilson up, and patted his arm hard: "Well done, Wilson, well done."

"We may have had disagreements before, but I really underestimated you. You're a responsible man, well done!"

"Don't talk about forgiveness or not. No one is perfect. I have also been jealous of others. There is nothing shameful about that."

"Let's leave everything else aside. From this day forward, let's unite as one and serve Lady Anies together. From this day forward, we are brothers!"

Wilson scratched the back of his head, a relieved look on his face, and smiled happily: "It feels so good to have things all out. Let's have dinner together tonight, and invite everyone!"

Chen Moxin smiled and said, "No problem. Let's splurge today. Have the kitchen bring out some vegetables and meat and make some delicious food. After I finish my business here, I'll take Ai Zhongguo and Lei Lie over."

After saying goodbye, the two went about their own business.

Time slowly passed, and the last rays of the setting sun disappeared into the horizon. The temperature has warmed up today, and the evening breeze is no longer so cold.

In the Governor's Mansion restaurant, the soft light from the wall lamps adds a hazy beauty to the room. The long table is covered with a snow-white tablecloth and is filled with various dishes. The exquisite plating makes them look like works of art with rich layers.

Annie's staff were already seated. Chen Moxin sat in the main seat, with Lei Lie and Alexander on either side. Wilson sat directly opposite him, and the rest of the staff took their seats in turn. Everyone was dressed in a proper suit and looked relaxed and comfortable.

This was the first formal dinner gathering for the two generations of staff, and they chatted as they ate.

Some people were talking about the future development of the planet, discussing necessary policies and reforms, while others had long since put aside their work and were chatting about humorous everyday topics.

The atmosphere at the banquet was incredibly harmonious. Wilson found an opportunity to signal to the waiter, who quickly brought in a wine cart containing pre-decanted wine and poured it for the guests.

Wilson raised his glass and said with gusto, "It's a wonderful evening. We, the old and the new, are sitting together at the same table, ready to work together for the future of Cicero. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Everyone raised their glasses and drank the mellow wine in one gulp.

After drinking, the already relaxed atmosphere intensified, and the laughter among them became even more intimate.

However, at this moment, Chen Moxin's expression suddenly turned strange. His smile was somewhat unnatural. He gently patted his head, as if trying to clear his mind, and his eyes gradually became vacant.

"Chen, are you alright?" Wilson asked.

"Oh, it's nothing, I might just be a little tipsy... I... I feel a bit dizzy..." Chen Moxin said, her voice trembling slightly as she struggled to stay upright.

He tried to stand up, but his legs lost their support, and he staggered and fell to the side.

"Hiss... No... This wine is wrong..." Chen Moxin's face turned pale. He tried to stand up several times by grabbing the edge of the table, but failed. He fell to the ground, clutching his chest, his breathing becoming sharp and rapid, as if he couldn't catch his breath.

At the same time, Lei Lie and Alexander also showed abnormalities, falling to the ground and beginning to roll their eyes and tremble.

Despite this strange occurrence, Wilson and his old advisors showed no reaction. They simply stared at the three men, their eyes devoid of any concern, only revealing an undisguised indifference and a hint of smugness.

Chapter 147 Killing

Seeing Chen Moxin and the others in disarray, Wilson's lips curled up slightly, and a sinister glint appeared in his eyes. He poured himself another glass of wine, gently swirling the dark red, clear liquid, and took a sip to savor its rich aroma.

"To be honest, all three of you are very capable, especially you, Chen Moxin. I admit that your ability is above mine."

"Whether it's beheading the rebel leader, embarrassing Charles at the roadshow, or that ingenious 'assassination'... I can't do any of these. You are a rare talent."