Xu Le squinted his eyes, observing the space's falling snowflakes. He found these thick ice crystals falling from above truly enchanting. It was his first time seeing real snow, and he was pleasantly surprised. In his excitement, he seemed to forget about his thin clothes, and he sympathetically gazed at the passengers around him who had not noticed their peers. Standing in the square, exposed to the wind and snow, he truly appeared pitiful. The other passengers thought Xu Le had mistakenly left his thick clothes in his baggage and shook their heads in disbelief. While they sympathized, they didn't have many spare clothes themselves, so who would take off their own garments to give to Xu Le?
The capital was in the midst of a harsh winter, and the wind grew stronger. It felt as if several small swords were slashing at Xu Le's face. He quickly snapped out of his admiration for the snowy landscape and felt the biting cold. He huddled his body, tightly clutching the bundled package on his shoulders for warmth. He turned his body, evading the gusts of wind, and squinted at the distant entrance of the aviation airport. He found it strange that the air-ground shuttle spacecraft wasn't flying directly over these intersections but had stopped in the midst of the wind and snow.
The ancient bell was still stationed in outer space outside the capital star. The officials traveling on the Western and Eastern official ships above paid a visit and would soon continue their journey. At this moment, when they descended to the surface of the capital star, they basically had official business to attend to. Xu Le hadn't experienced this before, but he knew that the passengers traveling on the ancient Zhonghao spaceship were influential figures who discussed matters of great importance.
"The military hospital's medical vehicle just left. Were they carrying wounded soldiers? How did we hear about it? Weren't we from the Eastwood Area?" A middle-aged official furrowed his brow as he asked his companion.
Hearing these words from behind him, Xu Le became even more alert. He discreetly narrowed his eyes, peering through the gaps in the crowd, and caught sight of several ambulances disappearing in the distance at the airport exit, hidden amidst the heavy snow. It dawned on him that those who traveled on the spaceship he had been on must have been the injured Westwood soldiers. They had been affected by a strange beam of light and had been treated for their wounds aboard the ancient bell spaceship. The Fourth Military Region seemed reluctant to risk sending them back to Westwood for treatment, opting instead to transport them directly to the capital, where the medical standards were most advanced.
Thinking of the Colonel wearing sunglasses on the ambulance, Xu Le couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. It had been days since he last saw the colonel and the injured soldiers in machine armor, but they weren't far away. What if they bumped into each other on this spaceship? In the freezing weather, sweat trickled down Xu Le's back, realizing how careless he had been. Fortunately, it seemed that he wouldn't have any further interaction with the people from Westwood once they entered the capital star. The plump captain and Mr. Secretary probably wouldn't find it easy to locate him, especially someone as inconspicuous as Xu Le. It might be better this way.
As Xu Le pondered, the airport's shuttle electric car finally arrived in front of the waiting passengers, greeting them with a chorus of complaints and dissatisfaction. However, the airport staff responded with excellent attitudes and apologies, but they did not provide a detailed explanation of what had happened earlier.
"Why were those passengers able to go through the channel directly? Why did they get ahead of us?" someone in the airport voiced their confusion.
The airport staff calmly reassured them with a smile. Xu Le followed the gaze of the passengers and noticed a silver-white aircraft slowly docking at a distant private channel. He squinted and thought he saw a group of people, including a young girl holding a doll, disembarking from the spaceship and entering the channel. A smile formed on Xu Le's face, and he softly murmured, "Little Watermelon, you'll be able to have a good meal from now on."
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...
Inside the ferry electric car, warmth enveloped the passengers like a spring day. The official passengers' complaints finally subsided, as the long journey through space had left everyone somewhat exhausted. Silence filled the compartment until they reached the beam inspection channel, and as they entered the aviation airport building, the silence was broken. The crowd dispersed like birds, each heading towards their respective destinations and luggage retrieval areas, scattering in different directions and disappearing into the vast airport space.
Xu Le was amazed by the airport's interior structure and architectural style. He had never seen such a magnificent sight before, with its dazzling metal materials and exquisite finishes. Though he didn't know the specifics of the materials used, he found them captivating. The airport was colossal, with ten towering buildings that lacked visible steel supports. It was a marvel to Xu Le, who had spent his life in the ruined city of Hexi Province. Even after the city was taken over by the Garrison Command, the military airfield remained a cold, concrete space.
Brushing off the melted snow and clutching his package tightly, Xu Le, like a country bumpkin entering the city for the first time, hesitated before approaching a flight attendant shyly. Summoning his courage, he opened his mouth to inquire about the necessary information. The flight attendant, dressed in a sky-blue uniform, had a beautiful face and displayed politeness and patience as she provided clear answers to his numerous questions.
Grateful for the flight attendant's assistance, Xu Le thanked her sincerely and looked for a less crowded channel to proceed through. The flight attendant couldn't help but smile, finding this outsider quite interesting. It was evident that Xu Le was taking his first space journey, yet he asked questions with such care and attention to detail, leaving nothing unanswered. Perhaps he had extensively researched travel information on the internet before embarking on his trip.
