Chapter 62: The Farewell Dinner

When Yu Lian pushed open the heavy door and stepped inside, a chorus of applause and cheers erupted instantly. He swept his gaze across the room. Everyone from Outpost 12 was present, occupying seven or eight tables, practically booking the cozy little restaurant for a private party.

The scene felt vaguely familiar. The faces were the same, but the setting had entirely changed.

"Welcome to Outpost 12's shortest-serving commander! Welcome to our greatest commander!" You You stood on a small stage in the corner of the restaurant—one that could barely fit four or five people—shouting and riling up the crowd.

The cheers and applause grew even more thunderous, and Yu Lian even noticed a few people wiping away tears amidst the ruckus.

He felt a sudden urge to weep as well, not for himself, but for Lieutenant Monderson and the others who had perished.

Amidst the warm welcome, Yu Lian squeezed his way over to the table of sergeants and master sergeants, which naturally marked the official beginning of the feast. Since everyone present was a rough-and-tumble frontline soldier with only one thing on their minds—good wine and heavy meat—the restaurant quickly roared back to its lively peak. You You, already a bit tipsy, refused to step down from the microphone, belting out a song from the stage that drew a fresh wave of applause. Truth be told, she actually had a pretty good singing voice.

"I was originally planning to smuggle those mithril chunks to the black market, but I never expected the Alliance's noble lady to step in. This card has fifty million credits on it, quite a bit more than I anticipated. Take it and... well, distribute it according to the rules among everyone." Yu Lian slid a card across the table to Doctor Banks.

It really felt primitive without WeChat or Alipay, though Yu Lian knew this was as much a political issue as it was a technological one.

Besides, this was a cosmic era with a somewhat skewed technological tree, and plenty of places still relied on precious metal currencies.

"Don't you worry, Commander! I'll head to the bank first thing tomorrow morning!" Doctor Banks flashed an eager grin.

Yu Lian knew the man was somewhat greedy, but with so many people watching, skimming off the top was completely out of the question.

"Also... from my share, take two million and send it to Lieutenant Monderson's family."

The atmosphere at the table instantly grew heavy. After a long silence, Doctor Banks spoke, "Understood. I... I have the lieutenant's wife's account number. I'll wire it together tomorrow."

Yu Lian nodded, then turned to the ursine master sergeant. "The colonial government's bounty on Hesen is five million, plus another five million for the zero-element acquisition. I've already collected it. Even though you landed the final blow, Stein and I will take four million each, and you get two million. Fair enough?"

"F... fair? No, that's way too much. I just... I just swung my axe blindly in a daze, but in the end... I didn't really do anything. Commander, you..."

Off the battlefield, Baka, the naturally superhuman ursine warrior, remained the same honest, inarticulate, and somewhat wooden fellow.

"Rules are rules. Even in mercenary raids, the one who lands the final blow gets the lion's share. That's settled." Yu Lian laughed heartily, picking up his glass. "So, to our victory! To the Maiden of Toulon!"

"To our victory! To the Maiden of Toulon!" Everyone stood up and raised their glasses in unison.

"To our commander!" Ina loudly added.

That final toast probably carried multiple layers of meaning, leaving everyone deep in thought. However, once the burning liquor was drained in one go, the brief sorrow seemed to be washed away by the alcohol.

The festive atmosphere returned in full swing.

You You continued singing and dancing on stage, joined by a chorus of noisy instigators. Yu Lian lowered his head to chew on the steak in his plate, finally feeling the comforting satisfaction of a full stomach. He wiped his mouth, raised his head, and locked eyes directly with Ina.

"What is it?"

"I just realized this is probably the last time I'll ever share a meal at the same table with you, and it suddenly made me a bit sad," the sergeant said.

Yu Lian felt a bit restless. A girl who was this direct, honest, and unpretentious was genuinely hard to handle!

"How about this? When I become the captain of an assault ship, you can be my assault squad leader," Yu Lian suggested.

"Whoa! Are you really turning an archer into cannon fodder? Is that something a human being would say?"

"Star-hunter! Star-hunter! I've told you, not an archer, more like a hunter... Ugh, never mind. Psions are rare talents everywhere; no one's going to use you as cannon fodder. Someone from the higher-ups must have pulled you aside for a private chat lately, right?"

Ina nodded, a look of helpless distress crossing her face. "Yeah! Major Sanga already approached me. Said she wants to transfer me to Toulon as the deputy company commander of the city defense strategic support company. Oh, and they'll provide me with a free, clean apartment in Toulon, and my officer commission will be processed in two months at most."

For this "ordinary" girl who grew up in the Toulon war orphans' asylum, possessed only a high school diploma, and usually spent her time binge-watching shows and complaining online, the Toulon Garrison Commander was already a towering figure to look up to.

