279: 27th Hollin

My name is Buck Holling, and I am a squad leader in the Seventh Assault Armored Battalion of the Verland Company's Fourth Ground Assault Regiment.

This is thanks to the L-Vax Vaccine Buck injected fifty years ago. This vaccine can extend one's lifespan and prevent various diseases caused by aging at their source, such as Alzheimer's, cardiovascular disease, immune system decline, and so on.

So even though Buck is 80 years old this year, he still looks as strong as a man in his prime. Indeed, he truly is; the muscle lines on his exposed forearms are as smooth as quenched steel, and the joints of his hands gripping the gun are distinct. When he exerts force, one can clearly see the veins bulging beneath the skin, every inch of his muscle texture exuding a ferocity inconsistent with his age.

He looks as strong as a man in his prime, and indeed he is.

Theoretically, he could live to be 500 years old.

Back then, I used all the military merit I had accumulated over thirty years to exchange for that small tube of cold blue liquid. Everyone said I was crazy, trading the chance for a promotion, a raise, and a transfer to a comfortable colonial planet for an intangible future.

But now it has been proven that I was right. Many people have become old or died, while I am the only one still standing here, able to continue serving this great company, Verland.

Countless people want to join this company, and now the L-Vax Vaccine has also become an item that everyone dreams of obtaining.

Two months ago, Buck got married. His wife is a beautiful 20-year-old girl; she is simply the most beautiful woman in the world, and Buck loves her very much.

For this reason, Buck did not hesitate to spend thirty years of military merit to buy her an L-Vax Vaccine as a wedding gift; he wanted to keep her beauty forever as it is now.

His wife's smile that day left Buck intoxicated.

After his precious vacation ended, Buck reluctantly bid farewell to his wife and returned to his post.

This is something he must do. Perhaps a year from now, Buck will become a father, having his own lovely daughter or a troublesome little brat, or perhaps both.

The doctor had said that the characteristics of the L-Vax Vaccine are not hereditary, so Buck must consider his descendants.

Buck wants his descendants to be able to enjoy the benefits of the L-Vax Vaccine as well; he must work twice as hard.

While Buck was thinking seriously, the high-speed train reached its next stop. This was exactly where Buck needed to get off, though he still had to take an armored vehicle to get back to his barracks.

The train came to a stop, and under the admiring gazes of everyone on board, Buck, dressed in a Verland military uniform, got off the train with his luggage.

The platform was sheltered under a giant dome, where eternal artificial cool white light shone. The air circulation system emitted a low hum, and a giant holographic screen scrolled through a promotional video for the Verland Company—'Building a Better World.'

The footage switched back and forth between the habitable Mars and two other colonial planets, accompanied by stirring background music.

Today, Earth's population has exceeded 20 billion. In the past 20 years, over 2 billion people have moved to live on Mars and the planets L-426 and L-223.

From Earth natives to interstellar residents, Earth is no longer humanity's only home.

Many people were queuing at the station exit, but as an employee of the Verland Company, there was no need to queue; they even had a separate passage at the station exit.

This is the privilege of the world's greatest company. The Verland Company not only has its own army but also its own territory and its own laws; even the various governments of Earth rely on the Verland Company.

The legendary figure Peter Verland is the faith of most people on Earth.

Including Buck.

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