by Zhttty
Ivan and Peto, though, believed that a section of the crafts should be given to the scientists. At least 5 crafts should be exclusive to biologists, geologists, and other scientists from related fields that needed to conduct sampling and analysis on the planet. The arguments were incessant.
Yao Yuan and Bo Li stood and watched in silence. Bo Li surreptitiously pulled her hand out of Yao Yuan’s grasp and a faint blush rose to her face.
Yao Yuan didn’t notice Bo Li’s action. He stared at the three people arguing before him, and instead of annoyance, he felt gratified and satisfied as it meant that his efforts were not for naught and his struggle to be fair was validated…
After the first tour craft was manufactured, it was tried out by the Black Star Troopers to ensure its safety. Then everyone on the Hope went through every possible channel to find out more about the tours. The common questions were: are the seats purchased through H-coins? Is the seating only available for certain people? How to get selected?
Everything about the tour craft was the talk of the town.
Yao Yuan thought that this might happen, so details about the seating arrangement and the tours were quickly released on the Hope Weekly.
First, H-coins weren’t required because the selection arrangement had its own criteria. It had nothing to do with one’s wealth or societal position.
If you were a direct relative to an individual honored with the hero, the warrior, the guardian, or the defender’s badge, then you would be given priority according to that order.
After that, if the date of birth on your children’s id could show that he or she was born on the Hope, you too could register for the tour, but your priority would be after the previous four noted groups of individuals.
Lastly were the children who ascended the Hope when he or she was less than 10 years old.
Yao Yuan also specifically relegated 3 tour crafts to the Academy, but they were renamed inspection crafts.
Finally, 2 months after the war with the mother nest, the first batch of civilians stepped onto firm ground again. Before their eyes was a verdant paradise…
At that moment, the eyes of every adult were filled with tears…
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Chapter188 Training
Jerry successfully became a Black Star Trooper. He was now part of the 9th trooper unit.
The unit had a total of 15 members, including himself. 12 of the 15 were newbies. In other words, there were only 3 troopers in his unit that survived the mother nest war. Moreover, according to rumors, only his unit leader, Sub Lieutenant Haweza, was an actual veteran. The other 2 were only slightly more senior than himself.
It was 3 months after the mother nest war. The prominent planet tours had been going on for a month, and it finished carrying about 25,000 people to tour the planet. This was only a small portion of the Hope’s total population, and many who had the required criteria still stood waiting for their turn. Those who didn’t have the requirement could only satisfy themselves with the pictures and videos brought back by their friends or neighbors. They were so envious that their eyes were tearing up.
However, none of the Black Star Troopers had the time to be envious because they needed to use the 3 months to familiarize themselves with the Ultimate Vaccine.
All of the new troopers were injected with the Ultimate Vaccine and Potion X since they were all Homo Evolutis. This would allow them to safely breathe in the new planet’s air and drink its water. However, the benefits came with its own adversities as well. For a long period of time after injecting the Ultimate Vaccine, the new troopers would walk around with bruises all over from constant tripping. Thankfully, they managed to familiarize themselves with the new sensation within the 3 months.
Early that morning, all 15 members of the 9th unit gathered at the hangar. Wearing his space armor prototype 1 complete with a pair of Gaussian rifle and sawblade, unit leader Haweza frowned at the 14 merry-making soldiers before him. He thought about what Guang Zhen, the defense unit’s general and Black Star Trooper’s vice general, told him yesterday.
"Sub lieutenant Haweza, with your experience as an ex US marine lieutenant, I believe you have your own opinion on the current state of the Hope’s military. It’s appalling, I know; any trained military man or woman would say the same.
"In terms of technology and weaponry, we’re miles ahead of Earth’s old military. In fact, any defense unit battalion could rival Earth’s trained armored unit. Alas, combat capability alone doesn’t define what makes a good soldier. Without the necessary discipline, self-awareness, willingness to sacrifice for the greater good, and most importantly, the ingrained instinct to follow orders on the battlefield, can we still call them soldiers?
