Chapter Four: I Am Yu Lian

Since it is no longer appropriate to stay, we must withdraw. However, there are still some loose ends to tie up before we go.

Lieutenant Monderson checked on everyone’s condition; aside from the one still lying down, everyone else was doing alright. He and the squad of soldiers observed a few seconds of silence before the corpse of Second Lieutenant Russo, then removed his identification tags and left his body exposed in the wilderness.

In these extraordinary times, one could only hope that the spirit of Second Lieutenant Russo, now presumably merged with the Spirits of the Universe, would understand.

The Lieutenant then recovered the powered exoskeleton and handed it over to the big black sergeant.

Powered exoskeletons are hard currency these days. Even the most oblivious person could see that when facing those monsters—neither insect nor beast—you were either the butcher or the meat. Furthermore, this equipment was important military property; it could not be left behind to serve as a grave good.

The thick-necked, large-headed sergeant—his name was something like "Yoyo"—seemed heartlessly delighted to receive the new gear. He probably thought wearing a suit of steel armor that whistled as he walked was cool. Had someone not just died, he might have even started dancing in celebration.

Yet, no one expressed any dissatisfaction. This fact alone spoke volumes about how little liked Second Lieutenant Russo truly was.

May he find peace in his grave.

The reason the exoskeleton was not given to the squad’s strongest combatant—the Bican bear-man Sergeant Baka—was that the AS40 model had significant design flaws. It was designed for a user height between 1.6 and 1.95 meters and a weight under 100 kilograms; it was clearly tailored for standard Earth humans.

But the bear-man sergeant? Look at his massive frame, which could make him an unstoppable monster on a basketball court. He was a full size larger than the exoskeleton itself. If he were to squeeze into it, it would require the legendary technology of spatial folding.

"I heard that the Empire and the Alliance have prepared custom-made powered armor for their Behemoth Assault Troops," the nurse, who was as plain in appearance and build as she was in temperament, said with a hint of grievance. She was likely unhappy that she didn't have her own exclusive medical armor, or perhaps she simply disliked the big man.

Of course, Yu Lian now knew that this Corporal, Belinda Leonard, was just a junior nurse rather than a specialized military medic. The squad’s true doctor was Sergeant Major Banks, who was still back at the base.

Now, everyone prepared to head back to the base. After all, they had inexplicably fought two skirmishes with "beasts," lost four people including an officer, burned through nearly half their ammunition and energy, and everyone was exhausted, stressed, and burdened with a critically injured man who couldn't move. No normal military unit could continue its mission under such conditions.

However, as the only technician present, Belinda expressed a firm objection.

"Sub-Lieutenant Yu Lian’s injuries cannot be delayed. I must find a relatively safe and clean place for emergency treatment!"

Everyone fell silent, then nodded in silence.

Yu Lian was their comrade. If, a few days ago, this sudden, high-achieving intern officer had kept a distant air of superiority, the recent battle was enough to make these simple soldiers see him as one of their own.

*So, this weak body is also called Yu Lian?* Yu Lian thought.

*So, I’ve actually become the one holding everyone back?* Yu Lian thought again.

"Let’s find a cave over there." Yu Lian pointed to the nearby mountains. The terrain looked like typical karst topography—common on this planet—so finding a cave to hide in wouldn't be difficult.

"Let’s move out!" Lieutenant Monderson commanded in a calm, perhaps overly calm, tone.

Sergeant Yoyo, now in the powered armor, and Sergeant Baka, who didn't need armor to handle five opponents at once, lifted Yu Lian’s powered stretcher and set off first.

***

The powered stretcher was actually capable of moving on its own, but the one Yu Lian was lying on seemed to have some issues; the battery flickered, clearly indicating a lack of power. Much like this entire infantry squad, it was filled with such absurd, jarring contradictions that one wouldn't know where to start complaining.

We are in the Space Age, for heaven's sake! The mobile infantry lacks heavy weaponry, lacks individual powered exoskeletons, and has to walk on two legs through the perilous wilderness of an alien planet. Even if you don't have airships, couldn't you at least have some troop transport vehicles?

Five minutes later, they found a reasonably spacious natural cave and settled in.

Ina stood guard at the entrance with her rifle and two sentries; the bear-man Baka and the big man Yoyo carefully scouted the depths of the cave; the Lieutenant began using his communicator to contact headquarters, though his frantic demeanor suggested he wasn't getting through. The others took turns resting. The nurse called over two soldiers to help, gingerly pulling Yu Lian’s body out of the mangled remains of his powered exoskeleton.

"Pulling" was indeed the only way to describe it, as the half-wrecked armor had been severely deformed by heavy impact and could not be opened by normal means.

By then, the effects of the painkillers had worn off, and the agony nearly made Yu Lian pass out. Of course, as a transcendent psychic saint who had unlocked the Seventh Star Ring, he could not show weakness, lose face, or act unseemly. He gritted his teeth and remained silent, even as his face turned pale, sweat poured down his forehead, and veins bulged while his lips twitched. The surrounding soldiers looked on with growing respect, and the nurse’s eyes shimmered with complex emotions.

Soon, that indescribable look turned into pity.

"I... what I’m about to tell you, please don't be afraid," Belinda said cautiously.

"I am a soldier. I will not be afraid."

"Your spine is broken!"

