My First Half of Life

The behemoth that had been prostrate on the asteroid had awakened. It raised its long, elegant neck and slowly opened its eyes. Its eye sockets lacked distinct pupils, appearing as a single entity, like two unquenchable stars. The halo of stars brushed across its dark scales, transforming into a brilliant river of stars flowing through its majestic body.

It propped itself up, unfurled its sky-obscuring wings, and stood proudly amidst the stars.

It certainly had the right to do so, for with just its magnificent dragon scales, it could withstand the volleys of an entire fleet as if they were nothing. Even the main cannons of a Titan ship would struggle to penetrate its defenses.

Before such a colossal being, Yu Lian, piloting his emblem machine and wielding a photon spear and the Dawn Sword, was as insignificant as an ant, no, a bacterium... But if it were a bacterium, it should have been ignored directly, right? Yet, it continued to watch him, unmoving.

It seemed to let out a scoff, but in the vacuum of space, sound couldn't travel.

However, Yu Lian could feel the other's scoff, and its undisguised disdain.

It casually opened its mouth, and gamma rays began to converge, an earth-shattering power capable of melting the surface of an entire terrestrial planet into crystal.

Yu Lian knew he couldn't evade or block it. All he could do was await death.

To be killed by planet-destroying gamma rays, as a transmigrator, would be quite a spectacular end, wouldn't it?

"This stage is still too early for you," he vaguely heard someone say.

"Come find me," the voice added.

Why should I find you? I don't dislike psionics, but I detest you cryptic types the most!

Honestly, you irredeemable idealist fools!

Yu Lian wanted to laugh, and so he did. Then, the King of Star Dragons that obscured the river of stars, the world-destroying gamma rays, that cryptic voice, and the figure faintly appearing beyond the endless void all vanished.

His laughter turned into violent coughing, and he awoke amidst the coughing, the first thing he saw being the soft blue light of the ceiling lamp.

"An unfamiliar ceiling... Well, I do recognize it, actually."

This was the 12th outpost of the New Yumeng Star ground defense force, located over a hundred kilometers from the colonial capital, Tulon Port. Its main function was to monitor the wilderness for the Colonial Governor's Office and provide protection for surrounding plantations and mines. Of course, that was only in theory.

The development of this colonial planet was still in its early stages. The total population of the Commonwealth and other galactic citizens was less than 700,000, with 650,000 living in Tulon City. One could imagine how vast and sparsely populated the wilderness was. One could also imagine what kind of people dared to open plantations and mines in such a place; calling them armed rioters would be an understatement. They might even be better equipped than the petty security forces.

Moreover, the native Sandfolk here were generally quite compliant and willing to work in the farms and mines opened by humans. The few who were rebellious and turned to banditry weren't really a significant threat.

At least, that's what the Commonwealth's central government and the Governor's Office had believed for the past few decades.

As for me... Yu Lian felt a bit lost, experiencing memories that were becoming clearer and clearer. For a moment, he didn't know if it was the future wanderer Yu Lian possessing the body of the military academy student Yu Lian, or if the military academy student Yu Lian had gained the memories of the future wanderer Yu Lian.

He slowly propped himself up and saw his reflection in the wall mirror. It was a young, delicate, and handsome face, one that wouldn't look out of place even if he debuted immediately. It was about half as handsome as his previous life's appearance.

This was good; the observers beyond the great universe would have more empathy.

Of course, he felt a bit younger than his actual age, looking like a rookie who hadn't experienced the harshness of society.

Furthermore, his facial features and physique were generally a bit on the delicate side, but thankfully, not to the point of being feminine, probably because he didn't have bangs. Of course, guys of this type, if they had a softer personality, could easily be influenced, but if they were true men at heart, perhaps with some effort, they could still pursue the path of a dashing young hero.

Overall, compared to the pirate-like face of his previous life, this one was more like a protagonist's.

Alright, from today onwards, I am Yu Lian. I am just Yu Lian, born on September 17, 808 of the Galactic Commonwealth Calendar, and raised in an inland city in the capital of Blue Star Commonwealth, Earth. My parents died early but left me some inheritance, and my uncle and aunt who raised me were good people, treating me as their own. My younger brother and sister were also very cute.

I was always the model child growing up, but having grown up in a restaurant in a food street, I couldn't get recommendations from any important figures, nor did I have any spectacular internship experiences during holidays. Naturally, I couldn't get scholarships from prestigious universities. However, the high tuition fees of higher learning institutions weren't something ordinary families could easily afford. To enroll, I would either have to sell the property my parents left me or take on a heavy student loan.

My uncle and aunt wanted to contribute their savings, but Yu Lian didn't accept. He was an adult, after all, and had to be responsible for his own future. Besides, wouldn't his younger siblings need money later?

