He chose to continue the training and made his training process publicly livestreamed to the entire fleet.

Before officially starting the training, he prepared to give a brief speech.

More than thirty thousand Frozen Soldiers who were awakened have already started their urgent pre-war training.

One reconnaissance ship after another set off, heading toward the point of no return.

Zheng Tian strictly followed Ren Zhong's orders, and when these scouts set off, they were clearly informed that this mission had no option for return. The scouts had only one goal: to go as far as possible, explore as many regions and celestial bodies as possible, and gather as detailed intelligence as possible.

No one is unafraid of death, and indeed, many people feel discontented.

It's not surprising, nor is it a big deal.

In the past Source Star era, few people willingly accepted the Association's system, but they were powerless to resist, so they simply lived one day at a time like zombies.

Now, onboard the fleet, the Association is essentially nonexistent, but everyone knows that the fleet's leader has become the more forceful and domineering Viscount of the Empire.

In a sense, this Viscount is even more ruthless and cruel than the past Association; even the Level Nine Citizen has no privileges before him.

The "incident" of the Augustus family not only subdued the other eight major families but also filled others with apprehension.

Onlookers don't care, nor do they understand what the people of the Augustus family did; they are unclear why Ren Zhong chose to massacre that family. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

They only know it was a massive family that held nearly one-ninth of society's resources. If even such people could be wiped out at will, what about us? This is the thought most easily arising in the minds of the majority.

Sun Ai sensed the shift in the people's thoughts, and the secret surveillance department controlled by Xiao Xingyue provided accurate feedback.

But Ren Zhong never punished anyone for their whispers.

His iron fist targeted specific people, not everyone.

He even enjoyed hearing the various dissonant voices among the crowd.

Because he believed people should have diversity.

He didn't want to control anyone's thoughts.

Besides, everyone who is currently awake is a contributor and has given up the vision of becoming an Empire Citizen and leading a good life, so why mind a bit of complaint?

Moreover, as long as Ren Zhong wants, he can instantly rally people together, just like now.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have been in the crisis-ridden Tenglong Nebula for a month. Confirmed intelligence suggests that lurking enemies of the Empire are quietly approaching us. A war crossing races and civilizations can break out at any time. In this war, there will be no surrender, no captives. The Empire and its enemies have fought for millions of years, with multiple defeats, and captives have never been treated well. If we are defeated, all that awaits is a fate worse than death."

"Starting today, I will not sleep again, and I will maintain high-intensity training at all times until we defeat the enemy. I will personally lead the charge on the battlefield. Now, I announce the fleet's highest authority ranking; below me are Zheng Tian, Ju Qingmeng, Huo Donghua, Ma Xiaocheng, Ou Youning, Xiao Xingyue, Hua Yuelan... Including myself, if the highest leader falls in battle, the next will succeed the position and gain the highest authority. I, Ren Zhong, am not someone who can sit comfortably in high places watching others charge on my behalf—I am always with you, living and dying together."

After finishing, he immediately began to silently livestream his training.

Shock, amazement, doubt, incomprehension, and other emotions intertwined in everyone's hearts across tens of millions of kilometers.

An unknown low-level scout summarized the situation with an offhand remark.

"He is a noble Viscount of the Empire and could have used a Tracker Spaceship to leave on his own. By throwing others away like bait, he could escape danger. But now he is using his precious life on Professionals' training, ready to fight for us ordinary people."

Zheng Tian watched the livestream footage in a daze as well.

She still couldn't understand.

The boss certainly hasn't changed, but why did he do that in the beginning?

...

Ding Canghai lay back in the command chair, with the reality and virtual imaging interwoven forming a picture surrounding him.