Chapter 43 (Part 2) Dedicated to the Pioneers…

Chapter 43 (Part 2) Dedicated to the Pioneers...

Yi Ye, with his backpack, walked past Lin Pei and found a window seat towards the back. Kaiser, being strong, was asked by the old squad leader to help move things up front, so he simply sat there.

The window shades lowered, and the shuttle slowly left the ground.

The jump was brief. Yi Ye felt a momentary weightlessness, and soon after, the broadcast announced they had reached the edge of Baozuan Star's space. However, it would still take some time to land. He sat up, peeked out the window, and observed the planet the old squad leader called "lively."

After a moment, he looked away and noticed Lin Pei again up front.

He still sat upright, unmoving, like a stone statue.

Yi Ye never understood people like that—always serious, upright, and expressionless, as if nothing could move them, their emotions and bodies like stone. Isn't that exhausting?

He leaned on the seatback, lazily watching Lin Pei's profile, not bothering to hide his gaze.

Lin Pei sat as still as a mountain.

He had noticed Yi Ye looking at him, but as the first commander, he was used to being watched—admired, respected, envied, even hated. A young man's gaze wasn't worth his attention.

He looked straight ahead, ignoring the youth behind him until the shuttle landed.

After landing, Lin Pei left.

The two veterans went one way, while Yi Ye and Kaiser followed the old squad leader Elman to buy meat.

As they walked, they were captivated by Baozuan Star's local customs.

The city was in the middle of a grand festival. Men and women wore bright, colorful outfits, with two long lines stretching through the streets, too long to see the ends. Many played saxophones, hand-cranked organs swayed, and the crisp sound of triangles mixed with the singing.

Yi Ye was caught up in the joyful atmosphere, his warm face glowing in the sunlight. Just then, a tall, burly man stepped out of the crowd, offering his hand to invite Yi Ye to dance. Yi Ye was stunned and about to decline when Kaiser grabbed him and ran off, scolding him for smiling so much at strangers.

Yi Ye: ...Can't I even smile? That's weird.

"Yi Ye! Kaiser!" Not far away, the old squad leader waved at them, "Hurry, the meat here's a good deal!"

They quickly caught up. The old squad leader did the bargaining, while Yi Ye and Kaiser, one clueless and the other inexperienced, just stood there like decorations.

While the old squad leader haggled with the shop owner, Yi Ye started chatting with the owner's young daughter.

The girl, about eight or nine, had two braids and sparkling eyes, constantly glancing at the bag on Yi Ye's waist. He followed her gaze and realized it was a bag of candy he had casually bought on the roadside.

Yi Ye untied the candy, crouched down, and waved it in front of her, "Want some?"

The little girl swallowed her saliva and nodded eagerly.

"You shouldn't just eat things from strangers. What if I meant to harm you?"

The little girl thought he made a good point, pouting in distress, but after a moment said, "Handsome brother, a handsome brother wouldn't be a bad person."

"Oh, you know how to flatter. Alright then, I'll give the candy to your mom first. Only if she says it's okay can you eat it, understand? You should always do this in the future, or else one day a bad guy as handsome as me might come to harm you, and you'll be crying."

"Mm!" The little girl nodded heavily, "I understand!"

"Good girl." Yi Ye patted her head and asked, "Can you tell me what festival Baozuan Star is celebrating recently?"

"Brother, you're from another planet, aren't you? You don't even know about the Red Glow Festival." The little girl puffed out her chest proudly, "The Red Glow Festival is the most lively annual festival on Baozuan Star."

"Red Glow Festival?"

From the little girl, Yi Ye learned about the legend of the Red Glow Festival.

It is said that over two hundred years ago, Baozuan Star wasn't as bustling and vibrant as it is today. Instead, it was constantly under attack and pillaged by space pirates year after year. Despite its vast lands, it remained barren and desolate.

It was a long, dark time, with the people of Baozuan Star living in constant fear and despair. Luckily, there were still those who clung to hope and courage.

One day, a skinny young man stepped forward. He led over a hundred people to storm the space pirates' base, destroyed their ships, set them on fire, and took down many of the bad guys.

That day, the sunset on Baozuan Star was a striking red, incredibly romantic and breathtaking.

Later, to honor this day, the people of Baozuan Star created the "Red Glow Festival." It celebrates the young man who pulled them from the depths and that unforgettable sunset.

But no one knows the exact name of that young man, and no one has seen him since. It was like he disappeared without a trace. Some say he likely died; others say he joined the army and became a commander.

Either way, they believe a hero like that must have ended up with thousands of fans.

"So that's the story," Yi Ye said, standing up with a slight smile and lowered eyes. "Impressive."

"But my dad says the story's made up. How could a few hundred people take down so many space pirates?"

"Who can say?"

Yi Ye tilted his head, "But we should believe that miracles still happen in this world, right?"

The little girl suddenly got it, "So that hero was a miracle!"

Yi Ye smiled without saying more.

Just then, the old squad leader's voice came from nearby. He and the shop owner had finished signing the purchase order and were ready to head back to meet up with Steve and the others. Yi Ye gave the little girl a regretful look, handed the bag of candies to her mom, and turned to go.

There were lots of different meats to buy, and it wasn't going to be quick. They still had to visit another market. But the streets were jam-packed, with people pushing and shoving. Yi Ye, who had been following Kaiser, got separated in an instant.

He stood in the middle of the street, feeling a little lost and sighing with a mix of amusement and annoyance.

"I knew it, I knew something like getting separated would happen," Yi Ye thought, quietly finding a corner to take out his terminal and contact Kaiser. Before he could finish typing, he spotted a familiar figure moving through the crowd.

