300016076Setting a Precedent: Seeing Her Again, More to Come Tonight ※Qin Xiao, the next logical step for the current Federal structure to advance is for a Major General to be a General-level post!

Who knew how many soldiers had gone gray-haired while waiting for that rank, and how many only managed to achieve the rank of Colonel just before retirement.

A General, especially a true military officer holding the rank of Colonel, achieving that status in the Federation before the age of forty, was already an exceptionally distinguished soldier.

Observing the Colonel walking towards him, based on the aura emanating from his body, Qin Fen judged the man to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old. That steely, battle-hardened aura, honed by the fires of conflict, subtly radiated from him, confirming that this was a genuine military officer, not one of those civil positions within the military’s elite arts system who could reach the rank of Major General simply by singing a few pop songs.

To be a Colonel at such a young age was something few in the entire Federal military could claim.

A name flashed through Qin Fen’s mind—one he wasn't intimately familiar with, but had heard mentioned by other soldiers: Zuo Lin! Rumor had it that Zuo Lin possessed not only formidable combat prowess but was most distinguished for his intellect, talent, and insidious schemes.

Zuo Lin observed Qin Fen up close for the first time, and his assessment ticked up a notch. Not only was his physique solid and strong, but more importantly, it was his composed demeanor.

Zuo Lin nodded repeatedly while sizing up Qin Fen. To remain so calm when a protest by the citizens of Hanzhou erupted during the evaluation interview—that kind of mindset was somewhat incongruous with his age.

Qin Fen, in turn, assessed Zuo Lin. A fourteen-star martial arts level, and a second-tier True Qi Oscillation mastery. Setting aside the rare, world-breaking prodigies in martial arts, possessing such strength at this age, combined with potential excellent command talent refined over years of military service, meant his current position as a Colonel and Regimental Commander was certainly not unearned.

Qin Fen stared at Zuo Lin, giving a slight nod based on his calculated evaluation, and cast a look of approval.

Sensing the appreciative gaze from Qin Fen, Zuo Lin was instantly filled with dissatisfaction. This was not an expression of admiration, but of approval!

Admiration and approval were different. Peers could admire one another; juniors could admire the conduct of their elders; subordinates could admire the bearing of their superiors.

But approval! That was a look only bestowed by an elder upon a junior, or by a superior upon a subordinate.

A Lieutenant Colonel, having joined the service for less than two years, daring to use a look of approval? Zuo Lin's displeasure mounted rapidly. This condescending, high-and-mighty gaze was reserved for me to give you, Qin Fen! How dare you look at me, Zuo Lin, that way?

In the quiet corridor, Zuo Lin casually snorted through his nose, sparing Qin Fen another glance before walking toward the interview room.

This was not the behavior of a thoughtless, spoiled wastrel. Zuo Lin dared to express himself so directly because he possessed absolute self-confidence.

Qin Fen withdrew his attention from Zuo Lin and, guided by a Captain, arrived at a spacious room marked with the characters for “Waiting.”

Rows of wooden chairs were neatly arranged. It looked more like the seating arrangement in an auditorium for an elementary school assembly, accommodating hundreds of seats.

Thirteen soldiers sat quietly in the large room. Judging by their ranks, the lowest was Colonel, and there were even two Generals present.

Most of these individuals were around forty years old, though one or two Colonels appeared to be in their early thirties. With the exception of one woman, all others were men.

Each of them subtly exuded the grim, battle-hardened aura of seasoned veterans, carrying a more intense military presence than Qin Fen.

When the people in the room saw Qin Fen enter, they all paused momentarily. Almost all eyes locking onto his rank insignia initially flickered with surprise and astonishment.

Lieutenant Colonel rank? What was the General Staff thinking? For a planet as massive as Saturn, were they letting even a Lieutenant Colonel submit an application?

The attention of the group quickly shifted to Qin Fen’s face, and several low gasps escaped their lips, accompanied by the sound of sharp intakes of breath like whistles.

A Lieutenant Colonel at such a young age? A single name flashed across all their minds in unison: Qin Fen!

