Chapter 124.1 – The End
“…Lu Tinghan.”
“…Which came first in this world, the chicken or the egg?”
“Wow! What’s the name of that flower?”
“Sudoku is really difficult. How can you solve it so quickly? You’re really smart.”
“My tail is knotted again…”
“Lu Tinghan! Come and pat my head quickly!!”
“…”
“…?!”
Lu Tinghan suddenly opened his eyes.
The leaves outside the window swayed, and a brilliant sunshine fell on his face. Whether it was an illusion or not, there seemed to be a hint of moisture at the corners of his eyes.
“What’s wrong? Another dream?” Qiao Le Ming asked beside him.
“Yeah,” Lu Tinghan replied.
They were in the rest area of the military base. Qiao Le Ming glanced at the time and said, “There’s still 20 minutes. Do you want to sleep a little longer?”
“No, thanks.” Lu Tinghan stood up, picked up his military uniform jacket with one hand, and said, “I’ll go to the command center first.”
Qiao Le Ming shouted after him, “Take it easy—taking it easy won’t affect your promotion!”
Lu Tinghan didn’t look back, but waved his hand to indicate that he heard him.
“He’s really a workaholic…” Qiao Le Ming muttered, then turned to his friend and said, “I’ve told you before, he used to be my classmate. But what happened? He graduated two years early and is already a major general now. I think he’ll be aiming for a general in a few years. Isn’t it frustrating to compare yourself to others? And he’s so diligent.”
The commander next to them leisurely sipped his coffee and said, “He’s not doing it for the promotion. It’s not like you just met him today. He’s not interested in those things; he just wants to protect the city.”
“Uh, I know,” Qiao Le Ming grumbled, “Of course, who doesn’t want to protect the city?” He sighed, “Okay, I admit it, I’m jealous! How—how can someone understand what the monsters are thinking?”
“I can’t figure it out either,” his friend shrugged. “It’s probably a talent. Some people are naturally good at drawing, and some are naturally good at singing, so it’s not surprising that some people are naturally able to understand and comprehend monsters, right?”
“Yeah…” Qiao Le Ming scratched his head. “Never mind, let’s not talk about this anymore! Let’s go!”
The two of them got up and walked side by side towards the command center on the top floor.
As the overall commander of this operation, Lu Tinghan was already there.
They put on their optical brains to conduct the command. The mission this time was to command the soldiers to explore the abandoned city of “Lannerson,” 300 kilometers away from Elton. It was a nesting place for reptilian creatures and had been occupied by monsters all year round. However, if there was a chance to reclaim the city, it would be an excellent farming area.
The three of them commanded calmly as the army advanced step by step, with gunfire and bullets filling the air. The twisted reptilian creatures retreated under their assault.
This was the third time the soldiers had come to Lannerson, and their goal was not to fully reclaim the city, but to exterminate monsters and explore the terrain.
Under Lu Tinghan’s command, the operation was a great success.
They wiped out two small nests, cleared the southwest district, obtained a large amount of data, and then returned triumphantly.
By the time the operation was completely over, three days had passed.
The recent command operations had been quite smooth, so the military held a small celebration.
Lu Tinghan briefly attended. He didn’t really like such occasions and made an excuse to rest, bidding farewell early.
Alone in his room, Lu Tinghan turned on the faucet and splashed the cold water on his face. He looked up at the mirror and saw a pair of gray-blue eyes without a trace of fatigue.
He sat down at his desk.
The desk lamp cast a bright yellow light, illuminating the steel pens, notebooks, and books on the table. However, he didn’t read; instead, he opened the terminal and scrolled through the information bit by bit.
Most of it was military data, but there were also private photos and sketches he drew.
The sketches depicted magnificent sunrises, vast wastelands, thunderstorm clouds, floating ice on the black sea, and most of all, cities. He drew long streets, tall windmills and energy towers, bustling restaurants, and a lively theater…
In the end, there was a portrait sketch.
A young boy holding light in his hands, smiling in the midst of the sea of flowers,
This was a scene that appeared repeatedly in Lu Tinghan’s dreams since he was very young.
In the dream, it was a long journey, full of difficulties and dangers, laughter and tears intertwined, with someone always by his side.
They held hands and gazed into the distance countless times.
Every time he woke up, those scenes would fade away, and he couldn’t capture them no matter how hard he tried.
But Lu Tinghan knew that he had forgotten something very important, something extremely important.
When he was young, he sought help from doctors. They couldn’t provide a reasonable explanation, only saying that some people were prone to dreaming easily, as long as it didn’t affect their health, it didn’t matter.
This wasn’t the first strange thing Lu Tinghan had encountered.
When he first entered the military academy at a young age, his talents were already apparent, and he thought that someone might be willing to mentor him despite his age.
With the goal of learning, he went to the military headquarters, hoping to find a mentor. However, the senior generals he approached shook their heads like rattles and waving their hands again and again.
Lu Tinghan was puzzled and wanted to continue his efforts, but this time, several people’s faces turned pale with anxiety, and they couldn’t even talk! It was really impossible!
They were almost in a panic.
In the end, Lu Tinghan didn’t find a mentor, but a group of people told him that he was welcome to come for exchanges and mutual learning anytime.
That also achieved his goal.
Lu Tinghan left in a state of confusion.
And while studying history, Lu Tinghan discovered something strange.
There was very little information about a certain general, even though he was the highest-ranking commander at the time and participated in the “Deep Dive” project. His name, photo, and life story couldn’t be found.
He asked many high-ranking officials in the military, and their unified response was that the data was lost or damaged during the relocation to Elton, which was regrettable but unavoidable.
Lu Tinghan didn’t believe it, but he had no way to investigate further.
It wasn’t until he became a major general and gained higher authority that he found some traces in the system. Some of the data was locked, and even with his position, he couldn’t access it. He could only see that the locking date was in the year 330 of the Alliance.
That year didn’t seem particularly significant; Elton had developed a few new districts, and the soldiers had explored two new areas, everything proceeding as usual…
If there was anything special, it was the year he was born.
But what did that have to do with this matter?
Lu Tinghan went to ask General Li Cheng.
The elderly general had cloudy eyes, and his hands were as dry as tree bark.
He smiled and said, “Some things can’t be understood by hearing it from others, otherwise, they would lose their meaning. You shouldn’t let these pieces of information disturb you, nor should you be ‘preset’ as a certain person. You are you, and you should make choices that belong to you.”
Lu Tinghan didn’t understand his meaning.
Li Cheng pointed to his chest. “You have to think deeply about it. That’s when this matter will have meaning, and it should be the… result he wants to see.” He lowered his voice. “That’s the only thing we can do for you.”
Lu Tinghan asked, “Who is ‘he’?”
Li Cheng just smiled.
Lu Tinghan asked again, “What if I can’t remember?”
“Then forget about this matter. You can still live a peaceful life.” Li Cheng said, “But you won’t.”
Lu Tinghan couldn’t make sense of it and only heard a series of cryptic words, leaving him even more confused.
