Chapter 9

The entire page is filled with a long list of information, but only a few points need attention, especially the last one.

It is widely acknowledged that new recruits with high qualifications start at a high level. Graduates from the Naval Academy start as officers, and pilots at least as lieutenants. Zhang Qifan, merely a senior sergeant, was a bit higher than Du Yubing had estimated, but it wasn't particularly out of the ordinary.

However, the appointment as a temporary commander directly made Du Yubing slam her fist on the table. She was even pondering which faction in the military had the surname Zhang.

A newly enlisted person actually received a real appointment? Is the military his family business? Even with Du Yubing's background, and being a specially recruited professional, she was only an intern doctor when she first joined the military. Although her rank was a bit higher, it took her two years to get a real position.

There must be some foul play! This was Du Yubing's first reaction, but then she remembered that the page had appeared on the military network just a few seconds after she submitted her request. These few seconds were entirely for data transmission across star systems, and it couldn't have been manually approved. It must have been automatically processed by the main control AI.

The processing results of the main control AI must comply with regulations. Unless someone exploited a loophole in the rules or changed the rules.

Regardless of whether there are loopholes in the appointment rules, changing the AI's rules is not something an ordinary person can do. Even the military doesn't have the authority to change the rules; this power is held by the Earth Federation's Council of Nine Elders. Each use of this power requires the agreement of at least five of the nine elders.

The main control AI, besides handling appointments and promotions, also controls various strategic weapons, making it as important as the nuclear codes in the Earth era.

Since it was automatically processed by the main control AI, it means that Zhang Qifan's appointment is entirely compliant. Could he have found a loophole in the AI?

Thinking about this, Du Yubing shook her head. The main control AI is something ordinary people can't access. Zhang Qifan's father is just the captain of an exploration ship and doesn't belong to the military, so he has no way to let Zhang Qifan access such things.

Even if he had the means to access this information, he would need to be very familiar with the military system, which is no less difficult than changing the AI's rules. If he had this ability, why would Zhang Qifan bother to sign up here? He could have easily been placed in most departments, as she and Liu Shuya did.

Otherwise, how could an ordinary person find a job like Liu Shuya's, which pays well, has a high rank, is easy, and has no responsibility?

Puzzled, Du Yubing saved the appointment page to her terminal and walked towards Zhang Qifan with her long legs, the hard soles of her military boots making crisp sounds on the hard floor, echoing in the spacious hall.

Seeing Du Yubing walk over, Zhang Qifan knew his procedures were complete. In fact, with his hearing, he had heard the two women whispering from a distance, but since there were no critical issues, he ignored it.

"Your procedures are complete, but before that, I have a personal question to ask you," Du Yubing said, standing in front of Zhang Qifan and raising her white arm to shake her terminal on her wrist.

"Can I not answer?" Zhang Qifan stood up, extending his left hand to show his terminal, responding without any courtesy.

Du Yubing retracted her hand and said expressionlessly, "Then I'll consider it as you refusing to accept your appointment. I'll cancel your procedures in a moment." She added, "You can go and complain about her."

"Ah? Why me?" Liu Shuya, standing behind Du Yubing, felt like she was being targeted for no reason, innocently widening her eyes. What did this have to do with her?

"Alright, ask your question," Zhang Qifan immediately chose to cooperate. Although he could have killed these two women, that would make the procedures useless.

"Why did you join the ground assault team?" Du Yubing asked, focusing all her attention on Zhang Qifan's face, trying to detect every subtle change in his expression.

Liu Shuya also perked up her ears, as she was very curious about this question. The ground assault team, known for its violence, danger, and high attrition rate, not only has a high risk of casualties but also limited promotion opportunities. Why would someone of Zhang Qifan's caliber, who could be sought after by any branch, choose such a dangerous position?

Zhang Qifan replied, "Only this branch engages in face-to-face combat." His tone was calm, but for some reason, it made Du Yubing feel a wave of bloodthirstiness.

...

The Forward Fort is a relic of Earth's ancient past, carrying countless layers of history, culture, and social information. Its predecessor was the Mir Space Station, which served as a transit station between Earth and the Moon and as the anchor point for the space elevator during the Moon's development.

During the development of Mars, the already massive Mir Space Station was officially renamed the Forward Fort. Equipped with nuclear fusion engines, it was propelled to Mars' orbit to serve as a base for Mars' transformation.

Before Mars was fully transformed, the Forward Fort took on a new mission, being propelled to the Kuiper Belt to serve as a base for interstellar exploration.

After numerous renovations and additions, the Forward Fort, originally just an ancient space station, became a massive, bulky, and outdated artificial celestial body with a diameter of six kilometers.

Due to its ancient structure, it cannot be equipped with more advanced propulsion systems or more powerful weapons and shields, and its structure cannot withstand the acceleration required for faster-than-light travel. Therefore, it can only remain in the Kuiper Belt, serving as a permanent, multifunctional fortress.

Now, after thousands of years of storms, the Forward Fort looks like an indescribable lump of iron, with countless unknown objects extending from it. The surface is riddled with patches and rivets, like a beggar's patched clothing.

This ancestral fortress now has a population of 100,000, which is negligible compared to its six-kilometer diameter and 700-plus layers. At its peak, the Forward Fort had a resident and non-resident population of 7 million.

It is a giant with a glorious past but is now in decline. The headquarters of the ground assault team is also located here, another entity with a glorious past, making them a fitting pair.

PS: Thanks to: Wenren Saoke No.1, Xue Chan Yi, Gao Xiaoning, and Jonesw for their small rewards. Thanks to everyone for your votes.

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