NABC Chapter 195 188 Loyalty
Chapter 195 188 Loyalty
Two hundred thousand kilometers above the surface of Earth, the Star Alliance Military Academy in Ruyi City was as tranquil as ever. It had welcomed its second batch of trainee officers, and the students from the first round of short-term training had already been assigned to Universe Army warships and other posts for internships.
It wouldn't be long before these first-batch students became qualified Universe Army officers, piloting warships and voyaging through the starry sea.
In the lobby of one of the academy's teaching buildings, it was decorated more like a college institution abroad, complete with sofas and desks in the spacious halls and corridors for the students to rest or study.
Taschwe sat on a sofa, holding his academy-exclusive Sunarmon Mobile Phone, looking somewhat absent-minded.
A large hand clapped on his shoulder, Taschwe turned to see Huang Quan, with whom he had a good relationship. Although they often teased each other, they shared similar backgrounds, having been raised in affluent and prominent families with more money than they could ever spend and boasted considerable intelligence, aspiring to make something of themselves through their own efforts.
Huang Quan noticed the holographic screen projected by his phone, displaying a piece of news about yesterday's South Sea artificial island-building incident, mainly covered by Western media.
"Hey, why are you looking at that stuff? Brain-dead or what?" Huang Quan teased mercilessly.
Instead of retorting as usual, Taschwe was uncharacteristically serious and said, "The Star Alliance has finally gotten into a fight with the Lighthouse Country." Enjoy new adventures from empire
Huang Quan sat down opposite him, surrounded by students coming and going from classes and robots that bustled about cleaning or serving students.
"What, starting to doubt where you stand?" Huang Quan's tone became slightly more serious as well.
With a bitter smile, Taschwe pointed to his face and said, "This face of mine is already an exception here at the academy. Now that the two countries have gone to war, considering I was born in the Lighthouse Country and even served in its military, it's inevitable people will gossip."
"But you got the bonus, didn't you?" Huang Quan chuckled. "Our names will definitely be tied to the Martian Underground World; you can't escape that."
Taschwe, with his hands crossed behind his head, said, "That money, for people like you and me, isn't even worth considering. These endless Solar System exploration missions—I wonder if they'll ever conclude. I think one or two of them are interesting enough, but as a pilot, I should be dueling Universe Fighters from other Interstellar Civilizations like a Knight."
Huang Quan casually threw something at him and said, "Don't jinx it; I'd rather have the quiet life, get promotions, and make money."
Taschwe teased in jest, "You lack ambition."
After chatting with Huang Quan for a while, Taschwe was in a much better mood. In the gradually unfolding grand canvas of Interstellar Civilization, he was just a minor character, unlikely to have any significant impact on history. With that in mind, it wasn't worth overthinking.
However, Huang Quan knew more than Taschwe let on. The outbreak of this war seemed random, but it was anything but.
Some believed that China was challenging the declining superpower status of the Lighthouse Country and trying to break free from any military threats and blockades in the surrounding regions.
Some thought it was the Lighthouse Country, recklessly testing China to maintain its dwindling authority, and thereby courting disaster.
But Huang Quan knew there was something deeper behind this. For now, those reasons wouldn't be discussed openly. However, the person who had orchestrated this war and stirred the changing winds of world politics was already accelerating their moves on the chessboard.
This was certainly not about China attempting to break through some sort of island-chain blockade or vying for global dominance.
While it seemed like a major geopolitical event on Earth, it was actually the workings of an Interstellar Civilization. The thunderous strike was delivered by China's military, but the true wielder of the sword was the seemingly very young Chancellor.