Chapter 65: Operation

Chapter 65: Operation

Ma Biao's face turned pale.

At first, he didn’t believe it and went down to the basement to see for himself.

He found the secret door dismantled and his little pet 'dismembered.' Fuming, he stormed back up to confront Xu Qingran, only to find him gone.

Ma Biao angrily demanded, "Where is he?!"

Sun Hongbing and the others cowered, pointing at the open door with trembling voices, "He... he took the train and left."

A new train was just arriving at the station.

Ma Biao ran out of the lounge, only to hear the distant sound of the train's horn. It was already too late to catch up.

He clenched his fists so hard his arm muscles bulged.

...That punk, if I ever see him again, I'll make sure he's crawling on the ground!!

Raindrops pattered against the train window, one by one.

The car was nearly empty. Xu Qingran leaned an arm on the back of the seat, gazing out at the passing scenery.

The system asked him, 「Host, why did you run? Were you scared you couldn’t take on Ma Biao?」

"Are you kidding me?" Xu Qingran retorted.

Feeling drowsy after eating, his tone was lazy, "I'm not the type to pick fights with just anyone."

Ma Biao was actually pretty civil with him today. Although they shouldn’t have teased him about that tentacle monster, he did kill and eat something Ma Biao had raised, so they're even. For now, there wasn’t much bad blood between him and Ma Biao.

Besides, Ma Biao is currently the head of Districts 1-9 in the South City, and it's rumored he has ties with the rebel forces in the North City—

Instead of making an enemy out of him, Xu Qingran preferred to harness that 'brute force' for his own use.

The system sort of got it, 「But he turned down your help today. What if he really sticks to his guns?」

Xu Qingran adjusted his sitting position, closing his eyes for a nap, "Then let him. I've got nothing to lose."

The Tianlong system is really short on resources.

Rushing in won’t win the war.

·

Xu Qingran hopped on the train, switching lines a few times, and finally made it back to District 12 after over a day.

Though Lin Xuan wasn’t exactly cooperating with him, under Lin Ya's persuasion, he didn’t stop Xu Qingran from moving around the camp. Lin Xuan himself didn’t want to cause too much of a stir, so he temporarily held back from publicly revealing Xu Qingran's identity.

Thus, Xu Qingran spent this time casually exploring.

Lin Xuan and the people in District 12 had been very busy recently.

After learning more, Xu Qingran found out that they had been preparing for months to bomb the nearby disaster-stricken District 10. This included the armored vehicles and artillery they had assembled using recycled old weapons, vehicles, and metal plates, all for a major operation in District 10.

District 10 is the smallest of the four major disaster-stricken areas.

After years of clearing, they finally discovered what is suspected to be the largest Type I mother body in the district and had been observing and probing it for over a year.

Lin Ya said, "The people responsible for overseeing the source crystal screening are my brother and a few of his close comrades. They have been exchanging information about the source crystal detection of the mother body and, after sharing, have temporarily locked down its source crystal information."

In a world where psychic abilities are wielded, the special 'information' captured through these abilities can be exchanged among individuals.

For example, source crystal information.

The detection of source crystals in large alien species is like information scanning for lower-tier psychics.

The initial feedback received after releasing a psychic wave is like severe astigmatism, where one can only see countless energy lights on the target. It requires repeated scanning to gradually filter out the target's energy interference, revealing the energy veins within its body more clearly, and then identifying the 'source crystal' that differs from other energy points for tracking.

Simultaneously, the psychic wave scanning consumed on large, high-tier alien species is very draining on psychic energy.

Xu Qingran once heard from Shen Tingyu during a conversation that even he, as an E-type, could only release a maximum of ten detection waves a day when probing the I-class in Red City's South 13 District.

Even so, with his psychic pool nearly full, it would consume more than half of his psychic energy.

Therefore, the operation to clear the largest mother body in a major district is quite time-consuming.

"Could you show me the source crystal information you've detected?" Xu Qingran asked Lin Ya.

Lin Ya, who still held great respect for this colonel, readily agreed and led him directly to their battalion's research facility.

"Deputy Lin Ya," Lin Ya was Lin Xuan's capable assistant, and everyone in the battalion addressed her as such.

The people in the research facility were seeing Xu Qingran for the first time and couldn't help but glance at him repeatedly.