"The defense unit has its own regime to fix all these weaknesses, but it is slightly unique with the Black Star Troopers. You are mankind’s ultimate military unit, so there can’t be fear or reluctance during danger or combat. You are to make sure that you are as strong as steel! You must be the end to any threat to mankind! You must fight for humanity! You must be feared but mustn’t have fear!
Sub Lieutenant Haweza, I want you to train the troopers with the most severe training possible! Ignore the fact that they are valuable Homo Evolutis, because they are only cowards at the moment! Only after real training can they become mankind’s protectors. So ignore their cries of fatigue and distress and whip them into shape! Don’t hold back and train them to become fearless fighters!"
Haweza remembered distinctly what happened during the combat with the mother nest’s monsters. There were not only deserters from the Defense Unit, there were Black Star Troopers that were afraid to get into the heat of the battle. When he stood behind Guang Zhen as the man executed the scared soldier, all that went through his mind wasn’t Guang Zhen’s ruthlessness but his family back in the Hope, his wife and son. If they fell, his family was going to become nutrients for the alien… He was not going to let that happen!
Therefore, he had to fight. He hated and despised those that didn’t!
Guang Zhen was right, cowards should die from shame!
Haweza calmed himself and ordered loudly, "Listen up, kids, there will be no theoretical lesson, no shooting range or physical training… Today, we, the 9th unit, shall start our field training!"
The 14 people were mentally ready because about half a month ago, units 1, 2, and 3 had started their field training. Of course, those 3 units had more veterans in them. In fact, most of the members were from the Black Star Unit itself. They had no newbies, and the newest member for them had survived the mother nest war, so instead of calling it field training, for the first 3 units, it was more of a body warming.
Actual training started with the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th units. They descended from the Hope to the new planet. They needed to hunt the planet’s animals. Surviving on the planet’s water, fruits, and plants, that was the gist of field training. The news of their training had the members from units 9 and 10 excited, and today it was finally their turn.
Haweza looked at his team with a steely gaze. After a while, he continued, "This is survival training, so rookies, don’t try to emulate what you saw on the actual Black Star Troopers’ combat video; you’re still too fresh. Don’t say I didn’t warn you that this training might be fatal. There are some native species on this planet that are especially strong. The first, second, and third units’ training was to eliminate them, to prevent them from posing a threat to the human capital in the future. Our training objective was to eliminate creatures that were one tier lower than theirs!"
Suddenly, a teen asked, "Sub Lieutenant, but no matter how strong they are, they won’t be stronger than the alien monsters, right?"
Haweza chuckled grimly, adding, "You’re wrong! Half a month ago, our scouting unit found a bunch of monster carcasses. They deduced that about 300 monsters had perished there, including the 3-meter-long sawblade-inspired super close-quarter mons
ter type that was the stuff of nightmares. There were bite marks all over the bodies. Later they found out that this carnage was done by a group of 6 native creatures. Thankfully, there are few of them left, or they would be a bigger threat than the alien monsters!"
All 14 troopers were shocked into silence. However, their expressions were that of disbelief, thinking Haweza was toying with them.
Regardless, 10 minutes later, the transport shuttle for this unit finished preparing. Everyone put on their assigned gear and descended from the Hope to the surface of their new home planet.
Their landing spot was the delta plain, specifically a spot that toed the forest beyond. All 15 troopers stepped out of the shuttle, taking in the view through their helmets.
Haweza spoke into the communicator, "You return to the ship first. I believe we’ll not be needing your service in the coming week."
"… Alright, all the best to you, Sub Lieutenant. You can reach me through the Hope if there’s an emergency."
The shuttle lifted off into the air, leaving behind the 15 Black Star Troopers.
Haweza wasted no time to admire the scenery. He removed his helmet and took a in a deep breath. The remaining 14 troopers tossed him a surprised look.
