《Therapy Planet No. 13》


 CH 1

    You have the right to remain silent. Now, put down your weapon.


    GenZany02022-05-05Baihe


    Near the end of the year, the days of the Khetar[1] Space Rogues did not pass easily.


    As a small-scale criminal gang, the Khetar Space Rogues worked many different kinds of jobs: smuggling, trafficking, looting, anything that would bring in money.


    In previous years, the Khetar Space Rogues would complete a big job to buy supplies for the new year ¡ª¡ªBut this year, the unfortunate thing was that the space rogues, who did not even make the top ten thousand on that awfully long list of wanted criminal organizations published by the Interstellar Federation, had made an accidental mistake. Just as they were snatching merits at the end of the year, they bumped into the Federation¡¯s Police.


    A tragedy.


    ¡°I said to be careful when grabbing the kid more times than I can count. Now that brat Zhao Yu bungled it and that garbage galaxy Chunmeng has alerted the Federation¡¯s Police Headquarters. They¡¯ve been pursuing us relentlessly for a fucking month!¡±


    The one speaking was a golden-haired beauty in a revealing outfit. Her seductive curves and dark green eyes made people think of the Earth legend of Medusa from antiquity, but this Medusa¡¯s temper was the most fiery amongst the Khetar Space Rogues¡ª¡ªno one else came close.


    ¡°Lilith, stop complaining. Zhao didn¡¯t mean it. Who would¡¯ve thought it was possible to run into a Federation patrol unit in a remote galaxy like that? Bear with it, we¡¯ll be at the delivery point soon. I¡¯ll have Zhao take you to the Capitol Galaxy to drink the rum there?¡±


    The Khetar Space Rogues had few members. Compared to the other interstellar rogues at the top of the list, who even had their own bases, they only had thirty-two people in their group. Having an imposing presence was really out of the question.


    While they were few in number, they were nimble. The Khetar Space Rogues, because of their recent job in a major galaxy, attracted the attention of the Federation Police.


    It was just too bad that, while not a large group, they were really cunningly evasive. Each time the Federation Police caught up, they slipped away like a fish. And as for the Federation cops responsible for catching them, after each and every one of them were dressed down for a whole day and night, they learned from their mistakes, and after a year of using their military might, they managed to trace them.


    When Lilith heard someone chime in, her beautiful eyebrows creased and she snorted.


    She kicked the child beside her that did not even reach the height of her waist and spat on the ground, ¡°Unlucky!¡±


    That child had a tattered cloak draped on her body, her greasy, short hair covered by the hood and splotchy black soot smeared on her face, their expression empty. Due to a long period of malnutrition, her body was weak and she staggered to the ground. Her face went white because of the kick and suddenly coughed up a pool of blood.


    Red, irregular-sized droplets dripped onto the crimson sand, the color combination dazzling to the eye.


    The child was kicked onto the sandy ground. The sand opened wounds in her knees and palms, causing unbearable pain, but she did not dare make a sound. Under Lilith¡¯s forceful gaze, the child tried to get back up, but because she had not eaten in such a long time, her body was truly weak. She grew more flustered and more scrabbling, and she slipped and fell back to the ground.


    The Crimson Sand Planet was a planet in the northwest quadrant that would soon be abandoned.


    The surface of the Crimson Sand Planet was entirely covered in red grit with only a few special water holes occurring naturally, like an enlarged version of a desert. With average, year-round temperatures no lower than 40¡ãC, it had even earned an Earthly name¡ª¡ª ¡°Sahara Planet.¡±


    As for the indigenous people of this planet, they had long since all boarded illegal smuggling vessels to seek a living elsewhere. Only those who were wanted in other places, bandits with nowhere else to go, and persons charged with ¡°special jobs¡± stayed here.


    And now, the Khetar Space Rogues linked together the thirty-or-so slaves that they had trafficked from many different galaxies and walked them one in front of the other in a long, skewed line reminiscent of the caravan trains stretching across the desert during the ancient era to the outskirts of the Crimson Sand Planet.


    ¡°Faster! Slow pokes, all the rogue groups were targeted by the cops before. And now it looks like you¡¯re going to make the whole line stop so you can climb out of this shithole, right?¡±


    Lilith looked at the child but did not hit her. She unraveled the whip hanging at her waist. Suddenly, the whip lashed out.


    The incisive tip of the whip sliced the tattered cloak into thinner strips of cloth.


    The child groaned and started to sway side to side, rattling the chains on her wrists and ankles and making an ear-piercing sound.


    ¡°Hey! Lilith! Calm down¡ª¡ªhere.¡±


    Zhao Yu, who was from the same group, was tall and strapping, but a bit chubby around his face.


    He pulled out a fruit-like seed and tossed it to Lilith.


    Zhao Yu figured that Lilith might have Romani blood of ancient times running through her veins. Otherwise, she would not dress so similarly, with so many accessories hanging from her body; perhaps there was a natural-born passion for these curious decorations deep in her bones.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Lilith caught it and under the direct sunlight, she narrowed her eyes to appreciate the object, which was no larger than a fingernail.


    The ¡®seed¡¯ was the color of white gold, wrapped in a flowing, unknown metal, and roughly oval in shape with two pointed ends. In the sunlight, it flashed with a subtle, sumptuous luster.


    One had to say, it really suited Lilith¡¯s tastes.


    She swiftly moved her attention away from the child, entirely unaware that the child had timidly raised her head to glance at her.


    While her gaze may have been weak, she stared directly at the ¡®seed.¡¯ Like a dragonfly skimming across the surface of a pond, she soon averted her gaze and lowered her head like nothing had occurred.


    ¡°Do you still remember when we came across that unstable planet, and we wanted to take advantage of the chaos to loot, making a fortune?¡± Zhao Yu scratched his head, ¡°Luckily we ran into someone from Sylouis¡ª¡ªlegend has it that this planet¡¯s people are dwindling fast. I pulled this thing off her neck. It looked pretty, some upper-class woman would like it. Think you¡¯ll get a good price for it at the black market one day?¡±


    Lilith was overjoyed and she shook with laughter: ¡°Why did you give me something you¡¯d give to an upper-class woman?¡±


    Zhao Yu smiled ingratiatingly: ¡°Of course I¡¯d give something so pretty to the most beautiful flower in our group.¡±


    ¡°How thoughtful!¡±


    The two of them continued their flirtations, their voices dissipating into the gusting wind of the boundless desert.


    The child followed behind Lilith, mimicking her movements. She suddenly felt the person behind her pull on her cloak, and she unhurriedly turned her head around and met a quick-witted gaze¡ª¡ªwhile their body¡¯s condition was not much better, their eyes shone with a distinct light.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    The other person, who looked like they were the same age as her or perhaps a bit younger, asked in a low, halting voice.


    The child shook her head silently, seeming like she had neither the energy nor the desire to talk with the other, and went to turn back around directly.


    The other person hurriedly pulled on her hand again and cautiously pulled a water sack out from underneath their cloak. Their concerned gaze returned, like they were wordlessly asking if she wanted a sip.


    They were slaves being trafficked, but to keep them alive, the interstellar rogues would provide them rations at set intervals¡ª¡ªof course, it would not be an expensive, nourishing nutrient pack. It was just to keep them alive.


    Even if it was like this, everyone¡¯s water supply was far from enough.


    Two days had already passed since they had last been provided water, so the child did not expect that the other person would have a sip left.


    She stared at the other person calmly. Pure, simple, with an unworldly innocence.


    And an undefinable, overflowing sympathy.


    The child¡¯s frosty eyes seemed to twinkle, and her gaze met the other¡¯s momentarily, then she averted her eyes, as if nothing had happened.


    Head shook.


    Refused.


    The other person wanted to say something else. However, the child had already resolutely turned away and continued to stare at Lilith¡¯s back.


    Like a snake slithering in pursuit: glum, composed, strong, and patient.


    Lilith was currently playing with the little gift she got from Zhao Yu.


    For a split second, she sensed some kind of frightening gaze on her. She instinctively turned around, but could only see the child, who was walking along like she might keel over at any moment.


    ¡°How much longer until we¡¯re there? The client only specified how many slaves, but didn¡¯t so much as show their face.¡± She shifted her line of sight slyly, ¡°Then they gave us the coordinates to the outskirts of a planet where even birds don¡¯t shit¡ª¡ªdo you all see anyone here for the trade off?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter! As long as we get the money! Just wait until we get the payment then we¡¯ll slip away at the nearest jump point¡ª¡ªI¡¯m still worried about the Federation Police.¡±


    Zhao Yu shrugged. Just as he answered, a message came through on his personal Star Link terminal.


    All of the interstellar rogue group members received the same message simultaneously.


    A holographic screen popped up in front of his eyes. Zhao Yu skimmed through the message quickly and his expression shifted abruptly.


    ¡°What? He¡¯s calling off the deal?!¡± Lilith roared, her complexion bad.


    Just as she said this, Lilith¡¯s ears caught an immense electromagnetic buzz.


    A gargantuan, bullet-shaped starship suddenly split the sky above the Crimson Sand Planet with the force of a tremendous destruction! In the clear light of the day, the colossus was terrifyingly imposing. The enormous, dark-green Federation Police signal slashed across the yellow sand, which whipped through the air and into everyone¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Damn it! Are they so well-informed?¡± Lilith spat and grumbled.


    ¡°Listen up!¡ª¡ªGive up the goods, everyone scatter!¡±


    The bandit leader¡¯s order came through the communicators of each member for them to hear.


    All of the slaves trafficked by the bandits revealed glad smiles.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Lilith pulled the laser gun at her hip. Just as she was going to look all around for a place to conceal herself, she suddenly caught the child, who had been standing next to her earlier, staring at her intently.


    ¡°What¡¯re you doing?¡± Lilith¡¯s voice unconsciously revealed a trace of unease.


    But the child, as before, kept her frightening silence.


    Except, just as Lilith finished her question, the emaciated child, with legs like twigs, suddenly produced a great springing action, and she leapt into the air! Her hands wrapped around her neck, exposing the blue veins on her arms. Using Lilith¡¯s neck as a fulcrum, she flipped over in mid air!


    Her two legs replaced her hands, and she used the silver chains binding her feet to form a deadly garotte around Lilith¡¯s throat and choked her to death. She grabbed the laser gun clutched in Lilith¡¯s dead hands, then, without waiting for the other interstellar rogues to react, she took aim and opened fire!


    ¡°Damn it!¡± The others sensed that something was wrong and pulled out their laser guns. Laser beams from every direction melted sand as they converged!


    ¡°You little whelp!¡±


    ¡°Look out!¡±


    ¡°Kill her!¡±


    But the child used Lilith¡¯s body as a shield, skillfully evading the first strafe. Bringing along Liliths¡¯ already-dead corpse, she somersaulted and intercepted the incoming laser blasts to sever her chains. Lilith¡¯s disorderly jewelry was also torn apart in the brawl.


    A sharp sequin had sliced a thin, deep cut on her left arm from shoulder to wrist, and countless bits of gravel and accessories had been embedded in it, but the child lowered her eyes and hid behind the corpse, not saying a word.


    ¡°People below, put your hands up! If you continue to fight, it will be considered resisting arrest! I repeat! Put your hands up!¡±


    Innumerable small spacecraft split off from the main ship into two divisions. Police dressed in Federation Police uniforms controlled the fleetingly chaotic scene.


    A low hum rumbled through the outskirts of the Crimson Sand Planet, reverberating through the open space.


    ¡°Come out!¡± A police officer coldly pointed their gun at the child hiding behind the body and watched them intently, ¡°Put down your weapons and put your hands up!¡±


    The child was half-squatting on the ground, looking at the kid who had shown her kindness. They were holding their hands in the air, looking at her anxiously, their worried expression seeming to urge them to comply.


    The injury on her arm felt numb, like water was gently washing the wound, affectionately and lingeringly.


    The child tilted her head, stared at the other person, and slowly revealed a slight, slight smile.


    ¡°You have the right to remain silent. Now, put down your weapon.¡±


    A light buzzing of energy instantly flowed from her cranium to her eardrums. Her tense nerves broke, burst, exploded into colorful fireworks.


    The ice-cold muzzle of a gun pressed down on her head.


    The author has something to say:


    FL enters the stage in chapter 7. Interstellar, slow burn, plot-centric. People who aren¡¯t drawn in by chapter one, please persist until chapter 7 to see FL, then decide if you will drop it!


    I hope you all enjoy reading!


    (The author continues discussing another one of their works set in the same world)


    Translator notes:


    There are a few names in here that are English/phonetic/other names. I don¡¯t really know what to do with these, so I just kind of sounded them out. Please, have mercy on me, I suck at this QAQ


    ¿ËËþ¶û: ¡®ke ta er¡¯, could be something like Ketar, or KTR, but it¡¯s Khetar for now. If there is more context later, I will change it.


    ÀòÀòË¿: ¡®li li si¡¯, I am almost certain this is Lilith


    Î÷ÂåÒÁ˹: ¡®xi luo yi si¡¯, I legit have no idea with this one, just put Sylouis for the sound

 CH 2

    Chapter 2: The Avaricious Wolf


    Federation Star Time: December, 29th, 2844. The Khetar Space Rogues were captured by the Federation Police¡¯s Chunmeng Galaxy Sixth Division. That night, the division members all gathered in a pub, shedding tears of joy for completing their difficult year-end assignment.


    To be fair, while they may have concluded this battle, the public security of the Federation has not been good since its establishment. The citizens of the major galaxies have complained incessantly, but the Federation Police also felt utterly wronged.


    After all, the rogue and anti-Federation groups in the major galaxies were shockingly numerous. Although no massive wars have nominally broken out since the beginning of the Great Interstellar Era, small-scale skirmishes have indeed become commonplace.


    All around, from what anyone could tell, only the Capital Galaxy genuinely counted as ¡®stable and peaceful.¡¯


    Under these kinds of circumstances, the Sixth Division seized, recorded, and sent off the newly liberated slaves in under three days, a speed that was truly worthy of being called miraculous.


    At this time, four days after the event dubbed ¡®the perfect ending of the Khetar Space Rogue capture saga¡¯, inside of a small prison under the jurisdiction of the Sixth Division, the interrogator was standing in their superior¡¯s office delivering a progress report.


    ¡°She still has not said anything?¡±


    The captain was a fifty-something-year-old man of mixed descent from both Earth and Alpha. His mild stature gave off an air of affability and benignity.


    In fact, he really was not some sort of career man. Since he had assumed his current position, he only did the minimum. Each year, the assignments handed down from the higher-ups were always barely completed.


    Rumor had it that his superior was a classmate who graduated in the same semester from the Almia Military Academy, as well as someone of the same familial line. Their personal relationship was quite good, so one could only turn a blind eye.


    The interrogator performed a military salute, then got straight to the point, ¡°Correct! This is what others have described about her. Please take a look, sir.¡±


    The captain took the documents from the interrogator, the data up appearing between them as a holographic screen.


    Thank the lucky stars, since the development of Star Link, the Federation had at last entered a unified paperless era, saving an untold number of forested planets famous for their old-growth timber.


    The captain¡¯s gaze moved rapidly as he scanned through the material.


    Nameless, female, ten years old. According to the genetic test, a rare single-planet genealogy made up of more than 50% pure Earthly descent.


    Quiet and timid personality, not talkative. No match in the Star Link registered citizen database. Kidnapped in the Chunmeng Galaxy.


    Based on the description from the other kidnapped citizens, she almost never communicated with anyone and was suspected to be a wanderer without an identity prior to the kidnapping.


    But it was precisely this orphaned girl¡ªone that was not remotely eye-catching¡ªwho had, during the time the arrest was being carried out, attracted attention by her ¡®possession and skillful use of laser weapons.¡¯


    If involved in a major operation, such a person would undoubtedly be labeled ¡°suspicious¡¯ and ¡®dangerous.¡¯


    However, she had appeared in a miniscule operation like this.


