Chapter 65 Always Prepared

Charcoal-grilled marmot was a specialty of New Yumen and a dish that simply had to be tasted.

Well, to be accurate, the delicacy had only a history of a few years. Early immigrants to New Yumen had discovered that the sand rats dug out from the endless seas of sand were exceptionally large and remarkably plump. You simply lopped off the head and they were ready to eat, and it was said their protein content was over six times that of beef. They were fantastic when boiled or stewed, but even better when heavily coated in spices and charcoal-grilled.

Both Yu Lian and his senior schoolmate thoroughly enjoyed the flavor. The two of them tucked in with gusto, devouring more than half of the beast in no time amidst noisy smacking sounds.

After three rounds of drinks and five courses of food, the senior schoolmate gracefully twirled a slender women’s cigarette between two fingers while swirling half a glass of beer with the other hand, her phoenix-like eyes tinged with a hint of languidness.

She was dressed in casual wear today—form-fitting breeches, a shirt, and a denim jacket—sparing her from putting on the airs of a high-ranking military officer. Or perhaps, this was simply her natural demeanor in everyday life.

"Consider this your send-off dinner. I’ve already prepared your internship certificate issued by the Garrison Headquarters. Needless to say, it’s an A-plus."

"Thank you so much," Yu Lian said, raising his glass in a toast.

"You earned it. Might as well get some real work done before I get kicked out," she said. "However, Yuli, even with an A-plus from me and the Governor's Office, it’s only equivalent to the credit of two major classes. Factor that into your overall GPA and you’ll still be sitting below 3.5. That’s barely above average! And considering what you pulled off recently, your special meritorious bonus points are ten to getting canned. Forget about getting the Tiger Talisman!"

"I never planned on getting the Tiger Talisman in the first place!" Especially not when competing against the monsters of the legendary Class of 830, not to mention that he was presumably already on the school administration's blacklist.

The so-called Tiger Talisman was actually a meticulously crafted antique-style revolver. Its grip was fashioned from ivory, and gold was inlaid across the silver-white barrel to trace the pattern of a tiger. Exquisite yet exuding an overwhelming aura of dominance, it was named the "Tiger Talisman." This item was awarded exclusively to the top five graduates overall at the Central Defense University, making it a supreme honor.

"Wait? How do you even know my grade point average?"

"Heh... what do you think?"

"…Ah, I forgot the President used to serve as your father's chief of staff."

"Oh, my stubborn old man and my freakish older brother both said it: they only accept those from the Tiger Talisman cohort."

"Accept what? Accept into what?" Yu Lian was completely baffled and professed not to understand a single word.

"Nothing at all. I don't want to offend Fena right now." The senior schoolmate turned her head with a smile, leaving Yu Lian with the view of her perfect profile, and continued, "By the way, you know, right? My days as the garrison commander are numbered."

"Mm, no governor would allow someone like you to remain in that post for long. Of course, the garrison commander position is just a stepping stone for you anyway. There are better posts waiting, right?"

"There are two directions. Being transferred back to the home system to serve as an operations staff officer at the Eastern Spiral Arm Fleet Headquarters, or becoming the captain of a cruiser; alternatively, staying at the Andromeda Galaxy Garrison Command to command a small garrison fleet."

"Staying at the garrison command, obviously," Yu Lian replied decisively.

"…Isn't your answer a bit too prompt?"

"If I answered the former, you wouldn't accept it anyway. Besides, the Eastern Spiral Arm Fleet is probably the most incompetent and worthless of the Commonwealth's main fleets. Serving in the staff department would mostly mean dealing with office politics. Most of the warships there are over thirty years old, and their so-called cruisers have a high probability of failing to outrun pirate ships. With your temper, you'd likely be driven to death by frustration."

"I wouldn't be driven to death, but Lieutenant General Harris probably would."

