CH 3

Graduation (3)

In the 63rd year of the New Imperial Calendar, the turbulent times of war have already come to an end. The arrival of the new century was like the rising sun, and the brilliance of peace and prosperity shone on the heads of every person.

Human beings occupy three major star systems in the Milky Way, of which 90% belong to the territory of the empire, and the areas outside the three star systems are collectively referred to as distant or “Far Star”.

In this era of unparalleled unification, apart from the space pirates who occasionally harass the frontiers, there had been few internal conflicts among human beings, and development and exploration had become the themes of the new era.

The night fell like a veil, shrouding Aslan, the planet where the capital of the empire was located. In the reception room on the first floor of the Sixth College, dim lights were still on. Two figures, one old and one young, sat opposite each other on the sofa.

Marshal Chen Hanke took a sip from the teacup, and when he put it down, he revealed a pair of curved eyes. “Graduate, what are your thoughts?” 

Jiang Jianming: “There are no ambitious thoughts, you will be disappointed when you hear it.”

Old Marshal Chen shook his head. “I won’t be polite to you, child.”

The upper body of the old man leaned forward slightly, his hands and fingers crossed into a spire-like shape, his eyes sharpened. “The Silver Big Dipper Expeditionary Force has already started the expedition this year. Would you like to go? As long as you nod, this old man can send a special ship tomorrow to escort you to the core of the rear command center of the Far Star.”

Chen Hanke’s tone was understated, but the content was like thunder.

If there were outsiders present in this conversation, at this time, one’s eyes will definitely fall out. What does the name of Silver Big Dipper Expeditionary Force mean?

The Golden Sun Wheel Imperial Guard Army and the Silver Big Dipper Interstellar Expedition Force symbolized the two most powerful armies of the empire, and also there gathered all the strongest human elites from the three galaxies.

Because the former guards the territory and the latter exploits the frontier, they were collectively called the silver spear and golden shield of the empire.

Now that the world was peaceful, the Golden Sun Wheel Army had been in a state of keeping a low profile for many years, and only the elites of Silver Dipper were still fighting bloody battles in the distant stars, taking on the important task of mining resources and resisting alien creatures.

It can be said that as long as one wears the Silver Big Dipper military badge, as long as he is in the human galaxy, then no matter what his appearance, background, resume and even his character, he will always be a hero in the hearts of the whole nation.

But Jiang Jianming’s face was calm. Instead of nodding, he quickly shook his head in return. “Sorry, please allow me to refuse.”

He slowly picked up a biscuit from the glass plate on the table, opened the package, put the biscuit in his mouth, and smiled, “The Far Star… That is the battlefield where even His Royal Highness Prince Ryann sacrificed himself. As a remnant human, what’s the point of taking the initiative to find death?”

Old Marshal Chen frowned slightly, and immediately said. “Of course, I will only let you go to the rear. I guarantee under the reputation of the Imperial Commander that after you go to the distant star, you will only need to do some strategic analysis in the fortress and not go to the front lines—there will be no personal dangers unless the entire Silver Big Dipper Army is wiped out, and there’d be no one left in the Golden Sun Wheel Army!”

“Come on, take a look,” the old man took out something from the inner pocket of his military coat, put it lightly on the table, and pushed it in Jiang Jianming’s direction. Chen Hanke looked solemn, “This is the special order of the Silver Big Dipper.”

“With your talent, as long as you stay in the fortress for two or three years, you will have a lot of opportunities to do meritorious deeds. At that time, this old man will give you a special promotion, and the group of young new human beings who are not afraid of the sky and the earth will have to call you Commander—”

What was pushed to the front was a black low-key chip box. Jiang Jianming tried to put his finger on it, but the fingerprint lock was actually immediately unlocked. The lid of the box was slowly opened, and inside was a chip the size of a fingernail, and the military emblem of the Silver Big Dipper was flashing on the front.

Jiang Jianming stared at the chip that was so noble and could make many people crazy, and adjusted his breathing.

Then he laughed silently and shook his head, “Marshal, did you know that today I dreamed of His Highness.”

Old Marshal Chen’s expression changed slightly. The atmosphere in the reception room seemed to stagnate.

Opposite the marshal, the young cadet was eating slowly, with a gentle light deep in his eyes. “We were in the Aslan National Library in the dream… He wanted to get close to me, but I asked him to leave. I said that the dead should no longer disturb the living in dreams anymore, and then wake up peacefully.”

Crunch. Jiang Jianming bit the biscuits, he silently took a sip of the tea, and muttered in a low voice. “It’s been three years, it wasn’t easy…….being able to face Ryann’s phantom so calmly, and finally getting out of the pain. “

“I don’t want to face those old things again, and I don’t want to extravagantly ask for love and a reputation that I don’t deserve… I’m just an ordinary remnant human, at best I have a little talent in some aspects – but there are too many talents in the world, and the Empire doesn’t lack someone like me.”

“Shush, what nonsense are you talking about.” Old Marshal Chen deliberately glared at him, and pretended to be angry, “You child, if His Highness has a spirit in heaven—”

Jiang Jianming raised his eyes suddenly and said solemnly, “Do you want to say that he will feel distressed?”

“Three years ago, His Royal Highness sacrificed himself in the distant star…. I was not the first to know the news.” The pale young man lowered his head, and a few strands of broken hair fell on his forehead. His expression was still so indifferent and calm, but his tone was clearly tense.

“On that day, a group of Imperial soldiers broke into the dormitory with search warrants. There was no warning at that time. They expelled the students from the whole building, leaving me alone. Tang Zhen wanted to protect me, but he was dragged out by several soldiers after being hit with the butt of a gun in the back of his head.”

