Carbon-grilled marmot is a specialty of New Yumen, and it’s a must-try.

Uh, well, this thing actually only has a few years of history. Early immigrants to New Yumen discovered that the sand rats dug out from the endless sand sea here were large and plump, could be eaten after removing their heads, and were said to have six times more protein than beef. They were excellent for stewing, but even better when coated with spices and carbon-grilled.

Yu Lian and his senior liked the taste very much. They both ate heartily, quickly finishing more than half of it with slurping sounds.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, his senior elegantly held a slender lady's cigarette with two fingers, while one hand swirled a half-full glass of beer, a hint of languor in her phoenix eyes.

She was wearing casual clothes today—form-fitting riding pants, a shirt, and a denim jacket—so she didn't need to maintain the air of a high-ranking officer. Or rather, this was her usual demeanor.

“Consider this your farewell then. I’ve prepared your internship certificate from the Security Force Command HQ, and needless to say, it’s an A+.”

“Thank you so much.” Yu Lian raised his glass in a toast.

“You deserve it. While I haven’t been kicked out yet, I can still do some proper work.” His senior said, “But, Yuli, even with the A+ from me and the Governor's Office, it’s only equivalent to the grades of two major courses. It will only bring your GPA to less than 3.5. That’s only an above-average grade! But you did that thing, so the special merit bonus points are almost certainly gone. It’s impossible for you to get a tiger amulet now!”

“I never even thought about getting a tiger amulet!” Especially competing with the monsters from the legendary 830 Party, and he should be on the school’s blacklist anyway.

The so-called tiger amulet was actually an exquisitely crafted antique revolver. The grip was made of ivory, and a tiger-shaped emblem was etched in gold on the silver-white gun body, making it beautiful yet domineering, hence the name “tiger amulet.” This item was only awarded to the top 5 graduates in overall academic performance at Central Defense University, naturally a great honor.

“Wait? How did you know my average score?”

“Heh~~~ What do you think?”

“…Oh, I forgot that the Headmaster used to be your father’s Chief of Staff.”

“Oh, my stubborn old dad and my perverted older brother both said that they would only accept those from the Tiger Amulet Group.”

“Accept what? Accept what?” Yu Lian was confused and said he didn’t understand at all.

“Nothing at all. I don’t want to offend Fina right now.” His senior smiled and turned her head, presenting her perfect profile to Yu Lian, then added, “By the way, you know, don’t you? I won’t be the Security Force Commander for long.”

“Hmm, no Governor would let someone like you continue in that position. Of course, the Security Force Commander is just a transitional role for you anyway. Is there a better position waiting?”

“There are two directions. Transfer back to the Galaxy Native Land to serve as an operations staff officer at the Eastern Suspension Arm Fleet Command HQ, or serve as the captain of a cruiser; or, stay in the Andromeda Galaxy Garrison, commanding a small security fleet.”

“Of course, stay at the Garrison.” Yu Lian said decisively.

“…Your answer was a bit too quick, wasn’t it?”

“If I answered the former, you wouldn’t accept it, would you? Besides, the Eastern Suspension Arm Fleet is probably the most useless of the Commonwealth’s main fleets. Serving in the staff department, most of your energy would likely be spent dealing with office politics. Most of the warships there are also old ships over 30 years old, and the so-called cruisers would likely be outrun by pirate ships. With your temper, you’d probably be infuriated to death.”

“I wouldn’t be infuriated to death, but Vice Admiral Harris probably would be.”

“In short, if you were really transferred to the Eastern Suspension Arm Fleet, it would just be biding your time for a promotion, which doesn't fit your persona at all. And here, a security fleet is probably 2 to 3 assault ships with a destroyer. The power is meager, but it is, after all, an armed force you command independently.” Yu Lian paused, a hint of a mischievous smile appearing, “Moreover, this is the Andromeda Galaxy, the New World. The Galaxy Native Land is beyond reach, and both the Garrison and the Governor's Office are very informal. So, it’s easier for you to do some unconventional operations… For example, if you think the combat power is insufficient, you could completely buy a few Ranger-class ships from the Alliance Fuxun Shipyard in the name of training.”

“Hmm? Fuxun, aren’t they for building high-end cruise ships and cargo ships?”

“Yes, the Ranger is a high-speed cruise ship. However, that’s just the official designation. In reality, it’s a highly versatile special design. The hull itself is ordinary, but it has many attachments and a lot of reserved space for modifications. As long as you can get weapons, armor, shields, and various communication and detection equipment, it’s too easy to modify it into a cruiser. Oh, it only completed testing in the first half of this year, and the Alliance military still has many doubts about its performance. Fuxun Shipyard is waiting for orders for new ships right now, so if you place an order now, you can definitely get a discount. More importantly, it’s a mail ship and does not violate the Andromeda Galaxy Naval Limitation Treaty.”

Elinore’s smile faded. She stubbed out the slender cigarette in the ashtray and said in a deep voice, “Yuli, where did you get this information?”

“If I said I just happened to see information and an advertisement for this new ship in last month’s ‘Times Ships’ magazine, would you believe me?”

“Yuli, I’m not Fina. I don’t believe everything you say unconditionally.”

“…Uh, well, I can’t say right now, so you can take it as a joke, or you can take it as guidance from the universe spirit. It just depends on whether my senior trusts me.”

“spiritual energy users are all crazy psychics, so didn’t we agree before that we would beat up all those idiotic idealist cultists? I never thought, Little Yuli, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, you’d be the first to betray us.” His senior pouted.

