460: Marshal's approval

The lights inside the Command Room reflected the cold gleam of the metal instruments, creating a serious and orderly atmosphere.

As He Dong and Pal entered, a Military Officer wearing a colonel's insignia greeted them, standing tall with a steady tone.

"Hello, comrades. Are you from the Imperial Homeland Security Force' 19th Division?"

He Dong immediately saluted, his tone respectful yet clear.

"Yes, I am He Dong, Deputy Division Commander of the 19th Division. This is Pal. Although he doesn't hold a position in the Division headquarters, he has always served as Division Commander Li Yang's assistant and secretary."

He deliberately emphasized "Division Commander Li Yang," with a hint of an imperceptible urgency in his eyes.

After a brief pause, He Dong looked at the insignia on the other man's shoulder and tentatively asked,

"We heard on our way here that your unit is conducting a search and rescue mission. May I ask which comrade you are looking for?"

Although he had a ninety percent guess, he still hoped to get a definite answer from the other party—the news of Division Commander Li Yang's disappearance had weighed on his heart like a stone these past few days, and with each passing second, his anxiety deepened.

The colonel nodded, his tone affirmative.

"Since you are comrades from the 19th Division, I won't hide it from you. Our orders are very clear: to find and rescue your Division Commander—Comrade Li Yang."

As soon as he finished speaking, He Dong distinctly felt Pal beside him subtly let out a breath, and his own tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

Pal's fingers stopped unconsciously twisting his clothes, and He Dong's tightly clenched fists also quietly loosened.

The Imperial Homeland Security Force deploying such a large-scale force for search and rescue was enough to show the importance placed on Division Commander Li Yang. With such resources invested, the Division Commander's safety factor was undoubtedly much higher.

The two exchanged glances, both seeing relief in the other's eyes; the worries of the past few days seemed to have been largely brushed away by that single sentence.

He Dong saluted again.

"Thank you for your unit's support! Please feel free to give any instructions if our Division can assist in any way; we will provide our full support."

"Where is your Division Commander? Is he not with you?"

The colonel's gaze swept over He Dong and Pal, noticing the heavy expressions they couldn't hide, and pressed for an answer.

He Dong and Pal exchanged glances, a bitter smile on their faces, and slowly shook their heads.

Pal took a deep breath, his voice choked with suppressed emotion.

"The Division Commander... he covered our retreat so we could evacuate first."

He Dong took over, his Adam's apple bobbing twice.

"Our Division Commander did not evacuate with us. Instead, he chose to send all of us into the escape pods first, and then he was the last one to enter an escape pod."

The colonel listened quietly, his initial irritation at the large-scale deployment of troops just to rescue one person gradually subsiding.

He looked at the two men's reddened eyes and remembered the intelligence reports about Division Commander Li Yang, and his expression became solemn.

"I understand."

The colonel raised his hand and gave a solemn salute to the two, his tone devoid of any impatience.

"Please return to the Command Center with us. The Commander wants to see you. There are some situations that require your direct explanation."

He knew in his heart that a leader so respected by his subordinates, such a person, was worth the full effort of the front-line general combat legion, and it would not be a waste... The rescue team's starship smoothly entered the Command Center base. The moment the hatch opened, He Dong and Pal were awestruck by the scene before them—in a space of just over a hundred square meters, Military Officers in dark uniforms were performing their duties, their shoulder insignias gleaming solemnly under the cold light.

He Dong instinctively straightened his back, his gaze quickly sweeping around; the lowest rank was general, and all were higher than him.

And behind the command console at the very front, a powerful man turned around, his shoulder insignia particularly striking under the lights—that was the symbol of an Imperial Marshal, the supreme Commander of the front-line general combat legion.

Pal's palms instantly broke out in cold sweat, and his breathing became lighter.

"I heard that your Division Commander, Comrade Li Yang, chose to be the last one to leave and cover the retreat, which led to him being separated from you?"

The Marshal's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, with a slight upward inflection at the end, clearly hiding a hint of imperceptible doubt.

In his decades of military career, he had seen too many "heroic deeds" fabricated to evade responsibility, especially in such life-or-death situations, where the complexity of human nature often exceeded imagination.

Pal suddenly stepped forward, his heels clicking sharply on the metal floor.

"Yes, Commander!"

His voice trembled slightly with emotion, but it was exceptionally firm.

"If you have any doubts, I can immediately retrieve my smart-brain records and the escape pod's trajectory data. All evidence will prove that the Division Commander personally covered our retreat, choosing to be the last one to escape."

He Dong was initially startled by Pal's actions, but then he also immediately stepped forward, his tone urgent and sincere.

"Commander, Division Commander Li Yang is absolutely worthy of our trust!"

The Marshal looked at the two men's reddened eyes and their undeniable determination, and his tightly pursed lips slowly softened slightly.

He waved his hand, a hint of emotion in his voice.

"Alright, no need to say more. If your Division Commander wasn't as you described, his subordinates would never be defending their leader like this."

He paused, then added,

"There's no need to retrieve smart-brain records. I believe you."

Pal and He Dong exchanged glances, their anxious hearts finally settling. They knew that this "belief" was not only an affirmation of them but also an affirmation of Division Commander Li Yang.

"Then... Commander, is there any news of our Division Commander now?"

He Dong couldn't help but ask, a hint of an imperceptible tremor in his voice.

The Marshal shook his head, a touch of helplessness in his tone.

"I apologize, but we have currently only received instructions from the Emperor to search in a general direction, and we have not found any precise information."

"The... Emperor?"

These words exploded like a thunderclap in Pal and He Dong's ears. The two instantly froze, the color draining from their faces, completely losing their earlier determined demeanor from arguing. They looked at each other, both seeing shock in the other's eyes—Division Commander Li Yang's disappearance had actually alarmed the Emperor?

One must know that the Emperor's position in the Empire was like a stabilizing force; usually, he might not even personally pay attention to major wars, yet now he had given an order to search for Li Yang... Pal unconsciously clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white.

No wonder the search effort was so extensive; it turned out to be at the Emperor's instruction... He Dong, on the other hand, opened his mouth but couldn't speak for a long time.

He had always known that Division Commander Li Yang was not simple, but he had never imagined that the Division Commander's background was so profound that it could draw the Emperor's personal attention.

The Marshal looked at their expressions of dismay, raising an eyebrow somewhat unexpectedly.

He had originally thought these two knew some inside information, but he hadn't expected this to be the first time they heard it—it seemed Comrade Li Yang had hidden his background quite deeply.

However, on second thought, the Marshal felt it was only natural.

Truly responsible individuals never rely on their background for convenience. Li Yang preferred to cover the retreat himself rather than use his background to pave his way, even keeping it from his subordinates. This character, it was no wonder he caught the Emperor's eye.

The Marshal looked at their dispirited faces and softened his tone.

"Don't worry too much. Since the Emperor himself is paying attention, it means his safety is more assured than we imagine. You two, just wait for the news."

Pal and He Dong slowly came back to their senses, but their hearts churned even more intensely—it turned out that the Division Commander they had been following was a figure even the Emperor valued.

This realization left them both shocked and inexplicably filled with a sense of shared pride...