Past Events 4: Just like when the two first met.
Even when dating, military duties cannot be neglected.
After a brief reunion on the capital planet, Jiang Sili and Aso Ment returned to their respective legions and began a romance that spanned several star clusters.
Both of them are usually very busy.
Jiang Sili routinely faces persistent small-scale harassment from the Zerg, while Aso Ment is training new recruits for future expeditions.
There is an unwritten rule in the empire that in order to be promoted to the rank of marshal, one must have led at least two expeditions.
Although a general can also manage a legion, there are many constraints. If a newly appointed general comes to train in a legion, he will often face the awkward situation of being on the same level.
Moreover, Asso Ment has a very clear plan for her life; she has always been determined and ambitious. This has nothing to do with her childhood experiences, but rather it is simply who she is.
In comparison, Jiang Sili was much more laid-back. He joined the army to protect the White Wolf Gang and his family; if he really had a choice, he would prefer the free and unrestrained life he had as a space pirate.
No one has ever morally coerced S-class Sentinels into serving the country.
However, it is no longer a time of war, and the border is peaceful and stable.
So Jiang Sili often piloted his warship, using space jumps to spend an entire day going to find Aso Ment.
The warship is spacious and can operate autonomously, but there's hardly any scenery along the way. The space jump distorts spacetime, and the portholes on the warship are filled with blinding turbine light that can make you dizzy and nauseous if you look at it for too long.
Short-duration space jumps are tolerable, but a journey of a day and a night is simply torture.
Every time the adjutant watched his superior board the plane, he felt that compared to this perseverance, the energy and money burned were insignificant, after all, the Jiang family was rich.
Many veterans of the G13 Legion remained in the legion, whether to retire or simply give up. Aso Ment never considered firing them; at most, he would assign them to back-office or clerical positions. If they weren't good at combat, they could still handle ground support.
Although Aso Ment did not have a good reputation outside, he was extremely popular within the Legion.
When these elderly women first saw Jiang Sili piloting his warship directly into the base, having long neglected the front lines and the military network, they thought the White Wolf Regiment had reappeared and was rushing in with shouts like they had done years ago, only to be scared back by Tengshe with sighs.
Jiang Sili smiled and looked at them: "It's a pleasure to see you all again. You're just like before... naive and innocent."
He couldn't find any other words to describe it.
When they saw Aso Mente personally come out to greet them, they were even more dumbfounded, vividly illustrating what a rich family's silly child is like.
Over time, they also learned about the current relationship between the two generals and became accustomed to Jiang Sili's visits.
They also asked Jiang Sili about the current situation of the White Wolf Gang.
Jiang Sili always gave the same answer: "We have no contact anymore, and I am unaware of his current situation."
In fact, he knew that he could learn quite a lot from just bits and pieces of information from his grandmother.
After the death of the former emperor, the Insect Queen, the Insect Core was brought back by Lin Changli as a trophy, and the Insect race lost the most powerful toxin blessing in its history.
However, the troublesome thing about the Zerg is that when the old Zerg queen dies, a new Zerg queen will be born immediately.
They serve as the new mind control center, bestowing new abilities upon all Zerg.
As long as the Zerg inheritance mechanism remains intact, they will never perish.
Under this reproductive mechanism, Zerg females will choose strong males to reproduce and drain the males' life force to provide energy for the eggs.
But even if males were willing to sacrifice their lives for the opportunity to reproduce, most males wouldn't qualify. Females wouldn't even consider them.
Controlled by the reproductive mechanism, the male insects then turn their attention to the humans next door.
The Zerg can mimic and disguise themselves, and live briefly in human society.
Human society is not entirely composed of Sentinels and Guides; there are many ordinary people who cannot recognize the Zerg.
This is how mixed-race children are born.
The deceived human women naturally felt ashamed of these children and would rather abandon them than raise them.
After the war, the number of Zerg population decreased significantly, the new Zerg Queen imposed strict mind control, and border controls were strengthened, resulting in a substantial reduction in the number of hybrids.
But they still exist despite the occasional border conflicts.
Even after the White Wolf Gang went underground, they would still secretly go and retrieve children.
This time, however, Jiang Sili became the one who stayed in the base, stood behind the trenches, and told the curious sentries not to go out.
He was an officer in the human legion, and he couldn't show ambiguity; no one would appreciate or understand a general who wanted to protect both sides.
He indeed never saw the White Wolf Gang again.
He learned from the women who had a profound impact on his life, from Jiang Zhaoyuan, Aso Mente, and Lin Shuangqiao. He focused on doing concrete things and didn't dwell on unanswerable questions.
