Yun Qisun, Yun Qiyan, two generations of emperors, countless top mecha pilots, starship captains, and soldiers of the Galactic Empire… all perished in this plan. They never succeeded.
After He Chubai was poisoned by insect venom, Yun Qihe once wanted to implement the plan a third time, but was stopped by He Chubai—at that time, the military’s armament strength hadn’t surpassed the second plan by much, and the overall quality and quantity of soldiers were barely equal to the second plan. They didn’t have enough mecha pilots capable of piloting 3S mechas.
Based on the second plan’s experience, even if Yun Qihe implemented the plan a third time, the result would be leading a group of top soldiers to die with him on the insectoid home planet, destined to fail.
But Yun Qihe never gave up on this plan, first for He Chubai, then for Yun Xunlan.
Yun Xunguang was the same.
If a country’s strength is insufficient to succeed, then what about the entire galaxy uniting?
So she used that planet coordinate list as a bargaining chip, hoping the Nebula Federation and Corona Empire would follow Yun Qihe to send troops for the third “Dandelion” forced landing plan.
However, the process was not smooth. After finishing the first round of negotiations and returning to the palace, Yun Xunguang was very angry.
“A bunch of cowards! Even worse than Yun Qihe!”
When Yun Xunlan came to see her, he heard Yun Xunguang cursing, including cursing their father. He was almost hit on the head by a cup she threw.
He caught the cup and put it back on the table, saying to Yun Xunguang: “We didn’t need them anyway.”
“Why not?” Yun Xunguang frowned and asked him, “Is attacking the insectoids only our business?”
Indeed, it was not only their business.
However, the rulers of the Corona Empire and Nebula Federation neither had the determination to completely end the war and save humanity like Yun Qisun and Yun Qiyan, nor did they have a loved one to save and heal like Yun Qihe and Yun Xunguang.
They still believed that since the second and third border defenses could still hold, humans and insectoids should continue to maintain the status quo. When future technology breakthroughs occur and they have more powerful weapons, they can counterattack the insectoids, right?
It’s not yet the most critical moment. They don’t need to risk expensive weapons and excellent soldiers to carry out an almost impossible forced landing plan.
“Anyway, the forced landing plan never included them from the start.”
Yun Xunlan comforted Yun Xunguang a bit. He thought it wasn’t all bad news: “And hasn’t the Corona Empire already agreed to open all 3S mecha production technologies? Wenxi told me he can set up the production line in just one month now.”
Upon hearing this, Yun Xunguang’s expression cleared slightly but still looked displeased: “What’s the use of disagreeing? The 3S mecha blueprints have already been made public.”
She glanced at Yun Xunlan: “The forced landing plan didn’t include them in the calculations, but it didn’t include you either.”
The room, previously filled with Yun Xunguang’s restless and troubled emotions, was suddenly filled with silence. The air became slow and stagnant, just like the gaze between the two as they looked at each other.
“Do you think Father suddenly returned from the front lines just to screen for insectoids lurking on planets near the third border line?”
“No, he came back for his final physical examination and psychological treatment before the forced landing plan began,” Yun Xunguang sat back at her desk, raising her hand to organize documents. “If it weren’t for the matters involving Yu Chen and Manyuin Hurst, the third forced landing plan would have already ended by now.”
Yun Xunlan also walked over and sat across from the desk: “That early?”
“Early?” Yun Xunguang smiled. “Should we wait until your alpha glands fail and you become a beta or omega before it’s not early?”
Secondary differentiation is always the last resort for her.
Unless absolutely necessary, Yun Xunguang wouldn’t let Yun Xunlan take this path.
However, Yun Xunlan had lived in a place with only two genders for over two thousand years, and had only lived in this place with six genders for eighteen years. He personally couldn’t bring himself to care what his secondary sexual characteristic was. He said: “3S mechas haven’t been mass-produced yet.”
“Even if they could be mass-produced, we don’t have that many mecha pilots capable of piloting 3S mechas,” Yun Xunguang emphasized once again. “The mecha team for the third forced landing plan will be led by Yun Qihe and Fu Yingxuan. There’s no place for you.”
But Yun Xunlan seemed not to have heard the latter part of Yun Xunguang’s words, saying calmly: “Imperial Sister, we don’t lack mecha pilots, we only lack mechas.”
Hearing this, Yun Xunguang placed her palm down on the documents, her stern golden eyes slightly raised, gazing at Yun Xunlan with equal calm.
After a moment, she said: “If you also participate in the third forced landing operation, we indeed wouldn’t lack mecha pilots, but you’re currently E-level.”
Yun Xunlan continued: “My actual combat situation on the experimental insect planet shows I can sustain three hours of high-intensity combat. Even though my level has dropped to E-level, I can at least persist for one hour. And it only takes half an hour for warships to build interstellar gates in the jump channel.”
Just like the time he and Yu Chen had discussed—half an hour, he only needed half an hour.
This plan was a journey with no return for others, but not for Yun Xunlan. So Yun Xunlan felt that no one in this world was more suitable than himself to execute the “Dandelion” forced landing plan—the “front lines” he had always wanted to go to weren’t actually any border battlefield, but the frontmost position closest to the brood mother.
He had once joked with Yu Chen: if he could never pass the psychological evaluation, he would illegally go to the “front lines.” But in fact, without Yun Xunguang’s permission, this would be absolutely impossible to achieve. After all, he didn’t even know when the forced landing plan would begin or where it would depart from—how could he go?
Yun Xunlan could only find a breakthrough through Yun Xunguang.
