Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Borderlands

"General!" Zhao Li offered a military salute, standing before General Thomas, awaiting his orders.

"Sit!" The General maintained his usual demeanor. After thanking him, Zhao Li sat down naturally across from the General.

"Lieutenant, how old are you?" The General looked at Zhao Li’s face, seemingly intrigued by his youth.

"Reporting to the General, I am twenty-three this year." Zhao Li did not know the purpose of the question, but he stated his age clearly. To a General, this was hardly classified information; a mere glance at his personnel file would reveal his date of birth.

"Twenty-three, how young indeed!" The General sounded somewhat sentimental. "When I was twenty-three, I was just a private, fresh out of boot camp. Yet you are already a Lieutenant and a prison warden—young and promising, a talent to be reckoned with!"

"Thank you, sir!" Zhao Li wasn’t sure what the General meant, but since he was being praised, gratitude was the appropriate response.

"You are still young; you shouldn’t be shackled to this place." This seemed to be the real point of the conversation. Zhao Li felt a surge of joy—did this mean his dozen days of house arrest were coming to an end?

"The arrangements from above have been quite a headache," the General said, stating a fact that Zhao Li had already guessed, which hardly surprised him.

"I think you also know that your current situation is problematic. We no longer have enough high-profile criminals to justify a special prison. If you want to return to prison work, you can only go to a regular facility." After a slight pause, the General voiced the dilemma: "The problem is, as a Lieutenant, it is impossible for you to be a warden at a regular prison. I imagine you wouldn’t want to be a common prison guard, either."

Zhao Li remained silent. Since the General brought this up, there must be other options; otherwise, he wouldn't have had his aide summon him to the office to explain.

"I believe you need an opportunity—an opportunity to lead troops, to truly command soldiers." The General’s words were highly tempting. An opportunity to lead troops? Although Zhao Li had been driven to climb the ranks after the old warden's goading, in the environment of a special prison, the only path upward seemed to be through seniority. Moreover, those prison guards were not subordinates he could truly control or rely on.

Seeing the eagerness in Zhao Li’s eyes, the General smiled slightly. "It seems we are of the same mind." He stopped teasing and laid it out: "There are a few options before you. You may choose the one you prefer."

"First, become a prison guard at a regular military prison." Before Zhao Li could respond, the General raised a finger and smiled. "I assume you wouldn’t choose that, would you?"

"That’s correct, General. I don't want to choose that." Zhao Li nodded, waiting for the rest.

"Second, with your current rank, you are qualified to lead a platoon of soldiers to the front lines to fight the rebels." The General studied Zhao Li, as if trying to read his thoughts. "Opportunities on the battlefield are vast, and promotions are swift. If you are lucky, you could soon be promoted to First Lieutenant, Captain, or even Major. As a company commander, battalion commander, or even a regimental commander, you could lead your soldiers to earn glory. Of course, on the battlefield, no one can guarantee anything. Do you understand my meaning?"

It was so clear that only a fool wouldn't understand. Zhao Li nodded. Sending him to the front—was this for his protection? It sounded more like a death sentence.

"There is another option." Perhaps noticing Zhao Li’s hesitation, the General proposed a third scenario. "I could promote you directly to First Lieutenant, give you your own men, and have you stationed in a remote area to maintain local stability. How does that sound?"

This seemed like a decent plan. It offered a promotion, command of troops, and a mission that sounded relatively manageable.

If the General had said this when Zhao Li first arrived at the military district, he would have jumped at it. However, after Christine’s warning, Zhao Li realized these remote areas were not simple places; their dangers might be no less than those of the battlefield. If he agreed rashly, he might end up being what Christine described: someone who helps count the money for those who sold them out.

Why would the higher-ups make such an arrangement? Was it truly to protect him? Or was he merely a backup for the old warden? After all, the information he held wasn't enough to capture all those fugitives.

"General, is there still no trace of those prisoners?" Zhao Li asked before making his choice.

The General did not hide the truth. "No, not one. It is as if they have vanished from the human world. Whether in the crowds or in the archives, you understand."

Without prisoners, there was no prison. A special prison was out of the question for now. Being a guard at a regular prison, living a dull, monotonous life—a year ago, Zhao Li would have begged for it, but now, he had no interest.

