Lu Fenghan only took one bite.
Qi Yan did not ask any more questions and continued to eat noodles quietly, with his eyelashes drooping and not looking up.
The atmosphere was a bit strange.
Qi Yan didn't know what was strange exactly, he just felt uncomfortable in all his limbs, and Lu Fenghan's presence was infinitely magnified. He knew without looking up that the other person was looking at him.
Because of his familiarity, he could easily picture Lu Fenghan's posture and expression at that moment in his mind.
Lu Fenghan tried to find a topic: "The noodles are made with the star flower mushroom powder that Vincent brought back from Mikonos. There is still a lot of powder left. If you like it, I will make it for you next time."
Qi Yan held the chopsticks and nodded: "Okay." He thought for a moment, raised his head and asked, "Is it troublesome to make this noodle?"
His gaze paused for a moment on Qi Yan's forehead, which had already lost its redness, and Lu Fenghan replied, "It's no trouble. It's rare to find something you find delicious."
What can I do if my little one is a picky eater
Seeing a little sauce on the corner of Qi Yan's mouth, Lu Fenghan reached out his hand and wiped Qi Yan's lips with his rough fingertips.
Qi Yan allowed his sudden movement and did not dodge, but after he finished wiping, she quickly lowered her head. She did not raise her head again until she finished eating all the noodles.
In the afternoon, Qi Yan followed Lu Fenghan into the command room.
He sat quietly on the sofa, opened the virtual screen of his personal terminal and did his own things, occasionally listening to Lu Fenghan and others' meeting.
Wei was bumped by Metzelin's elbow, and then he remembered to ask: "Commander, you have a meeting so early in the morning, and you publish it in the Leto Daily right after the meeting. Did something happen to Leto?"
Lu Fenghan pulled out a chair and sat down. His emotions were completely restrained. His tone was level and he spoke in a straightforward manner: "Last night, three professors from Turan College were shot in front of the square of Turan College because they did not follow the rebels' requirements to carry out brainwashing teaching and privately taught students that 'the faith in your heart cannot be discarded, and the pursuit of truth cannot be stopped halfway.' After being discovered, they were killed."
The atmosphere suddenly became solemn.
Wei's face was solemn, his hands on the table were clenched into fists, veins bulging, and Meijielin sat up straight, her eyes as cold as icicles.
Sitting on the sofa in the corner, Qi Yan’s fingers paused and he didn’t even notice the “Input Error” prompt on the screen.
Lu Fenghan continued, "These three professors could have evacuated with General Nie when he went to Odin Star, but they chose to stay. The reason is that too many people cannot leave Leto, and many students will still study at Turan College, so they can't leave."
Long Xiyun spoke, the scar at the end of his eye looking fierce: "The meeting this morning is part of the deterrence?"
Lu Fenghan nodded: "Almost."
He twisted his fingers, found a cigarette, and just held it between his fingers without lighting it.
I should have smoked the cigarette I wanted to smoke, but I had already smoked it last night while waiting for the prayer at midnight.
In the silence, he slowly said: "So, everyone, you have to fight hard. Leto's people are still waiting for our victory."
Lu Fenghan would always tell his subordinates similar news after he had calmed down.
He is the commander, he must remain steady and not show even the slightest impatience.
This was what Nie Huaiting and the former commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force taught him - if he sat in this position, he must become the spiritual pillar and stabilizer of the entire expeditionary force.
Anyone can get confused and panic, but not him.
"It must be more than this! According to the disgusting methods of the rebels, similar incidents will only increase, not decrease." Metzelin made noises on the ground with her military boots. She was a little annoyed. "Leto, don't you have any other way?"
Long Xiyun continued: "Leto has the most superior planetary defense system in the entire alliance. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack. The people living there are all citizens of the alliance. We can't just bombard it with missiles like the rebels. If a missile lands, the rebels will tell everyone in Leto that they have been abandoned by the alliance and that the alliance has ignored their lives."
Lu Fenghan continued: "It's not just Leto. All the planets occupied by the rebels are in the same situation. This is why General Nie dares not move easily. Not only do we have to consider the victory or defeat of the war, but we also have to consider human lives and people's hearts."
Metierin exhaled, leaned back in his chair, and lost his usual playful smile: "The best way is for us to take action here, chop them one by one, until the bones and tendons are removed. Then the rebels will be unable to care about Leto and surrender?"
She thought that since the rebels could do what they did before, secretly infiltrating, misleading the people, and planting secret agents, we could also give it a try.
