Chapter 61: Rebels

Jiang Hui spent her time reading through an entire social section of the news.

Despite the hefty segment the media dedicated to covering the incident, in truth, very few reports actually touched upon the inside story of what happened that day. Most articles were simply extended pieces put together by various press agencies, derived from official government announcements and a few blurry photographs or short video clips hastily captured by bystanders amidst the chaos. They didn't offer much more insight than she already possessed.

After skimming barely half of it, Jiang Hui grew somewhat fatigued and realized that these people knew very little, with a vast majority of the content consisting of unsubstantiated gossip of dubious authenticity. Finishing the rest of the coverage only cemented this conclusion, leading her to silently muse that the greatest talent of many journalists probably wasn't tracking down news, but rather weaving and imagining all sorts of dramatic narratives.

By the end, she still hadn't figured out why the rebels had suddenly shown up on such a small, insignificant planet.

Furthermore, the media outlets of this era were truly subpar. The photos they managed to capture were likely even less intuitive than what she had witnessed firsthand at the scene, amounting to little more than trivial scraps. As for those valiant-looking Imperial soldiers, the reporters failed to capture even the hem of their uniforms, leaving behind only images of a cluster of military aircraft parked both inside and outside the building.

A subtle sense of regret welled up in Jiang Hui's heart. How spirited those soldiers had looked, outfitted in impeccably tailored military uniforms; looking across them was practically paradise for anyone who appreciated a fine aesthetic.

Even if it had still been quite terrifying under the circumstances at the time.

For some inexplicable reason, Jiang Hui recalled the soldier who had given her a helping hand that day. The situation had been far too urgent for her to clearly make out his face, yet she remembered the emblem on his uniform quite distinctly, though she had no idea what it represented.

It wasn't until she had just now seen a third-legion insignia attached to a news report that it finally clicked what that emblem was. Wasn't it identical to the crest on the man's left breast? So the person in question was indeed a soldier of the Third Legion, and judging by the details of his attire, he held around the rank of an officer, or at the very least, a non-commissioned officer.

However, she had merely glanced past him at the time without focusing her attention there, so she probably couldn't provide any precise deductions now.

Judging from the original owner's memories, the Empire maintained exceptionally strict information security regarding its military personnel. Unless they consented voluntarily, the media was prohibited from arbitrarily exposing their appearances or running features on them.

Of course, there were certain high-ranking military rising stars, as well as military academy students who had attracted immense attention and controversy back during their school days. Ever since entering the military sphere, this specific demographic had remained under the constant gaze of various social circles, maintaining a fairly high exposure rate.

Nevertheless, Jiang Hui's information pool was still far too shallow, and the original owner's memories were fragmented and limited, leaving her equally unfamiliar with this domain. Combining both of their cognitions, they couldn't even name a handful of interstellar celebrities. Consequently, Jiang Hui would likely have no opportunity in the short term to figure out the identity of the kind soul who had supported her yesterday.

Having finally brought closure to yesterday's affair, Jiang Hui felt her curiosity slightly satisfied.

Closing those sprawling daily broadsheets, Jiang Hui's attention drifted back to her own daily life. After all, these grand, towering headlines were ultimately someone else's business; she hadn't even sorted out her own affairs yet.

Following all this tossing and turning, she found herself growing hungry once again.

Jiang Hui pondered how she had consumed a large amount of instant food around four or five in the morning, an intake far exceeding her normal appetite. Why was she hungry again already? She found it rather peculiar.

Whether it was due to the shock she suffered yesterday, which had somehow stimulated the old injuries in her cerebral domain, she wasn't sure. Ever since returning from the Dongbo Corporation, her mental state had appeared somewhat unstable. Her mental power exhibited a somewhat contradictory state of being simultaneously active and experiencing an abnormal sense of exhaustion.

Last night before going to sleep, Jiang Hui had taken a mental stabilizer, and after waking up from her mental space, she felt slightly better. Yet around four or five o'clock, fatigue and hunger had struck her anew, forcing her to take a second mental stabilizer within an eight-hour window, followed by the consumption of a massive quantity of instant food.

As a result, before dawn broke the next day, she was completely fine again. All her negative symptoms seemed to have been swept away in one clean stroke, vanishing as suddenly as they had appeared, which was exceedingly bizarre.

Fortunately, this abnormal phase had lasted for a very brief duration and concluded before Jiang Hui could even properly react to it. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to leisurely stay here browsing the optical computer right now; she probably would have already placed an optical communication call to the hospital's rehabilitation department for a consultation.

Having lived through two lifetimes, Jiang Hui still cherished this life she had picked up for free. Moreover, not only did she need to live for herself, but she also had to carry the original owner's share and live well.

Therefore, Jiang Hui decided to put a question mark around this incident and observe for a while longer. Should similar circumstances arise in the future, she would simply head straight to the hospital for a checkup.

Strange as it was, a meal still had to be eaten. The person named Jiang figured that since the instant food she consumed in the wee hours of the morning likely lacked much nutritional value, perhaps the daily lives of interstellar people were simply like this?

If she was hungry, she would eat; she wasn't trying to lose weight or anything.

Setting aside the miscellaneous matters lingering in her mind, Jiang Hui turned toward the kitchen to see what food was available.

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Having gone to the Dongbo Corporation yesterday to attend an event, only to encounter a situation where imperial rebels had infiltrated, Carlo had suffered quite a severe fright. Such occurrences were naturally far from routine in the interstellar sphere, and they were even rarer within this permanently stationed star system.

At the time, Carlo had been summoned outside by personnel from the Third Legion, completely bewildered and with a slightly fluttering heart, even though he had never done anything to harbor a guilty conscience.

Fortunately, he was merely being called out for routine questioning. Shortly afterward, he was escorted back to his home in the First Ring by several soldiers, and so the ordeal was safely weathered without any mishaps.

What followed had nothing more to do with Carlo, but could he genuinely act as though nothing at all had happened?

Carlo had achieved fame at a young age; in his earlier years, he was a rare talent who garnered intense attention and immense acclaim within the mecha community.

Although family reasons ultimately led him not to choose the military-political system to become a military mecha designer, opting instead to become a professional civilian mecha designer, machinery like mechas remained inextricably linked to the military. Consequently, he still maintained contact with many people from that sphere and was privy to a good deal of information.

The external news reports all stated that the criminal pursued by the Third Legion this time was a rebel, as did the announcement published by the administration. Yet the vast majority of people had no idea what kind of rebellion this truly was.

However, Carlo knew.

When he returned last night, a close military friend who frequently commissioned mechas from him directly placed an optical communication call to inquire about the situation here.

From the other party's remarks, it wasn't difficult to deduce that this rebel was far from ordinary. After all, deploying an elite force of the Third Legion's caliber to hunt someone down meant it could never be mere run-of-the-mill insurrectionists.

At the time, he couldn't resist asking a couple of extra questions, though it wasn't convenient for his friend to divulge details. Before ending the call, his friend even asked whether he needed to leave Planet Seven Hundred and Thirty-Two to temporarily reside in the Capital Star System for a while.

Ultimately, however, Carlo declined due to certain personal reasons.