Life Was Hard

If this had been the old Yu Lian from his previous life, he would have turned this councilman into a ball of minced meat and fed him to the amoebas without a second thought. If the man could take it for granted that the people down below were vermin, then it was only natural that a psionic master who had roamed the galaxy could take it for granted that this ordinary man was an ant.

But just before his hand crushed the wineglass, he managed to hold back. This life's Yu Lian was kind, warmhearted, and even a bit of a pushover, yet also especially stubborn when it mattered. That had affected him quite a lot.

He didn't know whether the soul of his future ranger self had possessed the military cadet, or whether the cadet had gained the future ranger's memories. But he understood one thing: he had family, friends, and a homeworld. He was tied to too many people to simply do whatever he pleased.

He discreetly took a deep breath. "I understand what you mean. However, even a breakout requires careful planning. Besides, my troops haven't had any rest for days and desperately need to recover. You can't expect us to go into battle on empty stomachs, can you?"

Councilman Jiang Yudong probably thought he should quit while he was ahead. He nodded in "understanding." "Of course. Also, I've already asked everyone to contribute some food. There's enough for your men to have a hot meal. No need to thank me... It's the least we can do."

Who the hell was going to thank him? Yu Lian would pay him back every cent. It was just one meal—what was there to brag about?

"Regardless, I hope to have your answer within eight hours. Oh, and by the way, I'm Councilman Jiang Yudong, and I also sit on the board of the Colonial Agricultural and Commercial Association. If you're thinking of buying property in New Jade Gate, Second Lieutenant, you're welcome to come to me for advice anytime."

By the time Yu Lian got out of the car, the councilman had already started tucking into his meal. No one but Yu Lian saw it, though. The car door closed, shutting off one world from the other.

Yu Lian looked across at the civilians sharing their ready-to-eat food. A little boy, maybe two or three years old, cried that he was hungry. His mother tried hard to squeeze the last of the shriveled, toothpaste-shaped tube of nutrient paste. At last, she got a blob of the brown paste into the child's mouth.

Yu Lian knew the stuff was high in calories but tasted awful. The child smacked his lips and smiled anyway. His mother beamed too, then squeezed the "toothpaste" to get a little for herself—but nothing came out. There seemed to be a glint of tears in her eyes, yet she kept smiling as she hugged the child and soothed him to sleep.

The blue-haired mercenary was leaning against the car door, apparently dozing. Yu Lian glanced at him and fought the urge to kick him before striding away. He was now glad he'd held back earlier. If he'd so much as made a move, that guy wouldn't have stood by. And in a fight, Yu Lian wasn't sure he could win in his current state.

The mercenary opened his eyes and watched Yu Lian's retreating back, muttering, "Don't take it out on me! I'm just working for a living. Even if I can't stand my employer, I still have to honor the contract!"

Yu Lian hadn't gone far when Ina and the others came over.

"Sir, we don't have the capacity to attack." Ina watched Yu Lian, seemingly worried that he wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure and would be forced into making some kind of promise he shouldn't.

Yu Lian shook his head. "I'm not an idiot."

"Yeah, his demands are completely unreasonable... But we can't afford to offend Councilman Jiang Yudong," Dr. Banks sighed.

"Is he famous?"

"Uh, very. He's considered one of the most influential councilmen in the colony. They say he's preparing to run for the next governor, and he has a lot of support."

But then again, wasn't the governor's district under semi-martial law? Why was the governor elected instead of appointed by the central government?

"Also, they say he has powerful connections. There's some big shot back on Earth who really admires him."

That wasn't surprising. In fact, it would have been surprising if he hadn't had powerful connections. The way he threw his weight around, like a curly-haired groundhog in a fancy cape, made it obvious he was used to ordering people about. Whatever else you could say, he had plenty of clout among those "representatives of the people," which was a real headache.

"Oh, right. Where's Uncle Karl?" Yu Lian asked.

"There's an autonomous medical vehicle in the civilian convoy, but it seems to have trouble with its surgical equipment. Uncle Karl went over to fix it," Dr. Banks said.

It was certainly good to have a self-driving medical vehicle that could even perform C-sections in the convoy. Still, Yu Lian suspected the old mechanic had gone off to find some peace and quiet.

"What about the civilians' identities?"

"Baka and the others are checking them one by one. There don't seem to be any major problems; most are citizens of the Commonwealth. The only complication is that there are a few foreign nationals in the convoy..."

"Oh? Are they refusing the checks, or refusing to follow orders?" Ina asked, her face cold and murderous. Her next words were probably going to be, "If they refuse, shoot them."

The doctor hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no! Overall, they're cooperating pretty well. It's just that one of the mercenaries is a citizen of the Alliance..."

