Chapter 55

Chapter 55

The passage was long, and the three descended in silence, their footsteps echoing "tap, tap, tap" in the space enclosed by special metals.

Their blurred reflections were cast on all sides.

After descending for about ten minutes, the stairway finally came to an end. In front of the platform was a black door, secured with a high-grade password lock that incorporated all current authentication methods, even employing the long-obsolete fingerprint lock.

The design was, of course, very ingenious.

The fingerprint lock was attached to the keypad, verifying fingerprints while the password was entered.

Had it not been for the verification success prompt, Lin Fu wouldn't have realized there were two locks.

This was followed by iris and psychic power verification.

The elaborate procedure took about a minute.

The guard led them into the monitoring room, where they observed the interrogated commander through the camera lenses.

After the control console was activated, a virtual screen slid out and was pushed towards them: "This contains information obtained from previous interrogations, some true, some false. We haven't sorted through it yet, so pick what you wish to see."

There were two reasons for the mix of truth and falsehood.

One was that the other party hadn't revealed the whole truth.

The other was that the superiors themselves had not provided the real information when issuing orders.

Either way, the information couldn't be entirely trusted.

Interrogators on the side quickly introduced the information they had found to enable them to make quick and accurate judgments.

"Phelan Casophield, born into a collateral branch of the Casophield family, was taken into the main line at seven. Graduated from the Royal Military Academy at twenty-five and joined the First Legion, serving the royal house. He participated in thirty-two battles, including four large-scale, ten medium-scale, and the rest were small-scale. Promoted to Colonel at forty-two, with no combat record thereafter."

"Now fifty-seven years old, there is a ten-year gap in his records from forty-six to fifty-six, during which no activity could be traced."

Given the average lifespan of two hundred years in this interstellar age, fifty-seven was considered the prime of life.

Most military officers required a significant accumulation of military achievements for promotion, advancing their qualifications in order. Cheng Jiu, reaching the rank of Major General at such a young age, was the only case since the Empire's establishment.

Being promoted to Colonel at forty-two was considered a very distinguished achievement.

Yet, such a military rank seemed drastically mismatched with the battles he'd been through.

It was hard not to ponder deeply.

Lin Fu mulled over the surname "Casophield," feeling an odd sense of familiarity.

Albert reminded him, "It's one of the supporting families of the Sixth Army's rear guard, the other being the Cheng family."

Lin Fu shook his head, "I must have heard it somewhere before..."

He suddenly recalled his first brush with the upper echelons of this world.

Because of Cheng Jiu, in the few short hours he had acted alone after leaving the Artemis Military Academy, he was captured by a sentinel and held for interrogation.

They even drew a vial of blood from him.

When Principal Carl burst in and took him away, he scolded someone who seemed to bear the surname "Casophield"?

The information gleaned from the interrogation largely matched Lin Fu's speculations.

What puzzled Lin Fu was that, in the testimony, his importance seemed to rank above Albert's, and the order was issued by the council, not the royal house.

What was it about him, a guide estranged from his family and lacking any foundation, that made the council so fixated on capturing him, to the extent that they'd forsake the master of a first-class great family just to ensnare him?

Was it merely the fear of him disrupting the controlled status quo of guides as resources?

Or were there deeper reasons?

As they emerged from underground, Lin Fu's gaze was downcast, suddenly rifling through the scattered memories that belonged to the original "Lin Fu."

Before his arrival, someone had painstakingly poisoned Lin Fu, who was then just a child who understood nothing.

There were far too many ways to doom a child; the more complex the method, the more suspicious it appeared.

Perhaps, there was not only a need to revisit the Lin family but also to visit the Luo family, the birth family of this body.

The guard escorted them back to the surface, nodding slightly, "I hope both officers will not disclose anything seen today to anyone, including those you trust and hold dear."

Lin Fu replied, "Don't worry, we understand the gravity of the situation."

The guard's gaze lingered on Lin Fu, circling around him, standing still without leaving.

Lin Fu's gaze drifted past him, settling on the space behind him.

On the empty plaza near the entrance, a watchtower stood, from where the distant sounds of training drills echoed.

There was no one around.

