Chapter 16 The Galactic War God, General Ji.

Chapter 16: Interstellar War God, General Ji.

M26 Nebula, Iris Base.

Though not far from the Imperial Capital Star, this base commands a crucial jump point directly linked to the capital, making it the closest military fortress to the Imperial Capital.

In the central building of the base, an officer in a white uniform bearing the Iris insignia emerged from a room, a tray in hand, and gently closed the door behind him.

A military doctor, who had been waiting patiently, stepped forward. "How is it? Did the General have any appetite today?"

The officer presented the almost untouched tray with a sigh. "See for yourself."

The large tray was laden with a diverse array of dishes—from gourmet delicacies to simple home-style congee and side dishes, all meticulously prepared. Every detail, from flavor to nutritional balance, had been carefully considered, and the presentation was as exquisite as a work of art. The soup still emitted a delicate steam, its light aroma wafting through the air.

Such a meal would tempt anyone, yet its intended recipient clearly remained unimpressed; it looked almost exactly as it had when first served.

"Did the General not touch it at all?"

"He did try a little—tasted some vegetables and barely sipped the soup. Then he put down his chopsticks and said he didn’t want to eat, asking me to bring him a nutrient paste instead," replied the officer, Bai Yizhou, the General’s aide, his face etched with worry.

While nutrient pastes can supply the body with essential energy and elements, they cannot truly replace a proper meal. Humans derive more from food than mere satiety; indeed, the quality of one's life is significantly influenced by how well they eat.

Though short-term reliance on nutrient pastes is feasible, prolonged use can have detrimental effects on mental well-being.

Despite the General’s mental resilience far surpassing that of an average person, even he is not entirely immune to such subtle, gradual influences. According to system-generated mental health assessment reports, his scores, though still within the safe range, have steadily declined year after year. Those around him are deeply concerned.

The man they speak of is the Empire’s First General, the legendary Interstellar War God—Ji Yixing.

Ji Yixing’s name resonates across the star systems. Since graduating from the Empire’s top military academy at twenty and joining the Union Army, he has fought countless battles, large and small, with very few defeats.

If a galaxy-wide military merit ranking were to be established, he would undoubtedly hold the top position.

He is a truly deserving military genius, which is why he ascended to the rank of Empire's Platinum General by the age of just thirty and earned the unique honor of being the only living individual to be included in the Empire's military academy textbooks.

From the elderly to the very young across the stars, there is no one who does not recognize this Polaris, who graced their era. They love to recount his legendary experiences and achievements, yet few are aware that their General Ji suffers from severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

No matter how formidable Ji Yixing may be, he is not an all-powerful god. As a human, he has weaknesses and vulnerabilities, and there are things even he cannot overcome.

In the ancient cosmos, humanity was still a very young race, but its growth rate was astonishing. The universe operates on the law of the jungle—the strong prey on the weak. As humanity expanded rapidly, conflicts with other races became inevitable.

In a battle against alien creatures two years ago, Ji Yixing faced the most severe ambush of his military career. The enemy nearly succeeded in leaving him dead among the asteroid field, but at the last moment, Ji Yixing managed to pilot a battered, near-destruction mech and escape, narrowly saving his life.

However, he suffered extremely severe injuries as a result and spent three full months in a medical bay. The Empire poured its most advanced medical resources into his recovery, and combined with his own extraordinary physical prowess and strength, he eventually regained a state where his body functioned almost like a normal person's.

Since that battle, Ji Yixing has remained in recovery until today. Fortunately, thanks to his over a decade of military campaigns that pacified surrounding star systems, the Empire’s borders have not faced the threat of large-scale enemy invasions for a long time, aside from occasional harassment by interstellar pirate groups.

The details of his injuries are among the Empire’s highest classified secrets. Even now, with his recovery nearly complete, this information has never been disclosed to the public.

For the stability of the Empire, Ji Yixing must be kept on a god-like pedestal. What they need is an undefeatable war god, not an ordinary person who can also be wounded.

However, while Ji Yixing’s physical wounds have healed, the psychological damage stumped even the most skilled doctors.

He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The specific symptoms include: light sleep, heightened startle response, mild sleep-onset insomnia, and severe anorexia.

Yet, Ji Yixing possesses an immensely strong will. The first few symptoms are almost non-existent in him, or at least not apparent to outsiders. However, anorexia has genuinely troubled him for nearly two years.

His condition is not the type of anorexia where he cannot bear the sight of food at all. Rather, even when food is placed before him and he is extremely hungry, he feels no desire to eat. If he forces himself to swallow, the extreme psychological resistance triggers a physiological vomiting reaction.

Even in the Interstellar Age, humanity has reached the pinnacle of physical research, yet progress in the exploration of the mental/psychological field remains limited.

