Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The sudden crisis took a full three days to bring under control.

Fortunately, there were no major casualties among the trainees, and all villagers were successfully evacuated, leading to a generally satisfactory resolution.

Everyone returned to Fortress 6616 aboard aircraft. The Recruit Department wasted no time, swiftly releasing the list of trainees eliminated from the assessment.

That same evening, trainees began packing their belongings and departing the fortress, leaving the dormitories noticeably quieter.

The No. 6616 Military Region convened a general meeting in the office building.

After the meeting, other officers gradually dispersed, but Cleon asked those who had been present at Green Algae Lake to stay behind.

Liang Deng, unsure of Cleon’s intentions, felt a prickle of uncertainty. "What's wrong? Was there an issue with how we handled things?"

Cleon stood by the window, his gaze falling upon a few figures exiting the fortress gate.

He turned away. "No, you handled it exceptionally well. I will report this incident accurately, and we can consider it closed. I merely asked you to stay because I have a small personal query."

Liang Deng: "A query?"

Cleon glanced at him. "According to your feedback, the number of the insect swarm far exceeded expectations this time. The reason it didn't escalate into a major disaster was that they didn't move towards the village in large numbers, correct?"

Liang Deng nodded. "Yes, that was indeed pure luck."

"Luck?" Cleon chuckled, tapping the control panel. Footage from the incident scene that day was projected onto the virtual screen.

He zoomed in on a specific area, and the faint, flickering blue light within the forest became visible to everyone. "Look here."

The location in the footage was situated between Green Algae Lake and the village, not far from the interception line.

The fierce blaze of battle had almost illuminated the entire night sky, yet upon closer inspection, clusters of faint, fleeting blue light could still be discerned within the forest.

With the hint, Xiao Nuoya's eyes widened in recognition. "This is…"

"Blue Flame Rounds. If I'm not mistaken, this is the source of your so-called 'luck'."

Cleon's gaze swept over the two of them. "But I recall that you hadn't arranged for a secondary interception along this route."

"Of course not. Our forces were so limited then; holding the front line was already a struggle, let alone diverting personnel elsewhere." Xiao Nuoya zoomed in again, trying to get a clearer view, but from the high-altitude perspective, the specific details of that area remained obscure. "Strange, no other support should have arrived at that time. It couldn't have been a trainee who went there, could it?"

Liang Deng was amused by the suggestion. "No way it was a trainee. Not only is the terrain in that polluted zone incredibly difficult to navigate, but we were only equipped with basic D-type mechs for this assessment. Try taking one in there yourself for an interception—it'd be a suicide mission."

As he spoke, he inadvertently turned and caught sight of Zhou Lubin's pensive expression. "Old Zhou, why the long face?"

Zhou Lubin glanced at him, hesitated, then spoke. "Speaking of Blue Flame Rounds, it reminds me that during recovery, one mech had indeed expended all its spare ammunition."

Cleon looked over. "Whose mech?"

Zhou Lubin replied, "The mech was piloted by Chu Xiao from the Infantry Department, with Lu Ming from our Mecha Department in the co-pilot seat. Other trainees at the scene witnessed their Blue Flame Rounds misfiring, but the mech's imaging system was damaged, so there's no record of what happened then."

Due to the exercise with the Nawei Military Region, everyone present was familiar with Chu Xiao.

When Liang Deng heard the latter name, he paused. "Lu Ming? He was there too?"

"But it probably has nothing to do with them," Zhou Lubin said. "Our Mecha Department has been conducting joint training with the Infantry Department, and there are practice records. I've noticed this trainee Chu Xiao—he's made significant progress, but he's definitely not at the level where he could pilot a mech deep into the polluted area. During recovery, their mech didn't show significant damage, unlike it had been through any intense battle."

Xiao Nuoya's gaze lingered on the virtual screen for a long time, and a thought even he found absurd suddenly crossed his mind: "Is it possible that it wasn't Chu Xiao operating the mech?"

Zhou Lubin laughed at this. "That's even more impossible."

He promptly pulled up the configuration details of the mech Chu Xiao used and handed it to Xiao Nuoya. "See for yourself. Their mech didn't have any new adjustment records—it used this configuration from start to finish, practically Chu Xiao's personal machine. That kid is really something else. With this setup, even an experienced pilot like you might not be able to handle it, let alone anyone else."

Xiao Nuoya took a look and was immediately convinced. "I must be overthinking it."

"Maybe it was someone else who happened to be nearby in a private mech, noticed the unusual situation, and lent a hand without taking credit," Liang Deng shook his head as he stood up, too lazy to dwell on it. "Anyway, it ended safely regardless. As for who the helper was, since they didn't want to claim the credit, we don't need to obsess over it."

Cleon nodded. "Alright, let's leave it at that."

He took a document from the desk and pushed it toward the two, changing the subject directly. "This is the training content for the second phase. Go back and prepare. You'll depart for Nawei Fortress in a week. This training session will be led by the two of you—put more effort into it. This year's batch of trainees is quite talented. If they perform well, it could really help our military region stand tall."

"We already blew up their regular army in the new recruit exercise—what could be more face-saving than that?" Liang Deng took the document and casually tossed a copy to Xiao Nuoya, laughing. "With Old Xiao and me leading, you can rest easy."

Xiao Nuoya took the document and flipped through it. "I can't wait to see what kind of expression Reggie will use to welcome us when we get to the Nawei Military Region."

The No. 6616 Military Region, located on a desolate planet identified only by a code and classified as a ninth-tier military region, chronically lacked military supplies and quality recruits. When facing higher-tier military regions like Nawei, they had endured enough condescension, and often had to plead for joint exercises and training.

