Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

At this moment, after witnessing this scene, the three members of the Mi family were so surprised that they remained silent for a long time.

Nie Bing and Xiao Yue were also utterly astonished as they gazed out the window at the view of the deep sea, their awe palpable.

After a brief moment of surprise, Yin Pan'er and the others saw a worried expression on their faces.

So she walked over to Xiao Ce and asked softly, "Your Highness, are you worried about the King of Zhen, or about East Asia?"

Xiao Ce did not turn around, his gaze still fixed on the deep darkness, and slowly spoke: "Everyone is worried, but what we are more worried about is the unknown. The fact that the Imperial Uncle has been kidnapped means that the other side clearly knows about our actions and strength, and may even have infiltrated us deeply."

The resistance organizations in East Asia may well have been orchestrated by powerful figures. And...that Hidden Dragon Tomb.

He paused, his voice lowering slightly, "I have a feeling that the root of all the mysteries might lie there. The 'person' that the people at the Creation Base fear, the power behind the original owner Xiao Ce, even the person who kidnapped the Imperial Uncle... they might all point in the same direction."

He turned around and looked at Yin Pan'er, Da Lei, and the three people standing solemnly to the side: "So, this time going back is not a return journey! It's a real battlefield. What we will face may be more complex and more dangerous than the Western Alliance."

"Although Xiao Kingdom is our home turf, we've been away for quite some time now..."

Da Lei clenched his fist, his eyes sharp as knives: "Your Highness, rest assured, my life is your shield and blade! I don't care what kind of demons or monsters they are, if they dare to harm you, I'll be the first to object!"

At this moment, Da Lei became even more determined on his path, with protecting Xiao Ce and enhancing his own value being his core beliefs.

He still wanted to work with Xiao Ce to get him to become a humanoid.

What Xiao Ce said about the future is true, but it's clear that Xiao Ce is facing greater risks now...

The three of them, led by Director Mi, spoke with unwavering loyalty: "Mr. Xiao Ce, with the divine artifacts you gave us, the three of us are like tigers with wings. We will not allow anyone to harm you in the slightest..."

Yin Pan'er gently grasped Xiao Ce's hand, conveying her silent support.

"Your Highness, no matter what lies ahead, Pan'er will be with you. Good will prevail over evil; this is what you told Xiao Yang, and it is also our belief."

Feeling the warmth of his palm, a hint of warmth melted away the solemnity in Xiao Ce's eyes.

He took Yin Pan'er's hand in return, his gaze sweeping over his loyal companions.

"Evil cannot prevail over good..." Xiao Ce repeated, a cold yet powerful smile curving his lips!

"Excellent. No matter what lies ahead, whether it's a dragon's den or a bottomless abyss, we must wade through it! We must uncover the mystery and bring the enemy to justice! For the sake of our Imperial Uncle, for the peace of East Asia, and for our own future! Perhaps this time, we will reap a great reward..."

"Yes!"

The crowd responded in unison, their voices echoing in the cramped command cabin, filled with determination and fearlessness.

The submarine sped silently through the deep sea, like an arrow shot towards an unknown fate.

Inside the command cabin, Xiao Ce stood before the observation window, his deep gaze seemingly piercing through the dark seawater, looking towards his homeland, Xiao Kingdom, which he was about to reach but was fraught with danger.

He actually wanted to go to Brian's territory, and even Eva's territories.

However, for Xiao Ce now, going to the Xiao Kingdom is a more important matter...

The journey was long and tedious, with only the numbers jumping on the instrument panel and the faint hum of the engine.

During this time, Xiao Ce began to explain to Yin Pan'er and Da Lei in more detail the situation of the Creation Base, Caesar's warning, and his conjecture about the connection between the "Tianyin Star Chart" and the Hidden Dragon Tomb.

The kidnapping of the Imperial Uncle is actually closely related to the Hidden Dragon Tomb...

The three leaders stood quietly in the corner, like three silent steel statues, along with three androids brought from the creation base, all following in silence...

"Your Highness, at this speed, how long will it take us to arrive?" Yin Pan'er asked, looking at the nautical chart.

"If it's submerged at full speed, it's much faster than a regular ship, and it can reach the coastal waters of East Asia in about half a month."

A-Tie replied from the side, "However, for safety reasons, we will surface before getting close and transfer to a disguised small boat to reach the shore."