Lin Pei?

He paused, his fingers tapping on the keyboard: "Let's meet at the shuttle later. I have something to do and will be a bit late."

After sending the message, he put away the terminal and followed.

*

Yi Ye trailed Lin Pei through the crowd and saw him enter a flower shop.

Buying flowers?

Such a serious person, who is he buying flowers for?

Yi Ye's eyes widened slightly. Could it be for a lover? But he quickly realized that Lin Pei's lover, logically, should be the protagonist in the future. There couldn't be a lover now.

Before Yi Ye could figure it out, Lin Pei came out holding a bouquet of sunflowers.

He turned and walked in another direction. Yi Ye quietly followed, occasionally using passersby as cover. People around him cast suspicious glances, as if they were about to call the police to arrest this strange youth.

Yi Ye nodded apologetically and quickly caught up.

After winding through the streets, he saw Lin Pei stop in front of a small Western-style house.

The roof was neatly stacked with red tiles, and green vines grew along the eaves, cascading down. The white walls, red roof, green vines, and yellow flowers created a picturesque scene. A wooden plaque nailed to the door read, "Ryan's Home."

Ryan,

Yi Ye didn't recall ever hearing the name Ryan before.

"System, do you know Ryan?"

"System: Searching... Ryan Anderson, not a key character in the original storyline. You can ignore him."

Since it wasn't part of the main plot, Yi Ye didn't care to intrude on others' reunions. He brushed the dust off his hands and got ready to leave. But just his luck, he looked up and caught General Lin Pei staring right at him.

Yi Ye winced: Crap, I'm busted. Maybe I should pretend to be admiring the sky?

General Lin Pei's face was calm, betraying no surprise at his presence. Maybe he'd noticed him earlier and was only now calling him out. Yi Ye hesitated, unsure whether to approach, creating a silent standoff between them. But in the end, feeling guilty, he caved and shuffled over.

"My apologies, General Lin Pei."

"Why were you tailing me?"

"Uh... just curious?" Yi Ye gestured to the flowers in his arms.

General Lin Pei stayed silent, his expression unreadable.

He towered over Yi Ye, broad-shouldered and upright, his cuffs neatly folded, the sharp edges of his black coat collar framing his calm, stoic face. He didn't look like someone delivering flowers—more like someone out for revenge.

Staring at him, Yi Ye was reminded of Jiang Duming.

Running into a familiar face in another world should've been lucky, but if it was Jiang Duming's, that was another matter entirely.

"Who do you see when you look at me?"

Yi Ye was caught off guard by General Lin Pei's sharpness but quickly recovered, saying smoothly, "Of course, it's you, General."

General Lin Pei stayed silent, his expression unreadable.

A smooth liar.

General Lin Pei mentally labeled the youth as a smooth liar.

Though his face betrayed no emotion, General Lin Pei didn't scold Yi Ye for tailing him. He passed the sunflower to Yi Ye, then turned and rapped on the door.

The knock was gentle, and faint shuffling sounds came from inside. After what felt like an eternity, the door creaked open.

An elderly man with white hair and a hunched back answered, his wrinkled face behind old-fashioned glasses, clutching a cane but barely able to stand. His body shook from within, like a fragile tower about to topple.

He looked with difficulty at the tall General Lin Pei, his voice hoarse: "General, you've come... come in, sit down."

The old man moved with difficulty. Yi Ye, holding the sunflower in one hand, instinctively reached out to support him with the other, but General Lin Pei grabbed his collar and pulled him back.

Confused, Yi Ye looked at General Lin Pei, who remained motionless, almost cruelly allowing the old man to walk into the house on his own. Even when he bumped into the table leg, even when he almost fell, General Lin Pei chose silence and observation as always.

Yi Ye sensed something unusual and, holding the flowers, did not move again.

After a long while, they followed the old man inside.

The house was clearly maintained, but haphazardly. Worn clothes were piled haphazardly on a chair, books on the table were not sorted, all stacked together with a magnifying glass beside them. The grass on the windowsill had grown two yellow leaves, with a few water droplets on them.

It seemed like there was life everywhere, yet it also felt like twilight all around.

The old man sat by the bed, taking a box from a blue-painted cabinet. Inside was a badge, depicting a gun and a heart.

This is the emblem of the Vanguard Legion.

He handed the emblem to Lin Pei, saluting him with a posture that was aged and weary, but in those eyes clouded with a layer of haze, there seemed to flicker a still vibrant light. So intense, as if he were still a passionate youth.

Lin Pei returned the highest sincere salute, placing the emblem over his left chest. Then he looked at Yi Ye, and with an inexplicable sense of understanding, Yi Ye bent down to place the sunflower by the old man's bedside.

The room was filled with the distinct scent of sunlight.

Outside the window came the lively and noisy sounds of the Red Glow Festival, with bustling crowds and the air filled with songs and laughter.

The old man looked out the window and laughed hoarsely, "After all these years, this time of year is still the most lively."

Lin Pei looked down, "Soldier Ryan, you should be happy."

"Yes..." the old man said nostalgically, "In my time, we didn't have such good days."

He turned back, "General, thank you for being here to see me off on my final journey."

"It's my duty."

The old man smiled kindly, "You always do."

"Then... could you tell me? Have I lived a life of loyalty and fulfilled all my tasks completely?"

Lin Pei's breath grew heavy as he bowed deeply to the old man.

Yi Ye also respectfully bent his waist.

Lin Pei spoke each word with solemnity, "Soldier Ryan, your tasks have been fully accomplished, now, you are free."