Chapter 54 02.0054: "When the chips start to be placed"

[騲! 蚁牛!] Horatio recognized the horrible creature immediately.

The next second his hand instinctively pulled the pistol from the holster, and he held the girl in his arms, leaping back while his thumb unfastened the safety, ready to shoot.

Although the bicorne hat fell to the ground, the whole set of movements was smooth and without any delay.

"Sir." Just as Horatio was about to pull the trigger of the bolt pistol, the girl lying in Horatio's arms instantly raised her hand and pressed down his index finger that was about to pull the trigger, at an extremely fast speed.

"Don't be afraid. It's just a moving model simulating ant bull hunting. Look, it's in the display cabinet." The girl explained with a smile.

[Is it just a false alarm...?]
Horatio sat up, breathing heavily, and stared at the ant bull as it moved forward in a hunting posture.

The pair of empty, lifeless eyes showed that this thing was indeed dead, and it was only the transmission device inside it that was driving this huge body to move clumsily.

"But... I heard that even when ant bulls and other creatures die, they will..." He said nervously, staring at the ant bull specimen.

“Don’t worry, the specimen was fully inactivated when the taxidermist made it, and the display cabinet is also vacuum-filled.

This ant bull specimen has a bio-sensing laser in its mouthparts, and when someone approaches it will assume a predatory posture, which is a kind of ecological simulation. "

Horatio looked at the words 'Latti-EB2A1' engraved on the pedestal, as well as a skull gear emblem of the Adeptus Mechanicus, proving that this exquisite specimen was made by a Tech-Priest.

He looked around and found that all the specimens of advanced intelligent creatures were made by this man.

[As expected of the Adeptus Mechanicus, the academic geeks of the 41st millennium, they only create a lot of weird things.]
The girl sat up from Horatio's arms, and only then did he notice that he could clearly smell the strange floral scent on the girl.

When I looked closer, I found that there were some freckles on the girl's cheeks, which made her face look more beautiful. The passion in her big golden eyes was gone, and there was a hint of shyness that was unique to girls of this age.

"Sorry, it's my instinct to avoid danger. Are you hurt anywhere?" Horatio stood up, reached out his hand to the girl, pulled her up from the blanket, and then stroked her military uniform.

"You are very responsive. You make people feel safe and gentlemanly, Mr. Cochrane." The girl stood up and twisted Horatio's bicorne hat.

She gently raised her head and looked at Horatio, who was half a head taller than her, and offered her hat with both hands: "When you travel through the starry sea, if you find interesting animals and plants, don't forget to make a specimen for me, okay?"

"Of course, miss, at your service!"

Hearing the affirmative answer, the smile on the girl's face was like a blooming flower.

"Please allow me to introduce you to the living habits of ant bulls..."
-
Farida sat on the soft and comfortable sofa in her room with a book on her legs.

She raised her head and looked at the French window in front of the balcony, and thought of a black-haired young man.

[No, no, how can I be distracted while studying!] Farida shook her head, took a few deep breaths, closed her eyes and concentrated.

Suddenly, her door was pushed open.

"Father, why don't you just say hello..."

A mature, handsome man with sharp eyes walked in.

Even at home, he maintained his meticulous military attire, wearing a neat general's uniform. The Imperial Navy star on the collar shone with a cold metallic luster, giving people a strong deterrent effect.

"Who were the people you drove during the day?" Major General Alexander asked straight to the point.

Farida's lips moved slightly. She knew she couldn't hide it from her father, the chief intelligence officer, so she had to tell the truth: "Horatio Cochrane."

"He is the death row prisoner you are escorting?"

"Yes, Father."

"Are you hiding something from me?"

After sending Horatio off, Farida did tell her father what she had experienced, but she skipped the part about taking Horatio home. She didn't expect her father to find out so soon.

"I left him in the shuttle's cabin, and I came in."

"Really?" He sat on the sofa opposite Farida, crossing his legs but still maintaining his dignity.

Major General Hood’s words hit the nail on the head, causing Farida to gasp and step back in shock.

"One of my clothes is missing. Although I haven't worn it for many years, it was given to me by your mother on my 30th birthday."

