A Complaint Session?

Yu Lian and his companions continued their march through the canyon. The narrow passage suddenly opened up, revealing a relatively spacious area, just as he had described, about half the size of a football field. However, the rock walls on both sides sloped inwards towards the sky, forming a narrow strip of light at the very top. It was as if a grand hall had been carved out of the mountains specifically for receiving guests.

It was around four in the morning.

"Rest for four hours," Yu Lian ordered.

The soldiers finally breathed a sigh of relief. Even though it was this late, after several battles, they couldn't fall asleep right away. They took out their field rations. This was the most peaceful and proper meal they had eaten in twelve hours.

Nurse Belinda, cradling her carefully prepared late-night snack—which was essentially a simple sandwich with at most two extra slices of lunch meat compared to everyone else's—approached Yu Lian cautiously. Yu Lian, who was fiddling with some large sausages, or rather, makeshift biological batteries, didn't even look up. He casually took the sandwich and devoured it in a few bites.

The little nurse stood to the side, looking dejected. She only left, feeling even more disheartened, after Ina (and Uncle Karl) had walked over and sat down next to Yu Lian.

Chewing on the lean, low-salt sandwich, Yu Lian thought that the field rations in the space age were still inferior to the self-heating Mapo Tofu and Laziji from his hometown. He then opened the tightly sealed "large sausages" and poured a handful of pre-prepared steel ball bearings into them.

"So, this way, the biological batteries turn into electromagnetic bombs? Just like you did in the mountains before?" Karl asked. He must have heard from others about what Yu Lian had done in the mountains.

"If I add thermite powder and iron oxide, they'll become incendiary bombs. So, I'm making two of each," Yu Lian replied.

The old mechanic didn't understand weapons chemistry well, but he knew that while this kind of modification sounded simple, it would require great skill from the operator, especially without precise instruments. Yet, seeing Yu Lian's inexplicably proficient movements, it was clear he had practiced this many times.

"Are all Moonfolk monsters?" Uncle Karl exclaimed in awe.

"Moonfolk aren't monsters; it's just that Officer Yu Lian is quite special. The top students from the Elite Bureau only learned to eat wrapped in feather blankets like imperial nobles. I've only seen this kind of unexpected behavior from him so far," Ina said.

"Well, my classmates had quite a few talented individuals..." After all, they were the famous Class of '830! They were the last batch of renowned generals born after the Lunar Military Academy was established. On one hand, the great era was about to dawn, providing a stage for creating history; on the other hand, everyone was truly talented, as if the glory, courage, and wisdom of the entire Commonwealth, of all Earthlings, were concentrated in this single cohort.

Even so, it was still...

Thinking of this, Yu Lian felt a pang of melancholy. He quickly lowered his head and then heard Ina say, "I also attended a six-month short-term course at the military academy. Although it wasn't as prestigious as the Lunar Military Academy, it was a proper higher education institution for ground assault. They definitely didn't teach this. So, I'm more curious about your experiences outside of the academy?"

Those who become famous must have extraordinary qualities! This sensitivity was far beyond that of ordinary people.

Although Yu Lian couldn't see it, he could feel her gaze, which was so bright it made him uneasy. So, while continuing to tinker with the bombs, he said casually, "You want to learn? I'll teach you!"

This was like teaching Teacher Liu to sell pirated DVDs, teaching the Ming Cult leader to open a restaurant, or teaching an iKun to sing, rap, and play basketball. The satisfaction of this was known only to those who experienced it.

"I'd rather learn how you determined the location of those two giant burrowing bugs. Did you just put your hand on the ground to sense them? You shouldn't have awakened yet then, right? Do ordinary sensitives have such strong senses? I'm quite confident in my own senses."

Yu Lian paused slightly and looked up at her.

"I know I'm a sensitive; I've known for a year now," Ina said frankly.

This time, it was Old Uncle Karl who was surprised. He clearly had just found out as well.

"Hey, this... Ina, then why are you still..."

Why are you still stuck in this godforsaken place? That's a psionic, you know. Now, the Commonwealth was just preparing to emulate the Empire and the Alliance by establishing its own psionic cultivation groups and special forces. Not to mention awakened individuals, they would welcome any sensitive with potential. Especially for a frontline non-commissioned officer like Ina with actual combat experience, if she applied, she would likely be transferred back to Earth within a month, instantly promoted from NCO to officer, and her advancement would be no slower than any academy graduate.

After all, the academy graduates were just "elite bureaucrats," but psionics were superheroes! What civilization wouldn't worship superheroes? Especially those who were officially part of the system!

