Chapter 9
Giant reddish-brown, writhing strips of uneven heights and thicknesses roamed and spread through different settings. They quickly surrounded abandoned buildings, and the growths that climbed to the highest points of their roofs swayed in clockwise circles, looking just like antennas receiving signals or scanning their surroundings.
The system cheerfully told him, "Humanity has expanded its territory into outer space, after all. It's normal to encounter alien life."
The presenter's broadcast continued.
"As one of the habitable planets in the Andromeda Galaxy, Red Maple has likewise been plagued by them, with Red City suffering the worst."
"Red City originally had 38 districts, but it has been forced to surrender nearly half of that territory due to the uncontrollable spread of Type I 'Devils.' They have also fought for years along the largest district, South District 13, trying to push toward the city center and leaving the public fearful and uneasy."
The high-definition footage showed the same deserted city ruins he had briefly visited yesterday. This time, however, there were far more military vehicles, including warships and mechas. As the flashes of battle overlapped and stretched across the scene, the red monsters on all sides burst into clouds of red mist, one after another.
Then, very quickly, they began gathering again.
Xu Qingran drank his water, watching intently.
His fingers even began to itch, and something seemed to seethe and surge in his blood.
"Fortunately, according to the latest news, the dire situation in South District 13 of Red City was finally alleviated last night following a raid by Golden Wing Elite Team C. Their forces located the source crystal that the Type I 'Devils' in South District 13 used to control and grow before Silver Dragon Camp did, and successfully destroyed it. This not only dealt a severe blow to the Type I 'Devil' swarm in the district, but also temporarily thwarted their attempt to invade South District 11."
The scene changed to an indoor interview space.
"Hello, viewers. I'm Chen Feng, a presenter with the empire's official team." The male presenter on camera spoke as he awkwardly extended a hand toward the person beside him. "The gentleman being interviewed beside me is Colonel Xie Nanjun of Golden Wing Headquarters."
The man sitting in the armchair was only in his twenties. At those words, he pursed his lips and removed his hat, revealing short hair as golden as sunlight. He crossed his long legs, looking as arrogant as a lord, and nodded expressionlessly at the camera, appearing thoroughly aloof.
Or he would have, if he hadn't had a lollipop in his mouth.
The presenter asked, "Colonel Xie, I hear you were the captain of this raid. Were you also the one who pinpointed the final, crucial location of the source crystal in South District 13?"
"Mm..." The blond young man on camera frowned, his speech muffled, probably because of the candy in his mouth.
Before he could remove it himself, a hand reached in from off camera and mercilessly plucked the lollipop from his mouth, as if reminding him to behave properly.
Xie Nanjun was angry but didn't dare speak up. He reluctantly sat up straight. "Not at all. The source crystal in South District 13 of Red City is famously hard to find. For a task that difficult, of course we had to rely on our great Admiral Shen to get it done."
When he mentioned his superior, there was a hint of gritted teeth in his voice.
Chapter 5: A Poor-Quality Match
For the first time, Xu Qingran heard someone else in this world mention someone who sounded like his conquest target.
Unfortunately, he had only heard the name and had yet to see the man.
"Admiral Shen truly is a rare talent in the empire."
The presenter smiled and continued, "Although the royal family has explicitly announced that areas contaminated by alien 'Devils' will be open to the forces of both camps regardless of jurisdiction, Red City is still a city under Silver Dragon's jurisdiction."
"This time, Golden Wing got ahead of Silver Dragon and alleviated a problem that had plagued Red City for years. I also hear there are plans to deal with several other severely affected areas. Colonel Xie, if things continue to go smoothly, will Golden Wing take over the operations against them on Red Maple Star from Silver Dragon entirely?"
"If Golden Wing does succeed in bringing Red Maple Star back to life, would it also consider applying to the empire for the right to govern this territory, with such a great achievement to its name?"
The empire's official presenters, always eager to watch the excitement, had never shied away from asking about topics as sensitive and popular as this.
The man on the sofa fell silent for a full ten seconds.
Just when it seemed he was about to give some tactful official answer, he chuckled and said, "Ah, isn't it only natural for Golden Wing to solve the problem before Silver Dragon?"
His tone was flippant.
"We only stepped in to handle Red Maple's troubles because it was convenient."
"Red Maple is one of the transit hubs for transporting all kinds of supplies. If alien life-forms took it over, it would be a real headache for us in Golden Wing too."
As he spoke, he tilted his chin slightly toward the camera. "Of course, if Silver Dragon really can't keep up, they shouldn't put on airs. We wouldn't mind helping them take over a few more planets."
"After all, aren't we in Golden Wing the capable ones who should do more?"
Arrogant and asking for a beating.
The presenter on the news was stunned.
Xu Qingran fell silent for a few seconds, then laughed.
An earthshaking roar came from the hall on the same floor of the hospital.
"Fuuuck—"
"Xie Nanjun, fuck you... I was only away on a business trip for one day!!!"
The person who had shouted was a young woman beside the hall.
Her wavy hair was tied in a high ponytail, the same golden color as Xie Nanjun's on the television. She wore a white coat, and after seeing the news, she rushed out of the hospital, her high heels clattering.
The people in the hall, including the medical staff, were somewhat dumbfounded.
Xu Qingran watched the hospital's automatic doors open and slowly close again, then chuckled twice more.
He recalled the scene from the news.
Suddenly, he felt the new world might be even more interesting than he had thought.
More than an hour later, the reading on Xu Qingran's wristwatch finally dropped a little.
Although he still had a fever, his head was at least much clearer than when he had woken up that afternoon. He didn't leave the hospital immediately. Instead, following the system's directions, he quietly made his way to a secluded corner on the ninth floor where few people passed.
The system said, "This is the back entrance to the soul-matching studio. It's also a surveillance blind spot."