Chapter Eight: The First Half of My Life

Page (1/3)

The colossal creature sprawled on the asteroid had awakened. It lifted its long, graceful neck and slowly opened its eyes. Within those eye sockets, no distinct pupils could be seen; the eyes appeared as two inseparable, undying stars. The starlight halo swept across its jet-black scales, transforming into a brilliant galaxy flowing over its majestic body.

It propped itself up halfway, unfurled its vast, sky-shadowing armored wings, and stood proudly amidst the surrounding stars.

It certainly had the credentials for such pride, for with its splendid dragon scales alone, it could effortlessly withstand a full fleet’s simultaneous barrage. Even the main cannons of a Titan-class battleship would struggle to penetrate its defenses.

Before such a giant, Yulian, piloting his emblem machine and wielding a photon spear and the Dawnbreak Sword, seemed as insignificant as an ant—no, more like a bacterium... But bacteria should be utterly disregarded, right? Yet it still watched him intently, motionless.

It seemed to emit a sneer, but sound cannot travel in the vacuum of space.

Still, Yulian could feel that sneer, an unmistakable scorn.

It casually opened its mouth, and gamma rays began to converge with tremendous speed—a destructive power capable of crystallizing the entire surface of an Earth-like planet.

Yulian knew there was no way to evade or block it; he could only await death.

To be obliterated by gamma rays of a star-destroying scale— for a traveler like him, it was, in a way, a rather magnificent end.

“This stage is too early for you,” a faint voice seemed to say.

“Come find me,” the voice added.

Why would I want to find you? I don’t dislike psychics, but I detest your kind of mystical nonsense the most!

In other words, you’re an incorrigible idealistic fool!

Yulian wanted to laugh, and so he did. And with that laugh, the star dragon king that shrouded the galaxy, the cataclysmic gamma rays, that mystical voice, and the faint figure beyond the endless void all vanished.

His laughter turned into a harsh cough, then, amid coughing, he awoke. The first sight to greet him was a ceiling lamp emitting a soothing blue glow.

“An unfamiliar ceiling... well, actually, I do recognize it.”

This was the 12th outpost of the New Jade Gate planetary surface defense guard, located over a hundred kilometers from the colony’s capital, Turong Harbor. Its primary function was to ensure the governor’s office monitored the wilderness and to protect the surrounding plantations and mines. Theoretically, at least.

This colony was still in its early days of development, with fewer than 700,000 citizens from the Commonwealth and other galactic nations combined, 650,000 of whom lived in Turong City. The vast wilderness was therefore sparsely populated. It was easy to imagine what kind of people dared to operate plantations and mines in such places—calling them armed mobs would be an understatement, and their equipment might even surpass that of the guard’s low-level troops.

Moreover, the native desert dwellers here were generally docile and willing to work on Earth-run farms and mines. A small number of rebellious outlaws existed but were hardly a serious threat.

At least, that was the consensus of the Commonwealth central government and the governor’s office for decades.

As for me... Yulian felt a bit lost, his memories becoming clearer. For a moment, he couldn’t tell whether the ranger Yulian from the future had taken over the cadet Yulian, or if the cadet Yulian had somehow inherited the ranger’s memories.

He slowly propped himself up, saw the mirror on the wall, and looked at "his" face. It was a young, delicate, and handsome face—someone who wouldn’t be out of place debuting immediately. It was about half as handsome as his previous incarnation’s rugged pirate face.

Page (2/3)

That was good; the observers beyond the vast universe would find it easier to empathize.

Of course, it looked a bit younger than his actual age, like a rookie unscathed by the harshness of society.

His features and build were somewhat delicate, but not effeminate—probably because he didn’t have bangs. If the personality were gentler, this type of young man might easily be softened, but if he were a true manly man at heart, perhaps he could pull off the gallant silver-lance, jade-faced young knight persona.

Overall, he looked more like a protagonist than the pirate face from his previous life.

Alright, from today on, I am Yulian. Just Yulian, born on September 17, Galactic Commonwealth Year 808, raised in an inland city on Earth, the capital of the Blue Star Commonwealth. His parents died early but left him some inheritance. His uncle and aunt, who raised him, were kind and treated him like their own. His younger brother and sister were adorable.

He had always been the “other people’s child,” but since he grew up in a restaurant on the food street, he lacked influential recommendations or glamorous internship resumes, making scholarships to prestigious universities unattainable. Meanwhile, the tuition fees of higher education were beyond what an ordinary family could easily afford. To enroll, one had to either sell the family property left by his parents or take on a heavy student loan.

