The Commonwealth Still Has Room for Salvage

Yu Lian accepted the coffee unceremoniously and drank it in one gulp. Just as he caught his breath, he saw a young girl with a bright smile.

Hmm, confirmed again, still an unfamiliar face.

This was a girl of about fourteen or fifteen, quite beautiful, with a dignified and generous demeanor. She wore a simple yet neat and tidy travel outfit, possessing a pair of violet eyes and long, deep purple hair that was nearly black. Of course, with eyes and hair color like that, it was obvious she wasn't an Earthling.

This scene feels a bit familiar! Yu Lian thought.

"I'm sorry for showing you such a disgraceful scene."

"I should be the one apologizing, Officer. If you hadn't arrived in time, no one can imagine what our situation would be like now. Thank you again." The girl nodded at Yu Lian and extended a hand. "My name is Frederica, Frederica Vilbart..."

"This is Penny, and this is George." The young girl introduced the two little followers beside her. One was another girl a year or two younger than her, and the other was a boy about seven or eight years old. These were two very ordinary, typical Earth children, but they were quite cute.

"Your sandwich was made by Penny. She insisted on hearing your opinion on the taste," said Miss Frederica, who was presumably an Alliance citizen.

Miss Penny nodded at Yu Lian with a blush. The little boy beside her looked at Yu Lian's Power Armor and rifle with admiration.

"It's delicious. I feel like all my fatigue has vanished," Yu Lian said.

Although the ham and dried vegetables were clearly from a can, requiring no culinary skill, even Yu Lian, with his emotional intelligence, knew what to say at that moment.

"That's wonderful." The purple-haired girl thanked Yu Lian on behalf of her friend, but showed no intention of leaving.

"I heard that the councilor just now asked you to escort us into the city, is that right?"

Yu Lian seriously appraised the girl, who looked no older than fourteen or fifteen. He had guessed that other public representatives would come to probe him, but he truly hadn't expected the first one to be a young girl.

Dr. Banks had warned him earlier that another Alliance citizen in the convoy was a very insightful young girl. But this wasn't just insight; it was precociousness bordering on the uncanny.

He looked at the beautiful girl, certain he didn't know her and had never heard the name "Frederica Vilbart" in later years, and then said, "Those were just some initial thoughts. We'll need to discuss it with everyone before we know the specifics. Speaking of which, Miss Vilbart..."

"Just call me Freya." Such familiarity? I've never heard that this was the personality of a young lady from the Alliance! And judging by your style, you're not exactly the frivolous or carefree type either?

"Alright, Miss Frederica. Are your parents with you? You didn't come here traveling alone, did you?"

"Doesn't Earth have the saying, 'Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles'? You can consider me gathering material for my thesis." The young girl said with a smile. Seeing Yu Lian's subtle expression, she added with the pride and self-assurance inherent in youth, "I'm a student at the Alliance Marine University."

...This can't be described as just being a top student. Or are you actually a legal loli?

"Also, my family has some assets, and we are indeed considering investing in New Jade Gate. So, I came over to gather some intelligence."

According to the somewhat familiar Miss Freya's introduction, she wasn't actually a legal loli but a super genius who entered university at twelve and was nearing graduation at fourteen. But that wasn't the point.

This genius girl was indeed here to inspect New Jade Gate. Her family was a board member of the renowned Purple Faith Group. This was a massive food enterprise that originated from the Alliance's homeworld but had now become a trans-galactic behemoth. Its businesses included food import and export trade, snacks, canned and convenience foods, chain fast-food restaurants, chain bars and cafes, high-end restaurants, and more. It was a quite famous food enterprise throughout the Galaxy.

While inspecting plantations and ranches in New Jade Gate, she also met Mr. Pierce, the father of Penny and George, who was here to inspect and prepare to invest in building a food processing plant.

"Dad is such a muddlehead. He said the scenery here in New Jade Gate is beautiful, with solitary smoke in the desert and sunsets over the long river, with galloping horses and endless grasslands, and he brought the whole family along for a visit. We really lost out this time! If Officer hadn't arrived in time, our lives would have been in danger." Penny had a lot of complaints about her father, but she didn't show much fear and even took the initiative to make sandwiches for the soldiers as thanks. What a good girl.

Yes, she truly was a good girl. We can't blame her for only remembering to make sandwiches for the soldiers and not thinking of sharing extra food with the starving refugees. Even adults couldn't do that, or even think of it. Why should we expect a child to do so?

Frederica added, "You are the officer, and you are the most professional in this situation. Everything should be based on your judgment... Please let us know if you need any help."

Penny nodded. She might not be as brilliant as her friend, but she was already a precocious little adult.

"Then, Penny, let's take these to the other soldier gentlemen and ladies," Frederica said.

"Penny, can I stay and watch?" George suddenly said, his eyes fixed on the rifle and Power Armor leaning against the wall.

Penny hesitated and glanced at Yu Lian.