Lin Ya brought him to the system storing the relevant information and pointed to a metal plate on the desk: "Place your palm here to access the information my brother and his team uploaded."

The higher the psychic pool tier, the more sensitive one is to the information obtained through psychic abilities.

For instance, double S-tier psychics can detect the source crystal information of mid to high-tier I-class demons, while triple S-tier psychics can detect even higher tiers. On the battlefield, such tiers are rare, and more often, the coordination of various squad members and their leaders is essential.

Thus, commanders who can detect higher-tier aliens can disseminate the information they've detected with them.

This allows squad leaders who cannot detect source crystals of targets higher than their own tier to obtain the target's source crystal information. They can then direct their team members to attack surrounding smaller targets, achieving efficient clearance.

This is generally the same as in other galactic corps, where, apart from the most troublesome big target in a major district, other smaller targets can be sensed for source crystals once the command disseminates the information.

Lin Ya knew that Xu Qingran had just graduated and wasn't very knowledgeable, so she pointed to the military-grade wristband on her left hand: "On the field, we rely on such equipment for information exchange and communication."

Xu Qingran took mental note of this and then asked her, "What is Lin Xuan's psychic pool tier?"

Lin Ya proudly said, "Hehe, though it might sound like I'm bragging about my brother, he, like you, is a double S-tier psychic!"

"And he's the only double S-tier psychic in our South City!"

Though Lin Xuan isn't at the top of the double S-tier group, he is one of the best in the Tianlong system.

It's said that the military academies of other galaxies in the Silver Dragon Battalion had once offered him opportunities, but he declined.

Xu Qingran placed his palm on the metal plate with a handprint, and in about five minutes, he successfully shared the source crystal scan data uploaded by Lin Xuan.

Such information exchange presented no 'reading' difficulty for him, being of the same psychic pool tier.

The detection progress was indeed around 95%.

Xu Qingran even grasped the essence of the source crystal aura emanating from that mother body. If he could go to the scene, he might be able to continue the detection and perhaps quickly capture the movement of that source crystal.

Xu Qingran thanked Lin Ya and left the research facility with her.

Lin Ya sighed with regret, "Actually, if possible, I really wish Young Master Xu could join us in this cleanup operation. It would definitely make things a lot easier."

Unfortunately, Lin Xuan's attitude was very firm. He even said that if Xu Qingran insisted on getting involved, he would publicly reveal his colonel status, letting everyone in Upper South Continent know. Those who had been stood up by him would surely come seeking revenge immediately.

Xu Qingran smiled, "It's fine."

"After all, if we fail in the end, your brother will still have to come to me."

Lin Ya: "..."

Typical Young Master Xu, always so confident.

During the days Xu Qingran spent blending into the 12th District military camp as a new recruit, the people in the camp would take him to patrol within the 12th and 13th Districts or join cleanup operations in surrounding areas, all under the pretext of giving him experience and training.

Every time, they dragged him along with the mindset of training a new recruit, only to return in shock.

As dawn broke, the squad that had gone to the 11th District for routine cleanup returned to the camp in an off-road vehicle.

Lin Xuan happened to be nearby, inventorying weapons to be distributed the day after. Hearing the commotion, he turned and saw a group of excited people running towards him.

They excitedly said, "Brother Lin, where did you find this new guy? He's really something!"

"Not only can he detect the source crystal of a Class I mother body, but he also does it in a very short time. Many of those small mother bodies only require two or three detections for him to lock onto them! One shot, one kill, it's incredible!"

"Yes, yes, Lieutenant Colonel, I think this guy has some talent! Maybe his spiritual pool level is on par with yours!"

A soldier who had observed for several nights and now greatly admired Xu Qingran hesitantly asked, "What if we make an exception and bring him to the big battle in the 10th District?"

According to the rules, new recruits who have been in the camp for less than a month can only start from the bottom, doing miscellaneous tasks.

The main purpose is to observe their attitude and ensure they are not here to cause trouble.

Lin Xuan looked at his subordinates, who seemed like they had been duped and were still cheering for the conman, and firmly said, "No exceptions for anyone!"

He glanced at Xu Qingran, who had just gotten off the vehicle and was walking slowly, still some distance away, and said irritably to the group in front of him, "Don't judge a book by its cover. How long has he been here, and you're already praising him?"