Jiang Sili and Aso Mente's relationship lasted for many years. He once hinted to Aso Mente whether they could take things further—he really took the initiative that time, and it wasn't so much a hint as a direct statement: "We've been dating for a long time now, how about we consider marriage?"
Aso Ment then took a big gulp of his drink: "I'm not getting married. My dad was a decent person before he married my mom, but he turned into a devil after marriage—I'm not saying you'll turn into a devil too—" Seeing Jiang Sili's aggrieved expression, she quickly tried to salvage the situation, "Isn't everything fine now? Besides, what impact will marriage or not have on our relationship or our current situation?"
Jiang Sili couldn't bring herself to say it.
Because he really disliked the young and energetic boys who appeared around Aso Mente.
Fresh out of military academy, with outstanding abilities, he was recruited by the officers to participate in G13 training. He was full of energy, cheerful and enthusiastic, and his smile revealed his white teeth.
It's annoying.
In contrast, he seemed like a gloomy snake.
Moreover, he wasn't cheerful when he was young.
He didn't want to say it out loud, nor did he want to appear like a jealous husband.
So he turned away and sulked to himself.
"What's wrong?" Aso Ment pressed against his back, gently stroking his stiff spine, which was stiff from anger.
“...After we get married, I can apply to transfer here.” Jiang Sili never failed to respond to her.
Under normal circumstances, high-ranking sentinels with rich experience, sufficient war experience, and strong capabilities will not be assigned to the same legion. They will go to different legions to lead troops. This is a reasonable way to allocate human resources.
Correspondingly, to maintain a balance of power, the legion will be equipped with guides and sentries of slightly lower rank in different lines, responsible for other administrative matters.
The only exception is married couples, who can apply to serve in the same legion, but one of them must give up their current position of real power and can only serve in a logistics-type position within the legion.
Under this regulation, virtually no sentry couples would be willing to comply, as it would be tantamount to cutting off their own future and wasting their talents and abilities.
But Jiang Sili was different. He was a lazy bum and didn't care about having any real power or position. He could even resign his rank of general.
But Aso Ment immediately released his arm from behind and twisted him back sharply, his expression serious and angry: "Don't say such things! I will never allow you to waste your abilities like this!"
"You have such talent, are you just going to waste it all? Just to be with me?" Her eyes clearly said, "Are you crazy?"
Jiang Sili could roughly guess her reaction, but he didn't back down the first time.
"Yes, just to be with you."
The two stared at each other in silence.
“If you’re going to waste your life like this again, I won’t marry you.” Aso Ment stood up, put on his bathrobe, and distanced himself from Jiang Sili.
A stiff atmosphere permeated the darkness.
The two spiritual entities huddled together on one side, yet were tightly entwined, unable to separate.
“Besides, we might not even be together forever,” Aso Ment spoke again. “I can’t even say when I might change my mind. And I’ve never looked down on people who don’t take their own lives seriously. You know my personality very well.”
But she regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth.
Jiang Sili showed a hurt expression.
"What kind of person would you fall for?" Jiang Sili asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Those new kids?"
Aso Ment paused for a moment, then asked incredulously, "Is that the point?!"
This time, Jiang Sili didn't say anything. He rolled out of bed, grabbed his spirit body, and walked out.
He was gone for two months without any news.
Aso Ment sent him several messages, but they went unanswered. Eventually, she got angry. She already had a bad temper, but recently she had become especially irritable, so she simply deleted him.
Thinking of the "kids" he mentioned a few days ago, she angrily called over her adjutant, Keliu: "Let's go to the Capital Star Military Academy and pick some graduating boys to be recruits. Whoever performs well can be directly retained in the G13 Legion."
Keliu shrank his neck.
"What?" Aso Ment slapped her arm hard.
Ke Liu stammered, "General Jiang warned me last time that I was not allowed to recruit any more boys."
"?" Aso Ment asked incredulously, "Is he your superior or am I your superior?"
“Of course it’s you,” Keliu said, blinking, “but my whole family works on Jiangjiahang Road.”
"...I've been too good to you." Aso Ment was speechless, but she was never a good superior who would make things difficult for others.
It was just a fit of anger, which inexplicably came on quickly and went away just as quickly.
“Send him a message and tell him to come over sometime,” Asso Ment said. “I’m deleting him. Unless he adds me back, we’re done for!”
"Okay." Keliu obediently did as instructed.
Aso Ment didn't have the patience to wait for a reply. She felt like something was burning in her chest, and her restlessness couldn't be stopped. She sent the message and then rushed off to the training ground.
After she finished training the new recruits, Keliu stood at the door, holding up a terminal.
"What's wrong?" Aso Mente stopped wiping his sweat.