"Why not? Boys need their own space too," Yu Lian said with a smile.

The girls pursed their lips and smiled, leaving behind a "Don't cause trouble for the officer!" before departing. One carried a basket of sandwiches, and the other held a tray with over a dozen cups of coffee. They went off to deliver them.

"Big brother, big brother, is that an AS40?"

"Oh, you've got a good eye." Yu Lian looked at the sturdy little boy with great interest. His bright eyes were filled with the excitement of "I finally see the real thing!"

"Yep! I've been reading 'Ship Knowledge' and 'Young Science Defense Pictorial' since I was three," the little boy said proudly.

Indeed, military fans must be cultivated from a young age.

"Is that a C10? This is the first time I've seen a real C10." The little boy was excited for half a minute, but he was still a well-behaved child. After hesitating for a long time, he ultimately didn't reach out to touch it, and then showed a look of disappointment. "But, it's not a Dragoon! Big brother, you're not Orbital Paratroopers or Marines, are you?"

"...We're the Colonial Guard Team."

"Guard Team Minions?"

How can this brat talk like that?

Yu Lian smiled and said, "George, your sister has always been very smart, hasn't she?"

"Yeah, I think she's too smart. She's always so serious, even more so than our school's disciplinary committee member. She's always reading those books that look really boring. She'll definitely become a shrewish old maid who can't get married. But I didn't expect Sister Frederica to be even smarter. This is the first time I've seen Penny admire someone so much."

"Is that so... George, do you want to go into the city now?"

"Of course! Dad wants to too. After all, once we get into the city, we won't have to sleep in the car. But Mom and Penny both say Dad is a big muddlehead, so you don't have to listen to him, big brother."

Mr. Pierce's family status is truly quite pathetic.

"But you must have had a hard time following the convoy all this way. Didn't you encounter any danger?"

"Yes, yes!" The little boy's big eyes began to shine. It was less out of lingering fear and more out of excited joy, speaking in the same tone as when he'd discuss with his friends which move Ultraman used to defeat the monster yesterday. "When we first came out, we encountered a Great Sand Crocodile, and, oh yes, a Shadak Monstrosity, and a wild Raptor pack."

Yu Lian listened, stunned. You guys have really had a rough time. The only fortunate thing is that you didn't encounter Gravel Dragons or the Zerg, right? The thought of the Zerg made him shudder and tremble. Even in the hot desert climate of New Jade Gate, he felt a cold sweat break out on his back, his hands and feet turned cold, and tears welled up uncontrollably... Wait, the sun has already set. The desert climate is naturally cold at night.

Regardless, the area near Tulon had become a slaughterhouse for millions of troops from both sides. If nothing unexpected happened, warships should still be approaching in orbit. The Zerg, which should still be in Stealthy Development, wouldn't dare to appear, right? Probably...

Yu Lian was deep in thought, while the young boy's boastful narration continued.

"Luckily, we have big brother Ash. He's apparently the councilman's bodyguard. Dad also hired a few mercenaries, and Frederica brought some bodyguards too, but none of them are as capable as Ash. That's right, even all those cowboy uncles combined aren't as strong as big brother Ash! Also…" The boy paused, a trace of heaviness and tension beyond his years appearing on his face.

"The day before yesterday, a car was pushed over by a Sand Crocodile. It was Ash who saved everyone inside. Otherwise, Little Peach, Jimmy, and Alon would all be dead. Mr. Rowe, who runs the mine, argued loudly with the councilman, saying we couldn't bring Little Peach and the others anymore. It was Ash who beat up Mr. Rowe and almost threw him into the Sand Crocodile's mouth, and that's how it was resolved."

The familiar names gave Yu Lian a moment of disorientation, but what comforted him was that the owner of that name was no different from how he remembered him.

George looked up at the silent Yu Lian and asked cautiously, "Big brother, I heard, I heard others say that Little Peach and her parents are actually burdens or something. If we hadn't brought them along, we would have reached Tulon long ago… Big brother, since you're here, you, you won't abandon them, right?"

At this moment, the gaze of a seven-year-old boy put more pressure on Yu Lian than that Gravel Dragon or the giant Bakugan in the ruins.

If all the children in the Commonwealth were like this, then this broken country wasn't beyond saving. With that thought, Yu Lian gently patted the boy's head, "All the soldiers of the Commonwealth are Marshal Li's students. When have you ever seen us abandon civilians?"

The Father of the Nation, Marshal Li, had passed away 30 years ago. Thirty years was enough time for a long-dormant nation to be reborn from the ashes, but it was also enough time for a thriving group to fall so far that they wouldn't recognize their own mother, depending entirely on their choices.

Fortunately, Marshal Li's reputation was still intimidating enough, at least intimidating enough for a child.

George seemed to sense Yu Lian's resolve and nodded heavily, relieved. Only then did he show a smile. It was a pure and joyous smile, perfectly fitting for his age.