First Interstellar Guide Chapter 37: Major Tang Ce

Chapter 37: Major Tang Ce

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Tang Ce left the central square and swiftly navigated through the streets. The chameleon-like nature of the lizard allowed him to blend into the environment seamlessly, making pedestrians unaware of his presence. However, as he turned a corner, a blue mental tendril suddenly adhered precisely to the back of his head.

The tendril seemed to carry the moist scent of seawater, and where it touched felt refreshingly cool. A deep, elderly voice resounded in his mind, “Major Tang Ce, please follow me.”

Tang Ce was stunned. This familiar voice… Without turning back, he stiffly followed the figure onto a black hovercar.

The hovercar activated its autopilot mode and quickly merged into the flow of traffic, heading towards the outskirts of the capital.

Sitting in the back seat, Tang Ce asked in a low voice, “Who sent someone to rescue me? General Xie, perhaps?” As a member of the Starlight Legion, he could only think of General Xie as the one who would send help.

The voice replied, “General Xie doesn’t know you’re still alive, let alone that you were imprisoned in the White Tower.”

Tang Ce froze, a chill running down his spine. “Who deliberately concealed the truth of my survival?!”

“It was me.”

A transparent, beautiful jellyfish silently drifted to Tang Ce’s forehead. The jellyfish was palm-sized and seemed harmless, but it was extremely dangerous. In an instant, Tang Ce felt a terrifying mental suppression—

After a moment of daze, Tang Ce trembled as he whispered, “Marshal…?”

Marshal Qin Xiao’s voice sounded hoarse, “You are the only surviving member of the Starlight Legion’s reconnaissance battalion. If news of your survival leaks out, those people will not spare your life. So, after I saved you back then, I modified your records and disguised you as an ordinary berserk sentinel, imprisoned in the underground of the White Tower. Although the White Tower seems dangerous, with numerous berserk sentinels imprisoned, your presence there won’t attract attention.”

Tang Ce’s eyes couldn’t help but moisten. The reconnaissance battalion of the Starlight Legion, with hundreds of elite members, and he was the only survivor? Had all his comrades really perished?!

Tang Ce choked up, “General Xie…”

The Marshal’s voice was solemn, “The General Xie you mentioned is no longer here. The current commander of the Starlight Legion is her sister, Xie Chen.”

Tang Ce fell silent. In the dark underground prison, he lived in a daze, unaware of how much time had passed. General Xie, who had guided and promoted him, whom he regarded as a mentor, had actually sacrificed…

The Marshal seemed to sense his confusion and said in a low voice, “Today is May 7th, 500 Stellar Calendar. It has been exactly five years since that disaster.”

In these five years, Tang Ce’s mind was blank. After going berserk, he lost his sanity. The world in his eyes was only darkness. He instinctively attacked anything he perceived as a threat. It seemed like his body was locked up by chains. At first, he struggled frantically, but later, under the relentless electric shocks for twenty-four hours, he gradually became numb, and even his brain couldn’t feel the pain.

During these years, the Marshal must have arranged for a guide to look after him and helped him with treatment. Otherwise, with his severe condition, he would have turned into a half-human, half-beast monster or might have died long ago.

“…Thank you for saving me, Marshal,” Tang Ce said gratefully.

“You’ve suffered a lot these years,” the Marshal sighed, gently patting the young sentinel’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know how many of them were around me back then. For your safety, I had to confine you in the White Tower prison for easy supervision. I needed to wait for the right time to release you. You are a very important member of ours—now, it’s time for you to act.”

Tang Ce took a deep breath, saluting the elderly man in the back row with a standard military salute. “Marshal, please give your orders. Tang Ce will definitely complete the mission!”

—

Yu Ran returned to the White Tower’s negative seventh floor without a word.

Mohr saw him and smiled, “Ranran, are you here to work overtime again?”

Since joining the Eagle Special Forces, Yu Ran had been accompanying Mohr for overtime every night. All the berserk sentinels on the negative seventh floor were under the responsibility of the Eagle Corps. Besides Mohr, there were other department guides. Everyone knew Yu Ran by now. Privately, they said to Mohr, “You’ve got yourself a good apprentice.”

Mohr was a little embarrassed to think of Yu Ran as his apprentice. Yu Ran was chosen by Lu Zexuan, and Mohr was just trying his best to teach the new recruit what he knew, hoping that he could take over his responsibilities and assist Lu Zexuan in completing the mission.

Meeting Mohr’s gaze, Yu Ran smiled and walked over, asking, “It’s already ten o’clock. How many patients are left?”

Mohr glanced at the cells and said, “We’re only responsible for seven tonight. With your help, we’ll be able to finish tonight. These sentinels are lucky. With your assistance, we can repair and rebuild their mental landscapes, and they’re very grateful to you.”

Yu Ran scratched his head embarrassedly. “I can only do a little. The main treatment still depends on you.”