"The admiral went to carry out a secret mission urgently issued by His Majesty the Emperor. He received the call on his way back after your argument that day. At that time, the terminal was disabled and the warship was under Eve's control," Kliu said. "I couldn't contact him either. I had to ask my superiors, and they secretly revealed it to me."
Aso Ment paused, then asked, "What classified mission? Did she mention it?"
Keliu shook his head.
A mission that is not even allowed to be accessed via a terminal, besides being highly classified, also implies unspeakable danger.
It won't be any easier than the last Zerg war.
Aso Ment touched his arm, which had grown cold after the sweat evaporated.
She didn't even say goodbye to him properly, nor did she wish him good luck in his military campaigns.
The two didn't have a big argument, but what they said was hurtful enough.
*
This mission lasted for a year, with sentries constantly being added to replenish the ranks, and rumors began to circulate among the locals.
As a general, Asso Mente knew about the mission much earlier.
A year ago, the Federation and the Zerg joined forces and quickly deployed troops to control the Imperial colony system, causing heavy casualties among the sentinels stationed there.
While Lin Shuangqiao deployed troops to create a false impression, he also sent his capable henchmen to assassinate the Federation's leader and the Insect Queen, thus provoking a major war and regaining control of the star system.
Currently, there is only one person who can contend with the Queen and is also suitable for carrying out infiltration missions.
Before being arrested and released from his mission, this man was berated by Asso Ment for wasting his abilities and not taking life seriously.
Aso Ment had already added him back; he could unilaterally delete him or unilaterally add him back, and would send him a series of daily messages.
For example, the only new recruit she recently enlisted was a man, and he was already married;
For example, she was feeling unwell recently and thought that drinking alcohol would help suppress it, so she drank a lot;
For example, her temper became increasingly bad, prompting the legion members to ask her to take a leave of absence;
For example, she went to see a doctor, who said she was pregnant, which explained her irritability and discomfort. So the next day, she confidently demanded that everyone in the legion be tolerant of pregnant women.
For example, when their child was born, she named her Charlene Ment. Although she was only a little over a month old, little Charlene was already very intelligent and hadn't been driven mad by Asso Ment's drinking. Asso Ment boasted that it was because of her strong willpower.
But there was no reply to the messages, and Aso Mente received no news from Jiang Sili.
During the most uncomfortable period of late pregnancy, when even mental and physical comfort could not be soothed, Aso Mente sent a message to Lin Shuangqiao in the middle of the night, disregarding discipline and etiquette, only asking about Jiang Sili's condition.
She didn't expect an answer; after all, the emperor was the emperor.
But only five minutes after the message was sent, Lin Shuangqiao replied: You're safe. Don't overthink it. I believe you.
I've been alone for so many years, so why do I still find it hard to get through this now?
After Jiang Sili left, no one called her Puff anymore.
Aso Mente's name is very formal, which she doesn't dislike, but when she's with close friends or family, she acts as formally as if she's still at work.
They realized the problem just as they were eating the cream puffs the chef had made. They were flat and didn't taste very good. But they were also soft and chewy, lingering on their tongues.
"Puff, would you like some more?" Jiang Sili blinked, as if she was talking about the cream puff that had long been forgotten, but it didn't seem like she was talking about it.
An unspoken hint.
Later, when they spent time together in private, Jiang Sili always called her Puff, pronouncing it softly from between his lips, like the most beautiful whisper.
Giving birth was more difficult than she had imagined. The spiritual body could provide a lot of spiritual energy to quickly heal wounds, which was originally a good thing, but it turned into a burden in the matter of giving birth.
Aso Mente simply couldn't imagine that a person could be born, heal, and then crack open all at the same time.
The doctor said: The higher the level of the sentinel, the more difficult childbirth is; on the contrary, those with lower levels can have pain relief through epidurals and basically don't suffer.
Fortunately, the doctor was experienced. He expelled the spirit from the scene, preventing her from providing any more spiritual power, while administering a full dose of pain relief and then an injection of an inhibitor to suppress the transmission of spiritual power.
Aso Mente only felt the pain of the first uterine lock, and never felt pain again after that.
As soon as Charlene was born, the doctor sent her spirit back, and her wounds healed before the pain relief wore off.
I didn't suffer at all. That's great.
But Aso Mente was a little unhappy because the child's father was not around, and the child's spirit and body followed the father but not her.
Seeing these objects only intensified her longing for her loved ones.
*
When Lin Changli and Jiang Sili returned, Lin Shuangqiao personally greeted them.
They looked like two wild men, with long hair and unshaven beards, but you could still see their former good looks.