The battlefield, as the General said, was a great opportunity for promotion. But the risks were immense, and he had heard that the government forces were faring poorly against the rebels. Did he have the ability to turn the tide? Zhao Li wanted to climb, but he knew he lacked the strategic experience, especially in commanding regular infantry. He had learned some elite squad tactics from the sadistic instructors at the prison, but those were for highly trained specialists, not regular soldiers.

That left the remote area option. It sounded relatively safe and provided a chance to grow. It came with a promotion and a company of men. He just didn't know where these "remote areas" were.

"General, are there choices for these remote areas?" To his surprise, the General nodded.

"Currently, our forces are stretched thin. We only station one or two battalions in each major independent state—those are the so-called remote areas." The General explained patiently. "There are many such places."

He pulled up a map on his terminal, highlighting at least forty or fifty yellow zones on an established immigrant planet.

"Red is a war zone, yellow is an unstable or partially controlled region, and green is a normally developed region." On the map, nearly eighty percent of the planet was yellow, with no red areas, yet the visual was still alarming.

"Surprised? Never heard of this in society, right?" The General found Zhao Li’s reaction amusing. "It’s quite normal. When this planet was settled, we chose to transfer the populations from the most unstable regions on Earth. It’s better for them to cause trouble on a new planet than to disrupt our home base on Earth."

Such a thing existed? Zhao Li had never heard of it. His parents likely hadn't either. Who would have guessed the immigration policy was essentially a way to purge the "tumors" of democratic nations from Earth?

It was a ruthless strategy. If they wanted to stir up trouble, they could do it on this planet. By concentrating all the agitators on one world, they forced them to check and balance each other. It gave the appearance of freedom, but in reality, it allowed the terrorists and separatists to weaken each other through infighting, requiring only a small military presence to maintain the balance. It was undoubtedly the work of brilliant politicians.

If Zhao Li chose this mission, his responsibility would be much more than just maintaining stability.

"How large an area does a company control?" Zhao Li asked.

"Consider it carefully," the General warned. "Choosing this path isn't necessarily safe. The area varies—the largest covers three cities, the smallest one. The actual size ranges from ten thousand to one hundred thousand square kilometers."

Zhao Li scanned the yellow zones, his eyes passing over names like New Jerusalem, New Mecca, New Kashmir, and New Sahara. Almost every name was a familiar Earth location with a "New" prefix.

Suddenly, a strange name caught his eye: Golden Five-Star. He felt he had heard it before, though he couldn't quite place it. He was certain he had heard it from an acquaintance.

"General, may I have a day to consider?" Zhao Li truly didn't know what to choose. Fortunately, Christine and Li Mengdie were following him to ensure his safety; he should consult them. Otherwise, if he dragged them onto a battlefield without a plan, they might resent him for life.

"You have enough time to think, Lieutenant."

"What do you think we should choose?" Zhao Li presented the three options to Christine and Li Mengdie.

"My mission is to protect you while you are on duty. Wherever you go, I go," Li Mengdie replied directly, without hesitation, showing her unconditional support and trust.

"And you, Christine?" Zhao Li turned to the beautiful woman. Christine was frowning, a look that made her even more alluring, causing Zhao Li to swallow hard.

"Hmph!" "Heh-heh-heh-heh!" Two distinct sounds came from the women, making Zhao Li blush. Who would have thought they would notice him swallowing?

"What is your choice, Zhao Li?" Christine asked after a moment of deliberation.

Zhao Li didn't hold back, sharing his thoughts, though he admitted he was still conflicted about the remote area option.

"That’s fine, but the location you choose needs careful consideration," Christine said, looking wise. It was undeniable that among the three, she was the most well-traveled and worldly.

"I want to choose Golden Five-Star," Zhao Li said, as if guided by instinct.

"Golden Five-Star?" Both women repeated in surprise. Christine fixed her beautiful eyes on him. "Do you know what kind of place that is?"

"No," Zhao Li answered honestly.

"It’s a drug production hub, more notorious than the Golden Triangle on Earth. There are at least five factions, including the government forces, tangled up there, which is why it’s called the Golden Five-Star." Clearly, they both knew the place from their training.

Christine’s words triggered a memory. He had heard the name from James, a flight expert and a prisoner at the special prison he was close to. James had mentioned it once by accident and quickly brushed it off. Now that he thought about it, the place was highly suspicious, and perhaps he might even find traces of James and his group there.

"I’ve decided," Zhao Li declared. "I’m going to the Golden Five-Star!"