"If there's anything you wish to tell, speak freely. You should know the situation with him in the Imperial Capital Star better than we do ourselves."

His eyes were pensive, his demeanor displaying a calm and steadiness uncharacteristic of his age, compelling an unconscious trust in his every word.

The guard extended his hand, "The general has tasked me with assessing whether you're qualified. I can't tell, but I'm willing to take a chance."

After speaking, his stern face softened, the corners of his mouth tugging in a subtle smile, like that of someone unaccustomed to smiling, "The information contains much about your interactions with Major General Cheng Jiu. You seem to have a good relationship with him."

Lin Fu was surprised that he brought up Cheng Jiu, "Because I get along well with Cheng Jiu, you trust his judgment?"

The guard shook his head, "You and Cheng Su... share a resemblance."

Lin Fu took the item handed to him, pausing at the guard's words.

Cheng Su...?

The guard spoke no more, nodded to Albert, and strode away to report back.

Lin Fu looked down to find a folded slip of paper pushed into his hand.

It was about two fingers wide.

Pinching it between his index finger and thumb, he began to unfold it, but Albert pressed down on his hand, "Go to your room, read it alone, and tell no one, not even me."

Lin Fu's eyelashes quivered, and before he could respond, Albert was already smiling, as if the person just now wasn't him, "Let's go. Hurry back and pack up. The other recruits have already officially entered the battlefield. If we don't follow soon, we might fall behind!"

Lin Fu clenched the note, and when his curled fingers finally relaxed, the slip lay securely in his storage device.

The trio was assigned to an asteroid designated TG429.

As a frontline target of the Bug race's assaults, many asteroids were uninhabited, these types of celestial bodies lacking formal names, identified only by their codes.

T-coded planets, located in the rearward zones, were much more stable compared to those on the front lines, not subject to the frontline pressures or the imminent threat of Bug swarms.

Their daily, indispensable task was to clear the pests.

——A destination only frequented by new recruits: a numbered planet.

When they reached asteroid TG429, it was night.

The environment of the asteroid was ravaged by insectoids year-round, with most areas outside the military base deserted and barren, with scarcely any vegetation.

Clumps of anxious, brownish-red grass poked through the ground, growing stubbornly and swaying gently in the breeze.

The dome of the dark sky was lit by magnificent lights, flowing and shifting, reminiscent of the aurora pictures Lin Fu had seen in his original world.

Its beauty was so extreme and varied, it defied description.

Standing beneath the spacecraft, he looked up at such a night sky, unable to shift his gaze for a moment.

"Beautiful, isn't it? Such a lovely view is the most common sight on this planet. The most beautiful isn't these ion lights, but the unpredictable 'Rose Rain' that appears each month."

The officer in charge of escorting the four newcomers looked up with Lin Fu.

Lin Fu asked curiously, "What is 'Rose Rain'?"

"It's a type of ion light. When it erupts, large clusters of red light unfurl like roses in bloom, slowly opening from the bud. When the stable state is disrupted, the rose explodes, and clusters of red light spread across the night sky like petals. At that time, the whole planet is bathed in red."

The scene he described was indeed beautiful, almost unimaginably magnificent.

"It's a pity," he sighed, "such a beautiful sight, and only we get to see it. If it weren't for the insectoid invasion, this place would surely develop into the Empire's most famous tourist planet."

Chong Si chuckled and scratched the back of his head: "There will come a day, right? Just drive out the insectoids."

*

Imperial Capital Star, the Palace.

Instead of receiving any news, they were informed of signs of battle detected near the Fourth Army.

The Emperor's expression was as dark as the depths of a lake, and the disarray around him symbolized the outpouring of his rage.

The Crown Prince knocked and entered upon permission.

Seeing the mess without surprise, he smiled and asked, "Father, what has caused such great anger?"

The Emperor, of course, couldn't divulge the failed attempt on Lin Fu's life, and with an impassive glance, he inquired, "What brings you here?"

Simon Constans spoke up, "Your Majesty, I wish to request reassignment to the Second Army for training. After all, with Lin Fu no longer on the Imperial Capital Star, it seems unfitting for me to continue residing comfortably in the palace."

The Emperor lifted his eyelids, his gaze firmly fixed on Simon for a few seconds before he responded indifferently, "Go ahead."

