Lucas felt that he wouldn’t be able to sleep that night.

He felt like he had opened a door to a whole new world.

—Although the man’s clothes were white that night, and Luo Ran’s were blue, Luo Ran’s inner shirt was white.

—The first and only time Luo Ran asked him for leave without prior approval was the day after the incident.

—Luo Ran used to conceal his gender and always used a lot of scent concealers, but during those days, he always avoided Lucas intentionally or unintentionally.

Now that this was said, although there was no hard evidence, there seemed to be a lot of details missing.

Lucas: “…….”

No way.

No way.

That guy Luo Ran dared to lie to him?!

—Luo Ran lied to him about secretly reading books and fanfiction about him.

—Luo Ran lied to him about his gender.

—Luo Ran tricked him into liking him.

—Luo Ran lied to him that he didn’t like him.

Lucas: “…….”

Fuck.

Lucas really couldn’t sleep that night.

Luo Ran had gone home to pick up some clothes. Lucas had a long night, and was so angry at his conjecture that he almost went to Luo Ran’s house to beat him up.

So the next day, Luo Ran saw Lucas regarding him with a dark expression when he got to work.

Luo Ran: ?

Luo Ran put the documents on the table and said with a smile: “Admiral, the department’s annual meeting is coming up soon.”

“En.” Lucas rested his chin on his hand and looked at Luo Ran.

“What is wrong with the Admiral?”

“Luo Ran.” Lucas paused for a moment, then said: “Are you dissatisfied with me in any way?”

“ ? ”

Lucas bared his teeth and said: “Are you dissatisfied with the size, or dissatisfied that I won’t say weird things? What, do you prefer for me to call you ‘man’ rather than your name?”

“ ? ? ? ”

“Admiral, have more self-confidence.” Luo Ran held back a smile and said: “Did you see something strange again?”

“I didn’t, it was you.” Lucas got up and grabbed Luo Ran’s collar, saying: “Is there anything you are hiding from me? Take advantage of the present to be honest, I won’t take offense.”

……Shit.

“…….” Luo Ran stared blankly. After a moment’s pause, he tentatively asked: “You know I read Nana’s article?”

“…….” Lucas looked at Luo Ran in front of him.

Impeccable.

Lucas scoffed coldly, and sat down without saying a word.

Was it really not him?

“Admiral?” Luo Ran didn’t think much of it at the moment, and thought that he was truly dissatisfied with the fans he had seen online. So he apologized and said with a smile: “Admiral, it’s all just entertainment. Just laugh it off.”

Luo Ran thought, what was Nana’s literature, Lucas knew all about it.

Break the jar, shatter it at will.

After Luo Ran left, Lucas contacted the captain of the investigation team.

“Investigate! Give me a detailed itinerary of the king’s birthday banquet that night and the purchase records for the next day!”

Whether or not it was Luo Ran, he should investigate it first. After all, he had said before that he was going to kill that person, so it wouldn’t be good to ask Luo Ran directly at this moment. Presumably, Luo Ran would think too much.

Then the entire office got busy. Preparations for the election were in full swing outside, and the annual meeting of Lucas’s office was coming up soon, with each department preparing performance evaluations.

Not only that, but after the meeting, there was the team building. It should have been held before the New Year, but Lucas was out fighting before, so it was delayed until now, when Lucas returned.

In the end, the annual meeting was just a summary meeting, and the employees would be rewarded with various lucky draws and red envelopes.

Luo Ran was busy at present.

“After investigation, it has been confirmed that the star pirates’ batch of UNK with unknown origins was excavated from a mine in Luobing.”

The investigation team leader handed the report to Luo Ran and said: “It seems that Luobing has discovered a new mine.”

“Huh?” Luo Ran frowned slightly and said: “Did the Luobing government find it, or the star pirates?”

After he asked it, he felt that his question was unfounded.

Although the star pirates were capable, it was impossible for them to scan every area of Luobing to search. They were foreign enemies, after all, not the Luobing government which could come and go freely in Luobing territory and analyze the land.

Even if they were lucky enough to land on an ice mine when they plundered a city, it was also impossible.

The ice mines went deep underground, and the material was also particular. After more than half a day of thermal energy detection, there must be a soil test to confirm it.

Therefore, it could have only been discovered by the Luobing government itself.

But since they found it and didn’t report it……

Obviously, it was either an internal movement from a high-ranking official in Luobing, or Luobing and the star pirates colluded.

Perhaps it was because the Empire rejected the ice mines, and Lucas blew up a mine himself, but the star pirates bought it at a high price, so Luobing couldn’t resist the temptation to trade with them?