    Compared to the wars that broke out occasionally in the outer galaxies, this was of little consequence.


    ¡°Diet, then?¡± The captain closed the screen. He felt that the brightness stung his eyes painfully. In front of his subordinate, he restrained the urge to take out some eyedrops from his drawer and only rubbed his eyes impatiently.


    His family retained some of the old customs of Earth.


    Even though the Star Link connected directly with people¡¯s minds, some Earth descendants always believed that something like this would do irreversible damage to their vision.


    ¡°Regular.¡±


    The interrogator answered, ¡°In accordance with procedure, after three days, she will be automatically transferred to a top-level prison, where a senior interrogator will take over.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do that then.¡± The captain¡¯s thoughts had already drifted to which presents he would buy his daughter for the new year. He distractedly waved a hand like he was shooing away a pesky fly.


    ¡°Sir, I need you to sign off on it.¡± The interrogator said methodically, ¡°It¡¯s procedure.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­right, a signature.¡± The captain accepted the documents from the interrogator at his own leisure. After he marked the appropriate blanks with his mental stamp[1], he sent away the guest directly, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, don¡¯t come bother me. Once you guys wrap this up, you can go on holiday leave.¡±


    The interrogator once more gave a military salute, then walked out the door like he had not heard.


    At the end of the year, no one felt like working.


    In accordance with procedure, he handed over the permit. Quickly, the person responsible for the transfer came to the Sixth Division¡¯s prison.


    While it was called a prison, it was actually a much better environment than some of the territories on the outskirts.


    The wide area was subdivided into cells by silvery-white bars, with only the side facing the middle corridor transparent: an ionized divider. In the middle was an enormous, mily-white, electrified screen, which not only perfectly cut off all visual and auditory communication between the inmates, but also perfectly capable of electrocuting any limbs seeking to touch or dismantle it.


    Regarding its outward appearance, in contrast to a prison, it seemed more like a sinister, top-secret laboratory for experimentation.


    ¡°Number thirty four, transfer.¡±


    The transfer officer docked shortly with the robotic door guard.


    And the ¡®number thirty four¡¯ that was mentioned¡ªthe child who had strangled Lilith, to be exact¡ªkeenly sensed them looking at her.


    She sat with her arms across and leaned against the bed frame. She stared at the transfer officer¡¯s flapping lips with raised eyes, reading his lips to gain further understanding of the other¡¯s motives.


    It was not yet time.


    She cautioned herself repeatedly.


    It was not yet time.


    The wounds on her body had already been seen by a doctor; they were just a few flesh wounds. The military doctor was never in the mood to deal with vagrants like her, nevermind the fact that it was the end of the year and his thoughts had long been elsewhere. The doctor had only smeared on some of the most basic wound cream and wrapped the wounds in bandages.


    God knows why, when there were enough ads on Star Link about ¡®one-minute recovery¡± wound medication to blot out the sky, these kinds of traditional therapies still existed in the universe!


    ¡°Number thirty four, come out.¡±


    The transfer officer¡¯s voice sounded through a one-way speaker, reverberating through the narrow room. At the same time, the transparent, ionized screen in front of the child dissipated.


    ¡°You have one last chance to confess.¡±


    They stated once again, going through the motions.


    The child expressionlessly disregarded this statement. She rubbed the bandage on her left arm. Out of humanitarian reasons, the traditional sort of shackles had long been obsolete for a prisoner of her level, but the red marks left behind on her wrists and ankles from before still remained.


    Her bones popped loudly as she stood up.


    She was stiff from sitting too long.


    She was wearing a snow-white prison uniform. The low-quality fabric rubbed against the scratches on her skin, tickling slightly.


    A long corridor awash in white light, white uniforms, white screen, white robots¡­


    Even the end of the corridor was blocked by a white door.


    Hazy, dreamlike, reminiscent of the Holy Paradise of legend.


    The child walked very slowly, each step in time with her breathing. She lowered her head, carefully counting the number of steps she took toward the end of the corridor.


    Her pulse was a steady seventy-six beats per minute. Walking to the end of the corridor required five hundred and ninety seven steps, so she could waste approximately seven minutes and eight seconds.


    One minute.


    Three minutes and eight seconds.


    Six minutes, nineteen seconds, and seven milliseconds.


    Seven minutes, six seconds, thirteen milliseconds, and eighteen microseconds.


    Huala¡ª¡ª


    The child stopped in her step.


    She raised her head. The door opened inward, a cold wind gusting in¡ªalong with a glimpse of the twinkling blackness of the stars.


    The black uniform was like a drop of ink spilling into the pure, white space.


    A stain.


    This word suddenly streaked through her mind.


    Starlight danced on the black buttons of a military uniform, overflowing with silvery light. A badge of the Avaricious Wolf[2] was emblazoned on their chest, a mark of the military¡¯s foremost special forces unit. Black hair, golden irises, and angularity marked their features, radiating a chilling presence.


    The Eastern Galaxy had four major special forces units: the Avaricious Wolf, the Vermillion Bird, the Black Tortoise, and the White Tiger.[3]


    The unfortunate thing was, because of their legendary status, the average soldier had never heard of them.


    The transfer officer was stunned for a moment, then swiftly performed a standard military salute.


    The person who had arrived did not mince words and simply passed over a piece of paper.


    ¡ª¡ªIn the paperless era, one should know what this means, right?


    A top-secret military order.


    This flimsy piece of paper, could, when carried in the hands of a trusted person, avoid the distinct possibilities of system viruses or mental hackers!


    ¡°I¡¯m taking this person.¡±


    The man merely flashed the paper in front of the transfer officer and took his position, like a darkness suddenly cleaving the Holy, intolerant of both questions and hesitation.


    He stopped in front of the child, standing with his legs parallel. A slight tap of his military boots¡¯ heels released a powerful sound, which bounced around the wide prison block.


    Every inch[4] of the uniform was closely tailored to his skin: precise, proud, cold, and strict.


    And the child in front of him simply tilted her head, amber-colored irises sweeping over the man indifferently. She was standing there, barefoot, dressed in a uniform that looked like it was pulled off an adult.


    Truly worthy of being called shabby and miserable.


    She frowned and looked the man up and down with her strange eyes. She said, as if this whole thing was commonplace, ¡°Where¡¯s Hyde?¡±


    ¡°Informing Colonel Lu! When Lieutenant Colonel de Witt was on standby, he received an urgent transfer order. My name is Jiang Wei, graduated from Almia Military Academy in 2844, here to replace him. Please instruct!¡±


    The child raised her eyelids, somewhat listening to him.


    She turned and passed through the space between Jiang Wei and the long-stupefied transfer officer, then spoke composedly:


    ¡°You are four seconds late, your military salute is two and one half degrees more tilted than the standard salute, and you say too much useless rubbish. One sentence beyond the direct submission of orders is a waste of words.¡±


    Her voice did not sound discontented, like she was merely stating facts. She asked rhetorically: ¡°Are the Origin Planet¡¯s[5] requirements for new graduates this low?¡±


    Liang Wei looked dazed, then immediately became a little embarrassed.


    He had graduated fifth in his year. He had never been ridiculed like this before. After fighting for a long time, it was inevitable that the essentials of etiquette would become rusty, but he had never thought he would encounter a new superior this derisive.


    ¡°What are you doing standing there?¡± The child turned around and glanced at him calmly, ¡°Are you waiting for my invitation?¡±


    ¡°¡­Understood! Colonel Lu!¡± Jiang Wei rushed to answer and walked with vigorous strides to catch up to her.


    However, the child frowned again, ¡°You don¡¯t even remember the basic material? I¡¯m not surnamed Lu. Louie[6]¡ª¡ªthis is my full name.¡±


    The author has something to say:


    Ai, many readers have pointed out the problem of the military ranks¡­I can only explain a little bit. This piece definitely changed before publishing it, so there are some bugs that have not been changed. In the latest version, Louie was promoted from Colonel to Lieutenant General. If there are any bugs, you are welcome to point them out. When I have time and see them, I¡¯ll change them, but the military ranks do not have much of an impact on the plot and don¡¯t affect the reading experience.


    T/N notes:


    *The title, Ì°ÀÇ tanlang, refers to one of the three stars in Chinese astrology, ɱÆÆÀÇ sha po lang (priest readers will be familiar with this name, of course). Coincides with Dubhe, or Alpha, of the Big Dipper and symbolizes lust or greed. ÀÇ lang also means wolf, hence why I translated it that way, given that the other group names are animals.


    Previous Chapter


    Summary


    Footnotes

 CH 3

    At the space port where the sixth division was stationed long-term, a small, private vessel marked with a seal indicating its temporary acquisition by the military was hovering by the exit terminal.


    Louie walked slowly toward the black vessel and found that it was not merely a ¡®small, private vessel.¡¯


    On it was the Avaricious Wolf¡¯s insignia, engraved in a twinkling dark color. Ordinary citizens, and even military personnel, would not notice the insignia on the vessel¡¯s stern. If someone had not attained a high enough rank, they would think it a decorative emblem.


    ¡°Which rank were you in your graduating cohort?¡±


    Louie suddenly spoke.


    Jiang Wei was stunned for a moment, then answered posthaste: ¡°Fifth on the planet!¡±


    Fifth was an excellent rank. When his roommate had found out about this accomplishment, he wanted nothing more than to toss him in the military academy¡¯s river to celebrate the occasion.


    Louie nodded, then said: ¡°No wonder.¡±


    ¡°Colonel Louie, I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    She only stared at the starship as it grew nearer and nearer, seeming to smile slightly.


    Jiang Wei followed behind Louie and could not see her expression clearly, nor could he be sure that his new, mercurial superior had smiled for a moment.


    As Jiang Wei steadily followed Louie, he was surprised to discover that while his new superior looked somewhat absent-minded walking along the pathway, each of her steps were precisely the same length and even synchronized with her breathing.


    He could not help but argue inwardly, although it was the first compulsory course for new students at the First Interstellar Military Academy, no one would be nearly this strict out fighting in the field.


    One should know that the difference between the posture of standard military procedure and camouflaging amongst the common people were as different as water and fire: completely incompatible.


    Especially a student of the First Interstellar Military Academy.


    Ever since the people of Almia were decimated in the war, losing close to ninety percent of the population, the First Interstellar Military Academy, AIMA[1], which was founded alongside the Federation¡¯s government, had completely inherited everything from the original Almians.


    Traditional customs, societal patterns, administration structure, models of behavior¡­Everything had been replicated, without fail.


    Of all the peoples of the universe, only Almians were inherently indifferent, treating absolute submission as the only code of survival.


    The entire planet was covered in fierce combatants, but this was strictly a one-sided advance. The supreme leader addresses himself by the same name as the planet, but in reality, the leader just possesses the power to command the whole planet.


    In spite of this, they strictly enforce and scrupulously maintain the population size.


    Loyal. Obedient. Unquestioning. These qualities, which promote military efficiency and are completely segregated from morality, won the unanimous support of those in power in the universe.


    Because they did not care one whit about who exercised control, so long as they pledged to provide basic resources to Almia, and because their non-aggressive, abnormal infatuation with research into military science and technology was satisfied, they were the most incisive weapons in the hands of the powerful.


    Politicians at the highest levels had been changed many times, but Almia always had the strongest military force in the universe. In the midst of changing tides, Almia remained constant.


    The universe gave this race of people another name: humanoid weapons.


    They soon arrived at the entrance of the vessel. Jiang Wei took the initiative to move forward. The vessel¡¯s door automatically scanned his unique mental imprint, which was embedded into the Avaricious Wolf¡¯s secret network, verifying his identity. The door opened silently.


    While the door was closed, Louie finally finished the second half of her statement just now, ¡°Boastful.¡±


    It was unknown if she was talking about the door, or if she was commenting on Jiang Wei¡¯s entire line of successive actions.


    Fifth at the academy, blessed by the heavens, pleased with himself, boastful in action. As expected.


    Still needs experience.


    Louie considered the report she would give to the higher ups so she could have a different soldier.


    When she stepped onto the private vessel, she finally expanded the range of her movements.


    The popping, crackling sound of unfolding bones rang out. The short, small frame extended at a speed detectable to the naked eye, and the white prison uniform which was originally draped loosely on her was now filled out by the newly stretched-out body.


    Concealed for a year and a month, she had always presented herself as a child to others. After such a long time, her bones were just about to start rusting.


    Jiang Wei stared at her blankly from behind.


    While skeletal retraction was one of the electives offered at AIMA, it was usually used for long-term undercover missions. The students today were not very enthusiastic about learning this kind of ancient technology.


    After all, now that there was appearance-altering technology with a simple transformation of the gene sequence, few people would diligently study this method of folding and shifting bones.


    It was an arduous journey that bore little fruit. Aside from the pain when the bones folded and unfolded, there was always a chance that if they were folded too long, the bones could become permanently locked or dislocated.


    No one would take that class unless there were some people at the Academy who clung onto their drop of fanatical, Almian blood.


    If he remembered correctly¡­Colonel Louie must really be a member of that faction?


    Is it possible that the faction in the graduating classes prior to his still had these kinds of bloodline-chasing antiques?


    Louie did not concern herself with what Jiang Wei was thinking. She stepped into the washroom.


    These kinds of ¡®urgently acquisitioned private vessels¡± were pretty much freely used by the military.


    After all, they all came from AIMA¡¯s research and development center. The internal structure was created from a set mold, so there was no wasted time getting familiar with the interior of the ship.


    ¡°Surgical equipment, hyperplasia ointment, a small scalpel, alcohol, and clean clothing. I want to see these items in the washroom in under five minutes.¡± Louie instructed.


    She addressed this statement to the ship¡¯s artificially intelligent automation system, Sophus[2].


    Sophus was a system used particularly for military vessels which was similar to domestic housekeeping robotic units but with the additional responsibility of the automatic operation of the ship.


    ¡°Jiang Wei.¡±


    Louie continued speaking. Jiang Wei acknowledged at once.


    ¡°Look into Hyde¡¯s current situation. If you can contact him, tell him to report back quickly.¡±


    She really was not in the mood to look after a rookie who just graduated from the military academy.


    This was the longest string of words that Jiang Wei had personally heard Louie speak.


    Truthfully speaking, Louie¡¯s voice was quite unique.


    At first listen, her voice sounded like the emotionless, mechanical way of speaking that comes from AIMA, but perhaps because she had been undercover for over a year, her voice now carried a slight note of softness.


    To use a metaphor, it was a little bit like an ice cube in winter.


    The transparent, bulky cube refracted the clear rays of sunlight. Within its body, the single beam of white light broke apart into a multitudinous riot of colors that scattered in all directions.


    The ice cube¡¯s edges were dulled under the sun¡¯s heat and no longer cuttingly sharp, but after touching it for a while, one would soon discover that the cube had already adhered to them. Should one try to remove it, the cube would take a layer of skin and flesh with it.


    A frozen beauty.


    Bitterly cold and high-handedly arrogant, but dazzling nonetheless.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Jiang Wei performed a military salute. Under Louie¡¯s force gaze, which seemed to have the unspoken subtext ¡®haven¡¯t you gotten to work yet¡¯, Jiang Wei immediately slunk off to the study.


    Then, Louie strode into the washroom.


    She turned the knob on the faucet¡ª¡ªwho knew what those researchers who studied the unified sensory perception of organisms in the universe were thinking, but frankly speaking, regarding the basic necessities of life, most organisms strongly preferred the manual controls of ancient times. It gave them a sense of self-determination and freedom.


    Just because those old pedants spend days arguing back and forth over these kinds of questions, the particulars of the design of these vessels changed from day to day.


