From Cannon Fodder to Star Conqueror

Chapter 6: The Calm Before the Storm

Amber felt his mind still a little disoriented as he walked to the officer's mess hall.

Since his soul had been transmigrated here, just a few hours had passed, but it felt like he had been on a rollercoaster ride.

One wave hadn't even settled before another had already risen.

The 'new recruit', the double agent, the Empire's surprise attack... all these things had caught him off guard.

Under the guidance of the staff, Amber found the private room specially arranged for them.

Several young federal officers were already seated.

When they saw Amber walk in, their conversation paused for a moment.

Then, as if they hadn't seen him at all, they continued talking.

Amber wasn't surprised by this behavior. He casually chose a seat and sat down.

Looking at the young officers who were clearly keeping their distance from him, his thoughts drifted far away, contemplating this "social phenomenon."

Indeed, the 'exclusion' or 'isolation' of psychics had already become a social phenomenon.

Whether in the Federation or the Star Dragon Empire, psychics were in a somewhat awkward position.

On one hand, ordinary people feared them, but at the same time, they envied their powers. This made it difficult to see psychics as equals.

On the other hand, psychics had a crucial status in many fields of human society, especially in the military. This gave people like Amber extra privileges from the government.

This, in turn, made ordinary people increasingly jealous of psychics.

Moreover, the occasional news of children awakening psychic powers and harming their families, or rogue psychics attacking civilians, further deepened the public's prejudice against psychics.

"Can't be provoked, but can I avoid it?"

With the public holding such views, psychics were gradually isolated and excluded from society, and this was even more pronounced in the military.

It was not uncommon for psychic agents or psychic assault teams in the army to clash with ordinary soldiers, sometimes causing casualties.

However, Amber had never cared about these things. In fact, he found this isolation beneficial as it saved him from unnecessary social interactions.

Soon, the other young officers who arrived with Amber also came to the mess hall.

However, when everyone was choosing their seats, they instinctively avoided the seat where Amber was sitting.

By the time they were all seated, two spots next to Amber were left vacant.

He sat alone in the center, very conspicuous.

"Wow! I don't want to see this again," said Lieutenant Colonel Dallas, the second-in-command at Yashin Base, when he saw Amber and the others.

Although he said this with a smile, it still made the young officers present feel uneasy.

This burly lieutenant colonel, with a scar under his eye and a physique like a bull, sat down next to Amber and patted his shoulder.

"Take off your faceplate, kid."

Dallas's voice was surprisingly gentle, a stark contrast to his imposing appearance.

"This is the Federation Army, and we're all Federation soldiers. I don't want the social atmosphere outside to affect what happens within our army."

"In the future, you'll likely have to cooperate on missions. If you keep communicating like this, how can we commanders feel at ease giving you combat tasks?"

Lieutenant Colonel Dallas's words seemed to have a magical effect, causing the tense young officers at the table to relax slowly.

After all, he was the second-in-command at Yashin Base, the real boss. His words were regarded as orders by these young officers.

So, they all turned their attention to Amber.

They were curious about what kind of person Amber really was under the tactical faceplate.

Amber had no particular thoughts about it. Taking off the faceplate didn't affect him much.

After all, he would have to remove it when eating anyway.

With a faint "puff-puff" sound as the nerve bundle at the side of the faceplate disconnected from Amber's neck, he slowly took off his tactical faceplate.

His face, sculpted like a classical statue, was revealed.

Several young women at the table couldn't help but gasp when they saw Amber's true face.

A few passing female officers in the mess hall slowed down when they caught a glimpse of Amber, even involuntarily.

Even the male officers at the table, including Lieutenant Colonel Dallas, were momentarily stunned when they saw Amber's face.

Amber had long been prepared for this kind of reaction.

After all, when he looked in the mirror in the washroom earlier, he had been struck by how handsome he looked himself.

It was the perfect "model face."

If there were a female 3D section, he could probably compete with Tifa for the title of "true Jerusalem."

Meanwhile, in the Yashin Base Commander's Office, Adam, the commander, had to leave a cross-galaxy meeting due to the urgent report from Major Mars and was now looking at him with irritation.

"Major Mars, I hope this intelligence has some value, or I'll have the guards stuff your head into the Broo beast's rear." (Broo beast: A native species of Robert IV, similar in ecological niche to a domestic pig.)

"Trust me, Commander Adam, if it weren't urgent military intelligence, I would never disturb you."

Mars, used to Adam's crude words, remained unflustered.

Adam, often called the "Pighead Commander" by his soldiers, was a typical "eat and wait to die" type of officer in the Federation army.

He was more concerned with his smuggling fleet than enhancing the combat strength of his soldiers.

Mars even knew that the so-called cross-galaxy meeting that had just been interrupted was actually just a profit-sharing discussion between Adam and some smugglers.

However, Mars still maintained the necessary respect and continued without changing his expression.

"Sir, before I report, I hope you can initiate the highest-level security lockdown for this office."

"Ugh," Adam frowned in displeasure and rotated the ring on his ring finger.

Two seconds later, the office became one of the most secure areas in Yashin Base.

"Now you can speak."

Adam's words carried some resentment, clearly annoyed at the loss of profits due to the interruption.

"The Empire is likely to launch a surprise attack on Robert IV in three days."

As soon as Mars said this, he saw the first look of seriousness on Adam's face.

"Major, how did you get this intelligence?"

(End of Chapter)