Chapter 59

He had come to give them the stage for glory; Asher's arrival was only meant to fan the flames so the entire Federation would bear witness.

When Asher and his men entered Yun 3 Star, the situation on the ground was already fully under control. Members of the Guard Army and the Fourth Army were intermingled, though on closer inspection, the Fourth Army was in front and the Guard Army behind.

As soon as Asher arrived, the Fourth Army immediately formed up to receive him, and the captain came forward to report. The local administrator quickly escorted him to the administrative building, and media reports soon flooded the Star Net.

That afternoon, the military headquarters convened an emergency meeting. Admiral Asher, commander of the Fourth Army, laid out the various crude and unreasonable practices of the Guard Army and submitted a crisis report on the anomalous activity of the insect race. By the end of the meeting, the Fourth Army had been granted half of the Guard Army's command authority, and the Fourth Army's garrison was established on Yun 3 Star.

"So that's what he's been busy with."

Wu Ying stared at the blurry figure of Asher in the report. Even though she couldn't make out his face, his likeness automatically rose in her mind.

This seemed to be the first time she had learned of Asher's whereabouts through a news report.

The report was very long, spending nearly half its length on Asher's contributions, yet it contained only a single blurry side-profile photograph. Even so, that photo had spread everywhere.

Wu Ying turned off her Light Brain and ran her fingers along the edge of her study device. The warm metal frame silently reminded her that today's task list was still unfinished.

She had spent much of the day researching the qualification exams. There were three credentials required: the business license, the practitioner's certificate, and the professional qualification license—none of them could be omitted. The professional qualification license was tied to her university major, and her graduation scores counted toward it. The practitioner's certificate was comparatively simpler, focusing more on industry regulations and relevant laws. The business license, as she understood it, was a concept with many overlapping layers—more detailed and stricter, like an encyclopedia of running a shop. Common exam questions included, for example, the standards for setting up emergency escape routes.

Just sorting out the differences among the three had taken her a long time, and that was on top of her efforts scouring various websites and groups like a busy badger, collecting a mountain of frequently tested questions and past exam papers.

She had been busy too, today.

Jiujiu came in carrying a fruit platter, its terminal controlling the house's central AI. When Wu Ying set down her Light Brain with a long sigh, the windows opened automatically, cheerful music began to play, fans kicked on, and the curtains swayed in the breeze while the sunset painted a stunning view.

"Someone sure is lacking your kind of awareness," Wu Ying grumbled, biting hard into a piece of fruit. A robot like Jiujiu knew how to read the room, while Asher could only pull her aside and talk nonsense.

Wu Ying picked up her Light Brain again and scrolled through her contacts. She fell silent when she spotted a fan group called "His Lordship Is Mighty." When had she joined such a group? It stood out glaringly among all her class groups, course groups, and group activity chats. Why was she only noticing it now?

It was a fan group for Asher, no need to even open the chat introduction. The screen was full of re-created and re-imagined versions of that blurry photo. Obsessive fans existed in every era, it seemed.

Wu Ying couldn't even remember when she'd joined. Probably because the name had sounded interesting—it definitely wasn't because of any particular person!

Messages flew by so fast that Wu Ying's eyes couldn't keep up. She could only passively absorb a thousand compliments in an instant.

The cloying praise made her instinctively hit the leave button. A little scary, she thought. Then, considering it further, she opened her photo album—full of high-definition, unfiltered shots of Asher in every pose. Every time she swiped past a photo, her mind automatically matched it with the corresponding praise she'd just read. A good memory wasn't always a blessing.

People have never had much resistance to beauty, and she was no exception. Besides, she had the privilege, didn't she?

In her opinion, Asher looked the most handsome from the front. When he looked straight at you, his face was well-proportioned, with deep-set features in perfect symmetrical beauty, a hint of killing intent in his eyes, and when dressed in his military uniform, it was tempered with a sense of righteousness and authority. It was a full-on assault of handsomeness. But his downcast expression was just as fine to admire—his phoenix eyes lowered, betraying a touch of gentleness, carrying a classical charm like a bodhisattva's merciful bowed head...

Jiujiu's emotion-sensing system indicated it had detected a shift in its master's mood, currently analyzed as: happy, joyful, delighted, and heart-fluttering.

Understanding Jiujiu immediately projected various photos of Asher around the room, along with several short video clips stitched together, making it feel as though Asher had suddenly appeared right in front of her.

Wu Ying was startled by the sudden sound, her eyes blinking rapidly. Holographic projection—it felt like Asher was brushing past her body. Judging by the background, it looked like footage of Asher attending some conference several years ago.

"Ahem, Jiujiu, no need to be quite that clever."

She patted its round head meaningfully and manually turned it off. Jiujiu tilted its mechanical head, wondering if its analysis had been wrong.

Perhaps being farther away from the "radiation source" had done the trick—her mood was much better than in the morning, so much so that she could even play with Jiujiu.

Night fell, and Wu Ying, who had worked hard all day, went to bed early, cheering herself on before sleep. Yet another day brimming with energy.

On the other side of the night sky, Asher, equally exhausted, was still preparing for his return journey. His military cap sat on the desk. Wearing a pair of black gloves, he pressed his hand to his forehead, eyes closed, long lashes casting shadows beneath them, concealing the vexation churning in his mind.

"Commander, the administrator of Yun 3 Star would like to host a banquet in your honor." The adjutant stood straight before the desk, holding a smart tablet. He really didn't want to raise the matter, but he couldn't make decisions on the commander's behalf.

"Decline it."

