114: Soldiers and Generals

Unknown characters hung high in the sky.

Above the characters, a soft light descended, casting onto the Forbidden Zone. In that instant, within the Star God Forbidden Zone, a thin mist rose, pervading all directions and gradually spreading throughout the entire Forbidden Zone.

At the same time.

The entire Lei Yu Star had completely entered an era of great construction. After site selection, thirteen areas were initially established, ready to be gradually built into top cities within the star system as the planet ascended.

In the star sea, construction was in full swing. Besides the stargate left by Qin Jin before his departure, new massive structures were also being built throughout the entire starfield, using planets near Lei Yu Star as foundations.

Those were [Planetary Fortresses]!

One of the Starfire Federation's defensive superstructures.

Lei Yu Star, unlike Zhi Xia Star, was located at the border of the star system and was starting from scratch, thus requiring the highest level of defensive measures to ensure planetary safety.

Currently.

A fleet, led by a giant starship, was orbiting Lei Yu Star.

Inside the starship, staff members were busy, with constant shouts and exchanges.

“Immediately contact the ground team for detailed information collection.”

“Confirm the direction of planetary changes.”

“Communicate with Observer, sir, and ask if he needs assistance in other areas.”

Instructions were given and exchanged.

Inside the light screen, the scene of Lei Yu Star was displayed.

Countless personnel were busy, recording the information they collected.

The value of a Gaia Planet was not only in its completion of ascension, truly becoming a sacred land.

The process of ascending from an unrated ordinary planet to a Level 10 planet was equally significant to the Starfire Federation!

Just as all of this was underway.

In the distance, amidst faint shimmering ripples, a starship arrived in this starfield.

Upon arrival, patrol starships immediately approached for identity verification.

Inside the starship.

In the hall.

Xie Wuhai looked at the newly released mission information on the light screen in front of him and couldn't help but let out a wail, shaking his head, “Why is it this kind of mission?”

“Academy missions shouldn't be about fighting and intense combat? How did it become exploring areas and drawing maps for me?”

The mission description on the light screen was simple and clear.

[Mission Description]: Please thoroughly explore the designated area and draw a detailed map.

In this hall, there were also many Martial Abyss students of various levels.

And beside Xie Wuhai was another familiar face.

Bai Huaiyu.

At this moment, her gaze swept over the mission, her delicate brows slightly raised, implying, “Xie Wuhai, could it be that because you fought too much, the Academy arranged such a mission?”

“Wuya, Martial Abyss, not Wuya!”

Xie Wuhai retorted, then sighed, looking at the mission information: “Forget it, I'll just treat it as a vacation borrowed from an Academy mission.”

At this point, his voice suddenly stopped.

His gaze focused on the mission location, his expression suddenly changed, and he operated his terminal to open the information he had recorded.

“Lei Yu Star, Lei Yu Star.”

“Holy crap!”

Xie Wuhai couldn't help but curse, looking at Bai Huaiyu: “Our mission target is Qin Jin's hometown!”

Saying this, he strode to the porthole.

Bai Huaiyu quickly followed, her voice gentle: “Could it be a namesake?”

“Bai Huaiyu, where's your common sense?”

“Life planets only get names after they've been rated. There aren't so many that names are duplicated yet.”

He replied, looking out at the star sea through the porthole, seeing an indeterminate number of busy starships sailing and shuttling, seeing the massive structures full of the charm of civilized industry being built, his eyes involuntarily widening.

At the same time.

The starship's identity verification was complete, and the starship continued to sail.

A planet, which could be called beautiful when viewed from the star sea, came into view.

Xie Wuhai's face was pressed against the porthole; he even wanted to stick his head out. Looking at the approaching planet, he couldn't help but say, “Is this Qin Jin's hometown?”

“He calls this a Mining Star?! How can this be a Mining Star?!”

Beside him.

Bai Huaiyu's eyes flashed with interest, and she corrected him at this moment: “He told you his hometown changed its name.”

Cold Plum City Patrol Bureau.

Qin Chi and Han Miao stepped out of the star shuttle, one on each side.

Behind them, Zhang Zhilan said goodbye and drove the star shuttle away.

Qin Chi's gaze swept over the Patrol Bureau building, then looked at the surrounding buildings.