Xiao Ce nodded, his gaze once again fixed on the endless darkness: "Half a month... I hope that in these two weeks, nothing too serious will happen in Xiao Kingdom. Uncle, you must hold on..."

His thoughts drifted back to Xiao Kingdom, recalling Nikolayevich Eva, the child he had never met who should now be two years old, and the faces of Yin Weiyong, Brian, Shahar, Handa... one after another, they flashed by, some loyal, some doubtful, and perhaps even harboring hidden dangers.

Despite his confident words, Xiao Ce was actually quite uncertain inside...

Before, Xiao Ce was absolutely confident, but now the increasingly outrageous technologies far exceeded his expectations.

He actually unified East Asia by virtue of his status as a time traveler.

However, now that some technologies far surpass those of Xiao Ce have emerged, they are absolutely capable of replicating the path Xiao Ce took.

Or perhaps, he simply replicated what Xiao Ce did in the Western Alliance.

He only needs to control the leaders of the entire East Asian Federation to control the whole of East Asia...

However, after a brief period of melancholy, Xiao Ce stopped worrying unnecessarily.

No matter what the situation, we should adapt to whatever comes our way.

This is how Xiao Ce has come to be, and there is still a long time to come.

Xiao Ce didn't dwell on it. He simply took out a mahjong set from his personal belongings and then invited the others to play mahjong.

Yin Pan'er was somewhat surprised by how quickly Xiao Ce adjusted his emotions, but she cooperated very well.

And so, a strange scene unfolded: on a submarine, Xiao Ce found Yin Pan'er, Xiao Yue, and Da Lei to play mahjong together.

This is quite a sight.

With two weeks to spare, and the four of them having things to do to pass the time, it didn't feel like time was dragging on...

Because Xiao Ce was in a hurry to return, the submarine didn't even show itself...

Fortunately, submarines are very advanced; they can handle all their basic needs, such as eating, drinking, and relieving themselves.

Actually, it's mainly those few people; the other androids don't have this need...

More than ten days later.

Ah Tie's voice broke the silence inside the cabin!

"Your Highness, we have entered the designated sea area and are approaching the coastal waters of Xiao Kingdom. The Star Network Hub has transmitted a scan map of the surrounding sea area, and no large-scale fleet or suspicious signals have been detected. As planned, we will surface at the designated coordinates ahead."

During this time, Xiao Ce also had Lingxu and Atie establish a partial data connection, which made Atie smarter and more well-rounded.

Actually, A-Tie was reprogrammed by Lingxu; strictly speaking, he's a stripped-down version of Lingxu...

Even the stripped-down version is still very useful...

"Understood." Xiao Ce's voice was calm and composed, revealing little emotion, but his clenched fists betrayed his inner turmoil.

Although Xiao Ce had buried his anxieties deep within himself for the past two weeks, burying them didn't mean they had disappeared...

After half a month of information isolation, the situation in Xiao Kingdom was shrouded in a thick fog, and the safety of his uncle, Xiao Dingshan, weighed heavily on his mind.

"Prepare to surface and change equipment. According to the pre-arranged procedure, the submarine will submerge and stand by, maintaining the highest level of silence."

"Yes!"

A-Tie immediately began operations. The submarine emitted a slight hum, and its massive hull began to adjust its attitude, slowly rising towards the surface of the sea.

Soon after, the submarine, like a giant whale emerging from the sea, quietly rested on the surface of the ocean under the cover of night.

The sea breeze, carrying the salty smell of the sea, rushed into the open hatch...

A small, disguised, unremarkable cargo ship-like boat was released from the side of the submarine.

Xiao Ce and his group boarded the boat quickly and in an orderly manner...

Apart from A Tie and the necessary submarine operators who stayed behind, Xiao Ce, Yin Pan'er, Da Lei, Director Mi, and the three simulated humans from the creation base all boarded the small boat.

The heavy armored figures of the simulated people trudged onto the wooden deck with a dull thud, but it was not noticeable under the cover of the waves.

The small boat's engine emitted a deep roar as it cut through the calm sea and headed towards a pre-arranged, relatively remote rendezvous point in Xiao Kingdom.

This location was told to Xiao Ce by Xiao Yang, supposedly given by Han Da, so theoretically it should be safe.

Xiao Ce had considered stopping halfway to look for the navy, but he didn't know where Han Da was.

Xiao Ce made the most of his time, which meant he chose to go directly...

The night was deep, with only sparse starlight and faint lights on the distant coastline.