The answer was expected. Da Li jotted down a note on the tablet, about to leave when he suddenly heard the commander ask, "What time is it?"

Though puzzled, Da Li answered without hesitation: 2 a.m. Capital Star time. Yun 3 Star's sky still bore a blazing sun on the horizon.

Asher raised a hand to dismiss him, a flicker of impatience leaking through the slight arch of his brow.

It was sleeping time; Asher didn't consider this so-called banquet necessary.

He opened his Light Brain, his gaze landing on a corner of the screen. He squeezed his eyes shut abruptly, his chest tight with a dull ache, like a crumpled ball of paper—dry and constricted. Suddenly, he reached up and pulled at his collar.

He was tired of waiting. Asher told Da Li to wrap things up as quickly as possible—they had to depart tonight.

Da Li, still en route, saw the message and his vision darkened. Handle it quickly? How exactly? He was already in the middle of coordination, and had written a pile of reports. At least ten people were messaging him simultaneously on his Light Brain.

"Yes, sir."

In the end, Da Li worked another five hours straight before finalizing the general regulations for the Fourth Army's garrison. Asher reviewed it, gave a nod, signed off, and sent the documents out.

The sky over Yun 3 Star had turned pitch-black. The entire planet, having weathered a fierce battle, had fallen into stillness. Above the port, Asher led the fleet as it departed.

After several consecutive space jumps, the fleet arrived at the combat-ready space station. Asher had the adjutant lead the troops back to Alpha Star while he and his escort continued their leave.

Their destination was Beta Star—the forces split in two, and they set off anew.

Before leaving, the adjutant seemed to hesitate, then finally raised a point about recent combat: "The insect race's attacks have slowed recently, but it doesn't match the usual observed patterns. Commander, do you need to take personal command?"

Asher naturally understood his meaning, but he still had unfinished business to resolve.

"Tighten defenses, notify me at any sign of trouble, and establish a rapid transit jump point." A rapid transit jump point would connect Beta Star and Alpha Star through a fast spatial-jump corridor.

In the past, during emergencies, it had been activated to transport supplies, and after the border defenses stabilized, it became a special channel for the Fourth Army—usually used by senior generals to travel between home zones and the front lines. However, after Asher became commander, that line was abandoned.

Da Li dared not question the order; he carried it out immediately.

The sunlight on Beta Star was just right—a perfect time for an afternoon nap. Wu Ying had studied all morning and, contentedly, had scheduled herself a nap from 12 to 2 p.m. Whether she'd actually stick to it was another matter.

Before falling asleep, she had to properly arrange her nest: a suitable aroma diffuser—the gardenias were blooming beautifully lately, both pretty and fragrant in the bedroom—a calming video, preferably natural rain sounds, wind, leaves rustling softly. And the pillow absolutely had to be adjusted to the perfect position, with multiple options prepared: high, medium, and low. Oh, right, the room temperature too—it must be kept at a comfortable, cool degree so she could wrap herself entirely in her soft, fragrant blanket.

"What are you doing?"

A low male voice suddenly sounded, startling Wu Ying, who was kneeling on the bed sorting a pile of odds and ends. She turned around to find Asher standing at the door, looking in.

She'd forgotten to close the door, and Jiujiu hadn't alerted her. Asher's footsteps were so light that had he not spoken, she might not have noticed him for who knows how long.

"Taking a nap."

Asher's gaze swept over the plush toys and pillows that took up nearly half the bed, and he felt a headache and an eye twitch coming on.

A bed this big, and with all those dolls, there was no room for him.

He tugged at the gloves on his fingers, thoughts churning through his mind, and finally let out: "Perfect, I'm a bit sleepy too."

Asher stepped forward, feigning casualness as he walked into the long-unvisited master bedroom. It was filled with fragrance—a blend of flowers and the warm scent of Wu Ying's body lotion—which soothed his restless heart.

"If you're napping, you can go back to your own room."

"This is my room." Asher didn't recall them ever agreeing to sleep separately.

Wasn't it just unspoken understanding?

Before, Asher would, without needing a reminder, voluntarily head to the guest room to sleep. Now he was pretending he didn't recognize the bed?

Asher's steps grew more resolute. He naturally walked to the wardrobe to fetch his sleepwear, tossing his discarded clothes into the hamper nearby, which happened to contain the loungewear Wu Ying had changed out of.

Wu Ying slumped on the bed, head bowed, fingers fidgeting with the embroidered flowers on the blanket. Asher had extended her a ladder to climb down, as if nothing had ever happened, turning over a new leaf and starting fresh.

This seemed like the best approach.

She slowly lifted her head. Asher, having changed into his sleepwear, happened to turn to look at her. Their eyes met in that instant—her round, gentle apricot eyes locking onto his narrow, sharp phoenix eyes. Wu Ying was the first to look away.

Asher didn't let it go. Seeing that she hadn't objected, his heart soared. He immediately stepped closer to the bedside, his gaze flickering with light. Seeing that Wu Ying was turning away and ignoring him, he ran a hand through his hair. "I'll go shower. You sleep first."

Wu Ying's fingers paused. She wanted to ask, did he really have to sleep here? But Asher's retreating figure seemed to radiate determination. She swallowed the words she'd been about to say, deciding to preserve their hard-won peace.

Whatever. Once she fell asleep, she wouldn't have to think about it.

Wu Ying pressed her pillow, yanked the blanket, and flopped down on her back. She had to be asleep before Asher finished his shower.

Fall asleep, fall asleep. The bathroom had excellent soundproofing—she couldn't hear a thing. Wu Ying rolled over, urging herself to drift off quickly.