Dawn Sleep [Interstellar]

Rising Sun (1)

The next morning, it snowed lightly.

The scene in Silver Big Dipper Fortress had been the same for decades. The elevator went up and down, and the sound of footsteps echoed loudly on the steel-paved aisle.

“Reporting to the Major General! All low-risk areas around the fortress have been inspected for the second time. There are no high-level alien creatures, and no abnormal traces remain.”

“Reporting to the Major General! The temporary special exploration team has set out and is exploring along the route of the high-level alien organism but there is no information for the time being.”

On the second floor of the fortress, in the office of Major General Xie Yuduo, there were more officers coming and going to report than usual.

But everything was still going on in an orderly manner—in this space far away from the human empire, the word fortress was like the most stable rock.

After a while, the door of the office opened, and Lieutenant Colonel Huo Lin walked out from the inside.

After this special incident, the meritorious service statistics of several relevant officers in the adaptation period, as well as the documents of personnel transfer, had just been handed in.

He had not yet taken a few steps, when three middle-aged officers with emaciated looks faced him. One was white and sturdy, one was black and thin, and the other had a big beard.

Three people, with three pairs of lifeless eyes, blocked Huo Lin together.

“…..”

The corner of the lieutenant colonel’s mouth twitched, and he suddenly felt that Jiang Jianming’s so-called “won’t pit him” might be another form of pitting him.

Officer white and sturdy burst into tears, and said accusingly, “Huo Lin! You must have fucking known it a long time ago!!!!”

Huo Lin straightened his back and said expressionlessly, “I don’t know anything. However, I have already said that that little bastard is not ordinary. Hmph, he eats people without even spitting out bones.”

“Record of one demerit, deduction of salary and merit for two full years…” The bearded officer opened his eyes and murmured as if he had lost his soul, “Two years…”

\

Footsteps approached from far away, and the sound of military boots was crisp.

The female adjutant came over with a folder in her arms, and said calmly, “Only two years of salary and military merit have been fined? The Major General is really magnanimous.”

The four stood up straight immediately, and nodded in greeting, “Major Rita.”

Rita: “You don’t know what kind of people you have offended, I thought yesterday that you would be dismissed and be punished.”

Huo Lin had a strange expression, and the faces of the three officers turned greener.

“Oh, but it’s also possible that His Little Excellency has a good heart and doesn’t want to pursue the matter.”

The female adjutant then only waved her hand and walked away gracefully, “Anyway, the officers should take care of themselves. Next time, things won’t be as easy as this.”

****

Few minutes later, in the Major General’s office.

Xie Yuduo crossed his legs and drank tea, with one hand propping his cheek. “I know, I know, don’t rush, once the file handover procedures that I should do here are completed, the person will belong to His Highness……..”

Xie Yuduo: “Cough, that person now?”

The projection in front of the major general showed the vast alien sky and the blowing snow, as well as the black iron building of the fortress covered with a layer of white frost.

Garcia was sitting there, with cold alloy steel under his body and behind him. The fine snow was blown from afar by the wind and landed on His Highness’s fluttering long hair and shoulders.

He lowered his head, glanced at the window two meters away from his feet, and said in a low voice, “He hasn’t woken up yet.”

“!?”

Xie Yuduo’s eyes widened, and he slapped the table on the spot and wailed, “Your Highness, aren’t you too quick to attack, that person’s body won’t bear it, please be gentle!!”

Garcia frowned: “?”

Xie Yuduo supported his forehead, “No, this is fine……”

“Last night,” Garcia glanced at this jumping major general, and said coldly, “Where did you go?”

Xie Yuduo’s mouth stiffened.

He raised his eyes from the palm of his hand with a wry smile, “Your Highness, be merciful, can this subordinate not speak up?”

There was a hint of self-mockery in Garcia’s eyes, “It seems to be something I shouldn’t know.”

Last night, when he was looking for this high-ranking person Xie Yuduo, he used his wrist device to make a projection communication.

At that time, the major general picked up very quickly. It was clearly in the middle of the night, but he was dressed in neat clothes, and there were no traces of sleepiness in his words and expressions.

Moreover, his background–the headlamp and the desk lamp inside the room were not on, yet the bedside lamp was on.

——What does it mean?

His Royal Highness understood. This only showed that Xie Yuduo went out in the middle of the night, and just came back, was about to change clothes and go to bed. There was no such shocking coincidence in the world. Jiang Jianming and Xie Yuduo went out together and came back together.

“Major General, I’m curious.”

Garcia tilted his head, and a small snowflake happened to fall on the corner of his sharp , sneering eyes, “That year, did Crown Prince Ryann also ignorantly……step forward to a road leading to ruins?”

“Your Highness.” Xie Yuduo’s voice became a little hoarse.

“This fortress is very good, I don’t want to hate it yet.”

Garcia raised his eyes lightly, the cold wind from the alien planet blew the hem of his elegant and poised clothes, “Don’t force me. “

He was wearing exquisite imperial clothes, and merely sitting alone in a corner of the fortress like a giant steel beast. He looked cold and lonely in the morning snowfall, as if he was far away from the world.

Xie Yuduo closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Of course, I’m not talking about you.”

Garcia laughed in a low voice instead. “The noble general who is in charge of the First Fortress of the Silver Big Dipper, is unexpectedly like me…ah, with the same ignorance.” He seemed to be relieved and said leisurely, “You are also very pathetic, Major General Xie.”

