61: Chapter 61 Heroes' Triumph

When Chu Ge and the others arrived at the dock, the soldiers were resting and reorganizing.

Dressed in white uniforms, they looked exceptionally bright under the shining sun.

At a glance, the ranks were uniform and imposing.

There were at least a thousand people.

"Old Meng, Xue Rui and the others performed well today, dealt a heavy blow to certain people's arrogance. You should go up and say a few words!"

"Mm, Old Wan has a point. Today we should give these young lads a good word."

He strode forward, stepped onto the temporary reviewing stand, and adjusted the microphone.

His gaze was sharp.

"I am Meng Shichang. First, I want to praise you. Why? Because you did a beautiful job today..."

Chu Ge listened intently below the stage. Elder Meng's impassioned speech filled him with surging pride.

In the formation, Xu Kai and Xue Rui stood together, chests puffed out high, arms straight against their trouser seams, full of spirit.

They were brave and hardworking, and their professional skills were the best in the system.

Elder Meng spoke a lot, mainly affirming the dignity and integrity Xu Kai and the others showed today. After a series of passionate remarks, the audience erupted in warm applause.

Xue Rui narrowed his eyes, sizing up Chu Ge.

"Xu Kai, you've got good eyes. Do you recognize that person standing next to the boss? He's wearing Army clothes."

Hearing this, Xue Rui followed Xu Kai's gaze.

"Hmm, he looks so young, and a bit familiar!!!"

"Are there such young officers in the Army?"

The two looked straight ahead, discussing in low voices.

"Holy crap, I remember now, there really is such a person!"

Xue Rui's expression jolted, his voice even trembling a little.

"Which one?"

Chu Ge, Academician Chu!"

"What? No wonder, no wonder!"

*Hiss...*

Several people nearby had already been pricking up their ears; hearing those words, everyone was shocked.

It was no wonder they didn't recognize him; before, there were only written descriptions without any photos attached.

On stage, the leader of their detachment stepped up to the podium.

Xu Kai and the others finally went silent, but while listening intently, they all developed a small habit—their eyes and bodies uncontrollably drifted toward Chu Ge's direction.

...

The simple celebration at the dock soon ended, and Chu Ge and the others walked toward the base together.

"Little Chu, since you're staying here today, you're my man, even if it's just for a day! So, I'm going to pull rank as an elder and ask: in your plan, what is the role we play?"

Chu Ge looked at this sixty-year-old man. He had spent his life in the military; though tough and brave, he was also a man of true sentiment.

Chu Ge immediately realized that this wasn't just a casual question; the man was truly a bit lost.

Chu Ge's recent rapid progress and various cutting-edge technologies had indeed overturned this old man's concepts. He wasn't old-fashioned, yet he still felt he couldn't keep up with Chu Ge's pace.

"I think our cruising range should be expanded. It could be every corner of the Blue Star's waters, or it could be the vast starry sky in the sea of stars!!!"

"So, in the future, our main focus will not be this planet, but the hundreds of millions of unknown domains in space."

Chu Ge's words were powerful and resonant. After hearing them, the two elders first frowned in thought, then their brows cleared. After a long time, they looked at each other and nodded firmly.

This was Chu Ge's blueprint, and it was also theirs.

In the distance,

Xu Kai, Xue Rui, and a few others stealthily followed behind Chu Ge and the group. They never dared to step forward, silently following them the whole way.

"Old Xu, did you hear?"

"What?"

"When we were in that standoff with the foreigners in the outer seas, do you remember that destroyer launched two drones?"

"I remember. After they were released, they circled once and then flew off into the distance. Later, our radar only caught one of them. The other one vanished inexplicably. I thought it was a moment of negligence and gave them a piece of my mind!"

Xu Kai said to Xue Rui while reminiscing.

"You, your temper is still so explosive, ready to blow at a touch. Did you not stop to think, how could they make that kind of mistake? Slacking off? At a time like that, they wouldn't even go to the bathroom if you let them!"

"Now that I think about it, you're right. In that tense atmosphere, I didn't think much and just let it out."

Speaking of this, Xu Kai felt a faint sense of regret.

"I just heard from Er Maozi that the drone was some kind of stealth unmanned reconnaissance aircraft. It's stealthy, which is why our radar couldn't detect it."

"Like the JK-20?"

"Yeah!"

"There's something even more intense."

At this point, Xue Rui stopped and pointed at the tall structure of the Prism Tower.

"That stealth drone was coming for it. After it vanished from our sight, it flew to our base."

"And then?"

Xu Kai asked nervously.

"Haha, shouldn't you show some appreciation now?"

Xue Rui mimicked the motion of smoking, his expression comical.

"I have plenty in the dorm, I'll give them all to you later!"

"Hey, that's what I wanted to hear. When that stealth drone almost reached the base—right there, at that pine forest—'Bang!' it was blown up mid-air. People at the base are still cleaning up the wreckage now. Lots of people went to watch the excitement!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go take a look too."

Xu Kai made a move as if to floor the gas.

"Hey, wait, it's no use going. That area is under martial law. You can't see anything from a distance anyway."

Xue Rui shouted, using both hands to pull back the already-starting Xu Kai.

"You should've said so earlier. Blown up mid-air? You mean by it—that legendary Prism Tower?"

"What else? Someone saw it fire a beam of white light in an instant, and then that plane was gone. It felt... it felt like a blink of an eye. I don't know if it was an illusion or what, but the rumors are wild. My goodness, it's like a sci-fi movie..."

Xue Rui was still lost in his sci-fi movie associations, but Xu Kai stared blankly at the Prism Tower, his thoughts churning.

"The Prism Tower was also developed and built under his leadership, right? What kind of person is he to have such peerless talent..."

"Oh, right, there's a small victory banquet tonight. Maybe he'll be there. Alright, don't just stand there like an idiot, they've already walked far away. Let's go to your dorm first, and don't you dare go back on what you just said!"

"What did I just say?"

"Hey, Xu Kai, you bastard, don't you dare play dumb with me!"

...