Chapter 42 Beyond Reach

Throughout the rest of the day, Yulian discussed various specific combat plans and details with everyone in detail. After going through them multiple times and gaining everyone's consensus, he finally set his mind at ease. He forced himself to sleep for a few hours. When he woke up, there were sandwiches and coffee waiting for him, sent by Frederica and Miss Penny.

Well, while it had to be admitted that the two young misses' sandwich-making skills had improved significantly—at least the fillings had changed from canned goods to personally fried eggs and smoked bacon strips—Yulian felt like he was going to vomit from eating this stuff day after day. Fortunately, besides these, the young girls also brought over a plate of roasted meat. Although it was prepared using the oven on the vehicle, it was still better than nothing.

...Well, it felt a bit like the final hearty meal given to a suicide squad before they walked out to clear a minefield.

Yulian accepted the roasted meat with a gratified expression and began cutting it while saying, "I will have Sergeant Yuyu lead a squad to guard the mouth of the valley. In addition, the men of Old Master Wang and Mr. Kelvin will also remain behind. If it's just defense, there shouldn't be any major issues."

Frederica nodded. Watching Yulian devour the roasted meat in large bites, she smiled so widely that her large, purple eyes turned into crescents. "Is it delicious?"

"Too much seasoning, the meat quality isn't great—a bit too fatty, the oven temperature wasn't adjusted right, and the timing was off. Some parts are overcooked while others are still a bit raw. All in all, it's just like the thirty-credit-per-person roadside buffet barbecue. It really lacks any sense of luxury," Yulian said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, is that so?" Frederica's eyes had already curved into smiling half-moons. The smile was extremely healing, so much so that Penny beside her shuddered slightly, her smile turning stiff as she looked at Yulian with a gaze approaching end-of-life hospice care.

"Big Brother, you must not be very popular at school, especially among the girls."

"No, quite the contrary. There aren't many girls at our school, but we all get along well; it's the boys who don't have a very good reputation for me."

Penny's gaze was now tinged with obvious sympathy, as if she were looking at those hopeless shut-ins who couldn't find girlfriends and instead called 2D paper cutout characters their wives. Of course, she was truly a good girl, so she didn't show the disgust of "weebs are utterly revolting," at least not on the surface.

To have a little brat who looked like she had just entered middle school care for and comfort him with a gaze full of maternal and inclusive sympathy—even for someone with Yulian's thick skin—still brought considerable pressure. Thus, he changed the subject: "I trust the two of you to get things done, but you still need to be careful, especially keeping an eye on the kids, particularly..."

"Hmph, why? Are you talking about George? He's a good boy," Penny frowned and said with dissatisfaction.

You wouldn't say that if you knew he always goes around behind your back saying you're bound to grow up into an unmarriageable tiger-lady.

"Mr. Yulian, you surely don't think that because the kid is a military fanatic who admires you folks and gets even more excited seeing Captain Winter and the others, he will secretly follow you into the battlefield to fool around, eventually messing things up and forcing you to suffer heavy casualties and fall into danger just to save him, until you finally save his life with your very last breath, causing him to truly understand the reality of war and thus inherit your legacy to walk the path of a hero? You surely don't think a plot like that is going to happen, do you?" Frederica tilted her head, the corners of her mouth curling up, the mockery in her words practically solidifying into a slap across Yulian's face.

Of course, if an adult spoke like this, it would only seem petty and sharp-tongued, but coming from her, others could only feel she was a truly adorable and delightfully sarcastic little cutie!

"Big Brother, I think children over five should have basic common sense, and George is already seven. As a soldier of the Commonwealth, you ought to have some taste and watch fewer braindead domestic dramas. I think the shows from the Alliance are much better; both production and scripts are far more refined than ours, and at least they don't feature braindead plots. I recommend you watch *The Pirate Lord Planck Family*, *The Azure House*, and *Blood Serpent*..."

Why is an anime-style loli recommending TV shows to me? Besides, why are the shows recommended by a loli those deeply dark, gritty gang-struggle and political-intrigue films, coupled with all sorts of bizarre, despair-inducing horror movies drenched in fake blood? Compared to her, Ina, who was always drooling over the grave-robbing uncle in *The Treasure Hunters Alliance*, was much healthier!

Yulian smiled with stiff facial muscles, feeling that he couldn't show weakness in front of the young girls, so he said earnestly, "No, George and his little friends are naturally sensible, well-behaved kids, but what I was actually talking about is the Honorable Councilman and his populist representatives. Adults aren't necessarily more reasonable than children; when they gather in crowds, they are even more prone to agitation. If someone else starts speaking for them, their destructive power far exceeds that of the illogical brats in braindead dramas."

The two young girls looked at each other and let out a simultaneous "Pfft," smiling in a way that was both cute and warm, finally matching their actual ages.

"Don't worry, Mr. Yulian. If I can keep the Honorable Councilman in check once, I can certainly do it a second time. Besides, while I think what you said makes sense, placing it here always feels a bit like sophistry."

