The Real Daughter Just Wants to Pilot Mechas - Chapter 157

Little Eight did not agree with her statement and looked slightly serious.

[Momo, we should always habitually approach any matter or idea with a sense of vigilance and critical thinking.]

After saying that, Little Eight paused and corrected itself, [I misspoke just now. It’s fine. I’ll always provide you with the latest and most comprehensive perspectives.]

“No, you were right. We shouldn’t judge things with preconceived notions.” Jiang Momo’s chaotic thoughts paused for a moment as something came to mind.

What she had been doing lately, while it was in pursuit of what she believed to be the greater good for the Federation, had inadvertently elevated the President’s personal reputation significantly. But that man, despite his seemingly aligned stance on ‘strengthening military power’ might not truly have the well-being of the people at heart. After all, the Population Purging Plan was something she had gotten direct confirmation from E Mingjun as having originated with the President.

Yan Chang leaned forward and stuck his head under Jiang Momo’s line of sight, looking up at her.
“Hey, are you still eating breakfast? It’s getting cold.”

“I am.” Jiang Momo’s eyes snapped back into focus but she was startled by the face suddenly so close in front of her. She leaned back abruptly. “Why are you so close?”

“I was curious whether you’d notice me while zoning out.” Yan Chang chuckled and shoved the food tray into her hands, then tucked his own hands into his sleeves and lay back in the rocking chair. “You’ve been worrying all day like you’ve got more pressure than the President himself.”

Jiang Momo shook her head with a small laugh. She lifted the bowl of porridge and took a few large gulps. Only then did she realize just how hungry she was.

“Mental work really burns energy,” she muttered, then quickly devoured everything on the tray and let out a long breath. Her mind felt noticeably clearer.

She clapped her hands, stood up, stretched her limbs a bit, and said goodbye to Yan Chang, preparing to leave.

“You can actually stay here as long as you like. It’s completely safe, no one else comes here.” Yan Chang stood up and tried to keep her from leaving.

Jiang Momo shook her head. “No, thank you for the offer.”

There were still many things she needed to discuss privately with Little Eight. Having someone else around would make that inconvenient.

“Alright then.” Yan Chang relented and pressed a spot on the wall beside him.

Jiang Momo stood up straight, waiting for the familiar sensation of weightlessness. But after several seconds, the scene around her hadn’t changed. She turned her head back in confusion.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s something I need to say.” Yan Chang’s expression showed hesitation. After a long moment, he finally opened his mouth, slowly. “The proposal will continue to be pushed forward. You don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

Jiang Momo: “?”

A wave of confusion hit her. “I thought it was clear I was against the proposal.”

Why would Yan Chang think she wanted to push it forward?

“I mean, I will keep pushing the proposal forward. So you don’t need to waste any more energy on it,” Yan Chang rephrased himself more clearly.

Jiang Momo was still puzzled. “But isn’t the whole monopoly thing—”

Before she could finish, the scenery around them shifted again. They were suddenly standing by the spaceship.

“Just stay put. Don’t go out for now, please.” Yan Chang ushered Jiang Momo into the ship, set the destination, stepped out, closed the door, and waved at her from outside. The wind lifted his red hair into the air.

Yan Chang had suddenly turned into a man of riddles.

Jiang Momo leaned against the spaceship window, watching his figure grow smaller and smaller, her mind full of question marks.

[Don’t worry. Yan Chang just wants to use this monopoly event to fully regain control over the Yan family and the Congress.]

Little Eight appeared in front of her with a complicated expression.

[The Yan family, being nobility, already had many members serving as senators in the Congress. After the incident, most of the family shunned Yan Chang. He had no choice but to rebuild his power. Now, he’s trying to settle old scores. Given the current climate, if Congress pushes the proposal too aggressively, there’s a high chance it will be dissolved and restructured.]

Jiang Momo rubbed her face. “Yan Chang’s moves are really on a large scale.”

[He’s not exactly young anymore. Taking control now is already considered late by the Yan family’s standards,] Little Eight suddenly added.

“But isn’t he only a few years older than me?” Jiang Momo asked, confused.

[Because of genetic issues, members of the Yan family only have about a decade of peak intellectual capacity. After that, trying to manage everything in detail becomes very difficult,] Little Eight explained after extracting the relevant data from the Yan family’s ancestral residence’s library it had just copied.

Jiang Momo felt a bit conflicted after hearing that. She leaned back in her seat and thought for a while before raising another question. “Little Eight, do you think the President is a good person? I remember you were very resistant to me interacting with Yan Chang at first.”

[Of course not. He holds a very high social status, which means it’s nearly impossible for you to enter his circle of vested interests. From my perspective, what you’re doing is just leveraging his power to accomplish your own goals. It’s a win-win situation. He won’t make a move against you.]

Little Eight reran its logic processes and hesitated slightly before continuing, [If I had to identify one situation where he might pose a threat to you… it would be if you start entertaining a much broader narrative, like protecting the entire Federation population.]

Jiang Momo responded as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”

[It’s not wrong, per se, but… why do you have that sense of duty?]

Little Eight froze.

It had never intended to raise Jiang Momo to be someone with a black-and-white worldview. It had always strived to instill more nuanced and complex value judgments. But even it, as a combat support system, didn’t prioritize protecting every ordinary citizen above all else.

Jiang Momo had just been a naive girl who loved mechas before coming to the Capital Star. After she arrived, apart from her focus on eliminating the alien beasts, she hadn’t shown anything particularly unusual. So why the sudden sense of mission?

Little Eight lowered its head and pondered for a moment.

[It looks like the way I’ve been transmitting knowledge has some flaws.]