This was the most peaceful sleep Lu Zexuan had had in many years.
In the second half of the night, he did not dream again and slept until dawn. The adequate rest made Lu Zexuan feel refreshed. When he woke up in the morning, he found that Yu Ran was still asleep, so he took the initiative to go to the cafeteria to buy breakfast for Yu Ran.
Lu Zexuan walked around the buffet restaurant and finally decided to buy Yu Ran’s favorite dessert - freshly baked strawberry cake.
Yu Ran got up at eight o'clock. Just after washing her face, she saw Lu Zexuan open the door and come in. He brought back a breakfast and put it on the table. He said, "There are many people in the restaurant this morning. I brought it back for you. Come and eat."
Yu Ran wiped his face clean and walked to the restaurant to sit down. The breakfast that Lu Zexuan brought back was quite rich, including steaming milk, millet porridge, fried eggs, beef rice rolls, steamed buns, and a large portion of... strawberry cake
Yu Ran couldn't help but get a headache when he saw the cake. Before, when he was in the Guidance College, he had one cake a week, and he almost had a psychological trauma from eating it.
Yu Ran glanced at the food on the table and was about to reach out for the buns, but Lu Zexuan took the buns away and considerately pushed the cake in front of Yu Ran: "This is for you."
Yu Ran: “…”
Can I exchange with you
The sentry was too fast. Before Yu Ran could say anything, Lu Zexuan swallowed the bun in one bite.
Yu Ran changed his target and wanted to eat the rice noodle rolls, but Lu Zexuan also picked up the chopsticks to pick up the rice noodle rolls. The sentry was faster than the guide, and as soon as Yu Ran picked up the chopsticks, the rice noodle rolls that looked delicious were taken away by Lu Zexuan.
Yu Ran: “…”
Can I still eat well
Lu Zexuan noticed that Yu Ran's eyes were fixed on his rice noodle rolls, and finally realized his intention. He asked softly, "Do you want to eat this?"
Yu Ran nodded: "I want to try it."
Lu Zexuan generously gave him the rice noodle rolls: "This kind of rice noodle should be eaten with sauce, and the taste is salty. I thought you didn't like it."
Yu Ran coughed lightly and explained, "My tastes are quite diverse."
Lu Zexuan was a little surprised: "Really? What else do you like to eat?"
"Spicy hot pot, sauced chicken legs, spicy beef, and so on." Yu Ran found that these flavors were very different from "desserts", so he added: "I don't really have any dietary restrictions, I can eat anything. So, you don't have to keep picking out sweets for me in the future. Eating too much sweets can make you fat."
Meeting Yu Ran's sincere gaze, Lu Zexuan nodded to indicate that he had taken note of it.
Yu Ran breathed a sigh of relief, and after eating the rice rolls, he pretended to enjoy the cake very much - he hoped that Lu Zexuan could understand what he meant and that foods like cream cake should never appear on his dining table again.
***
After breakfast, Lu Zexuan changed into his military uniform and prepared to go out.
Yu Ran asked doubtfully, "No mission today? Where are you going?"
Lu Zexuan was silent for a moment, as if he had made up his mind, and looked at Yu Ran: "Go change into your military uniform, I'll take you somewhere."
Yu Ran obediently turned around to put on his military uniform, adjusted his hat in front of the military mirror, and followed Lu Zexuan out.
The hovercraft drove out of the White Tower and entered the aerial highway.
It was raining heavily outside. There were few pedestrians on the streets, and even fewer vehicles than usual. Lu Zexuan turned on the automatic navigation system. Raindrops hit the glass windows with a rhythmic sound. The capital planet, shrouded in heavy rain, seemed to be covered with a layer of fog.
Yu Ran looked out the window and didn't ask where Lu Zexuan was going to take him.
However, as the environment outside the window became more and more unfamiliar, Yu Ran suddenly felt a little uneasy.
The car drove all the way to the suburbs, then drove into a winding mountain road and into a mountain.
Yu Ran finally couldn't help but ask, "Where are we going?"
Lu Zexuan replied: "To the Martyrs' Cemetery."
Yu Ran: “…”
—Nanshan Martyrs Cemetery, a place where the federal military buries martyrs.
The Martyrs Cemetery is located in a remote suburb. Except for large-scale sacrificial activities such as the Qingming Festival, it is usually sparsely visited. In addition, it rained heavily today, and there was no trace of anyone along the way, not even small animals could be seen. It seemed like a place isolated from the world.
Although this place is remote, the environment is quiet and the vegetation is lush, making it a very suitable place for the martyrs to rest in peace.
Yu Ran quickly adjusted his expression and asked curiously, "Who are you going to pay tribute to?"