Xie Yuduo gritted his teeth and responded with a sneer, “Then thank you for your sympathy, Your Highness the Second Prince.”

Garcia was silent for a second, and then said nonchalantly, “Who sent Jiang Jianming?”

Xie Yuduo’s face changed color, and he suddenly raised his voice, “Your Highness!”

The major general’s brows showed a rare expression of sternness, and he gritted his teeth tightly, “That one has nothing to do with the base, the royal family, or any other forces……I swear by the Silver Big Dipper military emblem.”

Garcia stared straight at Xie Yuduo for more than ten seconds.

After that, he relaxed the corners of his lips, “Just asking, what are you being anxious for?”

Xie Yuduo sighed again, and rolled his eyes at the same time–he felt that he was sandwiched between these two, and one day he would suffer from angina pectoris.

(t/n Angina pectoris, also known as stable angina, is the medical term for chest pain or discomfort due to coronary heart disease.)

“In any case,” Major General Xie said weakly, “this person is far purer than you imagined, please don’t hurt him.”

“……..”

Garcia became silent again. This time, he set his eyes on the window below and didn’t look away for a long time.

Gradually, the unreal feeling of indifference around the prince seemed to dissipate a little.

Garcia frowned and asked the major general, “…what food does he eat?”

****

When Jiang Jianming woke up, he found himself in a treatment cabin.

With the still hazy awakening of his consciousness, he buried himself deeper into the soft quilt.

Really soft.

The treatment cabin was covered with several layers of quilts. When turning over, Jiang Jianming felt his whole body sunken, and even the place where his toes touched was soft.

Although this was beautiful, there was one problem.

This problem made Jiang Jianming open his eyes instead of letting himself go back for another sleep.

The only problem was that he was sure he had slept in the bed last night.

Who locked him inside this thing again!!

First, who would actually spread quilts in the treatment cabin, three layers inside and three layers outside, was this building a nest!?

The answer was beyond doubt.

Because Garcia was standing next to the treatment cabin, looking at from a high angle and staring intently inside.

As soon as Jiang Jianming opened his eyes, he met the prince’s gaze.

Because he was mentally prepared, he was not scared and screamed like his two roommates, which was not really easy.

The wind picked up outside the window, and the fine snow rustled.

Garcia didn’t feel guilty at all, and simply opened his mouth, “What do you want for breakfast?”

Jiang Jianming was lying in the treatment cabin, and only said expressionlessly, “Your Highness, may I ask if you yourself don’t need to sleep?”

Garcia expressed his incomprehension with a frown. Jiang Jianming then said patiently, “Before I fell asleep last night, you stared at me at the head of the bed like this. Now, I had the impression that you had also stared at me like this all night.”

Garcia: “……”

Jiang Jianming: “I’m able to sleep because I have a strong psychological endurance, but it doesn’t mean that you will have no problems.”

While speaking, he opened the treatment cabin and sat up, a slight chill came over him.

——That came from Garcia’s body, a very light wind and snow breath.

Jiang Jianming’s heart skipped a beat slightly.

He saw the unmelted snow on Garcia’s hair.

Jiang Jianming’s eyes went dim, he didn’t know why Garcia would go out early in the morning and exposed himself to the wind and snow.

But he knew his heart had softened.

Sometimes soft-heartedness did not need a clear reason.

Jiang Jianming sighed softly, and helplessly conceded a step back, “…well, disabled humans can’t eat the raw meat of high-level alien creatures that are too fresh, as its crystal particle contents may be too high.”

“Other than that, normal food is fine, and I have no taboos. In fact, I can handle these food and clothing chores by myself.”

Jiang Jianming smiled, “You don’t have to worry, I’m very casual.”

But after he finished speaking, he felt that he was talking too much. Since Garcia had read his file and already knew that he was a disabled person, surely the strange misunderstanding as “the next crown prince” was also eliminated.

Of course, there was no need to worry about it anymore.

“That’s good, you can solve it yourself.”

Sure enough, Garcia’s face relaxed a lot, “I don’t serve in the army, but my real power is equivalent to the supreme commander of the fortress. If you finish the adaptation period ahead of schedule and follow me after you are awarded the title, you can be equivalent to my adjutant.”

Jiang Jianming said in a warm voice,”It’s a great honor.” 

Garcia looked at him and then said tentatively, “I asked you to join me because of your talent. The environment in the fortress is harsh. Although you are a remnant human race, don’t expect that I will take care of you.”

“…….”

Jiang Jianming glanced at the treatment cabin covered with quilts.

He forced a smile and replied, “Okay, please be sure to do so.”

Garcia: “I was in a hurry last night. Go back and pack your things and move in in the morning. Your room is next door. Call me after everything is over…We need to change the mecha that you can drive, let’s go together to choose.”

“Ah.” Only then did Jiang Jianming realize that if he followed Garcia to act together in the future, sometimes he would need to ride in the same mecha. Just like Lieutenant Colonel Huo Lin and his adjutant Raymond, when they accompanied them out for training, they shared the B-level mecha “L-Evil Shark”.

It’s just that generally speaking, it’s the deputy’s duty to adapt to the type of mecha that matches the commander. Yet it could also be said that it was absurd for Garcia to re-select a mecha just because he had a deputy.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Jiang Jianming suddenly raised the corners of his lips, thinking back to the M-Pojun that Garcia rode last time, he thought it was no wonder.

He secretly laughed: Now that he’s going to ride with a disabled human, I wonder if the Little Highness…..will dare to use that high-risk model that doesn’t even have a treatment cabin?