Chapter 8

The colossal creature that had been lying on the asteroid had awakened, raising its long and graceful neck and slowly opening its eyes. There were no distinct pupils in those eye sockets, just a seamless whole, like two eternal stars. The glow of the stars swept over its black scales, transforming into a brilliant river of stars flowing through its majestic body.

It propped itself up, spreading its vast, sun-blocking wings, standing proudly amidst the surrounding stars.

It had the right to do so, for with its magnificent dragon scales, it could effortlessly withstand the concentrated fire of an entire fleet. Even the main cannons of Titan ships would find it hard to penetrate its defenses.

In the presence of such a behemoth, Yu Lian, piloting the emblem machine and wielding a photon spear and Dawn Sword, seemed as insignificant as an ant, no, a bacterium... But if it was a bacterium, shouldn't it be ignored? Yet, it still gazed at him, unmoving.

It seemed to emit a sneer, but in the vacuum of space, sound could not travel.

However, Yu Lian could feel the sneer, the unmasked disdain.

It casually opened its mouth, and gamma rays began to converge, a terrifying force capable of turning an entire terrestrial planet's surface into crystal.

Yu Lian knew there was no way to avoid or block it; he could only wait for death to come.

Being obliterated by a star-destroying gamma ray would be a rather grand finale for a穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which can be translated as "time traveler" or "transmigrator")?

"Your stage is still too early for you," a faint voice seemed to say to him.

"Go find me," the voice continued.

Why should I find you? I don't dislike psychics, but I really hate your kind of mystical nonsense!

So, you're an incurable idealist fool!

Yu Lian wanted to laugh, and he did. Then, the star dragon that covered the galaxy, the world-destroying gamma rays, the mystical voice, and the shadowy figure that faintly appeared in the endless void all vanished.

His laughter turned into a violent cough, and he awoke, the first thing he saw being the ceiling light emitting a soothing blue glow.

"Unfamiliar ceiling... Well, actually, I do recognize it."

This was the 12th Garrison of the New Jade Gate Ground Defense Force, over a hundred kilometers from the capital of the colony, Tulun Port. Its main function was to ensure the governor's surveillance of the wilderness and to protect the surrounding plantations and mines. At least, that was the theory.

The development of this colonial planet was still in its early stages, with a total population of less than 700,000, including both the Commonwealth and citizens of other galactic nations. Of these, 650,000 lived in Tulun City, making the wilderness vast and sparsely populated. It was easy to imagine what kind of people would dare to open plantations and mines in such a place—armed bandits, at best, and possibly better equipped than the garrison's grunts.

Moreover, the native Sand People were generally quite submissive, willing to work on Earthling farms and mines. A few rebellious ones turned to banditry, but they didn't pose a significant threat.

At least, that's what the Commonwealth central government and the governor's office believed for the past few decades.

As for me... Yu Lian felt a bit lost, feeling the increasingly clear memories, unsure whether the future wanderer Yu Lian had taken over the military student Yu Lian's body, or whether the military student Yu Lian had gained the future wanderer Yu Lian's memories.

He slowly propped himself up, saw the mirror on the wall, and saw his own face. It was a young, handsome, and elegant face, one that wouldn't be out of place if he were to debut immediately, about half as handsome as his great-grandfather.

This was good; the observers outside the universe would have a better sense of immersion.

Of course, he looked a bit younger than his actual age, like a rookie who hadn't been beaten down by society.

Moreover, his features and build were somewhat delicate, but not to the point of being effeminate, probably because he didn't have a fringe. Of course, this type of guy, if a bit softer in personality, could easily be swayed, but if he was a true man at heart, he might still be able to pull off the image of a gallant knight with a silver spear and a handsome face.

Overall, compared to his previous life's pirate face, this one was more like a protagonist.

Well, from today, I am Yu Lian. I am just Yu Lian, born on September 17, 808 Galactic Common Era, in an inland city of Earth, the capital of the Blue Star Commonwealth. My parents died early but left me some inheritance, and my aunt and uncle, who raised me, were good people, treating me as their own. My younger brother and sister are also very cute.

I was always the model child, but since I grew up in a restaurant on a food street, I never got recommendations from important figures, let alone a glamorous internship experience, so I couldn't apply for scholarships at prestigious universities. The high tuition fees of higher education were not something an ordinary family could afford. To enroll, I either had to sell the property my parents left me or take on a heavy student loan.