Simon Constans bowed deeply, smiling as he retreated from the palace.

This chess piece was indeed proving quite useful.

……

The reactions in the council weren't much better than in the palace; the thought of losing more than they attempted to steal nearly drove everyone to madness.

But for the time being, at least until Lin Fu left the Fourth Army, they had no other means to interfere.

But perhaps this was for the best.

They didn't believe a mere guide could survive long on the battlefield.

The brutality there was incomparable to any arena, where countless battle-hardened generals had fallen. A guide, no matter how talented, was only just that.

As for the Harvey family, it was hard to say whether the child was clever or foolish.

By choosing the Fourth Legion, they had removed themselves from our reach.

Similarly, far from the Imperial Capital Star, if any mishap befell the Harvey family, he, the distant water, could never quench the nearby fire.

*

Amidst the swirling undercurrents, the four on TG429 asteroid settled into a life of extreme regularity.

This planet, used for the training of new recruits, was commanded by a Colonel at its highest military post.

The ranks of Lin Fu and Albert, both Captains, suddenly seemed elevated.

The new recruits maintained a certain distance from the four, showing a measure of restraint even when on missions together.

This planet remained enshrouded in night for three-quarters of the year.

Yet under the veil of ionizing light, one did not feel engulfed in darkness.

They departed their base as a group, venturing into the wilderness to commence this month's pest clearance mission.

Amidst the flickering flames, some rested their heads upon stones to sleep, while others whispered in hushed conversations.

Deprived of the stellar network coverage outside the base, those accustomed to the constant flow of information fiddled idly with their fingernails out of boredom.

Zhou Si lowered his voice, confiding to Albert, "Are they ostracizing us? We've been here over a month and they still hardly engage with us."

Albert rolled his eyes, "With the difference in rank, it'd be strange if they accepted us immediately."

Zhou Si pondered for half a second, then nudged Tang Qian's shin with his foot, "You're of the same rank as them, why don't you help us infiltrate their circle?"

Caught off guard, Tang Qian's face contorted from the kick, and he leaped up, ready to teach Zhou Si a lesson.

In a flurry, Zhou Si retreated behind Albert and edged closer to Lin Fu, making Tang Qian hesitate.

Tang Qian: "..."

Albert plucked Zhou Si from behind him and scooted on his bottom to Lin Fu's side, his face full of distaste.

Zhou Si: "..."

Lin Fu, arms crossed and chin propped on a hand, not only didn't intervene but watched them with evident interest, eyebrows raised, almost as if encouraging them to fight.

Both men instantly deflated and sat back down cross-legged.

Catching a glimpse of a small black bug, no bigger than a fingernail, scurrying by, Lin Fu picked up a pebble and flicked it at the insect.

The commotion here was significant, drawing the attention of many ever since Tang Qian had jumped up.

The recruits huddled together, murmuring, "Is that the guide from the Artemis Military Academy?"

"He's the only guide at the academy, isn't he? Why would he choose the hardships of the front line over being a guide? Can't fathom his reasoning; if it were me, I'd marry off and be doted upon. Wouldn’t that be much better?"

"Shush, haven't you seen his matches? He could knock out two of you with a single punch. Better zip it before he hears you!"

"I don't buy it. Who knows if those live broadcasts are rigged? He's just a guide; I bet he's riding on the coattails of those three Sentinels to have his Captain rank."

"Tch, you talk nonsense. Are you from some backwater planet? Accusing the frontier contests of being rigged, shame on you."

"What's wrong with remote stars? If it's not rigged, then explain how it is."

"Exactly!"

"Ignore them."

Lin Fu glanced up at them.

The group, upon meeting Lin Fu's gaze, hastily bowed their heads, falling silent, not daring to utter another word.

Zhou Si, who was initially in high spirits, frowned, "They..."

Lin Fu hushed him, "Shh!"

The trio instantly looked up at him, "What's wrong?"

Lin Fu's eyes shifted towards the distance, "The insectoids are coming."

Their faces changed, about to rise, but Lin Fu pressed them down, "Don't interfere. They are of low level; let the others handle it."

Without the presence of high-level insectoids, there was almost no need for the four of them to take action.

