Starting as a Wallfacer, his defection to the Three-Body Problem shocked the world.

"Xiaomin, the Eighth Ring District defense line just sent a message saying that Ai AA took advantage of everyone's inattention and escaped with nearly half of the Star Ring Group's senior management in a warp drive spaceship."

Zhang Xiang handed a newly delivered report to Luo Congmin, but the latter didn't even look at it, simply gesturing for him to put the report on the table.

"Should we send someone to chase after them? The space force on duty at the front line said that their spaceship's star map route is heading towards Zhang Beihai and his group. It seems that this woman is planning to regroup those people who left the Star Ring Group before."

Upon hearing Zhang Xiang's report, Luo Congmin remained expressionless, but Bi Yunfeng and the other man standing in front of him felt large beads of sweat sliding down their foreheads. They looked like elementary school students who had made a mistake and were called to the office by their homeroom teacher.

“I bear the primary responsibility for this matter. I was the one who ordered the warp drive arrestor to be withdrawn.” Cao Mir hesitated for a moment, but still took the initiative to step forward and take the blame upon himself.

This was the first time he had ever met Luo Congmin, the former president of the Earth Federation, since he was born. He had only ever heard stories about her.

Although it seemed somewhat legendary, children are bound to think there was some exaggeration involved. Besides, his uncle was now the president of the Earth Federation and the marshal of the Space Force, so he really wasn't afraid of such a retired former president.

But once you enter the room, that sense of oppression gradually creeps in.

Radiaz, Zhang Xiang, Wang Miao...

Cao Mier looked at the figures he had only seen in history books appearing in front of him. It could be said that, apart from Mr. Lin Xuan and Luo Ji who was on vacation in Eden, nearly half of the founding heroes of the entire Earth Federation had gathered here.

"What are you saying?" Upon seeing this, Bi Yunfeng quickly stepped forward as well.

"This matter is ultimately my fault. I failed to handle Xinghuan Group properly and didn't keep an eye on Ai AA..."

Seeing the reactions of the two people in front of him, Luo Congmin found it somewhat amusing. He waved his hand, and the two immediately shut up.

"I didn't mean to blame either of you, so why are you so nervous? Besides, I'm no longer the president of the Earth Federation. You two are a space force marshal and the current president of the Earth Federation. Do you think you're afraid of me, the retired Minister of Education?"

"Yes."

"Bi Yunfeng".

"I'm here."

Bi Yunfeng hurriedly stepped forward, seemingly awaiting the judgment of the person before him.

Luo Congmin just smiled and then sighed.

"I've heard about the reorganization of the army. You did the right thing, but you were a bit too hasty. In just a few years, you want to eliminate the centuries-old rift between ordinary people and immortals? How is that possible?"

"I... know I was wrong."

Bi Yunfeng glanced at Cao Mier, and finally it was he who spoke.

“Alright, when you get back, have this kid draft a list and put some of the immortals under Yu Tuan’s management. She’s Yu Weimin’s niece, and the immortals will agree.”

Upon hearing this, Cao Mier was eager to compete again, since he currently had a garrison fleet of over 30,000 warships of various types, plus the expeditionary fleet controlled by Bi Yunfeng, which totaled nearly 100,000 warships.

If the immortals and the Star Ring Group fleet that had been incorporated were to be given to Yutuan, then nearly 30,000 warships would have to be distributed.

This even includes 113 battlecruisers and two aircraft carriers, HMS Leeuwenhoek and HMS Starring, which really hurt his wallet.

But in the end, he didn't stand up and say a word, for no other reason than that.

Although these warships were in his fleet, he couldn't actually command them at all; they were practically useless. If they broke down at a crucial moment, it would be a disaster for him.

Since this group of people are so willing to follow the Lin Party members of Luo Congmin's faction, let them be. In any case, it will be Yu Tuan who takes power, not Luo Congmin who directly handles the matter. This way, it will not create the illusion that the Earth Alliance has split again, and it will also resolve this matter perfectly.

