Chapter 422 - 422: Commander Li Huanian

Translator: CinderTL

Seated across from Feng Qi on the sofa was an elderly man with a full head of white hair, the current commander-in-chief of the Star City Military Department.

This wasn't Feng Qi's first time seeing this face.

In his history textbook, there was a lesson titled "Light of the Death Star," which recounted the story of the elderly man's early years when he founded the Death Star Battle Group.

Feng Qi had also learned detailed information about his identity from Dean of Tiger Soul.

His name was Li Huanian, a graduate of Victory Academy's commander program.

Even during his time at the academy, Li Huanian demonstrated exceptional command abilities. He led his commander class to victory in the joint academy commander competitions four times and received the United Military Department's Outstanding Contribution to Humanity Award.

He was widely recognized as the strongest commander among Victory Academy's incoming freshmen.

After graduation, Li Huanian faced invitations from both the military department and the Red Lotus Legion, one of the Top Ten Battle Groups at the time. He chose to join the Red Lotus Legion, embarking on a twenty-year career of frontline training.

During this period, Li Huanian distinguished himself with remarkable performance, rapidly rising through the ranks within the Red Lotus Legion.

In just three years, he became the vice-commander of the Red Lotus Legion's Fifth Battle Group.

Through numerous joint military campaigns, Li Huanian relied on his exceptional command skills to flawlessly execute missions involving exploring and conquering Domain Fields.

In his seventh year on the front lines, Li Huanian chose to leave the Red Lotus Legion and establish the Death Star Battle Group.

This was the very battle group Feng Qi had read about in his history textbooks during his school days.

Feng Qi was actually quite familiar with this battle group.

In the previous timeline, Wang Yi, the host body of the Lord of the Mist, had been the group leader of the Death Star Third Battle Group.

Under Li Huanian's leadership, the Death Star Battle Group ultimately succeeded in ascending to become one of the Top Ten Battle Groups.

At the age of 48, Li Huanian relinquished his position as commander-in-chief to his then-vice-commander and chose to retire from the front lines. He returned to Star City and resolutely joined the Star City Military Department, becoming a mid-level officer.

The reasons for this decision were the subject of much speculation.

Some theorized that Li Huanian's true ambition had always been to become a military commander, and his years on the front lines were merely to hone his command skills.

Others claimed that his prolonged exposure to the Domain Fields had left him with severe health issues, making it impossible for him to continue the rigors of frontline combat and forcing him to retire.

Around this time, the Star City Military Department extended an invitation to Li Huanian, hoping he would join their Command Department and continue contributing to the department's development.

Li Huanian accepted without hesitation.

Whatever his reasons for retiring from the front lines and joining the military department, there was no doubt that Li Huanian's life was the stuff of legends.

At the age of sixty-seven, he secured ninety-two percent of the military department's votes, becoming its current commander-in-chief.

He was a warrior who had dedicated his entire life to paving the way for humanity's future.

Now nearing eighty, he stood before Feng Qi, a legendary figure enshrined in history textbooks. Feng Qi's demeanor was respectful throughout their conversation.

But when Li Huanian asked if the explosion at Starlight Lake was connected to him, Feng Qi froze.

"It seems you are indeed involved," Li Huanian said, a faint smile creasing his deeply wrinkled face.

"We are involved, but I'm curious how you deduced that," Feng Qi replied, neither denying nor confirming, his expression one of genuine curiosity.

Their interactions with the Domain Alliance's leadership had been kept completely secret.

The military department's investigation at Starlight Lake had yielded no breakthroughs.

Yet Li Huanian, sitting in headquarters, had somehow pieced together the truth out of thin air. Feng Qi was utterly perplexed.

Faced with the question, Li Huanian turned his gaze to Mu Qing.

"Because of her... Mu Qing!"

"You know my name?" Mu Qing, who had been sitting quietly listening to their conversation, asked in surprise.

"Of course. You're one of the highest-priority threats in Star City, according to our military department."

As Feng Qi and Mu Qing looked on in confusion, Li Huanian quickly explained.

It turned out that Li Huanian had been deeply involved in the Rune Modification Experiment's progress.

He believed that if the experiment succeeded, it could mass-produce powerful soldiers for the military.

During that time, he frequently visited the Scarlet Research Institute to monitor the situation.

It was there that he had repeatedly seen Xiao Muqing accompanying Wei Wei.

Wei Wei had also told him that Mu Qing would be the next challenger for the Scarlet Rune Crystal.

However, Mu Qing had been too young at the time and clearly had no memory of Li Huanian.

Through Li Huanian's explanation, Feng Qi also learned that his first encounter with Mu Qing hadn't actually been at the Scarlet Research Institute, but outside Star City.

A migrating scavenger caravan had been attacked by a Domain-Transcending Creature on the main road outside the city.

The Star City Military Department had immediately mobilized.

At the time, Li Huanian, who had not yet become the commander-in-chief of the military department, was fully responsible for the operation. He successfully rescued a large number of migrating scavengers and settled them within Star City, including Mu Qing's family.

As for why Mu Qing left such a strong impression on him...

It was because Mu Qing's parents had been severely poisoned, rendering them unable to move. Soldiers had to carry them back to Star City. Mu Qing, walking beside them, wailed incessantly, fainting several times along the way. Each time she regained consciousness, she would resume her sobbing.

This left an indelible mark on Li Huanian's memory.

Their next encounter occurred at the Scarlet Research Institute.

By then, Mu Qing had grown a little taller and often clung to Wei Wei's hem, trailing behind her while constantly munching on various snacks.

Pausing briefly, Li Huanian continued:

"Just now, while the drone formation was conducting a carpet search of the Starlight Lake area, they continuously scanned the faces of passersby and cross-referenced them with database information. Eventually, a list was sent to me."

"The individuals on this list are all recorded in the database as extremely powerful individuals. Mu Qing is among them... which is why I'm certain you were near Starlight Lake earlier."

"As for why I guessed you caused the explosion at the lake's center, it was just a casual question. I can't be completely certain Mu Qing was responsible; she's merely one of my suspects."

Hearing Li Huanian's explanation, Feng Qi suddenly understood.

"Continue your story," Feng Qi urged. "I'm now very curious about this time travel you mentioned."

Feng Qi nodded immediately and resumed recounting his experiences.

As he listened, Li Huanian's expression grew serious again. He nodded repeatedly, seemingly searching for logical flaws in the narrative to discern its truthfulness.

Time continued to pass as the story unfolded.

Outside, the sky gradually brightened. Unbeknownst to them, six hours had already passed.

If Feng Qi were to describe everything in detail, he could talk for days and nights.

But for Li Huanian's sake, he only recounted the key events of his experiences.

Regarding the Scarlet Research Institute, Feng Qi chose to remain vague.

After all, whether the Star City Military Department could be fully trusted remained uncertain.

The prerequisite for taking risks and making mistakes was ensuring the Scarlet Research Institute's safety.

(End of the Chapter)

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