Lin Changli couldn't stand the slovenliness, so he went to the private lounge to take a shower as soon as he arrived at the space fortress.
But Jiang Sili demanded that his terminal be taken back.
Lin Shuangqiao handed it over.
Jiang Sili was almost impatient to go back and check the news, but Lin Shuangqiao stopped him and said with a smile, "Congratulations."
Completely bewildered, Jiang Sili returned to his room and, just over ten minutes later, burst out of the room and rushed to the belly of the space fortress like a gust of wind. He even disrespectfully refused to take his leave from the emperor and jumped away from the space fortress in his warship.
"When they were being chased by the insect queen, they probably ran this fast," the eunuch said quietly.
Lin Shuanghua just smiled.
*
"The general is back." When Keliu rushed in to report, Aso Ment was frowning at the crying Charlene, holding a baby bottle in his hand, not knowing what to do.
"Why does this baby keep making noise?" she said, extremely distressed. "I'm telling you, I shouldn't have listened to your encouragement and given her breast milk even once. Now it's never going to end, and she won't even drink formula."
Despite his initial reluctance, Aso Ment still prepared to undress and feed her. The baby was still small, and he figured he could wait a few more months to switch to formula. By five or six months, she would be more sensible.
"What did you say?" Aso Ment's attention was not on Kliu at all, nor did he notice the person who appeared behind her.
Keliu had already wisely left.
"Hmm?" As he spoke, he fell silent. Aso Ment looked up, somewhat puzzled.
The person I hadn't seen for almost a year stood there, smelling of freshly bathed fragrance. His hair looked like it had been cut by himself, uneven and as if it had been gnawed by a Gu Diao. There was also a faint, almost healed shaving mark on his face.
The two stared at each other blankly, then smiled at each other at the same moment.
Jiang Sili walked in, not daring to disturb Xia Lin, who was trying to eat.
He crouched down, staring intently at Asso Ment, his eyes red-rimmed, and whispered, "I'm back, Puff."
Aso Ment leaned closer and gently kissed his forehead. "Welcome back."
It was as if all the previous conflicts and arguments had never existed.
*
On the day Charlene was cremated, a torrential downpour began at the G13 Legion base.
Aso Mente and Jiang Sili were dressed in black, their faces expressionless with grief.
The two were two fists apart, yet something remained between them, preventing them from getting any closer.
Two months ago, Jiang Sili stood at the G13 base airfield, sending Aso Ment and the entire legion on an expedition to the new star system.
This is an essential step in Asso Mente's goal, an opportunity she has been eagerly anticipating.
Standing next to her was Charlene, a 15-year-old girl who had cut her own bangs in a dog-like style. She didn't want anyone's help; she liked to style her own hair.
She was brave and fearless; at the age of seven, she sailed her warship alone to the border to find Jiang Sili.
She strongly insisted on going on the expedition with her mother, as she knew she would inevitably go to the battlefield in the future as a sentinel.
Aso Mente readily agreed.
After Charlene's birth, Jiang Sili, at Aso Mente's request, remained in G11 to maintain his power and position, paving the way for Charlene's future.
Therefore, he could only see them off, not accompany them. He had responsibilities with the G11.
"May your military prowess be abundant." He wished Xia Lin a resounding victory in her first campaign, a significant milestone in her life.
Not all children have this opportunity.
But in the same spot, he found Xia Lin's cold body lying in an ice coffin. Her uneven bangs were neatly combed, but she no longer had that wild vitality.
He and Aso Ment taught Charlene a lot, but they never told her that the mental conditioning of wartime guides is different from that of base guides in peacetime.
In wartime, things are very urgent, and the guide doesn't have time to soothe her emotions; the guide has to be quick and decisive.
Charlene, who had already experienced mental turmoil, was further provoked. She was brave, but she was only 15 years old.
The guide was only slightly older than Charlene.
She was so frightened that she shut down her mental imagery to stop the guide, who, once trapped, became panicked and lost all sense of direction.
After the two children's mental landscape was destroyed, [the child] also perished.
Aso Mente and Jiang Sili couldn't blame the guide; she was equally innocent. Guides were scarce, and she was urgently put on duty when all the legion's guides were exhausted. Before Charlene, she had already been working beyond her capacity for a long time.
But if you don't hate her, how can you vent the anger and sadness of losing Charlene?
Whom can these desperate parents blame?
Jiang Sili saved so many mixed-race children, yet he didn't even have the chance to save his own daughter.
He found it all ridiculous; his life had been ridiculous.
“I should have gone with you,” Jiang Sili said in a low voice.
"Are you blaming me for not letting you leave G11?" Aso Ment scoffed, her eyes bloodshot and her nerves on edge.