She looked at Yu Lian expectantly, eagerly hoping for his advice. The latter replied, "If you want to maximize your benefits, don't rush. The Defense Committee will be sending people over soon enough. You can pick whatever position you want in the Marines, the Fleet, or even Earth's experimental special forces. Of course, if possible, I'd suggest taking this opportunity to find an academy for further studies..."

As soon as those words left his mouth, the sergeant—a notorious academic slacker—immediately displayed a visceral, visible disgust, covering her ears directly. "I barely managed to survive school, and now you want to send me back? Why are you speaking nonsense today?"

"If you don't study when you're young, when will you? You'll regret it when you're old!"

"Why do you sound just like Mrs. Mercer from the veterans' home today? I am definitely not going to regret anything!"

"No, you will." And you'll personally admit it in the future, too.

Ina maintained her "lalala-I-can't-hear-you" expression and abruptly changed the subject. "Well, since I finally made a fortune this time, I can buy some things and go back to the veterans' home to visit Mrs. Mercer. She always says I was the most mischievous student she ever taught, hehehe, but I'm definitely the first one to strike it rich!"

Not entirely sure whether the girl was genuinely drunk or just playing along, Yu Lian decided to chat with someone else instead.

"Me? I don't really have anywhere else to go either. But a Major Dorset did approach me yesterday, asking if I'd be willing to transfer back to the city to take charge of a maintenance squad. Commander, you're the one who recommended me to Colonel Bonaparte, right? Thank you so much." Uncle Carl was beaming with joy as well. At his age, he really didn't want to live in constant anxiety at an outer outpost. Being able to transfer back to the city to do the work he knew best was practically ideal. After a few more years of work to pad his retirement fund, he could retire in peace.

"Lieutenant Colonel Bonaparte won't be staying in Toulon for much longer," Yu Lian remarked.

Uncle Carl froze on the spot.

"Don't worry though. Your new boss will either be Major Dorset or Major Sanga. They're all protégés of the Senior Sister... or rather, part of the Bonaparte faction now. Transferring back to the city is a good move; you won't have to live in fear anymore."

"Yes, indeed! The major told me that the Governor's Office and the Defense Committee are considering equipping us with an armored company. Haha, that's fantastic! I've never tinkered with the big rigs in my entire life."

Yu Lian, however, felt that with the old man's craftsmanship, calling it a tank was an understatement; even tinkering with a mobile fortress would be underutilizing his talents. He had a few other ideas in mind, but after pondering briefly, he decided the timing wasn't quite right yet and temporarily kept them to himself.

"Um, Commander... can, can I ask you a favor?" Sergeant Baka stammered.

Yu Lian gestured for him to speak freely, and the ursine warrior said, "I was hoping... hoping to retire as soon as my one-year contract with the Garrison ends."

Yu Lian was slightly startled, then realized that the Garrison nominally belonged to the colonial government's employees rather than a true military establishment, which meant contracts were binding.

"It's just... if I retire like this, will the commanders be unhappy?"

Indeed, an ursine warrior with superhuman strength and a simple mind was prime military material, and with a little training, he'd make an exceptional junior NCO. No matter how incompetent the higher-ups of the Garrison might be, they wouldn't just let him walk away easily.

What's that? Play by the contract? If things in this world were that simple, world peace and civilized harmony would have been achieved ages ago!

"You're hoping I can put in a good word with the Senior Sister for you, right? That shouldn't be a problem, but may I ask what your plans are?"

The ursine master sergeant flashed a blissful smile. "Hehehe... I've finally saved up a decent sum. I... I can take little Kelly to the Alliance for medical treatment."

Yu Lian knew Baka's background. He was a Bienne ursine, a sub-human race whose genes were reportedly ninety-nine percent identical to those of humans, but they weren't human nonetheless. He had a human wife from Earth who had passed away in an accident a few years ago. He also had a daughter, whom the couple had allegedly spent every last cent to save. The little girl named Kelly was a porcelain doll of a child, looking nothing like her father. Yet, she was still a descendant of ursines and Earthlings, and her own genetics were flawed and incomplete, causing her to fall ill constantly.

The reason Baka the ursine had been willing to serve in Xinyumen was precisely because the colonial government offered free gene-therapy for his daughter.

To be frank, the medical standards of the Blue Star Commonwealth were only so-so; no matter how much they operated, it was barely enough to prolong her life.

And currently, across the entire galaxy, the faction possessing the most advanced medical technology was naturally the Alliance.

"I can ask a friend in the Alliance to recommend a good hospital for you." It was no trouble at all, and Yu Lian was more than happy to help. He wouldn't even need to bother the young miss; he could just ask Asher directly.

"Heh, if possible, finding a job and settling down over there might be even better. You're an ursine—you're a talent anywhere. Have confidence in yourself. Don't worry, I'll have my friend help look out for you so you don't get scammed by con artists."

Well, helping him find a job wouldn't require bothering the young miss either; he could just keep asking Asher.

Baka wiped away a tear. After his wife passed away, he had been struggling to survive purely for his daughter's sake. Now, he finally saw a glimmer of hope in life.