Collapse Iron: The Five Heroes of the Clouds Won't Let Me Go

The next day, Cheng Xiao and Jing Liu, unusually, stayed in bed late.

Jingliu gently touched his swollen belly and asked Jingyuan to ask for a day off for him.

Cheng Xiao walked out of the room, sighing at the unpredictability of life.

Jing Yuan curled his lip and said sarcastically:

"Uncle-Master, you truly possess great abilities. Quite a few Dragon Lords are fond of you. Shouldn't you make them all pregnant?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? I don't have that much influence."

"Uncle-Master is being modest. I wonder when you'll take responsibility for me?"

"Jingyuan, what nonsense are you talking about? I didn't do anything to you."

"Is that so...."

Jing Yuan leaned forward, his tall figure pressing down on him, his breath sweet as orchids, and the amusement in his eyes almost overflowing.

"My uncle has taken care of me since I was a child. Do you think my feelings for you are still those of an uncle and nephew? They've long since changed! Uncle, stop lying to yourself. You can feel it, right?"

Cheng Xiao turned his head away, somewhat at a loss.

"Jingyuan, calm down."

"I'm very calm. Among the Five Warriors of the Cloud, no one is calmer than me!"

Jing Yuan said softly:

"But... I always took a chance, always stood by and watched. I took the responsibilities of the Immortal Ship too seriously, and now that I'm a general, it's even more so, to the point that I've missed out on far too much..."

"But things are different now. The evil creatures are retreating one after another, and peace is just around the corner. I can finally think about some of my own personal matters."

Cheng Xiao dared not look into Jing Yuan's eyes; they were too intense, as if his gaze was burning his face.

"Jingyuan, you can't think like that. Jingliu won't allow it..."

"Yes! How could Master not know my thoughts? She has long turned a blind eye, it's just that my dear martial aunt hasn't accepted it."

"..."

Cheng Xiao fell silent, and Jing Yuan was very happy.

Since my uncle didn't explicitly refuse, that's enough.

She has plenty of time and means to work her way out of his predicament.

......

Interstellar Peace Corporation sent representatives to conduct cooperation talks.

The messenger was someone Cheng Xiao knew—Man Yu.

With her long blonde hair accented with blue highlights, she seemed unchanged since the last time we met at the party.

"Hey there~ Didn't expect it to be me, did you~"

Cheng Xiao was somewhat surprised, took a sip of tea, and gestured for Manyu to take a seat.

"Miss Manyu, although we know each other, we've only met once. Don't get so close."

"What? I was just trying to get on your good side. You haven't contacted me since I gave you my business card~"

Cheng Xiao smirked. A business card? That thing had long been torn to shreds by his family.

"There's no need to try to get close to her. I was also surprised that Miss Manyu would be the one to discuss cooperation."

"So, Miss Manyu got promoted?"

Manyu sat happily on the sofa, propping her chin up like a girl in love.

"Of course~ Thanks to you, I've been promoted twice~ Now I'm the director of the building materials logistics department."

"Congratulations."

"Oh dear~ I'm the only one in the company who has had the honor of talking to you. I thought Mr. Cheng Xiao wouldn't remember me, but it seems I do have some unique features~"

Cheng Xiao stopped with unnecessary pleasantries and directly asked Manyu to express her purpose.

"Mr. Cheng Xiao is really impatient~"

Manyu's robotic arm opened, and an electronic contract was projected onto the screen.

"The company has the utmost respect for the alliance between Xianzhou and the Zerg, and also hopes that Xianzhou can further deepen the cooperation, such as... Zerg deployment."

"Sigh, this kind of troublesome thing is supposed to be handled by the market development department, but they sent me instead, which made me so nervous."

Cheng Xiao ignored Manyu's self-performation; this woman was all an act, and if you took it seriously, you'd lose.

He carefully reviewed the contract and had to admit the company's audacity.

They actually wanted to use insects like true gnats as usable resources, and in exchange, Xianzhou could participate in all kinds of economic projects of the company.

In business matters, the company has the closest relationship with Yuque. In the past, cooperation with the company was a good medicine for Luofu to boost its economy.

But now Luofu no longer needs to rely on the company. The wicked are lambs to the slaughter, and Luofu is no longer short of resources.

The company's current cooperation is just icing on the cake.

And swarm deployments... they want to use mindless swarms as disposable tools.

It seems normal, but the ulterior motives behind it are anything but ordinary.

"This treaty is very sincere, but it involves a lot of issues and requires a decision from the Six Councils."

"With Mr. Cheng Xiao's abilities, wouldn't he be running a one-man show in Luofu? What a disappointment!"

"Manyu, put away your thoughts."

After being warned, Manyu immediately shut up.

The person in front of me has a pretty good temper; he just did something reckless, and his back was almost soaked with sweat.

Fortunately, Cheng Xiao didn't kill her directly.

The Manchu language contained a sense of relief, followed by a hint of hope.

If I ask him for help... is that possible...?

......

At the meeting of the Six Emperors, Jingyuan immediately expressed his refusal.

"Uncle-Master, you may not know this, but the reason why the swarm is called a disaster is because of its endless division."

"Since the global locust plague, countless people have tried to decipher the characteristics of breeding insects, but only Ms. Ruan Mei has made significant progress."

"One reason the experiment failed was that the insects were uncontrollable; even a single insect could split into a swarm."

Cheng Xiao nodded. This is the power of reproduction.

"So, the company wants obedient insects not to deploy, but to experiment with."

"Countless perfectly coordinated insects are an inexhaustible treasure for any biological researcher."

Jing Yuan's words were all logical and well-founded, prompting Cheng Xiao to exclaim in admiration:

"How did you find all this out?"

Jingyuan pinched his chin triumphantly.

"Hmph, don't underestimate my intelligence network."

"Haha, a general like him still has no manners."

Cheng Xiao laughed and cursed, then contacted Manyu.

"I'm sorry, Xianzhou does not agree to the above terms. Or rather, please show genuine sincerity before we are willing to cooperate in the name of friendship."

Manyu was somewhat surprised: "Mr. Chengxiao, are you aware of how much profit is involved in this contract?!"

"I already know, but that's meaningless. Xianzhou doesn't need these small amounts. If the company is truly willing to cooperate, Xianzhou is happy to help even if there's no profit involved."

"But if we use cooperation as a pretext for business transactions, then the Immortal Ship will never agree. The breeding insects have calmed down, and I don't want to see the company research something explosive that will affect the universe again."

There was silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Manyu's helpless voice.

"Sigh~ My first diplomatic negotiation has failed, and now I'm going to lose the position I just got promoted to."

"Miss Manyu, a position obtained through improper means is a hot potato."

"Of course I know~"

Manchu hung up the phone and then contacted them again.

"Mr. Screw, I think I can trust Cheng Xiao."

"A rational choice, Miss Manyu."