I Am Yu Lian

Since it wasn't advisable to stay any longer, they had to retreat. However, there were still a few loose ends to tie up before that.

Lieutenant Mondsen checked on everyone's condition. Aside from one person still lying down, everyone else was doing alright. He and a group of soldiers observed a moment of silence for Second Lieutenant Russo's body before retrieving his dog tag and leaving him to the elements.

In extraordinary times like these, they believed that Second Lieutenant Russo, who had presumably merged with the spirit of the universe, would understand.

Afterward, the lieutenant retrieved the exoskeletons and handed them over to the burly sergeant.

Exoskeletons were the current hard currency. Even the most clueless person could see that facing the non-insect, non-beast monsters from earlier, they were either the butcher or the meat. Moreover, these were important military assets and couldn't be left behind as burial goods.

The thick-necked, big-headed Black sergeant, whose name sounded something like Youyou, seemed delighted with his new gear, his face beaming. He probably always thought it was cool to wear a suit of power armor that made him look imposing. If someone hadn't just died, he might have started dancing to celebrate.

Even so, no one expressed any dissatisfaction. This showed that Second Lieutenant Russo really wasn't well-liked.

Hopefully, he could rest in peace.

The reason the power armor wasn't given to the squad's strongest member, Sergeant Baka, a Bien Bearman, was that the AS40 Model Power Armor had significant design flaws. Its intended user height was between 1.6 and 1.95 meters, with a weight under 100 kilograms, clearly designed for standard humans.

But Sergeant Baka? Look at his physique, which could dominate a basketball court. His body was larger than the power armor itself. If he could fit inside, it would be some kind of legendary space-folding technology.

"I heard that the Empire and the Alliance also have specialized power armor for their beast cavalry," the nurse, with her plain appearance, average build, and unremarkable demeanor, said with a hint of grievance in her voice. She was probably unhappy about not having her own specialized medical armor, or perhaps she just didn't like the burly sergeant.

Of course, Yu Lian now knew that this Corporal Belinda Leonard was a nurse, not a dedicated field medic. The team's actual doctor was Sergeant Major Banks, who was still at the base.

Now, everyone was preparing to head back to the base. After all, they had inexplicably fought two skirmishes with "beasts," lost four people including an officer, expended nearly half their ammunition and energy, and everyone was exhausted, on edge, and had a severely wounded comrade to transport. A normal army wouldn't be able to continue the mission.

However, Belinda, the only technical personnel present, expressed serious objections.

"Cadet Yu Lian's injuries cannot be delayed. I need to find a relatively safe and clean place for emergency treatment!"

Everyone was silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Yu Lian was their comrade. While he might have seemed distant and aloof a few days ago due to unfamiliarity as a newly assigned cadet officer, the recent battle had made the simple soldiers see him as one of their own.

So, this frail body is also called Yu Lian? Yu Lian thought.

So, I'm actually the one dragging everyone down? Yu Lian thought again.

"Let's find a cave over there," Yu Lian said, pointing to the nearby mountain range. The terrain looked like typical karst topography, common on this planet, so finding a cave for shelter wouldn't be difficult.

"Let's move out!" Lieutenant Mondsen said to everyone in a calm, or perhaps overly calm, tone.

Sergeant Youyou, now equipped with power armor, and Sergeant Baka, who could fight five opponents even without it, lifted Yu Lian's powered stretcher and led the way.

The powered stretcher was supposed to be self-propelled, but the one Yu Lian was on seemed to have some issues; its battery flickered intermittently, indicating low power. Just like the entire infantry squad, it was filled with an absurd sense of incongruity, making it hard to know where to even begin complaining.

It was the space age! The mechanized infantry lacked heavy firepower, didn't have personal exoskeletons for everyone, and still had to trek on foot through a dangerous alien wilderness. Couldn't they have troop transports, if not airships?

Five minutes later, they found a reasonably spacious natural cave and settled in temporarily.

Ina stood guard at the cave entrance with two sentries, her rifle at the ready. Bearman Baka and the burly Youyou cautiously explored the depths of the cave. The lieutenant began trying to contact superiors with his communicator, but judging by his anxious demeanor, it was unlikely he could reach them. The others started taking turns resting. The nurse called for two soldiers to help her carefully extract Yu Lian's body from the half-destroyed exoskeleton.

It could only be described as an extraction because the damaged half of the exoskeleton was clearly deformed and ruined from intense impact, making it impossible to open normally.

At this point, the painkiller's effect on Yu Lian wore off, and the pain almost made him pass out. However, as a powerful psionic saint who had unlocked the Seventh Ring, he couldn't show weakness, lose face, or act improperly. He gritted his teeth and remained silent until his face was pale, covered in sweat, veins popping, and his mouth twitching. The soldiers around him looked on with respect, and the nurse's eyes sparkled.

Then, that indescribable look quickly turned to pity.

"This... whatever I have to say, please don't be scared," Belinda said carefully.

"...I'm a soldier, I won't be scared."

"Your spine is broken!"

"My spine... who... uh, okay, it's more serious than I imagined." Yu Lian's mood immediately became heavy, but he still tried to comfort himself, "But it's not a big deal. It can be healed in a cultivation tank."

