Chapter 50

Chapter 50

The reception room of the Vanguard Legion is located on the upper floors of the central command building.

Outside the door, two rows of soldiers dressed in Prussian blue uniforms stood solemnly, their attire distinctly different from that of the Vanguard Legion. Each held his head high, like triumphant roosters, and Yi Ye clearly sensed an unconscious arrogance in one of them when they saw him and Kaiser.

"Is Prince Peide inside?"

The soldiers saluted General Lin Pei crisply and stepped aside, "Prince Peide has instructed that you may enter directly."

The reception room was permeated with the scent of wine and lilies, and piano music flowed from a vintage gramophone. A young man sat with his back to them, broad-shouldered with long arms, his short, silver-gray hair curled and gleamed.

"Prince Peide," General Lin Pei spoke.

"Come over," the young man did not turn around but gestured for them to come closer.

As Yi Ye approached, he noticed a chess set on the table, with no opponent sitting across. Then the young man looked up, "I am in need of a chess opponent. General Lin Pei, would you like to try?"

General Lin Pei removed his leather gloves and sat down in silence. After a few moves, he suddenly moved the king and the rook at the same time.

Yi Ye did not know much about chess, only the basic rules. Kaiser whispered an explanation beside him, "This is castling. You can move the king and the rook on the same rank simultaneously if the king is not under check, but it can only be done once." After a pause, he added, "Lin Pei is preparing to intensify his attack."

Yi Ye didn't fully understand but could sense the steady and sharp attacks from Lin Pei, embodying the wisdom and authority expected of a general, advancing step by step without retreat. However, Prince Peide's expression remained unchanged, effortlessly defusing the crisis like a gentle spring breeze.

A long half-hour passed.

Kaiser said the game was at a stalemate, with both sides seemingly capable of winning but unable to make further progress, urgently needing a breakthrough to escape the stalemate. Yi Ye listened, only partially understanding, and Kaiser turned to Yi Ye, "Should I explain it again if you didn't get it?"

Yi Ye: "No, I think I understand the gist."

Kaiser gave him a look, urging him to elaborate.

Yi Ye smiled, "Once, while taking a walk, I saw two old men playing chess. I watched for four hours, and they still hadn't finished. They said it was a match of equals, hard to predict. That's what you meant, right?"

Kaiser: "..."

Lin Pei: "..."

Prince Peide: "..."

The two men silently looked at each other.

Old men? Who are they referring to? Certainly not me.

"Does junior Yi Ye have an interest in chess?" Prince Peide shifted his attention from the game to Yi Ye.

He exuded the stereotypical royal nobility that Yi Ye imagined—elegant, generous, dignified, and amiable, a nobility that permeated to the bone, unlike Bush Meihua, who had a more sinister vibe. From his posture to his words, there was not a single flaw, as if he were a standard noble crafted by formula, and a high standard at that.

Yi Ye looked at him, "It's alright. I find it more interesting to watch old men play chess."

But it's just chess.

Prince Peide suddenly laughed, "There's not enough time today, perhaps next time I can teach you personally."

He wore white silk gloves, his fingertips hooking the black queen and placing it in Yi Ye's palm, "We should have many opportunities to meet after returning to the military academy."

Kaiser frowned, sensing there was more to his words.

Yi Ye casually agreed, his fingertip placing the black queen in front of the white king.

Although it was against the rules, his move was a checkmate.

Checkmate.

But this minor, rule-breaking episode went unnoticed.

As they left the reception room, Pei De called out to Yi Ye again.

"After the assessment, there will be a holiday. Have you thought about visiting the main planet? The climate on the main planet is more pleasant than on Imperial Star, and daffodils grow well all year round. If you are interested, I would be honored to host you."

Yi Ye waved his hand, declining Pei De's invitation. He had heard from his father about the daffodils that bloomed in every corner of the empire's main planet, including its vast, endless fields. Although curious about their beauty, Yi Ye still preferred to return to Qixing. As for the empire, he would visit it when he had the chance.

