VAP - Chapter 119
Chapter 119: The Marshal's Journey is the Sea of Stars (15)
A week after Sheng Xuejiu’s arrival on the border star, the Zerg launched their largest swarm in months.
Two King Zergs, each ten times the size of a Federation military starship and clad in grayish-blue carapaces, served as the main force, leading various Zerg species to the front lines and communicating with messages only their kind could hear.
If Sheng Xuejiu hadn't made it in time, Admiral Samo alone would have struggled to control the situation.
However, since the Marshal had arrived promptly, there were no "ifs" to consider.
The Zerg had chosen the Federation's defensive line as their breakthrough point. This would be one of the most regrettable decisions they ever made.
By the time the Spiral Star Empire's forces arrived, the battle was already over. To be precise, it was a one-sided affair—the Zerg army had retreated, and numerous Federation mechs were cleaning up the Zerg corpses on the ground, including the remains of a King Zerg.
But the supreme commander, Sheng Xuejiu, was not on site.
“The Marshal went to pursue the other King Zerg,” Admiral Samo reported truthfully. “She should be back soon… Ah, she’s back.”
A giant mech landed with a deafening thud.
It was a beast-type mech, smaller than a starship, with a powerful yet elegant frame and smooth, flowing lines.
Its entire body was a metallic, bright silver, with a pure black light strip running down its back and extending to its tail—a seemingly useless appendage that was, in fact, incredibly powerful.
Its name was Silver Lion. It represented the pinnacle of Federation technology and was Sheng Xuejiu’s exclusive mech.
But at this moment, what captured everyone’s attention was not the mech itself, but what it held in its massive front claw.
The head of a King Zerg.
A head nearly half the size of the Silver Lion.
The Spiral Star general gasped. “She took down a King Zerg by herself?!”
“Actually, the one we’re currently dealing with was also killed by the Marshal. She said it had been a while since she’d killed Zerg and wanted to get the feel for it again,” Samo said honestly.
The ugly, terrifying head was tossed aside casually. Under the indescribable gazes of the crowd, the Silver Lion’s cockpit slowly opened.
Sheng Xuejiu appeared in the doorway and leaped down from a height of three meters, landing lightly on her feet.
She glanced from side to side before striding toward them, fluidly avoiding the filth littering the ground—the exploded chunks of Zerg flesh, blue-green fluids, and human mech fragments.
Her movements were natural and pleasing to the eye, though her expression seemed a bit… disdainful.
Arriving before Admiral Samo and the Spiral Star general, Sheng Xuejiu raised a slight eyebrow. “What’s this? The reinforcements have arrived.”
Her tone was flat, but for some reason, everyone could detect the mockery within it.
The Spiral Star general snapped back to reality, embarrassed. “We received the message late, my apologies. Still, Marshal Sheng handled it so cleanly and efficiently. I’m impressed.”
Sheng Xuejiu said, “No need for admiration. Since you’re already here, you can help out. See those Death Witch Zergs over there?”
The Spiral Star general was speechless.
Death Witch Zergs were a type of Zerg with only moderate combat strength, but their ability to cause headaches for the border garrison was definitely top-tier.
They were walking sources of pollution, hideous to look at and foul-smelling, making cleanup extremely troublesome.
But if their corpses were left unattended, they would contaminate the land and water, resulting in massive losses.
Sheng Xuejiu wanted the Spiral Star forces to handle the cleanup of the Death Witch Zergs.
The Spiral Star general couldn't find a reason to refuse. After all, both sides had a responsibility to fight the Zerg swarm. His side had arrived late and hadn't helped kill any Zerg; it would be inexcusable to shirk the cleanup as well.
He had no choice but to hold his nose and order his men to help.
Sheng Xuejiu expressed her satisfaction and turned to Admiral Samo. “Aside from collecting materials, don’t worry about the rest of the cleanup. Have our people head back.”
Samo saluted. “Yes, Marshal!”
The Spiral Star personnel were stunned. Didn’t she say they were only cleaning up the Death Witch Zergs??
Sheng Xuejiu said without a hint of sincerity, “I was just reminding you to pay attention to the Death Witch Zergs. I never said you were only responsible for them. My army repels the enemy, you handle the aftermath. A pleasure working with you.”
“…A pleasure,” the Spiral Star general ground out through clenched teeth.
“Oh, right.”
Sheng Xuejiu had already started walking away, but she suddenly turned back and said leisurely, “I have some intel to share with our reinforcements.”
The Spiral Star general suppressed his anger. “Please, go ahead.”
“It’s nothing complicated. The Zerg Broodmother has awakened and has already entered her breeding period.”
After dropping such a bombshell, Sheng Xuejiu acted as if nothing had happened and walked toward the Federation garrison, undoing her tied-up hair as she went.
Her pale gold hair was freed from its restraint, spiraling down loosely. She shook her head gently a couple of times, and the strands fell completely free, soft, shiny, and smooth, as if they had never been tied up at all.
The Spiral Star general had no mind to admire her retreating figure. Instead, he asked urgently, “Is your information reliable? Weren’t the previous calculations that it wouldn’t awaken until next month?!”
Sheng Xuejiu didn’t answer.
Admiral Samo shook his head. “Could anything our Marshal says be false? You’d better start preparing. The Zerg are about to get active again, and that Broodmother reproduces faster than anything…”
The Spiral Star general pushed him aside, wanting to ask more.
But Sheng Xuejiu had already vanished from his sight, and even the massive Silver Lion mech behind him had been recalled into the Marshal’s spatial button at some point.