But she swallowed the words back.
The rebels used this method to occupy Leto, so they are naturally very vigilant. Not to mention that the rebels are extremely skilled in brainwashing. Under the high-pressure rule, strict monitoring and the system of collective responsibility, it is easy for the secret agents to reveal their flaws.
So when he spoke again, Metierin's killing intent was particularly strong: "When will we attack the Eighth Legion?"
Lu Fenghan did not answer, but looked at Long Xiyun first: "The commander of the Eighth Legion and the commander of the Seventh Legion are related by blood."
Long Xiyun nodded: "Yes, cousins, one is called Conrad Lee, the other is called Jack Lee. They are both interstellar pirates. The former is nicknamed 'One-eyed Dragon' because he is blind in his right eye and wears an artificial eyeball. The latter is nicknamed 'Black Jack'. Commander, do you suspect they will be together?"
"It's very likely. They are all brothers who came from interstellar pirates and joined the rebels together. They will probably each get half of the benefits. Odin has made a statement, and the rebels can't help but get their ground back. The biggest 'ground', of course, is to defeat us." Lu Fenghan asked Pojun to light up the star map. "The 7th and 8th Legions are stationed very close to each other. It is very convenient for One-Eyed Dragon and Black Jack to support each other."
Dushan agreed, and then asked, "Will the interstellar pirates jump out?"
Lu Fenghan: "It's unlikely. According to the information we have now, the interstellar pirates have been assigned other tasks by the rebels. The alliance is fanning the flames and creating panic, which is mostly their work."
Duchamp: "Call Dingyuan back?"
"Don't use the Dingyuan," Lu Fenghan ordered Pojun, "Tell Vincent to call back the Star Shield and the Sun Chaser. As usual, the command ship will stay behind, and I will use the Star Shield."
Pojun immediately replied: "Yes."
Leto.
Xia Zhiyang stood at the door of his house. Before opening the door, he couldn't help but smell whether there was still the smell of blood on his body.
After three professors were shot dead in the square yesterday, the rebels did not allow anyone to collect the bodies in order to "warn everyone."
Xia Zhiyang and several classmates stayed near the square all night. After noon the next day, the rebels finally left.
They stepped forward in silence and prepared the bodies of the three professors. After the professors' families came to take over and hurriedly left, they rolled up their sleeves and wiped away every inch of blood on the square.
The smell of blood is extremely pungent.
Xia Zhiyang's eyes were sore from the sting.
Xia Zhiyang grew up in a peaceful environment. Although he often heard terms like "front line" and "war", he never knew what "war" was.
What he didn't understand before, he learned in the past six months.
The once prosperous Leto has become a dead star.
There were rebels patrolling everywhere on the streets, and countless engines roared overhead. Occasionally, someone walked by, but they were in a hurry and did not dare to stay outside for too long.
The air is still there, but it feels like I'm suffocating.
When he opened the door, his parents had not returned yet. Xia Zhiyang sat on the sofa, covering his eyes with the back of his hands - he had clearly washed his hands, but he could still smell the blood.
"The faith in your heart should never be abandoned, and the pursuit of truth should never be stopped halfway."
Is there anything wrong with this sentence
That's right.
But because of this sentence, all three professors died.
The anger that had been accumulating in his heart since last night surged up, making him want to roar and scold, but apart from his violent breathing, he couldn't utter a single word, and his expression was as calm as dead water.
Like a stopper on a soda bottle.
Xia Zhiyang thought that he could never go back to the past.
The Sky Diamond Plaza on the day of its establishment was the turning point.
He didn't think about hating anyone, he was more thinking about what he could do.
My mind wanders. In my mind, no one cares when the bard claims that the alliance will collapse the next day. Turan Academy has academic freedom, and there are debates almost every day...
But these memories are too old.
Now, even staying outside for ten seconds longer will result in being questioned by the rebels.
He had access to information from his parents, and knew that the expeditionary forces on the front lines had won successive victories, that the 11th Legion of the rebel army had been destroyed, and that as long as he persisted and continued to persevere, one day Leto would return to his former self.
The door was opened at this time. Xia Zhiyang put down his hand, looked towards the door, and shouted "Mom".
Mrs. Xia was wearing luxurious light grey bionic fur, and except for her slightly pale face, she looked like she had just attended an afternoon tea party.
This is also what she has always shown to Xia Zhiyang.