There's no way around it; the root of the problem is that Bi Yunfeng and his faction of the New Party have such low credibility. If Luo Congmin and Bi Yunfeng were to confront each other in the Earth Alliance, almost 90% of the troops would defect without a doubt.

They are not afraid of civilian rebellion because over the years the Earth Alliance has completed the division and rule of major ring world regions by aristocratic clans. As long as the mechanical forces are still in the hands of these aristocratic clans, the lower levels will not be in chaos.

However, if the opponent is Luo Congmin, then the situation is completely different.

It is likely that soon someone will use the pretext of assisting Luo Congmin to oust Bi Yunfeng from power, just like Yu Weimin.

Even after gaining complete control of the military, Bi Yunfeng's political influence was on a completely different level from Luo Congmin's. There are at least eight people on Earth with political influence as high as Luo Congmin.

Taylor, Diaz, Luo Ji, Ding Yi, Wang Miao, Liu Chang... There's even a feeling that Shi Qiang's political influence is higher than Bi Yunfeng's, after all, he was one of the earliest members of the Lin Party.

"So, very good."

Luo Congmin smiled and looked at the two of them.

"The second thing is that since Ai AA has escaped, let her go. However, Mr. Lin Xuan specifically instructed that someone must be executed when he left."

"Who?"

Cao Mier asked the question, but Bi Yunfeng and everyone else present remained silent, because they all knew very well who was being asked.

Cheng Xin!

That's right, Cheng Xin is still being held at Xinghuan Group.

When Ai AA left, she didn't take her with her at all. It's unclear whether it was because the person was no longer of any use to her, or because she was afraid that Lin Xuan would hold her accountable for her actions when she returned.

But regardless of the reason, Cheng Xin is indeed still alive, and has even lived to this day.

Luo Congmin let out a long sigh.

"Actually, I don't quite understand why my brother insisted on this woman's death. Some people say it's because after Cheng Xin lost her memory, she used Lin Xuan's identity to disgust everyone in the Earth Alliance, which is why Lin Xuan resented her."

"But I don't think Lin Xuan is that kind of person, don't you think?"

Bi Yunfeng and Cao Mier nodded repeatedly.

"But since it was his request, we won't ask too many questions. We'll just do it. After all, he was one of the Wallfacers back then."

"Consider it... part of the plan."

The two still dared not meet Luo Congmin's gaze. No matter what, they had indeed handled the Ai AA matter poorly.

Although Bi Yunfeng's cooperation with Xinghuan Group over the years has indeed solved Xinghuan Group's financial problems and brought the development of all parties back to a balance, the cost of doing so is that it has completely exhausted the trust of the entire local government.

When the Ringworld was first established, the promise made by the Earth Federation to never allow certain powerful figures to leave first has now become empty talk.

The reason why people haven't risen up in rebellion like they did more than a decade ago is not because they've become more accepting of the situation, but because the gradual development of technology has widened the gap between the rich and poor to an almost insurmountable chasm.

The development of artificial intelligence has changed the political landscape. More despairing than the old-fashioned plot of AI rebelling against humanity in science fiction is already playing out in the Earth Federation.

Over the past decade, the military controlled by the Earth Federation government has gradually shrunk from 90% human to less than 20%. In other words, the seventh technological revolution brought about by artificial intelligence has pushed class solidification to an irreversible conclusion.

Even if everyone in the world opposes this resolution, the Earth Federation can suppress any rebellion with its powerful AI forces.

Sometimes, Bi Yunfeng would even have mechanical sentries stand guard outside his door all night long, supposedly because he often had the same nightmare.

In his dream, a man holding a Glock pistol suddenly burst into his room and pressed the muzzle against his temple. Bi Yunfeng exclaimed several times and asked the man's identity, but he only received one answer each time.

"I am Bi Yunfeng, a candidate for the Swordholder. Today, for the sake of human civilization, I swear to kill you, a lackey of the Trisolarans!"

Three days later, Cheng Xin died. The method of death was euthanasia, which was activated during the Crisis Era.

She died quietly; her death even made the headlines for less than fifteen minutes before being replaced by other tabloid news.

After all, it's hard for anyone to remember her existence anymore.