Today was the day the lockdown was lifted.
The bracelets had sent out a notification last night that the 15,744th class of expectant parents would have their isolation revoked this morning, but it had not specified the exact time. Many speculated it would happen immediately after the morning energy monitoring session.
This was why Qin Zhen had hurried to the rooftop, hoping to secure a good vantage point.
The door leading to the rooftop was already wide open. Qin Zhen cleared the final steps in a few strides, immediately triggering his bracelet: “Please do not run or jump; be careful of miscarriage.”
He quickly covered the bracelet to steady his heart rate while scanning his surroundings. It was then he realized that neither Ni Hong nor Leng Fei had followed him up.
“Strange. Where are they?”
He called them both, but neither answered.
“On the day we regain our freedom, they certainly are not being very proactive!”
Qin Zhen stopped worrying about them and examined the platform beneath his feet. It was vast, large enough to dock a heavy starship. Looking down, he saw a circle painted on the ground; it was indeed a landing pad.
The strange thing was that despite being on a rooftop, there was almost no wind.
In the distance, white clouds drifted through a blue sky. Starships passed through the higher altitudes from time to time, while rows of buildings of varying heights reflected the bright sunlight below.
It was only two days ago that the provincial commoner from a colonial planet, Qin Zhen, had learned that all of this was fake.
As a core institution of the Empire, the Gestation Center did not just occupy a piece of star land; every building within it was shrouded by privacy walls. These walls, constructed from massive screens, were much taller than the buildings themselves. Both the inner and outer surfaces broadcasted artificial footage twenty four hours a day. Consequently, those inside could not see the true scenery outside, and those outside could not peer in.
The reason for this, supposedly, was to prevent enemy infiltration, as newly arrived expectant parents were the group most susceptible to being compromised.
Now that over a week had passed, the military had presumably verified the backgrounds and resumes of this batch of expectant parents to ensure no one had been swapped before lifting the lockdown. For a mere hundred or so people, it had taken the vast resources of the military this long to complete the investigation, which spoke to the scrutiny and caution involved.
“It seems the Star Fang Empire has been watching us like a hawk,” Qin Zhen mused, leaning against the railing as his thoughts drifted.
Ever since the internal strife of the Beast Empire a century ago, when the Star Fang Empire took advantage of the chaos, the relationship between the two nations had never eased. Even though Cang Bai had single handedly saved the collapsing state and established the New Era after the Empire’s rebirth, Star Fang remained relentless in its ambitions.
The flames of war in the border star zones had never been extinguished.
When Qin Zhen first arrived in this world, that remote colonial planet in the Sixth Star Sector had been a battlefield for the two nations. His parents, whom he had never met, had most likely perished there.
If the First War God had not arrived with the White Python, Qin Zhen, as a twelve year old child, would have either died in the crossfire or been captured by Star Fang to be a small slave. Heaven knew how a slave owning state like the Star Fang Empire still existed in the interstellar age.
In short, it was thanks to Cang Bai repelling the Star Fang Legion that he had been safely sent to an orphanage.
Thinking back, the scene of the War God descending from the heavens ten years ago was so similar to the fusion field a week ago. Not just the White Python, but even Cang Bai’s appearance had not changed in the slightest.
“He truly is my idol.”
Without realizing it, many people had gathered on the rooftop, including Ni Hong and Leng Fei.
The two observed the silhouette leaning against the railing. From his posture, he looked so relaxed he seemed to have no bones left, bearing no resemblance to a soldier.
However, Ni Hong still wanted to speak up for Qin Zhen, whispering, “I still feel like you have it wrong. Brother Qin’s monitoring time is longer than ours, but not by much. At most five or six minutes. In such a short time, how could Adjutant Qi and Brother Qin”
Leng Fei snorted coldly. “Have you never heard the phrase ‘bad at it but addicted’?”
“You mean,” Ni Hong was stunned for a moment, his voice becoming even softer, “Adjutant Qi’s time is very short? That does not seem right either. If the time is that short, why would Brother Qin look so satisfied every time? It is a bit contradictory.”
“How long are you going to keep defending him? Qi has already admitted to it.”
“I just feel that Brother Qin is not the type to sell his body for glory.” Ni Hong suddenly stopped talking.
Not far away, Qin Zhen finally noticed the two staring at him and turned his head.
“Why did you two take so long to get here? Come over quickly! I saved spots for you, the core center positions!”