So, was he prepared to exchange a lifetime of debt for a degree? Or sell the house? Or not go to university and work instead?

In the end, Yu Lian chose none of the above. Then, at the instigation of his childhood sweetheart, the daughter of the martial arts dojo owner across the street, they both applied to the Central Defense University and were accepted together, once again leaving a too-brilliant silhouette for the legend of "the model child."

Military academy was free, as long as one was willing to serve in the military after graduation.

Then, it was the year before graduation.

As pillars of the future Commonwealth army, graduating students had an obligation to intern in various departments of the military for a period, partly to gather material for their theses and partly to get a head start. The Lunar Military Academy had always had this tradition, and it was indeed a fine tradition.

However, being a top student from the elite Strategic Research Department of a prestigious super-university being assigned to a small outpost of the colonial defense force was a bit perplexing.

Well, it seemed this kid... or rather, I, was a bit too hot-headed. I was mortal enemies with the "Blue Blood Brotherhood," a traditional school bully organization that had occupied the Lunar Military Academy for decades. I even offended the school authorities by standing up for some classmates who were unjustly punished, and I even directly confronted the principal and the head of the instructor department?

Uh, well done! But not smart enough, still too young!

The wanderer Yu Lian expressed his admiration for the student Yu Lian but then suddenly realized that now was not the time to dwell on these things.

The major event that would trigger everything in Tulon Port, the siege by a million Sandfolk. The reinforcement order from the Defense Force Command, and the situation of senior student Eleanor, who was still in the city... Well, if history followed its course, senior student Eleanor wouldn't only be fine but would also make a big splash. But she had always taken good care of him since his student days, so it was impossible not to worry.

After all, Ina's team was attacked, wasn't it? The butterfly effect had already appeared; the "history" of his past life couldn't be relied upon.

Furthermore, just like in his previous life, he was still a psionic sensitive, meaning an irredeemable idealist fool.

...And, more importantly, it was a trap, as he had said before he fainted!

"Idiot! Petty security guards are just petty security guards! Wasn't I clear enough?" Yu Lian grumbled as he got out of bed.

He now recognized that he was lying in the outpost's infirmary. The wound on his lumbar spine had been re-treated, and the skill was clearly much better than that of the mediocre nurse Belinda. This was the first time since his rebirth that he felt the existence of his lower body, though it felt a bit strange. It seemed the nanomachines were working, but they couldn't completely replace the function of natural nerves. Regardless, he could now walk, run, and even fight normally.

He pushed himself up with the bed railing but stumbled. The movement seemed to make quite a bit of noise, and the infirmary door opened. A technical sergeant major, around thirty years old, and Miss Belinda hurried in.

"It's alright. Walking around will help your body adapt to the nanomachines' rhythm as quickly as possible. Just be careful." The male technical sergeant had a scholarly air and a kind smile, looking very suitable as a doctor.

He was Sergeant Major Banks Shazabi, the official medic of Outpost 12.

"You're recovering very well... Ugh, truly worthy of a sensitive's constitution! You can eat now, too. Youyou, give us... Lieutenant?"

Yu Lian knew it was rude, but he ran past the doctor directly, "thump-thump-thump," rushing into the mess hall, which was filled with fragrant aromas and the sound of many conversations.

About a dozen people were sitting in the mess hall, including those Yu Lian was more familiar with. Lieutenant Mondsen and Baka were at one table, devouring their meals. Ina sat at her own table, with two extinguished cigarette butts in her empty plate and two empty wine bottles beside it.

Everyone looked at Yu Lian, who strode in, a bit bewildered—his attitude didn't seem like he was here for a meal, but more like he was here to flip the table.

Lieutenant Mondsen stood up, forced a smile, and clapped his hands: "Ha, our moon man is here!"

Sergeant Bearman showed a simple, honest smile, stood up, and began to clap. Everyone else joined in the applause, some even cheering.

Yu Lian remembered that when he first came here to take office, there was a similar ceremony, where everyone gathered to clap and welcome him, although it always felt rather formulaic. This time, however, everyone was clearly sincere.

"Warrant Officer, how would you like your steak cooked?" Youyou poked its head out from behind the kitchen counter, revealing a dark, rough face with a rather unpleasant grin, a row of big white teeth bared.

Ina, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, patted the chair at her table and pointed to another full plate of food—beans, soup, cake, and spaghetti, all laid out in a dazzling array.

Yu Lian felt a little touched. Humans are social animals, and being accepted and respected greatly satisfies psychological needs. If it were any other time, he would have thoroughly enjoyed everything before him.

However...

"Eat, eat, eat! Eat your teapot bubbles!" Yu Lian rushed forward, swallowed the cake in one gulp, and then darted over to the lieutenant.

"Where are the others?"

"...Sleeping."

"Sleeping my ass! Get your butts up and party! Grab your weapons and get to the walls!"