Chapter 277 – General Ye
“The implanted crystal in the eyes is something everyone gets when they turn three. Tu Ran, you’re two years older than me, and when you were three, it was around the time the beasts descended, so it makes sense you wouldn’t know about this,” Ai Meigui explained.
Tu Ran nodded. “So how will I communicate with you remotely? Does the training base have an external communication device?”
“Of course it does. I’ll find one for you tomorrow,” Ai Meigui promised generously.
Tu Ran thanked her.
It was already late, so they turned off the lights and returned to their beds to sleep.
…
The next morning at six o’clock, a sharp, piercing alarm rang out across the entire training ground, summoning everyone for morning training.
They began by running a lap around the training field.
This training ground was the yellow earth that Tu Ran had traveled for an hour to reach from the edge just yesterday. After running the full distance that morning, without the use of any superpowers, Tu Ran felt too exhausted to straighten her back.
Ai Meigui simply collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. However, her strong sense of responsibility as a “veteran” who had arrived two days earlier compelled her to explain things to the newcomers. “A few… days… ago, we only ran back and forth, but today… we actually have to run a full lap! Who knows what we’ll be doing tomorrow… How come you… you… you’re recovering so quickly?!”
Ai Meigui looked up at Tu Ran in shock, her mouth agape. Just a moment ago, Tu Ran’s face had been as red as hers, exhausted and out of breath. But now, Tu Ran stood upright, her face no longer flushed, her breath steady, and she even had the energy to take in the scenery, as if the one who had just been worn out was someone else entirely.
“I have a better constitution,” Tu Ran said, changing the subject. “When can we eat?”
She was very hungry; using her superpower consumed a lot of energy while restoring her body.
“Soon, we’ll eat as soon as everyone gets back,” Ai Meigui said as she used Tu Ran’s hand for support to stand up, leaning her entire body against Tu Ran.
Tu Ran didn’t push her away; she kept her hand on Ai Meigui’s waist to help support her, staring ahead and hoping the people behind them would hurry up.
Half an hour later, everyone returned, and the cafeteria opened for meals. Tu Ran nearly dragged Ai Meigui toward the dining hall.
She ordered a lot of food—almost twice as much as Ai Meigui.
Ai Meigui looked at the food on Tu Ran’s plate, hesitated to say something several times, and finally reminded her, “You have to finish everything you take here. We can’t waste food.”
Tu Ran nodded, returning to their table and quickly starting to eat, as Ai Meigui had said they only had twenty minutes for the meal.
After eating, they would have to continue training.
Tu Ran, who once complained endlessly about military training, never expected that one day she would join the military and undergo such intense physical training.
This training lasted for five days, and not only did she not falter, but she also became more and more adapted to it, even experiencing a sense of exhilaration as if she were swimming in water by the end.
On the sixth day, the initial physical training concluded, and those who were found lacking in physical fitness were sent to other departments, leaving behind only those with strong bodies who could proceed to the next level of training.
Today was the day General Ye Hongci came to visit the reserve students.
Ye Hongci was the General that everyone talked about, the one Tu Ran had heard about countless times. She was the most respected leader in the entire Haenden system, having risen to fame during a star capture battle on Jiuzhou Star. Thanks to her bravery, Jiuzhou Star did not fall prey to the beast horde, and because of her foresight, there had been no emergence of Wasteland Star Four in the Haenden system.
Tu Ran, dressed in a dark green training uniform, sat on a small stool with a group of reserve students, forming a circle. The empty space in the middle was reserved for General Ye Hongci, who would soon be speaking.
Tu Ran was seated in the front row.
The front row was a prime spot during such occasions; everyone wanted to be as close to Ye Hongci as possible. Tu Ran had initially planned to sit further back and just take a distant glance.
She didn’t feel a strong sense of awe for the so-called “War God” leader; she didn’t live in this star system and couldn’t perceive the fervent admiration the people of this system held for Ye Hongci.
Unfortunately, while she wanted to sit in the back, Ai Meigui had other ideas.
Ye Hongci was her role model, and of course, she wanted to sit as close as possible. Since Tu Ran was her good friend, how could she abandon her?
So, with determination, Ai Meigui pushed through the crowd, using her small stature and great strength to carve a path among the two-meter-tall men and the one-meter-eighty women, dragging Tu Ran into the packed front row to sit beside her.
Ai Meigui adjusted her loose ponytail, first pulling on the left side and then the right. She then took out a small mirror from her pocket, checked her appearance, and ensured there was nothing amiss. Satisfied, she tucked the mirror away, placed her hands neatly on her knees, straightened her back, gazed forward, and assumed a serious expression.
It was rare to see such a serious look on her face—at least, Tu Ran hadn’t seen it during the past few days.
Sensing Tu Ran’s confusion, Ai Meigui glanced around and, confirming that Ye Hongci hadn’t arrived yet, leaned in closer to Tu Ran, covering her mouth with her hand. She whispered quickly, “General Ye is a very serious person. She dislikes those who are unprofessional, so I want to leave a good impression on her.”
After saying this, she returned to her composed and dignified demeanor.
Tu Ran was momentarily speechless; the influence of role models was indeed powerful.
She waited in silence for the arrival of the so-called General Ye.
Ten minutes later, a vehicle drove in from the entrance, kicking up a cloud of yellow dust as it approached. It came to a stop fifty meters away from them.
Two people got out of the car. The one at the front was a woman dressed in a black combat uniform. Her hair was gray and short, neatly styled and sharp-looking. Her skin was fair, and the corners of her eyes bore the marks of time, yet her gaze was gentle—a trait Tu Ran had not expected.
From the descriptions she had heard from others, she had subconsciously assumed that this person would be cold, stern, and unfriendly.
However, at that moment, Ye Hongci was smiling and greeting everyone, showing no hint of the authority expected from a leader. She looked affectionately at the reserve students welcoming her.
Behind her stood a very capable-looking woman who satisfied Tu Ran’s original expectations of Ye Hongci—cold, unfeeling, and disdainful of everything.
“She is Ye Hongci’s adopted daughter, Tang Ying. She’s incredible; back then, when they were surrounded by the beast horde, she managed to lead the injured General Ye out. If it weren’t for her, General Ye might have…”
It was clear that Ai Meigui held both admiration and envy for Tang Ying.
Ye Hongci moved to the center of the crowd, while Tang Ying stood straight at the perimeter, guarding her.
“Children, I am Ye Hongci. I am very happy to meet you all here. I’m glad you are willing to join my team.”
“It’s our honor to join General Ye’s team!” Ai Meigui shouted at the top of her lungs, and many others immediately echoed her.
Tu Ran thought to herself: Have they completely thrown away the idea of being composed?
Ye Hongci looked at the crowd with a faint smile, waiting for everyone to settle down before continuing, “I also want to congratulate you all for passing the initial physical selection. In the future, you will face even more rigorous selections, and I wish you all the best in passing.”
(✿☉｡☉)