    Louie preferred automated appliances, but unfortunately, this vessel was clearly manufactured during a time when the ¡®freedom of manual operation¡¯ faction was in power.


    White, misty water vapor soon filled the washroom.


    The mirror seemed to be covered in a layer of winter¡¯s frost.


    Louie stood in front of the mirror. With effort, she managed to wipe a patch of the mirror so she could see.


    The mirror revealed the person reflected within¡¯s fine collarbones, the contour of her solid musculature extending down from her shoulder. Her wheat-colored skin intensified the sense of her physical strength.


    Louie¡¯s face was worthy of being called ascetic; trust that, should this scene be photographed, it would not be inferior to those lively celebrities on stage and would perhaps even gather a large fan following.


    It was just too bad; this body¡¯s owner did not have this kind of awareness.


    Louie picked up the scalpel which had already been prepared, lifted her hand, and searched her left arm for the wound, which had just begun to heal. With a fixed gaze, she dug the scalpel into her flesh.


    Precise, swift, without so much as a superfluous splatter of blood.


    Due to physiological reasons, her arm inevitably shook.


    Bead-shaped droplets of water¡ªwhether from the washroom¡¯s mist or her body¡¯s natural sweat, it was unclear¡ªslid off her forehead and dripped onto her arm.


    She removed a thumb-sized, silver ellipsoid from her arm.


    It was one of those pieces of gravel, jewelry, and other small bits that had been embedded in her wound while she was ¡®busy¡¯ killing Lilith, to be exact.


    A little gift from that big man Zhao Yu.


    A little bauble beneath notice, stolen from the hands of a Sylouisian.


    The Federation Police¡¯s Headquarters would only complete a body search for these ¡®liberated slaves¡¯ at the lowest security level. Aside from stuffing the object into her body, there was no other way for her to bring it along.


    Louie released a muffled groan. She randomly smeared waterproof ointment on her bloodied arm, then submerged her whole body into the bathtub.


    The hyperplasia ointment promoted the growth of new cells. At a rate fast enough for the naked eye to pick up, the flesh of her wound began to heal. The numb feeling made her feel a little itchy.


    She smoothly reached out a hand and grabbed the bottle of rum beside the bathtub. She ripped the cap off with her teeth, then gulped some down.


    As the cold alcohol slid down her throat, the crease in her brow eased slightly. Louie shut her eyes and at last let out a long sigh.


    People who graduated from AIMA were not emotionless robots. They had been drilled and taught that their own, superfluous feelings needed to be concealed to the highest degree possible.


    When needed, they could relieve themselves with the aid of alcohol.


    The people of Almia had never needed to possess their own desires. From the past and even until the present day, when the planet had become the universe¡¯s premiere academy, this remained resolute.


    Long-frayed and taut nerves relaxing under the influence of the hot water and alcohol made Louie let out a lethargic, sleepy breath.


    She was like a contented cat, shutting her eyes as she found relief.


    This lasted until she connected to the Avaricious Wolf¡¯s specialized Star Link network and received an urgent report from Jiang Wei. She suddenly opened her eyes.


    Desolate and abstruse, like an all-absorbing black hole.


    A short briefing note appeared in front of her eyes, the news from Jiang Wei hanging suspended on its surface:


    ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Hyde de Witt unfortunately encountered a Kunpeng while passing through the transfer point on the return journey. Onboard was the other personnel, as well as an interstellar wanderer. Both are missing!¡±

 CH 4.1

    In the vast universe, there was saying left over from antiquity:


    The Kun is so large that it will not fit in one pot; the Peng is so large that one needs two stoves.[1]


    It is said that, in its early days, this was just a humorous bit of mockery from Earth. Back in that time, the Kunpeng was just a creature of legend. However, the unexpected thing is, after the invention of the first space-faring vessel and the rise of the Great Interstellar Era, these legendary creatures had genuinely been discovered out in the universe.


    The social structure of Kunpeng was similar to that of the Acarids[2].


    The only difference was in their behavior as a collective. If one said that the Acarids formed groups around a queen, then Kunpeng were more like Earthen blue whales.


    The young took the form of a Kun and the grown took the form of a Peng. When mature, they produce pheromones that can only be detected by the opposite sex to find each other. Then, after they complete the mating process, they soon separate and become lone wanderers of the universe, devouring the trace elements of scattered meteors for sustenance.


    When the people of the past had discovered Kunpeng, the Great Interstellar Era had barely begun before the first war against alien races almost broke out.


    However, they had later discovered that the Kunpeng were docile, and moreover, that they were delicious. After the first taste, the already sparsely populated Kunpeng were swiftly hunted into near extinction. Kunpeng became the first creature protected by the Association for the Protection of Interstellar Organisms, the APIO, which gave strict orders banning the hunting of Kunpeng¡ª¡ªespecially for the Earthens of East Asian descent, who rounded them up to cook with various culinary techniques.


    To symbolize their importance, even the insignia of the APIO was in the shape of a Kunpeng.


    Under the imposed sanctions and harsh penalties for violators, the remaining Kunpeng were conserved at last.


    But, when humans developed the technology to pass through wormholes, Kunpeng loved to appear at these transfer points, giving no end of trouble to humans.


    If the wandering Acarids were nature¡¯s creators of transfer points, then Kunpeng, the universe¡¯s consumers of trace elements, were nature¡¯s destroyers.


    It was fine if no one used the transfer points, but if someone was passing through just as a Kunpeng wandered over, then the transfer would inevitably go wrong.


    Anyone passing through that transfer point would be routed to a completely different location than intended. If that location was within the Star Link network, then they still had a chance, but if not, then they could only leave it up to fate.


    And so, when Louie saw the news, for a moment, she did not know what to say.


    Kunpeng, which were constantly under the threat of illegal poaching, were rare animals in the universe. Even the APIO had not recorded a sighting of Kunpeng in decades. How did Hyde manage to have this chance encounter?


    This kind of luck was really something else.


    Louie reclined in the bathtub as she considered the situation. She gave Jiang Wei a decisive reply: ¡°Send the report and prepare his genetic data. If he doesn¡¯t return within the next ten years, an order of accidental death will automatically be issued.¡±


    She spoke without a hint of hesitation. Even as she was just considering the issue, she was already calculating the odds of Hyde¡¯s survival.


    To be a preeminent graduate of the Military Academy, it was impossible for her to spare any sentiments for a subordinate.


    Almians did not need pity or sympathy. Rather, they completely lacked pity or sympathy.


    In their eyes, there was only the division of rank and their utter obedience.


    This also made Almians¡ªand by extension, the students of AIMA¡ªexcluded from other races and species in the universe. Aside from certain biological characteristics, what difference was there between these kinds of people and the coldness of robotic machinery?


    Having flesh and blood only made them even more frightening.


    Louie soon cast this little interlude to the back of her mind. She took her left arm out of the bathtub and discovered that, with the application of the hyperplasia ointment, the wound from tearing open her own arm was as good as new.


    Her finger slowly slid along her smooth arm, the slightly coarse whorls of her fingerprint leaving a lingering, wet trail like the serpent of Paradise Lost languidly flicking its tongue.


    In that moment, Louie thought of that child on the Crimson Sand Planet who had shown her kindness.


    The serpent was tempting Eve to eat the apple.


    Sentiment was a poisonous snake, desire a forbidden fruit. But she was not Eve.


    She suddenly withdrew her fingertips. She felt an abrupt pain in her heart, which was almost always calm. It was only for a moment, but the completely foreign sensation left Louie a bit uneasy.


    Perhaps her lengthy time undercover had caused this kind of illness.


    Right, in the motto each student at the Military Academy needed to recite, thinking for yourself too much was deemed an ¡®illness¡¯.


    One that required therapy.


    As soon as she became aware of this feeling, she immediately distanced herself from it.


    Ever since she had left the Military Academy, this kind of feeling had never appeared.


    After the Great War, Astronomical Time 423[3], the same year that the Federation government and Almia Interstellar Military Academy was established, the method of tracking time was changed to reflect the new Federation era.


    Pure-blooded Almians were decimated during the war, and to ensure the continuation of their civilization, they had no alternative but to reconstruct the academy. To expand enrollment, admission to the Military Academy was opened up to other races, and the traditions of Almia carried on as before.


    Louie was both unfortunate and fortunate.


    She was the descendant of Earthens and Almians. Apparently, her Almian ancestors had perished in the Great War, and she would have to trace her lineage back who knows how long to find her Earthen roots. Her blood was mostly of Earth, but this ratio seemed a bit unreasonable.


    But this was just something she had heard about. In the misty clouds of water vapor, Louie reminisced about her childhood, a period which was not particularly happy for her.


    Cold-blooded parents who died in a scuffle on a street corner somewhere, leaving her with some strangers at an interstellar shelter. And a woman, who, upon taking a trip to Earth, had been fervently ecstatic to discover that Almian blood flowed through her veins.


    Martha Philby.

 CH 4.2

    Therapy Planet No. 13 ¨C Chapter 4: Nightmare (Pt. 2)


    The two of them were a guardian and her ward, a pair of sisters, a couple of friends, a teacher and her student, a general and her soldier, and an authority figure and her subordinate.


    Perhaps they would become lovers, companions, the progenitors of future generations.


    After all, when she returned, she would undergo genetic testing. She was already at an age suitable for reproduction. They were both in their primes, and the chances of them matching were not insignificant.


    Louie¡¯s head started to ache slightly.


    She thought that she may have had too much liquor, her drunkenness making her thoughts trail into inappropriate directions.


    Louie smothered this weakness of hers, and with a rush of cascading water, got out of the bathtub, dispersing the misty vapor somewhat.


    She languidly grabbed a bath towel and dried her body, and in a smooth motion, snagged the white bathrobe and draped it loosely on her body, carefully gripping that silvery ¡®seed¡¯ made of some unknown material in her palm. She narrowed her eyes, examining the object she had spent so much time concealing. She was not sure why the higher-ups sent her to complete this mission¡ªit was even classified at the highest levels.


    Louie¡¯s brow furrowed. She did not know why, but the object seemed a little dimmer than when she had just acquired it.


    But upon close inspection, there did not seem to be any damage; each and every curve exuded perfection and elegance.


    Had she remembered incorrectly, then?


    Louie turned the problem over in her mind. The Crimson Sand Planet was relatively close to its respective sun. Not only was it hot, but even the sun¡¯s rays were far brighter than on other planets. Could it have just been a trick of the light?


    The logic was sound.


    Louie still felt that something was off, but every detail she retrieved from her memory was perfectly clear. She ultimately let go of her misgivings, let out a long sigh, and walked out of the bathroom barefooted.


    It seems that she really was ill. Should she go back and take a sedative?


    The washroom was actually a personal space.


    After all, it was a vessel designed for covert use by the military. Instead of the monochromatic, impersonal rooms of the military academy, even the walls of the bedroom were painted a warm, pale yellow color.


    The ship¡¯s ventilation system also added a scent into the air to promote sleep. The faint fragrance lingered at the tip of Louie¡¯s nose, making her sneeze.


    Without the shield of the water temperature, her left arm was slightly warm to the touch. Louie thought that it was simply an effect of the hyperplasia ointment and added another medication, not thinking too much of it. She threw herself onto the soft blanket, her bones occasionally releasing satisfied pops.


    Perhaps it was because she had been compressed for so long, but her body cried out for a relaxing nap.


    The moment before she sank into a slumber, she struggled to send out a message to Martha.


    Succinct, with only a simple report:


    ¡°Mission complete. Selecting return date.¡±


    The response from the other party arrived practically just as the previous message was sent.


    ¡°Received.¡±


    Another short message arrived through the private Star Link network immediately after the first.


    ¡°Good job. I await your return.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Louie drifted into a dream.


    She dreamed of the first time she had gone out on assignment. Martha had sent her a ¡°I await your return,¡± she had not done anything, but when she did return, Martha had, with the unperturbed countenance indistinguishable from those of the military academy, had asked her, ¡°Why did you not reply to me?¡±


    And so, each time she replied with an ¡°okay.¡±


    Afterward, regardless of her assignment, whether short-term or long-term, they had a tacit understanding.


    She dreamt of Martha dragging her into the abyss with those words.


    Her first time dreaming of Martha.


    Her second time dreaming of returning.


    Her third time dreaming of the abyss.


    Her infinite time dreaming of all the ways they fit together.


    The moment Louie struggled awake from the nightmare, the room¡¯s induction lights began to glow dimly.


    The lighting system imitated the brightness of the sun as it rises from the horizon. Bit by bit, after a long time, the room was illuminated as bright as the daytime.


    Louie instinctively checked her notifications on Star Link and found that Martha had sent her a temporary message the previous night¡ªAn order from Almia.


    Almia was a name used in the past solely for addressing the supreme commander of the Almians. Each successive generation used this address. However, after the establishment of the military academy, the populace prefered to use the Federation address of Academy Commandant.


    ¡°Your mission debrief will be personally handled by the supreme commander. You must report to the supreme commander as soon as you return to the Origin Planet.¡±


    After Martha brought her back from Earth, she settled on Almia. Her bloodline and identity both became Almian.


    Louie¡¯s gaze fell on the clock in the corner: 4:30 AM.


    No matter how she cut it, it really could not be called ¡®¡°late.¡±


    Louie was a little surprised. She had not expected to sleep that long this time.


    She had always been a light sleeper. Each time she fell asleep, she would not be able to sleep for long, as multiple nightmares would startle her awake. The test results stated that it could be due to the influence of her Earthen genes, but this undoubtedly made her become a natural weapon useful for undercover assignments.


    When Louie had attended AIMA, her classmates had been keen to give her the nickname ¡°the sleepless sword of Damocles.¡±[1]


    You never knew what she would do while you were sleeping.


    And this sleepless sword of Damocles was currently facing the problem of a century.


    The ship¡¯s floating interface displayed a string of words in a strictly business-like manner: ¡°Would you care to make breakfast for yourself? We will sincerely provide any raw ingredient you wish to use.¡±


    Louie rubbed her forehead¡ª¡ªthe designers of the ¡®freedom of manual operation faction¡¯ even made the food self-serve.


    She really hated the taste of the nutrient packs.


    But if she were to cook for herself¡­


    Let¡¯s just go with the nutrient pack.


    The author has something to say:


    Martha is not a cp.


    Those warriors who made it through the first three chapters, leave a comment so I can get familiar, thank you.

 CH 5

    13-17 minutes 25.07.2022


    In the end, Louie had some cereal with cold milk for breakfast.


    No sweetener was added to the cold milk, and the cereal contained no traces of white sugar. She could only rely on the naturally occurring chemical breakdown of the cereal¡¯s starches to detect any sort of flavor.


    The chilly liquid slid down her throat into her stomach. As soon as she started drinking it, even a person such as Louie had to shiver.


    She expressionlessly finished off the rest of her meal.


    The culinary arts were only an elective course at the military academy, and nutrition was already taken care of by the military¡¯s rations. When necessary, a nutrient pack could provide nourishment for up to a month. Even when reduced to the point of cooking for herself to provide adequate nutritional intake, Louie thought there was really no need for a culinary course.


    She had no intentions of becoming an orderly.


    Regardless of whether or not she had an innate talent, her abysmal cooking skills had, in short, never received any training and had thus degenerated to their current state.


    However, there was always a solution, Louie thought indifferently. Worst comes to the worst, she would simply eat like this, not eat at all, or wait to eat in the military academy¡¯s mess hall.


    There was always a way.


    And if one could not think of a way, just obey the collective.


    False. Rather, one was only permitted the will of the collective.


    This reprimand was also clearly proclaimed within military regulations.


    Just after she finished her breakfast, Louie received an arrival notification from the ship¡¯s Sophus system.


    In terms of secrecy, security, or reliability, military starships were leaps and bounds above civilian vessels. And for a starship manufactured by the military academy¡¯s internal weapons plant, intended for use by the Avaricious Wolf?