Lu Zexuan's voice was a little hoarse: "The previous captain of the Falcon Special Forces. The special forces will go out on a mission tomorrow. The target of this mission is in a very remote star system. It may take a long time for us to return to the capital star. So, I want to bring you to meet him before we set off."
"Oh." Yu Ran didn't ask any more questions. Who was the previous captain of the Falcon Special Forces? Yu Ran had never heard of him. It was understandable that Lu Zexuan wanted to see this person before leaving, so Yu Ran had to cooperate.
The car quickly arrived at the parking lot at the top of the mountain.
From afar, in the heavy rain, the entire cemetery was shrouded in thick white fog, like a fairyland.
Lu Zexuan held up a big umbrella, took a bouquet of flowers from the back seat of the car, handed an umbrella to Yu Ran, and walked into the cemetery with Yu Ran.
Tombstones stood quietly in the rain, and the whole cemetery was extremely solemn. Each tombstone was engraved with the names of the deceased in golden handwriting. They had made great contributions to the federation, and some of them were generals who died in suppressing the rebellion hundreds of years ago.
Yu Ran's expression became serious, and he followed Lu Zexuan silently, holding an umbrella.
The two of them walked along the path eastward and finally found the person Lu Zexuan wanted to worship in a corner.
Yu Ran looked down at the tombstone—the sentry in the portrait looked very young, with a carefree smile and handsome appearance, somewhat similar to Lu Zexuan. He was wearing the black and gold uniform of the Falcon Special Forces, and looked full of vigor.
Below the photo it says: Falcon Legion, Tomb of Major General Lu Chengan.
Major General Lu Chengan? Yu Ran's heart trembled slightly—his surname is Lu? Could he be a relative of Lu Zexuan
Sure enough, Lu Zexuan whispered, "He is my cousin. We grew up together, just like brothers. He is only four years older than me. When he died... he was only 25 years old."
Lu Zexuan paused, lowered his eyes, and gently placed the flowers in his hand in front of the tomb.
Yu Ran didn't know the reason why the "former captain" died, but for Lu Zexuan, this must have been a heavy blow.
Lu Zexuan bowed deeply towards the tombstone: "Brother, I'm here to see you."
Heavy rain fell on the umbrella, and the whole world seemed to be filled with only the sound of rain. Yu Ran looked at Lu Zexuan's back, feeling mixed emotions. He was 25 years old, the best time of his life, but he died young. His family must be very sad, right
Lu Zexuan introduced softly, "By the way, the person I brought to see you today is called Yu Ran. He is our new guide from the Falcon Special Forces... He is an exceptionally good guide. Don't worry, I will protect him well."
When Yu Ran heard this, he whispered in agreement, "General, don't worry, I will take good care of Captain Lu as well."
Lu Zexuan's heart warmed slightly, and he turned back to look at Yu Ran: "Let's go."
The two walked away from the tombstone of Major General Lu Chengan and walked forward for a distance. Suddenly, they saw a military hovercraft driving into the parking lot. There was a Starlight Corps logo on the body of the car. A female general got out of the car and walked quickly to the depths of the cemetery.
Yu Ran raised his eyes and looked over: "Is she here to worship someone too?"
Lu Zexuan said: "She should be here to pay tribute to her sister... By the way, today seems to be her sister's memorial day."
Yu Ran clenched his fists tightly at his side, but pretended to be curious: "Her sister?"
Lu Zexuan explained, "The former commander of the Starlight Corps was General Xie Xi. Five years ago, when she was leading her team on a mission, they were attacked by alien creatures and the Starlight Corps' reconnaissance battalion was wiped out. General Xie and her husband also died in that disaster."
Yu Ran’s nails almost broke his palms: “It sounds tragic, how could he be attacked suddenly?”
Lu Zexuan said regretfully: "There were no survivors at the scene, and the starship was blown up, so no one knows what happened that year."
Yu Ran fell silent.
In the distance, Xie Chen came to a tombstone.
There are two photos pasted on the tombstone. The female sentry is wearing a dark blue military uniform and her neat short hair sets off her delicate features and heroic appearance. The male guide next to her has a gentle smile and an elegant temperament. The two look very well matched.
There are a few words written on the tombstone.
Lieutenant General Xie Xi of the Federation Star Corps
Professor Qin Luo of the Federal Central Academy of Sciences
Joint Tomb
On May 10, 494, Xie Chen
Xie Chen looked at the words on the tombstone, his voice a little dry: "It's been five years. Sister, brother-in-law, I know your heroic souls have not yet rested in peace, but please rest assured, I will definitely find out the truth of that year and give you justice."
She bowed deeply towards the tombstone, and the spiritual body of the deep-sea shark lowered its head because of sadness and lay quietly beside the tombstone.
In the heavy rain, Lu Zexuan took Yu Ran away silently.
