SCOM - Chapter 99
Chapter 99
Ten days later, the Exoskeleton Legion training program officially concluded. Ji Yuezhi led a brand-new team to the border of the Western Region.
After the incident on Xijiang Exile Star damaged the Western Region's army group, the border was frequently harassed. Therefore, the Military Committee decided to send this newly formed Exoskeleton Legion team to the Western Region first.
“After spending more than half a year in the mountains, I feel like my brain has turned to mush,” Jiang Hong muttered to Guan Xue as they left the port.
“I thought we would be staying to help on the Northern Region's border,” Guan Xue said. For the past six months, she had assumed their first battle would be there.
They used a military port. Upon arrival, someone came to meet and hand over duties with Ji Yuezhi, then led them away.
After signing the documents with the other party, Ji Yuezhi led everyone toward the border.
The Western Region's border was not complex and varied like the Northern Region's, nor was the environment as harsh. The border here was more like a long wall. Inside the wall was the Western Region; outside were the Gashiro people and their robot dogs.
“The environment here is quite nice.” Cha Lili looked at the dormitory building, recalling the scene as they walked over. “It doesn’t feel like a border, more like a fortified city.”
“The borders in the Western Region are all like this,” Jiang Hong said. “This kind of border isn't without its problems. Because it's integrated with nearby border cities, if the line is breached, the civilian population is extremely vulnerable.”
Ji Yuezhi looked down at the border defense map on his optical computer. For the past six months, the Western Region's border had been under constant harassment, and the Western United Army had been under long-term high pressure, now exhausted.
“This is this week's patrol map. Distribute it to your teams.” Ji Yuezhi sent the patrol map to the various captains via his optical computer. It was a patrol plan he had already formulated on the warship.
“We still haven’t seen the Gashiro people use any third-generation robot dogs,” Zuo Luohuan suddenly said, sitting in the conference room.
“Could it be that the robot dogs on Xijiang Exile Star were their entire stock?” Luo Shaoyuan spoke up. “After all, we encountered so many of them before. The materials alone would have been immense.”
“Regardless, we must remain vigilant in the Western Region.” It was Cha Lili's first time defending a border, and he didn't want any accidents.
The core members of the Exoskeleton Legion, about twenty in all, finished discussing the week's arrangements in the conference room and returned to rest.
Early the next morning, the teams split up from their current location to patrol and inspect the border. At every checkpoint, they encountered soldiers from the Western United Army.
“Many checkpoints have needed repairs recently. With you here, our pressure will be greatly reduced,” a colonel from the Western United Army said upon meeting Ji Yuezhi.
Ji Yuezhi said, “If there’s anything you need help with, Colonel, you can let us know.”
“The main issue is that the Gashiro people are always irregular, constantly harassing our Western United Army in small-scale attacks. After more than half a year of this, everyone is tired,” the colonel said helplessly. “But we don’t dare to lower our guard.”
Who knows when a large group of Gashiro people and robot dogs might suddenly appear on the other side.
The Federation's high command had complex feelings about Ren Pingbo, but among the army groups stationed on the border year-round, there was no one who didn't hate him.
If it weren't for Ren Pingbo, the Gashiro Empire might have been destroyed by the Federation long ago. Back then, the Federation's strength was constantly growing, while the Gashiro Empire was like a setting sun, about to sink into darkness. But after Ren Pingbo's defection, he led the Gashiro Empire to rise again.
On the surface, the Gashiro Empire hadn't conquered any Federation territory over the years, but the skill and strength of the Gashiro people had clearly improved, as if they had been brought back from the dead.
After bidding farewell to the colonel, Ji Yuezhi continued along the border, inspecting the defensive wall as he went.
Zuo Luohuan stood behind him, her gaze sweeping over the surroundings. She didn't believe Ren Pingbo would engage in useless efforts; these harassments must have some purpose.
It was just that everyone's attention was focused beyond the defensive wall, guessing when the Gashiro Empire would launch a major offensive.
Ji Yuezhi led his team to inspect the border defenses for a week, marking all the damaged areas and reporting them to the Western United Army, whose nearby checkpoints were responsible for repairs.
“Our team is on leave tomorrow,” An Yingjing asked Ji Yuezhi. “Can we go into the city?”
Ji Yuezhi looked up. “You can.”
“I’m taking leave tomorrow,” Zuo Luohuan said suddenly. “I’m also going to the city.”
Ji Yuezhi was taken aback. “Taking leave?”
Zuo Luohuan nodded. “I have something to take care of.”
There were no rules against taking leave, but for the past six months, Zuo Luohuan had always been by Ji Yuezhi's side. He had grown accustomed to it and couldn't adjust for a moment, even if it was just for one day.
“...Alright.” Ji Yuezhi didn't ask any further questions and agreed. “Bring your skeletal mechs with you.”
When compressed, a skeletal mech was just a palm-sized graphite sphere, so it wasn't much trouble.
There were three teams on leave: Luo Shaoyuan's, An Yingjing's, and Xiang Chengping's, plus Zuo Luohuan, who had taken the day off.
When they went out, Zuo Luohuan rode in the same vehicle as Luo Shaoyuan and the others. After reaching the city, Zuo Luohuan got out alone and arranged to meet them in the afternoon.
“To think she’d take leave to come out alone.” An Yingjing, sitting in the vehicle, watched Zuo Luohuan's retreating figure through the glass and couldn't help but purse his lips. “A bunch of stinking Alphas.”
