Chapter 2197 A Small Test

"Such a simple test, Young Master Li will definitely ace it! Winning the crown will be a piece of cake!"

"That's right, Master Li, your strength is obvious to all of us. You don't have to take this little scene seriously. Just go to the lounge and rest. We'll be keeping an eye on it for you!"

"Mr. Li, look! Before I left, I went to my father's wine cellar and picked out a bottle of excellent red wine. It's a very old wine, said to be over two hundred years old! I'll open it for you now. Come and have a taste and see how it tastes."

In stark contrast to the other teams' intense preparations, Li Qifeng's side was a complete farce. As the young master of the Li family, Li Qifeng naturally had a group of fawning lackeys around him. Coupled with his erratic personality and his penchant for fighting, he had won over many hearts and minds over the years through various tactics.

As soon as Li Qifeng boarded the starship, several self-proclaimed lackeys eagerly surrounded him, fawning over him with all their might. This scene stunned everyone around him, but they quickly recovered and joined in the fawning.

However, just as these people were flattering Li Qifeng one after another, Li Qifeng suddenly shouted loudly.

"Okay, stop arguing! What time is it now? Is it time to drink?!"

Li Qifeng glared fiercely at the lackey who had asked for a drink, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction, as if he wanted to eat him alive. The lackey's face turned pale at Li Qifeng's fierce gaze, a thin layer of sweat broke out on his forehead, and he secretly groaned inwardly, thinking that he had really hit the horse's leg by flattering him this time.

However, just when the lackey thought he was in big trouble, Li Qifeng suddenly changed the subject.

"But, now that I've taken it, it would be a shame not to drink it."

These words were like a flash of lightning across the night sky, instantly making the lackey's mood rebound from the bottom to the clouds.

The lackey reacted very quickly and immediately followed Li Qifeng's words.

"I'll put this wine in the lounge right now. When you're tired, Mr. Li, you can have a few drinks and relax."

After saying this, he didn't dare to delay for even a second and rushed straight to the lounge as if greased his feet, fearing that Li Qifeng would change his mind.

Li Qifeng watched the lackey's retreating figure, a barely perceptible glint of relief flashing across his eyes, as if to say, "You're sensible."

Then, Li Qifeng turned around and spoke to the people surrounding him.

"Alright, stop surrounding me. Go back to your workstations and do what you need to do."

Although his voice was not loud, it revealed a kind of majesty that made people dare not disobey.

Upon hearing this, everyone dispersed, returned to their seats, and began to get busy.

Li Qifeng stood there, looked around, and then raised his voice and spoke.

"I'm determined to take first place in this assessment, so everyone, keep your spirits up! After the assessment, as long as you perform well, everyone will receive a reward!"

His words were like a flash of lightning piercing the darkness, bringing light and hope to those present. It was as if they had injected a powerful force into them, instantly igniting the somewhat dull atmosphere into a warm and vibrant atmosphere. Everyone's eyes sparkled, their hearts brimming with energy, eager to showcase their abilities and show off their skills in the upcoming assessment.

However, amidst this heated atmosphere, one person stood out as exceptionally calm. The team leader stood silently by, watching Li Qifeng stir up the crowd. His face was expressionless, and he simply shook his head. He paid little attention to Li Qifeng's behavior, knowing his mission had only just begun.

In reality, Li Qifeng had already been fully aware of the location and content of this assessment. This wasn't due to any special connections, but rather because his family, the Li family, had sensed something unusual about this assessment. To ensure Li Qifeng's safety, the Li family not only informed him of the exam details a day in advance but also secretly planted several highly skilled specialists on board.

Furthermore, the Li family had also specially arranged for two medium-sized frigates to be on standby at all times. If they discovered any abnormalities during the assessment, these two frigates would arrive at the scene at the fastest speed to provide comprehensive protection for Li Qifeng and ensure his personal safety.

