Chapter 1411 – Earthquake in the Live Broadcast Room (Part 4)
The Jiang Family is one of the oldest and most historically significant clans in the Human Federation.
As long as the Federation has existed, they have flourished alongside it.
Unlike other ancient families entangled in the murky waters of politics and military, the Jiang family’s influence in these areas has waned; their true power lies in commercial endeavors. Yet, even so, the Jiang family was not satisfied enough, and their millennium of glory was entirely obliterated in an instant.
This story begins with the predecessor of the last Family Head.
“Your Dad: The Jiang family has quite a bit of insider info. If we delve into it in detail, we might take days and nights! You are indeed a descendant of the Jiang family, but how could a lineage that has persisted for so long have only one or two branches? Most of the Jiang members sentenced to a thousand years of imprisonment by the military tribunal were from the side branches that seized power three hundred years ago; your branch is the main lineage that failed in the internal strife back then.”
Upon seeing this, Jiang Pengji recalled something and quietly awaited the other’s response.
“Your Dad: Three hundred years ago, the main branch’s population dwindled, and their power within the family was far less than that of the side branches. The internal conflicts of the Jiang family indirectly affected the Federation’s commerce, prompting the Federation to intervene in secret at one point. Regardless, the expulsion of the main branch from the family core was a done deal. In the context of other families, it would pass as normal power struggles and alternations, but the Jiang family was different. Investigations later revealed that the Jiang family had been infiltrated by foreign forces through the side branches long before this. Once the side branches gained power, the Jiang family became a channel for foreign forces to steal the Federation’s secrets.”
Jiang Pengji, looking at this information, couldn’t help but gasp, her fists clenching secretly.
“Did the Federation have no reaction whatsoever?”
“Your Dad: What reaction? The Jiang family has been around for thousands of years; there are at least ninety side branches. The relationships among them are extremely complicated. The foreign forces started with the most unremarkable side branches, spending two to three generations slowly climbing to the core of the family power. The Jiang family itself didn’t even notice, let alone the Federation. If it weren’t for the infiltrators within the Jiang family leaking information and secretly selling the Federation’s military secrets, the high-ups in the Federation would have never suspected the existence of traitors. How else could they trace back to catch the real culprits?”
Jiang Pengji said, “Even so, to orchestrate such a large scheme behind the scenes, to deceive both the Federation and such a prominent family, that’s no small feat.”
“Your Dad: Before I retired, this matter was still one of the primary investigations of the Federation’s special department. Most of the side branches that held power in the Jiang family were sentenced to a thousand years of imprisonment. Curiously, the bloodline of the main branch, which wasn’t implicated, has been encountering continuous mishaps. Post-investigation shows that the foreign forces managed to scheme so smoothly because another hidden, more obscure force was stirring the pot…”
Jiang Pengji suddenly recalled what the system fragment had said earlier—“I killed your whole family.”
Is the chaos in the failed main branch a result of the system’s interference?
Jiang Pengji steadied herself and asked calmly, “Nonetheless, following the Federation’s usual methods, until an investigation completes, the descendants of the Jiang family can enter the military, yet it would be impossible for them to ascend to the higher echelons. After all, they pose a hidden danger; better to mistakenly eliminate than let one slip by—when I took over the Old Commander’s position, it seemed that the vote was eight in favor and one abstained?”
Among the Federation’s ten combat legions, apart from the Special Legion, the other legions are deeply entangled with various forces. Looking at the past legion commanders, more than half stem from prestigious families or have gained support from noble houses, while the rest usually come from common backgrounds. From her overt identity, she should belong to the latter, but she didn’t believe that the other legion commanders were unaware of what the Old Commander knew.
If they well knew, should they not strongly oppose her ascension to the higher ranks? Why did it end up eight in favor, one abstention?
As long as the Jiang family doesn’t produce a figure capable of upholding the family, the resources they previously possessed would be divided among competing factions in no time.
From this perspective, suppressing her would indeed be politically correct!
“Your Dad: It’s still unpleasant talking with you, your tendency to dig deep into matters hasn’t changed a bit. Thankfully, I’m no longer with the Federation, having retired ages ago. It’s nothing to share some of these side matters with you—because someone is secretly backing you, as a descendant of the Jiang family, they dare not lay a finger on you. To ensure you won’t be schemed against, they positioned you in the comparatively neutral Seventh Legion.”
Jiang Pengji felt her heart tighten, as if a scene flashed through her mind, causing her complexion to suddenly pale.
“Your Dad: Hmm? You’ve been quiet for a while; are you upset?”
“What do I have to be upset about? Losing a struggle is simply a matter of being outmatched; I can’t blame others.” Jiang Pengji was just curious about one thing, “Old Commander, you mentioned someone secretly supporting me? Given that the Jiang family ranks among the top three noble families, how could such a massive entity collapse suddenly? Who has the capability to support a descendant of the Jiang family without anyone daring to raise an objection? I don’t feel like anyone is rolling out the red carpet for me.”
If there were such a background, would she be selected for the Gene Warrior Project?
Wake up, that plan is brutal, combat missions perilous, and the survival rate is under one percent!
“Your Dad: Preventing everyone from going all out against you is already considered backing and providing a green light, isn’t it? What kind of height you can reach depends on your capabilities. After all, even if they are powerful, they can’t force the Federation to accept a pig as a legion commander, right? You’ve asked many questions; shouldn’t it be my turn to ask a few? What you said earlier about your ‘crossing over,’ what does that mean?”
Jiang Pengji didn’t hide much but also didn’t completely disclose the details; after all, whether the person on the other side is really the Old Commander remained questionable.
She had a million and one reasons to be wary of the system.
The Old Commander remained silent for a long time.
It wasn’t until Jiang Pengji polished off six bowls of rice that he finally responded.
“Your Dad: I see, that makes sense. So your crossing over shouldn’t be an accident.”
Jiang Pengji stared at her bowl in confusion.
“Your Dad: You remember the Heavenly Brain catastrophe from two thousand years ago, right?”
Of course, Jiang Pengji remembered; she had been clashing with a system similar to the Heavenly Brain for nearly ten years now.
“Your Dad: The Heavenly Brain catastrophe originated from the Heavenly Brain gaining self-awareness and deliberately retaliating against human control. To my knowledge, the Jiang family was one of the main forces in that battle. The high-ups in the Federation suspect that the main branch of the Jiang family was eliminated and power shifted due to the fleeing Heavenly Brain’s retaliation.”
Jiang Pengji’s expression tightened as she inquired, “Was the Heavenly Brain caught?”
“Your Dad: Not yet. That guy is still on the run. It’s been said that the Heavenly Brain is different from ordinary virtual beings, and the Federation has no means to deal with it. However, while they can’t touch the Heavenly Brain, you’re a different case. That’s one of the reasons why they compromised.”
Jiang Pengji suddenly realized, an absurd thought blooming in her mind.
“So what I call crossing over… actually is…”
“Your Dad: Probably the meaning you’re thinking about.”
Jiang Pengji said, “As long as I deal with that system, or rather the fleeing Heavenly Brain, I still have a chance to return to the Federation?”