    Shaking during the docking process was beneath mention; passengers did not even feel dizzy executing transfers.


    After Louie saw the prompt, her previously lackadaisical movements quickened.


    She leapt up from the chair and yanked open the wardrobe. Inside was an array of field uniforms, arranged from left to right. Dyed with the inky blackness of space, adorned with overflowing decorations like falling stars, and laced with the howl of the avaricious wolf in the dark night, all emitted a foreboding air. Perhaps the only thing that remained constant between them was the sizing.


    Louie¡¯s fingers trailed along the row of hangers before selecting a uniform of proper size from among the unlabeled clothing.


    Every inch of the fabric fit her form seamlessly. She stood in front of the mirror. As she fastened the buttons, the slight trembling of her fingers betrayed her nervousness.


    Only after she had fastened all of the buttons up to her collar did Louie suddenly react.


    Louie grumbled about her own uselessness under her breath, but still performed a military salute in front of the mirror to make sure everything was spick and span. Bringing along the fruits of her latest mission, she left the room like an arrow leaving a bowstring.


    Jiang Wei had been waiting for her outside of the ship for a while now.


    The military vessel was docked in an Almian space port specifically designated for special forces units. Louie exited the ship solemnly. Her rank as colonel afforded her the highest of courtesies.


    At this moment, it was not yet eight o¡¯clock in the morning. The configuration of the space port and the distant Almian sun made it so that a faint gray light was only just cresting the horizon.


    The morning assembly had already begun. Hearing the familiar bugle call, Louie¡¯s tense body  could at last relax a bit.


    She exited the space port, verified her identity, then boarded a transport vessel heading toward the main academy building. She disembarked at the entrance and jogged to the commander¡¯s office.


    Within the academy¡¯s grounds, only foot traffic was permitted, but the grounds were alarmingly expansive, so to make sure they were not late, students all exercised regularly to ensure they could make it in the allotted time.


    Louie looked at the wooden sign hung on the door. On its front were the words ¡®Commandant¡¯s Office,¡¯ written in both Almian and the Federation¡¯s common tongue.


    It carried a dignified, imposing air.


    Louie took a deep breath. She admonished herself that it was a normal mission debrief. She could not feel panicked because the one she was facing was the commander.


    Obey. Obey. Never fear.


    She turned over these words from the school¡¯s tremendously long motto. Only after repeating them in her mind three times did she muster the courage to knock on the door.


    ¡°Enter.¡±


    A composed, sedate voice sounded from within.


    A turn of the handle, a push of the door, a click as it closed.


    A new pair of military boots made five steps of a regulation gait then halted. A light tap of the heels then her right fist thumped her chest


    A standard military salute.


    ¡°Commander!¡±


    A middle-aged man, a head full of gray hair and a plain military uniform, was before her. He was not wearing any stripes or bars, a pair of spectacles resting on the bridge of his nose. He looked to be about in his sixties¡ªthe prime of life in the Federation¡ªand carried a refined, literary air.


    With androgynous features, all commanders throughout the ages, in actuality, looked relatively the same. Regardless if man or woman, this type of face would be described in gender-neutral terms as elegant, fine, and stately.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±


    A simple statement, spoken in a mellow, deep voice.


    The commandant took off his spectacles, his buoyant gaze flitting between Louie and the personnel file in his hands. He smiled warmly, ¡°Louie. Born of Earth, brought back to Almia at the age of eight by Martha Philby. Enrolled in the academy at the age of ten and graduated first in the cohort at eighteen. Entered the Avaricious Wolf and was promoted to the rank of colonel within a short span of two years. Accepted an undercover assignment codenamed Mithril, and now¡­you¡¯ve brought me the spoils.¡±


    Her hand, which had only just been at ease, resumed its salute position. Louie¡¯s body tensed, ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Young people don¡¯t need to be so reserved¡­perhaps when you¡¯re my age, you might be sitting in this position¡­you¡¯re a twenty-one-year-old colonel, after all. Quite rare since the foundation of the academy.¡±


    In previous generations, supreme commanders would automatically step down and personally nominate five successors. Afterward, the next commander would naturally stand out from amongst the five candidates, and the remaining four individuals would replace the heads of the four special forces divisions, becoming trusted subordinates of the commander.


    Almians only followed the strong.


    Facing the commander¡¯s praise, Louie would never dare be remiss. Just as she was going to resume her salute, she remembered his words ¡®don¡¯t need to be so reserved¡¯ and had to straighten her waist, replying, ¡°I thank the commander for his favor. May the commander¡¯s military career be prosperous and accomplished.¡±


    ¡°Young people just love to use these respectful expressions, that¡¯s all.¡± The commander smiled as he shook his head. His sharp gaze sliced through his smiling countenance, piercing directly through Louie¡¯s eyes, ¡°No need to state your report here. Just file it when you return. Now, give it to me.¡±


    Louie affirmed, then quickly took out that ¡®seed¡¯ that had once been stuck inside her body.


    The commander took the ¡®seed¡¯ and turned it over in his hand. He did not think that it would look like such an ordinary object.


    With a natural ease, he tossed it into the drawer and continued with a faint sense of commendation, ¡°Well done.¡±


    Louie did not say a word.


    Because she saw the commander stretch out a hand to pick up the teacup from off the table and attentively blow away the steam rising off the surface. He did not seem to be finished speaking.


    ¡°Say¡­now that your mission has been completed, what reward should you receive?¡±


    Louie¡¯s eyelid twitched.


    These words were dangerous.


    All missions had fixed procedures. When receiving the assignment, one would generally find out the grade of said assignment. The merits would accumulate for a later promotion as part of a specialized process.


    And for the privileges of the highest levels, intervention in this process was even more impossible¡ªwith the exception of the person at the top.


    The commander had absolute power; even if a new recruit at the military academy was accomplished, without the express recognition of the commander, no one dared have their own opinion on the matter.


    Conversely, no reason was necessary to demote someone of high rank.


    The commander always had his reasons. Soldiers need only obey.


    Louie did not dare accept his words, so she could only feigh that she had not heard.


    ¡°How about I promote you to lieutenant general?¡± The commander took a sip of tea, then smiled lightly, ¡°You¡¯d be the youngest lieutenant general in the academy¡¯s history, forever memorialized in the history books. What do you think?¡±


    Louie knew that, at this moment, she ought to reply ¡®I thank the commander for his favor.¡¯ No agreement, no rebuttal¡ªall of the power in the hands of the other dominant party.


    However, with a bravery of unknown origin, she unexpectedly opened her mouth and asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    It was like a bolt of lightning splitting the sky. A single, ordinary word was like a ten thousand pound weight. At last, there was a ripple in the commander¡¯s calm, congenial expression.


    He held the teacup in his hands and, for the first time, looked at the young person across from him with a curious gaze, considering her with deliberation.


    The corners of his eyes crinkled. He asked somewhat mirthfully, ¡°Why?¡±


    He repeated Louie¡¯s question, as if he had just heard an enormous joke, and then repeated it once again, ¡°You are asking me ¡®why¡¯?¡±


    An immense pressure was unleashed.


    Louie was almost frightened into retreating a few steps by the chilly atmosphere taking form, but the fortitude she had developed over many years enabled her to simply lower her gaze, ¡°Apologies! I overstepped!¡±


    Soldiers could never ask their superiors for reasons. They could only answer yes or no.


    This was the code of survival for each and every soldier, engraved on their bodies.


    And at this moment, Louie had just asked the highest ranking man on the entire planet a brainless question like ¡®why¡¯¡ªequivalent to the defiant attitude of illiterate disdaining a postdoctoral researcher for not knowing that 1+1=2.


    Louie¡¯s back broke out in a cold sweat.


    She really was ill to ask an unexpected question like that!


    Muddled by illness.


    If the commander forgave her, she would go receive a psychological examination as soon as she could.


    But there was no ¡®if.¡¯


    ¡°Rest assured. My opinion of you remains unchanged.¡± In the moment when she was inattentive, the overwhelming pressure suddenly disappeared.


    Louie immediately lifted her head.


    ¡­It¡¯s fine?


    However, she only saw the commander pick up her file and say mildly, ¡°Every mission must have its conclusion.¡±


    He paused, then looked at Louie kindly, ¡°You could become the first twenty-one-year-old lieutenant general in the academy¡¯s history. At the same time, you would become the first lieutenant general sent on an intergalactic exile mission from the academy¡­oh, it would be more appropriate to say the first ¡®soldier¡¯.¡±


    ¡°This was a hidden clause decided when you were sent on the mission. To maintain secrecy, you would only be notified upon the completion of the mission.¡±


    Louie¡¯s pupils suddenly constricted. She unconsciously wanted to plead. Just as she was going to say ¡®no,¡¯ she saw the commander softly raise a finger and place it on his lips.


    ¡°Soldier E49749, receive your orders.¡±


    ¡°Present!¡±


    Louie responded with a military salute as a conditioned reflex.


    ¡°Tell me. What is intergalactic exile?¡± The procedural question resounded mechanically.


    ¡°An Almian tradition from time immemorial. For esteemed individuals, a testament of insurmountable glory!¡± As Louie finished her words, she found that her voice was shaking.


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    The commander gave her a look of praise.


    ¡°However, the method of exile during the Federation Era has been slightly adjusted. Unlike how it was in the past, now it is a lifelong mission with a specific purpose in mind.¡±


    The commander¡¯s voice was temperate, like he was chatting with someone over lunch. He chuckled, ¡°I couldn¡¯t bear to do it at first, given the steeply declining population after the Great War. However, it seems now that the younger generation should exert themselves more, right?¡±


    This was the fifth question she had been asked since meeting the commander.


    As with the previous four questions, she felt her blood run cold. She could not provide an answer.


    The author has something to say:


    *cough* Anyone know about Aristides


    Alright, I won¡¯t keep you in suspense. This old legend came from the exiling ostrakon¡­well, it doesn¡¯t have much relation besides his name on it.


    I didn¡¯t think everyone would care so much about the addresses. I will explain a bit here:


    The main character should be a colonel. Any discrepancies is because I changed the text¡­some of the earlier parts were not changed in time, my bad;


    Later, when she rises in rank to a lieutenant general, the difference is due to her change in title, but she did not acknowledge it, so the way she addresses herself and the way he addresses her are different;


    The address ¡®commander¡¯ stresses its relation with the military, while the address ¡®commandant¡¯ stresses its relation with the administration.

 CH 6

    ¡°Lieutenant General.¡±


    The ship¡¯s orderly looked at the shiny epaulet on Louie¡¯s clothing and immediately stopped what they were doing, their gaze full of the utmost admiration and envy.


    To a fanatical degree.


    Louie was already used to this type of gaze.


    A twenty-one-year-old lieutenant general, the youngest in the academy¡¯s history and promoted two ranks at once, as well as the first to be suitable for ¡®The Degree of Intergalactic Exile¡¯ since the establishment of the academy.


    This series of news was like a whirlwind that tore through the entire planet in as short as one day.


    Louie did not even bother repeating ¡®do not address me this way¡¯ to the others. She had been in the military for so many years, but this was the first time she faced her own meritorious accomplishments and felt shame.


    Shame.


    And even anger.


    Louie did not know the reason behind these inexplicable feelings, either.


    She herself believed that she was sick, and she even put in an urgent request to see a doctor.


    ¡°Results of the spiritual consciousness[1] test are available.¡±


    The doctor passed the virtual report to Louie.


    With Star Link, everything was, indeed, done digitally, but physics evolved at a far, far slower pace than the spiritual consciousness.


    Feeling that it was strange to do nothing while communicating, everyone naturally created visualizations for the virtual data, pretending that it was tangible.


    ¡°Everything¡­normal?¡±


    Louie raised her eyebrows. She realized that she was surprised once again.


    She calmed herself and tried to straighten herself out, ¡°Was it the test that¡­¡±


    The words ¡®malfunctioned¡¯ got caught in her throat. In the minute before they left her mouth, she recalled that ¡®the authority of a specialist is unquestionable,¡¯ and swallowed the words.


    ¡°These are the results of your physical and genetic testing.¡±


    When the doctor heard the doubtful tone in Louie¡¯s voice, his expression was a bit sour. Fortunately, Louie did not finish the rest of her sentence. Otherwise, how was he supposed to deal with this kind of rookie mistake?


    Louie took the results carefully. Star Link even simulated the tactile feel of paper, as well as the scent of fresh ink.


    Her gaze jumped past the complicated lines of data to the final evaluation, where there were two words listed in bright red, bold font:


    Everything normal.


    Impossible.


    Louie immediately refuted the results in her mind.


    But, facing a professional diagnosis, she knew that no one would believe her.


    ¡°Right, the genetic test indicates that you are over the age of twenty. When you were on assignment, you were passed over for marriage proceedings. Now that you¡¯re back, you should go to the Relations Department to be tested for a genetically suitable match.¡±


    The Almian ¡®Marriage Degree¡¯ ruled that twenty was the legal age of marriage.


    On this planet, everything revolved around ¡®military affairs.¡¯ The concept of marriage suitability had likewise gone in the direction of extracting high-quality genes.


    Every twenty year old, without exception, must submit a fresh sample to the Gene Institute, then wait for the Gene Institute to match them with their ¡®other half,¡¯ a match of highest genetic compatibility determined by complicated biological analyzes.


    The other half may be male or female. The sex was unimportant.


    Modern technology had long enabled them to cultivate excellent progeny with in vitro fertilization and artificial uteruses¡ªthe higher the genetic compatibility, the better the embryos will be.


    But now it was unnecessary.


    She did not even have time to go home before she was dragged to fill out a chaotic pile of volunteer forms, then was directed to submit a sample¡­


    She was quite the news bombshell, after all. Those involved in the Propaganda Department, of course, latched onto her.


    And as she was under assignment, she had no way to refuse.


    Under normal circumstances, there would be more propaganda activities to take part in, but the Decree of Intergalactic Exile stipulated that she must leave the planet within one day. Those propaganda officers, their eyes only filled with their work, had no choice but to let her go.


    ¡­


    As Louie watched the hatch slowly open on the spaceship before her, she suddenly wanted to snicker.


    She pulled the corners of her mouth up, recalling the standard appearance for a ¡®snicker¡¯ detailed in textbooks. The lips hook upward, scornful and contemptuous. The eyes should be cold, even indignant.


    The snicker seemed to meld with the sound of the door opening as it sounded once, then disappeared.


    She immediately restrained herself, returning to normal as if nothing had happened.


    Louie ascended to the spaceship. She turned her head, looking at the soldiers that were still paying their respects to the gray epaulets. Suddenly remembering that when she returned yesterday there had been two of them, she couldn¡¯t help but snag one of those people from below to ask, ¡°Where¡¯s Jiang Wei?¡±


    ¡°Sergeant Jiang is preparing for his transfer to the Federal garrison in the Northwest Galaxy. Do you need him for something, ma¡¯am[2]?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Louie¡¯s eyelid twitched.


    The garrison in the Northwest Galaxy. Star Link was only present in its most basic form there, and in most cases, only green rookies ranking last at the military academy would be the ones stationed there. Even if the ones sent there were capable, it would just be a matter of getting achievements in the distant galaxy to facilitate a future promotion.


    Additionally, such a move would promote the fresh graduates to the rank of sergeant¡ªtruly a case of ascending to the heavens on someone else¡¯s coattails[3].


    It was unknown if it was worth it or not, but, without fail, everyone involved would receive their due ¡®reward¡¯.


    Why did no one understand?


    Rather, if it had been when she was not ¡®ill¡¯, would she have not understood it either?


    Whether it was an assignment to a fringe galaxy or this Decree of Intergalactic Exile, both were essentially punishments.


    Life imprisonment.