Luo Ran tapped the table lightly with his fingers.

And less than an afternoon later, Lucas received a letter from the secretary of Luobing’s king.

The king personally invited Lucas to Luobing to attend a banquet, in order to reward the soldiers of the Empire and Luobing and thank them for protecting Luobing’s common people and saving several cities. Lu Cheng and the rest of the Luobing officers would be there at that time.

Perhaps out of worry that Lucas would not attend, the king specially attached a document.

Luo Ran took Lucas’s terminal and looked at it, frowning slightly.

The document listed supplies from the J5 pharmaceutical factory to Luobing, marked free of charge, and there was the signature of the First Prince’s secretary at the bottom.

“Is the king of Luobing trying to suggest to us that selling UNK to the star pirates was because of the First Prince’s coercion?” Luo Ran raised an eyebrow.

“Maybe, maybe not. I’ll know when I go. Since the king wants to tell me personally, it is not a trivial matter.” Lucas said with a smile: “I’ll go tomorrow.”

Luo Ran said: “Then I……”

“You stay honestly in the capital and take care of the rest. Wait until I come back, and I will meet you right away.”

Luo Ran hesitated, but he really couldn’t leave, so he said: “Okay.”

In this way, Lucas had to leave less than three days after returning to the capital.

But just to discuss something and come back, a day and a half back and forth wasn’t bad.

Luo Ran frowned slightly and said: “They didn’t say anything before, but informed the Admiral after he came back.”

But it really wasn’t Luobing’s fault. After all, the banquet naturally had to wait until the battle had been cleaned up, and could only be held at the end. It couldn’t be announced sooner.

Lucas was taken aback.

Luo Ran: “What is it?”

Lucas seemed to have discovered a new world: “You’re actually acting like a baby and complaining.”

“……I’m not.”

“You are!” Lucas was overly proud. He hugged Luo Ran and smiled. “Why so angry, I’ll be back in a day. So clingy.”

“En.” Luo Ran’s ears turned red.

“When I return, I’ll bring you a gift from Luobing.”

“…….En.” This time, his voice was even softer.

. . . . . . . .

After Lucas left, Luo Ran concentrated on his work and didn’t think too much about extraneous things.

Lucas made no publicity about the trip this time, but as soon as he arrived in the capital, people from the King of Luobing’s side came to receive him.

With respectful attitudes, they led him to the hotel where the banquet was to be held.

“Admiral.” Mu Yuan was also there. He nodded slightly.

Freeman and the group of soldiers following Lucas had no intention of going away, and followed Lucas into the manor. After all, the purpose of the banquet was to reward the soldiers.

Mu Yuan and Lucas went upstairs together and came to a small private room.

The king of Luobing was much younger than the Empire’s king. He was a middle-aged man with some vigor, tall and thin.

“Admiral.” Since Luobing was a defeated country, he still had to give his greetings when facing Lucas.

“En.” Lucas sat down sharply and crossed his legs. “Speak.”

The king glanced at Mu Yuan, who said: “A few days ago, Luobing discovered a top ice mine on the outskirts of Chonghua City. It is an extreme ice mine, not a regular one.”

Lucas frowned slightly.

An extreme ice mine……

It was full of UNK?

Generally speaking, UNK was an extremely rare existence hidden in ordinary ice mines. There had never been a situation where an entire mine was full of UNK.

This was too tempting.

Mu Yuan said: “We couldn’t believe it at the time, and just as we were about to register it, Chonghua City was quickly captured by star pirates. I was stopped by someone from the Empire on the way there. That person…..was the new secretary of the First Prince.”

Lucas scoffed coldly.

“The secretary said that the Empire would deal with it, and Luobing should not interfere.” Mu Yuan said with a frown: “He said that the First Prince sent the royal army to clean up and expel the star pirates, and UNK had caused a lot of misfortune in the Empire, so he didn’t want UNK to cause a division again, and he would let Luobing keep it a secret.”

“I was forced to sign a non-disclosure and mining rights contract with the Empire, but……now that the Admiral has discovered that the star pirates have UNK and is tracking them down, we can no longer keep it a secret.”

Lucas said coldly: “How long has the extreme ice mine been excavated?”

Mu Yuan said: “Excluding the first batch of experiments, four days in total.”

Lucas tapped his fingers lightly on the arm of the chair.

There was no way for the mine to escape notice. This matter could not be hidden for long. The First Prince must have the mentality of getting as much as he could. After all, the contract signed by Mu Yuan and the secretary could be said to be a fake, without any trace of the First Prince.