Pei De had no choice but to stop persuading him.

Life in the Vanguard Legion was winding down, and old squad leader Elman's sudden melancholy began to spread. Every night, he sat by Yi Ye's bed, sighing and refusing to sleep until three or four in the morning.

Yi Ye was torn between laughter and frustration: "Squad leader, if you miss me so much, why not visit me at the Imperial Honor Military Academy when you have time?"

"What good would that do!" Elman snapped, "This whole time, it's been all thanks to you that the canteen's ratings have skyrocketed. Once you're gone, my good reviews, my budget, my—ahhh!!"

Tears streamed down his face as he pleaded, "Why don't we just skip the academy? Stay in the canteen for life. I can see you have the talent to become a top canteen chef! If you stay, I'll step down as the logistics squad leader within five years and let you take over!"

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" Kaiser grabbed the old squad leader by the collar and yanked him away. "Go back to sleep, old man. What are you doing staying up until four in the morning?"

"You ginger punk, don't you know how to respect your elders! As the squad leader, I've had issues with you for a long time!"

"Oh."

"Not my problem."

The old squad leader's eyes bulged: "You little punk!!!"

The others in the dorm groaned: "Help... are we ever going to sleep? This is torture..."

After a night of mayhem, Yi Ye was still drowsy when they boarded the shuttle.

He yawned and adjusted his backpack. Only a few came to see them off: the logistics team, Lieutenant Joseph, and three buddies who often played cards with Yi Ye. They clung to Yi Ye's hands, wailing and sobbing, their faces streaked with snot and tears, looking utterly miserable.

"Let go already," Kaiser said sternly, yanking the big guys away.

"Your assessment results will be sent to your terminals on the way back," Joseph said, his military cap tilted and hands clasped behind his back, as he snorted at Yi Ye. "Since even General Lin Pei sees potential in you, train hard once you're back at the academy. I want to see if you can make it into the Vanguard Legion. Tsk, even if you do join the legion, I might not be around by then, so you'd better hurry. Fourth-year students can participate in legion missions, so I hope you live up to the general's expectations."

After saying this, he looked at his watch. "Time's up, you should get going."

The shuttle started, and old squad leader Elman waved his handkerchief, tears flying, as several veterans from the logistics team comforted him. The sun behind the horizon gradually became clear and complete, and the shadows of the group stretched into the distance. Fifteen days wasn't long, but Yi Ye felt like he had lived half a lifetime here, witnessing death, as well as cheers and joy.

The cabin fell silent, and Kaiser asked, "Do you really not want to leave this place?"

"After staying here for so long, of course, I don't want to leave. And honestly, working in the canteen suits me quite well."

Kaiser was at a loss for words. He looked ahead: "But this won't be our end."

Neither the Imperial Honor Military Academy nor the Vanguard Legion would be where they should stay.

This assessment had shown him the face of the empire's top commander. Although Lin Pei hadn't shown his full strength, it made Kaiser even more determined in his goal: to become the empire's top commander.

Kaiser thought, he must reach that position.

Together with Yi Ye.

"So, what are your thoughts on the outcome of the bet?"

In the vast conference room, Lin Pei looked through the cold blue light at Principal Howard on the other side of the terminal.

"Yi Ye's victory does not prove your theory is correct. He is a Beta and does not support your so-called talent theory. Even if the bet is lost, I still maintain my viewpoint and will not change it."

Principal Howard gave a low chuckle, his deep features exuding an innate superiority: "Lin Pei, allow me to ask you a question."

"Why do you think that Betas cannot support my talent theory?"

Lin Pei frowned as Principal Howard suddenly stood up, his gaze fervent and exaggerated: "Alpha, Omega, Beta—these are the secondary genders resulting from human evolution, but no study has ever proven it to be the fundamental determinant of human talent levels!"