“Perhaps the universe spirit particularly appreciates me. I understand now that one’s worldview and spiritual energy are two different things.”

“You traitor!” Elinore spat, then said, “So, you actually want me to stay here and strengthen the Commonwealth’s defensive forces in the New World, right?”

It’s simple to talk to smart people.

Yu Lian breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, “Senior, didn’t you tell me? War might happen. We don’t know when, but it will definitely happen. So we need to be even more prepared.”

“…Yes, those bugs in your report at least prove that someone is indeed stirring up trouble behind the scenes. The history of the Galaxy also tells me that if someone is stirring up trouble, it will definitely lead to war. Heh, but the future of the Commonwealth cannot rely on those old geezers on Earth, but on us young people! This was also a consensus reached back in school.”

Yu Lian was very curious, what kind of role did his original self play in school? Such a typical attention-seeker, and a member of the famous 830 Party, there's no reason his reputation wouldn't be prominent in later generations!

Did he die too early, indeed?

“Yuli, I will find a way to strengthen the combat power of the Garrison here. And before I transfer, I will dig up this planet three feet deep! So many big bugs, I don’t believe they won’t leave even a tiny clue!” Elinore said fiercely.

Yu Lian felt it was not very optimistic, but he still sincerely wished his senior good luck.

Neither of them discussed where the funds needed to strengthen the combat power would come from. Yu Lian knew his senior would definitely find a way, after all, this was the New World. Of course, he also planned to find an opportunity to tell Elinore some “money-making” methods without raising suspicion.

Of course, even if she suspected, it didn't matter. Anyway, this older sister, besides being a bit of an attention-seeker herself, was trustworthy in all other aspects.

~~~~

The great battle had only ended a little over a week ago. Apart from the constantly “excavated” corpses and discarded weapons, the entire New Yumen seemed to have once again returned to its former tranquility. Humans continued to work in the plantations and mines, whipping the Sand People laborers. The Sand People dared not speak their anger, but they were always happy to kill one or two lone human immigrants in the dead of night when the moon was dark and the wind was high. However, there were always Earthlings who had lost everything in the Galaxy Native Land pouring into this planet, mostly sand and rock, hoping to make a living, thus generally maintaining the Balance of this planet.

Tulon Port once again resumed its former busyness. The Sand People leaders who had fled back to their respective territories licked their wounds, trembling. In the vast Tulon Sea of Sand, there would be no human traces for a considerable period of time.

Noise and desolation once again formed an opposing yet harmonious rhythm on this planet.

Under a rock formation far from Tulon, two people whispered in the scorching wind.

“The usual routine, the usual numbness, the usual tranquility… Annoying tranquility. Oh dear, I never thought that the only interesting person on this planet couldn’t escape this time. Didn’t the fortune teller say that Kazi was destined to achieve something great that would go down in history? Her predictions aren’t always correct, after all!”

“She’s never been correct every time, and we’ve never acted based on her predictions. Besides, whether the natives of this planet can reclaim their homeland, or whether Earth’s rule can continue, doesn’t have much to do with us. Compared to that, does the Bug Swarm’s combat power meet expectations?”

“Better than we imagined. Fearless in death, and their execution is even better than all the most elite troops in history. Of course, the combat power of individual bugs is still a bit weak, and the types are relatively rare, all of which can be further adjusted. However, the Lord Bugs, who serve as grassroots Commanders, lack flexibility. Where is our Little Queen?”

“Still in pursuit. ‘Misty Net’ and ‘Hunter’ have personally led teams, and they’ll bring her back soon.”

“I hope so. She is the Future, the Prince’s treasure!”

“She will be found, she will definitely be found. However, those two newly awakened ones, they are unusual.”

“They are two quite energetic newcomers. They caused us to lose quite a few individuals, but they also allowed us to collect a lot of data. As for the rest, we need to continue observing.”

In their words, dark schemes and condescending mockery brewed. The future of Tulon, the rule of the Commonwealth, the fate of the Sand People, were like ants tearing at each other on a stage.

It had always been this way.

“Alright, I’ll go first. You know what to do.” One of them stood up and swaggered into the sky-obscuring sandstorm, then vanished without a trace.

The other sighed and walked into the cave behind him.

The interior of the cave, which could barely accommodate one person entering and exiting, was a vast underground space. The Bug Swarm was densely distributed on the ground and cave walls. At first glance, there were at least a million of them, like a giant termite nest.

An ordinary person just witnessing this scene would probably be scared out of their wits and have their sanity drained.

They lurked in the shadows underground, almost motionless. If not for the occasional unconscious twitching of their tentacles, they would hardly be considered animals.

The sound made by a million-strong Bug Swarm was even less than that of a single marmot gnawing on tree roots.

“How pitiful, my little darlings…” He sighed again, very mournfully, as if he had thrown his meticulously prepared feast into the trash can. However, that was all it was.

He waved his hand.

Pale blue flames ignited from unknown origins, like roaring beasts with bared fangs and claws, devouring large swathes of the Bug Swarm. The colossal flame beast seemed to have swallowed countless accelerants, becoming even more rampant and violent. However, what was surprising was that in such high temperatures, the cave walls should have shown signs of abnormality, but now they remained unchanged, as if they were a background texture in another dimension.

In just one minute, the pale blue flames engulfed the entire underground space within their destructive range, then continued to burn for ten minutes before slowly dissipating.

The cave was still the same cave, but the million Xenomorphs inside had long been completely incinerated, not even a single cell remaining.

And the arsonist, of course, had already vanished with the dissipation of the flames, leaving no trace behind.

Today is a happy one-chapter beast! Hahahaha