Previously, with individual quotas to fill, they fought without hesitation, sharing nearly half the burden amongst themselves.

Now, it seemed, perhaps it wasn't necessary.

Zhou Si, growing restless, considered notifying the others in advance.

Lin Fu, twirling a blade of grass, prodded a pebble on the ground, "The highest level is just four."

Zhou Si instantly relaxed.

Level four, such trivial pests, he could slay a swath with a single slash.

The other two, however, knew it wouldn't be that simple.

Their prowess was distinguished even in the Artemis Military Academy, let alone compared to these people.

Amongst them, quite a few had never killed a single insectoid before arriving at the Fourth Army.

The overwhelming tide of insects, even with the highest level being only four, could still pose significant trouble for them.

Not to mention, the numerical superiority of the insect race was their most lethal advantage.

The crowd maintained silence for several minutes.

Sensing that the awkward atmosphere had dissipated, they gradually resumed their whispered conversations.

Lin Fu bowed his head to activate his light-brain, called up the information panel, and began reviewing the materials he had previously downloaded.

The remaining three followed suit, each attending to their own matters.

"Rustle, rustle..."

The sound of the wind howled low.

A puzzled voice from the edge of the crowd inquired, "Did you hear something?"

The person asked responded with a puzzled, "?"

"Probably not, everyone else is quiet. Don't let your imagination run wild."

Having said this, he looked towards Lin Fu and his group not far ahead, adding to affirm his own credibility, "Look at them, there are two S-class sentinels among them. If they haven't noticed anything amiss, what's there for you to fear?"

"Oh..."

The presence of Lin Fu and his group was like a stabilizing anchor; everyone felt that with the four of them around, nothing untoward would happen.

But doubts that had taken root in the heart weren't so easily dispelled.

The number of people who heard such noises gradually increased.

Time, in their perception, seemed to stretch out a hundredfold, with each second unbearably long.

"Rustle, rustle..."

Someone swallowed their saliva and asked, "Did you hear that?"

"It seems like..."

"Insects! The insect race is coming!"

Screams shattered the frozen air.

Some panicked and dodged, others drew their weapons, vigilantly watching the insect race emerging into their field of vision.

Still others looked towards Lin Fu and his group, attempting to take cover behind them.

To their disbelief, the four merely observed the ever-increasing swarm of insects with indifference, showing no intention of attacking. Instead, they stood up and began to retreat in another direction.

Were they actually planning not to engage, leaving them to fend for themselves?

"Cowards! Scoundrels!"

"Stop talking... there are so many, and more keep coming!"

"Act now! Kill them, you fools!!"

"Help!! Someone save me!! Ahh!! Get away, get away!!"

"Where are the mechas! Deploy your mechas!"

"We didn't bring them! Mech usage is prohibited within a hundred kilometers of pest-clearing missions!"

As if to further incite their rage, a mecha suddenly appeared behind them, crouching on the ground, just as the roar had not yet subsided.

Without logging in, the four stood on the shoulders of the colossal machine, looking down at them, watching them cry in terror and pain from the insect race.

Zhong Si casually draped an arm around the mecha's neck, legs dangling, swinging back and forth, staring incredulously at the chaos below: "The highest level is only four. If I remember correctly, the minimum military enlistment level is C, and there are quite a few B-levels here. They should have more than enough to deal with this small-scale insect disorder."

Such chaos was beyond his belief, something he had never seen at the Artemis Military Academy.

Even in the Wild Planet competition, those from minor military academies, when facing higher-level insect species, had never panicked like these people.

They were more filled with despair, yet in their despair, they still remembered to raise their weapons and fight the insect race, instead of screaming and throwing their ranks into chaos, sitting ducks.

Tang Qian quietly observed them and said, "You forgot, the military academies that participate in the Wild Planet competition have a threshold."

Zhong Si fell silent, at a loss for words.

The disparities of the world are vast.

Lin Fu remained silent.

The chaos below reminded him of the war-torn zones in his own world, where people were forced to take up arms in self-defense.

Initially, their plight was even more wretched.

Those who survived were almost unrecognizably transformed.

He pressed his lips together, waiting for those below to undergo their first growth.