"Mr. Li, Ning Dan and the others have already left. Should we leave too?"

At this moment, Li Qifeng's confidant, Zhang Fa, his number one lackey, quietly came to Li Qifeng's side like a ghost and asked softly.

Li Qifeng narrowed his eyes slightly, a barely perceptible smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, then he waved his hand nonchalantly and said.

"Well, let's leave the starship and dock first. There are still many people behind. But those people are not a cause for concern."

Zhang Fa immediately nodded in understanding. He knew what Li Qifeng meant. Those who hadn't left were nothing more than insignificant figures in Li Qifeng's eyes. So, Zhang Fa quickly turned around and gave the command to the control console, slowly moving the starship away from its dock.

While Li Qifeng's admission to the gifted program demonstrated his inherent abilities and talent, it was natural for someone like him to order others around rather than do anything himself. After all, why bother yourself with the effort when you have subordinates to command?

Hearing Li Qifeng's instructions, Zhang Fa did not dare to be negligent and responded quickly.

"Yes, Mr. Li! I'll arrange it right away." On this trip, Zhang Fa's position is first mate. When Li Qifeng is not in charge, he is equivalent to the captain of this starship and shoulders important responsibilities.

Not long after, Li Qifeng's small team was ready to set off, and everyone was in high spirits and eager to try.

........

"We'll reach our destination in half an hour."

Lu Yue looked at the estimated time on the system panel and felt a little relieved. He turned to look at Ye Ye who was sitting next to him and spoke.

Ye Ye nodded slightly, indicating that he understood. Compared to the bustling scenes on other starships, the starship Ye Ye was on seemed a little deserted. This was mainly due to a shortage of manpower and insufficient replacement personnel. In addition, most people were actually operating a starship for the first time. Everyone was extremely nervous throughout the journey, staring intently at the parameter reports in front of them, fearing any accidents.

In stark contrast to the nervousness of Zhao Ling, Lan Yunsheng, and the others, Tong Chengcheng seemed remarkably relaxed. Venusstar's advanced technology was like a hungry wolf entering a sheepfold, exhilarating him. He was tinkering with his newly purchased laptop with great enthusiasm, seemingly completely lost in his own world, tinkering with something unknown.

Ye Ye also felt a little bored at this time, so he simply waved to Lu Yue and asked Lu Yue to sit in the captain's seat and perform the captain's duties temporarily. He ran to Tong Chengcheng, pulled out a stool, and started chatting.

"How is it? How much have you learned?"

As soon as he sat down, Ye Ye asked.

"Three points."

After Ye Ye finished speaking, Tian Qingtian, who had been paying attention to him, was obviously stunned for a moment, thinking to himself: "How much did you learn? What kind of question is this?" However, Tong Chengcheng on the side knew the answer to Ye Ye's question very well. He didn't even take his eyes off the computer and responded without hesitation.

Before Tong Chengcheng finished speaking, Ye Ye suddenly widened his eyes and shouted in surprise.

"Only three points?"

His voice was so loud that everyone present was startled.

Hearing Ye Ye's words, Tong Chengcheng put down the work in her hands in annoyance, turned around, glared at Ye Ye fiercely, and said unhappily.

"Brother, what do you mean by 'only three minutes'? That's already pretty fast, okay? You think..."

Having said that, Tong Chengcheng seemed to realize something. He looked thoughtfully at Tian Qingtian who was sitting behind him, and then stopped talking.

However, Ye Ye seemed to be completely unaware of Tian Qingtian's presence, and he continued to speak to himself.

"Ah, I've been out for so long, I really miss home."

Ye Ye's words made Tong Chengcheng's eyes flash with suspicion. He couldn't help but start to doubt Ye Ye's true intentions. What on earth was this guy thinking? Why did he suddenly say such strange words?

However, at this time Ye Ye obviously needed someone to pick up his words, so Tong Chengcheng spoke almost subconsciously.

