At the spaceport, a behemoth flagship lay quietly at anchor. To its sides, rows of starships and vessels formed a pair of massive mechanical wings. As far as the eye could see, the interstellar warships were a uniform deep black, their metallic luster radiating a terrifying sense of latent power.
In front of this vast array of warships stretched a wide plaza. Currently, the eight great legions that had participated in the joint military exercise were assembled there. This was the final stage of the exercise—the ceremony that General Ji had described as "utterly tedious."
Standing on the high platform in his pure white military dress uniform, General Ji wore a stony expression. Clad in the gaudy attire, his limbs felt stiff as he questioned for the thousandth and first time exactly which brain-dead designer had come up with such impractical clothing. Moreover, the knots on these uniforms were so complex that hardly any soldier could remember how to tie them correctly!
With a cold gaze, General Ji scanned the ranks below. He wasn't fooled; among the soldiers standing in perfect formation beneath the platform, only the eight fleet commanders in the front row had knots that looked even remotely decent. Even then, they wouldn't hold up to close scrutiny, though they were convincing enough at a glance.
As for the soldiers behind the commanders, though they stood as straight as ramrods with solemn military bearing, the knots on their uniforms hadn't been tied at all. They were clearly using pre-made substitutes—a fact only hidden by the distance.
As a General, Ji Qiu knew that many soldiers privately used clips embroidered with the same patterns to replace the actual knots. This was an unspoken secret within the military. As a superior, he usually turned a blind eye to it. After all, whether a knot was tied perfectly had nothing to do with military discipline. The designers were the ones with holes in their heads; there was no need to make the entire military pay the price.
Suppressing his dissatisfaction with the fashion designers, the General looked toward the high platform in front of the flagship. Soon, eight figures appeared in the specially reserved empty spaces.
The moment these eight holographic figures appeared, the members of the eight legions all stiffened with reverence. These holograms were the Legion Commanders of the eight great legions—the true titans standing at the very peak of the Federation Military.
Seeing the big shots appear via hologram, their chests covered in rows of medals representing distinguished service, the soldiers were momentarily stunned.
In previous joint military exercises, usually only the commander of the winning legion would make an appearance at the final ceremony. To see the commanders of all eight legions appearing together like this was exceptionally rare. It was clear how much importance the military brass placed on this particular exercise!
To be able to see so many top-tier figures of the Federation Military at once caused even these hardened soldiers to break into joyful expressions. However, they hadn't expected an even greater surprise was waiting for them.
Shortly after the eight Legion Commanders appeared, another unexpected holographic image manifested before the troops. It was an elderly man. He didn't wear the cumbersome dress uniform, but a simple black military fatigue. Unlike the cold, distant aura of the eight Legion Commanders, the old man who appeared last had a genial expression. At first glance, he looked like any ordinary elderly man.
Yet, his appearance made every soldier catch their breath. In an instant, their bodies tensed, and they stood even straighter than before.
This man was the Federation Marshal—the individual who truly stood at the apex of the entire Federation!
No one expected to see the Federation Marshal at a military decoration ceremony. The soldiers were visibly moved, especially those of the First Legion. After all, they were the champions!
Even though only their fleet commander would go up to receive the honors, by extension, it felt as if they were receiving glory directly from the Federation Marshal himself. The thought alone was exhilarating.
Among the soldiers who were standing straighter than ever while their eyes danced with excitement, Feng Zhixi was the first to notice that the old man on the platform was wearing a standard uniform, not the dress attire!
*So, why does the Marshal get to skip the dress uniform?*
Still brooding over the knots, the Omega instinctively looked at the Alpha beside him, his gaze filled with confusion.
Meeting the bewildered look of the Omega who had been unilaterally ignoring him just moments ago, Ji Yeran couldn't help but smile. In his heart, he silently thanked the old Marshal for showing up.
As the Marshal’s hologram stabilized on the platform, every soldier present, led by the eight Legion Commanders and General Ji, performed a synchronized and solemn military salute.
Looking down at the vibrant young soldiers below the platform, the kindly Marshal smiled. Though he wore a stark black uniform, his temperament was like that of a grandfather next door—warm and approachable.
