First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 242
Chapter 242: Extra 11: Cornell and Harry's Journey
When Cornell and Harry arrived at the small town called Katari, it happened to be spring.
For some reason, Harry felt this place resembled the old Kafa—because it was too beautiful.
Even in this era of rapid technological development where metal machines have almost spread throughout the Alliance, Katari still retains its romantic atmosphere inherited from history. Flower fields stretch across the entire city, with plants and flowers filling every corner.
Compared to the modern style that pursues simplicity and minimalism, this place always has some strange buildings. With their odd appearances, they appear unreasonably where they shouldn't, yet the city still chooses to accept them, even building extra winding roads to avoid them.
The pace of life here is slow. People are willing to spend an entire day sitting in bars drinking and dancing, then at the end of the month, enjoy the fear of being dominated by moonlight. On payday, they happily splurge again.
Or perhaps it could be said they know how to enjoy life and never force themselves to endure hardship.
Cornell and Harry walked slowly through the streets with large backpacks.
Harry was designing their future travel route on his optical computer. He stared at the screen with a pitiful expression, looking utterly troubled.
"I mean... what's up with this 'Whatever Grill' place? Why do people still go there when it has so many bad reviews? Is there some special magic to it?" Harry said. "Look, this person has left six negative reviews, and judging by the timing, they went six times in one month. If they really hated it that much, why go six times in a month? Are they insane?"
Cornell listened to his increasingly eager tone and found it equally strange.
Why was it that no matter how terrible the reviews, Harry could always find a reason to go check it out?
Cornell didn't comment. After all, he didn't care where they ate.
Harry said, "Let me see—the famous Flower Sea Amusement Park in Katari requires reservations and queuing. If we take a ride there now, we might be lucky enough to visit tomorrow. Then we can have lunch at this 'Whatever Grill' place in the afternoon before catching a ride to the neighboring town. There should still be tickets available, and if we hurry, we can make it to the station before 2 p.m. The neighboring town has a famous lake, and I heard the grilled fish there is delicious too."
As he spoke, he zoomed out the map and happily pointed at the red dots and checkmarks. "Then we'll have visited our 400th city, surpassing 90% of the Alliance's population! What next? Should we check out other districts?"
Harry looked up and asked, "Do you want to visit Gelen?"
Cornell was about to say he didn't care when an amplified voice cut him off: "Everyone, listen to my command—!"
The familiar timbre, the firm and powerful tone, echoed from the street corner. Both of them froze for a moment.
They turned toward the source—a public screen at the intersection broadcasting a news segment. It was an announcement about Alliance University inviting an active-duty Expeditionary Force squad to serve as instructors for combat exercises.
The school had proudly released edited footage as proof—this wasn't just peripheral guidance but full participation.
The Expeditionary Force soldiers were none other than the now-famous, bright-futured Lian Sheng Squad.
Lian Sheng and her team had conducted individual analyses of qualified students and, over the dozen or so days and nights of the combat exercises, lived and trained alongside them, building camaraderie.
The school sincerely thanked them for their help and, on behalf of all students, expressed their longing for them.
The brief description alone was enough to make hearts race. It had to be said that Alliance University's administration truly understood the art of marketing.
After fans saw the words "lived and trained alongside them, building camaraderie," they immediately applied to Alliance University without hesitation. Following the announcement and video, the number of applicants to Alliance University's Military Academy this year had broken records, even driving growth in other departments.
As for "longing," Cornell could already hear the gnashing of teeth from passersby.
A crowd had already gathered in front of the broadcast screen, their expressions a mix of envy and admiration as they stared at the footage, unable to look away.
"Those kids aren't even worth mentioning! At first, they actually doubted Lian Sheng—how blind can you be?"
"Why is Ji Mengmeng just a warehouse manager? Is this what they call wasting talent?"
"Even as a warehouse manager, he contributed plenty of meme material. Look, his screen time is actually the highest because the others wear helmets and he doesn't! Plus, he gets to eat candy!"
"You're right! Ji Ban is the only one you can actually admire on screen!"
"Compared to Lian Sheng, I think Zhao Zhuoluo has more of that iron-blooded soldier image. Just standing there, he radiates integrity and inspires trust. Lian Sheng is always picking fights."
"Life can't be that joyless! I love watching the Great General pick fights. A Great General who doesn't pick fights isn't a Great General at all!"
The crowd stood with their hands behind their backs, critiquing everything.
"Truly worthy of being an Expeditionary Force squad. The skill gap is just too big. Alliance University's student pool isn't weak, but compared like this, I'm starting to wonder if these aren't even Alliance University students."
"Don't even start. If you're going to say that, then back when Lian Sheng was a student, should we also doubt whether those instructors were really Alliance University instructors?"
"Uh... I did doubt that."
"This just goes to show how important reference points are..."