"Don't forget he's from a prosperous star system, inherently arrogant." Lin Xuan slandered, "You want to work with him, but he might not even want to, and might secretly look down on us!"

The few who had gone out with Xu Qingran scratched their heads, "Really? We thought he was quite nice."

"Yeah, Xiao Chen has always been sad because his spiritual pool level is only C, far below the official recommended level for joining the army. But Brother Xu didn't look down on him like other outsiders. Instead, he patiently spent a night teaching him how to maximize his contribution with minimal effort!"

"Yes, yes, Brother Lin, whenever we struggled or didn't know what to do, he would step in and help us out!"

"He's so experienced, doesn't seem like a newbie at all!"

"Is this how people from prosperous star systems are? Even their cast-offs are this strong, imagine how powerful the best ones must be!"

"Ah, it's a pity they're not willing to send support to us..."

Lin Xuan couldn't stand them praising Xu Qingran, feeling that things were not going well and that he might be proven wrong in the future.

He said, "Come on, it's only been a few days and you're already praising a newbie with less experience than you like he's the greatest thing ever. Can't you show some pride?"

Just as he finished speaking, Xu Qingran, with a faint smile in his eyes, arrived in front of him.

Lin Xuan looked at the faint smile in Xu Qingran's eyes, feeling his teeth itch with irritation, and barked an order, "Newbie, you're staying in for the next couple of days."

"I happen to need a helper to organize military equipment. You're coming with me!"

Everyone watched as Lin Xuan took Xu Qingran away, and to do such grunt work at that, leaving them dumbfounded.

As he left, they couldn't help but protest, "Lin, you're just jealous!"

"Jealous that Xu Qingran is younger than you, deliberately targeting him, right?"

It was all in a playful, teasing tone.

So Lin Xuan didn't get too angry, just turned around and shook his fist at them threateningly.

Thus, Xu Qingran was left by Lin Xuan to help him check those psychic guns, armored vehicles, fighter jets, and other equipment.

Xu Qingran was impressed with their resourcefulness: "However, I don't recommend using these guns frequently."

"After all, it concerns psychic energy, so the production and configuration of the guns are very rigorous. These modified ones aren't unusable, but compared to the original, they cause a greater loss of psychic energy to the user."

He tried one and felt that firing it once was equivalent to firing a standard-issue gun four or five times.

This would result in soldiers who could originally sustain combat for four or five hours lasting only about an hour.

Xu Qingran added, "I've also checked the armored vehicles, the engine maintenance is all fine, they can be driven normally."

"But the materials used on them are outdated, and the devil hordes are also evolving and improving, ordinary materials basically can't withstand them."

Lin Xuan lowered his head, touched the mismatched parts of the modified weapon in his hand, and sneered, "Easy for you to say."

"Do you think we don't want to use the best and most standard ones?" Lin Xuan said, turning to glare at him with red eyes, "How long has it been since Silver Dragon properly sent us equipment?!"

"Every year, only a few thousand new weapons are issued to the entire Tianlong sector, some are second-hand, some are even defective!"

"What? If we don't reuse and assemble new ones ourselves, Colonel, are you suggesting we fight bare-handed against the devils?"

Xu Qingran looked straight into his eyes and said, "That's not what I'm saying."

"So, I will help you request from Silver Dragon some new military equipment."

Lin Xuan paused after hearing this, not expecting Xu Qingran to say that.

He felt inexplicably guilty about his earlier outburst, but he still didn't trust these 'colonel' words, snorted, "Don't think that just because you're making promises here, I'll believe you and agree to cooperate with you!"

"Prove you can actually do it before talking!"

Xu Qingran smiled slightly.

See, now he's starting to soften, and there's a chance to talk.

"Anyway, there's no rush, don't you plan to postpone the sweep operation in Zone 10 for a bit?" Xu Qingran asked casually.

After all, in his view, the preparations for the major battle in Zone 12 were insufficient.

But Lin Xuan was adamant, "Enough."

"We've been through this for years, what's the difference? And I've already made it public, all the other districts know that we in the South City are planning something big, suddenly canceling it would just be asking to be called cowards for backing out at the last minute."

"Besides, the reason we're targeting Zone 10 for military action is also because we've noticed signs that they want to invade Zone 13."

