The Truth on the Front Lines

After taking the graduation certificate from Li Fulai and being told that the academy would hold a commissioning ceremony for him at 3 PM, Lin Fan and Emma left the simulation battle building.

"Are you leaving today?"

Emma asked softly as she walked beside Lin Fan.

"Yeah, the commander said he'd take me away after the commissioning ceremony this afternoon."

"But the front lines right now... Mm."

Just as Emma was about to say something, Lin Fan reached out and covered her small mouth.

"I know about the front lines, and I know more than you do."

Emma stared blankly at Lin Fan with her beautiful eyes. She didn't understand how Lin Fan could know. This information should have been thoroughly blocked. Unless one was from a prominent family like Campbell, it would be absolutely impossible to obtain it.

That's right, even though the Federation appeared peaceful now, the reality was quite different.

In the mere decade since humanity established the Federation and began its interstellar expansion, they had incorporated three star systems—Proxima Centauri, Barnard's Star, and Epsilon Eridani—into the Federation.

Humanity was swept up in a fervor of interstellar exploration. However, to their surprise, just a few years later, they encountered the powerful Oakes Empire in space.

Who struck first was no longer important. Under the jungle law of the universe, attacking another civilization didn't require any so-called righteousness.

Over the next thirty years, the Federation and the Oakes civilization engaged in countless large-scale battles.

They fought from Epsilon Eridani to Barnard's Star, and from Barnard's Star to Proxima Centauri.

Ultimately, all three fleets outside the Federation's Solar System were annihilated, and Proxima Centauri, Barnard's Star, and Epsilon Eridani all fell.

At this point, only the Fourth Fleet, stationed in the Solar System, remained of the human Federation's four main fleets.

The total number of warships had plummeted from a peak of 150,000 to 30,000, with the Fourth Fleet accounting for 20,000 and the Garrison Fleet for 10,000.

Meanwhile, the Oakes Empire's 200,000 warships were heading directly for the Solar System.

In Federation Year 52, the Oakes fleet entered the Solar System. At this moment, Liang Xingchen, who had just become the commander of the Fourth Fleet, withstood the pressure and ordered all fleets to retreat to Mars Base.

Liang Xingchen knew that with a tenfold disparity in fighting strength, there was absolutely no chance of victory in a head-on confrontation.

No matter how strong he was, in a direct engagement, he could at best achieve a 1:3 casualty ratio, which was his limit. The only opportunity was to use the Asteroid Belt to find a chance to break through the enemy.

Soon, due to the lack of defense, the Oakes Empire's fleet advanced all the way to Jupiter. At this point, only a small asteroid belt separated the two sides.

Three months later, the Oakes Empire's 200,000 warships entered the Asteroid Belt, and Liang Xingchen finally found an opportunity to set up an ambush.

This battle lasted for a full three days, ultimately concluding with the Federation's Fourth Fleet losing 8,000 warships, the Oakes Empire losing 80,000 warships, and the latter retreating back to Jupiter.

It was precisely this battle that established Liang Xingchen's status as the God of War of the Federation.

Subsequently, for internal stability, the Federation altered the publicly released battle records to state that the Oakes Empire's 200,000 warships had been completely annihilated, and it was widely publicized that the Oakes Empire had been defeated, leading all Federation citizens to believe the war was over.

However, the truth was that despite the Oakes Empire's immense losses, they still had 120,000 warships at Jupiter, and humanity was still confined within the Asteroid Belt, unable to advance.

Furthermore, according to Liang Xingchen's assessment, the Oakes Empire had not organized a second offensive in these past few years, likely in anticipation of reinforcements.

Therefore, humanity's current situation was quite dire, in stark contrast to the seemingly prosperous and peaceful atmosphere within the Federation.

"Don't worry, maybe by the time you come to Mars Base next year, I'll already be a General."

"Heh, you're only 19 now, aren't you? You want to be a General by 20 next year? You're dreaming too big! Even Admiral Liang Xingchen became a Major General at 28!"

"Then let's make a bet. If you come to Mars Base next year and I've already become a Major General, will you be my girlfriend?"

"Who's going to make a bet with you!"

Emma's face instantly turned red, and she turned to flee.

"So dishonest! Sigh, I have to leave this afternoon. I should report to the old man, what a hassle!"

Lin Fan then returned to his dormitory to pack, but before he could do that, there was something he needed to do first: call his father.

Soon, the communicator connected, and a stern voice came through.

"This is Lin Zhen!"

"It's me."

"Speak!"

"I completed my graduation assessment ahead of time. After the commissioning ceremony this afternoon, I'll be heading to Mars Base with Admiral Liang Xingchen. I'm just letting you know."

"Is that so?"

"Is that so? I say, old man, can you stop being so stingy with your words every time?"

"What's there to say to you, you brat? Get lost! I'm very busy!"

"When are you not busy?"

"What do you think I am, you? Don't think I don't know, you brat spends all your time in the academy sleeping!"

"What's wrong with me sleeping? Sleeping brings me joy, sleeping makes me strong, and no matter how much I sleep, I'm still the strongest!"

"You! You're going to anger me to death."

Although angry, Lin Zhen couldn't refute it. Lin Fan truly did get stronger the more he slept.

This was utterly unbelievable. According to reports from his subordinates, this brat slept in class and slept after class.

In short, he was always looking for opportunities to sleep, but the problem was that this guy actually got stronger the more he slept. After sleeping for a few years, not a single instructor in the entire academy could match him.

He was such a well-behaved and diligent child when he was young, how did he turn out like this as an adult?

Lin Zhen grew more and more frustrated the more he thought about it.

"Alright, old man, I just came to say goodbye. Who knows if we'll have another chance to talk again?"

Lin Zhen fell silent. Others might not know, but he, as the President of the Federation, certainly knew the situation on the front lines.

As for Lin Fan, Lin Zhen didn't want his position to negatively impact Lin Fan's growth, so he had kept Lin Fan's information confidential from a very early age. The publicly released information was a modified, false profile.

Therefore, not even the academy's dean, Li Fulai, knew that Lin Fan was the son of the President of the Federation.

For a moment, neither of them spoke, the atmosphere becoming somewhat silent.

"Be careful. I don't want to be a parent sending off their child."

"You should be the one paying more attention to your health!"

"."

Speaking of which, the conversations between father and son, Lin Zhen and Lin Fan, were always like this. They seemed to bicker all day, but in reality, they cared deeply for each other. This was their unique way of communicating.

After ending the communication, Lin Fan began to pack up. Seeing that he still had plenty of time, he immediately flopped onto the bed. Sleep? Oh no, it was training!

At 3 PM, in the academy's central auditorium, all students and instructors were gathered for the commissioning ceremony.

The assembled students were quite bewildered. Wasn't the commissioning ceremony held only once a year? The last one had just finished, so why was there another one? Who was being commissioned?

Not only the students but even the instructors were completely baffled.

It wasn't until Li Fulai took the stage and spoke that everyone erupted.