"No, I mean, Alliance University really pulled off something amazing this year. How did they get them to come? Did they lie down at their doorstep and block them?"
"Exactly! Several students I know are applying to Alliance University just for this!"
"They must've risked their lives or used seduction!" someone suddenly clapped and said. "I get it! Maybe they set up a matchmaking event for them. Those single dogs have it rough..."
"Expeditionary Force work isn't for humans. If you don't retire, you don't even have time to date. Why haven't they moved to second-line positions yet? If they drag their feet any longer, my son will be old enough to buy soy sauce."
"If they come back next year, that'd be incredible. I bet most of the people applying to Alliance University now are just doing it to catch a glimpse of them."
"How could they possibly come a second time? The Expeditionary Force doesn't have that much free time."
"If you put it that way, they wouldn't have come the first time either!"
"Hmm..."
"The Great General is as impressive as ever. It's just too bad she doesn't play games anymore."
"Who says she doesn't play games? A few days ago, I saw her account log into the AK series! But she's basically a natural-born cheater, so no one wants to play with her."
This brought up an old topic.
"Is their squad really just eight people? I remember it being more."
"It's always been eight, right? Early promotional material showed eight."
"I remember reports saying it was a ten-person squad. The other two probably retired after the Gelen campaign ended?"
"Retiring that young—could it be medical discharge due to injuries?"
"Very likely. Given how dangerous it was, injuries make sense."
Someone complained, "Why is media coverage of soldiers so scarce? It's all just celebrities cheating, dating, and taking selfies. Who the hell cares how many hairs are on their faces? I don't even get a chance to be patriotic."
"Oh, shut up. You're just patriotically inclined in spurts. Do you think your sporadic patriotism can put food on the table for media outlets? Check your search history—I bet it's all blondes with wavy hair."
"Go to hell!"
Cornell and Harry chuckled when they heard themselves being discussed. They blended into the crowd, watched the edited footage, and then continued on their way.
Harry said, "This messes up our schedule. Maybe we should just find a place to rest and push everything back a day."
Cornell nodded. "Sure."
Harry asked, "Then where? What to eat?"
Cornell: "Whatever."
Harry: "Let's find a place to stay first."
Before it got dark, the two booked a hotel nearby. They specifically chose the top floor with an open-air balcony overlooking the city's nightscape.
Since they couldn't guarantee the hotel's security and were used to carrying their belongings everywhere, they checked in, took a quick look at the room, then shouldered their packs and went back out.
Katari seemed to have the fragrance of flowers drifting through every corner.
The two aimlessly wandered the streets, buying little trinkets that caught their eye and eating their way through the town.
Before they knew it, night fell, and the streets grew even more crowded.
Just as they were about to explore one more street before heading back, a young woman ran toward them. Her steps were frantic, her face pale, and she looked utterly disheveled. Three or five burly men chased after her.
Acting on his soldier's instincts, Harry immediately raised a hand to stop the woman, pushing her behind him to signal she was safe.
The woman gave him a startled look, hesitated between the two of them, then sidestepped to hide behind Cornell instead.
Harry: "..."
Harry: "..."
Cornell: "..."
This looks-obsessed world is so unfair!! Do ugly people not even get the right to play hero?!
Harry's face twisted with indignation as he turned to the pursuers.
The men reeked of alcohol, their faces flushed. After running, they were slightly more sober but still tipsy.
Harry said, "What do you think you're doing? Don't cause trouble, or I'll call the police!"
"Who'd care if you called?" one of the men retorted. "We just wanted to buy her a drink, and she threw hers all over me! Shouldn't she apologize?"
The woman, now calmer, smoothed her wind-tousled hair and said, "You were the ones getting handsy first! I never accepted your invitation—that's harassment!"
"Oh, come on, you—"
Before he could finish, Cornell pressed a hand against his stomach.
The man's face turned red, then he bent over and vomited, emptying his stomach of everything undigested.
The others jumped back in surprise, leaving him to heave alone.
"Ugh..." The woman turned away, waving a hand in disgust. "This is why I hate men who drink too much and can't hold their liquor."
One of the men supporting his vomiting friend snapped, "Then why'd you come to a bar?!"
The woman said, "It's the perfect way to test your liquor etiquette."
The man fumed. "I swear, you—"
Cornell reached into his breast pocket, pulled out a medal, and flashed it at them. Then, with a flick of his fingers, he tucked it away just as quickly.
The man blinked, as if not quite processing what he'd seen.
Was that... an Expeditionary Force medal?
"Drink less. Don't fool around on the streets. And don't force or threaten women." Cornell paused, then added, "Or men."
Harry tilted his head. "What do you think? Should we take them to the police station?"
In Harry's mind, Alliance police stations were omnipotent, handling all sorts of trivial matters, including interrogation, mediation, arbitration, and reconciliation.