"Well... Father. After the blood test report proved that he was the real son of Cochran, I took your set and gave it to him."

"I see. Have you been in my study?"

As soon as the word "study" came out, Farida's pupils doubled in size.

Farida lowered her head, clenched her fists, and her body began to tremble slightly.

"I went into your study to check for clues on that boy to verify my guess." "He didn't come in."

"no!"

Farida suddenly raised her head and said loudly, "That's absolutely not the case. Your study is full of military secrets. How could I bring this guy in?"

Major General Alexander Hood glanced at his daughter. Although her nervous posture made her words seem unconvincing, the major general just looked out the window and took a long breath, just like smoking a cigarette.

"I came here today mainly to tell you one thing."

Farida raised her head and looked at her father curiously.

"Don't work at the Ministry of Justice anymore."

"what?"

“I have decided to deploy you to the Fleet Intelligence Office.

You will serve the Imperial Navy Fleet Security Committee in the future. I have informed Father Lati to remove the Ministry of Justice logo from your armor and engrave the Imperial Navy's rudder emblem on it."

"Fleet Security Committee..."

Farida blinked. "Isn't that the highest-level security committee of the Gothic Fleet?"

"That's right. Only the most loyal navy personnel have the right to serve the Fleet Security Committee. The Law Department is just giving you a transition training. Next, you will begin to face the darkest conspiracies."

Major General Hood's expression was grim.

He was a father, but more importantly, he was an imperial soldier. Although he was reluctant to let his only daughter be tempered in the dark, this was something that every son of an imperial general had to go through.

Only by passing such rigorous hellish training can they maintain their loyalty and sanity when they stand on their own in the future and face the most desperate darkness.

"But……"

"There is no but." Major General Alexander Hood's tone left no doubt.

"You are already this old. I joined the Imperial Navy at the age of 14. When I was your age, I had already experienced 13 warp voyages and killed hundreds of traitors and mutant crew members.

In the future, you will become an important member of the Imperial Navy. I can make you suffer less than I did, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to suffer. For the Imperial Army, there is no difference between men and women. "

"Yes, father." Farida stood up and saluted her father. Her eyebrows moved slightly and she asked, "What about Horatio's follow-up..."

Major General Alexander Hood frowned slightly.

"As my special commissioner, you will be responsible for connecting with his team and providing all the support services he needs."

"Ah?! Connect with the team he's in?" Farida's eyes suddenly widened.

"You are a descendant of the Hood family. You must be trained in such trivial matters as managing a squad from now on."

Although her father said so, Farida keenly sensed that he wanted to bet on Horatio, the only descendant of Admiral Speyer.

It was common for the imperial noble families to place their bets on a favored and fledgling marriage candidate.

Most of the time, they start with official business and provide resources. Once the candidate for investment shows enough political potential, things will develop to the next step - marriage.

Moreover, as the Hood family had made their name through tough battles, Major General Alexander Hood only intended to look for a suitable candidate of the right age from a prestigious old naval family.

This is the best solution for new nobles like the Hood family, as it can improve, consolidate and elevate the existing family status.

But it also means that the candidate is not only a member of the navy himself, but also has at least two generations of aces in his ancestors as a verification of his strength.

Although the Ravensburg family had an unmarried second son, for various obvious reasons, Major General Hood gave up considering this candidate.

The Ravensburg family had many illegitimate children, and their descendants were all dissolute by nature. They had never produced any capable naval generals, and tended to transform into a pure imperial hereditary aristocracy. At the same time, as a marriage partner, there were too many competitors who were better than the Hood family.

Horatio is the direct descendant of the Speyer bloodline, and his father is the chief lord captain. The conditions of an old naval family with two generations of elites are perfectly met and he has excellent genes.

Although he had been in Xiachao for a long time, this made his political interests clean, and the blood test results showed that he was in good health, with excellent physical fitness and no epidemic diseases.

Next it all depends on how capable he is.

However, he will be able to meet the "candidate" tomorrow and make a first impression assessment of him.

"Yes! Father! I will not let you down." Farida saluted respectfully but was obviously absent-minded.

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(End of this chapter)