The battle lasted four hours.

The four above never descended.

The growth rate of the people on the battlefield was inconceivably rapid; four hours was enough for a complete metamorphosis.

As the insect tide receded, all those on the ground collapsed, unmindful of the stench of blood plasma and insect limbs, their breaths of survival after the ordeal mingling with the wind, drifting across the wilderness.

Albert turned his head and noticed some grass clippings on Lin Fu’s back, reaching out to brush them off, then climbing onto his shoulder: "Are we going down now? We're going to get an earful later."

He spoke with a smile, unafraid of the scolding, his platinum hair standing out in the green ionized light.

Zhong Si sneered: "Not going down? A scolding is nothing compared to a good fight."

Lin Fu chuckled: "You'd have to be able to fight back for that, and they're not stupid."

Zhong Si smacked his lips: "And this isn't stupid?"

Albert chuckled: "Down you go!"

With that, he suddenly pushed Lin Fu down, kicking the other two down as well.

The three cursed softly as they fell.

They grabbed the mecha to slow their descent, tumbling several times before landing.

The moment Lin Fu landed, he retracted the mecha, causing Albert, the last to jump, to lose his foothold and fall face-first into the dirt.

Zhong Si got up, about to mock Albert’s landing posture, when he suddenly pointed at Lin Fu’s hand: "How did you get that cut?"

Blood dripped from Lin Fu’s fingertips.

He glanced at his hand, feeling no pain at all. If Zhong Si hadn’t mentioned it, he wouldn’t have noticed the injury.

Wiping away the blood, he said indifferently, "Just a scratch, no big deal. Let's go."

……

The actions of Lin Fu and his group were reported to the higher-ups at the base by those who were dissatisfied.

The four were summoned for questioning and released after half an hour, without facing any penalties.

The new recruits, fuming, wanted to storm into the central area for an explanation but were held back.

Soon, they understood why.

The four were removed from the ranks of new recruits and joined the old soldiers in a squad stationed two hundred kilometers away in an uninhabited area for pest extermination.

All complaints vanished without a trace.

In the uninhabited area beyond two hundred kilometers, the density of insectoids far exceeded that of the inner regions, including a large number of high-level insectoids.

They were unclear whether this was a punishment or a form of disdain for their abilities.

While they were indignant about not being protected, the others chose to leave the area for more perilous zones and dangerous missions.

*

Training was an exceedingly lengthy affair.

Day after day, they roamed around the base, exterminating pests, returning for shifts and rest, then repeating the cycle.

At some point, Lin Fu’s reputation began to spread around the station.

It started among a small group of veterans.

During a pest extermination mission, they unexpectedly encountered a level eight insectoid, a rank that usually required an officer to handle.

On their planet, which was more towards the interior regions, the appearance of insectoids of this level was rare.

But this time, not one but two level eights appeared, accompanied by three level sevens.

The seventh-tier insectoids consisted of three Crawlers, while the two eighth-tier creatures were a Tibia Pupa and a Rainbow Sucker respectively.

Albert's expression immediately darkened at the sight of the Crawler.

His mind was flooded with overwhelmingly unpleasant memories from his time on the barren planet.

Piloting his mech, he didn't wait for the squad leader to order a retreat; he charged forward to meet the challenge.

His movements were lightning-fast, and the golden mech shimmered with a kaleidoscope of colors in the aurora light. He grabbed a Crawler, plunging his dual blades into its most vulnerable spot.

His skill in dispatching Crawlers was alarmingly proficient.

The intense pain caused the Crawler to shriek and thrash violently.

Albert gripped his blades tightly, slicing along the Crawler's neck rings, causing thick green blood to instantly flood the ground.

The golden-maned lion bared its teeth fiercely, following its master in clamping onto the insectoid. Unfazed by the enemy's contorted attacks, psychic assaults were futile against it, even serving as its sustenance.

They were so swift that the squad leader, who was prepared for a retreat, was stunned, before gritting his teeth and commanding, "Groups of five!"

Lin Fu's gaze fixated on Albert's movements, his pupils constricting.

He had harbored doubts about Albert's rapid ascent during the Wildstar Tournament, and now he seemed to have glimpsed a clue.

