Fortress No. 76 Ruins, the construction site of a supply transit fortress still under development.
A small transport plane landed at a makeshift airfield. The hatch opened, and a man and woman supported each other as they jumped down.
The man wore a crisp suit and had his hair neatly combed. He carried himself with an air he had only recently cultivated. The gentle smile at the corners of his mouth and his mild gaze made him seem quite approachable.
The woman looked very young, dressed in a simple pleated skirt and white blouse. Her pretty face and clear, wide eyes made her seem like a female student who had just graduated from fortress school.
In reality, Xiang Tiantian was not that old, with more than a decade between her and Zhou Zhengde.
Old Zhou really was an old bull working the fields.
"Director Zhou!"
The construction manager, who had been waiting for some time, stepped forward to greet him.
Zhou Zhengde smiled and shook his hand, saying mildly, "The higher-ups sent me to inspect the construction progress. Really, it's just a formality."
"I'll take you straight to the site... Does your assistant need to rest?"
"My fiancée."
"Oh, sorry, sorry," the official said awkwardly. "She doesn't look well. Is she airsick?"
Xiang Tiantian blinked and whispered, "I'm a Psionicist... S-Class... I just used too much foundation."
Zhou Zhengde nearly laughed out loud.
There really had been no need to explain that much.
"Let her walk around with me," Zhou Zhengde said, looking out over the desert where yellow sand filled the air.
The battle nine months ago still seemed to be right before his eyes.
That day, massive Blade Beasts had burst from the earth in every direction, and an endless Blade Beast Tide had surged toward this place.