"...That's gene therapy. But we only have that in Tulon! The infirmary at the supply post can inject you with nanomachines, but here, I can only temporarily fix your bones."

Medical nanomachines would enter the gaps in the blood vessels and bones, temporarily acting as a substitute for nerves. With the spine stabilized, Yu Lian could walk like a normal person.

"Then let's stabilize it for now," Yu Lian said with a forced smile. Afterward, they would return to the supply post for nanomachines, and then head to Tulon, the capital of New Yumeng Star, for further treatment.

Of course, Yu Lian had a way to instantly revive himself at full health, mana, and energy, but that method was unsuitable for normal people. Yu Lian wasn't sure if it would work. After all, his current body looked very frail! Nothing like a chosen one.

The nurse began her work, magically producing a pile of drills, hammers, steel bars, and other tools. Perhaps thinking the treatment would be too stressful for Yu Lian, she started making awkward small talk. "Also, do you remember what happened before you passed out?"

"...Why do you ask?"

"No, I just thought your eyes looked confused. You hit your head when you were injured earlier, so I was worried you might have suffered some impact to your brain."

Confused my ass! Are you the protagonist of some novel? Do you have a god-like skill to see fleeting emotional fluctuations and facial changes in others' eyes?

Yu Lian felt a bit pressured and decided to change the subject. He said casually, "Speaking of which, everyone seems quite energetic this time. Are we out here for a hiking trip since we're not using airships or vehicles?"

The nurse paused for a moment, then said with a troubled expression, "Well... Cadet, Second Lieutenant Russo is dead. I know he made many mistakes, but he's dead now."

So what did I do? Yu Lian wondered, Why the accusatory tone, as if I'm dragging him out for posthumous punishment?

"I know you were unhappy that Second Lieutenant Crus took the airship to La Xianglia for the Governor. And you were even more upset that four out of the five armored personnel carriers had their energy packs sold by Second Lieutenant Russo to a Minlan merchant, and you said you would report it to the Tulon Command..."

No wonder Second Lieutenant Russo wanted to abandon me so badly! But this kid, also named Yu Lian, is quite stubborn! Don't you know this is normal operating procedure for the Commonwealth army? Not to mention the security forces, even the Marines and the Space Fleet are not exempt. Aren't you afraid of being shot in the back if you report this?

"What, you mean the last one? Uh, that... well... you said you didn't trust Second Lieutenant Russo and wanted to drive it yourself. And then, then you fell into a pit?"

Oh, so it's my fault!

"...Those Second Lieutenant Crus and Second Lieutenant Russo weren't good people. They acted high and mighty and always bullied us little soldiers. But they did share some of the spoils with us. So, so, sir, can you please not..."

What kind of morality is this? If you were my soldier, I'd have you shot! Yu Lian thought.

"Doesn't it feel unreal? Moonfolk?" At some point, Lieutenant Mondsen arrived beside him, unceremoniously plopping down and forcing a stiff smile. "I know all about this, but instead of stopping it, you're taking the biggest cut."

No, quite the opposite, this feels all too real. Also, why are you calling me a Moonfolk?

"We're not like you. You're a Moonfolk, a chosen one. In five or six years at most, I'll have to call you 'sir.' You have a bright future ahead of you, but us security officers running errands in the colonies, who isn't here for the money, running out to this godforsaken place to deal with Sandfolk pirates and sand?"

So, when you say Moonfolk, do you mean that Moonfolk?

"Sigh, I'm so stupid, really! I only thought Crus would be back in a few days. We already reported the armored vehicle's energy packs as training losses, and we're getting new ones next month anyway... but I never knew the Sandfolk would rise up and rebel right now! They're already surrounding Tulon! And I never knew headquarters would order us back to support them at this time. Sigh, it's all my fault!"

The lieutenant's words were packed with information. Whether it was a stimulus to Yu Lian's confused memories or not, his head suddenly started to ache. He couldn't help but furrow his brow and rub the back of his head. It was indeed the boss's bag.

"Um... Warrant Officer, you must be quite close with Officer Bonaparte, right? You're both Moonfolk, it must be like that. I saw you eating with him last time in Tulon. So, if it's possible..."

Yu Lian gasped, clutching his increasingly throbbing head.

"Warrant Officer!" The young nurse's face went pale. Lieutenant Mondsen felt responsible, and his mouth twitched. All the resting soldiers in the cave were alerted, and Sergeant Ina, who was on guard at the entrance, hurried over.

"Hello? Hello, can you hear me? Look at my eyes, Warrant Officer, look at my eyes. Our Moonfolk, look at my eyes! Who am I, do you remember?" the lieutenant shouted.

"...You are Lieutenant Bill Mondsen, assigned to the New Jade Gate Security Command, commander of Supply Station No. 12."

"Then who are you? What's your name, how old are you, and why are you here?"

"My name is Yu Lian, Warrant Officer of the Blue Star Commonwealth Defense Force, 21 years old, a fourth-year student from Central Defense University's Class of 830, majoring in Strategic Studies. I'm here for a three-month short-term service as an internship in preparation for graduation."