Immediately following, a cascade of data scrolled through their minds: his all-around powerhouse performance in the Rookie Competition, sweeping through the elite rookies of several continents almost single-handedly; completing several special anti-terrorism missions consecutively; having cultivated martial arts in the Saint Martial Hall; and shortly after emerging, killing the Hanzhou Martial God, Pei Chengjun, on Mount Hannan, and crushing the Zhizhou New Karate Master, Jizen Houten, with a punch.

Such phenomenal power possessed by one so young! Gazes of surprise, apprehension, respect, and admiration shot out from different individuals. Two Colonels even entertained thoughts of backing out.

In a mere two years, Qin Fen had made a name for himself through sheer force. Everyone present knew that regardless of his youth, the number of lives Qin Fen had taken likely exceeded that of anyone else in the room; perhaps he had even killed more.

Qin Fen quietly found a seat, staring at the door leading to the corridor, his brow furrowed with confusion. He had clearly heard footsteps quieter than an ant’s, yet he couldn't sense the strength level of the approaching person at all.

The door was slowly pushed open. Qin Fen smiled when he saw the person standing there, gently raising his hand toward the figure who had been absent for days—Lin Ling, still breathtakingly beautiful, whose expression always rested in a state so calm it couldn't even be called cold.

In the Rookie Competition, Qin Fen had crushed nearly all his opponents like an unstoppable, ferocious tank, but he lost only one event: the sniping competition, to Lin Ling.

That day, Lin Ling's appearance shattered Qin Fen's dream of sweeping every competition and claiming every championship.

Her rank of Captain further stunned those present. Qin Fen, the monster, at least had the rank of Lieutenant Colonel to apply. How could a mere Captain qualify? This girl was perfectly beautiful, like a porcelain doll, looking more like a movie star than a soldier. Did she have connections?

Lin Ling slightly raised her head to acknowledge Qin Fen’s greeting, maintaining an expression of absolute stillness. There wasn't even a hint of surprise in her eyes. With steady composure and gait, she walked to Qin Fen’s side and slowly sat down.

As usual, Lin Ling said nothing after sitting. She resembled a princess from a fairy tale, cursed by a witch to be voiceless and expressionless.

If only she were still lying amidst a tangle of thorny, flowering vines, she would truly be the Sleeping Beauty of folklore.

Lin Ling remained silent, and Qin Fen did not initiate conversation either; he wasn't the type to proactively seek topics to strike up a dialogue.

The waiting room remained quiet, yet those present could sense that the atmosphere had shifted significantly.

Some even began furtively observing Qin Fen and Lin Ling. They were both silent, yet the nature of their silence was markedly different. Sitting side-by-side, they exuded an ineffable sense of harmony, giving the impression that if not for necessity, these two could sit motionless together for one or two hundred years without any issue.

The door opened again. This time, a Vice Admiral entered, immediately drawing the renewed attention of the assembly as the aura of a Martial Master coiled around him.

A Martial Master? Qin Fen watched the doorway calmly. If the military's strength ended here, there would be no need to venture to Saturn. The experts dispatched from the Heavenly Gate to Earth could possess Martial Master strength; they would be even more formidable holding the line against the Underworld, defending the homeland. These individuals here...

Qin Fen shook his head slightly. Apart from Lin Ling beside him—from whom he could sense no martial power, yet he knew she possessed astonishing strength—he could handle everyone else here combined with a single hand in a single move.

The door opened sequentially, and three more Vice Admirals entered. Qin Fen frowned slightly. Although they entered at different times, their quiet demeanor suggested some underlying connection among them.

The fourth person to enter was a seventeen-star expert—a Great Star-level martial artist—a level Qin Fen had rarely encountered. The other three Vice Admirals were clearly calibrating themselves based on this individual.

A Great Star? Qin Fen clenched his fist slightly. More puzzled glances fell upon Lin Ling. Even though the seventeen-star Great Star Vice Admiral had entered, Qin Fen could still discern his martial strength. Why could he not see through Lin Ling at all? Could Lin Ling be stronger than all of them?

Qin Fen repeatedly dismissed the notion. While there were geniuses in this world, no matter how talented, it was nearly impossible to surpass Xue Tian in martial aptitude.

