Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Hua Cheng was the first to approach Jufeng and Vera, sharing news about the arrivals from the two aircraft. Jufeng and Vera then leaped down from their mecha, preparing to welcome the distinguished guests.
The two aircraft descended slowly, and several impeccably dressed middle-aged men surrounded an old man in his sixties. They searched for a flat boulder amidst the rugged mountain path, finally coming to a stop, with Gong Changsheng among them. As Jufeng and the others approached, they scrutinized the old man closely, their minds racing with thoughts of Hua Cheng's astonishing identity.
Jufeng stood at attention, straightened his clothes, and performed a standard military salute. "Huaguo Yangcheng Military District Second Lieutenant Jufeng, at your service, Commander."
The old man wore a simple Huaguo Zhongshan suit, casual in style, and sported brown-framed glasses that gave him a warm appearance. Who could have imagined that this ordinary-looking elder, who would not attract a second glance on the street, was actually the Commander of the Galactic Ironclad Corps?
The old man looked kindly at Jufeng and returned a salute that was not loud but firm and respectful. He smiled and said, "Commander of the Galactic Ironclad Corps, I greet you, Red-Class Mecha Pilot Jufeng, Second Lieutenant."
Jufeng's salute was due to rank, while the old man's return was out of respect for talent.
Surprised by the old man's gesture, Jufeng felt a bit embarrassed. "Commander, you flatter me; I am unworthy of such honor."
The old man's hand gently rested on Jufeng's shoulder. "No need to call me Commander; my surname is Long. Just call me Grandpa Long. Come on, let’s walk and talk."
Grandpa Long led the way toward the boulder, navigating the half-meter drop with ease as if he were not in his sixties at all.
Jufeng glanced at Gong Changsheng for confirmation before hurriedly following in Grandpa Long's footsteps, walking side by side. The rest of the group followed closely behind them, each bearing insignias of significant weight; even Gong Changsheng had to remain slightly behind.
Fortunately, the ruggedness of the mountains was limited, so there was no need to worry too much about the elder's safety. They maintained a respectful distance of several meters behind to allow ample space for conversation.
The elder remarked, "I've heard about you. You're quite impressive."
Jufeng was taken aback by this statement; he assumed Gong Changsheng had spoken highly of him. Feeling it necessary to be modest, he replied, "Steward has overpraised me; I'm just an ordinary soldier who happened to save a few comrades this time—pure luck."
The elder turned his head to look at Jufeng and smiled. "That's not what I meant. Hurricane, Hua Gang, Unification Alliance."
When Dragon Elder mentioned these names, Jufeng was genuinely startled; those events were from Earth. How could this elder so far away in Magellanic Star know such details? Did he perhaps return to Earth specifically to investigate him? Although he was involved with Underworld activities—distinct from Terrorists—he still felt uneasy about how ominous that compliment sounded.
Seeing Jufeng stunned into silence for a moment made Dragon Elder chuckle heartily before reassuring him. "Don't be afraid; I won't tell them about your past." He gestured with his chin toward the military officials behind him.
Jufeng had seen his fair share of situations but had mostly dealt with adversaries that could be resolved through force. Facing someone who required mental acuity was far more daunting—much like when he met Chen Lao in Hang City, where he felt as if he were walking on thin ice.
As Jufeng pondered this new revelation, another statement from Dragon Elder left him even more wide-eyed and astonished.
"I haven't investigated you; it's just that a few months ago, when you visited Chen Lao, I happened to be a guest there, so I overheard some things. Oh, I forgot to mention, Chen Lao and I are old classmates. He went into politics while I joined the military."
Since the opening of the galaxy, the general view has been that this world is getting bigger and bigger. However, upon hearing Dragon Elder's words, Jufeng suddenly felt that this world was indeed too vast.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Jufeng self-deprecatingly said, "It seems that Dragon Elder and I really have a connection."
Dragon Elder chuckled lightly and continued walking ahead without saying much.