Could humans assimilate the psychic power of insectoids?

Enraged by their comrades' tragic fates, several higher-tier insectoids began to go berserk. Lin Fu, wielding his Tang sword, confronted the Tibia Pupa while instructing the system to keep an eye on Albert's condition.

The Tibia Pupa was a lower-tier species among the eighth-tier insectoids.

Its brownish-grey appearance closely resembled a cicada's pupa, providing sturdy protection. Its back was adorned with bone-like grey patterns that secreted a highly corrosive liquid.

Before Lin Fu could approach, it sensed his intent and directed a sharp, cold psychic assault at him, like spikes hurtling towards their target.

Lin Fu, lacking a psychic body, had to split his focus during combat to control his psychic power, forming a shield around himself.

The psychic power formed a thin barrier, offering indiscriminate protection against both mental attacks targeting the sea of consciousness and the corrosive venom secreted by the bone patterns, leaving him unharmed.

Lin Fu's Tang sword sheared off several of the Tibia Pupa's leg joints, only to be knocked over with a kick.

The sword's tip gleamed with a cold, sharp light. With a soft thud, it pierced the Tibia Pupa's abdomen, from which green blood spurted out like a fountain, drenching the ground.

The Tibia Pupa struggled futilely, its leg joints flailing uselessly in the air, unable to break free from its shackles or escape the blade, helplessly feeling its life force ebbing away.

Higher-tier insectoids possessed their own psychic powers and thoughts, especially at the eighth level; they had clear emotions and thoughts of their own, no longer driven solely by biological instincts.

However, the more sentient they became, the more agonizing their deaths.

Confirming the Tibia Pupa's demise, Lin Fu withdrew his Tang sword.

Zhong Si and Tang Qian each faced off against one.

Albert, having dispatched the Crawler, turned to assist Tang Qian against the Rainbow Sucker.

The squad leader's actions froze for a second or two upon realizing Lin Fu had also single-handedly slain a higher-tier insectoid, and an eighth-tier one at that.

What was initially thought to be a dire situation requiring retreat almost reversed in a mere ten minutes.

The Crawler, held back by the others, was also nearing the brink of death.

Lin Fu was the first to aid in dispatching the Crawler detained by the crowd, and the thick green blood splattered around as he withdrew his Tang sword, covering the mechs that had pinned the Crawler down.

With the consecutive deaths of three higher-tier insectoids, the lower-tier ones were deterred by the thick scent of blood, their attack rhythm disrupted, hesitating to advance.

When the Rainbow Sucker was slain, the lower-tier insectoids were thoroughly convinced of their inevitable defeat and began to flee.

The insect swarm, dense as a tidal wave rushing in, now retreated just as rapidly, leaving all the veterans in stunned silence.

They had only ever known battles ending with the extermination of all insectoids and had never imagined a day when they would see insectoids frightened into fleeing.

This was a first.

After exchanging teams and returning to the base, the veterans of the squad shared this incident with their friends, yet not a single one believed them.

Most remained skeptical, thinking they had exaggerated the story.

Some, even more cynical, suspected they were currying favor with the powerful, simply flattering their superiors.

Seeing that they could not convince their peers, the squad members could only give up.

……

The further expansion occurred after they had spent half a year on planet TG429.

The top performers among the new recruits could proceed to the front lines to combat the insectoid threat.

Superiority was determined by the cumulative count of insectoids slain.

The exchange of forces took place once a year, unless a significant gap emerged on the front lines.

Evidently, no such gap had arisen during this half-year period.

However, the four believed that a prolonged stay on this minor planet wouldn't serve their development, so they formed a group and ventured into the uncharted zones. Two months later, they returned, with only a handful of higher-tier insectoids slain in those zones.

They brought back the bodies of the insectoids, tossing them casually at the defense line two hundred meters away from the base, arranging them in a circle.

For many who ventured into the uncharted zones and returned to find the unexpected addition of high-tier insectoid corpses, stacked like a small hill standing in the wilderness, the sight was profoundly shocking and impactful.

Even the most skeptical now had to believe.

The commander was obliged to report to the higher-ups, requesting a reassignment and for someone to come and take these four away.