The two walked over. Qin Zhen noticed Ni Hong’s hesitant pace and instinctively reached out to pull him, but to his surprise, the other man scrambled to hide behind Leng Fei, staring directly at his stomach.
The wet marks on the gestation clothes had faded until they were almost invisible.
Just as Qin Zhen was wondering what was going on, Leng Fei’s icy voice entered his ears.
“One should learn self respect.”
“What?”
“If your desires are too strong, you must learn to control them. Otherwise, if you disturb the fetus, you will not even be able to become a beast soldier.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
Qin Zhen’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper until he suddenly had a realization.
It seemed his act of looking into the distance and letting his ambitions fly had been seen through by her.
“How can one live in this world without a little desire? Those without desire are only fit to be lowly ants; there is no way they can become a War God.”
Qin Zhen shot back with a retort, casting a provocative glance at Leng Fei. Wanting to block my path to becoming a War God? Dream on!
“A War God is not something you can become just by sleeping around,” Leng Fei said, her words laden with hidden meaning.
“Of course not!” Qin Zhen replied without hesitation. “As long as I can become a War God, I will use every trick in the book and every means at my disposal!”
Their eyes met, sparks flying.
“Incorrigible.”
Leng Fei left after dropping that single word, but it was swallowed by the sudden outburst of cheers from the crowd. Qin Zhen did not hear it clearly. He did not have time to ponder it anyway, as he followed everyone’s gaze upward.
The lights went out.
To the front, back, left, and right, including directly overhead, those lifelike screens extinguished simultaneously. Darkness descended. Then, a sliver of natural light appeared above, dazzlingly white. An invisible giant axe seemed to come from beyond the heavens, carving that hair thin crack into a stream and then a river.
The deep blue sky poured down.
As the overhead screens slid open to the sides, the surrounding privacy walls gradually descended, sinking inch by inch into the depths of the earth.
The direct unit of the Beast Empire’s Central Military, the birthplace of the Combat Beast Legion, and the glorious protector of the Empire’s peace, the Gestation Center, finally revealed its true form to the 15,744th class of expectant parents.
The architecture was even more majestic and dense than imagined.
The starships were more dazzling and busy than imagined.
The distant forests, grasslands, snow capped mountains, and deserts, the complex and rich terrain exceeded everyone’s expectations. It was so breathtakingly shocking and beautiful that it left them speechless.
Of course, what drew everyone’s eye the most were the combat beasts.
High in the sky, low in the air, and on the ground.
Birds were whistling, insects were buzzing, beasts were roaring, and even marine fish were letting out high pitched but melodious chants.
Indeed, all combat beasts were not creations of the void; they came from interstellar rifts, from another parallel universe. There, they might be ordinary, no different from native interstellar animals. But once they crossed the interstellar rifts, the miraculous laws of the universe granted them mutated bodies and power that transcended reality.
To master this vast power, one had to find a way to soothe their pain and violence.
Human gestation was the most perfect method formed through thousands of years of exploration by interstellar people.
In the shocked silence, almost everyone instinctively placed a hand on their belly. In a few days, a few weeks, or at most a few months, these exotic beasts that had once caused great destruction to the galaxy would be born into this world in the form of domesticated young beasts.
Together with their masters, they would become beast soldiers, contributing their strength to the Empire and achieving a glory that belonged to them.
“Ah!”
A scream shattered the silence. Everyone turned toward the source of the sound to see a male soldier clutching his stomach, his face filled with disbelief.
“What happened?”
“It could not be that he got too excited, disturbed the fetus, and had a miscarriage, could it?”
“Shut up! Why is your mouth so foul? How could you say something so malicious? Do not forget you are carrying one in your belly too!”
The male soldier seemed completely oblivious to the argument beside him. He lifted his shocked face, his mouth moving a few times before his eyes erupted with the light of pure joy.
“I… I am showing a bump!”
“What?”
“Showing a bump!”
If it were true, then he was the very first among this batch of expectant parents to show a pregnancy bump.
“Are you sure? Let me see!”
“Let me, let me! I have good eyesight!”
“I want to see too!”
The crowd surged. Everyone scrambled toward the male soldier, and the rooftop was suddenly filled with the sounds of bracelet alarms.
“Please do not run or jump; be careful of miscarriage!”
“Please do not run or jump; be careful of miscarriage!”