Lin Ling’s strength level? Qin Fen frowned slightly. Perhaps she possessed some special method to conceal her power? The martial path was vast as the universe and lightning; if someone had developed such a unique method, it wasn't worth making a fuss about.

More individuals trickled into the waiting room, but no power reaching the seventeen-star level appeared again. Qin Fen sighed weakly. It seemed that amidst the struggles between the great factions, truly powerful martial artists rarely joined the military.

Qin Fen was beginning to understand why the military repeatedly lost out in the contests for the Divine Beast titles. Few formidable martial artists joined this system. Those with strength either went off alone to other planets to compete for Divine Beasts or allied with others to form their own factions.

The remaining powerful martial artists would more likely choose to join the Saint Martial Hall. They preferred cultivating there; even if their seventeen-star strength didn't secure a title like Asura, making them ordinary Saint Martial Hall practitioners, they still wouldn't join the military.

Qin Fen felt certain that the six strongest martial artists currently serving in the Earth's military were the six individuals he had recently encountered, starting with Du Hen.

The room door remained closed for a long time. Qin Fen rested his chin on his hand, finding it strange. Why hadn't Du Hen sent his son, Du Yu, to compete for control of Saturn's military?

Qin Fen hadn't forgotten that although Du Yu's strength didn't match Du Hen's, recalling it now, he should also possess seventeen-star capability. If Du Yu had come to compete, nearly everyone in this room would likely have withdrawn.

Du Hen's son never appeared. The person who entered later, after pushing the door open, was Zuo Lin, who had finished his initial interview. The moment he saw Lin Ling, his eyes ignited with dazzling, sharp light.

Qin Fen could read the coldness in those eyes—it was the look of a dominant predator in the wilderness encountering prey, immediately announcing to all others that this food belonged to its territory.

Zuo Lin ignored Qin Fen's warning glance. Since entering the room, his eyes had not left Lin Ling. If observed under a high-precision microscope, Qin Fen suspected one might find a mass of identical characters reflected in his pupils:

Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!

Lin Ling maintained her original impassive expression, staring straight ahead toward the front of the room, seemingly completely unaware of Zuo Lin's intensely possessive gaze. The entire world appeared irrelevant to her.

Next, six Five-Star Admirals pushed open the door and took their seats at the front dais.

A holographic projection appeared between the Admirals and the waiting candidates, displaying the footage of each person's interview assessment with the Admirals.

The interview times varied, but overall, none of the assessments had been particularly long. These video records of the evaluations played one after another.

Du Hen interlaced his fingers to cover his mouth and spoke slowly, "Everyone has now seen the interview results. You are all those who passed the initial screening, but there are more than we anticipated. We will now add a supplementary test: anyone who feels their capabilities are insufficient compared to the other candidates should self-eliminate."

Du Hen leaned back against his chair after speaking. Zuo Dongting leaned forward and stated, "Those who self-eliminate have two choices. The first is to leave after elimination. The second choice, if you still wish to go to Saturn, is that you will not be a leader. You may choose someone you deem qualified and choose to 'attach' yourself to them. In doing so, your inclusion will result in bonus points for the person you attach to."

The Black man raised his wrist, glanced at his military watch, and said, "You have thirty minutes. Begin now!"

As soon as the words fell, someone immediately stood up—a Vice Admiral possessing the strength of a Martial Master. This man was built robustly, with a sturdy frame. He silently bowed his head and left his seat. Under the gaze of everyone present, he walked forward...

This man did not leave the room. He walked last to Zuo Lin’s side! He stopped quietly, looked up at the six Five-Star Admirals on the stage, and announced, "I forfeit the claim to a leadership position and opt for the second choice: to become Colonel Zuo Lin's auxiliary."

Many in the room had witnessed significant events, yet quite a few still gasped in astonishment. A General, possessing the rank of Vice Admiral and the power of a Martial Master, choosing to serve as an aide to Colonel Zuo Lin!

A General assisting a Colonel—this had never happened in the history of the Federal Army! Even if this Colonel was a Regimental Commander leading the main force, theoretically, a Vice Admiral would never act this way.

Today’s event was setting a precedent that the Federal Army had never seen before.

More chapters are coming tonight.