The sea breeze carried a chill, ruffling everyone's clothes...

Yin Pan'er wrapped her cloak tighter around herself and moved closer to Xiao Ce.

Xiao Ce cautiously observed his surroundings, looking around.

Xiao Ce's plan was to enter the Xiao Kingdom without alerting anyone.

He needs to see how things are in Xiao Kingdom...

Da Lei then started the small boat...

The three officers, including Director Mi, were scattered at the stern and on both sides of the ship. Although they had not raised their energy rifles, their fingers were already on the trigger guards, ready to enter combat at any time.

The three androids from the creation base stood behind Xiao Ce like ghosts, silently fulfilling their guard duties.

Looking at them, Xiao Ce thought to himself that he should get them a new set of clothes later.

Otherwise, they would be too conspicuous...

However, everything will have to wait until we reach the shore...

Everything went more smoothly than I had imagined.

"Your Highness, the designated pick-up point is just ahead," Da Lei reported in a low voice.

"Yes, slow down and observe carefully."

Xiao Ce said in a deep voice. His mind focused, and the outline of the coastline ahead was clear, with reefs standing tall, seemingly without any abnormalities.

However, just as the small boat was about to round a protruding reef and prepare to approach a secluded cove, a sudden change occurred!

"Ugh...!"

A piercing, shrill whistle suddenly tore through the night sky!

Immediately afterwards, the blinding searchlights, like several giant lightsabers, instantly tore through the darkness, precisely enveloping the small boat from three directions! The intense light caused everyone on board to instinctively squint.

"Who goes there?! Stop the ship immediately! Submit for inspection!"

A stern voice came through the loudspeaker, carrying an unquestionable authority.

"Damn it! It's a naval patrol!" Da Lei's expression changed. Through the edge of the blinding beam of light, he could vaguely see three small but extremely fast gunboats forming a triangular formation to surround them!

The gunboat was flying the naval flag of the Xiao Kingdom, and the dark muzzles of the cannons and the barrels of the small-caliber rapid-fire guns were already aimed at their small boat.

"Damn it! How did we run into a patrol here? There was nothing here just now, where did they come from!" Da Lei roared, one hand already on the short gun at his waist, his eyes scanning the surrounding gunboats like a hawk, assessing the enemy's firepower and personnel configuration.

In fact, he knew that in a head-on confrontation, those individuals were no match for Director Mi and his two companions.

The three members of the Mi Chief team activated the defensive mode of their exoskeleton armor almost simultaneously. A faint energy halo flowed across the surface of the armor, and they slightly raised their energy rifles, the energy slots at the muzzles emitting a glowing light as they locked onto the nearest gunboat.

The androids in the creation base also adopted a defensive stance, appearing ready to retaliate.

"Don't move! Put away your weapons! Remain calm!" Xiao Ce's voice rang out in everyone's minds like thunder, carrying an unquestionable command.

Although he wanted to infiltrate the Xiao Kingdom, these naval personnel were his own people, and there was no reason for him to fight his own...

Moreover, the fact that they can patrol even these remote and obscure places shows that their navy is well-trained and that their patrols are not a joke.

This precisely demonstrates their strict military discipline, so it is highly likely that it was Han Da's navy...

It's still possible for him to want to disguise his identity...

Seeing Yin Pan'er's tense expression, Xiao Ce said, "It's alright, they're all on our side... don't be afraid... I'll calm them down first..."

After hearing Xiao Ce's words, Yin Pan'er nodded heavily.

Xiao Ce nodded slightly, signaling her to remain calm. He took a deep breath and replied loudly, "We are returning merchants. Our ship has encountered distress and we have temporarily docked here! We are willing to cooperate with the inspection!"

His voice carried clearly through the waves and engine noise, in standard Xiao language.

"A merchant?" A cold snort came from the gunboat opposite!

"Lying around in this military-controlled zone in the dead of night? Everyone, hands above your heads! Drop your weapons! Submit for boarding inspection! Anyone who resists will be killed on sight!"

Following the order, the three gunboats had completely surrounded the small boat and were only a few dozen meters away.

Xiao Ce could see the cold glint of the new rifles in the enemy soldiers' hands; they were automatic rifles improved by the East Asian Alliance based on his earlier blueprints.

The officer on the gunboat was wearing the standard uniform of the Xiao Kingdom's navy and should be a major. Seeing this, Xiao Ce relaxed even more.