"In short, getting transferred to the Eastern Spiral Arm Fleet would just mean idling away while waiting for a promotion, which doesn't fit your persona at all. As for here, a garrison fleet usually consists of two or three assault ships matched with a destroyer. The force is meager, but after all, it's an armed force under your independent command." Yu Lian paused, a hint of a wicked delinquent's smile flashing across his face. "Besides, this is the Andromeda Galaxy, the New World. The home system's reach can't stretch this far, and both the garrison command and the governor's office are completely informal. So, if you want to pull off some... unconventional operations, it's relatively easy. For instance, if you feel the combat power is insufficient, you can entirely purchase a few Pathfinder cruisers from the Alliance's Foxglove Shipyards under the guise of training exercises."

"Huh? Foxglove? Aren't they builders of luxury cruise liners and freighters?"

"Yes, the Pathfinder is a type of high-speed passenger liner. However, that's just what they're called on the surface. In reality, it's a specially designed hull with exceptional versatility. The ship itself is average, but it has plenty of mounting points and leaves a massive amount of room for retrofitting. As long as you can find a way to acquire weapons, armor, shields, and various communication and detection equipment, retrofitting it into a cruiser is a piece of cake. Oh, she only finished testing in the first half of this year, and the Alliance military still has quite a few doubts about her performance. The Foxglove Shipyards are sitting on new ships waiting for orders right now. If you place an order at this time, you can definitely get a discount. More importantly, she's a passenger liner, which doesn't violate the *Andromeda Galaxy Naval Limitation Treaty*."

Eleanor reined in her smile, stubbed out her thin cigarette in an ashtray, and said in a deep voice, "Yuli, where did you get this intelligence?"

"If I told you I just happened to see the data and advertisements for this new ship in last month's *Age of Warships*, would you believe me?"

"Yuli, I'm not Fena. I don't unconditionally believe whatever you say."

"…Well, alright, I can't explain it right now, so you can either think I'm joking or consider it guidance from the Universe Spirit, depending on whether you trust your senior schoolmate or not."

"Psykers are all rambling lunatics, which is why we agreed back then to beat up that bunch of foolish idealistic mystics, right? And yet, little Yuli, with your bright eyes and bushy eyebrows, you're the first one to betray us," the senior schoolmate pouted.

"Perhaps the Universe Spirit especially appreciates me. I've realized now that worldview and psionics are actually two different things."

"You traitor!" Eleanor spat out playfully before continuing, "So, you actually want me to stay here to strengthen the Commonwealth's defense forces in the New World, is that it?"

Talking to smart people was always so straightforward.

Yu Lian breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "Senior schoolmate, didn't you tell me yourself? War is bound to happen. We might not know when, but it definitely will. That's why we need to be even more prepared."

"…Yeah, those bugs in your report are at least proof that someone is pulling strings behind the scenes. And galactic history has taught me that whenever someone is stirring up trouble, war is bound to follow. Heh, but the future of the Commonwealth can't rely on those old fossils on Earth; it rests on us young people! That was a consensus we reached back in school, after all."

Yu Lian was intensely curious about what kind of role his original self had played back in school. Given that he was such a dramatic attention-seeker and a famous member of the Class of 830, there was no reason his reputation shouldn't have endured in later generations!

Did he really die that early?

"Yuli, I'll find a way to bolster the garrison's combat strength here. And before I get transferred out, I'm going to dig three feet deep into this planet! With so many giant bugs, I refuse to believe not a single shred of a clue will be left behind!" Eleanor said fiercely.

Yu Lian thought it was an uphill battle, but he still sincerely wished his senior schoolmate good luck.

Neither of them discussed where the funds needed to enhance their combat power would come from. Yu Lian knew the senior schoolmate would definitely find a way—after all, this was the New World. Of course, he was also planning to find the right opportunity to feed Eleanor some methods to "make a fortune" without arousing suspicion.