The mountains were rugged and rocky, and the further they went in, the more difficult it became. Finally, Dragon Elder stopped again on a large rock, deciding not to venture deeper.
"What do you think about the situation with the Terrorists?"
Dragon Elder twisted his waist while standing on the rock, perhaps indicating that one cannot resist aging. Then he got down to business.
Jufeng found this matter somewhat absurd. Why were these high-ranking military officials not researching solutions but instead coming to ask a Second Lieutenant like him? Nevertheless, he couldn't brush it off; after all, he was still Chen Lao's classmate, which meant there was some connection.
Jufeng had already considered this issue carefully before, so he answered with ease: "I believe that this incident involving the Terrorists is not merely for the sake of terror; it likely involves issues of war. I boldly hypothesize that they may already have their own Arms Factory. If that's the case, weapons and equipment will continuously flow in. Coupled with their recruitment efforts, they may have already formed a formidable army. This could pose a challenge to peace in the universe."
In fact, Jufeng's analysis wasn't particularly profound; anyone with a bit of insight could see it. Therefore, he didn't think much of it. However, upon hearing his words, Dragon Elder displayed an expression of surprise and exaggeratedly exclaimed, "Truly, heroes emerge from youth! Excellent! Your vision is unique and your insights are clear. You are undoubtedly the best choice to solve this problem."
Before Jufeng could react to Dragon Elder's sudden exaggeration, he heard Dragon Elder continue in rapid succession: "In my capacity as Commander of the Galactic Ironclad Corps, I hereby appoint Jufeng as the temporary commander for this Terrorist operation and grant him the rank of Captain. At the same time, I have contacted the Yangcheng Military District and obtained approval to promote Jufeng from Second Lieutenant to Major."
"Alright, I'm tired now; time really is a knife! Gong Changsheng will handle the rest with you. Kiddo, I have high hopes for you."
With that, Dragon Elder finished speaking and turned around without waiting for Jufeng to respond. He led all the military bigwigs except Gong Changsheng away in a hurry. Jufeng was left standing there in shock amidst the mountain mist.
Vera walked up beside Jufeng with a hint of schadenfreude in her tone: "I feel like you've been tricked."
Damn it! This wasn't just a feeling; it was outright coercion! Poor Gong Changsheng had gone through so much effort trying to invite Jufeng but was ruthlessly rejected. Yet Dragon Elder came in and resolved everything with just a few words—truly proving that old saying right.
The older the ginger, the spicier it gets.
Gong Changsheng didn't dare revel in schadenfreude; instead, he was unusually happy. After Commander left, he returned to base with Jufeng to discuss what they had gained from this trip.
"The headquarters on other planets at the front line have also discovered the operational characteristics of the Terrorists, confirming that they are undoubtedly heading towards Crystal. Several planets' resources have already been completely plundered. As Brother Jufeng said, they likely already have an Arms Factory, and our mission this time is to infiltrate the Terrorists' ranks, gather intelligence on the location of their Arms Factory, and then eliminate them in one fell swoop."
It turned out to be a deep infiltration mission, which was no joke. Once exposed, it would be like a sheep entering a tiger's den among the ruthless Terrorists who valued life as nothing.
Gong Changsheng's expression became extremely serious as he said to Jufeng, "Brother Jufeng, I know it's asking a lot of you to take on this task, but for the peace of the universe, you must risk your life."
The lofty ideal of universal peace was indeed hard to refuse; however, in reality, Jufeng had already made his decision. So even if Dragon Elder did not offer any benefits to persuade him, he would still go.
"Am I going alone? Or should I take a few more people for added security?"
Gong Changsheng conveyed the higher-ups' message, saying, "Dragon Elder means you can decide for yourself. However, based on my experience, it's better to have more people. We have already planted a seed within one of the Terrorist groups on a planet that will help you gain entry under a reasonable identity. As for what happens next, that will be up to you."
(To be continued)
Comment 0 Comment Count