Chương 86: Unable to Make up for it
Biên tập viên: Geoffrey_
Darling Tian… The two girls who had just walked past Tian Xing Jian hand-in-hand looked back as they gave him a strange look before looking at each other in dismay and suddenly erupted into peals of laughter. They felt that it was not too courteous and one of them had pulled the other with a blushing face as they ran off.
There was another middle-aged man who was wearing a windbreaker and carried a briefcase as he drank the beverage in his hand. The moment he heard the voice coming from beside Tian Xing Jian, he sneered before coughing continuously as he tried to hold in the laughter while wiping off the beverage that had spilled on his clothing before quickly walking off.
Being called with such a nickname, Tian Xing Jian was embarrassed and was unable to show his face. A silly and fair fatty had actually stood there amongst the throngs of crowd rushing by with the name "Darling Tian"; his reputation was gone.
An Lei had felt that she had indeed called him with a voice that was too loud. Pursing her lips, she turned around to see the looks the bypassers were giving her, which caused her face to turn red with shyness. She pulled Tian Xing Jian’s hand, bringing him into a coffee shop by the corner of the street.
The coffee shop was quite quiet before noon. The two of them chose the table nearest to the street by the windows.
A male server came and brought over a beverage menu before politely bowing and asking, "May I ask what you two would like to drink?"
"I’d like a cup of watermelon juice, she wants…" The words that were originally coming from Fatty without thinking had suddenly paused as he hesitated; his voice became a little softer as he asked without being able to confirm it himself, "... Orange juice…?"
With an expression of inquiry on the male server, An Lei silently nodded. She looked at Tian Xing Jian with her eyes, which were suddenly turning red. Lightly biting her lips, she turned aside.
For a moment, the couple did not speak.
The street was facing an enormous optical television on top of a huge building that was currently broadcasting the ceremony welcoming Russell. In the scene on the television, Russell had already worn the uniform of a Federation general. After defecting from the enemy nation, he had immediately transformed into the general of another nation—such cases were few and far between.
President Hamilton delivered his speech. Instead of saying that his speech was about welcoming Russell, it was more appropriate to call it a speech of giving out orders for a counter-attack against the Gyaca Woods Empire.
The two of them silently watched the television inattentively as their minds bounced here and there with memories of when they were just innocent playmates; one would carry watermelon juice with the other an orange juice, holding hands while laughing with each other.
How many years has it been since they parted? Did she still love drinking orange juice?
How many years has it been since they parted? He had actually still remembered what I loved to drink!
The male server brought the beverages over soon enough. Their two heads turned over and when they looked into each others’ eyes, they both felt frantic and replied to the server at the same time, "Thank you."
For a moment, the server had been frightened by their two gazes. This was the very first time he had been thanked so earnestly. Overwhelmed by favor, he immediately waved his hand, saying, "You’re welcome, you’re welcome. Please enjoy."
Seeing Fatty on the other side of her preparing to turn his head over to the television with thoughts of escaping, An Lei, whose pair of eyes had turned red, did not wish to remain uncommunicative anymore.
"Tell me, why did you become a soldier?"
This was the first question An Lei had. She had almost crumbled apart from this question alone. She truly wanted to know the answer, as this male in her heart was someone that would forever be incompatible with being in the military, yet he had decided to choose this road.
Tian Xing Jian was at a loss. He pulled his eyes back before looking at the watermelon juice in front of him, speaking with a slightly entranced expression, "I’m not too sure either. When I graduated, it seemed as if I did not have any dreams. My subconscious was telling me that maybe joining the military will enable me to find everything that I had lost."
Looking at An Lei, Tian Xing Jian added another sentence in his heart, ‘Maybe, I’ll be able to get further away from you.’
Tears were rolling down the eyes of An Lei as she softly asked, "How did you bring those two hundred over Federation soldiers over?"
Tian Xing Jian laughed bitterly: "You know that I’m a coward. Terror, is sometimes a strength… I’m merely thinking of ways to escape with my life…"
An Lei could almost not hold back her tears as she felt a piercing pain in her heart. What Tian Xing Jian had said was brief, yet she knew that this step he had taken onto the battlefield was something which he had to bear unendurable fear with. Before becoming the Federation hero, he had truly experienced so many trials and tribulations.
An Lei turned her head upwards to the sky outside the window, trying her best to hold back the tears of heartache: "You know that you are a coward, but why would you be so foolish? Why would you participate in this war which is something that you do not really like?"
