CH 35

There was a long silence between the two men.

He YunTing seemed to use all the words he could think of, trying to help him with each of them. He really didn’t have any other ideas, just saw that Lin Han was uncomfortable, and sincerely recounted to him what had once affected him as well, spread it out, and then told him his own understanding.

Lin Han’s eyes felt a little teary. He knew He YunTing was just trying to comfort him, trying to tell him the meaning of existence, not talking about obscure love words.

But the universe was originally endlessly romantic.

When he was about to be overwhelmed by this unexplained sadness, He YunTing stood in front of him, using the simplest words, holding his hands, and fished his heart back up.

If the particles of the Milky Way — or the life and death of stars, would eventually become the cycle of the universe, then he and He YunTing may have known each other for a long time, they could be with each other embracing the dusty atmosphere of space, or they could be two distant stars looking at each other.

The dizziness faded away, but Lin Han was still a bit weak, so he simply kneeled down, looking at the starry sky outside the observation room window.

He YunTing was standing there looking at him, as if he was still worried about his condition, “Mr. Lin?”

Lin Han let out a “hmm”, took a few deep breaths and tried to push the dizziness out of his head, “I’m better, I’m fine.”

He YunTing pursed his lips, but his eyes didn’t move away from Lin Han’s body.

“I’m really better.” Lin Han lightly hooked the corners of his lips, lowering his voice, since it was echoing in this small space, with a feathery texture, “I really wanted to be in a mecha before I entered the university.”

He YunTing quietly listened.

“But not to mention the training like your base, I almost didn’t even pass the entrance physical test,” Lin Han laughed bitterly, “but I was determined, I squatted every day at the emperor military university mecha training room and fighting field over there to see. I wanted to see if there was a mecha I could drive, even one with the lowest level. At that time I still only needed one nutritional supplement a day, and I felt that I should be able to hold on even if my body held out. I didn’t want to give up.

“The fighting room at Imperial Military University, I don’t know if you still remember it, was full of a bunch of young and vigorous Alphas,” Lin Han said, “sometimes there would be pheromones leaking out, and I couldn’t stand it, but I couldn’t be caught, so I had to secretly find a corner to watch every day. Then I finally waited for an opportunity — I waited for everyone to leave, and I was the only one left in there, and I wanted to try and go in.”

He YunTing still stood close to Lin Han in silence, his back was the existence of billions of years of infinite galaxies.

Lin Han’s eyelashes quivered as he looked at He YunTing and behind him, “I found a mecha that wasn’t even mid-range, a four-to-one kind, when the cockpit wasn’t as advanced as it is now, and many of the procedures and actions needed to be done manually. I was very confident at the time, after all, I had always been number one in theoretical knowledge, I could memorize all the operation patterns of complex procedures, and thought that such a simple mecha would be easy to navigate.”

“Later…” Lin Han’s voice trailed off, “I started the mecha, fired up the engine with ease… And that was the end of it. Except for those two, I couldn’t even perform the most basic movements, and the mecha was driving me backwards and forwards — I tried to use my mental powers to steer it, but it still didn’t work, I couldn’t steer it at all, not in any way. But I didn’t give up. I tried for ages in the middle of the night alone… In the end, it was still futile.”

Lin Han saw He YunTing blink, and his blue eyes dimmed a bit, as if he was sad for him.

“It would be a lie to say that I wasn’t frustrated. I was alone in the dormitory for a long time, and I couldn’t even operate a low-level mecha like this. At that time, I thought it was just metal, so why couldn’t I do it? I was too obsessed with the galaxy.” Lin Han paused for a moment, “Did I say too much?”

“No.” As if he was afraid Lin Han would be upset, He YunTing answered quickly, “What happened afterwards?”

Lin Han said, “Afterwards… Actually, I didn’t stay down for too long. I thought, if I can’t master them, then I’ll try to build them. That way, I’ve seen the Milky Way.” Lin Han finished and looked at He YunTing, “Is this idea of mine kinda weird?”

“Not weird at all.” He YunTing replied in a deep voice.

Lin Han shifted his position on the floor to where he was hugging his knees, tilted his head to look at He YunTing, and heard him repeat.

“Not weir at all.” He YunTing said, “Mr. Lin is doing well. And now… You’ve seen the Milky Way, too.”

