Interstellar Art Soldier 16
The art soldiers of the first team are making preparations in the lounge backstage, some are putting on makeup, some are warming up their voices, and some are warming up.
Dean had come to the A11 base to deliver munitions, having arrived the day before and leaving the next day. Back when he was a cultural soldier, he'd been good friends with the captain of Squad One, so after finishing his work today, he came to talk to him.
Elman came down from the stage and saw his brother standing over there talking to the squad leader. He was very happy and was about to walk over there, but was stopped by those people.
"Elman, it's rare that your brother is here. Why not let him perform on stage? He's a legend among our art corps. There must be many veterans who want to see him perform."
"There must be new recruits who want to see him perform. His performance videos from a few years ago are still being viewed by soldiers today."
"Yes, Elman, let your brother perform a show. Let some people open their eyes and let them know who the real legend of the Cultural Soldier is. It will also prevent him from being too arrogant."
"Yes, we should curb his arrogance and let him know that there are always people better than you. Otherwise, he will really think that just because he is a little better than us, he is better than everyone else."
Elman lowered his head and thought for a moment, agreeing with their words. After so many performances, he had come to terms with reality and knew he couldn't possibly surpass Tao Yuan. Yet, he couldn't help but feel jealous and unwilling. Since he couldn't surpass Tao Yuan on his own, he figured it would be nice to have his brother vent his anger for him.
So Elman nodded to them and walked towards Dean and the squad leader.
"Brother." Elman called out as he approached.
Dean turned to look at him, smiled and nodded at him.
"Brother, I haven't seen you perform in years. How about you take this opportunity to perform on stage?" Elman turned to look at the squad leader and said, "Squad leader, I'm sure there are veterans who really miss my brother's performances. Can you squeeze out some time for my brother to perform a little bit?"
"This..." The squad leader looked at Elman and then at Dean, not knowing how to answer.
"What are you doing?" Dean glared at Elman and said, "How long has it been since I last sang or danced? I'm already rusty at it. Do you want to see your brother make a fool of himself?"
"No, I think your performance is definitely better than anyone else's, so I..." Seeing that his brother was a little angry, Elman hurriedly explained.
"I'm human, not a god. It's been several years, and I haven't practiced regularly, so how can I possibly be in the same state as before?" Dean was both angry and helpless with Elman. He could only tap his forehead and say, "You, you never listen to anything I say. You only listen to other people's instigation. I've told you so many times to stop thinking crookedly and just do your job honestly. Why won't you listen?"
"No, brother, I heard everything you said." Elman defended.
"If you really listen to me and do what you say, I will be at peace even if I die." Dean looked at him and said.
"Brother, don't say that. I will remember your words in the future and will definitely do as you say." When Elman heard his brother say that, his eyes immediately turned red and he promised his brother.
"Don't be angry. Elman is a good person, but he is easily influenced. He is still young after all, and he will be fine in the future." The squad leader tried to smooth things over.
Elman sighed and said, "If he doesn't suffer a little, he will always have this kind of personality."
Elman lowered his head and resisted the urge to cry. He couldn't stand hearing his brother talk about death.
Dean looked at Elman and felt a little sorry for him. He wanted to comfort him, but he also felt that Elman was so old and should learn his lesson, so he shook his head and turned away.
The squad leader also glanced at Elman, then followed him to see him off.
Tao Yuan just came out of the locker room and met the two men head-on. He then greeted the team leader, "Team Leader."
Dean and the squad leader were both amazed by Tao Yuan's red dress and were stunned for a moment before they came to their senses.
"This is Luo Xi from our team." The team leader introduced them. "This is Elman's brother and my friend, Dean."
"Hello." Tao Yuan nodded to Dean.
"Hello." Dean also smiled and nodded to Tao Yuan.
"You are about to go on stage, right? Go and get ready." The squad leader said to Tao Yuan.
"Okay." Tao Yuan nodded to Dean again, then walked past him.
