Marshal Chu thought the space fleet process was way too complicated, so he just went ahead and piloted his personal mech. He reported to the Tygre Star Air Traffic Control Center and applied for takeoff privileges and docking rights at the spaceport.
When he arrived at the detention center, he happened to run into a woman with delicate features and an elegant, noble aura.
She was the first to extend her hand. “Long time no see. How is your health, Marshal Chu?”
Chu Huaizhi’s expression softened as he shook her hand. “Not bad. Same as always, nothing’s really changed. What brings you here, Councilor Reno?”
Kailyn Reno smiled and nodded. “I’m here to pick up my good-for-nothing second son. And you, Marshal Chu?”
Chu Huaizhi sighed. “I’m here to pick up my student, the one who never takes the ordinary path.”
“Haha, I heard about that. You specially recruited an 18-year-old Stardust Plant Manipulator. As expected of you—you really have a keen eye for talent.”
Chu Huaizhi felt a little guilty inside but returned the compliment. “Bartholomew is also quite impressive. He’s already the president of the Deep-Space Combat Student Union. In the second half of the year, he should be running for the school’s student council president, right?”
Kailyn Reno’s smile deepened, and her eyes showed her satisfaction with her son. “You know, the pursuit of power is etched into the genes of us Renos. Bartholomew is a true Reno.”
“I hope he can become as outstanding as you are and help build up our Federation.”
Kailyn Reno spoke with complete confidence. “He’s a child I have high hopes for—steady and responsible. I expect great things from him, and I hope he can carry on the friendship between us.”
Chu Huaizhi said with a cheerful grin, “My student is also an incredibly genuine person, and she’s super popular. I heard that the candidates who took the exam with her pooled their money together to form a political party called the ‘Star Grain Party’ and made her their leader. I’m sure she and Bartholomew will become good friends.”
Kailyn Reno caught the hint right away and took the initiative to say, “The Federation hasn’t seen a new political party in a long time. If your student runs into any problems, she can come to me anytime.”
She gave a playful wink and said coyly, “You know, I’ve been involved in a lot of the party’s internal matters. I have experience in that area.”
The two quickly reached an unspoken understanding and walked into the detention center, politely yielding to each other along the way.
The detention center at Tygre Spaceport was huge, divided into one small cell after another.
They chatted as they walked together. “What a coincidence.”
Kailyn Reno extended an invitation. “Yeah, we should grab a meal together later.”
They kept walking until they reached the end. They looked at each other, and their smiles became a bit forced.
At the very end, there were two rooms—one on the left and one on the right.
Kailyn Reno said, “I’m going left.”
Chu Huaizhi swallowed the sigh rising in his throat and said bitterly, “I’m also going left.”
They pretended nothing was wrong and pushed open the door, only to see two groups of people yelling at each other from opposite sides of Adjudicator 11083.
Lin Xiaohe said, “Are you in elementary school? You can’t win, so you call for backup.”
Bartholomew shot back, “If you’ve got guts, then don’t call Marshal Chu to come bail you out! My background is my capital. Being born into a good family is my strength.”
Lin Xiaohe raised her chin and fired back, “You relied on luck to be born into your family. I relied on my own ability to get my teacher. Why shouldn’t I use that?”
They argued and argued, and it looked like they were about to come to blows again.
Kailyn Reno said, a little displeased, “Bartholomew, mind your manners. The person standing across from you is not only a lady but also your future schoolmate.”
Bartholomew saw his mother had arrived and turned his head to show her the swollen side of his face.
Kailyn Reno’s pupils suddenly dilated, and she gasped. Wow, who did that?!
Lin Xiaohe’s eyes widened in shock. No way, are you playing dirty? The tea is overflowing with drama here!
But losing the fight doesn’t mean losing face.
She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, stubbornly turned her head away, and only let people see the glistening tears at the corners of her eyes.
Xinbao, dragging its tattered, broken leaf, shook with every movement like it had Parkinson’s disease, turning the simple act of wiping Lin Xiaohe’s tears into a slow-motion scene.
At the same time, the room’s speakers suddenly started playing a melancholic song.
“Little cabbage, yellow in the field. At eighteen years old, without a protector anymore…”
Protector Marshal Chu…
Kailyn Reno…
Who would have thought that this hot-blooded young girl, the youngest Stardust Plant Manipulator, could have such a side to her!
Seeing Lin Xiaohe and Xinbao in this pitiful, miserable state, Chu Huaizhi’s heart, which was usually as cold as a meteorite, instantly softened.
He exchanged a glance with Kailyn Reno, and both of their eyes held helpless, wry smiles.
The younger generation just doesn’t get along; you can’t force it.
Anyway, there’s plenty of time ahead. They’ll be schoolmates for several more years, so there will be plenty of opportunities.
Chu Huaizhi and Kailyn Reno each took their own people and left. They had originally thought about having a meal together to build a connection, but judging by Lin Xiaohe and Bartholomew’s attitudes, it was clear that meal wasn’t going to happen.
After Kailyn Reno left, Lin Xiaohe asked Chu Huaizhi, “Does this mean I don’t have to pay a fine or go to jail?”
“You still have to pay the fine, plus a bail fee.”
“How much is the bail fee?”
“Thirty million.”
Lin Xiaohe thought it over. Unless she ran into some generous fool, she probably couldn’t earn ten million star coins in a month.
“You know what? I think if you do something wrong, you should be punished. I think I’ll just go to jail instead.”
Chu Huaizhi was speechless. “Then why did you call me to come bail you out? You’re not expecting me to pay for it, are you?”
Lin Xiaohe stared at him with big, innocent, guileless eyes and blinked. “Can you? I am the president of the Agricultural College’s student union. It would be such an embarrassment to the Agricultural College if I went to jail. And it would make you look bad too.”
Chu Huaizhi instinctively wanted to refuse, but then he thought of something and said evasively, “First, go get your epidemic prevention checkup. I’ll have the school send a space shuttle to pick us up. After the checkup, does your family want to wait for us here, or should we send them to Satellite 1 first?”
The Lin family discussed it and decided to go to Satellite 1 first.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
Lin Xiaohe went to the school to register first. As for the Lin family, the logistics personnel arranged by Chu Huaizhi took care of everything for them.
The Central Military Academy was located in the northern hemisphere of Tygre Star. The climate was pleasant, and the area was vast.
Looking down from the air, it was covered in lush green vegetation.
But when Lin Xiaohe actually entered the campus, she realized that all this green vegetation was artificial.
Chu Huaizhi explained, “These plants are multifunctional artificial creations. They act as campus temperature regulators, signal collectors, and communication relay stations during special times, among other things.”
“Don’t step on them on purpose. You’ll have to pay for damages.”
Lin Xiaohe quietly moved a little farther away from these fragile, expensive-looking things.
The registration process was very simple. She just needed to submit her admission letter and then have her iris, fingerprints, gene sequence, and so on recorded.
Cassian personally handled her registration process, his manner warm and friendly. “After you finish registering, you’ll also need to go take a mental strength and physical fitness test at the school, then check in at your department. And that’s it. Oh, by the way, which department are you going to?”
“Deep-Space Combat Department, Alien Combat Department, or Mecha Department?”
Lin Xiaohe pressed her last fingerprint and then said casually, “The Agriculture Department.”
“Oh, the Agriculture Department is good too.” Cassian sounded like a duck being strangled. “Wait, what?! The Agriculture Department?!”