When the other party received the communication and heard the names of Lin Fu and his comrades, they seemed unsurprised, even somewhat resigned to the inevitability.

Three days later, the aircraft arrived to retrieve them.

Thus, the four left planet TG429, where they had lived for half a year, officially heading to the front lines, leaving behind a trail of legends.

*

"Major General, the Admiral requests your presence."

Jing Cun stood solemnly outside the door, his head bowed.

Seven or eight officers stood behind him, their shoulder insignias indicating ranks no lower than that of a captain.

Their eyes conveyed sincere sorrow.

Half an hour later, Cheng Jiu emerged from the door.

His military cap removed, cradled in the crook of his arm, with a barely perceptible reddening at the corners of his eyes and a somber air about him.

The heads at the doorway bowed even lower, caps held in their arms, they snapped to attention, heels together, and saluted: "Salute!"

A great commander has passed away.

Cheng Jiu exhaled slowly, speaking softly, "Announce it on the universal net, notify the Council and the Royal House. The entire upper echelon of the Ninth Army shall issue a statement of mourning, and a veil of grey shall drape our official website. Jing Cun, summon Colonel Qi to the meeting room."

"Yes."

"Yes." Voices around them echoed in unison.

The groundwork for Cheng Jiu's ascension to the leadership of the Ninth Army had been laid long enough; no one would question his commands.

Two years prior, when the commander had fallen gravely ill, Cheng Jiu had already taken over all the affairs of the Ninth Army.

However, these were internal matters. External parties, such as the Council and the major families, were keen on seizing this opportunity to strike at the Ninth Army.

……

Lin Fu returned from the frontline planet to the primary star under the jurisdiction of the Fourth Army.

He returned alone; Albert and the other two remained at the frontline.

Upon disembarking the military vessel, he was met by officers waiting to receive him, the commander's personal guards.

Upon seeing him, the guard saluted, "Major Lin."

Lin Fu nodded in acknowledgement, "Putian Zhongwei, what’s the situation?"

Putian, ever a man of few words, escorted Lin Fu back to the central district before speaking softly, "The admiral is waiting for you. I think there's a lot he needs to discuss with you."

He paused, then added, "The facade that the Fourth Army presents to the outside world, the mix of truth and falsehood, you’ll come to understand."

It was strikingly similar to the interrogation room he had seen underground back then.

Lin Fu tentatively released his mental energy, discovering not only a barrier to signals but also an obstruction to his psychic energy.

After more than a year of battling on the front lines, his psychic energy was far beyond what it had been upon his initial arrival at the Fourth Army.

Even without considering his psychic energy, his physique was robust enough to rival that of an A+ level sentinel.

The system chimed in: [Host, the situation here is reminiscent of the underground caverns you encountered on the barren planet. Not only is it impenetrable to signals and psychic energy, but many instruments would even fail to operate here. Spatial technology is completely unusable.]

Astonishment thickened in Lin Fu's eyes.

Who could have imagined that within the supposedly declining Fourth Army, such technology was hidden?

As he followed Putian Xiangri inside, passing through a series of verifications, an aged voice suddenly inquired by his ear, "Quite astonished, aren't you?"

Lin Fu's pupils constricted sharply, his gaze darting upwards in search of the source of the voice.

The other party chuckled, then coughed weakly twice before saying, "Stop looking. Two more steps forward, follow Xiangri in, and you will see me."

Putian Xiangri completed the final verification and pulled open the door: "Major Lin, please come in."

Lin Fu stepped forward, and as he crossed the threshold, an elderly man abruptly appeared before his eyes.

The appearance was so sudden, seemingly a virtual 3D projection. Yet, it was so lifelike that it made one doubt it was merely a projection and rather a living person standing there.

The old man's hair was peppered with white, his stature not bent but remarkably upright. He wore dark green military attire, adorned with various medals of military merit, and the insignia on his shoulders proclaimed his identity.

——The Fourth Legion's general, Dempsey Ped, long declared dead in official records.

The declaration of his death was so long ago that Lin Fu felt a sense of unreality.

Even though he was aware that the Fourth Army harbored secrets and a coordinating general, he never expected it to be this man.

Half of the Fourth Army's glorious achievements were under General Dempsey's command, cementing his unsurpassable status in the Empire's military realm.

