Chapter 4

Since it's not advisable to stay any longer, we must withdraw. However, there are still some loose ends to tie up before we leave.

Lieutenant Mendersen checked on everyone's condition. Everyone was fine except for one who was still lying down. He and the soldiers observed a moment of silence in front of Lieutenant Russo's body, then took the dog tags, leaving the body to the wilderness.

In such extraordinary times, I believe the spirit of Lieutenant Russo, now one with the cosmic soul, would understand.

Then, the lieutenant retrieved the exoskeleton and handed it over to the black sergeant.

The exoskeleton is now a hard currency. Even the most insensitive person could see that, in the face of those non-insect, non-beast monsters, having one meant being the butcher, while not having one meant being the meat. Besides, this equipment was an important asset of the military and couldn't be left behind as a burial offering.

The black sergeant, a big man with a thick neck and a large head, whose name sounded something like Yoyo, was overjoyed with the new equipment, probably having always thought that wearing a wind-sweeping steel armor was cool. If it weren't for the recent deaths, he might have danced in celebration.

But even so, no one expressed dissatisfaction. This indicated that Lieutenant Russo's relationships with his men were indeed not very good.

I hope he can rest in peace.

The reason the exoskeleton wasn't given to the squad's obvious strongest fighter, Sergeant Bakar the Bein bear-man, was that the AS40 model had significant design flaws. The suitable height for the wearer was between 1.6 and 1.95 meters, and the weight should be under 100 kilograms, clearly designed for standard Earth humans.

But what about Sergeant Bakar? Look at his massive build, which could be a nightmare for basketball opponents, larger than the exoskeleton itself. Could it be that legendary space folding technology?

"I heard that the Empire and the Alliance have prepared specialized exoskeletons for their giant beast assault teams," the plain-looking, average-figured, and average-tempered nurse said with a hint of resentment. She might have been unhappy about not having a dedicated medical exoskeleton or simply disliked the black sergeant.

Of course, Yu Lian now knew that this Corporal Belinda Leonard was a nurse, not a dedicated military doctor. The team's dedicated doctor was Sergeant Major Banks, who was still at the base.

Now, everyone was preparing to return to the base. After two unexpected battles with the "beasts," with four dead, including an officer, and nearly half of their ammunition and energy depleted, everyone was exhausted and tense, and they had a severely injured, immobile comrade. A normal military unit couldn't continue the mission.

However, as the only technical personnel present, Belinda seriously expressed her opposition.

"Yu Lian's injuries can't be delayed. I need to find a relatively safe and clean place for emergency treatment!"

Everyone was silent for a moment, then silently nodded.

Yu Lian was everyone's comrade. If a few days ago, the sudden arrival of this high-achieving intern officer gave everyone a sense of distance, the recent battle was enough to make the simple soldiers consider him one of their own.

So, this frail body is also called Yu Lian? Yu Lian thought.

So, I'm actually the one dragging everyone down? Yu Lian thought again.

"Let's find a cave over there." Yu Lian pointed to the nearby mountains. The karst terrain, typical of this planet, made it easy to find a hiding place.

"Let's go!" Lieutenant Mendersen said in a calm, or perhaps overly calm, tone.

Sergeant Yoyo, with the exoskeleton, and Sergeant Bakar, who could handle five without it, pulled Yu Lian's powered stretcher and led the way.

The powered stretcher could move on its own, but the one Yu Lian was on seemed to have a power issue, with the battery flickering. Just like this entire infantry squad, it was filled with absurd and out-of-place elements.

It's the space age! Mobile infantry without heavy firepower, without exoskeletons for everyone, and having to walk on two legs in a dangerous alien wilderness. Even a troop transport would be better than nothing.

Five minutes later, they found a relatively spacious natural cave and settled in.

Ina, with her gun, stood guard at the entrance with two sentries; Bear-man Bakar and black sergeant Yoyo carefully explored the cave's depths; the lieutenant began to contact his superiors with a communicator, but the anxious look on his face suggested he couldn't get through; the rest began to take turns resting. The nurse called two soldiers to help her carefully extract Yu Lian from the damaged exoskeleton.

Indeed, it could only be described as "extracting" because the half of the exoskeleton had been severely deformed and was useless, unable to be opened normally.

At this point, the painkillers in Yu Lian's body had worn off, and he was almost fainting from the pain. As a Seventh Ring opened Extraordinary Psionic Saint, he couldn't show weakness, couldn't lose face, and couldn't lose composure, so he gritted his teeth and remained silent, until his face turned pale, sweat drenched his forehead, and his veins bulged, his mouth twitching. The surrounding soldiers were deeply impressed, and the nurse's eyes sparkled with admiration.