His uncle and aunt wanted to use their savings, but Yulian refused. He was an adult and had to take responsibility for his own future. Besides, what if his siblings needed money later?

So, should he prepare to spend his whole life repaying loans? Sell the house? Or skip university and work?

In the end, Yulian chose none of these. Encouraged by the daughter of the dojo across the street—the childhood friend—they applied to the Central Defense University together and both passed, leaving yet another dazzling shadow in the legend of “other people’s children.”

Military academies were free, provided graduates remained in service afterward.

Now, it was nearly graduation year.

As future pillars of the Commonwealth military, graduating students were required to intern across various military departments, partly to gather material for their theses and partly to get hands-on experience. The lunar military academy had long upheld this tradition, and it was indeed a fine one.

However, it was puzzling that the top strategic research student of this super academy was assigned to a small outpost of the colonial guard.

Well, it seemed this kid—well, me—had a stubborn streak and was arch-enemies with the “Blue Blood Brotherhood,” the traditional school bully organization that had dominated the lunar academy for decades. It also appeared I had angered the administration by standing up for classmates who were unjustly punished, even confronting the principal and the director of the instructors.

Bravo! But not smart enough—still too young!

The ranger Yulian admired the cadet Yulian but suddenly realized this was no time to think about such things.

The impending major incident in Turong Harbor, the siege by a million desert dwellers, the reinforcement orders from the guard headquarters, and the current situation of senior student Eleanor still in the city... Well, according to history, Eleanor would not only be fine but would make a splash. She had always looked out for me during school days, so it was impossible not to worry.

After all, wasn’t Ina’s team just attacked? The butterfly effect was already in motion. The “history” of the previous life was truly unpredictable.

Also, as in the previous life, I was still a psychic-sensitive, incurable idealistic fool.

...And most importantly, as I said before losing consciousness—this was a trap!

“Fool! The guard’s low-level troops are just that—low-level! Am I not clear enough?” Yulian muttered as he got out of bed.

Now he recognized he was lying in the infirmary of the outpost. His spinal wound had been re-treated by a skillful hand, noticeably better than Nurse Belinda’s usual work. This was the first time since his rebirth that he felt the presence of his lower body, though it still felt somewhat unnatural. The nanomachines were working but could not entirely replace natural nerves. Nonetheless, he could now walk, run, and even fight normally.

Page (3/3)

He grabbed the bedrail and climbed down but staggered. The movement caused some noise, and the infirmary door opened. A technical sergeant in his thirties and Nurse Belinda hurried in.

“It’s alright. Walking will help your body adjust to the nanomachines faster. Just be careful,” the sergeant said with a scholarly air and a warm smile, looking every bit the doctor.

He was Sergeant Banks Shazabi, the official medic of Outpost 12.

“You’re recovering well... wow, no wonder you have a psychic’s constitution! You can also eat now. Youyu, bring us... Lieutenant, lieutenant?”

Yulian knew it was rude, but he dashed past the doctor and into the mess hall, which was filled with fragrant food and lively chatter.

About a dozen people were seated, most of whom Yulian was familiar with. Lieutenant Mondson and Baka were sharing a table, eagerly eating. Ina sat alone at another table; her finished plate held two stubbed-out cigarettes beside two empty bottles.

Everyone looked a bit stunned at Yulian’s brisk entrance; his demeanor seemed less like coming to eat and more like coming to cause trouble.

Lieutenant Mondson rose, forcing a smile and clapping his hands. “Ha! Our Moonlander is here!”

Sergeant Bear grinned broadly, stood up, and began clapping. Others joined in, some even cheering.

Yulian remembered a similar welcome ceremony when he first took up his post. Everyone gathered to applaud, but it always felt perfunctory. This time, the enthusiasm was genuine.

“Lieutenant, how would you like your steak cooked?” Youyu’s rough, dark face peeked from behind the kitchen counter, revealing a broad grin and a row of white teeth.

Ina naturally patted the chair next to her and pointed to a loaded plate—beans, meat broth, cake, and meat sauce noodles, a feast of delights.

Yulian felt moved. Humans are social creatures; acceptance and respect greatly satisfy psychological needs, and under normal circumstances, he would have thoroughly enjoyed the meal before him.

However...

“Eat, eat, eat! Eat your teapot!” Yulian lunged forward, swallowing the cake in one bite, then darted over to the lieutenant.

“Where are the others?”

“...Sleeping.”

“Sleeping my ass! Get them up, let’s party! Grab your weapons, get on the walls!”