Chapter 19: Isn't This Impressive?

"A mission?" Lian Fei looked puzzled.

What kind of mission could possibly require her?

The Commander of the Tenth District Army did not explain immediately. He chuckled and said, "Don't be impatient. Let's eat first; I'll tell you all about it while we dine."

Lian Fei felt as if ants were crawling all over her.

"No, thank you, Teacher Shen. I just remembered I have something to attend to and need to head back to my dormitory... If there is something you need, please, just say it."

The Commander of the Tenth District Army gave her a meaningful look, then carried his plate, piled high with food, to a nearby table and sat down.

Lian Fei followed and sat down opposite him.

"You really don't want to eat?" the Commander asked.

She did. She was dying to.

Lian Fei swallowed hard. She had been hungry all morning; how could she not want to eat? But she truly disliked dining with others, especially elders. Being forced to share a meal with an elder was more agonizing to her than being executed.

Lian Fei smiled. "Teacher Shen, please, just tell me."

The Commander clicked his tongue, took a sip of juice, and finally began. "Do you know of White Whale Star?"

Lian Fei nodded. "I do."

That was a lie. In the past, she had been so poor that a personal terminal was a luxury she felt too embarrassed to ask her parents for, so she had never owned one. Everything she knew about this world came from snippets of conversation she overheard or the rare times she went to town to sell hunted beasts and caught a glimpse of a shop's television.

Gesero Star was truly destitute, so poor it felt as if it didn't belong to an interstellar civilization. If not for the occasional high-tech gadget she saw that she hadn't encountered in her previous life, Lian Fei would never have felt she was living in the interstellar era. She had only gained access to the network after arriving here; how could she possibly have surfed enough to learn everything about this world? She was just trying to brush him off so the Commander would get straight to the point, sparing her a long, drawn-out lecture on White Whale Star.

The Commander didn't notice anything amiss and continued, "Ten years ago, a mistake by an experimenter at the Federal First Laboratory on Tyrell Star caused a containment breach. Tyrell Star became a barren wasteland in the aftermath, no longer suitable for human life."

"The breach didn't just destroy the First Laboratory; it destroyed most of the research data. Among that data, the most prominent was the research on the extinction of the Zerg."

"The First Laboratory was relocated to White Whale Star, and the research was continued there."

"However, a week ago, a large number of Zerg suddenly appeared on White Whale Star. They were all Class B or higher, and there were four Class S Zerg guards protecting a brood mother. They were aggressive and seemed to be heading straight for the laboratory."

"Our last communication with the laboratory was yesterday. We had been planning a rescue mission before that. Now that we've lost contact, a rescue operation is urgent."

After saying this, the Commander popped a piece of meat into his mouth and savored it. "The food on your Gesero Star is actually quite good," he praised.

Lian Fei was speechless. He spoke with such urgency, yet his demeanor didn't seem particularly hurried. So, was it urgent or not?

"So, you want me to participate in the rescue mission?" Lian Fei asked.

The Commander nodded. "As soon as the interstellar flight maintenance is over, we'll depart."

Lian Fei calculated the time; there were still two hours left before the maintenance ended. No wonder the Commander was so unhurried.

"Why me?" Lian Fei asked again. "I'm not that strong."

The Commander gave her a deadpan look. She was the current rank-one on the DOL combat leaderboard and the rank-one on the black market combat leaderboard. And she called that not strong? Although her nicknames differed between the two platforms, given that 'K' had dropped to second place on both leaderboards simultaneously, it was obvious that 'Who' and 'Eight Directions Money' were the same person.

Currently, the discussions about them on the interstellar web were intense. Both the black and white markets were digging into her real identity; if it weren't for the Chairman blocking them, Lian Fei would have been completely exposed by now. The video of her battle with K in the black market last night had been uploaded to a dedicated site and had already reached one hundred million views.

The Commander had analyzed their fight frame by frame, even discussing it via video call with the commanders of the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Districts. After watching the entire battle, the four of them had reached a consensus: Lian Fei would definitely be the wild card in the Garden of Eden.

The Commander ignored her question and said, "Go back and prepare. As soon as the flight is cleared, I'll take you."

Lian Fei scratched her head. She really didn't want to go. It sounded difficult. Class S Zerg? A brood mother? No thank you. With so many experts around, why should a small fry like her join the fray?

"Teacher, I still need to prepare for the Garden of Eden," Lian Fei offered as an excuse.

The Commander laughed heartily. "In the face of absolute strength, no problem is a problem!"