Then, that indescribable look quickly turned to pity.

"This... what I'm about to say, don't be afraid." Belinda said carefully.

"...I'm a soldier, I won't be afraid."

"Your spine is broken!"

"Spine... oh, okay, it's worse than I imagined." Yu Lian's mood sank, but he still tried to comfort her: "But it's not a big deal. It can be treated in a culture dish."

"That's gene therapy. But such equipment is only available in Turon! The medical station can give you a shot of nanomachines, but I can only temporarily stabilize your bones here."

Medical nanomachines could temporarily replace nerves and stabilize the spine, allowing Yu Lian to walk like a normal person for the time being.

"Then let's stabilize it." Yu Lian forced a smile. Then, it would be back to the base for the nanomachine injection, and then to Turon, the capital of New Jade Gate, for further treatment.

Of course, Yu Lian had a way to instantly restore himself to full health, but it wasn't suitable for normal people. He didn't know if it would work, especially with his frail body, which didn't look like a chosen one at all.

The nurse began her work, pulling out a variety of tools like drills, hammers, and steel rods. She might have felt that this treatment would be very stressful for Yu Lian, so she started a conversation: "By the way, do you remember what happened before you lost consciousness?"

"...Why do you ask?"

"No, I just noticed your eyes looked confused. I was worried that you might have suffered a brain injury from the impact."

Confused? Are you the protagonist of some book? Do you have the ability to see fleeting emotions in people's eyes?

Yu Lian felt a bit of pressure and decided to change the topic: "Speaking of which, everyone seems very energetic this time. No airships, no vehicles, are we on a hiking training?"

The nurse hesitated for a moment, then said with a difficult expression: "This... Lieutenant, Lieutenant Russo is dead. I know he made many mistakes, but he's gone."

What did I do? Why does it sound like you're blaming me for dragging him out to be whipped?

"I know you were upset that Lieutenant Cruz took the airship to deliver spices to the governor, and that four of the five armored personnel carriers' power packs were sold by Lieutenant Russo to a Minlan merchant. You even said you would report it to the Turon command..."

No wonder Lieutenant Russo wanted to leave me behind! But this kid, you're also very stubborn! Don't you know this is a normal operation in the Commonwealth military? Even the Marine Corps and the Space Fleet can't avoid it. Are you not afraid of being targeted?

"What, the last one? Uh, this... you said you didn't trust Lieutenant Russo and decided to drive it yourself. Later, it got stuck in a pit."

Oh, so it's my fault!

"...Cruz and Russo weren't good people, putting on airs and bullying us. But they did share some of the money they made. So, so, sir, can you not..."

What kind of values are these? If they were my soldiers, I'd definitely get rid of you! Yu Lian thought.

"Isn't it all too unreal? Lunar man?" Lieutenant Mendersen had joined them, sitting down and forcing a stiff smile: "I know about these things, but I didn't stop them and even took the biggest share."

No, on the contrary, this is all too real. Also, why do you call me a Lunar man?

"We're different from you. You're a Lunar man, a chosen one. In five or six years, I'll have to call you sir. You have a bright future, but we, the security officers in the colony, are here for the money, not to fight sand pirates and raiders in this backwater."

So, you mean the Lunar man from the Moon?

"Ah, I'm so stupid, really! I thought Cruz would be back in a few days. We had already reported the armored car's power packs as training losses, and new ones would arrive next month... but I didn't know the sand people would rebel at this time! They're even besieging Turon! And I didn't know the command would order us to return for support. Ah, it's all my fault!"

The lieutenant's words were full of information. Yu Lian's head started to hurt, and he frowned, touching the large bump on the back of his head.

"Um... Lieutenant, you must be close to Commander Bonaparte, right? You're both Lunar men, so it must be true. I saw you having dinner with him in Turon last time. If possible..."

Yu Lian, holding his increasingly painful head, winced and drew in a sharp breath.

"Lieutenant!" The nurse's face turned white, and Lieutenant Mendersen, feeling responsible, also twitched his mouth. All the soldiers resting in the cave were startled, and Sergeant Major Ina, on guard at the entrance, hurried over.

"Hey? Can you hear me? Look at my eyes, Lieutenant, look at my eyes. Our Lunar man, look at my eyes! Do you remember who I am?" the lieutenant shouted.

"…You, you are Lieutenant Bill Mendersen, from the New Jade Gate Security Command, the commander of the 12th supply station."

"Then who are you? What's your name, how old are you, and why are you here?"

"My name is Yu Lian, a lieutenant in the Blue Star Commonwealth Defense Force, 21 years old, a fourth-year student in the Strategic Studies Department of the Central Defense University, Class 830. I'm here for a three-month short-term service to prepare for my graduation internship."