Unremarkable.

This was the first thought that came to Qin Chi's mind.

He was familiar with the desolation of his hometown and had witnessed the extraordinary nature of top-tier Gaia Planets. Now, he could also be said to have seen what kind of ecology a lower-middle-grade life planet was approximately in.

“Welcome.”

As the star shuttle arrived, a man walked out of the building, stepping forward to greet them: “Two students, please follow me.”

Seeing this.

Qin Jin happily followed behind, saying, “Where are we going?”

“The Bureau has prepared a combat meeting room for all the assisting students.”

“The students from Tian Ce Academy are already waiting there.”

The man led the way, turning his head slightly to observe Qin Jin's expression, and continued: “The Bureau didn't expect only two students from Martial Abyss Academy to come. Now it seems the arrangements weren't proper enough. How about—I contact my superior and prepare another meeting room for the two of you?”

“That's fine.”

Qin Jin nodded in agreement, then changed the subject: “Since a new meeting room needs to be prepared, take us to Tian Ce's place first. We'll be working together later, so it's a good opportunity to meet the students from Tian Ce.”

“Alright.”

“Can the Patrol Bureau inform us of the current progress of the investigation into this incident?”

The man's expression was steady: “The relevant information has already been provided to the students from Tian Ce.”

“The Bureau will prepare another copy and provide it to you later.”

Beside him.

Han Miao remained silent, quietly listening to their conversation.

After entering the building and taking the elevator to the third floor, in front of a large meeting room, the leading Patrol Bureau member stopped, lightly touched the prompt, and the electronic door opened.

The moment the door opened.

The sounds inside the meeting room abruptly ceased, so quiet that a needle drop could be heard, and gazes were cast over, focusing on this spot.

Qin Chi nodded to the Patrol Bureau member, then, with Han Miao, stepped past him and walked into the meeting room.

Behind them.

The electronic door closed, blocking inside from outside.

Facing the gazes of the Tian Ce Academy students, Qin Jin smiled kindly, and his voice rang out.

“Martial Abyss, Qin Jin.”

Hanmei City, starship docking area.

Accompanied by a roar, a starship landed.

On the side of the starship, a special emblem was carved.

It was a pattern similar to a clock face, with hands slowly rotating above it. The time markers on the face were represented by an ancient script from the star sea, and what was particularly unusual was that these times were not regular; the top center showed eleven, then after a certain angle, it became six, all times were jumping and disordered.

This was the school emblem of Shi Lv Academy, one of the seven top academies in the Corridor Star System.

Outside the docking area.

Zhang Zhilan leaned against the star shuttle, her expression somewhat happy.

She had just joined the Patrol Bureau and couldn't participate in core events, but in her opinion, having the opportunity to welcome students from top academies was also important work, representing her superiors' regard for her.

At this moment.

As the starship landed, she instantly straightened up, her expression becoming serious, entering work mode.

The hatch opened, and three young figures, one in front and two behind, walked out from the gangway.

“So few people from Shi Lv Academy as well.”

A thought flashed through her mind, and Zhang Zhilan put on a smile, saying loudly: “Hello, students from Shi Lv Academy.”

“I am a member of the Patrol Bureau, here to pick you up.”

Zhang Zhilan saw that the three of them looked at her and nodded slightly.

She didn't hesitate, immediately trotting over, preparing to approach them.

But—

Having run only halfway, Zhang Zhilan's figure abruptly stopped, frozen in place. She raised her hand, rubbed her eyes, and looked again.

In her line of sight.

The Shi Lv Academy starship was still there, but the three people who had just walked down the gangway were nowhere to be seen.

“Where are they?!”

“Did they return to the starship?”

“The hatch is already closed, and the gangway has been retracted!”

The starship remained docked in place, like a silent giant beast.

Zhang Zhilan looked at the closed hatch, not expecting it to open for a small person like herself.

“The students from Shi Lv don't want to interact with the Patrol Bureau?”

Various conjectures arose in her mind. She opened her communication wristband and initiated a call.

“Speak.”

After the call connected, a steady male voice sounded from within.

“Captain, three students from Shi Lv Academy have arrived.”