“Not all Alphas stink. I don't think I stink,” Luo Shaoyuan, who was beside him, subconsciously retorted.
“Shut up,” An Yingjing snapped back. “Do you still want me to take you out to eat or not?”
Luo Shaoyuan immediately made a zipping motion across her lips, indicating she would say no more.
Xiang Chengping wasn't familiar with the area, and Luo Shaoyuan offered to explore together. But the rumors of her and An Yingjing's relationship were widespread, and Xiang Chengping didn't want to be a third wheel.
“We’ll just wander around on our own,” Xiang Chengping declined.
“Alright then.” Luo Shaoyuan secretly glanced at An Yingjing. In truth, she just wanted to bring someone along to avoid any awkwardness.
Every time she was alone with An Yingjing, she felt inexplicably nervous.
Zuo Luohuan had come out simply to pick something up.
She had originally planned to go to the design shop in the Capital to retrieve her custom order after returning, but they had come directly to the Western Region instead. Fortunately, the shop had branches in every region of the Federation.
Before coming to the Western Region, she had contacted the Capital branch and asked them to ship the item to the Western Region branch, where she would find an opportunity to pick it up.
She hadn't had any time since arriving in the Western Region. Zuo Luohuan endured it for a week before finally giving in and taking a day off to retrieve it.
The branch was located in a quieter part of the city center. After walking through several streets, Zuo Luohuan finally saw the shop's sign.
There weren't many pedestrians on the surrounding streets, but the people entering the shop were all in pairs.
It wouldn't have been impossible for him to come with her. Zuo Luohuan lowered her eyes and chuckled. Never mind, she would just get it herself first.
Before entering, Zuo Luohuan felt a trace of nervousness.
She stepped into the shop. Bright lights shone on the long, clean glass counters, making the items inside sparkle even more brilliantly.
“Hello, what can I help you with? Is it a gift for someone or for yourself?” A clerk came over and asked enthusiastically.
“I’m here to pick up a pre-ordered item,” Zuo Luohuan said, giving her name.
The clerk reacted immediately. “Of course, please wait a moment while I go get it for you.”
It was rare for their shop to receive an item shipped from headquarters. When it arrived, the clerks had already been guessing what kind of person had ordered it and what was inside.
Unfortunately, the branch staff couldn't open it to look; the item was packed in a sealed, password-protected box.
“This was sent from headquarters. You can inspect it on the spot.” The clerk, wearing white gloves, came over holding a five-inch sealed box. “If there are any issues, you can let us know right away.”
Zuo Luohuan took the sealed box, entered the password, and opened it.
The gazes of the clerk opposite her and others standing at different counters drifted over, faint yet present. Although they had professional ethics, they couldn't help their curiosity. An item delivered in such a sealed box represented an astronomical price.
Even the main store rarely had such cases.
Besides... the person who came to pick it up was so young and good-looking.
As soon as the box was opened, the clerk opposite her gasped softly upon seeing its contents. Inside was a red box, the kind used to hold only one thing.
Rings.
The clerk looked up at Zuo Luohuan. Was this Alpha getting married so young?
Zuo Luohuan picked up the red box, placed it in her palm, and opened it carefully, revealing its contents: two plain, white, circular rings, each with a name engraved on the inner band.
They didn't seem to match the high-grade sealed box they came in.
“There are no problems,” Zuo Luohuan said, closing the red box and looking up.
The clerk snapped back to reality, took out a document for Zuo Luohuan to sign, and offered her congratulations.
“Thank you.” Zuo Luohuan, for once, showed a genuine smile to a stranger. She was very happy today.
The clerk put away the signed document, then crouched down to get a white bag. “You can put the sealed box in this bag.”
Zuo Luohuan took the white bag, placed the red box back into the sealed box, carefully put it inside the white bag, and finally walked out of the shop carrying it.
As soon as she left, the other clerks immediately gathered around, asking the one who had served her, “Were they really rings?”
“They were rings,” the clerk sighed, resting their face in their hands. “She must really love that person.”
The look in her eyes as she gazed down at the rings was filled with tenderness.
“Did you get a clear look at what kind of rings they were? To be so valuable,” another clerk asked.
“I didn't see clearly. Everyone get back to work.” The clerk behind the counter waved their hand. Was this a matter of value? If one could win that person's affection, they would willingly wear a ring made of tin.
There were still several hours until the meeting time. Carrying the bag, Zuo Luohuan felt like heading back early. She had no particular interest in the Western Region on her own, especially since she had visited before.
Zuo Luohuan walked toward the street where they had agreed to meet, thinking about just heading back by herself.
Before she could cross at the traffic light, a commotion erupted at the intersection ahead.
Zuo Luohuan frowned at the distance. The commotion on the other side was escalating. She opened her optical computer to contact Xiang Chengping, but no one answered. Before she could call Luo Shaoyuan and An Yingjing, blood suddenly sprayed from the running crowd opposite her, splattering high into the air.
Zuo Luohuan quickly donned her skeletal mech and rushed toward the chaos.
It was noon, and the streets were crowded with people off from work. Being at a central intersection, Zuo Luohuan couldn't see what was happening, only the screaming, fleeing crowd. She glanced up at the surrounding buildings, then dashed to the side and scaled a tall one.
She looked down but couldn't see the source of the trouble, only people being continuously eliminated.
No...
Zuo Luohuan caught a faint glint of silver-white in her peripheral vision. Her eyes narrowed. There was something in the crowd.
It was... a palm-sized robot dog.
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