But if the star pirates hadn’t acted so hastily and greedily took away so much UNK during the battle that day, even exchanging hostages, this matter would not have been exposed so quickly.

If it hadn’t been exposed, and the star pirates hadn’t been involved, Luobing wouldn’t have talked to him either.

Then why did the star pirates want to cheat the First Prince regardless?

Did they have a falling out?

“Admiral, do we want to stop them?” Mu Yuan frowned and said: “If it was just an internal matter of the Empire, we wouldn’t intervene, but now it involves the star pirates. If the Admiral wants to go to war, I will……”

“No need.” Lucas waved his hand. “Don’t worry about this. Let them continue mining.”

“What……?”

Lucas raised his eyebrows and said: “The First Prince sent someone to swear you to secrecy, and didn’t tell you where the UNK that was taken away during the battle came from, right?”

“Yes, but we didn’t……”

“Listen to him.” Lucas said with a smile: “Pretend you didn’t tell me about this, and let them continue mining.”

“But Admiral……”

“I said, don’t worry about it.” Lucas said with a dark expression: “I’ve said it a few times.”

The king hesitated, then patted Mu Yuan on the shoulder and said: “The Admiral has his own decisions and arrangements.”

Mu Yuan recalled the battle that day. Lucas had retrieved the hostages first, and allowed the star pirates to take the UNK away easily.

It seemed like……he didn’t care if they took it.

But the whole galaxy knew who Lucas was.

It was impossible for him to give the enemy an advantage, unless he had a plan in advance.

Mu Yuan paused, then said: “Yes!”

Afterwards, Mu Yuan discussed many details with Lucas, but Lucas didn’t listen to much of it and just asked Freeman to record it and let Luo Ran deal with it.

After leaving the private box and going downstairs to the banquet, Lucas saw Kleiman.

Wang Qiuyang smiled and said: “He seems to be alright.”

Kleiman and Luo Ran were raided on the snowy mountain before. Kleiman had no time to dodge and was affected by the explosion, injured and concussed.

That was why Luo Ran hadn’t asked him about that night. After all, Kleiman was on the mountain before, then Cyril’s business came up when they met, and he was lying unconscious in bed until a few days ago.

Wang Qiuyang looked at Kleiman, who was drinking and laughing with others, and said helplessly: “This prince of Luobing is really…..I heard that he just got out of bed the day before yesterday, and now he’s drinking here today. Hearing the little prince from the old Lu family complain, he couldn’t wait to go whoring yesterday.”

Lucas rolled his eyes.

He looked down on such Alphas the most.

However…….

Lucas held his goblet and thought of Kleiman. Luo Ran hadn’t had time to speak to him yet, and recently was so busy with other important matters that he didn’t have time to pay attention to when Kleiman woke up.

Lucas asked Wang Qiuyang to talk to someone else, and went forward alone.

“Aiya! Admiral……!” Kleiman was a bit flushed from drinking, but his mind was still clear. He smiled and said: “What is it?”

“I have something to ask you.”

The two went to the balcony, and Lucas went straight in: “On the night of the King of the Empire’s birthday banquet, you were resting in a private box upstairs, and when you came out, you encountered a person and harassed him.”

“…….!” Kleiman immediately wailed: “I didn’t! Admiral, I was wrong, I was really wrong! I didn’t know that you and Secretary Luo were really in a relationship, ah!”

Lucas’s face darkened at once.

Fuck.

The person was said to be dressed in white and harassed by Kleiman when he went upstairs that night.

Kleiman thought Lucas was angry with him, and cried: “Admiral, you have a lot, don’t bother with me, ah! For the sake of me exposing Cyril, I worked hard without credit, ah!”

“I really didn’t do it on purpose that day! I was drinking, and Secretary Luo is so good-looking…..ah, pei, I mean, I was drunk and audacious!”

“Besides, it’s not like the Admiral isn’t aware of Secretary Luo’s skills. My god, he subdued me with one move, what advantage could I take?”

Lucas didn’t speak. He turned and left.

Wang Qiuyang saw Lucas leave the banquet with a strange look on his face, and immediately followed.

“What is it, Admiral?”

“We’re going back to the capital.”

“Ah…..?”

After boarding the aircraft, Lucas received a report from the investigation team.

—Secretary Luo had bought Omega ointment online to relieve internal pain and apply to external wounds the next day.

“The Admiral is in such a hurry? After talking about business, he didn’t attend the banquet.” Wang Qiuyuang looked at the expressionless Lucas and teased: “Are you missing Secretary Luo?”

“He wants to die.” Lucas smiled. 

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Chapter Eighty-Two << Table of Contents >> Chapter Eighty-Four