"I know you want to refute me, because the data you received shows Yi Ye as merely an S-level physique with A-level talent—a mediocrity. No, Lin Pei, wait a moment. After seeing it for yourself, do you still believe his talent is limited to that?"

Lin Pei's pupils narrowed briefly before he regained his composure: "Howard, what are you planning?"

"Don't worry, General." He regained some composure, "My heart will always burn for the Empire. You need not doubt Yi Ye's identity; his father is someone we both know, isn't he? You should be well aware of Kewen's loyalty to the Empire, after all, I'm the only one he hates. And as agreed, you will temporarily serve as an instructor at the military academy. You can monitor me anytime, even report me to the Senate."

"...What exactly is your relationship with Yi Ye?"

"That's not important." He smiled.

Lin Pei's expression darkened further, and after a long while, he closed his eyes: "No matter what you plan to do, Howard, don't turn into a madman. We both know what became of the last person."

Howard had fully resumed his initial composed and dignified demeanor, smiling faintly: "I'll try."

Lin Pei: "..."

The conversation in the conference room continued.

Meanwhile, inside the energy tower, the vigilance robots patrolled around the energy pod, but soon the equipment detected some slight noise.

The robot followed the source of the sound, rolling its wheels over, stopping in front of a pot of green pothos used for purifying the air. Its retractable mechanical eyes fixed on a tiny aphid on the leaf, then with a "beep," it shot a laser from its eye at the insect, instantly burning a hole through it.

The robot, having eliminated the pest, displayed a pleased expression and turned to continue patrolling elsewhere.

But just after it left, countless aphids crawled up again from the bottom of the scorched leaf, frantically gathering together...

On the other side, at the Imperial Honor Military Academy.

*

As soon as Yi Ye got off the shuttle, he received the year-end assessment results released by the system. He opened the email, which was stamped with a red seal marked "Qualified." His gaze paused, then continued to read down. The scores were divided into four categories, with proportions of 15%, 25%, 10%, and 50%.

"Full team score of the logistics team"

99! 99! (Elman's note: Deducted 1 point for refusing to permanently stay in the cafeteria!)

"Third Company Commander · Lieutenant Joseph"

85 (Note: Too casual, not serious enough)

"Vanguard Legion Soldier Comprehensive Evaluation"

95 points (Note: Smiled at me while serving food, good person)

"Vanguard Legion Commander-in-Chief · General Lin Pei"

90 points (Note: None)

Overall assessment score: 90.1 points

(From Instructor Clark: Congratulations to Yi Ye on earning a delightful holiday ovO)

Yi Ye's eyes lit up—he scored over 90!

He held his device joyfully for a few seconds, then, after a moment, thought to check Kaiser's score. But as soon as he turned around, the latter quickly hid his device and hurried away.

Yi Ye: ...Did he fail?

In addition to his score, Yi Ye received a message from Principal Howard about a letter he wanted him to deliver to Mr. Kewen Langley. Yi Ye didn’t know his father had connections with the principal and didn’t think much of it. After getting the letter from Instructor Clark, he went to pack.

With the assessment over, some stayed to retake exams, while others headed home.

Bai Chuan was delayed on the main planet for two days due to some matters, so Yi Ye booked a ticket and returned to Qixing first.

After a long journey, he arrived at Qixing late at night. In his bulky protective suit, he knocked but got no answer. He guessed his dad Kewen was probably passed out drunk, so he pouted and struggled to take out his keys.

Just as he opened the door and stepped in, two consecutive black shadows rushed towards him. He quickly sidestepped to dodge, and a bottle shattered against the wall beside his head, exploding into a shower of glass.

A muscular man in a black tank top walked over, a pink bandana tied around his head, reeking of brandy.

He didn’t even glance at Yi Ye, just leaned back and collapsed onto the sofa.

After a long five minutes, he sat up and squinted at him.

“You… who are you?”