The curve of Lin Han’s lips unconsciously lifted up a point and said, “Hmm.”

He YunTing didn’t say anything else, since he wasn’t the one who would liven up the atmosphere. But Lin Han felt very comfortable, such silence made him feel at ease.

The battleship was still flying smoothly.

Eventually, Lin Han blinked his eyes and finally looked sleepy.

He YunTing sensed it, “I’ll take Mr. Lin back.”

“Okay.” Lin Han nodded, but didn’t stand up, instead he said to He YunTing, “We’ll be at the border area tomorrow, right?”

“Hmm.”

“When will the Erinnerung Nebula appear?” Lin Han said slowly, “I would love to see it if I get the chance.”

Lin Han saw He YunTing ponder briefly and replied, “It will appear.”

He YunTing reverted to his usual speech pattern, where he repeated his short sentences twice, “There’ll be a chance, and it will appear.”

“Okay.” Lin Han remained in a comfortable knee-hugging position, looking up at He YunTing and the starry sky behind him, and spoke in a small voice, “General.”

He YunTing lowered his eyes to look at him and didn’t say anything.

Lin Han smiled at him, curving his eyes, looking gentle and soft, extending his hand, “Pull me a little.”

Whether he said his legs were weak or capricious, he knew He YunTing would definitely pull him up.

He YunTing was stunned for a moment, but he quickly took an obedient step closer, and a pair of warm hands covered his.

Lin Han also cooperated by bracing himself on the floor to stand back up.

“Thank you, General,” Lin Han said.

He YunTing didn’t want to look at him, and also let go of his hand.

Lin Han’s palm still had the other party’s calloused touch and He YunTing’s heartfelt voice that was different from his usual tone.

【Mr. Lin is so great, so why don’t I dare to look at him?】

The third day of the voyage was also quite smooth.

Lin Han woke up early, his space vertigo from the night before had completely disappeared, or perhaps he had seen the Milky Way and became more and more energetic. He YunTing gave him the right to enter and leave the captain’s room, but he still knocked politely every time he went in and waited for permission before entering.

When he entered today, He YunTing was already fully dressed and sitting in the command seat. Vice Captain Ye Ling was sitting aside and greeted Lin Han politely when he saw him coming in.

The battleship was well stocked, and Lu AnHe had asked the housekeeping team for a very generous breakfast, and was now feasting on it in the corner, helping He YunTing check the surveillance while doing so.

“Has Mr. Lin had breakfast yet?” Lu AnHe really cared more about this and began to recommend today’s special to Lin Han, “Anyway, I don’t know if it’s me, I think it’s better than at the base.”

After saying that, he also carefully glanced at He YunTing.

Seeing no other reaction from his boss, Lu AnHe settled down and stuffed the last piece of dessert into his mouth.

“Eaten.” Lin Han smiled at Lu AnHe and said, “Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel Lu.”

As they were talking, a “Reporting!” came from outside the door and a young face Lin Han hadn’t seen before came in.

Lu AnHe’s eyes lit up when he saw him and beckoned to him, “Old Ji!”

The young officer gave Lu AnHe a look, but still walked up to He YunTing first and saluted, “General.” He reported to He YunTing, “The ship’s mecha are all here and all pilots are in position. We can carry out the mission immediately when we get to the border area.”

He YunTing nodded.

Lin Han looked at the young officer with the rank of major, standing straight and in high spirits, with a smile on his lips and a little bit of respect and nervousness for He YunTing.

“The border area currently has a stable temperature. We can land, and there are no Star Pirates. We have contacted the Oddbound bio system and the other side said as in previous years, they won’t intervene in the exercise practical training. So General can rest assured. All pilots on board are in good physical condition, and the weapons for the exercise are loaded.”

The Oddbound bio system was the star system adjacent to the border area, on which there were many unusual creatures living, lower Oddbound creatures with no autonomous consciousness and higher Oddbound creatures that could communicate with humans. The common features were that they could adapt to the harsh environment of the planet — the climate of the Oddbound galaxy was harsh, the average daily temperature was above 60 degrees Celsius (140F), and the atmosphere was thin.

Some of these creatures had tails and ears, some could only crawl, and some didn’t even have limbs, rolling on the ground like a strange orb.