Mohr chuckled, “It’s okay. Take your time to learn. Someday, you’ll be able to handle it on your own.”

It wasn’t until midnight that the two of them finished all their work and went upstairs together.

Lu Zexuan had already finished washing up and was sitting on the sofa in his pajamas, waiting for Yu Ran. Seeing Yu Ran return with a tired expression, Lu Zexuan hurriedly got up and handed him a cup of warm water, asking, “Are you tired?”

Yu Ran took a sip of water and said, “It’s okay. The cases tonight weren’t difficult. The part assigned to us is finally done. Mohr is quite happy. With my help, he’s much faster than the other guides.”

Seeing Yu Ran’s smile, Lu Zexuan’s mood also improved. “Rest early. We have more important work tomorrow.”

Curious, Yu Ran asked, “What work?”

Lu Zexuan replied, “The Eagle Special Forces are recruiting new members. Are you interested in going with me?”

Yu Ran’s face lit up with anticipation. “Can I go too?”

Lu Zexuan nodded, “Of course. You’re my… our guide. It’s reasonable for you to go see the new recruits.”

—

Meanwhile, the patrol personnel inside the White Tower continued their routine patrols on the tenth underground floor and unexpectedly found that the cameras in the corridor were broken.

They used flashlights to check each cell one by one, and all other cells showed no abnormalities. However, in cell 103, the sentinel was still bound by chains, but his spirit body had disappeared, and he hung his head motionless.

The patrol Captain was taken aback. “Is he dead or just unconscious? Go in and check.”

Two sentinels with protective shields entered the room and carefully examined the sentinel’s face with flashlights. As expected, the prisoner was dead. Judging by the coldness of the body, he had been dead for over two hours.

One of the sentinels reported, “Captain, he’s already dead.”

After the mental world of a berserk sentinel collapsed, some might mutate into a “half-therian” state, while others, unable to withstand the torment of the mental world, would die directly. This sentinel died quietly, indicating the latter.

There were no traces of anyone else at the scene. But why did the camera in the corner suddenly break? The patrol Captain carefully inspected it and found that the camera was broken from the inside. Could it have been used for too long and malfunctioned on its own?

One of the subordinates asked quietly, “Captain, should we report this to the White Tower and ask them to investigate?”

The patrol Captain scratched his head and said, “Report it as an accidental death case.”

Shortly after, the officer in charge of managing the underground prison of the White Tower arrived at the scene, conducted a brief inspection, found no issues, and said, “This sentinel was a federal soldier during his lifetime. Dispose of the body by cremation and bury the ashes in the Martyrs’ Cemetery.”

Everyone responded, “Yes, Officer!”

The “corpse” left in the cell misled everyone—this sentinel was already dead.

They had no idea that it was the tail left behind by a lizard.

The tail of an A+ spirit body lizard could disguise itself to look exactly like its owner, enough to deceive enemies.

The Marshal had Yu Ran rescue Tang Ce for this reason. If Tang Ce’s spirit body wasn’t a lizard but another beast, and a sentinel suddenly disappeared from the cell, it would be equivalent to a prisoner “escaping,” surely triggering a large-scale internal investigation and search within the White Tower.

However, if the prisoner was “dead,” the officer in charge wouldn’t bother investigating the cause of death. After all, these berserk sentinels died from time to time, and handling it as a death case would suffice.

Yu Ran didn’t sleep well that night.

It wasn’t until morning, when no one came to investigate, that he finally relaxed.

—

It was May 8th, the day when all the major legions of the Federation recruited new soldiers.

Graduates from military academies would complete their graduation assessment in May and choose the legion they wanted to join. This day was crucial for them, as joining different legions would determine their different futures.

On the campus of the Federation’s First Military Academy, discussions were everywhere.

“I still want to join the Starlight Legion. General Xie is so handsome, especially in her spirit body form as the Deep Sea Megalodon, super cool!”

“You might not even get to see her. As new recruits with only C-level abilities, who knows if we’ll be sent to some remote galaxy to do grunt work? Only A-level sentinels can directly join the elite forces!”

“The most popular one is probably the Sun Legion. I heard they have better benefits, and there’s a year-end bonus.”

“The Snow Leopard Legion isn’t bad either. Although their base is more remote, it’s safer there, with fewer contaminated areas.”

“I want to join the Eagle Legion. I heard General Lu has a mild temper and never loses his temper. He’s especially good to his subordinates!”

“Do you think anyone will sign up for the Eagle Special Forces this year?”

“The mortality rate of the Eagle Special Forces is so high. There probably won’t be many people signing up, right?”

Graduates filled out their preferences online, and after the initial screening by the legions, a batch of A-level sentinels would be selected to join the elite forces, B-level sentinels to join regular forces, and others would be recruited based on their abilities. If a legion reached its quota, those rejected would consider their second preference, similar to the process of filling out preferences for college entrance exams.

