Chapter 25: Level One Combat Readiness (Part Two)

But after all, Zhao Li was still a newcomer here, and he had no idea what he was supposed to do. He had originally come to serve his sentence in a special prison—here, in this military camp, there wasn’t even a place for him. Even during basic training, apart from conventional weapons, he hadn’t encountered anything else. Even if he wanted to help, he didn’t know where to start.

The alarm continued to blare, its shrill sound echoing over the entire camp. Zhao Li didn’t know what kind of countermeasures the administrative center outside would take, but at least he saw one of the camp’s warships already taking off.

A tense atmosphere filled the camp—no one knew what had happened or why the alarm was sounding. The feeling that a great battle was imminent pressed heavily on everyone’s heart, Zhao Li included.

He didn’t know how much time had passed—it felt to Zhao Li as if a whole year had slipped by—when, as suddenly as it had begun, the alarm ceased. The dizziness from the large mug of beer he’d gulped down earlier had, somehow, faded away as well.

Zhao Li was standing on the first floor of the office building. After a while, he saw several officers from the camp appear, including the lieutenant he’d seen on the warship. They seemed relaxed, chatting and laughing together, and finally Zhao Li was able to let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

“Ah, King of the Roller Coaster, sorry about that—your welcome party got interrupted,” the lieutenant said, coming over to clap Zhao Li on the shoulder, his tone apologetic.

“It’s nothing,” Zhao Li replied automatically, only to realize that he was still speaking to a superior. He straightened up, preparing to salute.

“Relax, there’s no need for so much formality here,” the lieutenant stopped him with a gesture. Seeing Zhao Li was still a bit tense, he smiled. “No need to worry, it wasn’t a combat alert—just a level-one readiness.”

It seemed word had spread. Aside from those on duty, everyone else drifted out from their posts and returned to the banquet hall, laughing and joking, showing no sign of tension.

Unable to help himself, Zhao Li felt a twinge of self-loathing for his earlier lapse. After all, he was a trained soldier—a sergeant, no less—so how could a simple alarm have rattled him so easily?

As he followed the officers slowly back toward the hall, Zhao Li pondered this question. Had there been a shift in his mindset?

He had joined the military only to conceal the secrets he carried. The grand ideals of loyalty to the Federation had never crossed his mind. Was it this go-with-the-flow attitude that had made him lose his composure?

The banquet resumed its lively atmosphere. It was just a level-one readiness alert—there were barely over a hundred people here. As long as the air defense and communications departments were mobilized, it was enough. Even if war broke out, it was unlikely to reach this place. The camp couldn’t withstand even a single salvo from a large warship’s main cannon. Apart from some fresh water, it had no strategic resources to speak of—or if there were any, the cost and difficulty of extraction were so high that no one would consider it unless absolutely desperate. Who would pay attention to such a tiny planet?

Still, Major Hamas, the camp’s commander, announced the latest news to everyone: just confirmed intelligence stated that the government on Noah Star had declared independence, seceding from the Federation. The military was amassing in great numbers, with signs suggesting war with the Federation was imminent. This was the reason for the level-one alert.

At this, Zhao Li noticed several people in the room seem to grow excited, rubbing their hands as if they were about to be sent to the front lines. Nearly two centuries of peace—with only the occasional small-scale terrorist incident—had left them restless. At the mere hint of action, they seemed almost bloodthirsty.

The welcome banquet continued, but the conversation shifted almost entirely to the rebels. Why had they declared independence? Who were their leaders? How powerful was their military? What was their population, their resource base? None of these questions had answers yet. The discussion centered mostly on common knowledge about Noah Star: geography, city distribution, things like that. They were a long way from anything resembling real war intelligence.

Out of nowhere, Wolf reappeared, joining in the heated discussion. Zhao Li couldn’t contribute to these topics—he was only a sergeant, after all, and the officers’ conversations were not for him. Bored, he sought out Wolf.

“Hah, you can hold your liquor, kid!” Wolf said bluntly, eyeing Zhao Li’s condition, then glancing around guiltily before leaning in close to Zhao Li’s ear. “Simpson spiked your drink as a joke, but you didn’t even pass out. I’m impressed!”

Zhao Li couldn’t help but laugh wryly. Were these guys really so bored that they resorted to pranks like this? No wonder Simpson had seemed so magnanimous. If it hadn’t been for the sudden outbreak of rebellion, Zhao Li might’ve been toyed with to his breaking point.

“Can you tell me about the special prison?” Zhao Li decided to steer the conversation away from the rebels and focus on the department where he’d be serving.

“What’s there to say? It’s heavily guarded, strictly managed. Just last month, a few new prisoners were brought in.” Wolf either didn’t know much or didn’t want to elaborate, speaking rather vaguely. “But if you’re going to serve there, you’d better be careful.”

He repeated his warning, as if afraid Zhao Li wouldn’t take him seriously. “That’s a special prison, you know. The inmates in there are all serious offenders. Many are extremely dangerous. You’re a newcomer—you’re in for a rough time.”

That, at least, was sound advice, and Zhao Li took it to heart. He couldn’t help but ask, “So, do you have any tips on how I can avoid that rough time?”

“Avoid it?” Wolf looked him up and down, then shook his head. “Tough luck. Just treat it as your own training. But in the military, there’s only one way not to be bullied.”

“What way?” Zhao Li’s eyes brightened. Military prisons housed military criminals, so he imagined many of the same rules applied. Perhaps Wolf’s advice would prove invaluable.

“Simple!” Wolf downed his beer in one gulp. “Fight! As long as you win, no one will dare bully you. Or you can do what you did today—use your skills to impress everyone. Then no one will mess with you. But if you think keeping your head down and trying to avoid trouble will work, you’re fooling yourself. People who are that easy to bully—if they’re not picking on you, who else would they pick on?”

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