Psychologists could determine that Ji Yixing's anorexia was entirely psychological but were clueless how to fix it.

This deeply worried everyone around General Ji, especially his attendant, Bai Yizhou.

Bai Yizhou had been following Ji Yixing since his promotion from an ordinary soldier to military command, nearly ten years now. He didn’t trust others and took care of almost everything personally, almost becoming a semi-expert in nutrition and food appreciation.

But it was of little use. Bai Yizhou was so worried that he was losing handfuls of hair every day, facing a receding hairline at a young age.

And one day, when he took off his hat, he was mercilessly teased by none other than the General himself.

Bai Yizhou said mournfully, "General Ji, how can you laugh? Who’s this all for anyway? Given how much more hair I’ve lost today, could you please eat a little more?"

He went on earnestly, nagging like a parent chasing a picky eater around the cafeteria, while the object of his nagging, like a truly mischievous child, darted away from him, mischief in his eyes, leaping from the second-floor balcony with a clean dive, like a fish plunging into the pool below.

With a splash, the sapphire-blue water of the pool was parted by the spray. Ji Yixing turned sharply in the water, pushed off the pool wall, and swam dozens of meters in an instant.

The pool was ridiculously huge, almost rivaling professional pools used by athletes. He swam several laps back and forth before suddenly emerging at the starting point.

The Iris Base had an advanced artificial sunlight system, and at that moment, the sunlight was strong, making the water droplets rolling off his body glisten brilliantly.

Droplets fell from his pale, sculpted chest like marble, sliding along the well-defined contours of his abdomen down to his lower belly before rejoining the water. Ji Yixing casually swept his bangs back, revealing a face so handsome it was almost unreal.

Even more unusual were General Ji’s eyes, set deep beneath his brow—upon closer inspection, they were a rose-gold hue.

The gold was very light under the sunlight, shimmering like the pool water, and paired with his long, thick eyelashes, he almost resembled an exquisite doll. Who would have thought such eyes belonged to the face of the notorious ‘War God’ of the interstellar age?

Ji Yixing had always been low-key, and citizens across the stars probably never imagined that their War God General possessed such a strikingly handsome face.

He already had countless followers; if his appearance were publicly revealed, his fans would likely fill up the whole galaxy.

He hoisted himself up on the edge of the pool, his upper body emerging from the water. The rippling muscles of his shoulders and back were not overly exaggerated but filled with a startling sense of power. His skin, however, was pale like he’d never seen the sun. Combined with those otherworldly eyes, he looked remarkably like a creature of legend—a merman.

One that would surface on moonlit nights, using its face and low, hypnotic voice as bait to lure humans into becoming its partners, then dragging them into the deep sea to reproduce, keeping them by its side for eternity...

"General Ji!"

Bai Yizhou came rushing down from upstairs, "You’re avoiding me again! Today, no matter what, you must drink a bowl of soup—no, plus an egg!"

"Bai Yizhou, you’re really persistent…"

Ji Yixing had no way to deal with him. He emerged from the water, wrapped a towel around all those distracting muscles, and followed Bai Yizhou back inside.

In the hall, a young doctor who had come with her teacher was watching a reality show while waiting for her teacher to finish. She was so absorbed that she only looked up when Ji Yixing and Bai Yizhou passed by, greeting them respectfully: "Good day, General Ji. Good day, Attendant Bai."

She had accompanied her teacher here several times and had long moved past the deer-in-headlights reaction most people had upon first meeting the general—though she had been just as embarrassed herself...

But it wasn’t entirely her fault—after all, who wouldn’t be dazzled upon first meeting the general?

"Good day." Ji Yixing regained his composure in front of outsiders, nodding slightly, his eyes glancing over the girl’s screen.

Though she had built up some resistance, the girl still wasn’t immune to General Ji’s gaze. General Ji was looking at her—with those rose-gold eyes, looking only at her!

Her cheeks flushed, and she screamed internally with excitement, her brain nearly shutting down to cool the suddenly overheating CPU.

When she regained her senses, she realized General Ji hadn’t left—he was still standing in front of her!!

Suppressing her surging emotions, she tentatively asked, "General Ji, is there something wrong?"

Normally, General Ji would respond to her greeting and then turn to leave—though even that was enough to satisfy her... But what was going on today? Had she done something to catch General Ji’s attention??

Ji Yixing hummed in acknowledgment, tapped the screen with his fingertip, and asked, "What is this you're watching?"

The girl followed his gaze to the variety show she'd been watching.

—On the screen, a black-haired young man was skillfully turning river shrimp, sprinkling finely chopped green scallions evenly over them with his fair fingers.

He dusted off his hands and, lifting his head casually, happened to lock eyes with someone beyond the screen.

Author's Note:

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General Ji is here!

Good luck to all the students taking the college entrance exam today!! Wishing you success and a place on the honor roll!!