Chapter 381: 156: Start by Paying Respects

Chapter 381: Chapter 156: Start by Paying Respects

“I disagree!”

Lin Hao slammed the table and stood up, staring straight at this group of people without a trace of fear.

“The Military Department issued an order, and we responded. Now the Military Department is ordering us to keep our mouths shut, and we do so without complaint. But why is the honor our cadets are entitled to being revoked?”

The veins on the Major’s forehead were throbbing as he grew angry at such words.

Walking out of the interrogation room was an insult in itself, and now they had the audacity to talk about stripping away the due honors just like that!

Seeing the Major’s face turn red with rage across from him, Li Shen nodded slightly and then revealed a standard, formulaic smile.

“Major Lin, as the leading officer for this Dingchuan Academy mission, I can understand your feelings. But the requirements of the Military Department are very clear: starting today, all information about Planet 131 must be erased. Whether it’s sound, text, images, or the honors you’re talking about. They all must disappear! This is the core spirit of the Military Department’s document.”

His voice carried an unmistakable tone of finality.

The corner of Lin Hao’s mouth began to twitch uncontrollably because he remembered the soldiers who had died, including Major Zheng Rui, who had ultimately detonated the nuclear bomb with his body.

“What about the soldiers who died on that planet? Are you planning to strip away the honors they deserve as well?”

“I am truly sorry.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Hao suddenly laughed neurotically, a laugh that caused the surrounding officers to bristle with indignation.

“What a joke. They gave their lives for the Federation, and now their families probably won’t even see a list. Your so-called gag order is nothing but a bloody fig leaf!”

“Major, watch your tone,” Li Shen said smoothly, completely unruffled.

Lin Hao leaned his head back hard but kept his eyes fixed on Li Shen as he said word for word, “What if… I insist on securing this medal for Mu Fan?”

“Then please state your reasons. This room is a discussion hall, not a place for dictation.”

After lowering his head for a moment, Lin Hao looked up and said, “Colonel Li should know that we encountered a Star Thief en route, right?”

“Yes, a ragtag bunch easily defeated by your team, wasn’t it?” Li Shen glanced at his fingernails.

“Yes, that’s what the briefing said. However, I haven’t had the chance to report the real situation to the second-level Military Department.”

“Oh, let’s hear it.” The officers across from Lin Hao were dismissive, doubting anything significant could change at this point.

“The fact is, Cadet Mu Fan alone killed 113 Star Thieves from the Mecha Storage to the command room.”

The light tapping of Li Shen’s fingers on the table suddenly stopped.

“Please repeat that.”

“I said, by himself, Mu Fan killed 113 Star Thieves and with his own power, captured the Star Thief Battleship!” Lin Hao stood up and emphasized each word.

“Are you joking?” Li Shen immediately shouted for a soldier and murmured a few commands.

“If Colonel Li wants to see the related footage, don’t bother. I have it here.” Lin Hao took out a storage chip from his pocket. “This was originally meant to be shown to the academy’s headmaster.”

Li Shen fell silent for a moment, then waved his hand, indicating the soldier should play the footage and fast-forward.

Soon, clips began to appear, starting with the encounter with the Star Thieves, the conversation with the Star Thief leader Maxi, Mu Fan’s communications being patched through, and then Mu Fan snatching a mecha inside the Starship, and driving the mecha back to the enemy Battleship.

Next was a lengthy video of the exterior of the Battleship, and when the footage reappeared, it was from the Exoskeleton Armor’s battlefield recorder. Starting from entering the enemy mecha storage, all the way to cutting through the final valve door to see Mu Fan, the bodies discovered along the way were precisely 113 – each killed with a single strike!

After watching this footage they had never seen before, the officers, led by Li Shen, looked at each other.

Things had become complicated.

They realized there was a gap in the information they held.

Li Shen remembered the sudden Sky Communication he received three hours ago and felt an internal surge of irritation.

Why had a seemingly minor issue become so complicated?

However, since he had already agreed, he had to handle the situation properly, especially since the other party was a subordinate of Qi Longxiang!

Thinking this, Li Shen’s face calmed down as he cleared his throat and spoke, “I’m afraid Major Lin may not be aware that the Federation’s cruiser fleet arrived later and found no trace of any Star Thief Battleship. Therefore, the authenticity of this video needs to be further verified. Please hand it over to us.”

What? The Star Thief Battleship was gone?

Lin Hao was utterly bewildered.

How could a warship with a destroyed command room just disappear?

Just as the situation seemed to be tipping back in Li Shen’s favor, a loud crash suddenly came from the door.

Bang!

The wooden antique-style door of the seminar room was kicked open with force.

That door weighed over a ton…

“Your grandma’s fart!” a gruff voice boomed through the entire seminar room.

Everyone inside stood up on guard.

“Turning white into black, when did staff from the command become the same as the Special Service Department? Damn, they are audacious!” The brash voice grew louder as it approached and after passing the screen, its owner quickly appeared before everyone’s eyes.

Lin Hao’s eyes widened.

And Li Shen’s face immediately darkened.

Ruan Xiongfei!

That shiny bald head, rough voice, and burly figure, plus that old rogue’s expression on his face, who else could it be but Ruan Xiongfei!

And he was dragging someone along—in fact, a captain.

“Instructor Ruan,” Lin Hao exclaimed with delight.

“Captain Ruan, you weren’t…” Li Shen began with furrowed brows, only to be interrupted mid-sentence by the seasoned rascal.

“You want to ask if I hadn’t returned with the dean? Under normal circumstances, yes. But all my disciples rushed back, shouldn’t I welcome them? Good grief, when I returned to my turf, guess what I saw?”

“Our people being taken away at gunpoint!!”

Ruan Xiongfei’s face was exaggerated as he spoke, and he smacked the captain trying to sneak away. With one slap, the latter was stuck in the chair, unable to get up.

If it wasn’t Gu Qing, who could it be?

“So I got curious, wondering who had the guts to come to Dingchuan Academy to arrest someone on such a good day. Too bad I arrived late and didn’t encounter anyone who could arrest me, so I just followed step by step. Tsk tsk, I really didn’t expect that the War Department of Blue Capital Star had become so badass! Actually, I suggest you might as well rename yourselves the ‘Advanced Special Service Department.’ I feel you’re much more professional than the department next door.”

Bald Ruan’s undisguised sarcasm made the faces of the military officers present change colors.

Li Shen stood up, suppressing his anger, “Ruan Xiongfei, I called you Captain Ruan before out of respect for the past, but now you’re no longer a soldier. Who allowed you to come in here!”

Ruan Xiongfei, sitting back leisurely, picked at his ear, not caring if anything actually came out. He beamed with a look of exhilaration and casually blew on his little finger.

“Are you really that dumb or just pretending? I can’t even remember how many identities I have!”

“Besides, stop acting all high and mighty in front of me, show some respect first.”

Lin Hao, who was already confused, watched the bald man blow on his little finger and then pull out something shiny from his inner pocket, blowing on it before grinning and casually waving it at Li Shen’s side.

He deliberately slowed down while doing so, allowing Lin Hao to see it clearly.

First, it was a medal…

Then, that medal seemed to feature a broken sword…

No way.

Lin Hao shivered, then stood up and saluted!

********

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