Yu Lian stopped and glanced back toward the councilman's motorcade. "He'll cooperate. Don't worry about it."

It didn't sound all that convincing, but Dr. Banks didn't dare ask more. Instead, he said, "There's also one more—no, one person... Well, she doesn't seem like an ordinary person!"

"She wouldn't happen to be a business representative from some major Alliance corporation here to discuss an investment, would she?"

"Uh, she is—no, well, not exactly... Ah, I really can't explain it. You'll see for yourself. As it happens, she asked about you just a moment ago."

The soldiers from Outpost 12 had their first proper dinner since abandoning the outpost in the shelter of the canyon. They still didn't dare light a fire, but the civilian convoy had plenty of motor homes equipped with electric cooking appliances. The food was mediocre, but at least it was hot.

The plantation owner, Wang Yougui, sat beside his truck and wolfed down a heat-and-eat meal. He spotted his head cowboy, Kelvin, hurrying back empty-handed. The meal that had been set aside for him was gone.

The old landowner snorted. "Let me tell you, I didn't bring much when we fled. Everyone gets a fixed ration."

"Yes..." The cowboy lowered his head.

"Even if you gave your portion to that young widow, I don't have any extra to give you! I'm just a farmer. I can feed a few animals like you, but I can't provide for that many people."

"I-I know..." The cowboy kept his head down, not daring to argue. He had spent all day riding back and forth, after all, and was already ravenous.

"You fool, one of these days you're going to set yourself on fire first!" Wang Yougui spat. He set down the meal, which he'd only eaten halfway through, then patted his belly in annoyance. "Damn, am I so old I can't even finish two bites?"

When he saw that the cowboy was still standing there dazed, he flew into a rage. "What, you want your pa to feed you?"

Kelvin was overjoyed. He picked up the meal and swallowed nearly a third of it in his first bite.

"...If we can't get the plantation running again, how are we supposed to feed you gluttons?" Wang Yougui sighed and took out a cigarette. "Tell me, what was that fool Dongzi gathering so many people for?"

"Councillor said to—"

"Finish eating before you talk!"

Kelvin struggled to swallow what was in his mouth. It hurt his throat for a moment, but he finally managed. "The councilman said he'd talk with the officer in charge about how to escort everyone into the city."

"Oh, we do need to get into the city. We can't stay out here forever!" Wang Yougui nodded. "But is it safe to charge in now? They say the whole area's crawling with sandfolk. We'd have to... Wait a minute. If we charge in now, won't that put those kids in a difficult position? No, I'd better go have a word with them."

"But, boss, a lot of the other plantation owners are backing the councilman. Oh, right, Mr. Patrick from Blue Star Ranch said..."

"What did he say?"

"He said there are two hundred guns and several armored vehicles between us all. If we weren't saddled with a bunch of deadweight, we'd have fought the sandfolk already. We can't let this chance slip by."

Kelvin still didn't quite understand, but Wang Yougui was an old hand at reading people. A single glance was enough for him to guess what was going on, and he jumped to his feet. "Those fools! They've been played and don't even know it! They're making a complete mess of things!... Never mind, I'd better go talk it over with Mr. Pierce. Oh, and that young lady should be there too. Kelvin, gather your men after you finish eating. Bring your guns!"

The old plantation owner finished giving his orders and left, cursing under his breath.

The cowboy stared blankly at his boss, who had suddenly blown up for reasons he couldn't understand. He scratched his head, then set to work on his meal again. He needed to finish quickly so he could carry out the boss's orders. Boss Wang could be a bit stingy, but he was always a good man at heart.

Meanwhile, the head of the "kids" the old plantation owner had mentioned—our Second Lieutenant Yu Lian—had eaten half a can of food along with some "toothpaste." He still wasn't noticeably full, and he was starting to miss his uncle's sauerkraut fish and his aunt's fried pork. In an even worse mood, he picked up another sandwich.

It was just two slices of white bread with canned ham, dried vegetables, and peanut butter between them. Calling it a "sandwich" was a bit of a stretch. Even so, whenever Yu Lian thought of the mother struggling to squeeze nutrient paste for her child, he found the food hard to swallow.

But there was no helping it. The security troops had only compressed biscuits and nutrient paste, and there wasn't enough to give everyone even one meal. He didn't have the means to do a good deed even if he wanted to. More importantly, at a time like this, it was all the more vital to make sure the soldiers ate properly.

As Yu Lian tried to think of a way out, he forced himself to imagine the sandwich was one of his aunt's dumplings and took a bite.

Ugh, no good. It was too hard and got stuck in his throat...

Ugh, if he asked someone else for help, would it ruin his image as a brilliant strategist who had everything under control?

Just as Yu Lian thought that, a steaming cup of coffee appeared before him.