Well, even if she did become suspicious, it didn't matter. Aside from being a bit eccentric, this senior sister was trustworthy in every respect.

~~~~

The major battle had ended just over a week ago. Aside from the corpses and discarded weapons still being "excavated" from time to time, the entirety of New Yumen seemed to have returned to its habitual tranquility once more. Humans continued to drive sand-people laborers mercilessly in the plantations and mines. The sand people dared to speak out only in anger, but they always took pleasure in quietly wiping out one or two isolated human immigrants in the dead of night when the moon was dark and the wind was high. Yet, Earthlings who had lost everything in the galactic home system continually poured into this planet—which consisted mostly of sand and rock—hoping to carve out a living. Overall, the planet's delicate balance was maintained.

Tulong Port had returned to its usual hustle and bustle once again, while the sand-people leaders who had fled back to their respective territories licked their wounds and trembled in fear. For quite a long time to come, the vast Tulong Sand Sea would remain devoid of human footprints.

Clamor and desolation once again formed a contrasting yet harmonious rhythm on this planet.

Beneath a mountain cliff far away from Tulong, two figures were whispering in the scorching, violent wind.

"The same old routine, the same old numbness, the same old serenity... an annoying serenity. Oh my, who would have thought that the only interesting person on this planet couldn't escape this time either? Didn't the diviner lady say that Kaz was destined to achieve great things worthy of history? Her prophecies aren't always right after all!"

"She was never right every single time, and we never acted because of her prophecies anyway. Besides, whether the natives of this planet can reclaim their homeland or Earth's rule continues doesn't matter much to us. By comparison, did the combat capabilities of the swarms meet expectations?"

"A bit better than we imagined. They're heedless of death, and their execution is superior to any elite force in history. Of course, the combat power of individual insects is still somewhat weak, and the variety is rather scarce, but both can be adjusted further. However, the lord-insects acting as grassroots commanders lack flexibility. Where is our little queen?"

"Still in pursuit. 'Web' and 'Hunter' have already led teams personally; they'll be bringing her back soon."

"Let's hope so. She is the future, the darling of His Highness!"

"She will be found, she will definitely be found. However, are there any anomalies with those two newly awakened subjects?"

"They're quite energetic newcomers, causing us to lose quite a few units, but they've also allowed us to gather a lot of data. As for the rest, we need to continue observing."

Their words brewed gloomy plots and a condescending mockery. The future of Tulong, the rule of the Commonwealth, the fate of the sand people—they were all nothing more than ants biting each other on a stage.

It had always been like this.

"Alright, I'll take my leave first. You know what to do." One of them stood up and swaggered into the sky-obscuring sandstorm, vanishing without a trace a moment later.

The other sighed and walked into the cave behind them.

The interior of the cave, which could barely accommodate a single person passing through at a time, opened up into a massive underground space. Swarms of insects were densely packed across the floor and the rock walls. At a glance, there were at least a million of them, resembling a colossal termite nest.

An ordinary person witnessing this scene would likely be frightened out of their wits and have their sanity completely depleted.

They lay dormant in the shadows of the underground, almost entirely motionless. If not for the antennae twitching subconsciously from time to time, it would be hard to consider them living creatures.

The sound produced by a million-strong swarm didn't even match the noise of a single marmot gnawing on a tree root.

"How pitiful, my little darlings..." He sighed again, deeply sorrowful, as if he had just thrown a lavish feast he had prepared himself straight into the trash can. Yet, that was the extent of it.

He waved his hand.

Azure flames ignited from nowhere, resembling a baring-fangs-and-claws beast as they swallowed up large swathes of the swarm. The flaming beast acted as if it had ingested countless accelerants, becoming even more frantic and violent. Surprisingly, however, while the cave walls ought to have suffered under such extreme temperatures, they remained completely unchanged, as if they were just textured background images from another dimension.

In a mere minute, the azure flames engulfed the entire underground space, continuing to burn for another ten minutes before slowly dissipating.

The cave remained the cave it had always been, but the million alien insects inside had long since been thoroughly incinerated, leaving not even a single cell behind.

And the arsonist had naturally vanished with the fading flames long ago, leaving not the slightest trace behind.