Lian Fei: ... Great, another person who had a profound misunderstanding of her abilities. Knowing her own limitations, she tried to decline again.

Seeing her persistent refusal, the Commander played his trump card: "When this is over, I'll gift you a Class S mecha!"

Lian Fei: !!! A Class S mecha?! Now that was something that could keep her awake! Although she currently had one gifted to her by Old Man Feng, you could never have too many mechas.

Seeing her eyes light up, the Commander raised an eyebrow, unable to hide a smile. "So, go and get ready."

Lian Fei nodded.

"Oh, right, Teacher, let's add each other on the terminal so you can call me when it's time," she said, opening her terminal. After adding him, she said goodbye and headed toward her dormitory.

On the way, she contacted Xia Lin and asked him to send some food to her room. Looking at the Commander's nickname, she muttered, "Why doesn't anyone use their real name?" Since Lilith and Xia Lin used their own names, she had assumed that names couldn't be changed, and since she hadn't been interested in the tool, she hadn't given it much thought.

After realizing last night that K's nickname wasn't his real name, she had spent the walk back studying the device. She discovered that the terminal's contact list was like the social apps of her past life; you could change nicknames, avatars, and add notes to contacts. There was even a social feed! It was literally the interstellar version of those apps.

Lian Fei looked at the Commander's nickname, which didn't match his image at all, and decisively edited his contact note. Right after she finished, a message popped up.

/Commander: Bring two sets of clothes for a change; we will prepare everything else./
/AAA. Mecha Salvage Master: Received./
/Commander: .../
/Commander: What kind of nickname is that?/
/AAA. Mecha Salvage Master: Hehe./

Lian Fei hadn't brought many clothes, but fortunately, the living quarters were well-stocked, even if the styles were monotonous. She wasn't picky, as long as she had something to wear.

Back at her room, Xia Lin arrived with the food. Lian Fei ate quickly, wiped her mouth, and began packing. As soon as she finished, the Commander notified her to meet at the main gate.

Lian Fei trotted to the designated spot, got into the hovercar with the Commander, and headed for the spaceport. Since arriving at the port, the Commander had been quietly observing her. He was surprised by her calm expression. If he recalled correctly, this was her first time at a spaceport and her first time taking an interstellar ship.

Although her personal information was classified, he, as a Commander, could still look up her life path. By all logic, a first-timer seeing a starship should be excited or at least nervous about the unknown. How could someone be as calm as Lian Fei? Or perhaps she was just putting on a brave face? He stole a glance at her, but she didn't look like she was pretending. The Commander walked toward his seat, utterly baffled.

Lian Fei followed and took her own seat. She looked out the window, her face still wearing that same indifferent expression. It was her first time experiencing interstellar travel, but she wasn't particularly surprised. The surrounding scenery, including the endless expanse of space outside, was almost identical to the space and starships depicted in the sci-fi films and shows she had watched in her previous life. Immersive as it was, she had already "experienced" it before—AR was a wonderful thing.

After a brief look, she withdrew her gaze. The Commander's ship was private; once he was seated, the captain initiated the launch. To reach their destination quickly, the captain engaged the warp drive. The Commander looked at Lian Fei, thinking that surely, with the warp drive engaged, she would show some reaction. Yet, Lian Fei only looked surprised for a fleeting moment before returning to her calm, unbothered demeanor, as if this were commonplace.

*Ah, so this is the legendary warp drive,* Lian Fei thought to herself.

The Commander: ? What is this girl's background? How can she be so calm?? He started to suspect his subordinates had fed him false intelligence.

While the Commander struggled with his confusion, Lian Fei's mind wandered. She wondered if there was an Earth in this universe. Even if there was, it would likely be very far away. She hoped to find it; if she did, she wanted to see if it was her world. Wait, if it was, would she see herself? No, there was already a version of her in this world. She would probably only see Wu San'er and the others. In their family photo, she would be missing.

Family photo... Lian Fei's eyes dimmed. *Ah... it seems I haven't checked in with Mom and Dad yet.* She opened her terminal, only to realize she didn't have their contact information. She froze.

"What's wrong?" the Commander asked.

"Teacher, do you have my parents' contact information?" she asked. Since he was a Commander, he should have access to her personal data.

The Commander raised an eyebrow. "You don't have their contact information?"

Lian Fei shook her head. "We were poor. We couldn't afford a terminal. Only they had one; I didn't."

The Commander was silent for a moment. "I'll have someone look it up for you."

"Thank you."