601: Eat whatever you want

Because the spatial node and the spatial energy in the area where the Strange Star was located on the other side were a bit chaotic, Yang Dian didn't rush over, but waited here on Earth.

He wasn't short on time.

After not waiting long, a black exoskeleton armor ascended from not far away and flew to Yang Dian's side.

"General Yang?"

Hearing the greeting, Yang Dian turned his head to look at the newcomer.

Seeing this, the newcomer had a thought.

The faceplate immediately split open in the middle, revealing the white-haired figure beneath.

Seeing the old man, a trace of respect rose in Yang Dian's eyes:

"General Lin, why have you come?"

Lin Po Jun was a general in the Huaxia military, a general who had risen from the ranks of a low-level soldier.

He had fought against America, aided Korea, and even served on the front lines of the Vietnam War, narrowly escaping death several times.

The enemies killed by his gun numbered no less than three hundred, possibly five hundred, and he held five Special Class Military Merit Medals.

In the era before the Qi Revival, he was the undisputed myth of the army.

Even after the Qi Revival, he remained so.

Although Yang Dian now possessed planet-destroying strength, he still held respect for such a veteran general who had emerged from the battlefield:

"You don't need to call me General, old sir."

"Just like Dean Qian and Professor Shen, call me Little Yang."

Lin Po Jun smiled:

"Alright, then in private settings, this old man will presume to call you Little Yang."

"In formal settings, I will address you by your title."

As he spoke, he glanced at the Little Black Cat sleeping soundly in Yang Dian's arms, and the Little Orca, looking listless like a salted fish, perched on his shoulder:

"Is this the Little Black Cat you raised that can translate, and that orca nearly 900 meters long? How did they become so small?"

"Some applications of space," Yang Dian explained, fearing the old man wouldn't understand.

"Their bodies haven't actually changed; I've just compressed the space they occupy."

"Whether seen or touched, from our spatial perspective, they appear to be only this small."

As he spoke, Yang Dian casually stroked the Little Black Cat again:

"It's like a spatial ring."

"A tiny spatial ring can store hundreds or thousands of cubic meters of items."

"However, I've removed the independent property of space, allowing it to be seen and touched."

Lin Po Jun still shook his head:

"I don't quite understand; it seems I really can't keep up with the times ~"

While contemplating whether he should retire, Lin Po Jun continued to ask:

"You came here because of it?"

Following the direction of Lin Po Jun's finger, Yang Dian nodded:

"It is indeed because of it."

"The Expeditionary Force has completed the conquest of the Strange Star, and the Strange Star is now merging with Earth."

"I've come to bring the warriors home."

Hearing Yang Dian's last words, Lin Po Jun became somewhat silent.

He took off his glasses, wanting to wipe them, but noticing he was wearing exoskeleton armor, he put them back on:

"How were the casualties?"

Yang Dian sighed slightly:

"Not bad."

"Seventeen warriors from the main Expeditionary Force died in battle, and six hundred seventy-six Lizardmen from the affiliated corps died."

Lin Po Jun showed a surprised expression:

"So few?"

Few?

Indeed, few.

Compared to the gains from conquering an entire planet, these casualties were almost zero.

But thinking of the reasons for the warriors' deaths, Yang Dian shook his head again:

"It could have been even fewer."

Perhaps the bond of comradeship transcends race.

If you block a bullet for me, I can die for you.

That's all it is.

Anyway, during the conquest of the Strange Star, there were many instances where, because the Expeditionary Force or the Lizardmen affiliated corps were trapped, nearby teams received distress calls and went to provide support, ultimately resulting in casualties.

A large portion of the Expeditionary Force warriors and Lizardmen warriors died in such circumstances.

The warriors who truly encountered an unmanageable anomaly and were instantly killed upon its appearance were few and far between.

After listening to Yang Dian's account, Lin Po Jun's face showed a look of emotion:

"This is what the military is about."

"I might not be able to call out your name, but on the battlefield, if you're in trouble, I will help; we are like brothers."

After his emotion, he asked again:

"Have the matters of rewards, punishments, and pensions been settled?"

"They're settled," Yang Dian said, not mentioning rewards and punishments first, but rather pensions and future plans:

"For the warriors who died on the Alien Planet, I plan to posthumously award them a First-Class Pioneer Medal."

"Their wives and children will receive a hundred years of pension, with the pension being three times the average salary of the Expeditionary Force."

"Their children will be guaranteed admission to the Expeditionary Force Affiliated Academy; we will help them cultivate their children into talented individuals."

"With us invading an Alien Planet, there will certainly be Alien Planets invading us in the future."

"In the future, if anyone sacrifices themselves in defending Earth, they will be posthumously awarded a First-Class Guardian Medal..."

After quietly listening to Yang Dian's plans for the pensions of the families of the fallen Expeditionary Force warriors, Lin Po Jun showed a trace of curiosity and said:

"I haven't heard of this Expeditionary Force Affiliated Academy."

"Also, what do you plan to do with the Lizardmen of those affiliated corps?"

"The Expeditionary Force Affiliated Academy is an idea I had after receiving the battle report; it will be located within the Expeditionary Force Base, and the AI has already been tasked with building the school." After explaining the matter of the affiliated academy, Yang Dian looked at Lin Po Jun:

"What do you think we should do about the affiliated corps, old sir?"

Lin Po Jun said without hesitation, "Treat them equally."

"While the living treatment of the affiliated corps can differ from the main corps warriors, after death, they must be treated equally."

"To truly win over a race, you need to win over their hearts."

"As the saying goes, kindness doesn't last three generations."

"This generation of Lizardmen has experienced hardship, and the next generation, taught by example, will certainly remember our good deeds."

"But what about the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth generations?"

"After a long time, how much loyalty will those who haven't experienced the enslavement of the Lizardmen lords have for Huaxia?"

"No one can be sure."

"Therefore, to completely turn the Lizardmen into our affiliated race, to make them fight for us wholeheartedly, we must treat them with a relatively equal status."

"Just like the Fusion of nationalities, the 56 nationalities are collectively called Huaxia, and there is equality among nationalities."

"In the future, the 56 nationalities might be the Human Race, the Lizardmen Race, the Humanoid Race, and so on..."

"Huaxia can hold a dominant position, but it still needs to give other races a certain degree of respect."

At this point, he looked at Yang Dian, his expression serious:

"Of course, if you have other ideas, and want to completely transform Huaxia into a 'God Race,' revered by all races, that's not impossible either."

"As long as we possess the strength to crush other races and not fear their backlash, we can do whatever we want."

Yang Dian understood.

Lin Po Jun had said all that just for the last sentence.

Before you have enough strength, be steady.

Once you have enough strength, eat pork if you want to eat pork, eat beef if you want to eat beef...