"Kids, what are you staring at? Remove your helmets, the Ultimate Vaccine enables you to breath in this planet’s air directly, or do you prefer to enjoy the planet through a sheet of glass like the touring civilians? Be men!" Haweza said with a guffaw.
The rest hesitated slightly before removing their helmets. They sucked in the air quickly. The air was moist, mixed with a bouquet of aromas. A mixture of earthiness and dewy freshness. It was a smell that wasn’t present on the Hope, a distinct difference to the sterilized air ‘created’ by the system.
As the 14 troopers took in the air with their eyes closed, Haweza squatted down to find a sliver of purple grass among a bush of weeds. He pulled it up and a pink-colored bulb hung among its roots. He patted the dirt away and threw it into his mouth. He then chewed on it with a satisfied smile.
"Kids, this is going to be our new planet. Treasures are hidden everywhere. The grass that I just pulled is very common on this planet, and its roots grow a bulbous petiole. Analysis showed that it is a good source of carbohydrates and filled with multiple vitamins. It could very well be our staple food in the future."
Haweza straightened himself and looked around emotionally. Then he narrowed them at his unit. "Listen up, kids! The Black Star Troopers are mankind’s most powerful and important military unit, and our existence is to protect humanity’s safety! To do that, we must be fearless, strong, and tenacious!
"Therefore, forget everything about your previous comfortable lifestyle! From today onwards, we will commit to a weeklong survival training and locate plus eliminate the creatures that pose danger to humanity! The Black Star Troopers don’t need cowards! I’ve been given the right to execute anyone that refuses orders during training and combat. His family will be informed that he is a despicable deserter and that he has died from shame!
And now we depart because training has begun!"
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Chapter189 Feng Xiao Chen
10 AM…
Xiao Chen yawned and rubbed her blurry eyes. She then walked into the bathroom with her tussled hair. After a quick bathroom routine, she reappeared as a cute girl, looking about 17 in age. She had on a simple garter dress, showing off her youth.
In reality, Xiao Chen was already 22, but the mesomeric technology had doubled mankind’s life expectancy. In other words, Xiao Chen could maintain her youthful appearance for another 10 years. This was a feature well-loved by the women of the Hope, and they hadn’t stopped using the technology ever since it was introduced.
Xiao Chen pulled open the door to her fridge and extricated from within a pitcher of milk, cake, and fresh fruits, like strawberries. However, she didn’t take a bite out of any of them. She set them up nicely and walked into a room. 15 minutes later, a blushing Xiao Chen wheeled Jay out. The man had a pale complexion and looked like he was asleep. He was strapped into the chair with belts, and a drip hung at his side.
"Good morning… It’s time for breakfast, Big Liar. Today’s breakfast is milk and cake. I baked it myself. See, I burned my fingers baking it; look at the ugly bandage."
Xiao Chen moved the cake closer to the sleeping man and waved her bandaged index finger in front of his face. Jay gave no visible response, not even a flutter of his lashes.
Xiao Chen, though, seemed to have gotten used to this kind of one-sided interaction. She giggled to herself and started to have her breakfast. After she cleared everything away, she moved behind Jay and said, "It’s time for our daily walk. You lucky fella, you have a gorgeous girl willing to accompany you on your walks, a girl you’ve cheated at that. You should definitely feel honored."
Xiao Chen pushed Jay out of their crowded room. After passing a few blocks, they stopped at a small pavilion. Xiao Chen sat down on an empty bench. The passing crowd examined the unusual couple, many tossing them respectful and admiring looks.
After the incident on the meteorite base, Jay had gone into a coma from over-exhausting his Deceiver’s power. His condition had gotten better after the past few years. Before the 4th revolution, Jay had to be plugged into the life support system to keep him alive, but with the improvement in medical technology and surgery, he only needed a daily glucose drip to prevent his body from dying.
Ever since then, Xiao Chen had been taking care of Jay. Yao Yuan offered her a special job, to be responsible for constant care of mankind’s hero. He allowed her all the benefits she needed to survive without an actual job. This way she could focus on caring for Jay. Other than that, a medical crew visited Jay at Xiao Chen’s residence every week to conduct the necessary examinations. This policy had lasted until now.
