Chapter 64: Sixty-Fourth Day of Being a Slacker

He didn’t seem to notice Goudan’s movement; his gaze remained fixed on the spot where it had been.

Goudan started to panic.

He had seen Lu Yuan space out before, but his current state was clearly different!

“Lu Yuan? Lu Yuan!”

After calling out twice and seeing no reaction, Goudan’s heart twisted with anxiety, and he began to feel a wave of regret.

He should have just kept the knowledge that Lu Yuan’s state was wrong to himself. Why did he have to push him?

Fortunately, Lu Yuan did not stay that way forever.

After a long while, his gaze finally shifted slowly to Goudan’s face, meeting his eyes.

Then his eyes crinkled as he revealed a smile that was ethereal and fleeting, so faint it was almost invisible, yet incredibly gentle.

“It wasn’t entirely like that before,” he said softly. “Congratulations, you’ve triggered a very rare bug.”

“…?” Goudan breathed a sigh of relief, but he looked even more confused.

“The last person to trigger this bug was Geshu Ming.” Lu Yuan’s smile became a bit more genuine, and his expression seemed to be gradually returning to normal. “It turns out she didn’t actually have a falling out with me. She wanted to go back to the Capital Star to find a way to break this brainwashed state of mine. It’s just that after the bug was fixed, I didn’t remember it.

“…It’s a pity that before she could find a way, I died. No wonder she was angry enough to go try and kill Nan Hui.”

“So you really were brainwashed?” Goudan asked.

“Something like that. What you’re thinking… about sixty or seventy percent of it is correct.”

“What I’m thinking?”

“Yes. What you were just thinking.” Lu Yuan’s eyes curved. “Trust me, I can guess what’s on your mind. But you’re not entirely right. For example, the reason I stayed on the Desolate Planet was actually to escape Nan Hui’s control.”

He explained, “If I were on the outside, Nan Hui would always be trying to kill me. After all, he couldn’t completely brainwash me. If I happened to trigger a bug in public, his reputation would be ruined. The more merit I earned, the more he wanted me dead. He could only feel at ease once I was gone.

“But on the Desolate Planet, far away from the missions he arranged for me and the living space he set for me, I could finally do a bit of what I wanted. So don’t worry too much. Even if it’s not removed, the impact on me isn’t that great.”

“The impact isn’t great?” Goudan looked at him suspiciously.

“I’m thinking of ways to break free from his control. Besides, the ‘mission’ is already over. As for other ‘requirements,’ I always have ways to bypass his influence.” Lu Yuan smiled and said, “For instance, as long as I don’t think too deeply about the consequences of what Siming wants to do, I can indirectly help him out.”

Goudan frowned. He was quick to react this time. “By ‘requirements,’ do you mean you can’t do anything harmful to the Emperor?”

“Correct.” Lu Yuan nodded. “There are others, but that is one of… the most important.”

Then he suddenly said, “Alright, let’s talk about some serious business.”

“What?” Goudan was stunned for a moment.

Lu Yuan had already begun making arrangements: “Tell Siming that he needs to find a way to remind Geshu Ming that Nan Hui cannot die yet. Only Nan Hui knows the truth about the situation on the Desolate Planet.

“Some things require the person who tied the knot to untie it.”

He paused, then added, “The game I let Zhu Rong play might be related to these living planets. Tell Geshu Qing to find an opportunity to go in and take a look as well.”

“You…” Goudan hesitated. “Why are you suddenly starting to…”

He didn’t know how to describe it for a moment. Lu Yuan didn’t stop to explain.

“Zhu Rong might be related to Chen Feiyun.” Lu Yuan’s voice was slightly softer than before. “Chen Feiyun was once my adjutant and is now the captain of the First Legion’s Mecha Maneuver Team. If necessary, you can seek help from him.

“Tell Er Ya and the others that they can find ways to study those ‘sounds’ of the Desolate Planet’s past that Geshu Qing recorded, but do not put them into music and spread them around. At least not for now.

“If you want the Desolate Planet to prosper, you must unify it before Siming resolves the external issues. Your plan to make the people of the Desolate Planet study hard must also be accelerated. You must ensure the Desolate Planet has only one voice – the voice of civilization.

“Otherwise, even if it’s confirmed that the Desolate Planet and its people are victims, it will be difficult for the outside world to accept you. Even if they do, you might be forced to undergo some form of ‘reformation.’ Instead of waiting for others to do it, it’s better to complete it yourselves.

“Once Siming’s side has clearly investigated the situation of the Desolate Planet, we can consider shooting down all the Garbage Ships. At that time, if I’m too lazy to do it, you find a way to convince me.”

Goudan asked, “Is your ‘too lazy to do it’ attitude also related to the brainwashing?”

“Not entirely.” For some reason, Lu Yuan’s face looked a bit pale. “On one hand, I usually don’t have many desires.”

Goudan suddenly clenched his fist.

Lu Yuan looked at him with a smile and added, “But I really am quite lazy.”

Goudan: “…”

Lu Yuan had already moved past the subject, saying, “Remind Siming and the others that when they meet Geshu Ming, they can act as if they’ve been brainwashed. Or not. It doesn’t matter much, because Nan Hui wouldn’t leave such obvious flaws in his work.

“If there’s an opportunity, try to find out when Nan Hui was poisoned. You can guide Geshu Ming to think they escaped because Nan Hui’s poisoning caused his control over the Research Institute to slip.

“Don’t worry too much about being suspected. There really is a Research Institute in the Galactic Core Region, and Geshu Ming knows it exists. But don’t go exploring the Galactic Core lightly; it could be dangerous. It would also expose their identities.

“However, these things… can only deceive them for so long. Sooner or later, Geshu Ming will guess they might be connected to me… Ying Xun, Zhou Fei, Nan Yingzhe… those people will probably figure it out too.

“Don’t worry about it. Even if they do figure it out, it won’t ruin my plan.”

After finishing this explanation, he finally fell silent.

A moment later, he suddenly smiled. “See? In reality, the real me trusts myself and others, doesn’t he?”

Goudan felt a lump in his throat.

“Yes,” he responded after a long pause.

Lu Yuan nodded, let out a sigh of relief, and leaned back. “I might need to sleep for a while. I probably won’t remember this conversation when I wake up. Just keep it in mind.

“Time is limited, so I can only give you these reminders. For the specific arrangements, go discuss them with Siming.”

Goudan watched as he closed his eyes and his body relaxed.

In this “bugged” state, Lu Yuan seemed to know more and was willing to say more, and in greater detail. Goudan felt certain this was also related to the brainwashing.

The Emperor had likely placed restrictions on Lu Yuan’s cognitive abilities as well. It was understandable; after all, the smarter a person was, the harder they were to control.

But the state he was just in seemed to have drained too much of Lu Yuan’s physical strength. He looked unusually weak now, his breathing shallow and rapid, his face even paler than before. The moment he closed his eyes, he seemed to lose consciousness instantly.

Goudan pulled up a chair and sat down. He closed his eyes, trying to suppress the turbulent, chaotic emotions surging within him.

…But still…

That damn Emperor.

Goudan cursed in his heart, taking a deep breath. His fists clenched involuntarily, and his entire body trembled slightly.

He didn’t know how to vent his current rage, or even what exactly was racing through his mind, but no matter what, he couldn’t let it go.