For this reason, the annual reserve selection had never been viewed optimistically.

Collective training within the star sector was arranged every year, with each military region gathering screened trainees for a unified secondary elimination.

Historically, the No. 6616 Military Region’s team had always had the highest elimination rate at this stage.

The military region naturally wanted to prove itself, but the recruit quality was indeed poor. This year, they had finally managed to defeat Nawei Fortress’s regular army in the exercise assessment—whatever the reason, it was enough to hold their heads high.

Cleon gave the two a deep look, taking in their expectant expressions, and silently facepalmed. "It's precisely because it's you two leading that I'm worried."

*

Since the elimination list was released, some were happy, some were worried.

Bai Luming belonged to the worried category—or, to be more direct, he was melancholy.

Bai Luming leaned casually against the doorway, watching the eliminated trainees pack up and leave, his eyes filled with longing and envy.

According to the original plan, he should have been one of these ordinary trainees sent home. It just went to show that man proposes, heaven disposes.

Finally, he sighed, no longer standing by the door to dwell on the scene, and walked into the dormitory, closing the door behind him.

Just then, the bathroom door opened, and He Yilan, freshly showered, stepped out.

It was clear that this gentleman had indeed reached his limit during the assessment—this shower had lasted well over an hour.

His newly changed clothes still carried a faint steam, water droplets hung from his hair, and he casually toweled it dry.

Looking up and seeing Bai Luming standing by the door, He Yilan glanced at his expression and smiled without warmth: “You should have guessed this outcome when you chose to press the distress button. When it comes to rewards and punishments, the military has always been very clear.”

Bai Luming sat down on the bed, offering no comment on such hindsight: “They could have used more straightforward rewards, like fulfilling some material needs, giving a modest bonus to let us buy something to treat ourselves. Instead, they gave this so-called reward of collective advancement, which can hardly even be called a reward.”

He Yilan: “You can go suggest that to the instructor now.”

Bai Luming laughed outright: “Spoken like someone completely unaffected.”

“After all, I never waste time on established facts.” He Yilan toweled his hair as he sat down on the bed directly opposite Bai Luming, from an angle that allowed Bai Luming to clearly see water droplets tracing down his neck to his collarbone.

Bai Luming glanced at the other’s open collar, then looked away: “What a coincidence—I’m the exact opposite. I like to satisfy my emotional needs as much as possible based on established facts.”

He Yilan placed the book of essays he brought back from the assessment site neatly on the bedside table, lifting his eyes to meet Bai Luming’s gaze: “Is that why you dragged me into getting a driver’s license with you at the first opportunity?”

Bai Luming didn’t deny it: “Share the good fortune.”

“Good fortune?” He Yilan said with a mocking half-smile, “If this is what you call ‘blessings,’ I suddenly feel like maybe I shouldn’t have risked drawing attention to help you intercept those disgusting creatures back then.”

Bai Luming casually crossed his legs: “No. Even if it happened again, you’d still help.”

He Yilan: “That confident?”

Bai Luming nodded, a slow smile spreading across his face: “Yeah. Because even if you refused, I’d still find a way to make you help. So the outcome would be the same.”

He Yilan’s gaze lingered on Bai Luming’s smile for a moment before lowering his eyelids: “Forget it. I really shouldn’t have expected any conscience from you.”

Bai Luming: “???”

What was with that disappointed look? Why did it suddenly make him seem like some unfaithful lover?

He Yilan truly disliked dwelling on settled matters, so he didn’t cling to the idea of Bai Luming’s “conscience.” Instead, he swiftly changed the subject: “I’m grateful you remembered me while enjoying your ‘blessings,’ but I also hope you haven’t forgotten what you promised.”

Bai Luming: “What I promised?”

He Yilan asked softly: “The deal we confirmed earlier—you haven’t forgotten it already, have you?”

Their eyes met, and after a moment, Bai Luming laughed.

He leaned back comfortably, sinking into the blankets behind him: “Just teasing you. I never forget what I promise. We’ve got a few rare days off before the second phase of training starts. Don’t worry, I’ll get you home tomorrow.”

His faintly amused tone hung in the air, stretching out lazily.

Hearing this, He Yilan couldn’t help but look up at Bai Luming.

Take you home.

Though both knew what it referred to, those four words were uttered a bit too casually.

As if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

When He Yilan didn’t respond, Bai Luming asked, puzzled: “What, you don’t want to go home with me?”

He Yilan’s gaze remained fixed on Bai Luming’s face for a long moment before he finally smiled slowly: “No, I’d quite like to.”

There was a suggestive quality in that gaze, and his words seemed to brush right past the ear.

Bai Luming paused slightly, belatedly picking up on the overly natural intimacy hidden in those words: “…”

He hadn’t meant it that way, but in just a few phrases, it sounded like newlyweds returning home together.

Feeling He Yilan’s eyes still on him, Bai Luming cleared his throat quietly, stood up without looking around, and opened the wardrobe: “You’ve already showered, right? Then I’ll go wash up.”

He Yilan replied: “Yeah, get cleaned up so we can go home tomorrow.”

Bai Luming: (dot)

Why did it seem like the more they talked, the more ambiguous it got? And it just wouldn’t stop!

As he reached the bathroom door, Bai Luming paused with his hand on the knob. As if struck by a sudden thought, he suddenly turned back: “Do you really like men?”

He Yilan had just picked up the essay collection and opened it when he was caught off guard by this abrupt, out-of-nowhere question: “What?”

“Never mind.”

Without waiting for an answer, Bai Luming stepped into the bathroom immediately and closed the door.