The sudden appearance of the Federation Marshal sent a ripple of excitement through the solemn ranks. This was the ultimate "War God" of the Federation, a man of peerless military merit. To see the eight Legion Commanders and the Federation Marshal all at once during a single exercise was a feat worth bragging about for a lifetime!
Amidst the soldiers' excitement, the decoration ceremony officially began.
With the approval of the Marshal and the eight Legion Commanders, the methodical General Ji began to read out the final results of the exercise.
The First Legion was the undisputed winner. As for the seven legions behind it, the gaps between them were measured in mere millimeters. Consequently, the battle for second and third place had been exceptionally fierce.
The final result: the even more shameless Third Legion had snatched second place, pinning the Eighth Legion into the third-place spot.
Once the results were read, the formal decoration ceremony commenced. The three fleet commanders ascended the platform together. Under the witness of the nine titans, General Ji personally conferred the medals.
As the commander of the winning fleet, Captain Xu of the First Legion received the sole gold medal. Seeing the high-spirited Captain Xu wearing the gold medal, the other seven fleet commanders felt their fists itch with the urge to punch someone.
The seven commanders who had fought tooth and nail for second place clenched their teeth. *So frustrating! This kid is stealing all the spotlight!*
However, when they thought of Xu Yi’s individual combat prowess, they had to drop the idea. Not wanting to be the ones getting punched instead, the commanders told themselves: *There’s plenty of time; we’ll settle the score eventually! They just got lucky this time!*
The nine military titans saw the undercurrents between the fleet commanders perfectly well, but they didn't call it out. This kind of competition, refusal to back down, and mutual rivalry was exactly one of the reasons the Federation Military held these joint exercises.
Looking at the fleet commanders—who in his eyes were still just lively, restless pups—a hint of nostalgia and amusement appeared in the Marshal’s eyes. Taking in the defiance in the eyes of the other seven commanders, the old man, who had been acting as a silent mascot since his arrival, suddenly spoke.
"Shall we release the First Legion's combat records?"
General Ji was stunned by the suggestion. This was not a standard part of previous joint exercises. Combat records were classified and usually sealed in the military archives after the exercise for study by the General Staff.
The old Marshal, who had made the suggestion casually, remained smiling. He remarked in a relaxed tone that a ceremony shouldn't just be a ceremony. Since the First Legion had performed so well this time, they should make their tactics public so everyone could see and learn from one another.
As soon as the Marshal spoke, the eight Legion Commanders nodded in agreement. This was also why they had appeared collectively: to show the "pups" under their command that there is always someone better, and that being too arrogant would only lead to getting slapped in the face.
Seeing this, General Ji realized that the nine titans had discussed this beforehand. It turned out they had appeared at the ceremony just because they were bored and wanted to watch the drama unfold together.
At the General's signal, an adjutant brought out the combat records that were supposed to be sealed and submitted to the high command.
These records were logged by the starships' main optical computers and integrated into a report by the judging panel for in-depth analysis. It could be said that the most important outcome of every joint exercise was the analyzed combat records of each fleet.
And now, under the witness of the nine titans, the records of the champion First Legion were about to be made public.
This decision delighted the other seven competing fleet commanders. they were dying to know what secret weapon the First Legion had used this time. Even if they lost, they wanted to know exactly how!
Facing the curious gazes of the entire assembly, Xu Yi, the commander of the First Legion, silently massaged his forehead. All he could think was: *It’s over. I’m going to be humiliated all the way to outer space. Is it too late to delete the part where I was repeatedly played by a military cadet?!*
The answer, of course, was that it was far too late.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 星港 | Spaceport | A port for starships. |
| 旗舰 | Flagship | The lead ship of a fleet. |
| 联合军演 | Joint Military Exercise | A large-scale training operation involving multiple military branches or groups. |
| 军团 | Legion | A major military unit (e.g., First Legion). |
| 舰队长 | Fleet Commander | The officer in charge of a specific fleet within a legion. |
| 元帅 | Marshal | The highest military rank in the Federation. |
| 授勋仪式 | Decoration Ceremony | An official event where medals and honors are awarded. |
| 太阳鸟 | Sunbird | The symbolic bird of the Federation. |
| 总参谋部 | General Staff | The high-level organizational body of the military. |
| 裁判团 | Judging Panel | The group responsible for evaluating the exercise. |
