“How much energy is actually needed? What exactly do I have to do to reach that point?” Xu Ze squinted slightly, as if peering at Number One in his mind—the source of both his excitement and his disappointment…
Number One’s voice remained as cold as ever, its tone utterly devoid of the warmth that Little Knife possessed. It replied dutifully, “According to analysis, to repair the main system, you, as the host, must attain at least Level Five Super Medic status. Only then will you have sufficient energy to restore the main system…”
“Level Five? Alright… I understand…” Xu Ze nodded gently, a glimmer of light finally returning to his eyes. “Level Five… it just takes time. Little Knife… wait for me… I’ll bring you back as soon as I can…”
“Xu Ze Medic, I will now brief you on your training schedule. According to the original plan set by the main system, you have completed Intermediate Medicine and Weapons Handling. The next course arranged for you is Intermediate Mechanical Driving Mastery. Would you like to enter the virtual space to begin learning now?”
“No… not now.” Xu Ze glanced at the time—it was already late—and declined.
“Understood. Xu Ze Medic, goodbye. If you need me, simply call at any time…” As Number One’s icy voice faded away, Xu Ze let out a soft sigh. He walked out onto the balcony, stretched his body slowly, and exhaled gently.
Gazing at the slanting sunset softly reflected on the surface of North Lake… a warm, brilliant smile spread across Xu Ze’s handsome face.
The Lavila Restaurant remained exactly as it had been a year and a half ago. Soft music drifted gently through the dining hall, where elegantly dressed patrons sat at their tables, savoring fine cuisine and murmuring quietly among themselves…
Sun Lingfei walked in wearing a long woolen coat over a white sweater and a red vest. She glanced toward the familiar spot and saw the person sitting there, smiling at her… A delighted smile bloomed on her radiant face.
Xu Ze chivalrously pulled out the chair beside her, helped her take off her long wool coat, handed it to an attendant, and helped her sit down before returning to his own seat.
“When did you get back?” Sun Lingfei asked softly, a faint blush rising on her cheeks as she gazed at the face she had missed so dearly, now wearing that warm smile.
“Right when I called you,” Xu Ze replied, smiling gently at the girl he deeply loved.
“How could you use your own phone to call me? Aren’t you afraid my father will find out?” she chided playfully.
“Not anymore… I’m not afraid anymore.” Xu Ze shook his head slowly, his eyes full of warmth as he looked at her. “I think he won’t oppose us being together from now on.”
Sun Lingfei was startled. Though she didn’t understand why he said that, it was still exhilarating news. “Why?”
“Because I’m a Senior Colonel now. The youngest and most promising Senior Colonel in the military…” Xu Ze said with confidence. “I think… your father wouldn’t refuse a general with unlimited potential as his son-in-law.”
“What?” Sun Lingfei’s pretty head couldn’t quite process it. She couldn’t figure out how Xu Ze had suddenly become some so-called Senior Colonel.
As someone from the inner circle of the capital, she naturally knew that military officers who reached the rank of Senior Colonel were no ordinary figures—especially young ones. A Senior Colonel at twenty-one or twenty-two was, at least in her experience, unheard of. Among the officers she knew, field-grade officers were almost never under twenty-five, let alone a twenty-one-year-old Senior Colonel.
But she knew Xu Ze would never lie to her. Still, she couldn’t help but stare with her lovely big eyes, excitedly asking, “Xu Ze… what happened? How did you end up in the military, and how did you become a Senior Colonel?”
After Xu Ze carefully explained everything to her, Sun Lingfei finally relaxed and accepted this happy reality. A Senior Colonel personally appointed by the Chairman—if her father refused, that seemed almost impossible…
“The first time we had dinner together was here. So today, I chose this place again. But this time, there are no annoying hangers-on… and there never will be again. If any show up, I’ll toss them right out the window…” Xu Ze took her hand, gazing into her sparkling eyes, and spoke softly…
The next day, Xu Ze drove to Tianyang Mountain and had a meal with Old Master Tang. After hearing about Xu Ze’s recent trip to Lima, the old man expressed his admiration, but then gave him a serious piece of advice: “Back then, when I first met you, though you were young, you were more steady than aggressive. So I encouraged you to be bold and assertive, and I was happy to clean up after whatever bold moves you made.”
He paused, looking at Xu Ze with pride, but then his tone shifted gently: “But the capital is different. It’s the heart of the nation, where dragons and tigers lie hidden. Though Old Li is watching over you, and I trust him, you’re still too young. Right now, you’re riding high in the military—becoming a Senior Colonel at barely twenty and appointed Deputy Director of the General Staff’s Special Operations Division—it’s bound to stir envy. And this is probably the peak of your rise for the next few years; there’s little room for further advancement in the short term… So it’s best to keep a low profile.”
“Yes… Grandpa Tang, I’ll be careful,” Xu Ze replied respectfully, bowing his head.
Seeing that Xu Ze remained as humble and courteous as ever, without a trace of arrogance, Old Master Tang felt deeply reassured. He nodded slowly and said, “When I first set out to cultivate you, I never expected you to progress so quickly… In less than two years, you’ve reached this level. Now that you’re on the military path, with Old Li around, there’s not much more I can do to help you from my side… Just be cautious in everything. But if you ever face a difficult decision, you can always come to me.”
Moved by the old man’s careful concern and advice, Xu Ze nodded slowly, reached out with both hands to gently hold the old man’s hand, and looked into those deep, warm eyes. “Grandpa, rest assured… I came from the Tang family, and I will never bring shame to you.”
The old man patted the back of Xu Ze’s hand gently, his face filled with a gratified smile. “Go on, go on… The young eagle has grown; it must soar into the skies. Remember… the Tang family will always be your solid backing.”