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...
As Xu Le approached the metal channel ahead, his footsteps slowed, and a tingling sensation ran up his scalp. He now realized that the five-meter-long channel ahead was equipped with federal electronic monitors, and each passenger had to undergo scanning here. This was a normal procedure to ensure that individuals without an implanted chip or potential infiltrators didn't enter the Federation unnoticed. Xu Le swallowed nervously, lowered his head slightly, but kept his eyes fixed on the nearby exit. He knew that the monitoring efforts in the Federation were formidable, and successfully passing through the channel meant that he would be granted a chip, allowing him to blend into society and survive under the camouflage of his new identity. However, if any irregularities were detected during the scanning process, would he be subjected to the twenty electric shock spears protruding from the walls, turning him into a roasted chicken? Xu Le couldn't control the shivers running through his body, and the surrounding crowd found his behavior somewhat strange. The federal citizens appeared indifferent to the monitoring channel, as if they had forgotten about the presence of electronic surveillance.
"This poor boy seems to have been freezing just a moment ago. Let's give him a windproof coat," a pleasant voice said.
Xu Le's footsteps slowed for a moment, and then he raised his head and continued walking towards the less crowded channel as calmly as possible. Only the money in his pocket could feel his anxiety and trembling; his face displayed no signs of fear. Five meters might be long or short, depending on one's perspective. After Xu Le "calmly" passed through the channel, his legs felt weak, experiencing both the joy of reaching heaven and the relief of escaping hell.
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...
However, his short-lived relief and elation didn't last long. He noticed that people outside the channel were staring at him with strange expressions. Xu Le furrowed his brow, wondering if the electronic surveillance had detected something unusual on him. In his subconscious, he reached up to touch his face, then continued walking forward. It was then that he realized why so many people were giving him peculiar looks. Surrounding the peaceful channel were fully armed soldiers. Such an elaborate welcome formation was meant for a person, and that person was none other than Xu Le himself—the inexperienced young man who seemed out of place among them. No wonder the people at the airport had cast questioning gazes in his direction.
As Xu Le looked at the joyful face of a little girl and her mother, he knew that he couldn't hide the truth any longer. He couldn't quietly slip away. With great effort, he approached the crowd, hoping that nothing too terrifying would unfold.
"Elder Brother Xu Le," the little girl, affectionately referred to as Little Watermelon, said. She wore a deep red short fur coat and a hat that pressed down her hair, revealing a black streak. She looked absolutely adorable.
Xu Le smiled at her and then turned to the young mother beside her, gently taking her hand. He politely greeted her, saying, "Hello."
"Xu Le, hello. I'm Fireworks' mother. Thank you for accompanying her on this journey," the young mother, approximately 30 years old, had a gentle demeanor and a secure and happy beauty. However, a glimmer of pride occasionally flashed in her eyes, not in an unpleasant way, but rather an expression of natural confidence, as if it were a byproduct of her upbringing. She looked at Xu Le with composure and said, "I'm grateful to you for taking care of Fireworks. Please accept this small token of our appreciation."
Xu Le gazed at this beautiful and composed woman and was slightly taken aback. In his subconscious, he found her to be trustworthy, suppressing the absurd curiosity about why she had given her daughter such a peculiar name. He was about to politely decline when she unexpectedly handed him a business card and said, "Please accept this token of our gratitude. I have an urgent matter at the army hospital and must leave now. I apologize for any inconvenience caused by my swift departure. If you encounter any difficulties in the Federation, please don't hesitate to contact us. Allow us to express our gratitude to you."
"Thank you, sister," Xu Le blurted out a name that surprised everyone present.
The name caused the soldiers' expressions to change dramatically, and the young mother's mild and gentle eyes also flickered with an unusual look. However, she quickly regained her gentle smile, shook her head, and handed Xu Le a military windproof coat. Without saying anything more, she took Little Watermelon's hand and, surrounded by the soldiers, walked towards the private channel designated for distinguished guests.
Xu Le accepted the windproof coat and held the expensive fiber name card of Zhang Tianran in a daze. Although he couldn't assess the value of the card, he knew it was expensive. He watched the young mother disappear and couldn't help but shake his head bitterly, realizing that he had been overly anxious earlier. He realized that his boss was right—limiting contact with the opposite sex was indeed wise, as it could easily lead to complications.
At this moment, Xu Le had a vague understanding of Little Watermelon's background. He didn't believe that the young mother's departure after handing him her name card was impolite. In fact, Xu Le didn't think his actions deserved the young mother's gratitude. As far as he was concerned, her willingness to wait and speak with him here was already quite polite. Moreover, he understood that this young mother was likely a trusted subordinate of the army hospital, possibly seeing her husband on an urgent matter.
Unlike the protagonists in self-assured novels, Xu Le didn't tear up the precious name card and throw it in the trash. Instead, he carefully pocketed it. Then, he took out the address left by his boss, put on the warm windproof coat, and braved the increasingly fierce wind and snow as he left the airport.