The Class I devils, although they look like insects, are also among the more intelligent enemies in the universe. They adapt to changes in climate and environment, observe the strength or weakness of human defenses, and over the years have learned which periods are their weak points, etc.

Then they start to probe, harass, and once they determine the right moment, they attack.

Therefore, whether this operation succeeds or fails, they must send a clear message to the demon horde in Zone 10 to make them wary.

"And who knows when the Silver Dragon Battalion will actually deliver on its promises!"

Xu Qingran didn't stop him further, only saying, "Alright, mostly because I've never seen you in command before, so it's normal for me to feel uneasy."

"?" Lin Xuan felt insulted, his expression angry, "Are you for real, man?"

He laughed angrily, "You think you're hot stuff just because you're from a fancy galaxy, huh? If you don't believe me, why don't you come with us to Zone 10 and see for yourself how I lead the people of South City to victory!"

Xu Qingran smiled with his eyes curved and readily agreed, "Sure, then I'll go with you when the time comes."

Lin Xuan: "…?"

Wait, did he just get played?

Two days flew by in a flash.

On this day, the Zone 12 camp was buzzing with activity.

Early in the morning, war vehicles rolled out one after another from the camp towards Zone 10. The faster fighter jets didn't take off until the afternoon, and nearly every guard in the camp was sent out.

Xu Qingran was still in the same vehicle as Lin Xuan and Lin Ya.

Lin Ya was in high spirits, even sharing snacks with Xu Qingran in the back seat, while Lin Xuan's expression was sour and far from cheerful.

As the sky darkened, all squads were in position in Zone 10.

Lin Xuan and his elite troops also pushed deep into the area where the largest mother entity was located.

As the overall commander of this major battle, he went to the highest abandoned building nearby, standing on the rooftop to keep an eye on everyone's movements and positions. Lin Ya and her squad were on their own mission and didn't accompany Lin Xuan; instead, they drove to the designated combat location.

On the high building, only Lin Xuan and Xu Qingran were present.

Xu Qingran didn't speak, nor did he actively join any of the squads, really just there to 'observe.'

As the last trace of light on the ground disappeared, the red and purple streaks started to come alive again.

In the distance, the sound of gunfire had already begun to echo.

In front of Xu Qingran's gaze, the biggest Type I mother entity was quickly amassing, looking like it could swell to the size of a small building.

Surrounding it were many smaller Type I entities, both mothers and offspring, forming a protective ring around it to prevent the soldiers on the ground from approaching.

On the high building, Lin Xuan's eyes started to glow with psychic energy, clearly doing a final sweep of their target for the night.

Xu Qingran noticed the anomaly in the psychic light in his eyes and then turned his gaze back to the distant giant Type I entity before leisurely saying, "Major Lin, you're doing the detection wrong."

Lin Xuan pursed his lips, his expression gradually displeased.

The psychic detection waves sweeping towards the target became more forceful.

"If you're not careful, not only will your psychic energy deplete faster than others, but over time, it might also cause damage to your psychic pool."

Xu Qingran's voice was unhurried.

As if to validate his words, after several source crystal tracking attempts, visible fatigue appeared on Lin Xuan's face.

Lin Xuan stubbornly retorted, "I've always done it this way, and I haven't noticed any abnormalities in my psychic pool. Quit trying to freak me out!"

As someone who hadn’t received formal military academy training and only attended some basic combat courses at the Taiyue Star Military Academy—or rather, most military guards in the Tianlong system had to learn many things on their own.

Take source crystal detection, for instance.

Lin Xuan wasn’t a natural talent, but as someone who grew up in South City, he knew that as a rare double S-grade individual, he was the hope of the entire city. So, after becoming a small leader here, he pushed himself hard to improve, hoping to shoulder greater responsibilities and become the city’s reliance as soon as possible.

He worked to discover the most efficient method for detecting source crystals and guided his teammates in locating the Type I source crystals they struggled to perceive.

He wasn’t sure if his method of spiritual energy wave detection was correct. He only knew that his energy consumption after each detection was higher than others’. He vaguely sensed something was off, but this was the only method he knew.

This was the only way he could slowly identify and detect the source crystal they were targeting today.

"Whatever you say," Xu Qingran’s tone was indifferent, and he didn’t insist that Lin Xuan agree with him.

As the overall commander, Lin Xuan’s task for the day was straightforward.