To his surprise, the fiery Xiao Chen agreed with all his arrangements. She cloistered herself in her own home to take full care of Jay. She would talk to him and clean his body every day. Basically, except the obvious, she did all the work like she was his wife.
It had been 3 months since the war with the mother nest, and about 25,000 people had visited the new home planet. Needless to say, Xiao Chen desired to join them. She wanted to see and touch nature for herself. Her girlish nature compelled her to do so. However, she could only satisfy herself with clippings of animals and plants pictures published in the Hope Weekly. She could approach Yao Yuan for special permission to join the tour, and he would agree, but… she couldn’t leave Jay behind.
Sitting at the pavilion, Xiao Chen sighed. She used her fingers to tidy up Jay’s hair that was windblown. As she fussed over him, she said, "Big Liar, could you please wake up? I want you to take my hand and we’ll race across this new planet like how we did when we were on Planet Sahara."
Her words fell on deaf ears. She leaned back in her chair and the two of them spent the rest of the morning sitting quietly by each other’s side. When Xiao Chen was ready to push Jay back home, an electromobile stopped by the pavilion and down strode a young man in army fatigue.
"Xiao Chen, I knew you would be here… Still nothing from Jay?" The young man walked towards Xiao Chen and Jay once he descended.
Xiao Chen was familiar with this young man. He was Jay’s comrade and close friend, Zhang Heng. Even though Jay had become comatose, the Hope didn’t forget about him. Not only did its citizens still remember him as a hero, members of the Black Star Unit came to visit him often. Even the busy Yao Yuan came over once a week. Zhang Heng visited them pretty much whenever he was free. He would bring over fresh fruits for Xiao Chen sometimes, causing his friends, Mao Miao and Ning Xue, to suspect he had found himself a girlfriend.
Xiao Chen smiled politely, saying, "Zhang Heng, you’re here to visit Jay again? He’s still the same old, same old. The doctor told me to keep on conversing with him. One day, he’ll reply."
Zhang Heng sa
t down beside her and Xiao Chen could sense the atmosphere getting solemn. Finally he said, "Xiao Chen, I’m here today to take Jay away…"
Xiao Chen’s expression dropped immediately. She forced a smile and said, "Zhang Heng, what happened? Did the Captain have other orders? Or what I did wasn’t good enough?"
Zhang Heng waved his hands hurriedly. "No, it’s not that. Actually, I need to bring him to get the Ultimate Vaccine and Potion X injection. You should’ve seen the reports on the papers; every Homo Evolutis needs the injection. It allows them to breathe in the new planet’s air directly."
Xiao Chen’s expression relaxed slightly, and she asked worriedly, "But he’s still in a coma. Can his body survive such an injection? Plus, he can’t join the Troopers in his condition; what would be the use of the injection? Plus, you said you have to take him away…"
Zhang Heng was silent before saying, "Because some experts believe that for a half brain-dead patient like Jay, he needs a certain degree of stimulation before he can regain consciousness. Of course we won’t expose him to any danger, but honestly, we have a good source of stimulation at the ready, which is to allow him contact with nature, actual grass, flowers, sunlight, air, and maybe even seawater. I agree it might not work, but it’s still better than letting him waste away inside the Hope. Therefore, the Captain ordered to have him injected with the vaccine cocktail and then move him into a small room built down there. Ebon and myself are tasked with looking after him."
Xiao Chen got paler as their conversation continued. She lowered her head and asked softly, "Can I… get the vaccine injection too?"
Zhang Heng was surprised by her request. He scratched his head and replied, "I don’t think so. Component X is something naturally produced by the Homo Evolutis. We’ve tried using it on animals before, and every single one of them has died. Therefore, Yao Yuan has a strict ban against using the potion on normal civilians. Xiao Chen… you are not a Homo Evolutis, are you?"