In the past, when he brought up this matter with Yun Xunguang, her attitude was just two words: not allowed.
This time, Yun Xunlan had prepared thoroughly for a debate with Yun Xunguang. But after the two looked at each other for a moment, Yun Xunguang said: “Alright.”
Not expecting Yun Xunguang to be so agreeable, Yun Xunlan was stunned upon hearing this.
The system exclaimed: “Has your Imperial Sister been possessed?”
Yun Xunlan certainly wouldn’t believe the system’s crazy talk, but he was also skeptical: “Imperial Sister, you… agreed?”
“Can I not agree?” Yun Xunguang said irritably. “Count for yourself how much trouble you’ve caused these past few months. If I don’t agree, I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep this Crown Prince position.”
But Yun Xunguang immediately added a prerequisite: “The third forced landing plan will be carried out in a month and a half. If you can pass the ‘War Psychology’ exam and psychological evaluation within one month, then I’ll arrange for instructors to give you special training in the following half month and let you participate in the third forced landing plan.”
“A month and a half?” Yun Xunlan felt this was too rushed.
One month was just enough time to complete the 3S mecha production line. How many 3S mechas could be produced in just half a month?
“This is Father’s requirement.” Yun Xunguang explained that she wasn’t deliberately making things difficult for Yun Xunlan. “He said things don’t happen more than three times. He can’t visit Papa’s grave a third time, so he wants to die before Papa’s third death anniversary.”
If the third Dandelion plan failed, Yun Qihe would undoubtedly die.
If the third Dandelion plan succeeded, Yun Xunlan could be cured, and Yun Qihe would have no reason to continue living.
“He’s even better at threatening me than you are.” Yun Xunguang was thoroughly annoyed with these two father and son, Yun Qihe and Yun Xunlan. She pinched her brow and said: “If I don’t agree to him, he’ll immediately torture and kill Manyuin Hurst and declare war on the Nebula Federation and Corona Empire. If I agree to him, he’ll go to the border battlefield for me and endure another month and a half.”
Yun Xunlan: “…”
Truly worthy of Yun Qihe—he really could carry out these threats.
Yun Xunlan understood Yun Qihe’s nature, and Yun Xunguang not only understood it but would also use it: “You don’t need to worry about insufficient 3S mechas either. Top mecha pilots are hard to cultivate. I can tolerate the Nebula Federation and Corona Empire being unwilling to send people, but if they’re not even willing to contribute military equipment, then let Yun Qihe go to war with them. Especially the Corona Empire—I only care whether they’re willing to contribute. As for which ‘Corona Empire’ contributes, I don’t care.”
“I’ll make this clear to them during the second round of negotiations.”
As she spoke, Yun Xunguang raised her chin and gave Yun Xunlan a look that said “the rest is up to you.”
The problem was this brought them back to square one.
Yun Xunlan also said frankly: “I have no way to pass, Imperial Sister. Please change the condition.”
“I know you can’t pass the regular exam.” Yun Xunguang curved her lips. “I’m talking about a special exam.”
“You’ll retain all your memories and take the test, and the exam has only one question—simulated forced landing.”
“The military used data transmitted back by Great Uncle and Second Aunt before their deaths to construct a simulated battlefield of the insectoid home planet. It’s the training ground for the third forced landing plan. If you can participate in the third forced landing plan, you’ll also need to enter this battlefield. Therefore, my new condition is simple—” Yun Xunguang tapped her light brain bracelet and transmitted the key to enter the encrypted battlefield to Yun Xunlan. “Survive forty minutes on the insectoid home planet simulation battlefield and ensure you don’t die in battle.”
“Quantum computers calculated that ten 3S mechas working together can definitely survive forty minutes on the insectoid home planet simulation battlefield without total annihilation.”
“Of course, the result is only temporary survival. Ten 3S mechas can’t protect the main warship. The main warship will crash and be unable to successfully build interstellar gates in the jump channel. After forty-five minutes, there will be total annihilation… But these aren’t problems you need to consider. My only requirement for you is that you can survive.”
“Forty minutes—just ten minutes more than half an hour. When you were fifteen, you could simultaneously control ten 3S mechas. Mental power isn’t like physical strength level—it doesn’t regress with age. Surely after three years, you haven’t actually gotten worse.” Yun Xunguang leaned back, raising her eyebrows. “You’ve always been confident in your abilities, so this shouldn’t be difficult for you, right?”
The system was even more confident than Yun Xunlan and came out to stir things up: “Only ten? If people from the Corona Empire and Nebula Federation see this, they’ll think you’re as weak as them. Quick, tell your Imperial Sister we want to pilot a hundred! Not only surviving, even protecting the main warship wouldn’t be a problem.”
“…It’s not difficult.”
Yun Xunlan didn’t listen to the system. He answered Yun Xunguang honestly, though his tone carried slight hesitation, because Yun Xunguang was being too agreeable today, making it hard not to suspect she had dug a pit waiting for him to jump into.
“Very good, then it’s settled.”
Yun Xunguang didn’t even wait for Yun Xunlan to give a clear answer before making the decision for him.
She suddenly stood up, leaned forward and grabbed Yun Xunlan’s collar, pulling him in front of her, saying word by word in a deep voice: “If you can’t do it, never mention this matter in front of me again. Yun Xunlan, my patience has limits.”
Yun Xunlan nodded: “I understand, Imperial Sister.”
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
![Dissatisfied [e-sports]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/4997572.jpg "Dissatisfied [e-sports]")