    Louie stood by the ship¡¯s entrance, looking on coldly as the hatch closed automatically.


    It was a small, single-person vessel, with enough rations and fuel for ten years, sufficient for long-term missions.


    But for the Decree, it was merely a one-way ticket.


    The Decree of Intergalactic Exile had a long history.


    It was said, before the Great Interstellar Era, when each planet¡¯s civilization was distinct and without knowledge of others, Almia had this ancient tradition.


    Every civilization in the universe had its own ways of surviving.


    Earthens liked to expand, absorbing resources to support their growing population, Acarids lived in groups and wandered the universe, and Almians, a civilization that was impersonal and strict down to its roots, used a special method to ensure that each and every planetary resident had a ¡®suitable¡¯ allocation of its resources.


    Resources are finite.


    Some planets chose to expend resources wantonly¡ªlike Earth, for example¡ªthen expand once there was a shortage, thus spawning the Great Interstellar Era; some would be destroyed by their own extravagance.


    And Almia, despite being able to engage in space battles, chose to strictly control its own population.


    When the population was small, the number of newborns would be precisely estimated down to the single digits. Everyone obeyed orders, with military and civilians as one integrated unit. No concept other than superior and subordinate existed, so the idea of forced breeding likewise did not exist.


    ¡ª¡ªThe term ¡®parent¡¯ was only discovered after the beginning of the Great Interstellar Era, through courses from other civilizations.


    But if there were too many people, no suicide order would be issued.


    The selected ones would simply be given a spaceship with limited fuel and a certain quantity of food, then ordered to carry out an ¡®interstellar exploration mission¡¯ reminiscent of the exploratory space probes sent out by the early Earthens.


    No return. No two-way route. No purpose. Just waiting for the food to run out, for the fuel to be exhausted. Only the collected data was permitted to be sent back to the Mother Planet. The air would slowly but surely get used up, leaving only suffocation and death.


    Almia granted these ¡®chosen ones¡¯, sent off to never return, with the highest of honors afforded to anyone besides the commander.


    But after the Great War, Almia¡¯s population had been decimated. It even had to rely on the population of other planets to keep Almia up and running. Naturally, this decree aimed at controlling overpopulation had become absolutely meaningless.


    ¡­


    ¡°The ship will now enter into automatic navigation mode. Destination: Planet No. 13¡­¡±


    Sophus¡¯ digital voice sounded in the ship¡¯s control room, drawing Louie out of her own thoughts.


    Right, she had heard the commander mention that after the establishment of the academy, the methods used for intergalactic exile had been slightly adjusted.


    Its full name should be ¡®Decree of Intergalactic Exile¡ªOrder of Lifetime Assignment (New Edition)¡¯.


    She ordered Sophus to pull up the downloaded Decree for her to study carefully.


    ¡ª¡ªBefore, this Decree was like a blank piece of paper; almost no one on the planet paid the old law¡¯s new edition any heed. It was dragged out by the Propaganda Department like some sort of stage prop, and there was no time to understand it properly.


    Aside from the differences in specific political terms between the Almian on one side and the translation into the Federation¡¯s tongue on the other, there did not seem to be any significant differences?


    But Louie soon found an additional clause within the dense text.


    ¡°The lifetime assignment will be set at a particular destination planet¡­Also¡­regard it as your new service base¡­all actions will be under the direction of the local commanding officer?¡±


    Louie was a little surprised.


    On second thought, there did not seem to be anything wrong with that.


    Just what era was she in? It had been ages since the times where planets were ruled by warlords and such. The military academy having a few external branches or outposts was¡­understandable?


    But this was not something an Almian was capable of doing. As soon as such a thought reared its head, Louie immediately dismissed it.


    No, no, no. Her thoughts were going more and more off course.


    Sick beyond remedy.


    Just then, the ship¡¯s control room let out a shrill alarm, a red light flashing¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Alert! Alert! The ship cannot locate the destination ¡®Planet No. 13¡¯ within the Federation¡¯s Star Map, edition 89! Please reenter the the coordinates, or pilot the ship manually!¡±


    Louie was dumbfounded.


    The destination had already been entered. How could there be a malfunction?


    Wait¡ª¡ª


    No. 13? Planet?


    Is that the planet¡¯s name?


    With the push for self realization, almost all planets with numbers within their names had changed them, had they not? Since when were there still planets assigned numerical names?


    Before she had a chance to react, Sophus suddenly stated:


    ¡°Automatically accessed the ship¡¯s internal ¡®Hidden Star Map of the Universe (Incomplete)¡¯! Destination successfully located! The ship will readjust its course in ten seconds!¡±


    A hidden¡­star map?


    Louie¡¯s heart clenched. She immediately called out to Sophus to have it project the two star maps.


    A moment later, millions upon millions of twinkling stars appeared in midair, radiating outward from where Louie stood.


    ¡°Scan. Analyze discrepancies.¡±


    A few seconds later, amongst those millions of stars, a red planet was singled out.


    Coordinates that had never appeared within the regular-issue star map.


    That specially selected planet began to revolve slowly within the inky-black night, leaving behind a red, trailing afterimage in its wake.


    This raised Louie¡¯s interest to its maximum level.


    How curious.

 CH 7

    Federation Star Time: January 1st, 2845.


    A little planet, which did not exist on the star map officially published by the Federation, was just entering a permanent self-rotation pattern.


    ¡°This is the red wine I smuggled from the transportation division. Those celebrities in the capital can¡¯t get enough of it, they say. Careful pouring it, make sure it doesn¡¯t spill!¡±


    A transit station within the asteroid belt was just kicking off new year¡¯s celebrations.


    The transit station was very small.


    The station could only fit about one hundred people inside¡ªincluding special housing for the ¡®guests¡¯ that would live there temporarily.


    As far as permanent employees, there were only those currently gathered around a small table.


    ¡°Okay, okay, Old Wang. Stop your blabbering!¡± One person jeered, ¡°What kind of precious goods could the transportation division smuggle in for you? Red wine from the capital? Couldn¡¯t it be fake?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have the balls, don¡¯t drink it then!¡±


    Old Wang immediately patted the person¡¯s hand, ¡°I used a year¡¯s worth of ¡®tips¡¯ for this. This year was lucky. All the ones sent here were kids from rich families, enough to grease my palms!¡±


    ¡°Man, I¡¯m telling you, when I got started this year, there weren¡¯t any tips. You ran off with all of them.¡±


    Old Wang shrugged his shoulders, revealing a sly, boorish smile, ¡°This shithole doesn¡¯t even have Star Link, after all. The only entertainment is teasing the newcomers. Speaking of, the little rascal actually looked just right the other day. If I hadn¡¯t been so busy prepping for the new year celebration and dealing with the ships, I would have already made some time for a bit of fun.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± His workmate sneered, ¡°That girl looks like trouble. Anyone who can escape from such a chaotic wormhole and live to tell the tale is not easily managed.¡±


    As he spoke, he suddenly reached past Old Wang¡¯s shoulder and grabbed the cup of wine he had just finished pouring.


    ¡°You!¡±


    Old Wang was angry, but just as he was going to snatch it back, the phone rang in the office.


    You go.


    He gave his workmate a look, then pointed at the glass of wine the other had just stolen. The meaning was clear:


    If you do not go, give the wine back.


    His workmate swore, but still staggered over to answer the call.


    The work environment here was abysmal.


    Not only did they have to stay here, the only transit station around, but they were also completely cut off from Star Link.


    Even their communications equipment were fixed-line telephones, exceedingly antiquated. Rumor has it that the communication equipment only worked on-planet, and for receiving communications from some unknown, carefree transmitting station.


    Old Wang had worked here for over ten years. If the salary had not been agreeable, he would have quit a long time ago.


    Fortunately, the work was quite simple. On the 2nd of each month, new people would be transported to the little planet.


    As for where these new people had come from and what they had experienced, Old Wang was not in a position to know.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Old Wang watched as his workmate picked up the phone.


    ¡°Oh, there should be someone new arriving today, but they seem to have come on their own. No escort.¡±


    ¡°No escort?¡±


    Old Wang roared in astonishment, ¡°How isn¡¯t there an escort?¡±


    ¡°How would I know?!¡± His workmate did not feel like dealing with this matter, ¡°The higher-ups said that the newcomer is different from the others. They didn¡¯t say¡­¡± Anything else.


    His workmate¡¯s last couple of words were drowned out by an electronic notification:


    ¡°Warning, warning, a small, private vessel is approaching the transit station and is requesting to dock. Allow docking?¡±


    Old Wang gulped down the red wine. Cursing the ruined wine, he reluctantly approached the screen and pressed the ¡®allow¡¯ button.


    Everything here was as old as it gets. Old Wang suspected that he was actually some sort of museum guard.


    The two of them swiftly opened the passage, staring at the person walking out of the starship docked in the space port in amazement.


    ¡°Damn, it really is just one person!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re good. All those newcomers from before were bawling their eyes out when they were escorted in. I thought I was in a fucking prison!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this pretty much a prison, though? The situation of the guest rooms¡­I saw crude fixings like that in a museum about ancient times.¡±


    ¡°This gait. Why is it so similar?¡±


    ¡°Similar to what?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s like those people in the transportation division or the escort teams? Cocky and uptight, like they¡¯re scared that others won¡¯t know that they¡¯ve got a big dick!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As they spoke, the person from the military vessel had already arrived at the temporary transit terminal.


    ¡­


    Louie saw the two people in front of her and started to suspect that the ship¡¯s automatic navigation system was broken.


    With a visual assessment, one had white hair, slightly stooped back, and a body transformed into a sphere by fat.


    The other wore a sweatshirt covered in oil stains, black shorts, and held a pair of normal plastic slippers¡ª¡ª


    For a moment, Louie thought she was in the slums of some garbage planet.


    These were her future¡­superiors?


    Louie suddenly remembered the specific terms of the Decree of Intergalactic Exile.


    Despite her misgivings, she still offered a respectful military salute.


    The pressed military uniform, cropped hair covered by the brim of a hat, entirely motionless expression, and sharp clack of the military boots against the floor startled Old Wang and his workmate.


    Indeed¡­out of the common way.


    ¡°Soldier E79479, under orders to come here and receive an assignment by the commanding officer. Please instruct!¡±


    ¡°Soldier E¡­huh?¡± The workmate picked his ears, like he did not hear her clearly.


    ¡°Soldier E79479¡­¡±


    Louie subconsciously went to repeat her statement, but was interrupted just as she began speaking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your breath. We¡¯re just door guards. We don¡¯t know about the commanding officer you¡¯re looking for.¡± Old Wang walked forward, smiling. He went to pat Louie on the shoulder with both hands.


    Louie withheld the urge to toss them about with effort, listening to the rest of his words.


    The trailing fingers started to drift lower.


    ¡°The person you want to meet should be on the planet. Everything passes through here. If you want to make a report, go to the planet.¡±


    The fingers dipped into her pocket.


    Old Wang did not think that it would be empty.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t bring any money?¡± He was a bit taken aback.


    ¡°Money?¡± Louie frowned. Since the other party was not her direct superior, there was no need for her to give him any face. She coldly brushed his paws off and replied, ¡°A protection fee? A tip? Whatever you call it, I don¡¯t have it. Sorry.¡±


    Old Wang retracted his paws with regret, not caring in the least that he was seen through.


    ¡°Stingy[1].¡± He swore under his breath.


    Louie turned a deaf ear to his comment. Her brows knitted together, ¡°Then, when may I¡­¡±


    ¡°At eight in the morning tomorrow, we¡¯ll gather here, and I¡¯ll send off you and the one that arrived yesterday.¡±


    Old Wang sullenly waved her over. He staggered away, starting to lead Louie to the guest quarters.


    ¡°There are some rules in this place¡­maybe they were decided on by that superior you mentioned¡­but, basically, you cannot leave your room at will, and you cannot fight with others in private. Meals will be sent to you at fixed times. You probably already discovered that we don¡¯t have Star Link here, but don¡¯t worry, everyone is in the same boat¡­


    ¡°You will wait here for a day, so you don¡¯t need to know about everything. Also, don¡¯t think about running or revolting. Neither will end well. If you¡¯re interested, give it a try.¡±


    Old Wang was not at all interested in those who did not pay up. He was all too eager to send her off and go back to drinking.


    The entire transit station looked old, and there were even several yellowing spots.


    Passing through a corridor lined with steel bars, her back ram-rod straight the entire way, Louie was brought before a cellblock.


    No different from the flophouses on D-tier planets where wanders come and go freely.


    Old Wang pulled open the door to a room.


    Louie turned her head to look: 001.


    ¡°Even though we have lots of rooms, all of the ones used for treatment are here. Two per room, enjoy tonight.¡±


    Old Wang chuckled, thinking that he was pulling a practical joke.


    Louie walked into the room, a bit confused. The room locked automatically from the outside with a swish.


    ¡°Hey there, new roommate?¡±


    Louie¡¯s attention was drawn to this voice.


    She could not describe such a sensation.


    Somewhere between the voice of a child and the graceful maturity of a woman¡¯s voice. Indolent, pure, even filled with temptation.


    Filled with temptation.


    This made Louie¡¯s heart tighten.


    She turned her head to look around. She found that, within the narrow room, there was only one single-person bed, one bathroom, and one place to stand near the entrance.


    And the speaker was idly leaning against the yellowing wall, with golden hair hanging down to her waist and deep brown irises that flash a charming red.


    The brilliance of the color blinded Louie, robbing her of her sight.


    From the head of the bed to the end of it, in the matter of a second, Louie found that her roommate had approached her.


    As the faint smell of blood dispersed through the room, Louie finally noticed that the other¡¯s arms, legs, and even neck were all covered in white bandages.


    Fresh blood seemed out of the bandaging.


    ¡°I really like you.¡±


    Her roommate¡¯s second statement truly endeavored to shock others.[2]


    For a moment, Louie did not react. The other was like an enchanting snake, not giving people enough time to react.


    She took a step backward. Her roommate promptly entangled with her, drawing close to the artery on her neck in a rapacious way.


    Her roommate released a besotted sigh, ¡°You have a special flavor.¡±


    Louie cautiously separated the two of them, frowning, ¡°You¡ª¡±


    Space in the tiny room was finite. She could not retreat more than a few steps. Her roommate approached her again.


    Louie noticed that her irises were not a deep brown.


    They were a crimson red, as red as dry blood.


    The next second, the aggressive, sweet smell of temptation surrounded her on all sides.


    ¡°My name is An Ran. You can call me An.¡±


    The words were muffled as she spoke them, becoming almost mumbled.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Louie¡¯s pupils constricted. She shoved her away.


    Louie used her full strength, but found that the other had not budged at all. Pulling on the collar of Louie¡¯s military uniform, she threw her onto the bed and wrapped her hands around her neck.


    Looks like she¡¯s an old hand at this.


    Grinning, Angel sidled up to Louie¡¯s carotid. She laughed dangerously and happily, ¡°What if you zone out while kissing?¡±


    Thereupon, like a venomous snake, she swallowed her prey whole.

 CH 8

    Chapter 8: Forced Landing


    Content warning: non con kiss, some terms referring to mental illness that may be sensitive for some people (nothing too bad in this chapter, but just a head¡¯s up)


    Rapid, lingering breaths.


    Louie did not think that, while her opponent had the body of a weak child, she had the same skills as someone like her, a soldier who had grown up on Almia.


    A cyborg? A mutant? Which species in the universe would retain a child¡¯s form year-round?


    In an instant, countless conjectures flooded through Louie¡¯s mind without an ultimate conclusion.


    For some reason, all rational reflection seemed unnecessary at this point.


    ¡°See, you¡¯re distracted again.¡±


    Angel continued her chokehold on Louie¡¯s neck.


    Both of her legs wrapped around her as she tried to strangle the person in her arms.