He only needed to track the target Type I source crystal, launch an attack, and share the information about other Type I source crystals detected during the process with his team.

But whether it was due to Xu Qingran’s words or because he’d been too busy lately, his spiritual energy pool hadn’t been full for a long time. After several attempts, he started feeling drained, and his focus wavered. Despite his efforts, detecting the source crystal proved harder than he anticipated.

Lin Xuan didn’t give up.

He persisted like this for what felt like an eternity.

How long? He didn’t count.

It wasn’t until he heard a concerned voice through his headset—"Brother Lin, are you okay?"—that he snapped back to reality, realizing he was drenched in sweat.

His vision and thoughts began to blur.

The Type I creature in the center of the field had been hit several times by the spiritual energy cannon he carried. There might have been one or two successful strikes on the source crystal, which kept shifting locations. But its defenses were too strong to be easily destroyed.

The attacks from most surrounding squads relied on his information sharing.

It wasn’t until he heard the voice through the headset that he realized the recent information he’d shared had been unclear. Without clear guidance, the team struggled to fend off the demon horde’s swift counterattacks, and the field quickly descended into chaos.

To make matters worse, Lin Xuan soon received another message: "Brother Lin, it’s bad—Sister Ya and the others...!"

He quickly looked toward Lin Ya’s squad, shocked to find they’d been ambushed by the demon horde. They were trapped, surrounded, and unable to receive immediate support. With the lack of clear information, the situation was dire.

Seeing his sister in trouble, Lin Xuan instinctively tried to focus and provide clearer information.

But as soon as he released the spiritual energy wave for detection, a sharp, needle-like pain shot through his head, accompanied by ringing ears, disrupting his detection wave.

Lin Xuan anxiously glanced at Lin Ya again.

Luckily, their experience allowed them to hold their ground—for now. But if they didn’t deal with the growing number of demons surrounding them, they’d surely get hurt.

Or worse... they might be devoured!

Just as Lin Xuan was growing desperate, a hand rested on his shoulder.

Immediately, a refreshing energy, akin to spring wood, flowed into his body. It not only eased the strain from his drained spiritual energy pool but also left him with a peculiar sense of replenishment.

"Calm down. Don’t rush."

"It's no big deal."

Xu Qingran's calm and steady voice floated over.

Lin Xuan spun around in shock, realizing he had received a transfer of spiritual energy from Xu Qingran, and the speed of the energy transfer—

He was stunned: "...You're a Type D?!"

Xu Qingran gave him a brief, silent glance, silently confirming Lin Xuan's guess.

Lin Xuan was even more shocked.

This doesn't seem... seem right! Aren't Type Ds supposed to be gentle and kind, the type who wouldn't hurt a fly? Since coming to Nan City, how many people has he beaten up or even killed?

"Snap out of it," Xu Qingran said. "Are you going to take charge or what?"

Only then did Lin Xuan snap back to reality, quickly regaining focus to continue sending out his spiritual energy detection waves, relaying source crystal info to the teams on the ground.

The team regained their bearings and started to stabilize.

However, as Xu Qingran had mentioned earlier, their weapons were draining their spiritual energy faster, and now most of them were visibly worn out. If they didn't wrap this up soon, the tide could turn.

And there was Lin Ya's situation—

Lin Xuan scanned the field, looking for a way to break through, but everyone was tied up and struggling to move. Moreover, to break through, they needed to deal with many devils, needing someone who could break through quickly and help him take down the giant devil.

With that thought, his eyes landed on Xu Qingran standing next to him.

Xu Qingran stood with his arms crossed, coolly surveying the chaos below, his calm presence oddly reassuring and trustworthy.

He clenched his teeth and called out, "Xu Qingran."

Xu Qingran turned his head, a hint of amusement in his eyes, clearly expecting what Lin Xuan would say.

Lin Xuan's ears flushed red as he spoke, a mix of embarrassment and irritation in his voice. "Since Lin Ya likes you so much, just help me get her out of there."

"Alright."

Surprisingly, Xu Qingran didn't make things difficult for him and agreed readily.

After saying that, he even took a few steps forward and jumped down from the rooftop.

Lin Xuan was startled by his 'wild' action, and only after chasing a few steps did he realize that Xu Qingran had somehow brought a hook with him, and with the rope released, he landed smoothly in the blink of an eye.