“The Zerg Broodmother has awakened?”
This was a Sentinel dormitory at the Capital Star’s First Military Academy.
Yue Du stared intently at her host’s stunningly beautiful face on the light screen, mulling over the news she had just heard.
She had just finished a class not long ago—a practical combat class, at that.
After Sheng Xuejiu left, the academy naturally assigned a new instructor. Compared to the host who did whatever she pleased, this new instructor’s training methods were far too conventional, to the point that the new students were all nostalgic for the days of being utterly dominated by the Marshal.
A few days ago, someone had even approached Yue Du privately and stammered, asking if the Marshal would ever come back to teach.
…It seemed they’d grown fond of the abuse.
Receiving news of the Zerg Broodmother’s awakening right after class, Yue Du was quite calm, but she still confirmed, “Did you see it with your own eyes?”
Sheng Xuejiu: “Didn’t see it. But I saw a squad of ‘transport ships’ move out. I reckon they’re out finding food for the Broodmother.”
“Transport ship” was a nickname for a type of Zerg. The reason for the name was that this Zerg’s sole purpose was to transport large quantities of food for the Broodmother, ensuring she had the nutritional supply needed to maintain her reproductive cycle.
Yue Du was thoughtful. “Mm.”
Fighting the Zerg and dealing with the president to seize power obviously couldn't happen at the same time. Sheng Xuejiu would likely be tied up for a while.
“I’ll continue to gather information,” Yue Du said. “You just focus on your side. At this stage, the Zerg are the priority.”
Sheng Xuejiu: “Mm.” After a pause, she drew out her words in a coquettish tone, “I miss you.”
Yue Du had heard this sentence ten times already, but hearing it again still made her heart soften. “I miss you too. And the cat.”
Sheng Xuejiu: “…You could have left out those last three words.”
Yue Du chuckled softly. Sheng Xuejiu stared at her for two seconds, then smiled faintly as well, making the entire cold light screen seem more vibrant.
After discussing Sheng Xuejiu’s matters, the conversation turned to the First Military Academy.
Every military academy that enrolled Sentinels and Guides implemented a First Seat system among these two student types, a practice learned from the Spiral Star people.
Each year, the new students in the Sentinel and Guide programs had to participate in a competition at the end of their first semester to select the most outstanding student of their year as the First Seat.
The First Seat had the strongest overall abilities, while the next in line was called the Second Seat. Each First Seat could have one or two Second Seats as assistants.
Sheng Xuejiu had been the First Seat Sentinel of her year, but she had no Second Seat assistants. Rumor had it that no one could stand her temper.
This just went to show how reliable and steadfast Ms. He Yin, who later served as her adjutant, truly was. It couldn't have been easy for her to persist in that position.
Sheng Xuejiu said softly, “I want to see you become the First Seat, but at the same time, I don’t.”
Yue Du: “Why?”
“Once you become the First Seat, a whole group of Guides will start chasing after you, and you won’t be able to get rid of them.” Sheng Xuejiu’s expression darkened slightly, as if recalling something.
Yue Du also remembered the First Seat Guide who had confessed to Sheng Xuejiu. Seeing the Marshal’s awkward expression, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “The students here basically all know about our relationship. They probably won’t go looking for trouble.”
Besides, Yue Du’s aura really didn’t seem like a Sentinel’s—after all, she wasn’t one to begin with. She probably wouldn’t be very popular with Guides.
Yue Du didn’t need a title like First Seat, and judging by the direction of the mission, it probably wasn’t necessary either.
So, the competition at the end of the semester was of little importance to her.
That was what Yue Du thought before she ran into Ying Wei.
However.
“The Marshal acknowledges you, and I respect her decision. But I don’t believe a mediocre person should be standing by her side—”
Ying Wei said resolutely.
On the eve of the First Seat competition, Yue Du encountered Ying Wei, this world’s heroine, on her way back to the dorm after class.
This girl, who came from a remote planet but was outstanding in all aspects, was one of Sheng Xuejiu’s admirers and aimed to join the Marshal’s Silver Lion Legion.
Yue Du knew that Ying Wei’s feelings for Sheng Xuejiu were not romantic love. They were both Sentinels, and Ying Wei was unequivocally straight.
Her admiration for Sheng Xuejiu was largely due to her respect for the strong. To see someone who wasn’t particularly outstanding (at least on the surface) standing beside the powerhouse she revered—that feeling could easily breed resentment.
Yue Du: “So, what are you trying to say?”
Ying Wei said seriously, “In the upcoming First Seat competition, I will give it my all. I ask that you also don’t hold back and compete with me fairly and squarely.”
Yue Du was speechless.
This was unexpected. She had thought it would be something like, “I will definitely defeat you in the competition,” or “I’ll make the Marshal see my strength.”
Ying Wei: “Don’t just stand there stunned. Just tell me if you’ll do it or not.”
Yue Du smiled. “That is what I should be doing anyway.”
Watching the heroine’s retreating back, Yue Du sighed.
Giving it her all was impossible. Ying Wei was a talented and hardworking Sentinel, true, but she hadn’t experienced what Yue Du had. She was also young and nowhere near the level where she could compete with Yue Du.
The same went for the other young Sentinels.
So, should she compete with these young men and women for the position of First Seat?
“Since a challenge has been declared…”
She might as well. The title of First Seat carried a certain influence. It might not help with the series of operations to come, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt.
And… Yue Du had a subtle desire not to lose to Ying Wei.
Not even a fake loss.
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