Uncle Karl's startled reaction drew everyone's attention. Dr. Banks, thinking something had happened, rushed over, causing everyone to gather around.

"It's nothing. I was just telling everyone that I've been a sensitive for a long time. I just never mentioned it," Ina said calmly.

Then, Uncle Karl's startled reaction spread like a contagion, more potent than any future plague bug, infecting everyone in an instant.

"I quite like New Jade Gate. Although there's a lot of sand and wild beasts and bandits everywhere in the wilderness, and the latest dramas and movies are always half a year behind those from the Galactic Core, I grew up here after all. I've never been to Earth in my life. I heard it's too prosperous, and I'm afraid I'll get lost if I go." Ina shrugged.

"There are many small places full of human warmth too, like my hometown," Yu Lian mumbled softly.

"But, but, Sergeant Major, that's Earth, after all..." The nurse's face was full of regret. If Ina hadn't had such high prestige in the military, she would have been tempted to pry open her head to see what was inside.

Dr. Banks looked at Ina in surprise, then at Yu Lian, as if trying to figure out what commonalities psionics had in appearance, but his gaze was a bit strange, as if he wanted to see something glittering and golden emanating from the two of them.

Sergeant Youyou whistled, "I heard that psionics get an annual allowance of over a million! And they also get rewarded with a 150-square-meter apartment in Pearl City or the Big Apple!"

"Over a million..." Bearman Sergeant Baka exclaimed, his small eyes starting to gleam.

"Girl, I truly hope you understand what you've given up?" Even the most composed Uncle Karl looked full of regret.

They truly couldn't understand Ina's choice, each of them lamenting as if she had missed out on a fortune.

"My old factory was acquired by a consortium from the Alliance. Although I still had some skills, how could someone like me, who used to lead workers in protests against the acquisition, still be kept on? But I still have a wife and children, so I had to find a place to earn a living. Later, I saw the Governor-General's Office recruitment advertisement, and people like me could receive Sergeant Major treatment and technical allowances, so I just took the plunge and came here."

Uncle Karl's meaning was clear. If it weren't for the money, he definitely wouldn't have come to this New Jade Gate.

"Me? Sigh, studying medicine is very expensive. My family had already spent all their savings, but I still couldn't afford those top medical universities. I also don't have any elders who are famous doctors or hospital directors, so I could only work in remote small hospitals with very low income. However... I have a younger brother! He's much smarter than me and has always been good at studying. I convinced my parents to send him to study in the Empire, and then I boarded the ship to New Jade Gate," Dr. Banks said.

"Me, hehehe, I was never good at studying! And if I continued to hang around in the neighborhood, I'd either end up being a thug for the Black (Meow) Gang or selling drugs. I always thought I could be a great rapper! Wait, guys, why are you looking at me like that? I'm really good... Listen to me, yo yo yo, uh, okay, okay, if no one supports me, I won't be famous. But I still have my mom, four younger brothers, and three younger sisters at home, so I had to do something, right? So I boarded the ship," Youyou said.

"My... farm back home went bankrupt. I also have a daughter who isn't in good health and needs gene repair injections once a month. If I serve in New Jade Gate, the Garrison Command can provide my daughter with a suite in Tulon and free medical care every month," the Bearman Sergeant said.

The garrison doesn't have such good benefits; they just covet your strength... or rather, your innate power! Yu Lian thought.

But then again, why did it feel like a bit of a sob story session? Maybe, before achieving the small goal of going home, let's set another small goal?

"Um, Officer, what's it like to be a psionic?" the nurse asked abruptly, blinking her eyes.

"What, you want to become a psionic too?"

"Hehehe, who wouldn't want to? Everyone says psionics are the chosen people, the successors of the Enlighteners, the chosen ones of the Spirit of the Universe! They are the navigators destined to lead all civilizations to ascension."

Such a long string of parallel sentences doesn't fit your persona at all. Yu Lian said with a straight face, "Do you understand what those words above mean?"

"Not really, hehehe..." The little nurse stuck out her tongue. "But it must be amazing... hehehe."

"If I said I don't really like psionics, would that sound pretentious?" Yu Lian asked.

"Extremely pretentious!" Ina stated definitively.

Then, Yu Lian realized that everyone was looking at him with the kind of eyes reserved for someone who "regrets founding Alibaba" or comes from an "ordinary family," and he felt a wave of sadness.

You illiterate people who haven't received Higher Education truly have zero points in reading comprehension and logic. My enjoying the experience of being a psionic and my disliking psionics are two completely different things.