No military academy would dare remove "Dempsey Ped" from their textbooks.

Since his arrival in the Fourth Legion, he had heard much about the general's exploits.

And now, such a legendary figure was standing right before him.

Dempsey was amused by his astonished expression, remarking, "Don't be too surprised. By conventional standards, I am indeed dead."

Lin Fu furrowed his brows.

In other words, not judged by conventional means, he was still alive.

Puzzlement surfaced, filling him with various uncertainties.

Soon, he suppressed these emotions.

No matter the judgment, he had no reason to be overly surprised by anything in this world.

After all, he himself was the most inconceivable example.

His emotions receded too swiftly, causing Dempsey a slight surprise.

His smile grew warmer, continuing the previous conversation, "When I first encountered such technology, my astonishment far surpassed yours."

Lin Fu inquired, "Are you implying that this is related to Cheng Su?"

Dempsey looked at him, the astonishment in his eyes intensifying.

Lin Fu explained, "Lieutenant Putian mentioned that name. I presume it wasn't brought up casually."

Of course, he had more clues.

For instance, when he encountered such technology on the desolate planet, the storage device given to him by Cheng Jiu remained unrestricted.

And since Cheng Jiu and Cheng Su were related, it was hard not to connect the dots.

Dempsey commended, "Indeed, I haven't misjudged you."

He adopted a reminiscent expression, "Cheng Su, truly a genius. I have never met anyone smarter than her."

"When she first came to me with some trinkets, claiming she wanted to enlist, I thought she was joking. But in less than a month, she made me realize the limits of my understanding. If she hadn't died, who knows what heights she might have reached by now…"

Lin Fu waited quietly as Dempsey reminisced. Seeing that he was willing to continue the conversation, he asked, "Are you here now because of Cheng Su's technology?"

Dempsey nodded, "Yes, but don't get your hopes up. I'm about to disappear."

Cheng Su was indeed a genius. She lived only a few short decades, yet achieved what no one has surpassed to this day.

Dempsey had died many years ago, but by relying on Cheng Su's technology to preserve his spirit, he managed to converse with Lin Fu today, ensuring the Fourth Army wasn't dismembered by the council.

Contrary to the widespread belief that she died in a mecha explosion, her true cause of death was due to her own family.

She aspired to join the battlefield, to be an exceptional guide, not confined to a singular societal role forever, hoping to create a broader world for guides.

She developed various technologies, dedicated to transforming mechas, allowing guides with strong and stable psychic powers to pilot combat mechas into battle.

She succeeded and subsequently sought collaboration with the Fourth Army.

Yet, she also failed, embarking on a mecha sabotaged by her own family, perishing in the wormhole on the road to success.

Thereafter, she became a cautionary tale for guides, confining countless of them to an even narrower space.

Through Dempsey's narratives, Lin Fu gradually pieced together the portrait of a genius, yet tragically naive character.

Dempsey, looking at Lin Fu, said, "You are the second guide, aside from Cheng Su, who has truly surprised me. You resemble her in many ways, but you lack her naivety." He smiled, "Naivety can be good, but it's the last thing a pioneer should possess. Cheng Su failed because of it. You lack it, and that's why you'll succeed."

Lin Fu opened his mouth, wanting to say that this notion was absurd.

Absolute certainties don't exist in the world; even he wasn't sure of his own success. He simply hoped to follow his own path, unshackled, nothing more.

But he couldn't bring himself to speak.

Perhaps it was Cheng Su's naive yet noble aspirations, or perhaps Dempsey's hopeful gaze that rendered him speechless.

Dempsey said, "I know you want to argue. You lack Cheng Su's naivety, so you're aware of the difficulties this path holds. I sought you out to lessen those difficulties for you."

The elderly man stood there, his being steeped in centuries of light and blood, having experienced the pinnacle of glory. Yet, at that moment, he seemed merely an elder, smiling with kindness and tolerance at a younger generation.

"You're out of sync with this world, and you don't want to give up on yourself to merge with it."

Lin Fu's heart seized, then rapidly accelerated, each beat drumming against his eardrums, reverberating through his mind.

This was the first time someone had recognized he didn't belong to this world.