Chapter 2236 Zhao Yiming's Strange Behavior

"Huh? Is that you?"

Along with these doubtful words, a mysterious and profound gaze pierced through the endless starry sky and landed directly on Ye Ye. Immediately afterwards, a massive starship, resembling a sleeping behemoth, slowly awoke. Its entire body shimmered with a cold light, as if it contained boundless power. This starship was named "Ming".

The "Ming" starship quickly adjusted its attitude and sped towards Ye Ye's starship, simultaneously sending an emergency communication request. As before, it used the most advanced and efficient holographic projection communication technology.

Once the communication request was successfully verified and a connection was established, a dazzling light flashed, and it seemed as if a rift had been torn open between the two previously insurmountable spaces. Immediately afterward, their visions were instantly connected, as if a mysterious door had been opened to the other's world.

Through this door, they could see every corner and every detail inside each other's starships with crystal clarity, even the smallest parts of the cockpit! At this moment, Ye Ye and his companions appeared silently like ghosts—their figures were like a thin layer of mist, yet they possessed an astonishing realism, appearing without warning in the center of the cockpit of the opposite starship in an unbelievable holographic projection.

This sudden scene left everyone speechless, as if time had stopped flowing, and the entire space fell into a deathly silence. Everyone stared blankly at the uninvited guest before them, unable to react for a moment.

However, this silence did not last long. Just as everyone was still immersed in shock and confusion, a deep voice rang out.

"Huh? It really is you!"

Undoubtedly, the other party was extremely surprised and confused when Ye Ye suddenly appeared before them. However, in stark contrast, Ye Ye remained completely unaffected by any external interference or emotional fluctuations. His sharp, hawk-like eyes were fixed on the lifelike holographic projection before him, which seemed to exist in the real world, and his eyebrows involuntarily furrowed slightly, revealing an undisguised vigilance.

From this screen, the view of the cockpit inside the opposite aircraft is clearly visible. The entire cockpit employs an extremely minimalist design philosophy—the so-called "minimalist" style: apart from the essential control instruments and display screens, there are almost no additional decorative items or furnishings. This extremely simplified spatial arrangement creates a cold and solemn atmosphere, inspiring awe in those who see it.

In the center of the empty cockpit stood a solitary figure. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be a young man. He had neat, short hair and wore a standard Chinese starship academy student uniform, appearing energetic and dashing. However, when one's gaze fell upon his face, an indescribable aura of violence emanated from him, instantly instilling a sense of unease.

With his keen insight and intuition honed through years of experience in interstellar travel, Ye Ye secretly wondered: Could this person in front of him be Zhao Yiming, whom they have been searching for all along?

Faced with such a mysterious and menacing opponent, Ye Ye did not rush to inquire about their identity. Instead, he chose to first pose a question to test the opponent's reaction. So, he spoke calmly.

"You seem to know something about me?..."

Ye Ye raised the corners of his mouth slightly, looking at the man named Zhao Yiming in front of him with a half-smile. A hint of cold light flashed in his eyes, but he did not ask the other party about his background as impatiently as an ordinary person would. Instead, he chose to ask in a nonchalant tone.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yiming on the other end of the line was slightly taken aback, then burst into a contemptuous laugh. The sound was as grating and unpleasant as the hooting of a night owl, and it was full of mockery and disdain.

"Haha! When Li Qifeng was messing with you, I was just watching from the sidelines! Hahahaha... I really didn't expect that Li Qifeng, who is always so arrogant and domineering, would also be caught off guard! And with such a tough nut to crack, he just asked for trouble! A strategic-level cruiser, is that all you have to offer? It's a pity that Li Qifeng has never been a good guy, he has a naturally unlucky face, destined to be played by fate!"

As he spoke, Zhao Yiming's expression grew increasingly strange, as if he were mocking Li Qifeng's tragic end while also seemingly ridiculing his own. The complex and subtle emotions intertwined, making the surrounding air heavy and oppressive, as if a storm was about to break.

At this moment, Zhao Yiming could see through the porthole that the Cangtian's engines had completely shut down and stopped running. Not only that, but the entire hull was shrouded in darkness, with only a faint and dim light shining from the small observation window in the cockpit. Based on these details alone, Zhao Yiming was able to instantly understand the difficult predicament Ye Ye and his group were in.

However, at that moment, an untimely voice suddenly shattered the previously warm and harmonious atmosphere—it was none other than Ning Dan's voice of doubt! Undoubtedly, at this moment, she could no longer suppress the growing doubts and intense dissatisfaction within her. Ning Dan questioned him angrily.

"Zhao Yiming, what exactly happened? Why are you here?"

It's not hard to hear a hint of anxiety in her voice, but more likely, it's a deep sense of confusion.

Faced with Ning Dan's aggressive questioning, Zhao Yiming showed no sign of backing down or restraining himself. Instead, he became even more unscrupulous and took advantage of the situation.

"Ning Dan? Good, good, good. I didn't expect you to be just as I predicted, actually colluding with this man surnamed Ye! I had already noticed something was up! Sure enough, the two of you..."