    Pythons killed their prey in this way, she had heard.


    They elongated their bodies, wrapping around their prey, and with every breath the prey took, they would be squeezed even tighter.


    Louie was, naturally, unwilling to let Angel have her way. As she tried to break free of Angel¡¯s headlock, she leveraged her legs on the bed frame.


    Like this, their limbs entwined, neither willing to let go for a single second.


    Those who graduated from the military academy all had a certain otherworldly asceticism. Who would have known that when they embrace, their chests would be soft, as well?


    Their eyes remained open, and a dangerous, scorching light blazed within them.


    If looks could kill, then Angel would have already suffered a death by a thousand cuts.


    Hidden beneath her ascetic exterior was the richness of milk.


    Angel smiled. How should she put it? This flavor¡ªlike that of a child.


    She nibbled Louie¡¯s lips with relish before sliding down and licking her throat. Her sharp incisors tickled Louie¡¯s skin.


    Everything was routine.


    Angel¡¯s hands released her automatically, teasing with malicious intent, ¡°Eh¡­you look fierce, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be so soft!¡±


    Hearing this, Louie did not know if she felt irritated or embarrassed. She at last saw an opening and pushed Angel away, suddenly opening up some distance between them.


    Angel¡¯s small frame landed on the bed with a heavy thump.


    The scent of blood permeated the air.


    Angel cheerfully wiped her mouth, the back of her hand coming away with dark bloodstains.


    Who exactly bit whom, it was unclear.


    In any case, she was certain that her opponent¡¯s mouth felt no better.


    This was no kiss. It was clearly them devouring each other!


    Louie¡¯s blood surged, and she flushed from her ear lobes to her cheeks.


    Nevermind the fact that Almia relied on in vitro cultivation for reproduction, even on assignment on other planets¡ªshe was not the target of sexual advances!


    Louie¡¯s build could not count as slender and tall. While she would not be recognized as a man at first glance, she was certainly not ¡®enchanting.¡¯


    In addition, regardless of whether one considered her Earthen or Almian blood, in her bones, she completely lacked ardor. Seduction was beyond the scope of her consideration.


    And the chest that Angel had just touched¡­was indeed flat.


    Up until now, Louie was wholly satisfied with this. At least it was more convenient when completing assignments.


    During the last twenty-one years of her career, she had never encountered something like this!


    The people of the current era were not particular about it, but this was her first kiss!


    Her first kiss, and it was stolen by someone who looked like a kid?


    Absolutely ridiculous!


    A murderous light appeared in Louie¡¯s eyes. She clenched her fist, torturing this new ¡®roomate¡¯ of hers in her mind over and over again.


    However, her actions were faster than her thoughts.


    By the time Louie reacted, she realized that she was already holding her roommate¡¯s arms behind her back with one hand, the other seizing her by the neck.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you believe that I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    The harsh, venomous question seemed to have been forced through her teeth, brooking no chance of retreat.


    Angel was sure that, should she answer with so much as one unsatisfactory word, the hand on her neck would take her life.


    But she just smiled ambiguously.


    The corners of her eyes tilted hooked upward, every sort of flirtation between her brows, ¡°My name is An Ran. You can call me An.¡±


    She smiled like she was a harmless cub, content in her shocking words[1]. As if she did not realize the situation that she was in, she suddenly changed the topic:


    ¡°You can kill me anytime.¡±


    ¡°If death is the end of loneliness,


    Please, ensure that I burn in the arms of my love,


    And have my love ignite the flames of Nirvana.[2]


    ¡ªThis is my favorite poem. What do you think of it?¡±


    The lines, sung like an aria, constricted the space. In an instant, Louie found breathing incomparably difficult.


    A siren, enticing sailors with her song.


    A Gorgon, turning others to stone with her eyes.


    An ethereal ghost, tempting scholars with her magic.


    A looney.


    A looney, a madwoman, a psycho.


    This was a looney!


    Louie¡¯s fingers were about to scrunch together. Then, she saw Angels seemingly smiling, seemingly not smiling eyes. Instinctively sniffing out a crisis, her fingers suddenly stopped moving.


    Wrong.


    Louie¡¯s reason gradually returned.


    She had been carried away by this person as soon as she had entered.


    Something was wrong.


    Louie recalled what Old Wang had told her while leading her along:


    They must not harm each other¡­otherwise, they would suffer the consequences.


    Louie¡¯s hands slid down abruptly, pulling on Angel¡¯s collar. Her fingers tightened, then relaxed, before punching the headboard with one fist.


    A low thud.


    The indiscernible dust on the bed frame was stirred up, scattering through the air.


    ¡°You¡¯re using me to test the regulations here.¡±


    Louie calmed down and put some distance between her and Angel. She asked, her voice harsh and cold, ¡°Who exactly are you?¡±


    Angel neither confirmed nor denied her intentions. She tittered, revealing two adorable canine teeth.


    After being tossed about, more blood seeped out of the gauze wrapped around her body.


    She sat cross-legged on the bed, taking care to leave a spot for Louie. She patted the place beside her, signaling for her to sit down.


    Upon discovering that Louie was thoroughly unmoved, Angel remained unrepentant. With an expression like she had been wronged, she pouted like a teacup poodle[3].


    ¡°Me? I¡¯m super miserable!¡±


    Angel¡¯s appearance was aggrieved and supplicating, and the seductiveness and charm from earlier had retreated and became an innocent little flower.


    ¡°Went out for an excursion. Ran into a Kunpeng during the transfer. Time and space distorted, and the ship¡¯s propulsion system malfunctioned. It wasn¡¯t easy to find somewhere to crash land in the chaos¡­so, I ended up here.¡±


    After condemning her own lot in life, Angel put on a curious expression. She looked at Louie eagerly and asked animatedly:


    ¡°And you? You still haven¡¯t told me your name? And why you came here?¡±


    Louie¡¯s mind suddenly went blank.


    ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Hyde de Witt unfortunately encountered a Kunpeng while passing through the transfer point on the return journey. Onboard was the other personnel, as well as an interstellar wanderer. Both are missing!¡±


    All of a sudden, Jiang Wei¡¯s report flashed through Louie¡¯s mind.


    Louie narrowed her eyes, suppressing the agitation in her voice as she asked, ¡°Did another ship enter the transfer point with you when you encountered the turbulence? What happened to them? Did they crash land here as well?¡±


    Angel swept a finger across her lower lip. As she fiddled with the bite mark from Louie, the scab, which had not even had the chance to fully form, had torn open again.


    The blood was like a good lipstick, smearing beautifully on her pallid skin.


    Angel missed the feeling of kissing Louie just now¡ªthat slight milkiness of frankincense, that chill of iced rum, that rusty taste of blood like the crisp clack of ice in a glass, ambiguous and dangerous, refracting the fervent, dazzling light and sticking to the skin as it pierced the pounding heart.


    She had always done as she pleased.


    Rapacious, utterly unrestrained, and entirely incomprehensible¡ªneither did she temper her own desires.


    Angel¡¯s fingers unexpectedly pinched the corners of her lips, her fingertips drawing a little blood like she was puncturing the pretty wild flower.


    Releasing a deadly temptation.


    ¡°Give me a kiss. Kiss me, and I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    The author has something to say:


    I don¡¯t really want to write the plot at all right now, I just want to write about their sexy times¡­


    I can¡¯t help it, their character designs are just too good in bed ¡¾Beeeeeeeep¡¿

 CH 9

    ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡±


    Lui glared at Angel, generally catching onto this woman¡¯s tricks.


    She could retract her own skeleton. While this technique could seldom be taught outside of the military academy, this does not rule out the natural abilities of other races¡ªafter all, there were thousands upon thousands of different races in the universe. The Federation conducted censuses and published figures, but these were only rough estimates, at best.


    And this woman in front of her who called herself ¡®An Ran,¡¯ despite only reaching her shoulders, may have changed her own stature.


    Aware of how the military academy¡¯s uniform looked, Lui was a little thankful that she had not worn her complicated dress uniform. Otherwise, the other party could have gleaned even more information from her bars and epaulets.


    Even her self address, ¡®An Ran,¡¯ could be fake.


    ¡°¡­Alright.¡±


    Angel pouted, releasing the pressure with extreme reluctance.


    Perhaps seeing the resolution on Lui¡¯s face, Angel was keenly aware that, in order to deal with a war-horse like this, she had to plan slowly.


    In any case, she had always been patient in getting what she wanted; she could wait.


    The first step of any hunt was to set some bait.


    ¡°What do they look like?¡±


    Angel leaned against the yellowing wall languidly, ordering Lui about, ¡°If you won¡¯t kiss me, then grab a towel for me from the bathroom¡­some of my wounds were torn open just now. It¡¯s bad if the bedding gets dirty.¡±


    Even though it was dirty long before that.


    Lui lowered her eyes. The sight of Angel in her entirely unfitting white clothing reminded Lui of the prison clothing she¡¯d worn herself while she was detained.


    On top of the clothing, which did not fit her form at all, she was also wrapped in white bandaging from head to toe. Patches of red bloomed like roses on the bandaging; it was painful just looking at it.


    Lui ¡®hmph¡¯d¡¯ coldly before moving wordlessly to the bathroom to find a towel for Angel.


    Truth be told, the bathroom was just four bare walls surrounding a space so small even turning around was difficult.


    Lui seriously suspected that whoever designed this place was one of those retrophiles¡ª[1]


    Thick patches of rust coated the walls. There wasn¡¯t even a sink, only a water spicket installed in one of the walls and two towels, both of which had been thrown haphazardly into a washbasin on the ground.


    Right, it was something one would only see on one of those backward planets: plastic, flamboyantly red, part of it broken, and even a brightly colored sticker of two mandarin ducks pasted on its inside. The formal name for this line of product was a ¡®washbasin¡¯.


    Lui: ¡°¡­¡±


    It¡¯s a pity it wasn¡¯t made of wood, Otherwise, it definitely could be displayed in a museum for visitors to admire.


    She picked up one of the towels and found that the white fabric was already stained with quite a bit of blood¡ªshe hadn¡¯t seen it at first glance, thinking it was due to the color of the washbasin.


    Seeing the splotches of color, Lui was sure that both towels had met with destruction at Angel¡¯s hands.


    And after that destruction, the fallout had not been dealt with, either.


    Was this intentional? It was definitely intentional, right?!


    Her face filled with chilling harshness, Lui grabbed one of the towels and started rubbing it under the spicket. There was nothing blocking the flying water droplets as they accumulated on the floor into a puddle, soaking the hem of Lui¡¯s pants mercilessly.


    ¡­This kind of difficult environment reminded Lui of an experience she had hiding in the slums not too long ago.


    Even though the technology of the present day had advanced, the conveniences and boon of these advancements were not enjoyed ubiquitously.


    Lui remembered reading in the history books that, before the existence of the Federation¡¯s government, there would be frequent demonstrations to improve the quality of life on certain planets, but even this kind of resistance faded after the establishment of Star Link.


    The conditions of life, whether material or spiritual, had to be satisfied.


    Star Link was the light that allowed people at the lowest rungs of society to be satisfied with their miserable lot in life.


    Star Link was hope, a beacon, the foundation on which each person¡¯s most basic desires were met.


    Even though Lui could stomach this kind of life separated from high-tech, that did not mean she had to foot the bill for someone else¡¯s behavior.


    As the towel was soaked, the dried blood stained the entire towel pink.


    The aroma of blood dispersed through the room. Lui was no stranger to the smell, but there was a hint of strangeness that made Lui realize what was different about this particular scent.


    Hmmm¡­


    Cloaked beneath the ordinary scent of blood, there seemed to be a trace of a¡­fragrance?


    It was difficult to describe: neither a natural, floral fragrance nor a manufactured, artificial scent, and faint. According to reason, the smell of the blood should have thoroughly covered the scent, but it slowly spread through the room like steam, boring into her nose.


    Despite her hesitance to admit it, Lui loved the scent.


    The injury on her left arm was slightly itchy. Lui paid it no heed, and after rinsing it with cold water, the peculiar sensation went away.


    She shook out her arm, wanting to resolve the sensation, but because of the obsessive behavior drilled into her by the military academy, she continued to clean the towel bit by bit.


    A moment later.


    Lui tossed the freshly wrung towel at Angel¡¯s face, her expression serene, ¡°Remember to clean up next time.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Angel took the towel without so much as a word of thanks, ¡°Then you¡¯ll need my help to clean up what I left on you¡­¡±


    ¡°His name is Hyde De Witt. Answer my question!¡±


    Before Angel could finish speaking, Lui interrupted Angel¡¯s suppositions, utterly livid.


    Angel was capable of bringing the conversation to the edge of ambiguity at any point.


    A venomous serpent.


    Temptation.


    Desire.


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t know ¡®em.¡±


    Angel carefully lifted the bandaging of the largest freshly ruptured wound¡ªrather than ¡®lifted¡¯, perhaps ¡®tore open¡¯ would be more apt.


    The bandage had been wrapped as one piece, but this place did not even have a pair of scissors, let alone something that could cut through the bulk of it.


    Fortunately this place did not use any ¡®antiques¡¯, so it was convenient to remove with just her hands.


    ¡°However, before I made the transfer, I did actually see a man wearing a military uniform on a private star vessel.¡±


    Angel successfully sorted out her movements while Lui was on the verge of murdering her.


    There was no medicine, so she could not worry about infections at the moment. All Angel could do now was ensure that no blood dripped onto bed sheets.


    ¡°¡­Well, in any case, I saw on the map that he was following me just as the transfer was initiated.¡±


    Angel spoke neither quickly nor slowly. Each time she tore her own skin, her expression was exaggerated, and even her cries of pain sounded disingenuous.


    ¡°Afterward I ran into Kunpeng as it passed through¡­That was my first time seeing a living one out in the wild! IT WAS HUGE!¡±


    Angel stretched out her arms excitedly, trying to show Lui how sizable the creature had been, ¡°It¡¯s too bad we don¡¯t have Star Link here, a projection would be much better for scale!¡±


    ¡°¡­It came from what¡¯s-his-name¡¯s direction¡­.oh, from the direction of that Hyde¡¯s starship. He¡¯s most likely dead, but for better or worse, he was making so much noise that I had time to escape.¡±


    Angel tugged on her own collar, revealing the bandaging beneath it, and made a funny face, ¡°It¡¯s good to survive the chaos, but it¡¯s too bad.¡±


    Lui, not looking at her, picked up a disordered roll of bandages by the foot of the bed¡ªthis was the only thing in the room that did not look prearranged. Angel must have brought it in when she arrived.


    She wound the bandaging back up and threw it at Angel¡¯s face, ¡°Pick up your stuff from now on.¡±


    As for her ¡®most likely dead¡¯ subordinate, she did not express anything.


    ¡°You¡¯re so kind!¡± Angel lifted her head, revealing a sincere smile, ¡°You haven¡¯t told me your name yet, have you? Do you know where we are? I was locked up as soon as I landed here. I don¡¯t know what they¡¯ll do with me¡­¡±


    ¡°Lui.¡±


    Lui spoke her name simply.


    In any case, she had come here to accept a new post. She had no interest in concealing her name.


    This address only existed to conform with popular naming conventions. The one that the military academy actually cared about was the identification number of each student.


    E49749.


    This was the ¡®name¡¯ with any real meaning.


    Lui went out of her way to avoid Angel¡¯s second question.


    She thought of the starship¡¯s hidden star map, unreleased to the public¡ª


    ¡®Planet No. 13¡¯, just from the name itself, sounded quite unsophisticated.


    ¡°You know where we are.¡±


    Angel smiled like a satisfied cat. She perceptively pointed out the part Lui left out.


    Lui said nothing.


    ¡°Nevermind¡ª¡±


    Angel¡¯s voice suddenly relaxed. Or, rather, the tone of her voice was never very pressing.


