Chapter 2663: Supreme General
Chapter 2663: Supreme General
After leaving Mei Feng’s office, Yuan immediately made his way to the Parade Deck since he had no need to prepare.
On his way to the Parade Deck, Yuan bumped into a familiar face.
"Did you just meet with my mother?" Mei Xiaoyun asked after noticing the direction he was coming from.
"Yes, she sent me on a new mission."
"A mission directly from a General, huh? It must be fairly important."
"Well, I will be escorting the Supreme General."
"The Supreme General?!" Mei Xiaoyun’s eyes widened with surprise after hearing this.
"I hear that despite being the highest-ranking in the military, he’s rarely seen," she said a moment later.
"Do you want to see him? He’ll be at the Parade Deck in an hour."
Mei Xiaoyun pondered for a moment before nodding her head, as she was too curious about the Supreme General to pass such an opportunity.
Thus, the two of them made their way to the Parade Deck together.
As they walked, Mei Xiaoyun asked, "Any progress with the squad? Or am I still the only member?"
"Uh... I haven’t really had the time to recruit anyone, but I will definitely prioritize it once I return from this mission," said Yuan.
"Is that so? Quite frankly, it’s better to take things slow since it’s more important to find people that we can trust."
"Don’t worry, I don’t intend on inviting just anyone to the squad."
"Good to know."
Eventually, they arrived at the Parade Deck—or at least, they were about to enter the area when they encountered a line of soldiers blocking the path.
"The Parade Deck is closed today," one of the soldiers informed them.
"I’m Sergeant Yuan, and I am supposed to show up at the Parade Deck for a mission."
"Please give me a moment to verify."
The soldier retrieved a list of names, and after he verified Yuan’s name was on it, he nodded and said, "You may enter."
He then turned to look at Mei Xiaoyun, seemingly waiting for her to identify herself.
"I’m not on the mission," she admitted.
"Then you won’t be able to enter."
Mei Xiaoyun calmly nodded.
"Looks like I’ll have to wait for another chance to see the Supreme General," she turned to Yuan and said.
"Sorry."
"It’s fine. Whatever you’re doing, stay safe."
"I will."
Yuan continued making his way to the Parade Deck while Mei Xiaoyun turned around and walked in the opposite direction.
A few minutes later, Yuan arrived at the Parade Deck.
The Parade Deck was usually crowded with soldiers who’d go there to socialize or train, but today, it was basically completely empty.
"I was beginning to worry that you might not be able to participate in the mission," said the Ironwoman when she noticed him.
"So, what happened? Are you good?" she then asked.
Yuan shook his head and explained, "I don’t know. They allowed me to go without saying anything. General Mei said it’s too suspicious and that they might be up to something."
"That definitely does sound suspicious," she muttered.
While Ironwoman fell silent in thought, Yuan shifted his attention to the other two individuals standing not far away on the Parade Deck.
He recognized one of them as the Colonel who had lasted the third longest during the drill.
The other, however, he didn’t recognize in the slightest, and he was a Major just like the Ironwoman.
"Who are they?" Yuan asked.
"Colonel Gu and Major Gu."
"...Are you serious?" Yuan looked at her with a dumbfounded face.
"Yes, I am serious."
Yuan shook his head and sighed, "Just how big is their family?"
"Big enough to have at least one ’Gu’ in every single rank," she said.
"Honestly, I’m impressed."
Suddenly, the two of them began walking in Yuan’s direction.
"Are you sure you’re in the right place, Sergeant Yuan?" Major Gu asked once they stopped a few meters away.
Before Yuan could respond, Colonel Gu spoke, "I heard you got arrested recently. By the Extractors, no less."
"Indeed, I was arrested. But as you can see, I am free, so it was just a misunderstanding."
"That’s not what I heard," remarked Colonel Gu.
"Oh? Then what did you hear?"
"Don’t worry about it," Colonel Gu said, his lips curling into a cold grin.
"..."
Yuan and Colonel Gu silently stared at each other, neither willing to look away as the atmosphere between them gradually grew cold and heavy.
"You..." Colonel Gu opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when several powerful presences suddenly appeared on the Parade Deck.
Yuan and the others immediately turned toward the source and saw a group of seven soldiers, six in black outfits that looked more like armor than suits, their faces completely concealed behind full helmets.
As for the seventh individual, he was a healthy-looking old man with long white hair and a neatly trimmed beard. Unlike the others, he wore a white outfit that was adorned with medals and three distinct crimson stars.
"We greet the Supreme General."
The Ironwoman and the two from the Gu Family saluted.
When Yuan saw this, he quickly followed and saluted him.
"At ease," said the Supreme General.
"It’s been a while, Ironwoman. How’s General Mei doing these days?" he said a moment later.
"The same as usual," she calmly replied.
"That’s good to hear. I’ve been wanting to visit her, but my schedule was too full, and just as I was about to go on a break, I had this assembly shoved down my throat. I really cannot wait until my retirement," he sighed aloud.
The Supreme General glanced at Colonel Gu and Major Gu, but his gaze lingered on them for barely half a second before shifting to Yuan, not even bothering to acknowledge their presence.
"Sergeant Yuan... I’ve heard quite a lot about you. Despite being a relatively new soldier, your achievements have been nothing short of astonishing. In fact, some of your achievements are so unbelievable that even now, I find them difficult to believe."
The Supreme General openly praised Yuan, which irritated Colonel Gu and Major Gu even more than being ignored.