His words grew increasingly offensive and aggressive, as if he were venting all his anger. Surprisingly, Ning Dan, usually outspoken and quick-tempered, acted completely differently, not immediately retaliating against Zhao Yiming. Instead, she seemed deeply moved by his words and fell into deep thought. Meanwhile, Zhao Qiaoqiao, who had been silently listening to their conversation, frowned, a look of worry on her face.

It's worth noting that while Zhao Yiming wasn't exactly the epitome of a refined and elegant gentleman, he was generally quite adept at interpersonal relationships, especially in his speech—he was remarkably cautious, cultured, and courteous. However, at this moment, when people heard Zhao Yiming's words, they were quite surprised—because the attitude he revealed was completely different from his usual demeanor!

As for all of this, Ye Ye wasn't particularly clear about or familiar with Zhao Yiming's past temperament and personality. So when he heard Zhao Yiming utter such highly aggressive remarks, he couldn't help but feel disgusted.

So arrogant?

If it were any other time, Ye Ye would probably have already chosen to break off relations with the other party without hesitation based on just one sentence... However, fortunately, there are more important tasks waiting for him to complete at the moment, so he can't worry about that for the time being.

Zhao Yiming continued speaking.

"Alright, now that you've arrived here, you must have met Lord Kark before. Now, I expect you to tell me everything in detail, big and small, that has happened since I parted ways with the space station command. In addition, I also require you to immediately send an emergency rescue signal to all the trainees who are currently undergoing assessment and try to lure them all here."

"Rest assured! Everyone, there's no need to worry. Since you've been fortunate enough to be among the first soldiers to join my ranks, I will certainly not treat you poorly. I have good news for you: Lord Kak has personally agreed that I will temporarily command the trainees who will be accepted for the next assessment. So from now on, I am your absolute commander!"

After Zhao Yiming finished speaking, his expression revealed a hint of excitement, even tinged with a wild and unrestrained, almost manic, demeanor. At the same time, his originally handsome face became slightly distorted and ferocious due to the surge of emotion, causing Ye Ye and the others, who were observing coldly, to frown and become suspicious. Clearly, Zhao Yiming's condition here and now was highly unusual, and he was very likely experiencing some kind of mental disturbance that had caused him to lose his mind. However, acting rashly might alert him and backfire. Therefore, Ye Ye decisively decided to stabilize the situation first.

So he succinctly told Zhao Yiming about the series of countermeasures and decisions the academy had taken after Zhao Yiming's disappearance. However, Ye Ye deliberately concealed the prerequisites for the academy to launch the second round of assessments, not revealing a single word. Then, he suddenly changed the subject and continued.

"Even if we send out a distress signal now, do you think Li Qifeng and his group will actually come to rescue us? Or, to put it another way, if we do send out a distress signal, wouldn't the academy immediately know our exact location here?"

After saying that, Ye Ye immediately added a sentence.

However, it was precisely this short sentence that made the contempt and disdain on Zhao Yiming's face even more pronounced.

"Hmph, this suits me just fine! What I've been hoping for is that the academy will find out about this!"

He smiled slightly, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, and continued speaking.

"To tell you the truth, the Morning Star is now in complete chaos! Even if the Academy finds out the truth, so what? Do you think they have the ability to mobilize a huge, fully armed fleet to attack? Unless the mothership itself takes action, no matter how many troops they send, they'll just be sending themselves to their deaths!"

At this point, a fierce glint flashed in Zhao Yiming's eyes, followed by a menacing threat.

"Stop arguing with me! Just do what I tell you to do, and don't try anything funny! Just follow my instructions to activate the emergency distress signal. If anyone dares to pass on a message without authorization, whether by voice or text, you guys will be the first ones to suffer!"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Yiming abruptly severed the communication connection without hesitation, his movements swift and decisive. This sudden turn of events startled Ye Ye and the others, leaving them momentarily at a loss.

This signal has the highest priority; however, its purpose is simply to convey one message—informing headquarters that you are in an extremely critical situation and urgently need to launch a rescue operation. However, this signal can only transmit specific geographical coordinates and cannot include any form of text, voice, or video message.

Zhao Yiming's message was crystal clear: first, the communication restrictions on their three starships needed to be temporarily lifted. The sole purpose was to ensure these starships could transmit this crucial and urgent distress signal without hindrance. Once this plan succeeded, the other trainees participating in the assessment, who were not too far away, would be successfully drawn here; even better, with enough luck, perhaps even the fleet specifically dispatched by China would come to their aid!

"Zhao Yiming is definitely in big trouble!"

Ning Dan frowned deeply, her face full of worry, and her voice was unusually heavy and serious.

"Look at his appearance and the tone of his voice now, he's a completely different person, a world apart from his former self. In my opinion, he has most likely fallen into some kind of insidious mind control trap set by the enemy..."

Upon hearing Ning Dan's words, Zhao Qiaoqiao, who was standing nearby, quickly echoed her sentiment.

"That's right, and the situation is far worse than we imagined! He didn't even recognize my starship just now, which he personally participated in the redesign and modification of..."

As she spoke, she gently shook her head, indicating disbelief.

After a moment of silence, Zhao Qiaoqiao added.

"However, since things have come to this, there's no point in saying more. The most important thing right now is to do as he says, since we know nothing about the Zerg's intentions. This might be the best way to stabilize the situation for now. As for how to proceed next, let's discuss it further after we understand their intentions."