Tian Xing Jian did not look at An Lei; he silently looked at the flow of the crowd outside the window. With some exhaustion and fatigue in his voice, he said, "It isn’t something I can escape. In this maelstrom, no one could continue living alone happily. If the fires of war continued spreading into the capital, I’ll similarly not be able to escape. This… at least there are fewer things which I might lose…"
An Lei stared blankly at the clouds in the sky, feeling gratified and miserable in her heart.
She knew what he had lost. That boy had no longer been the same child who would run away the moment he was met with danger. He had truly grown up into a man, albeit one who was still a coward and had been forced to throw himself into war in search of his courage, and in the end, he had even transcended many other courageous men.
What was miserable had been that this person had made a mistake over the past ten years, yet he did not know what he truly lost.
The two stayed silent for a while.
An Lei finally set down her resolve—she decided to tell this person… everything.
Tears started rolling down once again in the eyes of An Lei. Her voice felt as if it was the distant clouds: "You are a fool. You have actually not lost anything, not even once! Ten years ago, I wasn’t hurt, and that wasn’t the reason I left you. My father had always treated you as his own son and had said that you ought to experience everything yourself."
"That day, he scolded you and chased you away! You should know how much heartache he felt when he was doing that. For a few times, he even went over to look for you, standing far away as he watched you… Mother had gone to persuade him, but he was truly stubborn and was not willing to call you back home."
All the matters in the past appeared flashing through the mind of An Lei. Her voice was filled with sobbing—that was truly a grievance which could not be spoken easily.
"Even when he passed away, you still hadn’t returned even once! I hate you and I hate him—I hate the two of you!" An Lei’s tears finally trailed down as she abruptly took her handbag and ran out of the shop.
Tian Xing Jian looked out the windows in a daze, watching how An Lei went off in a flying car. His mind could barely react. "Father An… has passed away…"
That benevolent and strict middle-aged man… that person who had always taken care of him ever since his parents passed away… that person who played together with two children and would become so tired that he panted… that middle-aged man who had put on weight… that person who was closest to him… had actually passed away?
A bitter and sad feeling shot up his nose.
Tian Xing Jian cried. In this coffee shop that was filled with people, his tears came pouring out without restraint. He had long treated that person as his own father, and for the longest of times, he did not have the face to return nor the courage to meet his resentful look. Why… why did he leave this world so silently…
He was truly still a coward—a coward who could never redeem himself! Tian Xing Jian bawled out with a voice filled with pain.
That benevolent, middle-aged man was already in the spirit realm beyond the heavens, and he… he felt truly ashamed!
Chương 87: Why is it Him?
Biên tập viên: Geoffrey_
That day, many things happened in Jialipalan. The president had personally come to welcome the general of the Empire, Russell, and had also conferred him the rank of general of the Federation, the chief advisor of the Supreme Headquarters, as well as the chief emeritus professor of the Leray’s three big military institutes.
Even though they were all positions without obligations, for these positions to be given to an enemy who had only recently been brought over, it was enough to show the sincerity of the Federation. Furthermore, the Supreme Headquarters was not prejudiced against Russell when he came over daily for work and had even arranged an office for him in the front lines forward command department.
At the same time, the president signed and announced oven ten proposals that had passed through the parliament regarding the reconstruction of Miracolo Planet. These included a series of preferential policies towards the local corporations on Miracolo Planet, policies that supported banks, the investment on the fundamentals of the nation, the government budget plan, as well as the military budget plan.
Numbering in the hundreds, the ground-based fully-mechanised infantry divisions, ground-based armored divisions, and the aviation squadron armored divisions would be gathering in Miracolo Planet as they prepared for the counter-attack against the Galileo Galaxy.
The 1st and 2nd United Space Fleets would regroup over at Miracolo Planet. Each of the united fleets would be replenished with two new formations worth of new model battleships, totalling up to a five-fleet, large-scale united fleet.
The 3rd United Fleet had also been given orders to station over at Newton Galaxy. This fleet had only been recently assembled and was comprised fully of the monotonous-colored new model battleships; these were new products after the mobilization of the nation in preparation for war.
Enriched with more than 30 resource planets, the Newton Galaxy would construct over 1300 gigantic space docks so as to rebuild the new Federation’s space battleship construction base. At the same time, the new battleship models reinforcing the united fleets would be constructed there.
***************
Tian Xing Jian did not know how he had walked back to the academy’s dormitory. For the entire day, he sat there in a daze. On the next day, once he was woken up from his dream by a knock on the door, he realized that his face was still covered with signs of tears.
Dizzily walking over to open the door, it was a confidential secretary from the forward command. This young female secretary did not show any emotions as she said, "First Lieutenant Tian, General Bernadotte has ordered you to go to his office as soon as possible." Saying that, she did not care about Fatty’s reaction and just turned and walked off.