“Hm.” The man called Captain responded: “Take them back to the Bureau, and your mission will be complete. As previously discussed, three days of vacation.”

“Captain—”

Zhang Zhilan's voice trembled: “Those three students—”

“It’s gone.”

By the end, she couldn’t help but burst into tears, “What?!”

A noticeably louder voice came from the wristband.

Zhang Zhilan didn’t notice.

Just then.

The space not far from her side subtly rippled for a moment, as if a special force was concealing it from the outside.

Inside the conference room.

Qin Jin’s voice echoed.

His gaze swept over the figures in the conference room.

Tian Ce Academy is highly integrated with the Federal Military.

Now, these Tian Ce Academy students of the same year, having been enrolled for some time, showed a clear change in their demeanor, giving off the impression that “they look like soldiers just by standing there.”

His gaze swept across.

Qin’s eyes lingered on one of the figures for a moment.

Just then.

A gentle voice sounded in the room.

“Qin Jin.”

He repeated the name, then asked, “What should I call the other student?”

The speaker was a man wearing glasses, exuding a scholarly aura.

With Qin Jin’s current eyesight, this distance was enough to see all the details; the glasses were clearly specially made, imbued with technological elements, their purpose unclear.

From the seating arrangement of the people in the conference room, more than half of them subtly regarded this man as their leader.

“Han Miao.”

Han Miao’s mentally sculpted voice sounded.

This special mode of communication drew the attention of the Tian Ce Academy students.

“Only the two of you?”

“There aren’t enough people.”

Just then, another somewhat unrestrained voice sounded.

The speaker was to the right of the man with glasses, positioned as if in a standoff with him.

“What makes you say that?”

Qin asked.

“The local Patrol Bureau doesn’t seem to want us to get too involved.”

The man with glasses stood up and walked towards Qin.

He waved his hand, and a Tian Ce Academy student took out a special device the size of a fingertip, activated it, and blocked the sound from escaping the conference room.

At the same time, the man with glasses continued, “The information they shared seems extensive, but it’s actually full of empty words. Since we arrived, we’ve submitted four proposals, but they’ve all been brushed aside.”

“That’s right.”

The unrestrained voice echoed, and the speaker straightened up, his figure quite burly, and said in a deep voice, “Since they’re not very willing to accept our help, and the Academy mission is at hand, we might as well start anew.”

“We originally intended to wait until you from Martial Abyss and the people from Shi Lv Academy arrived so we could unite and have enough manpower to investigate the information.”

“I didn’t expect only two of you to come; it’s better than nothing.”

“Now, we can only wait for the people from Shi Lv Academy to arrive.”

“Yuan Shen, I have a different opinion.”

The man with glasses walked in front of Qin Jin, turned back to retort, then looked at Qin Jin, his voice calm,

“A mission involving the Evil God Sect is never simple.”

“Since Martial Abyss only sent two people, that means students Qin Jin and Han Miao must be formidable enough.”

Speaking of which.

He extended his hand, “Tian Ce Academy, Heavenly Selection-level student, Gu Xiwun.”

Qin Jin shook his hand, his eyebrows slightly raised, “Heavenly Selection-level?”

“Hmm.”

Gu Xiwun nodded slightly and explained, “Within our Tian Ce Academy, students are divided into three levels.”

“Soldier, Heavenly Selection, Marshal.”

“Upon enrollment, all new students are Soldiers. Those who excel are promoted to Heavenly Selection.”

“To date, our current cohort has not yet produced a Marshal. This mission will be led by Yuan Shen and me, two Heavenly Selections.”

“Student Qin Jin.”

“Shall we cooperate?”

“We can cooperate.”

Qin Jin nodded slightly, “However, I’m not accustomed to acting under a Heavenly Selection’s command.”

“Han Miao.”

Qin Chi called softly.

The thin veil attached to Han Miao’s eyes fluttered slightly, and at this moment, mental power condensed into a seed and shot towards Gu Xiwun.

Gu Xiwun sensed the existence of the seed, made contact with it using his mental power, and after perceiving its function, his expression subtly changed.

“It’s fate that everyone came to perform the same mission.”

Qin Jin’s expression was calm: “If you encounter any unsolvable problems later, you can contact me through Han Miao.”