Then he drew the short knife from his waist, caught a Type I mother, and with a swift motion—

One knife, one small devil.

His eyes and excited steps seemed to have been looking forward to this slaughter for a long time.

This was the first time Lin Xuan had seen Xu Qingran killing devils, just as those under him had said, he seemed to have a great talent in sensing source crystals. Although he was now sharing the detected source crystal information with other team members, Xu Qingran was not wearing the shared bracelet.

His speed of clearing was so fast, it was as if he had already figured out the positions of the source crystals of the targets below while still on the rooftop.

In this way, he carved a path for himself, heading straight towards Lin Ya's team.

After a while, he finally joined them.

With Xu Qingran there, Lin Ya's location instantly became the safest place on the battlefield.

However, Xu Qingran's goal was not just to save people.

There was also the true objective of their army tonight—the Class I overlord of Zone 10.

Previously, Lin Xuan had already commanded his squad to inflict numerous injuries on that devil, and he himself had blasted its source crystal several times with his cannon gun.

So now, all that was needed was for someone to deliver the final few shots.

"Lend me your gun," Xu Qingran said, staring at the towering devil and extending his hand toward Lin Ya.

Lin Ya hurriedly handed it over.

Then, a beautiful glow lit up his eyes as he aimed the gun at the Class I overlord, firing several shots in quick succession, each aimed at the source crystal.

Each beam of psychic energy was razor-thin.

The few people watching nearby were shocked.

Such pure, powerful attacks, with beams so thin—his control must be incredibly precise!

From his vantage point in the high-rise, Lin Xuan was equally stunned.

...There are many who can use a psychic gun, but to compress the emitted psychic attack to such purity is a rarity on par with a national treasure.

Such thin psychic beams, and they accurately hit the source crystal.

Unsurprisingly, the target overlord, which had already sustained damage, finally exploded.

Tiny fragments rained down in a deluge.

Revolted, Lin Ya danced in place, scrubbing her arms furiously. "Oh my god, there's so much of it!"

Other squads nearby also noticed the huge commotion. Seeing that the target of their operation had finally been killed, they cheered with joy.

If they hadn't taken it down, they wouldn't have lasted much longer!

Hearing Lin Xuan's order to retreat in their headphones, the squad leaders sighed in relief.

Although Zone 10 still requires extensive cleanup, eliminating the strongest overlord should pacify the other devil groups in the area for some time, greatly easing the pressure of subsequent cleanups.

The group didn't return to camp until noon.

As they drove through residential areas, the people cheered their triumphant return.

Exhausted, Lin Xuan sat in the passenger seat, letting Lin Ya drive.

He gazed out at the passing people and scenery, lost in thought.

When they reached camp, Lin Ya jumped out to share the victory news with her fellow soldiers.

Everyone was drained but elated, huddling in small groups, eagerly recounting the night's battle. Even though Zone 10 is a small part of the Upper South Continent, for them, it was the first step towards success!

Lin Xuan took a deep breath in the car seat before stepping out, just in time to see Xu Qingran emerging from the back seat.

Xu Qingran shut the car door and made for his usual resting spot when Lin Xuan paused and instinctively called out to him.

Xu Qingran turned back, his eyes meeting Lin Xuan's with a puzzled look.

Lin Xuan's fist by his side clenched and unclenched repeatedly before he finally spoke with difficulty, "Last night... thanks."

Whether it was for saving Lin Ya, helping to handle the devils, or—replenishing his psychic energy.

He still couldn't accept that Xu Qingran, who could wield a knife to cut down devils without a second thought, was actually a Type D.

"No problem," Xu Qingran replied.

Lin Xuan met his smiling gaze, then angrily averted his eyes, "I'm just thanking you, but that doesn't mean I accept that... whatever, your request for loyalty!"

Xu Qingran chuckled lightly, "I know."

He said casually, "It's fine if you don't want to. After all, I'm so capable, it's not like I have nowhere to go."

Lin Xuan fell silent.

After leaving these words, Xu Qingran turned and didn't head back to the barracks but instead walked towards the direction leading out of the military camp.

Lin Xuan stared at his upright figure, feeling a sense of wavering for the first time.

Mainly, Xu Qingran was really strange.