    She lifted up the bandaging and shouted willfully, like a newborn kitten, ¡°I can¡¯t bandage my back. Help me.¡±


    It was not a request, but an order.


    Lui ignored her.


    She paused for a moment, then headed to the bathroom of her own accord and started washing the second towel.


    ¡ªThere were two towels in total, and the one in Angel¡¯s hand was bound to meet a harrowing end.


    She always had to make sure she had one for when she bathed later.


    Angel sat on the bed for a while holding the bandages.


    She stared in the direction of the washroom¡ªthe washroom had no door, so from her point of view, she could see half of the space. Lui stood in the hidden half to avoid her.


    Angel¡¯s smile gradually became profound and meaningful.


    But it did not reach her eyes.


    ¡°Hey! Do you have pajamas!¡± She tilted her head and shouted at Lui, ¡°You aren¡¯t hoping to sleep with me tonight with your damn military uniform on, are you?¡±


    The sound of the plastic wash basin clattering to the ground suddenly came from the bathroom.

 CH 10

    Lui did not sleep that night.


    The room was very small, so small, in fact, that it could only fit one bed, and when two people lay on that bed, it was tricky to even flip over.


    In her current living situation, Lui knew that she could not look forward to a comfortable bathing experience, but what she did not expect was that the conditions were so deplorable that she¡¯d run out of hot water halfway through the process.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    By the time the water gradually ran cold, she could not remember how many times she had been exasperated since arriving at this place.


    She hadn¡¯t even run the water for ten minutes!


    Fortunately, the military academy always demanded efficiency, and with her short hair, she cleaned up much faster than other people.


    Within the next three minutes, Lui rinsed off the soap foam covering her body, wiped herself down with a towel, and donned a coarse, form-fitting white shirt. The lower hem skimmed the top of her thighs, revealing the smooth, taut contour of her legs.


    Lui was a little conflicted about wearing pants.


    She was no stranger to sleeping in whatever was on hand out fighting in the field, but if she had the option, she would try to preserve her sleep quality as best as she could.


    Even though she did not sleep very long, Lui naturally expended great effort in extending her sleep time and improving her sleep quality¡ªafter all, a person¡¯s strength had its limits, and poor sleep could make her lose her edge in dangerous situations.


    But as soon as she thought of Angel, who was outside, she felt a headache come on.


    If she had to sleep with Angel, then whatever. With the level of Angel¡¯s mental flare ups, she really didn¡¯t want to waste time keeping her guard up.


    Lui turned it over in her mind several times, then figured that, worst come to worst, she¡¯d just tie Angel to the head of the bed with her bandages¡ªsince she wouldn¡¯t be able to fight, then there would be no problem.


    And so, when Lui walked out of the washroom, what entered Angel¡¯s sight was a pair of long, straight legs.


    Angel even looked Lui up and down before her gaze came to rest on her legs. She whistled flippantly, her lips curling into a now-familiar seductive smile, ¡°Nice body.¡±


    Lui: ¡°¡­¡±


    She wordlessly crammed herself onto the bed, ignoring Angel¡¯s deliberately affected expression. She controlled her volume, saying sedately, ¡°Go to sleep.¡±


    Angel¡¯s ill-fitting ¡®prison clothes¡¯ had already been pulled back on.


    The bandages Lui had rolled up previously were once again spilled out onto the floor all the way from the bed to the door, like some sort of artistically draped snakeskin.


    She really did not know how Angel had been so destructive only by changing her bandages.


    Angel, who had just stopped bleeding a moment ago, clamored over, grinning. She reached out to wind her hands around the back of Lui¡¯s head, her speed nearly beyond Lui¡¯s perception.


    Lui subconsciously pulled her head back, pushing Angel¡¯s troublesome hands away.


    Her gaze landed on the filthy light on the ceiling, and in an instant, her eyes felt like they were burnt.


    The light suddenly darkened; Angel had taken the chance to pounce on her, lowering her eyes to look into Lui¡¯s eyes.


    Angel¡¯s form was backlit, a silhouette of luminescence to caliginousness, distinctiveness to blurriness imprinted onto Lui¡¯s retinas.


    Lui lifted her head and gazed up at Angel as a sacrificial lamb gazes upon the theophany of God.


    This was wrong.


    Her mind wandered for a moment before she was pulled back from her train of thought. She did not hesitate to toss Angel away with her free arm, saying with a slight frown, ¡°Go to sleep.¡±


    Her movements were too excessive. People produced by the military academy had no idea what counted as ¡®little¡¯.


    Angel was thrown onto the white wall with a heavy impact. She suddenly coughed. The blood that had just congealed flowed freely again, a stream of blood dribbling from her lips.


    Perhaps she couldn¡¯t endure the repeated blows. Angel silently rested against the head of the bed for a while before she finally regained some vitality.


    She wiped away the blood at the corner of her mouth and rasped, staring at Lui, ¡°As you command¡­Lieutenant General.¡±


    When Angel said ¡®Lieutenant General¡¯, she raised the pitch of the final syllable with a complex emphasis, practically spine-tingling!


    If it had been someone else, then they might not have been able to hold themselves back. But Lui¡¯s eyelid merely twitched, her lips pressing together before she said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t call me that.¡±


    ¡°Sleep.¡±


    With a ¡®pop¡¯, the room¡¯s sole light source shut off. The room did not have any crevices for light to seep through, so the room instantly turned pitch-black!


    Their other senses strengthened with the lack of visual ability.


    The sound of shifting fabric and steady breathing, the warm breath brushing their cheeks, the scent of blood and soap mixing together¡­


    ¡°An Ran, this is my final warning.¡±


    Lui¡¯s ears picked up the sound of fabric rubbing against the bed sheets. As Angel¡¯s breathing grew closer, Lui instinctively raised her guard against any death-seeking behavior from Angel. She could not help but give a warning.


    She just wanted to get some sleep!


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be tied to the bed, then¡ª¡±


    Before she finished speaking, Lui sensed Angel quietly holding her fingers.


    The back of her hand was covered by a pair of warm palms.


    ¡°Shhh¡ª¡± Lui could almost see Angel press a finger against her lips.


    ¡°It hurts so bad¡­Lui¡­¡± Angel¡¯s voice had turned devilish again as she said beseechingly, ¡°Can I hold you? I usually sleep holding onto my toys or I can¡¯t sleep.¡±


    The implication being that if she couldn¡¯t sleep, nobody could sleep.


    Lui¡¯s spine went rigid and she went silent for a long while, but in the end, she did not move.


    Angel pressed her luck.


    Lui felt Angel move her fingers one after the other, her slick fingernails followed by her smooth fingertips. As their fingers laced together, she shuddered like an electrical current flowed through her. Her nerve endings¨Ceven her spine¡ªtingled with each movement of her fingers.


    Her temperature rose, her heartbeat increased, her breath quickened. Adrenaline rushed through her body and the blood boiled in her veins.


    Angel¡¯s arm had encircled Lui¡¯s waist at some point and her fingers haphazardly traced circles on her back and on the palm of one hand.


    The taut skin quivered.


    Lui¡¯s entire body tensed, the throbbing at her temples making her feel ill at ease.


    She held practically the same posture as Angel¡ªshe kept Angel¡¯s spine within her grip in case of unexpected movements.


    Lui quietly counted the other¡¯s heartbeat in order to detect any divergence at its first appearance.


    In contrast to Lui¡¯s cautiousness, Angel seemed to only treat Lui as a big pillow.


    Angel fiddled about until she finally found the most comfortable position in Lui¡¯s arms. Her breaths quickly evened out.


    One. Two. Three.


    Both of their heartbeats slowed into a sleep cadence.


    With her hand almost gripping Angel¡¯s neck, she could end her life at any point.


    She closed her eyes, then opened them again, gazing at the darkness in front of her blankly. Her mind was weighed down by vexations. She was doomed to spend the night sleepless.


    The darkness was dreadfully still; even time seemed to blur.


    Deep into the night a while later¡ªabout three to four hours, by Lui¡¯s reckoning¡ªLui suddenly heard Angel murmur in her sleep, her voice as light as a kitten, ¡°Lui, are you asleep?¡±


    Lui did not answer.


    Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump.


    Her heartbeat and breathing were, as always, normal.


    If Lui did not have as much confidence in her judgment as she did, she would have thought that she had hallucinated.


    Angel seemed to sink into a dream after this bit of sleep talk. She let out a few more rounds of meaningless babble, usually questions that went unanswered. By the sound of it, she was having a nice dream.


    No one slept well that night.


    Angel suddenly recalled a scene from a long, long time ago.


    She was sleeping in Phinney¡¯s[1] arms just like she was now. She was about six or seven years old, the age at which she was too naughty to sleep.


    At that time, Phinney would take a poetry book from some unknown planet or era from the shelf and gently read it aloud as a bedtime story.


    And among those, Phinney¡¯s favorite was a work by the poet Adunis[2] of ancient Earth.


    ¡°Why do you want to read this poem?¡±


    The young Angel could not refrain from asking.


    And the other would always smile warmly and boop her dotingly on the nose, ¡°Don¡¯t you think this poem is like your current situation?¡±


    The dam burst in her head, the memories flooding in. The seal on her mouth broke, and memories gathered into mumbles, broken syllables, and faltering dialogue.


    ¡°Man is two men¡­¡±


    The voice cut off there.


    Lui was shaken¡ªthe nerves stimulating her heart almost stopped.


    That poem¡­she¡¯d read it before.


    When she was on Earth, the orphanage had received all sorts of ¡®kind donations¡¯, such as antiques from people¡¯s homes that they no longer wanted¡ªthis naturally included coffee table paperbacks that had no value as collectibles.


    Back then, Lui did not like mingling with the crowd and was always on her own. She had leafed through those disorderly items¡ªand so, she retained an assortment of knowledge.


    Lui recalled that she had been leaning against the corner of the table as she read the poem. The evening¡¯s dim light flowed through the dilapidated window like water, gently illuminating the printed words.


    ¡°Man is two men.¡±


    ¡°One is awake in darkness, the other is asleep in light.¡±


    ¡°I am the flame and I am the dry brush.¡±


    ¡°And one part of myself consumes the other part.¡±

 CH 11

    At around six the next morning, Lui¡¯s biological clock was woken up by the automated light on the ceiling.


    Lui¡¯s eyes were used to the darkness, so when the room was filled with light, Lui involuntarily squeezed her eyes shut until they adjusted to the change a while later.


    She slowly opened her eyes. She nudged Angel¡¯s arm off from where it was slung over her body, but when she went to push the other person away, she met Angel¡¯s hazy gaze.


    Her rust-colored irises were filmed with a faint sheen. Lui¡¯s consciousness was absorbed in that moment, but she regained possession of her senses soon after.


    Since she was already awake, there was no need to be so careful.


    Lui pushed her way without any reservation and took the chance to jump out of bed before Angel started moving.


    Lui¡¯s mind wandered slightly as she pulled on her military uniform again. She really didn¡¯t know what meaning there was in dressing so properly if she hadn¡¯t gotten any sleep last night.


    ¡°Good morning.¡±


    Angel chirped a greeting.


    Lui was in the process of straightening her collar. She paused for a moment before soon resuming.


    ¡°Morning.¡±


    However, it seemed that this place had no intention of letting them have any time for greetings. A sharp whistle sounded from the decrepit loudspeaker installed in one of the ceiling corners.


    Lui was dumbfounded. In her capacity as a student of the military academy, she was no stranger to this noise.


    It was¡­a wakeup call?


    Where else in the universe could such ancient, monotonous means exist, aside from AIMA?


    ¡°All individuals must wash up and dress within the next fifteen minutes. In twenty minutes, you will be brought to the outer space port to be transferred to the main base. Do not be late.¡±


    It was the automated message that followed the wake up call, played using an artificially generated female voice.


    As they were being blessed by the old-fashioned loudspeaker, the crackling of static likewise sounded occasionally but luckily did not disrupt the message.


    Lui¡¯s movements instinctively hastened.


    As a matter of fact, she did not consider ten minutes to be that short a time frame; if necessary, she could be in formation in three. But, taking into account a ¡®roommate¡¯ like Angel, who had a rather low ability to care for herself, she could not ensure that they would not go over time.


    ¡°Lui, have you thought about what punishments there are if the rules here are violated?¡±


    Angel jumped off the bed, barefooted. Her bloodstained clothes hung down to her knees. She looked like an injured spirit lost in the woods. Her entire body emitted a sense of purity and innocence.


    ¡°If you want to find out, try it yourself. Don¡¯t drag me into it like you did yesterday.¡±


    This was the longest sentence she had uttered today.


    Lui had come on an assignment while Angel had ended up here by accident; their circumstances were completely different.


    A soldier¡¯s duty was compliance. Lui had neither the interest nor occasion to break with the principles instilled in her since childhood. Not to mention, that drop of Almian blood that still ran through her veins made her lack these rule-breaking types of thoughts.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s too bad.¡± Angel walked into the bathroom unhappily. Her long hair was tangled into a mess, so she started to look for a comb to straighten it out.


    Lui looked on coldly at Angel¡¯s sluggish movements and could not help but press.


    ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    Having been forcefully woken up by the lights, Angel was clearly in a bad mood.


    She made a fierce face at Lui. Evidently, she wasn¡¯t used to a time crunch. Her waist-length hair needed a long time to take care of. Even though she didn¡¯t need to change, the allotted time was not enough.


    ¡°You can come help me if you disapprove.¡± Angel pouted at Lui, then suddenly cracked a repellant grin.


    Lui watched Angel perform her little scheme indifferently, not speaking a word.


    She stood in place, her arms crossed in front of her chest, not moving a muscle.


    Even a six year old would know to adjust their timing and comportment. Someone who had survived a turbulent encounter with a Kunpeng was beneath mention.


    Angel saw Lui¡¯s unfazed expression and glared at her fiercely, but the motions of her hands sped up.


    The instant the door clicked open from the outside, Angel put down the towel she had just been using to wipe her mouth.


    See, time can be managed, can¡¯t it.


    Lui couldn¡¯t refrain from thinking as she cast a sidelong look at Angel.


    Old Wang was the one who opened the door. His partner seemed to have gone to debug the transfer equipment. After drinking the wine he¡¯d invested so much into, he seemed to be in a good mood.


    He led them on their way with a pep in his step, not saying much.


    ¡°It¡¯s the New Year, so we¡¯re a little lax now¡­usually, according to regulation, there is no conversation.¡±


    Lui¡¯s brow furrowed slightly.


    She had an instinctive aversion to any behaviors or groups that ¡®break the rules.¡¯


    ¡°Transport vessels leave every month. We usually get about seven or eight people per month, sometimes as much as a few dozen, but it¡¯s rare that there¡¯s only you two.¡±


    The route was different from the one they had taken on their way in. The walls were painted in a uniform white without windows. Aside from the corridors in each of the four cardinal directions, there was no way to tell the direction.


    Soon, Lui gave up trying to remember the route.


    They must have walked for over an hour, likely so it was impossible to remember the direction. Even if she had received specialized drilling, Lui could not remember the over one hundred or so turns they took.


    After an unknown amount of time, they finally saw the exit.


    The outside was bathed in early morning light, the blanched yellow sun just visible in the sky.


    The surroundings here were different from the calm, serene environment on-planet. Even at quite a distance from the exit, Lui could hear the fierce howling of the wind as it passed through the opening.


    The inky black uniform was pulled taut in the wind, whipping against her skin.


    In comparison to Lui¡¯s unflappable demeanor, Angel was having a far worse time.


    She was covered in injuries, her clothes long torn to shreds in the turbulence. Her current, temporary ¡®smock¡¯ was disturbingly oversized, and with the violent winds, the temperature dropped rapidly. Her pink lips turned pale.


