Chapter 40
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Chapter 40: Early Dispatch of Heavy Criminals
The federal government’s announcement, like usual, was long and tedious, stretching over dozens of pages.
But in summary, it was quite simple.
The main content stated that in recent years, the crime rate had surged.
The number of heavy criminals was increasing.
Prison breaks and jailbreaks had been happening frequently.
The federal government decided to send a batch of heavy criminals to the exile planet two years ahead of schedule, in two months.
In the past, such announcements barely attracted any attention.
Heavy criminals felt too distant from the ordinary citizens.
But this time, it was completely different.
Because Yi Chen was on the exile planet.
“What’s going on? The federal government’s plan was originally to send a batch of heavy criminals to the exile planet every ten years to cut costs.”
“The exile planet has existed for over two thousand years and has never changed. Why are they doing it two years early this time?”
“It’s probably related to Yi Chen. The surge in crime rates, the increasing number of heavy criminals, and the frequent prison breaks are all nonsense.”
“The crime rate started to rise sharply a century ago when we were defeated by the other races, and three elite fleets were wiped out. When the federal government announced a change in strategy and we shifted from attack to defense, that’s when it began to increase yearly.”
“Prison breaks and jailbreaks are even more ridiculous. There haven’t been any significant heavy criminals in recent years, so even if someone escapes, what would happen?”
“So this isn’t just probably related to Yi Chen; it is definitely related to him.”
The federal government’s announcement stirred everyone in the public.
“Why suddenly send a batch of heavy criminals to the exile planet? What is the federal government trying to do?”
“What else could they be doing? They must be planning to get close to Yi Chen to quickly obtain skills from him or even directly control him.”
“How can the federal government make such a significant decision without publicizing it or holding a national vote?”
“Damn it, this suggests that among the heavy criminals, there are people planted by the federal government. Moreover, those people haven’t had their memories wiped, which completely violates our laws regarding the exile planet.”
“That’s nothing; what I worry about most is that the federal government will end up losing everything by trying to gain something.”
“Yi Chen’s mind is definitely extraordinary. His character is also that of a formidable leader.”
“If he discovers the truth, I suspect that with his personality, he might quietly create a skill that will suddenly self-destruct after humanity has learned it for a certain time, then intentionally leak it for us to learn.”
“Damn the federal government! Instead of organizing researchers and geniuses to find ways to build upon Yi Chen’s foundations, they take such enormous risks to get close to him.”
“We must protest!”
The people’s anger grew increasingly intense.
Sending people to get close to Yi Chen to obtain the new skills he creates aligns with the interests of humanity.
But many felt the risks were simply too great.
Without extreme necessity or a foolproof plan, such a huge risk should not be taken.
What infuriated the public even more was that the federal government took such significant action without a national vote, which completely contradicted their laws and regulations.
However, soon a bucket of cold water was thrown over them.
“Wake up! What are you protesting about? These might be facts, but where’s the evidence?”
“The federal government’s announcement only states that they will send a batch of heavy criminals to the exile planet two years early; everything else is just speculation.”
“Without evidence, protesting is useless, no matter how loud you are.”
“Besides, the federal government isn’t foolish enough to overlook these risks, and they wouldn’t recklessly implement such a major plan without any assurance.”
“If they were making hasty decisions, they wouldn’t have scheduled the early transport of heavy criminals for two months from now; it would have happened much sooner.”
“There are likely many unknown insider details related to the current war situation with the Various Races and the confrontations among different forces.”
“We ordinary people can only watch patiently and hope everything goes smoothly so we can obtain the skills created by Yi Chen early.”
“Causing a ruckus now will only disrupt any potential arrangements the federal government might have. If a real commotion is to happen, it should be when something occurs on Yi Chen’s side; it’s still too early.”
Under the influence of these particular statements and analyses, the public’s anger gradually quieted down.
As guided by these statements, if everything went smoothly, all of humanity could benefit from the skills created by Yi Chen, which would be a tremendous blessing.
Causing a fuss now would be of no help because there is no evidence, and it is impossible to stop the federal government’s plan.
Conversely, if the federal government formulated this plan in relation to the current war between humanity and the Various Races, it could lead to a major mistake.
Although ordinary people sensed that this matter was unusual, no one could truly figure out how many conspiracies and plots were hidden within this transport of heavy criminals.
The federal government, anti-federal factions, top billionaires, ambitious individuals, and spies from hostile races against humanity…
A storm of unpredictability and struggle was gathering towards the exile planet.
No one could foresee what kind of situation this storm would eventually evolve into.
…
At this moment, at the source of the storm, Yi Chen was focused on understanding sword intent.
Sword intent is sharp, swift, and possesses unstoppable power; it also embodies the unity of spirit, emotion, and reasoning, harmonizing the real and the imaginary.
With extraordinary talent beyond the common person’s imagination, Yi Chen gradually gained profound insights and understanding of sword intent using just a twig.
A few days later, the first iron sword, forged through countless trials, was sent to him by the high priest’s envoy.
This iron sword greatly aided Yi Chen in comprehending sword intent.
Time flew by.
In the days that followed, Yi Chen, aside from assisting the four armies in resolving some insurmountable fierce beasts, remained in the forest, perceiving sword intent.
After spending about a month, although he still hadn’t truly grasped the essence of swordsmanship, he felt he could at least create a set of sword techniques that met expectations.
Thus, he concluded this round of insight and returned to the valley.
“Chieftain, I was just about to send someone to inform you.”
The high priest greeted him upon receiving the news.
“Has something gone wrong with the four armies?” Yi Chen asked.
As the four armies continued to expand, various powerful fierce beasts emerged, presenting continuous troubles.
Yet, he felt no annoyance.
Creating new skills to enhance his own and the tribe members’ strength was important, but expanding their influence was equally crucial.
Currently, the territory he controlled had reached over seventy thousand square kilometers, and the talent bonus had risen to just over seven percent, yielding visible effects.
Most importantly, this area was expanding at a speed of over two thousand square kilometers every day.
Compared to the initial expansion, the speed had doubled.
Moreover, it could keep increasing.
The primary reason was that although the four armies’ military strength hadn’t increased, their average power was continuously improving, which naturally sped up the rate of expansion.
Additionally, the four armies had tamed many fierce beasts with a certain level of intelligence along their route.
These fierce beasts could serve as mounts and pioneers, significantly aiding their expansion speed.
Given the favorable situation, Yi Chen had no qualms about occasionally stepping out to help the four armies deal with those unmatchable fierce beasts.
Not to mention, these fierce beasts helped him improve his combat experience as well.
But surprisingly, the high priest shook his head: “It’s not that the four armies are facing trouble, but Guli’s side found a peculiar spirit mine in a large mountain over fifty kilometers to the east.”
“A peculiar spirit mine?” Yi Chen’s eyes brightened; spirit mines are valuable resources.
If this spirit mine contained good properties and he managed to obtain an entire mine, it would mean that after developing the weapon refining technique, he could mass-produce a large number of spiritual artifacts with related characteristics or functions.