Clearly, he was a colonel sent to manage Shangnan Prefecture, yet he didn't use his status and instead acted like a new recruit, happily doing all the hard work with everyone. When he first arrived, he had an air of authority, seemingly ready to seize power, but at critical moments—

Like last night.

Xu Qingran had the opportunity to directly take over his command, prove his own capabilities to his military personnel, and use that to weaken his standing, and so on. But he didn't do that, and even transferred some of his own psychic energy to him, allowing him to complete his command battle.

He proved himself to everyone while also leaving him with enough dignity, never overstepping without permission.

It was as if he was saying, "I know I'm powerful, and I just want everyone to know it too."

By the time Lin Xuan snapped out of it, Xu Qingran's figure was already out of sight.

He pursed his lips, thinking, who acts like a colonel like this? It's completely different from those annoying, power-hungry, and flashy ones from before!

·

After leaving the South City's 12th District, Xu Qingran made his way back to the Shangnan Prefecture Military Headquarters in the East City.

On the way, the system asked him, 「Host, are you not planning to win over Lin Xuan and the lower half of the South City?」

Xu Qingran spoke with righteous indignation, "I’ve never been one to force others."

System: 「...」

Hasn't his host done this kind of thing plenty of times?

Xu Qingran said, "Anyway, what I wanted to say has already been made clear to Lin Xuan."

"Whether he's willing or not is his business. Human interactions are different from objects, especially with their unyielding personalities. Forcing it would only turn into a sword pointed at oneself."

This trip back to the headquarters was mainly to take care of another issue he had mentioned to Lin Xuan.

"...Colonel Xu, are you sure you want to send this request to the Silver Dragon Headquarters based on the latest version of each city's demands?"

In the office, Deputy Mao wore a look of utter disbelief, staring at the document Xu Qingran had compiled on his tablet.

From psychic guns worth over a million to... uh, basic supplies like eggs and meat. Not to mention that the Silver Dragon Headquarters usually ignored their normal requests, with such a bold demand, they would surely ignore it, right?

Xu Qingran said, "It's fine, just send it out as is."

"I only need you to send it out three times."

He leaned against the desk, cup in hand, and said, "If there's no response after three attempts, just let me know."

After taking a sip of warm water to moisten his throat, he continued, "I will personally go to the headquarters and confront Mu Ziyu directly."

Deputy Mao was struck silent.

The name of the Third Prince was mentioned so casually by this colonel.

And by the look of it, was he planning to confront the Third Prince in person? If the Third Prince didn't agree, would he go as far as burning down the Silver Dragon headquarters building?

Deputy Mao was startled by his own thoughts.

He could only comply: "Alright, I'll send it out right away."

As Xu Qingran left the deputy's office, the TV outside was airing news about the empire's military affairs.

A group of staff members huddled outside, their voices tinged with schadenfreude: "Well, well, who would've guessed the ever-arrogant Golden Wing Battalion would slip up!"

At the mention of the familiar name, Xu Qingran's head snapped up.

He was taken aback by the familiar face on the screen.

The news report focused on an unexpected attack by a devil swarm on the newly constructed main base in the Lyra System, one of the star systems under Golden Wing's control.

Up until that day, the Lyra System had remained a safe haven, free from devil swarm incursions. In the wake of the attack, the Golden Wing's populace grew resentful, fearing that Lyra might soon join the ranks of disaster-stricken systems.

Shen Tingyu had always been the primary figure in charge of Lyra's defense and military operations.

Xu Qingran tilted his head slightly, his eyes locked on the striking figure of the black-haired, blue-eyed man on the TV screen.

It appeared to be his first time personally appearing in an interview.

The kind smile that usually graced his face was absent, replaced by an emotionless mask and a trace of unspoken weariness.

Xu Qingran pressed his lips together.

He wasn't pleased with his current condition.

Then, from the live interview, he heard the man say softly, "The recent attack and destruction of the Lyra base under construction was indeed a lapse in military defense."

"As Lyra's chief defense commander, I accept full responsibility."

"Thus, effective immediately, I am stepping down from my role in the Golden Wing."

The interview host was momentarily stunned.

The viewers in front of the TV broke into a chorus of murmurs.

From his spot in the far corner, Xu Qingran slowly mouthed a silent '?'

Excuse me, is this idiot... oh no, his boyfriend, pulling another stunt?