Fatty did not have the heart to care about her; he who was used to sleeping in the nude went back mechanically to wear his pants.
Pants… F***!
No wonder that confidential secretary had a weird expression.
After wearing his clothes, he took the medal with him customarily. Tian Xing Jian soon rushed over to the office of Bernadotte, with You Na opening the door for him.
Fatty thanked her simultaneously with entering the office laterally.
The huge office was filled with people. Other than Bernadotte and several other generals whom he had seen frequently, there was also Federation President Hamilton, the Supreme Headquarters’ General Sergei Eisenstein, several major generals, and lieutenant generals who were sparkling.
Tian Xing Jian could not help but heave in a breath of cold air as he saluted to General Bernadotte, "General, Federation First Lieutenant Tian Xing Jian reports to you. Please give your orders."
The office that was filled with people talking cheerfully and wittily had suddenly quietened down. A general whose back was facing him turned around before staring at Tian Xing Jian with an expression of disbelief as if he saw a ghost: "‘It’s him?!’
This general was none other than Russell, and the person whom he was asking—Bernadotte—had merely smiled and nodded: "At ease, First Lieutenant… That’s right, General Russell, he is the person who saw through your combat plans twice. It’s not us generals, but instead, it was Staff Officer Tian of the 6th Research Unit from the combat planning department."
Russell felt that his dream was just like a mirror breaking apart.
He was filled with a disappointment that could not be described!
He had always thought that a wise and farsighted general had appeared from within the Federation. This general, even though he wasn’t that experienced, was someone who had enough wisdom to become his partner. Once he could finally return to the Freedom Battlefront to lead his own people, this general would certainly be able to cooperate with him, and they would be friends and a pair of terrifying twin swords that would be pointed against the enemies.
In this chaotic era, one single person’s strength was ultimately weak. He understood this logic when a problem cropped up in the cooperation between himself and the Federation. As for that Federation general whom he was thinking of, he was actually the biggest motivation for him in defecting to the Federation.
But alas, there was none! No wide and farsighted character, and no general was present.
This person who had consecutively seen through his combat plan was merely a first lieutenant, a first lieutenant who did not have any power. Furthermore, this first lieutenant was also the person who had saved him—that fatty who exterminated half of the soldiers pursuing him.
This first lieutenant felt as if he had a blood sea of vengeance against him, and the entire road of suffering was something Russell could not even forget until now!
Just like the disappointment that could not be described, the currently shocked Russell was similarly feeling something indescribable!
What character was this first lieutenant exactly? How could he actually be part of the special forces? How could he be the one who was able to rescue him from the hands of the Myth Legion after entering deep into the rear enemy lines and also the stellar military staff officer who was so outstanding that he could consecutively see through his plans and almost single-handedly change the entire outcome of the battle on Miracolo!?
A first lieutenant… He was a first lieutenant! But, why was he just a first lieutenant? Why?
All sorts of feelings welled up in Russell’s heart as disappointment and shock intertwined within, preventing him from being able to calm down!
At the same time, shock was surging through Federation President Hamilton and Supreme Headquarters’ General Sergei Eisenstein as well.
They had long heard of the name of this first lieutenant and have heard of how he had led a platoon of special scouts to bring out over 200 Federation prisoners-of-war. The Federation had made this a huge issue that led to not only the international society discussing and criticising the Gyaca Woods Empire, but even some of the nations that the Federation was working closely with had borrowed this opportunity to stop their commercial trades with the Gyaca Woods Empire. Even those that were iron allies of the Gyaca Woods could only provide aid to this inhumane nation in the dark.
This was also the first time the population’s support of the president and the military had reached a high of 80%!
He had similarly seen through the first combat plan of Russell. The President’s Office and the Supreme Headquarters had almost made a mistake with [Operation Lightning], which could have possibly sent the Newton Galaxy to its funeral! If not for this first lieutenant, the Federation would have long been defeated, and the president and the military would have become sinners in history!
Who would have thought that this second time, he had similarly been the one to see through the plans of Russell? Not only had he turn around the complete defeat, but he had even settled the entire outcome with a single move. Today, everyone could sit here and celebrate the overall triumph of Newton Galaxy largely because of this first lieutenant!
History was filled with too many coincidences. Bernadotte had merely coincidentally thought that this Battle Mecha engineer, who did not seem outstanding, was someone who met opportunities to contribute a first order merit as a counterfeit hero, thus he decided to send him to the front lines, but that eventually saved the Federation.
Hamilton looked towards Tian Xing Jian and the interesting expressions on Russell’s face. He had a sudden thought of laughing out loud wantonly! Madly! Coincidence! That was something which is so damningly interesting!
It seemed that luck was on the side of the Federation!
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