My aunt and uncle wanted to contribute their savings, but I didn't accept. I was an adult and had to be responsible for my future. Besides, wouldn't my younger brother and sister need money in the future?

So, should I spend my life paying off the student loan? Or sell the house? Or not go to university and work instead?

In the end, Yu Lian chose none of these. Encouraged by the daughter of the dojo across the street, my childhood friend, we both applied to the Central Defense University and were both accepted, leaving another overly glamorous legacy for the "model child" legend.

Military school was free, as long as you were willing to serve in the military after graduation.

Then, it was the year before graduation.

As future pillars of the Commonwealth military, the soon-to-graduate students had the obligation to intern in various departments of the military, both to gather material for their theses and to get hands-on experience. This was a long-standing tradition at the Lunar Military Academy, and it was indeed a good one.

However, the elite students of the Strategic Research Department of the prestigious university were assigned to a small garrison in a colony, which was a bit puzzling.

Well, it seemed that this kid... that is, me, was a bit stubborn and had a long-standing rivalry with the "Blue Blood Brotherhood," a traditional school bully organization that had dominated the Lunar Military Academy for decades. I also offended the school authorities by standing up for some unfairly punished classmates and even confronted the principal and the head of the faculty department?

Well done! But not smart enough, indeed too young!

The wanderer Yu Lian admired the student Yu Lian but then realized that now was not the time to think about these things.

The major event in Tulun Port that would trigger everything, the siege by a million Sand People, the reinforcement orders from the garrison headquarters, and the current situation of my senior Eleanor, who was still in the city... Well, if history were to follow its course, Eleanor would be fine and even make a big splash, but she was a senior who had taken care of me during my student days, so it was impossible not to worry.

After all, Ina's team was attacked, and the butterfly effect had already appeared. The "history" of my previous life was no longer accurate.

Additionally, like in my previous life, I was still a psychic-sensitive, an incurable idealist fool.

...And more importantly, as I said before I fainted, this was a trap!

"Idiot! The garrison grunts are just grunts! Wasn't that clear enough?" Yu Lian muttered as he got out of bed.

He now recognized that he was in the garrison's medical room. His spinal wound had been re-treated, and the workmanship was much better than the mediocre Nurse Belinda's. He also felt the presence of his lower body for the first time after rebirth, but it felt a bit off. It seemed the nanomachines were working, but they couldn't completely replace natural nerves. Nevertheless, he could now walk, run, and even fight normally.

He held onto the bed rail and climbed down, but stumbled. This action made quite a noise, and the medical room door opened, with a technical sergeant in his thirties and Nurse Belinda running in.

"It's fine; walking can help your body adapt to the nanomachines. Just be careful," the male technician said with a scholarly air and a warm smile, clearly suited to be a doctor.

He was Sergeant Banks Shazabi, the official doctor of the 12th Garrison.

"You're recovering well... Wow, truly the physique of a sensitive! Of course, you can eat now. You, Lieutenant, Lieutenant?"

Yu Lian knew it was impolite, but he ran past the doctor, "thud, thud, thud," into the canteen, where the smell of food and the sound of people talking filled the air.

There were about ten people in the canteen, and Yu Lian recognized most of them. Lieutenant Monteson and Baka were sitting at one table, devouring their meals. Ina sat alone, with two extinguished cigarette butts and two empty bottles on her empty plate.

Everyone looked at Yu Lian, who had burst in, a bit stunned—his attitude didn't seem like he was there to eat but rather to cause a commotion.

Lieutenant Monteson stood up, forced a smile, and clapped. "Ha, our lunar man is here!"

The bear-like sergeant smiled and stood up, clapping. Everyone else joined in, and some even cheered.

Yu Lian remembered that when he first arrived, there was a similar ceremony where everyone gathered to welcome him, but it always felt routine. This time, however, it was clearly sincere.

"Lieutenant, how would you like your steak?" You You, with a black, rough, and broad face, grinned, showing a row of white teeth, appeared from behind the kitchen counter.

Ina, as a matter of course, patted the chair next to her and pointed to another full plate—beans, meat soup, cake, and meat sauce pasta, all arranged neatly.

Yu Lian was a bit moved. Humans are social animals, and being accepted and respected greatly satisfies psychological needs. If it were any other time, he would have thoroughly enjoyed everything in front of him.

However...

"Eat, eat, eat! Eat your bubble tea pot!" Yu Lian rushed over, swallowed the cake in one bite, and then darted to the lieutenant.

"Where are the others?"

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