Lu Zexuan, accompanied by Yu Ran, arrived at the recruitment office of the First Military Academy. “Director He, I’d like to see the recruitment information for the Eagle Legion.”

Director He immediately respectfully led him and Yu Ran to the adjacent conference room, opened the folder on the terminal, and served tea while smiling. “General Lu, you’re really responsible. Other legions send recruitment officers to do the job, but you actually came in person.”

Lu Zexuan said, “I’ve been idle lately, so I came to see the recruitment situation of the Eagle Legion this year.”

He had Yu Ran sit next to him and opened the folder of applicants for the Eagle Legion on the terminal. As he expected, there were very few who had checked “Eagle Special Forces” as their first preference. After all, the mortality rate of this unit was too high, with half of its members dying in five years. Who would dare to join?

If they couldn’t recruit anyone, they would have to transfer some from the main forces.

Lu Zexuan quickly scanned through the files and suddenly noticed a student who had selected Eagle Special Forces as their first preference.

Tang Xiaorong, 20 years old, A-level sentinel, spirit body: Chameleon Tree Lizard. This student had average grades in cultural courses but excelled in practical courses. He was an orphan, both parents deceased, from the remote northern star system, Serpens Constellation, S77 Planet.

Lu Zexuan looked at the photo in the file with satisfaction. He said to Director He, “Can I meet this Tang Xiaorong?”

Director He immediately said, “No problem. I’ll notify the student.”

Shortly after, a tall student with a crew cut knocked on the office door wearing the uniform of the First Military Academy. This student looked handsome, with a sunny smile on his face.

Yu Ran almost didn’t recognize him.

Compared to Tang Ce, who was covered in wounds last night, this “Tang Xiaorong” had slightly less sharp features, and his external injuries had healed. He looked radiant—his injuries weren’t severe, just some superficial wounds caused by electric shocks and chain friction. For the healing chamber, which could regenerate limbs, these minor injuries could be repaired in minutes.

Just a little more mature… After all, his real age was already 27.

Yu Ran calmly withdrew his gaze.

Tang Xiaorong also glanced curiously at Yu Ran, then turned to Lu Zexuan and saluted crisply, “General Lu.”

The military salutes of the cadets were all very standard. Lu Zexuan returned the salute and asked in a low voice, “Do you want to join the Eagle Special Forces?”

Tang Xiaorong’s reply was resolute, “Yes. Joining the Eagle Special Forces is my dream!”

Lu Zexuan asked, “Do you know what the Eagle Special Forces do?”

Tang Xiaorong responded fluently, “The Eagle Special Forces are the special operations unit of the Eagle Legion, tasked with executing high-difficulty missions. It’s an elite team. With my A-level spirit body, the Chameleon Tree Lizard, I meet the recruitment requirements for the Special Forces. Although a lizard spirit body like mine doesn’t have the strong attack capabilities of beasts or birds of prey, it can change color, sense temperature, and has strong climbing and jumping abilities. I believe I can contribute to the Special Forces.”

Listening to his self-promotional introduction, Lu Zexuan nodded and said, “The casualty rate of the Eagle Special Forces is as high as 50%. Aren’t you afraid of dying?”

Tang Xiaorong replied firmly, “I am a soldier of the Federation. How can I fear death?”

Lu Zexuan was speechless. This student’s determination was remarkable. This was the backbone that a soldier should have.

Lu Zexuan greatly appreciated his firm resolve and didn’t hesitate any further. He reached out his hand and said, “Welcome to the Eagle Special Forces.”

Tang Xiaorong excitedly shook his hand, “Thank you, General. It’s an honor for me!”

Yu Ran pretended not to know the other party and greeted proactively, “Hello, I’m Yu Ran, the accompanying guide of the Eagle Special Forces.”

Tang Xiaorong respectfully replied, “Hello, Guide Yu. Please take care of me in the future.”

Tang Xiaorong was obviously the identity fabricated by the Marshal for Tang Ce, with all the documents already prepared. There would be no loopholes to be found. The Marshal sent Tang Ce over not to deal with Lu Zexuan but to assist Yu Ran in identifying the informant within the Eagle Special Forces. Only by finding the person who was leaking information to the Dark Night organization could Yu Ran achieve his plan.

This plan couldn’t afford any mistakes. Therefore, Yu Ran needed a trustworthy assistant.

Speaking of which, he still hadn’t fed Lu Zexuan the medicine given to him by the organization. Until now, he hadn’t fed him a single pill. In the future, he needed to “accidentally” let the informant see him giving Lu Zexuan the medicine. This way, when Lu Zexuan “went berserk and was controlled by Yu Ran,” it would be more believable.

As for the usual times, Yu Ran had already secretly replaced the pills with white candies that looked similar.

Let’s feed General Lu a few more pieces of candy.