But Xia Zhiyang thought, at least he was only a few points away from the passing score for Turan College, so he was not stupid.
His mother's acting was awful.
Madam Xia smoothed her hair and smiled, "Are you back? Just now, Mom—"
"Mom," Xia Zhiyang said hoarsely as he sat on the sofa, "Take me with you next time. I can cooperate with you and cover for you."
Mrs. Xia fell silent.
After saying that, Xia Zhiyang thought, I have always been a rich kid with no ambitions. Counting back 19 years, my greatest pleasure was using my saved pocket money to buy a limited edition hover car. The person I hated most was the pretentious Jiang Qi. My greatest achievement was studying in Turan for two years without being expelled. My greatest ideal was the open source dream I had when I was inspired by my idol, but I could never put it into practice.
Madam Xia took a few breaths before speaking: "You are still young. I know what happened in Turan last night. Don't be afraid. The expeditionary army and General Nie have not given up and will definitely come."
"Mom, I know," Xia Zhiyang interrupted Mrs. Xia softly, "They haven't given up and are working hard, and I want to do my best too. Now there is something I can do, and I want to do it. You and Dad taught me that people should be responsible, right?"
Mrs. Xia clenched the expensive leather handbag in her hand, looked at Xia Zhiyang, and her eyes suddenly turned red: "Okay, next time mom will take you with her."
With tears in her eyes, she put her fingers to her lips and smiled, "Shh—let's do this together so the rebels won't find out."
At the same time, on the Southern Cross Region front.
The black and gray reconnaissance ship approached from the depths of space like a kite with its wings spread. After entering the main ship's fishing range, it began to gradually slow down.
Ten minutes later, the report brought back by the reconnaissance ship was summarized and handed to Lu Fenghan.
Two days ago, he sent a team of reconnaissance ships to investigate the situation of the 7th and 8th Legions of the Rebel Army. As he thought, the starships of the 7th Legion had made a lot of movements.
If the two really united, then—
Military supplies for the next month will not be a problem.
You have to know that things like missiles, laser cannons, and particle cannons are non-repeatable resources. One shot is one less, and once they're gone, they're gone forever.
Save as much as you can, but of course, grab what you can grab.
After resting for half a month, it’s time to stretch your muscles.
Qi Yan saw Lu Fenghan finish reading the report: "Any definite news?"
"Well, the Eighth Army is in the open, and the Seventh Army wants to dig a deep trench in secret to capsize us." Lu Fenghan came out of the simulated cockpit after receiving the report. His forehead and neck were covered with sweat. He closed his personal terminal and said, "We can start tomorrow according to the results of the noon meeting."
As he spoke, Lu Fenghan looked at the simulated cockpit in the training room and asked Qi Yan, "Do you want to come in together?"
The simulated cockpit has been in use for many years and is directly connected to the nervous system, completely simulating a real space battlefield. The ship type and operating system can be switched as needed.
Qi Yan had never sat in it before, and after making sure that it would not affect Lu Fenghan's training, he nodded and sat in with Lu Fenghan.
After closing his eyes and opening them again, Qi Yan found himself on a destroyer. In front of him, there were 280-degree viewing windows, and countless indicator lights flickered on the control panel.
Lu Fenghan drove the destroyer at the speed of a hovercraft, and following the guidance of the star map, he skillfully stopped at a coordinate point and adjusted the mode.
Pointing in a direction, he said, "This is a place I really like. If you turn on the hidden mode, you can see a comet from our galaxy passing by."
Qi Yan was curious: "Comet?"
At this time, outside the viewing window, the space is as dark as night, with distant stars shining, making people feel lonely and cold unconsciously.
"When I first joined the expeditionary force, I was often depressed. It was said that this was an emotional reaction caused by not being able to get sunlight. Every time I got tired of practicing in the simulated cockpit, I would set the coordinates at this position and watch the comet pass by over and over again, and my mood would improve a lot."
Lu Fenghan turned his head, his eyebrows were still sharp, but his voice was slow, "You are in a bad mood, so I want to take you to see it together."
At this time, a comet gradually approached the star, its brightness began to increase, and its tail continued to lengthen and thin, like a spread of light blue gauze, or like colors slowly spreading in the water.
Pray and breathe gently.
A brilliant light shone into his eyes, as if glass was stained with a light color.
In the silence that seemed to last forever, Lu Fenghan's voice rang out: "This comet has a special orbit. No matter how far it moves, it will return to the vicinity of that star."
"Kind of like... me to you."