"Big Brother, when a lady is speaking, you must learn to listen and praise. Even if you have different opinions, you should try to guide her rather than argue. That never solves problems and will only make girls dislike you. It's a major taboo, please be sure to pay attention... Sigh, Big Brother, if you keep acting like this, you won't find a girlfriend even ten years from now."

No, what I wanted to say was...

"Of course, regardless of anything else, for a young and promising military officer to be willing to chat with two young misses is already something most dull men can't manage. It's a good start. Keep up the hard work, Ensign. Since you are setting out on an expedition as a friend, take this." As Frederica spoke, she reached into her sleeve and produced a citrine pendant strung on a metal chain.

Seeing that Yulian still wore a blank expression, she let out a sigh of profound exasperation, stood up, and tied the pendant around Yulian's neck.

"This is an amulet I begged from a master at the Great Cathedral. It's said to bring good luck. Take it as a blessing gift from a friend."

The citrine pendant wasn't anything particularly valuable, but it sounded auspicious, and it would look even better if paired with black accessories. Yulian candidly let the young girl tie it on for him.

Of course, what he didn't know was that not far away, Miss Belinda—plain in appearance and plain in figure—was hiding in a corner, taking in this entire scene. Knowing that the purple-haired girl, despite being nearly ten years younger than her, still utterly outshined her in charm by a wide margin, she could only silently bite her handkerchief and shove the hand-carved stone amulet she had just made back into her bag.

The nurse wanted to push through her gloomy heartache, but she saw that Ina Kirika had already walked over. This military officer who had been hailed as the "Flower of the New Yumen Garrison" before Officer Eleanor Bonaparte took office stood before Yulian and the two young girls. "Sorry to interrupt, but sir, we are about to move out."

Yulian nodded, bade farewell to the young ladies, and walked alongside Ina toward the assembling troops.

Above was the night sky, beneath them the solid earth, and all around were hazy lights. Walking side-by-side, they seemed to jointly support the entire sky.

The nurse almost burst out crying with a loud "Wah," barely managing to hold it in as she looked for a place to mourn her shattered glass heart, only to be yanked away by Dr. Banks, who had materialized from nowhere.

"Why are you slacking off and hiding here? Come help me move the medical supplies!"

When Yulian suited up in his new powered armor, all the soldiers of the 101st Regiment and the garrison had also finished assembling.

Yulian familiarized himself with the performance of the AS56 model, roughly calculating that it could boost the user's physical capabilities by about fivefold, and was quite satisfied. He felt that he had finally gotten behind the controls of a captain's unit, graduating from a white-named mob to a blue-named mob squad leader. As a first-tier psionic rookie, these formidable pieces of equipment designed for "ordinary humans" could still significantly amplify his combat prowess.

He glanced over at Ina, who had already suited up in an ash-grey spirit-cat special tactical exoskeleton. She was currently fiddling with a thick, long anti-materiel sniper rifle—the caliber of this thing was actually 20mm, so it should really be called a cannon.

"Switched to a new armor and a new rifle again, are you going to be okay?" Yulian asked. He knew that every excellent and mature sniper had the firearms they were most familiar with. Only by having absolute mastery over the trajectory, field of fire, range, lethality, and even the minute mechanical structures of the partner in their hands could one transform into a ghostly, one-hit-one-kill reaper on the battlefield. Yet Ina had started with a standard C10, then used a C14 infantry rifle that had been gathering dust in the supply warehouse, and now she was handling an individual railgun. Changing three different types of firearms in a single day was bound to affect her feel and marksmanship.

"It's fine. If it were the old me, I would need some time to get used to it. But my intuition tells me I can master its ballistic trajectory. There shouldn't be any major issues," Ina said, radiating confidence.

Alright, this was the professional domain of "Sentinels." It would be strange if the dignified "Blazing-Eyed Witch" lacked this kind of confidence and mettle.

On the other side, Councilman Jiang was gripping Captain Winter's hand again, tears streaming down his face. "Captain, the future of New Yumen, the safety of Tulon, and the fate of all our people are entrusted to you."

Captain Winter must have felt quite awkward, but he managed to squeeze out a smile, holding it firmly until the photographer found the best angle and snapped the photo.

The photographer certainly captured a great shot. It perfectly embodied the captain's courage (which was secondary), as well as the councilman's fortitude in holding back his grief and reluctance to part (which was primary). It was truly a mystery where such talent had been recruited from.

Having finished with the captain, the councilman hopped over to Yulian like a well-fed gibbon, grabbed his hand, and pumped it up and down again, his face filled with reluctance, profound grief, and inspiration—as if the minor unpleasantness that had just occurred had never happened at all.

"Ensign, sigh, a child like you shouldn't be thrust into such a harrowing battlefield. Yet, looking at you, I see the courage and responsibility of the youth in our Commonwealth, and I see the bright future of our nation! I will pray to the Spirits of the Universe; please be sure to return safely!"

The photographer also scurried over, holding his camera and snapping away with a flurry of "click-clicks."

It had to be admitted that Councilman Jiang's professional ethics and dedication—at least within his primary occupation as a promising politician—was something Yulian could only look up to with a sense of utter defeat.