"I didn't mean that. Please don't say that." Jiang Sili tried her best to remain calm.
Aso Ment turned her head away, as if speaking to herself, "If only I had never met you back then."
There would be no Charlene, and we wouldn't have lost her.
The string in Jiang Sili's mind suddenly snapped.
"What did I do to deserve such resentment?" He grabbed Asso Ment's hand, his voice sharper than ever before. "I surrendered to you for military merit, you refused to marry me, I stayed in G11 according to your wishes, I couldn't even be by your side with Charlene! What exactly are you dissatisfied with about me?!"
Aso Mente closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face. Her displayed strength crumbled amidst the pouring rain and Jiang Sili's questioning.
She broke free from Jiang Sili, pressed the flame starter, and in the roaring fire, Xia Lin's figure grew smaller and smaller.
In the end, it turned into a handful of ashes.
Let's break up.
Let's get married.
The two spoke almost simultaneously, and Aso Ment turned to look at him in surprise.
Jiang Sili stared at the glass; the heat of the flames was unbearable, as if his skin was about to peel off.
"What?"
"......"
Jiang Sili remained silent for a long time, until her face was dry: "We've been entangled for so many years, let's just continue like this. Let's not let each other off the hook."
He tilted his head slightly, staring at the person in front of him like a snake.
It's like grasping at the only light that ever existed in your life.
*
Charlene's small urn was hidden inside a spatial button, and Aso Ment always kept it close to his heart.
The expedition was a success, but she lost Charlene, her mental level dropped to E, and several guides were helpless.
Forget about being promoted to marshal, she couldn't even continue managing the G13 Legion.
After several mental breakdowns, Aso Ment found it difficult to face the members of G13, who had joined with high hopes for the future, and she couldn't destroy those hopes.
One day, Aso Ment left.
She came here with nothing, starting as a major; only by leaving with dignity can she maintain her final self-respect.
On the airfield, Keliu caught up with her.
Kliu is a military academy student sponsored by Aso Ment, and she is more loyal to the general than to the legion.
On the warship, Aso Ment accidentally knocked over the box next to him.
Keliu came over to help tidy up, and she saw the two certificates.
I just received it yesterday. The Imperial Civil Affairs Bureau is quite ceremonial.
Keliu looked up at her, and Aso Mend stared at her for a while before looking away.
*
Jiang Sili resigned from his position in the G11 Legion. Lin Shuangqiao knew she couldn't stop him, so she could only let him leave.
He wandered through interstellar space for years, doing nothing. He never approached the capital planet again, nor did he ever visit the legion where G13 was located.
But he had heard that G13 had become a cursed legion, with no general able to successfully serve and manage it. G13 had too many veterans who had served the Empire for hundreds of years, and even if they did not cooperate with the new commander, the internal administration of the army would never agree to transfer or dismiss them without their consent, as this would greatly damage the army's reputation.
Until her younger sister, Jiang Siwei, was born.
His mother made a series of phone calls, urging him to return to the capital city.
The reason my mother had a child at such an advanced age is simple: she wanted to have one and she was able to, so she did. She didn't need anyone else's permission.
Jiang Sili held his younger sister, who was almost two eras younger than him, a light and airy child, just like Xia Lin.
A tiny bit, yet so endearing.
"How are things between you and her? Are you still in contact?" The mother sat on the bed, a woolen shawl draped over her shoulders. She was just an ordinary human being who still needed to recover after childbirth.
Jiang Sili was stunned for a moment before realizing who her mother was talking about.
He shook his head.
After we parted ways that year, we never contacted each other again.
He used marriage to bind a legal relationship, but he could no longer bridge the distance between them.
He was powerless to do anything.
When he left the capital planet again, he didn't know where to go next.
Want to switch to another galaxy? Let's leave this place.
The terminal beeped twice, indicating that a new message had arrived.
Jiang Sili thought it was her mother who had something to tell her, but when she opened the terminal, she saw a name that had been gathering dust for many years.
She spoke in the same tone I remembered, blunt and matter-of-fact: Come to Black Tower Star and do me a favor.
Here is a set of coordinates.
Jiang Sili was stunned for a long time, then smiled, entered the coordinates, and set off for this legendary place of exile.
*
The main base of Black Tower Star is bathed in the morning sun.
The blonde woman tilted her head to look at the slowly descending warship.
Jiang Sili stepped off the warship.
Just like when the two first met.
Aso Ment's blond hair gleamed, he was tall and strong, with firm and bright eyes. His gaze toward Jiang Sili seemed to be fixed on a target, determined to succeed.
-----------------------
Author's note: That's all for the past stories. [hugs]
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