Free Web NovelChapter 44: Chapter 44: The Person the Major General Has His Eye On
「Border Defense Star.」
Seeing that Shi Lan was unharmed and emotionally unfazed by the Insect Clan, Levito, who had been on pins and needles for so long, finally let out a sigh of relief.
Bai Feng sighed wistfully. "I think I might be falling in love."
He’d never seen a female like her—beautiful, good-tempered, brave, and cunning. A female who could remain so calm after an ordeal on Garbage Star was a rare sight indeed.
Levito shot him a glare. "The Insect Clan’s toxic gas must have addled your brain. You should go see a doctor, quick."
"Hey, are you the only one allowed to like her? Can’t anyone else?"
They had only fought the Insect Clan for a short time today. As an S-level Beastman, Bai Feng was almost immune to the Insect Clan’s toxic mist and Sound Waves. After fighting the Insect Clan for so many years, all of the soldiers had at least that much basic resistance.
He rolled his eyes at Levito. "I’m serious. But... oh well. She’s the one the Major General has his eye on, after all."
Bai Feng pushed aside his messy thoughts and slung an arm around Levito’s shoulders. "How about a drink to celebrate us both getting our hearts broken?"
"No, thanks. I might have to escort Miss Shi Lan back later."
Levito didn’t know when Shi Lan would want to leave, but he had to be ready at a moment’s notice. Even though the Teleportation Spaceship had an auto-pilot function, it was still best to mitigate any and all potential risks.
Bai Feng had to admit he had a point. Piloting a Teleportation Spaceship while drunk wasn’t completely safe. He didn’t press the issue. "How about a sparring match, then?"
"Alright."
This time, Levito agreed.
* * *
Shi Lan slept until dinnertime, waking up only because she was hungry. She had been so tense all day that she’d completely ignored her hunger. Now that she was finally relaxed, she remembered she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast.
She left the lounge and walked down the corridor.
The military base on Border Defense Star was massive. The interior was dominated by cold, mechanical colors, with surveillance cameras and robots visible everywhere. The atmosphere was one of solemn authority, inspiring an unconscious sense of awe in anyone who walked its halls.
She was just about to message Levito to ask where to eat when she saw him waiting for her at a corner in the corridor.
He had changed his clothes, swapping his loose casual wear for an onyx-and-gold military uniform. Two metal medals gleamed on his chest, and his somewhat youthful, impulsive face now appeared steady and resolute.
Shi Lan had once stumbled across a picture online of He Hanshi wearing the same uniform. The difference was that his was covered in medals, and bright gold epaulets on his shoulders proclaimed his status as a Major General.
Shi Lan reined in her wandering thoughts and walked over to him, pleased. "Oh, perfect! I was just about to look for you. I didn’t expect you to be right here."
Levito didn’t mention that he had showered after his sparring match with Bai Feng and had been waiting here for her ever since. He just gave a slightly bashful smile, not daring to meet her eyes. "Yeah. Are you hungry? I’ll take you to get something to eat."
"Yes, I’m starving."
Shi Lan didn’t expect him to guess what was on her mind so easily and nodded immediately.
The smile in Levito’s eyes deepened. "Let’s go. The food in the cafeteria here is great, even better than at the Imperial Capital School. And best of all, it’s free."
"Really? Okay."
Shi Lan felt a flicker of anticipation. The two of them quickened their pace toward the cafeteria, though Levito was careful to match Shi Lan’s steps, shortening the stride that came with his 190cm frame.
It was peak dinnertime, and the cafeteria was already filled with a large crowd of soldiers sitting in twos and threes. Inevitably, some of the single males were discussing Shi Lan, who had arrived on Border Defense Star that day.
"I heard that female today was rescued from Garbage Star. How’d she end up there?"
"Looked like she was kidnapped. There were ligature marks on her wrists."
"What a monster. It must have been some male. Did a dog eat his brain? Did he learn nothing from his mandatory male ethics classes?"
A nearby Dog Beastman shot him a displeased look. "Even a dog wouldn’t stoop that low."