——–
At the Xu Family Clinic in Chentang Town…
Xu’s father looked at his son, who had grown more composed and resolute after months apart, and sighed quietly in his heart. His son had truly grown up—there was some loss, but even more pride.
Though the news that his son had suddenly traded medicine for military service caught him off guard, he had originally expected Xu Ze to build a career as a renowned doctor at a major hospital. He never imagined Xu Ze had already been specially recruited into the military, saved a foreign head of state’s life, performed several meritorious deeds, and been personally awarded the rank of Senior Colonel by the Chairman. Still, a father naturally takes pride in such achievements. The Xu family had been commoners for generations—who would have thought that in this generation, a general might emerge?
He fixed his gaze on his son and said slowly, “Very well… then go. Don’t worry about home. Your father isn’t old yet.”
“Xiao Ze…” His mother had grown accustomed to his absence over the past couple of years. The military was fine—there wasn’t much fighting these days, and her son was stationed in the capital anyway, with a decent rank. He’d be a general someday. And even if a war broke out, it probably wouldn’t reach the capital, so she wasn’t overly worried.
She gently stroked her son’s face. Though reluctant to see him go, she reminded him, “Since you’re an officer in the military, you should have some free time. Planes are fast these days—remember to visit home often.”
“Alright, Mom. I should have a fair amount of freedom over there. I’ll come back whenever I can.” Xu Ze nodded, then pulled out a card from his pocket and handed it to her. “Here’s fifty thousand yuan. Keep it for emergencies.”
His mother took the card without hesitation, tucked it away carefully, and nodded. “Alright… take care of yourself over there.”
Many of Xu Ze’s classmates at Star University stared in astonishment at the couple walking hand in hand across campus. Exclamations broke out: “Isn’t that Xu Ze? He’s back? I thought he and Sun Lingfei broke up? How…”
“It really is Xu Ze! Where did he go that day in the helicopter?”
Ignoring the curious, puzzled, or shocked looks from their peers, Xu Ze and Sun Lingfei strolled arm in arm through the winter sunlight, soaking in its faint warmth.
The Student Council President, Li Yuxuan, walked toward them. Upon seeing the couple walking hand in hand in the light, a flicker of surprise and disappointment crossed his face, but he quickly smiled and approached. “Xu Ze… when did you get back?”
“I came back yesterday,” Xu Ze replied with a smile. He had always appreciated the gentle and refined student council president.
“Oh, so you won’t be leaving again, right? You’ve been spending so little time on campus lately—that might affect your degree,” Li Yuxuan reminded him carefully.
Xu Ze smiled and shook his head. “I’m leaving again tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? For how long?” Li Yuxuan’s eyes showed surprise. “What about your studies here?”
“Once I leave this time… I probably won’t come back to class.” Xu Ze looked around at the familiar campus and sighed softly. “I’ve enlisted. So I won’t be continuing my studies here, but my diploma and degree should be fine.”
“You really did enlist…” Li Yuxuan recalled the armed helicopter that had come for Xu Ze that day and wasn’t too surprised. If Xu Ze could have a military helicopter pick him up, his status in the military must be considerable, and the school would naturally arrange things for him.
As someone with connections himself—being Student Council President—Li Yuxuan was genuinely curious about Xu Ze’s situation. “Which department of the military are you in?”
“The General Staff Department,” Xu Ze replied. There was no need to keep it a secret.
“The General Staff?” Li Yuxuan was taken aback. He had assumed that since Xu Ze was a clinical medicine major, the military had recruited him for his medical skills—likely placing him in the General Logistics Department at a military hospital. He never expected the General Staff.
The General Staff Department is the direct command and operations body for the entire armed forces, and among the four major departments under the Military Commission, it holds the most weight—that went without saying.
Li Yuxuan let out a soft breath, suppressing his surprise, and smiled again. “The General Staff is a great place. I actually have a cousin working there in the General Staff Office as a Lieutenant Colonel. Maybe I can introduce you two sometime.”
“Oh, that would be nice,” Xu Ze said with a nod.
“So which division are you in? And since you were specially recruited, your rank is probably Captain, right?” Li Yuxuan was genuinely curious about where Xu Ze was stationed.
Xu Ze hesitated for a moment. It wasn’t exactly classified, but he didn’t really want to broadcast it.
Seeing his hesitation, Li Yuxuan quickly added, “If it’s not convenient, never mind.”
Xu Ze smiled. “It’s not a secret, but I’d rather not make a big deal of it. I’m in the Operations Division… and my rank is Senior Colonel.”
Li Yuxuan was already stunned when he heard “Operations Division,” but when Xu Ze said “Senior Colonel,” he was completely floored. He stared in disbelief. “Wait… you said… Sen… Senior Colonel?”
“Yeah, Senior Colonel. I just received the promotion order, though the formal commissioning hasn’t happened yet.” Xu Ze understood Li Yuxuan’s reaction. To ordinary people, “Senior Colonel” might not mean much, but to those with connections, it carried a whole different weight.
“Oh… oh…” Li Yuxuan nodded absently, asking nothing more.
Xu Ze smiled, nodded, and said, “Alright, let’s keep in touch. We’ll be going now.”
After Xu Ze and Sun Lingfei walked away, Li Yuxuan stood there in a daze for quite a while before snapping out of it. He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed a number. Though he didn’t think Xu Ze would lie, he still found it hard to believe—it just seemed too absurd.
“Cousin… I have a classmate named Xu Ze… Yeah, around twenty-one… Wait, really? Oh… okay, okay…”
After hanging up, Li Yuxuan turned and watched Xu Ze and Sun Lingfei’s retreating figures for a long time. Finally, he let out a long sigh. He had always considered himself outstanding among his peers, but compared to Xu Ze… he was far, far behind.