"Who is Spine... uh, right. It’s a bit more serious than I imagined." Yu Lian’s mood sank, but he comforted her, "It’s nothing major, though. It can be healed once we put it in a culture dish."

"That’s genetic therapy. But such equipment is only available in Turon! The medical bay at the outpost can inject nanomachines, but here, I can only temporarily stabilize your bones."

Medical nanomachines could crawl into the gaps of blood vessels and bones, temporarily acting as a substitute for nerves, and once the spine was stabilized, it would at least allow Yu Lian to walk like a normal person.

"Then stabilize it first," Yu Lian forced a smile. The plan was to return to the outpost for the nanomachines, and then head to Turon, the capital of New Yumen, for follow-up treatment.

Of course, Yu Lian had a way to restore himself to full health and energy instantly, but that method wasn't suitable for a normal human. Yu Lian didn't know if it would work, either. After all, this current body looked incredibly frail; it didn't look like that of a "Heavenly Pride" at all.

The nurse began her work, producing a pile of drills, hammers, and steel bars as if by magic. Perhaps thinking the treatment would be stressful for Yu Lian, she started making awkward small talk: "Also, do you remember what happened before you lost consciousness?"

"Why do you ask?"

"No, I just think your eyes look very confused. You bumped your head when you were injured earlier, and I’m worried you suffered some brain trauma."

*Confused, my foot.* Are you a protagonist from some novel? Do you have the divine skill to always see fleeting, inexplicable emotional fluctuations in others' eyes?

Yu Lian felt a bit of pressure and decided to change the subject, saying casually, "Come to think of it, everyone is quite energetic this time. No airships, no vehicles—are we out on a hiking exercise?"

The nurse was slightly taken aback, then said with a troubled expression, "Well... Sub-Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant Russo is dead. I know he made many mistakes, but he is dead after all."

*So what did I do?* What was this tone, as if I were dragging a corpse out to be whipped?

"I know you were unhappy that Second Lieutenant Kruse flew the airship away to ship spices for the Governor, and you were even angrier that Second Lieutenant Russo sold the energy packs from four of the five armored transports to a Minlan merchant, and you even said you were going to report it to the Turon Command..."

*No wonder Second Lieutenant Russo wanted to leave me behind!* But this kid, who is also called Yu Lian, you are quite stubborn too! Don't you know this is standard operating procedure for the Commonwealth military? Not to mention the garrison, even the Marine Corps and the Space Fleet can't avoid such things. Aren't you afraid of getting shot in the back for snitching?

"What, you ask about the last one? Uh, well... you said you didn't trust Second Lieutenant Russo, so you drove it yourself. And then, well, didn't you end up getting stuck in a ditch?"

*Oh, so it was my fault!*

"...Look, Second Lieutenant Kruse and Second Lieutenant Russo aren't good people. They act all high and mighty and love to bully us grunts. But the slush fund they managed to scrape together, they would still share some with us. So, so, sir, can you please not..."

*What kind of values are these?* If they were my soldiers, I would have executed you! Yu Lian thought.

"Does it feel unreal? Moon-dweller?" Lieutenant Monderson appeared beside them, sitting down with forced familiarity and a stiff smile. "I knew about all of this, but not only did I not stop it, I took the biggest share."

*No, on the contrary, it feels all too real.* Also, why do you call me a Moon-dweller?

"We are different from you. You are a Moon-dweller, a child of destiny. In five or six years at most, I’ll be the one calling you 'Sir.' You have a bright future, but for us security officers working in the colonies, who doesn't run to this godforsaken place to chew sand with desert pirates just for the money?"

*So, the "Moon-dweller" you speak of... is it that kind of Moon-dweller?*

"Sigh, I was such a fool! I just thought Kruse would be back in a few days. We already reported the armored vehicle energy packs as training losses—new ones would be sent next month anyway... But I didn't know the Desert People would choose this moment to rebel! They’ve started surrounding Turon! And I didn't know Command would order us to rush back to provide support right now. Sigh, it’s all my fault!"

The Lieutenant’s words were packed with information. It was as if it stimulated Yu Lian’s chaotic memories; he suddenly felt a headache coming on, frowned, and touched the back of his head, where a massive lump had indeed formed.

"Uh... Sub-Lieutenant, you must be very close to Commander Bonaparte, right? You are both Moon-dwellers; it must be so. I saw you eating with the Commander in Turon last time. If, if you could..."

Yu Lian clutched his increasingly throbbing head and let out a sharp intake of breath.

"Sub-Lieutenant!" The young nurse turned pale with fright, and Lieutenant Monderson, thinking he had caused it, twitched at the corner of his mouth. All the soldiers resting in the cave were startled, and Sergeant Major Ina, who was guarding the entrance, hurried over.

"Hey? Hey, can you hear me? Look at my eyes, Sub-Lieutenant, look at my eyes. Our Moon-dweller, look at my eyes! Who am I? Do you remember?" the Lieutenant shouted.

"...You are Lieutenant Bill Monderson, from the New Yumen Garrison Command, commander of Outpost No. 12."

"And who are you? What is your name, how old are you, and why are you here?"

"My name is Yu Lian, Sub-Lieutenant of the Commonwealth Defense Force, 21 years old, fourth-year student in the Strategic Studies Department, Class 830 of the Central Defense University. I am here for a three-month short-term tour of duty as an internship for my graduation."