After Xie Chen paid tribute to her sister, she turned around and unexpectedly found two people walking side by side towards the entrance of the cemetery. One of them was a tall sentry with a bar and a star on his shoulder. She recognized him at a glance - it was Major General Lu Zexuan of the Falcon Corps.
The other man had no rank on his uniform and had obviously just joined the Falcon Corps.
Xie Chen saw his profile. He had a slender figure and handsome features, and seemed to have just reached adulthood. Although he still had the immaturity of a new recruit, his posture when walking was straight and upright, and that military demeanor seemed to be engraved in his bones.
In a trance, she thought she had seen that person. But after a closer look, she found that he actually had a pair of black and red eyes, which was not at all like the boy in her memory. Xie Chen was stunned and murmured, "It's not him... He died a long time ago."
Without thinking much, she turned and left the cemetery.
The two hovercrafts met at the foot of the mountain. Lu Zexuan took the initiative to give way to General Xie, and Xie Chen also nodded and greeted Lu Zexuan in a friendly manner.
Yu Ran looked at the vehicle disappearing in the rain and whispered, "General Xie took over as the corps commander at such a young age?"
Lu Zexuan said: "After her sister died, she, as an S-rank sentinel and the heir of the Xie family, was the only one who could take over as the commander of the Starlight Army and win the support of the people. Although she is young, I heard that she is strict in military discipline and considerate of her subordinates. The people in the Starlight Army respect her very much."
Yu Ran looked at Lu Zexuan and asked, "Do you know much about the Star Legion?"
Lu Zexuan shook his head: "I don't know much. The president is worried about the military forming cliques for personal gain, and is very averse to the high-ranking officers of the various corps meeting each other. Except for the annual military meeting, the generals of the various corps rarely meet each other."
Yu Ran pretended to be curious and asked, "What about General Xie Xi? Do you know what kind of person she is?"
Lu Zexuan thought for a moment and said, "I met her at the annual military meeting when I was a child. She was a resolute female general. Her spirit body was a red wolf king with flames burning all over its body. This kind of spirit body is rare and much more brutal than ordinary wolves. She is an S-level sentinel and I heard that she has evolved the ability to control flames."
Yu Ran paused and asked, "What about her husband?"
Lu Zexuan said, "Her husband is a guide. He has always been very mysterious. No one has ever seen his spirit body. He is the eldest disciple of Professor Mo Wei of the Federal Central Academy of Sciences. He seems to be researching genetics. I don't know anything else."
No one has ever seen him because he has extremely strong invisibility abilities.
Yu Ran lowered his eyes. If he was not curious at all and did not ask any questions after hearing these legendary stories, it would arouse suspicion.
Lu Zexuan seemed to have suddenly thought of something and said, "By the way, I heard that General Xie Xi and Professor Qin Luo had an only son who was born in the same year and month as me. He was a very talented guide. Unfortunately, he died with his parents five years ago."
"… Really?" Yu Ran murmured, "The whole family was sacrificed. How pitiful."
Lu Zexuan looked at Yu Ran and found that he was looking out the window. The shadow cast by the rain-soaked glass was a little blurry. Although Lu Zexuan could not perceive emotions as keenly as the guide, he always felt that...
Yu Ran seemed a little sad.
Lu Zexuan asked with concern: "Yu Ran? What's wrong with you?"
Yu Ran said, "Nothing. I just came to a place like the cemetery and heard so many stories of my predecessors. I feel a little heavy."
Lu Zexuan said: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought you here."
Yu Ran looked back at him, smiled and waved his hand: "It's okay, I'm very happy that you brought me here to pay tribute to these heroes... This is my first time to the Martyrs' Cemetery. The trees in the cemetery are lush and green, and the tombstones are cleaned very well. They are all well taken care of."
This sentence is a bit strange. They? Do you mean all the martyrs
Lu Zexuan didn't think much about it, started the car, and whispered: "Go back. Get ready, we will leave tomorrow."
Yu Ran just said "hmm" and said nothing more.
—Yes, their tombstones are well taken care of.
—But their souls must not have rested in peace yet.
One day, he will find out the mastermind behind this. He will use that person's hot blood to pay tribute to the countless heroes of the Starlight Legion!
It's not that there were no survivors from the disaster five years ago. It's just that the enemy was too powerful, able to wipe out the entire Star Legion reconnaissance battalion and even blow up the main starship...
It was also that disaster that made them realize the horror of the enemy.
Therefore, the survivors had no choice but to hide and start to implement special plans.
Lu Zexuan, I was actually at the annual military meeting that year. You probably don't remember that you once met a little kid hiding in a corner and stealing chicken legs.
I was also at the graduation party that year. I accidentally cut my finger and passed by you, and you caught the scent of the guide element.
We were born in the same year and month.
I didn't expect that we would meet again in this way after so many years.
(End of this chapter)