Dean couldn't help but look back at Tao Yuan's back. When he looked at Tao Yuan's slender waist and long legs, he couldn't help but feel envious. When he was his age, he didn't have such a good-looking figure as Tao Yuan.
The squad leader also turned around with him. After watching Tao Yuan walk in, he said to Dean, "You, the legendary figure of the cultural and art soldiers, will soon be replaced by him. His popularity now is even higher than yours back then."
Dean smiled and said, "Being replaced is inevitable. I don't care about it anymore. When I heard what the soldiers said about him, I was still thinking that if he and I were arts soldiers of the same period, he would be a good opponent and would motivate me to work harder. But after watching his performance videos, I'm a little glad that he and I are not arts soldiers of the same period, because I have to admit that no matter how hard I try, I can't reach his level. If he and I were arts soldiers of the same period, I would only be second, and there is no way I could be first."
"You haven't changed at all. You admit defeat so readily." The squad leader said with a smile.
"I've changed a lot. I can no longer regain the confidence I once had. As I get older, I have more and more concerns."
"You're not even thirty yet, you're still at the prime of your life. Why are you acting so old-fashioned?"
"Age in one's heart has nothing to do with time, only with what one has experienced," Dean said to him. "There's something I want to ask of you. Elman is a man of many thoughts and likes to use various means to achieve his goals. I hope you can teach him a strict lesson for me in terms of how to behave. When punishment is due, don't be lenient, or he'll make a big mistake in the future."
"It's not easy for you either. When you were still a kid, you were already worrying about your younger brother. Now that he's grown up, you're still worrying about him. Sigh..." The squad leader sighed and said, "Your younger brother is far behind you in every way. He hasn't learned your essence in either talent or conduct. He's now bent on competing with Luo Xi. I think Luo Xi's character is not someone you can easily mess with. Unlike you, you're not very patient with others and don't bother with them. The most important thing is that Luo Xi has a strong and deep background. If Elman still doesn't know his place, if he really angers him, he's likely to fall flat on his face at his hands."
"That's why I'm asking you, for the sake of our past relationship, to help me discipline him. What I'm most worried about is that he'll be so consumed with petty thoughts that he'll be ruined by someone else's actions without even realizing it. I'm his only relative, and he's my only brother. If I don't worry about him, who else will? And now, I can only ask you to keep an eye on him."
"I'll try my best." The squad leader didn't dare to promise him anything. It was not easy to educate other people's children.
"Thank you." Dean thanked him sincerely. "Don't feel pressured. Even if he does make a big mistake, it's all his own fault. You can't blame anyone else. I'm leaving now. I'll come back to you tonight and we can talk about the past. I still miss our life as cultural soldiers."
The squad leader smiled and nodded, then watched him leave.
Dean walked, looking up at the sky, trying not to cry. Time had worn away his courage and confidence. The moment he saw Tao Yuan, he no longer had the courage or confidence to compete with him. If he were the same person he used to be, he might have still been confident enough to compete with him. Even if he lost, he wouldn't regret it.
He missed Zuo Lei, and Zuo Lei had someone better. What else could he do except feel sad for himself?
Tao Yuan returned to the lounge and just sat down in front of the dressing table when Lin Ya walked up to him and motioned him to look at Elman.
Tao Yuan turned around and saw Elman wiping his tears, so he asked, "His brother came to see him, and he was so moved that he cried?"
"He went to talk to his brother and asked him to perform on stage, but he got scolded by him, so he started crying. It was his closest friends who asked him to go, so they must have been quite embarrassed. Now he's crying alone, and no one is trying to comfort him."
"Really?" Tao Yuan smiled and said, "It seems his brain is really no match for his brother's. His brother hasn't been an arts soldier for several years, how could he still be in such good shape? If he performs on stage now, this legendary figure will fall from the altar in the hearts of the soldiers. Since he is a legendary figure, the soldiers' expectations of him are definitely higher. Instead of performing on stage and ruining his previous reputation, he might as well continue to retain the mysterious image of a legendary figure in the hearts of the soldiers."