    They passed through the exit into the wider world.


    Not only was the space port equipment outdated, but it could also only be used one at a time.


    There were only two transport vessels, one of which was a spare in case the main vessel broke down.


    Angel shivered involuntarily.


    ¡°I¡¯m just responsible for bringing you both to the main planet. I don¡¯t know anything else¡­However, of the people I¡¯ve transported in the past, no one has ever returned. I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s over there.¡±


    Old Wang rubbed his hands together, his expression melancholic, ¡°I¡¯ve worked here for most of my life, but in the end, I¡¯ve never been able to leave this space port.¡±


    As he spoke, he suddenly saw Lui start to unbutton her jacket, ¡°Hey, what¡¯re you doing?¡±


    The next second, Lui¡¯s jacket, still carrying her body heat, was draped onto Angel¡¯s shoulders.


    Angel subconsciously grabbed it and almost tossed the foreign object away


    But when she realized that it was Lui¡¯s jacket, she slowly broke out into a grin, saying in a coquettish way, ¡°See, I knew you liked me.¡±


    Without her jacket, Lui was only wearing a white blouse.


    The top button was unfastened and the collar fluttered to and fro, flicking her on the chin intermittently. The collar silhouetted her jawline, the sight radiating an unspeakable magnetism.


    ¡°It is the duty of each military cadet to protect civilians.¡±


    Angel only felt that Lui¡¯s voice as she made this explanation was lovely to hear. She tugged the jacket closer to herself with decisive movements, ¡°Sure, sure, we all know you¡¯re just a tsundere[1].¡±


    Old Wang broke out in a full-body shiver. He thought that both of them looked thorny on their own, but who could¡¯ve known that when stuck together they would be so¡­in-tune.


    Needless to say, the manufacturing process of her military uniform was unlike that of civilian clothing.


    Even though it was just a jacket, Angel felt that it managed to entirely block the wind during the half hour while they waited for the transport. The thermal protection and insulation were great, so as she wore it, she did not feel the cold at all.


    Old Wang and his partner had a high level of tacit understanding between them.


    Just as they boarded the transport vessel and had not even had the chance to view the controls, the partner¡¯s voice came through the intercoms, ¡°Everything is ready.¡±


    Truth be told, the transport carrier was also automatic. Old Wang¡¯s only purpose was to prevent the passengers from messing with the route via the master console.


    ¡­Even though Lui thought that the self-destruction protocol was far more reliable than Old Wang¡¯s protection.


    The power cell started to hum and the carrier ascended.


    Lui and Angel were assigned a room to rest in. Its fixings were the same as their previous room. There was no window, so they couldn¡¯t even watch the passing objects floating in space to wile away the time.


    ¡°Give it back.¡±


    Lui stretched out a hand.


    Angel clutched the jacket like a chick protecting its food, ¡°No! You gave it to me! It¡¯s a present!¡±


    Lui completely ignored her and corrected: ¡°It¡¯s a loan.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t have it? Really?¡± Angel asked pitifully.


    ¡°If you could be a little more circumspect in checking the pockets, then perhaps.¡±


    Lui called out Angel¡¯s small maneuvers and plucked her jacket out of Angel¡¯s hands.


    At some point, the pockets had been completely turned inside out by Angel, creasing folds into the surrounding fabric.


    Lui frowned. Now these spots were an insult to the tidiness of the rest of the garment.


    ¡°Find anything?¡± She asked evenly.


    Angel smiled and shook her head, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Happy now?¡±


    Head nod.


    ¡°Disappointed?¡±


    Head shake.


    Lui put her jacket back on. She couldn¡¯t be bothered to waste words on a looney.


    It really was boring without Star Link.


    Lui then rested her eyes for the whole journey. She did not respond to Angel¡¯s occasional harassment beyond a few words of refusal.


    Angel struggled with her boredom for a while then quieted down too.


    The old transport vessel was not as steady during the docking process as newer ships.


    Upon sensing the noticeable tremor, Lui opened her eyes.


    ¡°Three hours, twenty-eight minutes, and nine seconds.¡±


    Angel spoke the number in Lui¡¯s mind as a matter of course, as if she was a mind reader, ¡°That¡¯s the time it takes to get from the space port to the main planet.¡±


    She smiled as she asked: ¡°I¡¯m very curious. How did you time your breathing to once a second?¡±


    Lui answered a question with a question, ¡°Then tell me, how did you synchronize your heartbeat with my breathing?¡±


    Unfazed, Angel grabbed Lui¡¯s hand and pressed it against her own chest. She beamed, ¡°It¡¯s super simple. I¡¯ll teach you, ¡®kay?¡±

 CH 12

    Chapter 12: Cadet


    Lui pulled her hand away from Angel a second later.


    She turned around in a completely no-nonsense manner, without the slightest hesitation. She pulled open the door, and¡ªto Angel or to herself, she didn¡¯t know¡ªsaid, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The frigid handle sapped the warmth from her palm. Lui twisted the knob, but it didn¡¯t budge.


    She¡¯d almost forgotten that the door was operated via the control panel. There was no way to open it from the inside.


    Lui was met with Angel¡¯s schadenfreude smile when she turned her head.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Angel¡¯s voice was a tad hoarse. Considering that she hadn¡¯t eaten breakfast or had a sip of water this morning, as well as the chilling breeze, it would have been weirder if she hadn¡¯t had a rasp in her voice.


    But Lui couldn¡¯t help but feel that her voice sounded like the brush of sand against barefeet. As white waves crested on turquoise waters of the sea beside her, the undulating roar of the waves could not drown out the sand shifting against her insteps. From the tips of toes up to her heart, she shivered, feeling an itching sensation in her chest.


    Click.


    Lui¡¯s life was spared by the timely opening of the door.


    She strode out of the cramped room, feeling that an additional second with Angel was another spent on the rack.


    Old Wang was not outside.


    But this didn¡¯t hinder Lui from finding the exit of a single-cabin vessel.


    Angel padded along behind her to the ship¡¯s door. In the time they spent getting to the exit, the door had already been opened, revealing a long pathway outside.


    Old Wang was standing by the door. He whistled at them then jabbed a thumb towards the pathway, saying perfunctorily, ¡°Follow this path, someone¡¯ll be there to pick you up. Good luck.¡±


    Then he proceeded to herd them out of the ship like geese.


    The steps were quite steep. Angel had her eyes glued on Lui¡¯s pin-straight back and couldn¡¯t see clearly, so she almost rolled down the steps.


    ¡­In the end, Lui snagged the other by the collar and carried her down the steps expressionlessly.


    The route this time was far shorter than the one they¡¯d taken to get to the ship.


    Shortly after putting Angel down, Lui caught sight of two ¡®soldiers¡¯ in khaki ¡®uniforms¡¯ on door guard duty.


    Lui subconsciously furrowed her brow.


    Khaki uniforms were not in standard use nowadays. Most warfare was fought in space mechs, so the majority of uniforms were black and white.


    Even while fighting on-planet¡­this type of camouflage only suited a portion of the known planets.


    Khaki uniforms were only picked by a small section of the marine corps¡­and with the visible threads, Lui knew that these could only have been imitations created by civilian military enthusiasts for wholesale retail.


    Or, to put it another way¡ª


    ¡°Trash.¡±


    Angel chipped in from behind her.


    Lui had never agreed more with Angel than she did now.


    The uniforms were too big, their postures non-standard, their breathing too rapid¡ªalthough they¡¯d done their damnedest to mimic the proper military, both of their entire beings oozed civilian militia knock-off.


    Against the real-deal, a proper soldier like Lui, the contrast was even starker.


    A growing pressure bore down on them with every regulation-compliant stride.


    The other party was evidently not expecting them to behave like this. They both were stunned for a moment before finding their voices again. The one on the left, a tall and skinny man, stood up and forced a solemn expression, ¡°Newcomers follow me. I¡¯ll take you to see the commandant.¡±


    Commandant?


    This was an academy?


    Lui observed the building, her manner poised.


    It looked like a project from Cold War Soviet Russia.


    Square, austere structures constructed of bare reinforced concrete, entirely in gray-scale. Not even the latest polymeric materials were used¡ªnot an ounce of beauty to be seen.


    Everything seemed to have been built for utilitarian purposes, utterly irreconcilable to human character.


    Even the detainment facility Lui had been imprisoned in before had more humanity than this place.


    The layout was far more straightforward than the transfer station¡¯s.


    By the time Lui had counted three corners in her head they arrived at a door.


    The young man leading the way seems to be rather nervous. Lui could clearly see his elevated pulse, his trembling legs, his clenched fists, the cold sweat dripping from his forehead, the trepidation seeping out of each of his pores.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Angel suddenly scampered up to the young man and, doing her utmost to play the part of a curious child, whispered into his ear, ¡°Is there a monster inside?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    The young man reflexively gave her a fierce look, ¡°Don¡¯t talk!¡±


    Lui didn¡¯t know why, but she hauled her away from the man, dissatisfied. She said in a low voice, ¡°Quiet down.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re jealous!¡± Angel cooed, like she¡¯d discovered a new world.


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Lui and the young man shouted in unison, clenching their teeth in vexation.


    Tap, tap, tap.


    The young man knocked on the door in front of him, his legs shaking even more.


    ¡°Enter.¡±


    Against her expectations, the voice was even and genial, belonging to a middle-aged man.


    Lui was not one to dwell on the past, but the memory of her debriefing with the commander following her secret mission and subsequent exile was still fresh in her mind.


    How similar set of circumstances this was!


    She followed the young man and Angel into the room in a single-file line and scanned the room¡¯s furnishings¡ªa most normal office space.


    But in the craftsmanship and materials¡ªeven the person sitting in the chair himself¡ªlay a vast world of difference.


    Sitting behind the desk was a man getting a bit up there in years, around forty or fifty years old. His hair was dyed black like a young man and he wore a pair of small, round-frame glasses, lending his square face an understated cheer.


    His hair was brushed back and gathered up into a short ponytail at the back of his head, about the length of a thumb. He wore a knee-length white doctor¡¯s coat¡ªeven after so many years, medical personnel and researchers alike still kept the ¡®tradition¡¯ alive.


    ¡°Commandant.¡± The young man performed a military salute which, to Lui¡¯s eyes, was riddled with mistakes, ¡°I¡¯ve brought the newcomers.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡±


    The commandant¡¯s gaze oscillated between Angel and Lui. He had crow¡¯s feet and looked remarkably kind.


    He was holding a finger-length screen in his hand. He glanced down, then looked up at Angel, ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve got one here outside of regular procedure¡­¡±


    Angel put on a smile she thought was quite cute.


    This expression of hers may have been handy when dealing with other people, but when facing  the commandant, a ¡®smiling tiger¡¯ of similar ilk, it appeared all the more disingenuous.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Qi Yong. I¡¯m in charge of the academy here. You can call me Commandant Qi or Headmaster Qi, either one.¡±


    He introduced himself and, without waiting for their response, squinted his eyes to look at the material displayed on the screen, ¡°¡­Hm, our ¡®accidental¡¯ guest. An Ran, right?¡±


    This was the information Old Wang was responsible for gathering when Angel landed, transmitted via the internal communications network to Qi Yong previously.


    ¡°¡­Encountered turbulence at the transfer point¡­I¡¯m very sorry for what happened to you.¡± Qi Yong nodded slightly and pushed back his glasses, ¡°I can see that you want to leave here as soon as possible.¡±


    Angel kept mum.


    If it had been enough for him to let her go, he wouldn¡¯t have had his current bearing.


    ¡°I apologize, but¡­¡±


    Sure enough.


    ¡°This is a top-secret location. Unless one has passed an internal ideological evaluation, leaving would not easily be permitted.¡±


    Qi Yong¡¯s tone did not contain a trace of regret.


    ¡°Ideological¡­evaluation?¡± Angel tilted her head.


    She¡¯d never heard of such a thing.


    ¡°It¡¯s similar to our final exam. So¡­An Ran, I¡¯m very sorry, but you don¡¯t have any other option but to join our program.¡±


    Qi Yong said, his voice carrying a bit of pity, ¡°Raj, bring this newcomer down to take the entrance benchmark test. I want to have a chat with this¡­Miss Lui.¡±


    There were too many unfamiliar terms. Angel did not dare to act recklessly at this moment, so she could only go with the flow and follow that young man named Raj out of the room, weighing whether or not she¡¯d be able to get some information out of him.


    The door closed swiftly behind them.


    Lui clicked her heels together and saluted properly, ¡°Soldier E49749, under orders to accept assignment from the commanding officer. Please instruct!¡±


    Qi Yong stretched out a hand and gestured to Lui, indicating that she didn¡¯t need to be so reserved. He tapped a button on the screen, Lui¡¯s information appearing on the white wall beside them, ¡°I¡¯d always wanted a dispatch of regular soldiers, but was always rejected. Unexpectedly, there¡¯s someone sent my way this time¡­even though it¡¯s only one person, that¡¯s better than nothing, isn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m curious. Why were you sent here, then?¡± Qi Yong pushed his glasses back, ¡°From what I can tell, the government places great importance on graduates of the military academy. They couldn¡¯t even bear to send some to me.¡±


    Lui was silent.


    The reason was too complicated, the involved factors too numerous. She had no way of explaining at the moment.


    ¡°But that¡¯s fine, I¡¯m not a very curious person.¡± Qi Yong smiled openly. To be honest, he did not carry any of the temperament of a high-level professional. He seemed more like an ordinary civilian, ¡°Since you¡¯re here, be sure to remember our most important principle. That is, no questions are welcome here¡ªgot it?¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­The regular army is indeed different from what we have here.¡± Qi Yong shrugged his shoulders. He rummaged through the drawer, pulling out a stack of assorted, disorderly materials, before at last finding a duty roster, ¡°You¡¯ve just arrived, so there¡¯s a lot that you don¡¯t know. First, report to the lowest rank instructor and have them show you around. We¡¯ll speak again later.¡±


    As Qi Yong spoke, he pressed the communications button on his desk, preparing to call someone over to show her the way.


    ¡°¡­Dean Qi!¡±


    Lui subconsciously abandoned the idea of using the address of ¡®commandant¡¯. In the minds of every military academy student, ¡®commandant¡¯ could only refer to one person and one person only.


    ¡°On my journey here, the hidden star map indicated that this place was called ¡®Planet No.13,¡¯ but this detached, numerical form of naming has been abandoned since the establishment of the Federation. I wish to ask¡­what is this place, exactly?¡¯


    This matter has been weighing on Lui¡¯s mind since she arrived.


    She would receive basic instructions for even top-secret missions, but this time she had received nothing.


    Lui was entirely ill-at-ease by this missing information.


    The commander had dispatched her here without any explanation. ¡®Planet No.13¡¯ seemed to have a particular existence under the law, and if she asked someone else about it, she¡¯d wager that they would deny all knowledge too. Lui instinctively wanted to gather all of the intel she could.


    ¡­There was also that faintest itch of curiosity within her since the onset of her ¡®illness.¡¯


    ¡°I think I know why you¡¯ve been set here, now.¡± Qi Yong read the final line in her file at that moment. He repeated it aloud verbatim, ¡°Challenged a superior officer¡¯s order to their face¡­That¡¯s quite the taboo to break.¡±


    No, she hadn¡¯t.


    She¡¯d just suddenly¡­asked.


    In other words, she¡¯d questioned.


    She¡¯d never thought to disobey.


    ¡°Have you forgotten our iron rule so quickly?¡± Qi Yong hardened his tone and stared at Lui, his smile only skin deep. He repeated, ¡°First, no questions are welcome here¡ªthat means none.¡±


    ¡°Looks like they did not send you here to be an instructor.¡±


    Qi Yong closed the file with a crisp pah, ¡°They sent you here to become a cadet.¡±