Their diet and living habits were also very different from those of humans, and even among them, the higher and lower creatures had very different habits.

However, despite their strange appearance, the unusual creatures were gentle in nature and wouldn’t actively intervene in any interstellar strife. Therefore, an agreement was reached with the Empire that the fourth round of practical training could be chosen to take place in the border area between the two stars, where they provide convenience for the Empire and the Empire will protect them from frequent attacks by Star Pirates to a certain extent.

He reported some more basic information, He YunTing listened to them one by one, and after confirming that there were no surprises, he opened the authorization light screen and pressed his fingerprint, “Okay.”

The officer’s eyes were bright with expectation and a little blush, and he said excitedly, “Appointment received! I promise to execute the mission perfectly.”

He YunTing nodded and said nothing more.

A few moments later, probably because there was a small situation in the command room, He YunTing stood up from his seat and went to the command room.

After all, his rank was the highest, and the atmosphere in the room was lower when he was there. When he closed the door, Lu AnHe immediately waved towards the young officer, “Old Ji, Old Ji, come here.”

Vice Captain Ye Ling also smiled at the young man, “It’s been another year, you look more spirited.”

“That’s right,” Lu AnHe interjected, “Look at you! You’ve been promoted to such a good rank.” He patted the young officer’s shoulder, “By the way, let me introduce, this is…”

“Hello, Mr. Lin.” Before Lu AnHe finished, the young man himself came over to greet Lin Han, his eyes were bright and he had small tiger teeth when he smiled, “I heard your name when I came here, but it’s my first time meeting you, so I’m a bit nervous.” He paused and scratched his head before he realized he forgot to introduce himself, “My name is Ji Meng, I’m here to cooperate with the command arrangement for the fourth round of practical training.”

Lu AnHe was afraid that Lin Han would find his nickname strange, “Mr. Lin, the name ‘Old Ji’, is actually quite popular, hope you don’t mind.”

He YunTing wasn’t there, so everyone relaxed a bit. Ye Ling also added a couple of words, “Ji Meng and Old Lu shared a bunk before in the military school, so they became very good friends, but then they transferred to different places, so they can only meet once a year.”

Lin Han looked at the young man in front of him and unexpectedly felt that the person and the name were quite compatible. Ji Meng’s face was red, probably because he was still a little excited to see Lin Han, and his voice was clear, “Yes, but the mecha I’m using now is still the same batch that Mr. Lin made, and I’m too happy to see the real person now, sorry.”

His enthusiasm did infect Lin Han, and he couldn’t help but smile and greet him as well.

Lin Han didn’t wear gloves these days, and he didn’t refuse when Ji Meng extended his hand, so he heard the young major’s heartfelt voice with adoration.

【Ahhhhh I really met Mr. Lin!】

【I’m so excited!】

“I’m in charge of this every year, but this is the first year you’ve come,” Ji Meng drew back his hand and still couldn’t resist expressing his excitement, “Sorry, Mr. Lin, I’m so happy today, seeing old friends and meeting you.”

Ji Meng gave off an energetic feeling, and Lin Han didn’t mind, so he waved his hand, “It’s okay.”

Ji Meng began to catch up with Lu AnHe, and it was obvious that the two had indeed been friends for many years and had deep feelings for each other, until He YunTing came back, and Ji Meng became nervous again and talked less.

Although Lu AnHe followed him for a long time and dared to say anything, Ji Meng didn’t often see He YunTing, treating him with a kind of supreme reverence. Seeing him return, he saluted again and returned to his post.

He YunTing didn’t say anything, just looked at Lin Han, returned to his position and sat down again.

Everything continued to proceed in an orderly manner, during which Wen TianYao finally came up to make a round, and left soon after.

And half a day later, along with a loud noise, the battleship began to reduce speed.

It gradually sailed to its destination and docked at the exclusive location in the border area… 

The annual practical training exercise was about to begin.

The author has something to say: qaq I’m coming I’m coming, the plot line is really my weak point, I’m suffering too… Seriously (kneeling)

In addition, a small cutie said there should be an angst warning. I saw the protagonist of an emotional drama, it shouldn’t be too sad, and the story will soon progress, believe me!