"With his IQ, he still wants to compete with you." Lin Ya shook his head and said, "I can't help but feel a little sympathetic towards him."
Tao Yuan quickly put on her makeup, stood up and said, "What's there to sympathize with? Everyone should be responsible for their own actions. This is a matter of course. Any negative consequences caused by one's actions are not worthy of sympathy."
Tao Yuan walked onto the stage and struck a pose before the curtain opened.
When the performance began and Tao Yuan started dancing, the soldiers below were so excited that they almost went crazy.
Tao Yuan was dancing ballet. His red short skirt and long legs were so sexy that they wanted to bleed from their noses.
Zuo Lei, who was watching the live broadcast on his computer, was also going crazy. He knew that Tao Yuan was going to perform ballet, but he didn't expect him to be dressed like this. The red dress had obviously been torn by him, so why did he have another one exactly the same?
Just looking at Tao Yuan's straight, slender, smooth and white legs, and thinking about the day when Tao Yuan was also wearing the same red dress and was pressed under him, Zuo Lei already felt something. He felt that Tao Yuan must have known that he would be watching, so she deliberately wore this dress for performance.
After Tao Yuan's performance, Zuo Lei, panting, got up and went to the bathroom to take a cold shower to cool down.
They performed until very late, and almost everyone went on stage to perform. Tao Yuan performed two shows alone. The soldiers were fascinated by the show and felt that they had no regrets in their lives.
When they went to the temporary dormitory to rest, Tao Yuan saw Koning and his soldiers guarding downstairs. Tao Yuan didn't have any feelings for him at first, but he always looked at him with this look, which really disgusted him.
After going upstairs to wash up, Tao Yuan and Lin Ya lay down on their respective single beds, chatted for a while, and then fell asleep.
A few hours later, everyone in the building fell into a deep sleep, but was awakened by the sudden explosion and alarm.
Tao Yuan and Lin Ya sat up suddenly at the same time. Lin Ya asked in panic, "Was that an explosion just now? Am I dreaming?"
"It's an explosion. The alarms are ringing. Hurry up and put on your clothes and carry your weapons!" While Tao Yuan was speaking, he had already gotten out of bed, opened his suitcase and started to get dressed.
In their suitcases, in addition to the cultural and art soldier uniforms, there is always a set of combat uniforms and various easy-to-carry weapons.
Lin Ya also opened the suitcase and quickly put on his combat uniform and headgear before checking the various weapons in the pockets of his uniform. Their combat uniforms and headgear provided a certain degree of protection, so once they left the ship, they had to carry their suitcases with them because they contained their combat uniforms, which contained various weapons that could save their lives or even kill themselves in a critical moment.
Just as they were getting everything ready, they heard an urgent doorbell ring. Lin Ya immediately rushed over to open the door, looked at the soldiers outside and asked, "What happened?!"
"Hurry up and go downstairs to gather and take shelter!" The soldier didn't have time to explain to him. After quickly conveying the message, he ran away to check if there was anyone in other rooms.
Tao Yuan and Lin Ya ran downstairs quickly. There were already many people running on the stairs.
All the cultural and art soldiers gathered downstairs, and the squad leader kept counting the number of people to see if there was anyone who had not come down yet.
Tao Yuan's eyes turned and he saw Dean standing with Elman. He was stunned for a moment, then he realized that Dean was here to deliver arms and weapons. This was the only female dormitory building in the base, and he must be staying here at night.
They didn't know what was going on. After everyone arrived, the squad leader took them, under the protection of the soldiers, and quickly got on the combat vehicle and went to a safe place to hide.
As they moved, they heard a series of explosions and sparks from the explosions scattered in the distant air.
The combat vehicle they were riding in had just driven a short distance when they heard a loud noise behind them. They looked back at the same time and saw that the top two floors of the dormitory building where they had just lived had been crushed by a falling unidentified object.
Tao Yuan thought, aren't all nations at peace now? And even if war were to break out, no nation would be foolish enough to attack this planet. Could it be... interstellar bandits?
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