"Speaking of which, did any of you get a look at what the female looks like?"
"Who cares about looks? Nowadays, with so many males around, just finding a wife is a blessing. I wonder if she’s married, or how many Beast Husbands she has." fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
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The males in the cafeteria were deep in heated discussion when someone suddenly called out, "The female’s here."
The cafeteria, filled with males, fell silent in an instant. All eyes turned in unison toward the entrance. Only the male serving food, who was already married, continued to enthusiastically replenish the dishes.
The army had a lot of males, and every one of them was always hungry enough to eat a whole cow. If the cooks didn’t make extra, they’d be howling with hunger late into the night.
A moment later, Levito walked into the cafeteria with Shi Lan right behind him. A series of gasps, loud and soft, rippled through the dining tables. ’Holy cow, no one said the female was this beautiful!’
For a moment, none of the single males could tear their eyes away.
Shi Lan had always been beautiful, so she was used to drawing stares from men. But in the past, many of those looks had been lecherous, appraising glances that made her skin crawl.
Now, however, she could sense that the gazes around her were mostly full of good-natured appreciation. Some even held a strange sense of longing and respect. All in all, she didn’t feel that same prickling discomfort.
Of course, being stared at by so many people was still a little awkward. She subtly shifted to hide behind Levito, who took the opportunity to discreetly shield her from view. He then swept a displeased glare over the other Beastmen in the cafeteria.
At this, everyone looked down in embarrassment and went back to shoveling food into their mouths.
With the Major General away, several of the army’s key units were currently under the command of Bai Feng and Levito. Both had been trained by the Major General personally. They might seem easygoing on a normal day, but their punishments for mistakes were just as severe as his.
Especially in the last two years, without the Major General to overshadow them, their reputations had spread even faster. The Beastmen in the army held them in a certain amount of awe.
Shi Lan let out a secret sigh of relief. Levito, meanwhile, frowned, chastising himself for his lack of foresight. ’I should have just asked Shi Lan what she wanted to eat and gotten it to-go for her. There are so many single males in the army. They stare at a young female like dogs staring at a meat bun; you can’t expect them to stay calm.’
"Sorry, I forgot how crowded the cafeteria would be right now."
Levito apologized in a low voice to Shi Lan. She shook her head. "It’s fine."
"Should we get it to go?"
"We’re already here. Let’s just eat here."
Shi Lan was hungry, and she didn’t particularly want to carry her food all the way to another location. Besides, the soldiers weren’t that bothersome. It was tolerable.
Since Shi Lan had spoken, Levito could only drop the suggestion.
He led her to the serving counter. When the middle-aged man behind it saw a female, a kind smile immediately spread across his face. "What would you like, young lady? Order whatever you want, it’s all delicious. These meat dishes here are a bit tough, but you can try the coo-coo meat and the quack-quack meat. Those two are nice and tender."
The man pointed out a few options. Shi Lan looked at the meat dishes; they were almost all things she had tried on Black Star, and some of them really weren’t very good.
The problem was, all the dishes were meat. They smelled fragrant, but they looked a bit heavy.
She couldn’t help but ask, "Do you have any vegetables?"
The man nodded. "Of course! I’ll have the chef stir-fry some for you right now."
With that, he immediately bellowed an order into the kitchen, then turned back to Shi Lan, his voice gentle once more. "There we go. It’ll just be a few minutes."
The man’s actions were so smooth and efficient that Shi Lan didn’t even have time to say it was no trouble. She had assumed they already had some cooked.
’But do these males really not eat any green vegetables?’
She sneakily peeked into a few of the men’s bowls. They really were filled with nothing but meat, just like the men in the prison cell at the very beginning.
The males who noticed her gaze blushed, immediately straightened their backs, and even began to eat more slowly and deliberately.
Levito followed her gaze and silently switched to her other side.
’I have to help the Major General protect Shi Lan. I can’t let any of these scheming males try to charm her.’
Shi Lan shot him a quizzical look before turning her attention back to the serving window, waiting for her food.
