"Ahh. Right! You are Second Lieutenant Zhang Jing; I didn't expect you to be here as well."
Zhang Jing smiled, "I am only a student, not a Confederation officer yet. That’s why I’m going home to Earth with you guys." Wang Tong couldn’t help but notice that Zhang Jing had a pair of wide and charming eyes, a pool of calmness that shined a keen light from deep within.
"What are you staring at?"
Wang Tong realized that he was gawking at her; he shifted his eyes away and apologized, "I’m sorry, I was looking at your eyes, they are gorgeous."
The military had strict hierarchies; Wang Tong found it implausible that a student could be promoted to a second lieutenant. However unknown to Wang Tong, Zhang Jing was simply an officer-in-training.
"Thanks, that was very sweet of you."
"Are you an Ivantian?"
"Yes, are you from Earth?"
"Yes, do you live on Earth as well?" Not only were there only a handful of Ivantians who lived on Earth, but they were almost identical to Earthlings. Unlike the Ivantians in the old ages who had put great effort into preserving their bloodlines, the Ivantians nowadays favored genetic modifications which made them look more like Earthlings.
"No, I live on the Moon, our ship is going to make a stop there, if you have never been there before, you should go visit while we are stopped there."
"The Moon?” Wang Tong cracked a smile, "That is an expensive place to visit, I think I’ll pass." Although the Earth was the mother planet of the human race, the Moon instead had become the center of human's technological innovations. Human's development had reached every comer of the Moon, including its dark side. In fact, the artificial lighting that sprawled all over the dark surface had made it the side of the Moon that never sleeps. Space had quickly become a precious commodity on the Moon to the point that only the social elites and the richest could afford to immigrate there.
"Are you always so pretentious?" Zhang Jing asked curiously.
"Where did you get that from? You might have misinterpreted me." Wang Tong could smell the faint perfume from her body and it relaxed every single muscle in his body as he got lost in his mind: “Thank gods! Living in the human world is so much better than living in that bug sack.”
"Jinny, I’ve been looking for you everywhere, the—hey, isn’t this ... Wang Tong?” Rios had a good memory, "Nice to see you here again."
"Same here, thank both of you for saving me from that hellish sh*t-hole," Wang Tong said sincerely.
"You’re welcome, but that was our job. Jinny, the captain was looking for you." Rios looked at Zhang Jing; his gaze was soft and tender, full of untold feelings.
It was highly unlikely that a girl like Zhang Jing lacked admirers.
Although Zhang Jing seemed to want to spend more time talking to Wang Tong, knowing that the Captain was looking for her; she stood up and left the cabin. Rios showed Wang Tong a smile before he started bustling about his own business. Rios carried a certain air around him whose quality made Wang Tong think that Rios had never lacked prestige in his life.
Wang Tong was then surrounded by a group of prattling middle age men. He found it hard to blend in, so he left the cabin for his living quarters.
He was very impressed with his living quarters, nothing like the coffin-like bunkers he had to endure on the way to Norton. It even came with a separate bathroom. Wang Tong could have never imagined himself holding a boarding pass to a spaceship that offered so much comfort and indulgence.
"Hey kiddo, that girl seems nice, are you gonna think about your next move?"
"Shut up!" Wang Tong had promised Mr. Wannabe that he would let him out from time to time.
"Aww... are you being shy? You are still a virgin, aren't you? C’mon, girls are meant to be chased. Haven’t you ever heard of the tale about the man who...Da*n... how could I forget such an enticing story?"
"I know you haven’t done it for a long while, why don’t you leave me alone and blow your load somewhere else?”
"You little b*stard, how dare you make fun of me! You just wait there, I am gonna come out right now to smash you into a pulp." Feeling like his ego was hurt Mr. Wannabe suddenly threw a tantrum at him. Wang Tong was already used to his outbursts; he looked at Mr. Wannabe's attitude like watching a show.
"Save your energy, I have turned the TV on for you, watch it or not, I don’t care, but I’m going to finish one more round of tactics so be quiet."
Cultivating his inner energy had become Wang Tong's habit. Mr. Wannabe nodded in approval, and he said soberly, "Good, it seems that you have noticed your inadequate aptitude, don't worry, more practice will make up for it."
Whether Mr. Wannabe's verbal abuse was inadvertent or not, Wang Tong had gotten used to it; otherwise, he would have already gone deranged.
"Jinny, you seemed to be very interested in that guy?" Rios asked softly, unlike the way of a higher ranking officer talking to his subordinates. Even the captain had to talk up to her because of her family background let alone Rios.
"Fellow brother, don’t you think it was strange that he survived?" A light shone in Zhang Jing's eyes; she seemed to want to dig deeper than what meets the eyes.
"Why? He seemed pretty ordinary to me. He hid in the mine cave the entire time, didn’t he?"
"That’s what he told us. Haven't you noticed the scars on his arms? Those were combat wounds. He wasn't just hiding.”
"That is indeed strange. I first guessed that he was a METAL fighter, but that won't explain the wounds; and if he was fighting Zergs without any protection, he should have been dead by now.” Rios clicked his tongue as if he was impressed by Zhang Jing's observations, "Incredible attention to details. You are truly a Zhang, the house of the Iron Curtain."
Zhang Jing smiled and said, "I was just guessing. It doesn't really matter to our mission here even if I am right."
"That's right as well.” Rios decided not to give the issue too much thought. After all, it would be easy for him to survive the attack as long as he avoided the mass Zerg Army.
Zhang Jing swept a few strands of loose hair off of her forehead and revealed her elegant face. Rios wouldn't stop staring at her. It was his uttermost honor to serve as a bodyguard to Jing from the House of Zhang.
House Zhang of the Iron Curtain was one of the five most prestigious human families. Their lineage could be traced far back into history, and their names were respected across the entire Confederation. It was little to no wonder that Zhang Jing was escorted by a personal guard on this mission. She had also acquired the title of Second Lieutenant right before this mission. This title, although unimportant to her, would provide legitimacy to her participation in a military mission as a student.
"Thank you for looking after me during this mission, fellow brother. I think I am going to head back to my room now; I need to review what I have learned on this mission."
"Of course, please let me know if you require anything else.” Rios knew that members of the Zhang family had the special ability to read one's mind. Zhang Jing did not seem to be interested in him so any of his further efforts in wooing her would be in vain.
Families and dynasties rise and fall throughout human history, but five had stood the test of time and became the so-called Five Families of the Confederation. They had spread their influences throughout the human society over the last few hundred years. Members of the five families all served important posts in the government, forming an elaborate web of power. Their influence over the society made them untouchable even by the newly risen super powers.
The Li Family held a special meaning to the entire human race thanks to one of their family members, General Li Feng, who had led the humans to their victory in the Great War against the Zergs.
General Li Feng's descendants didn’t simply sit on their glorious past, the “Tactics of the Enchantress” and the “Tactics of Vayu” (or called the “Tactics of the wind-god”) were two of the five tactics that were considered the most powerful in the entire world. The “Tactics of Vayu” was said to be created by General Li Feng himself, while General Zhou Zhi created the “Tactics of the Enchantress”. The “Tactics of the Enchantress” were said to be the most powerful tactics when used by a female.
The Ma family use to be a loyal companion and the most trusted adviser of General Li Feng. Having gained control over the very fabric of human society- Economy and Technology, the Mas prospered over the last four hundred years. They were the owner of technology hegemony FFC Corporation. Although the Mas did not have any tactics of their own, they were allowed to study either one of Li's deadly tactics, thanks to the close ties between the two families.
Out of the Five Greatest Families of the Confederation, two were from earth, and another two were from the moon.