The woman hesitated, then said, "No need. I was in a bad mood too, which is why I threw my drink at them. This kind of thing can be settled with a few words—no point wasting police resources."
The men were now completely sober. Assessing that they were no match for Cornell and Harry, yet unwilling to back down entirely, they shouted, "You apologize first, then we'll leave!"
"..." The woman said, "Then you should apologize for getting handsy too."
"Fine, I'll apologize! You think I'm scared?" The man puffed out his chest. "Sorry!"
"..." The woman said flatly, "Sorry."
Satisfied at having salvaged their pride, the group finally left.
Cornell and Harry: "..."
They didn't quite understand the people of this city.
The woman exhaled in relief, then turned to them. "You're such good people. To thank you, let me treat you to a meal?"
Harry shook his head. "No need. We're already full."
The woman insisted, "Then let me treat you tomorrow. Lunch, maybe?"
Harry: "Tomorrow we're visiting the Flower Sea."
Woman: "Can't you postpone it by a day? I know Katari well—I can show you around."
Harry: "But after that, we're heading to the neighboring town to see the lake. We only have one day in Katari."
The woman leaned back, eyeing them with an unreadable expression. "Don't tell me you've already planned out your entire itinerary without leaving any downtime?"
Harry, puzzled, said, "Isn't traveling downtime? We want to see the whole Alliance, then visit other countries."
"How is this downtime? What's the difference between this and work? Waking up at fixed times every day, rushing to the next destination, sightseeing like it's a checklist. Are you exploring or just marking places off a map?" The woman grew animated. "Listen, traveling is supposed to be fun. When you find something enjoyable, you should stop and savor it. You can't rush entertainment."
Harry and Cornell exchanged glances.
But their goal was still so far away. Harry wanted to visit more places, see more sights, do more things—to make Cornell's life feel longer.
Once you got used to being busy, it was hard to stop.
The woman studied their expressions. "Have you been traveling like this the whole time? How long?"
Harry nodded proudly. "Yeah. In five and a half years, we've visited over 370 cities!"
"Good heavens..." The woman looked faint. "You need to stop and rest."
Harry awkwardly said, "Uh..."
The woman suddenly blurted, "Want to buy a house, dear?"
The woman smacked her forehead. "...Sorry, force of habit. I'm a real estate company manager, but I genuinely think you should buy a house. Even if not in Katari, then somewhere familiar."
She spread her hands. "The world is vast, my dears. You can't see it all. Honestly, there aren't that many truly unique places. How many different landscapes are there, really? Just the four seasons, weather changes, mountains, and rivers. After a while, they all start to look the same. Isn't Katari beautiful? How can you possibly appreciate a place's beauty in just a few days? By rushing off to the next destination, you're already missing out on the beauty right in front of you. With your current approach, you're not traveling—you're just passing by."
"Dear, I don't know why you're so fixated on traveling, but listen—as someone who also loves to travel—if all you want is to feel the wind and see the sights, just buy a new holographic projector. The real charm of travel lies in people: sharing moments with friends, family, lovers, or making new friends." She asked, "Can you still remember all the places you've been, the people you've met, how you felt? Going from one place to another without anticipation feels more like wandering than traveling. No matter how beautiful the scenery, nothing beats sitting down with friends, relaxing over drinks."
She placed a hand on Cornell's shoulder and said solemnly, "Three hundred places is more than enough! If happiness is your goal, you should listen to me—stop, and truly appreciate the beauty of one place first."
The woman smiled. "Home is such a joyful word. I love traveling, but I love coming home even more. No matter where I go, it's always waiting for me."
After a moment of silence, the two took the woman's contact information and returned to their hotel.
They set down their bags, showered, and leaned against the bed.
Harry patted the sheets. "This place is really nice. The transportation's convenient too."
Cornell: "Mm."
Harry: "Do you want to buy a house?"
Cornell said, "I guess we could."
Harry jumped up excitedly. "Right! We can buy our own place! Then we can arrange things however we want. I wouldn't put the bathroom there—and I'd get a huge sofa for the living room!"
Cornell: "I guess we could."
A week later, the two moved into a house in Katari's suburbs.
They began notifying everyone they knew to come visit.
It had been so long since they'd last met—now they finally had an excuse to gather.
"Hey, Lian Sheng!"
"Yeah! We bought a house!"
"Travel? We'll talk about that later. The world's too big—we'll never see it all. No need to treat travel like work."
"Katari! District Nine's Katari! When are you free to visit?"
"Housewarming? Nah, we've already moved in. What's there to warm? Moving from a hotel?"
"Stove god ceremony? No, how do you even do that?"
"Haven't started cooking yet!"
"Okay, okay. I'll wait for you."
Harry hung up and immediately dialed another number.
"Hello—"
"Yeah! Wanna come over?"
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