“I was politely but irrefutably asked aside. I watched them go through my drawers and cabinets, and the fingerprint locks were opened by the military’s electronic instruments. They looked through every paper book, note, diary, and of course every file in my wrist phone and storage disk.”

“I asked them what was the problem, and then asked if something happened to His Royal Highness Ryann, but no one answered me. They just searched… At the end of the investigation, the officers and soldiers looked at me suspiciously.”

“They couldn’t believe it, because they didn’t find anything – this is too suspicious. The person His Highness loved so much, the little lover who has been secretly engaged to him for life, is this shabby?”

“When they checked my income and expenditure and found that the balance was only a few hundred points, they became even more suspicious. So people started to pretend to chat and ask me about my recent itinerary.”

“The last officer put on a sensor glove and felt all over my body – he suspected that I was selfishly hiding something.”

At some point, with Jiang Jianming’s indifferent voice, Old Marshal Chen’s expression became complicated. The old man’s gray brows loosened. He looked at the military cadet in front of him with guilt, and said in a hoarse voice, “…Good child, the Empire owed you an apology.”

Jiang Jianming shook his head, he was silent for a moment, and sighed softly. “Ryann was so kind to me before his death but he acted recklessly. Some people at the upper level even speculated that there might be something that I shouldn’t have here – such as the most cutting-edge crystal particles, tranquilizer formulas, new crystal weapons, mechas, and even the political and military secrets of the Empire.”

“At the sudden death of His Royal Highness, they were afraid that I would fly to the branch to become a phoenix then fall back to the ground…..Doing something that shouldn’t be done. For example, selling the secrets of the empire to the space pirates, so that I will not worry about food and clothing for a lifetime.”

(t/n flies up to tall branches and becomes a phoenix- means that a person of inferior background makes a dramatic rise in social status.)

Jiang Jianming raised his face, “I totally understand.”

“But..”

Unexpectedly, the military cadet’s demeanor was almost warm, and his eyes were unbearably clear, “If the widow of His Highness was a noble and famous new human lady or young master, he or she would not suffer such suspicion and treatment.”

Old Marshal Chen was silent.

It had been almost five years since he had known Jiang Jianming, and he had long known that the child in front of him possessed wisdom and insight that did not match his age, as well as…a perseverance that was hidden under his carelessness.

At this moment, the child was sincerely saying to him, “Mr. Chen, I am very grateful for your appreciation, but Jiang Jianming is just a mediocre person, please let me live an ordinary life.”

“The life of an ordinary person?” Old Marshal Chen looked at him deeply and repeated the words like he was chewing it in his mouth.

Jiang Jianming nodded. “Yes, I have some plans in general. Find a civilian job first, students from the First Imperial Military Academy should have no problem making a living… If possible, I would consider staying in a certain college in the Imperial Capital Star City to teach. “

“…..”

The old marshal pinched his fingers until the bones cracked softly, and said, “I have seen your graduation grades. This is too subservient.”

The old man shook his head and spit out a mouthful of turbid gas. He mumbled again, “……..too subservient.”

Jiang Jianming just smiled, and continued to speak, “I have decided not to marry in this life, to be the widow of Ryann for a lifetime, maybe in the future I will raise a dog, and then adopt a child… Just like my adoptive father adopted me in those years. It’s better to be a disabled human being and be good.”

“If I can get enough money, I’d like to move to the Glorious Dominion after I retire. The prices are a little higher there, but the disabled are treated better there. Am I right?”

A long silence permeated.

Light clouds flowed outside the window, and the moonlight brightened and dimmed. No one spoke in the reception room, but it seemed like an invisible confrontation.

After an unknown amount of time, the old marshal sighed, “I understand.” 

Jiang Jianming said softly, “Thank you.”

The cadet stood up and gave a military salute, “It’s getting late, it’s time for me to go back.”

After he finished speaking, he paused and lowered his eyes. As if he suddenly remembered something, he raised his eyes again, and said casually, “Has His Highness’s body not been found yet?”

Chen Hank said, “Unfortunately it hasn’t yet. I’m very sorry.”

Jiang Jianming shook his head. “You are the Commander-in-Chief of the Empire and also the teacher of His Highness. You don’t need to apologize to me for both public and private matters.”

Marshal Chen was silent for a moment, knocked on the desk, then pointed to the opened chip box. “Take it and go, child. If you change your mind, or if you need any help in the future, come to the military to find someone at any time. The deadline is indefinite, this is what the Empire owes you.”

Jiang Jianming turned around, his expression flashed a complex look, and slowly put his hand on the chip box the size of the child’s palm.

After a hesitant pause for two seconds, he finally closed the lid and put the chip box into his left breast pocket. “Thank you, Marshal… I’m sorry.”

Old Marshal Chen laughed. “There’s no need for you to say sorry to this old man. Good child, go back quickly, it’s going to rain.”

Jiang Jianming gave another salute and silently exited the reception room.

When he walked out of the Sixth College, he stopped at the gate and turned his head.

The sky really became a bit cloudy, and there was some moisture in the air. The light in the reception room was still on, and the figure of the old man was vaguely reflected in the window, with the look of vicissitudes and loneliness under the night.

Jiang Jianming lowered his eyelashes, raised his hand and touched the small box in his breast pocket, pursed his lips and walked towards the dormitory building.

Unexpectedly, after walking a few steps, he suddenly found a familiar figure standing under the gray pole street lamp beside the cypress path. Tang Zhen was chewing a piece of candy in his mouth, playing with his wrist device boredly, with one foot on the street light pole. He didn’t know how long he had been standing there.

It wasn’t until Jiang Jianming slowly walked in front of him that Young Master Tang raised his face, raised his eyebrows and smiled at him. “Ah, finally came out? How was the chat with the big man in the military? Should I talk to you in an exceptional manner now?”