"Oh, is it so?"

"Yeah, I miss home a little too."

"Yeah, but there aren't any bad guys messing around at home now. A good man has ambitions, so it would be great for us to go out and explore the world."

"Ah."

Tong Chengcheng was really overwhelmed by Ye Ye's continuous words. She had no idea what Ye Ye wanted to express, so she could only respond with a casual "hmm" as a response.

However, just when Tong Chengcheng was still thinking about it, Ye Ye's next words were like a bolt from the blue, making her suddenly realize and understand Ye Ye's true intention.

Just listen to Ye Ye said.

"Is Olmid stupid? He's just a tiny, insignificant bug, yet he dared to stir up trouble on Blue Planet. In the end, he died tragically there. It seems to me that the IQ of the Zerg isn't very high, especially the so-called Overlords. They're the Zerg's royal family after all, supposed to be the decision-making brains, yet what happened? Just this level?"

Upon hearing this, Tong Chengcheng immediately understood what Ye Ye was thinking and agreed.

"Indeed, the Zerg of the Dominate Star do seem a bit foolish. However, you can't generalize. After all, the Zerg race is so large and diverse, so it's hard to say the same thing. In my opinion, the Void Scorpions are quite good. Just like Leon and Elodie we met before, they are clearly much stronger than Olmid of the Dominate Star in terms of strategy and courage."

After hearing what Tong Chengcheng said, Ye Ye seemed to agree and continued.

"If I were the leader of the Dominant Star Zerg, I would definitely give up my position to the Void Scorpion Clan without hesitation, so as to prevent the Zerg from declining further under their leadership."

At that moment, there was a crisp "crack" sound, as if something was breaking. This sudden sound was particularly abrupt in the originally quiet environment, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples.

At the moment of this crisp sound, the two men were chatting animatedly, completely oblivious to the surroundings. One of them was talking and laughing, the other echoing along, completely oblivious to the presence of others, as if they were the only two people in the world.

However, that barely perceptible "click" sound, like an invisible hand, gently plucking a nerve between the two. They simultaneously stopped talking and turned to look at the source of the sound.

The moment their eyes met, they realized that the place where the sound came from was exactly where Tian Qingtian was. At this time, Tian Qingtian had his back to them, his head slightly lowered, holding a notebook and pen in his hands, and seemed to be concentrating on writing something.

Ye Ye's hearing was exceptionally sharp, and he immediately recognized that the "click" sound didn't come from anywhere else, but from the pen in Tian Qingtian's hand. The sound sounded like the hard, crisp sound of plastic being forcibly broken open.

Tian Qingtian had obviously noticed their gazes, and she secretly cried out "not good" in her heart, but on the surface she pretended to be nonchalant. She stretched leisurely, then slowly turned her head with a blank expression on her face, as if she had just realized that they were looking at her.

"Huh? What are you two staring at me for?"

Tian Qingtian asked in feigned surprise, then shook the notebook in his hand and explained.

"I'm recording in the space log."

"Nothing, nothing. We just heard a noise and we thought the bulkhead was cracking, so we got scared. I don't think the Ning family would cut corners in a place like this. We must have been worrying too much and hallucinating."

Ye Ye spoke with an awkward smile on his face, making it hard to tell whether it was true or false.

"Well, you guys chat first, I'm going to go walk around other parts of the starship."

After saying that, Tian Qingtian stood up and left.

After making sure that Tian Qingtian had gone far away, Tong Chengcheng said with a lingering fear on his face.

"Brother, can you please stop provoking her? What if she gets angry and kills us all right here?"

"Don't worry, it won't happen."

Hearing Tong Chengcheng's words, Ye Ye smiled, shook his head, and spoke.

"Even if she gets angry, I have a trump card. But right now, her goal hasn't been achieved yet, so she won't do that. Don't worry."

After hearing what Ye Ye said, Tong Chengcheng gave up.