After speaking, Qin scanned the room, then turned around.

“Han Miao, let’s go.”

“The conference room the Patrol Bureau prepared for us should be ready.”

After speaking.

Qin led the way, with Han Miao by his side, and they left the conference room.

The electronic door closed.

Nearby.

A Tian Ce Academy student who was operating a computer looked up at this moment: “I compared the list of the top five hundred in the school selection exam and didn’t find them.”

“It seems they are specially recruited students from Wu Yuan Academy.”

Gu Xiwun was thoughtful.

“It’s also possible they’re further down the list.”

Yuan Shen leaned back in his chair and shook his head, “You’re giving them too much importance. There are only two of them; they won’t make much of a difference. Instead of spending so much energy, you should think about how to communicate with the people from Shi Lv Academy.”

“Yuan Shen.”

Gu Xiwun sighed slightly, looking at him, “If only your brain were half as strong as your martial power, you would have become the first Marshal of this cohort.”

“Let’s stick to the allocation we initially agreed upon. Promise me that when it’s time to fight, you’ll just go out there and get it done. Don’t overthink anything else.”

“What do you mean?”

Yuan Shen slammed the table.

Gu Xiwun, however, had already withdrawn his gaze and looked towards the other end, his sight falling on one person.

There were a total of twenty-seven people in the entire conference room, and if one observed carefully, it could be seen that the seating was not arranged by gender, but rather by area of specialization.

The person he was looking at was a female student.

“Su Su.”

Gu Xiwun’s voice sounded, “Have you met Qin Jin?”

Su Su.

One of the Star God Chosen competitors who had met Qin Jin during the Star God Chosen event.

Currently, her position was among the students more adept at the mental level.

Upon hearing the question, Su Su was not surprised and nodded.

Just now, she had noticed Qin’s gaze linger on her for a moment, clearly recognizing her, and—she herself was quite surprised to meet him here. It was normal for others to notice.

“We’re from the same hometown; we met before.”

“Hometown?”

Gu Xiwun’s eyes flashed with surprise, “I didn’t expect to meet an acquaintance while on an Academy mission, Su Su, you’re lucky.”

“So, do you know him?”

Gu Xiwun pressed on.

Su Su shook her head.

She hadn’t witnessed the final scene of the Star God Chosen, but her teammates had.

However, the matter of the Star God Chosen clearly could not be revealed.

After shaking her head, she mused for a moment, her tone serious, and finally said, “I only know—”

“He’s very strong.”

“Extremely strong.”

Having received the answer, Gu Xiwun stopped pressing and looked at Yuan Shen, “See?”

“I told you these two wouldn’t be simple.”

“Everyone.”

He clapped his hands, “Let’s start acting. The Patrol Bureau not wanting us to get too involved is also a good thing; at least we won’t be misled by their thinking.”

“Proceed according to the plan.”

His voice fell.

Inside the conference room, a chorus of responses sounded.

Although there were only two of them, the conference room prepared by the Patrol Bureau was not scaled down; it was still a large conference room.

For a city-level Patrol Bureau, Wu Yuan and Tian Ce were unimaginable behemoths that no one could afford to offend, so all aspects were considered.

Inside the conference room, Han Miao sat down and looked at Qin.

“What are you going to do?”

“That Yuan Shen wasn’t wrong about one thing: compared to a city, our numbers are too small. It’s even possible that the potential Evil God Sect stronghold isn’t even in Hanmei City.”

Qin rested his hands on the table, and his voice sounded.

“From the Patrol Bureau’s attitude towards us, my initial guess was correct.”

“To them, although we come from top academies, we are too young. They fear that before the Evil God Sect matter is resolved, they’ll run into other trouble.”

“You mean—”

“I’ll give them a reason to accept us.”

Qin Jin straightened up, “We’ve just arrived here, unfamiliar with the place. To complete the mission, we definitely need to cooperate with the Patrol Bureau.”

“This is also the reason for ‘cooperating with the local Patrol Bureau’ in the mission objective.”

“The Patrol Bureau is unwilling to let us get deeply involved because of their distrust and disapproval of us.”

“In that case.”

“Then give them a reason to acknowledge us.”

Leaving that last sentence, Qin pushed the door open and exited.