ICTEUWMN Chapter 118.2

The adjutant had been reviewing the files Commander Bol had asked him to gather. He discovered that when the technique of star core plundering was first developed, it was an extremely restrictive process that could only be carried out by a handful of extremely powerful top generals at the time.

It was only later, with technological advancements, that the practice spread, turning slum-born infants into targets and eventually leading to the technique being strictly banned.

Yet based on the timeline, Lin Mu’s star core had been stolen just when the technology was first being introduced.]]

From Volume Six, it was clear that after Commander Bol acknowledged Lin Mu’s potential, he quietly provided this orphan from a Garbage Star with various forms of support.

Not only did he ensure Lin Mu received medical treatment when injured and personally guided him in key combat techniques, but he also secretly had people search for research on repairing star cores.

He wanted to see if Lin Mu’s star core could still be restored.

But the deeper he dug into the research, the more unsettling the findings became. The matter of star core extraction was far more complex than it appeared.

However, the more data they looked into concerning the star core plundering, the more an unusual atmosphere came from Commander Bol and his adjutant. The waters were so deep that they were immeasurable.

Even with the confidential access rights of a high-ranking commander within the Seven Great Legions, it seemed he was still not authorized to uncover the truth.

In the end, even his adjutant couldn’t help but warn him:

“If you keep investigating, Commander, given your status we may end up touching upon something forbidden.”

In the sixth volume, the plot of gradually uncovering once-hidden truths had everyone on the edge of their seats and thoroughly enjoying the suspense. Unexpectedly, in the seventh volume, not only was Commander Bol caught up in disaster, but the entire Seventh Legion faced complete annihilation!

It was unimaginable how explosive the readers’ reactions would be once the seventh volume was published.

[Fish: But that’s exactly how the plot develops in the outline… Rest assured, Lin Mu will definitely get to the bottom of the truth. Besides, this will tie into a major foreshadowing that wraps up the whole novel. What’s wrong? You’re not crying, are you? o.o]

A novel about a bloody battlefield would be unrealistic without casualties.

Of course, for Yu Mian, this was his first time ruthlessly stabbing a knife and writing a tragic character exit, which was quite thrilling.

[Person in charge: Uh… Hm… No, no, I’m not crying.]

With Yu Mian’s counter question, the reddened eyes of the person in charge suspiciously welled up with tears.

But still, he was unwilling to accept it!

Why was everyone so miserable, yet Teacher Fish Soup Noodles could remain so calm?

Was this the true essence of leaving the tears to the readers and keeping the smile for oneself?

The little system, which had been watching the whole time, felt a strange sense of awe toward Yu Mian as he attempted to distribute lunch box knives for the first time.

[Though I have a feeling that once the seventh volume is released, the popularity is going to explode again.]

It was just that Fish Soup Noodles might have to worry about being collectively hunted down by the readers.

He types with a smile on his face outside the novel, but mercilessly welds the knife within the novel, worthy of being its host.

“The main thing is, I never expected that a supporting character like Commander Bol would gain such overwhelming popularity as soon as he appeared, even though he only showed up in the sixth volume not too long ago.”

Resting his chin on one hand, Yu Mian curiously browsed through the reactions of readers on star network, who were still unaware of the plot of the seventh volume. He even took the time to visit the fan site dedicated to Commander Bol.

There, he found numerous fan artworks depicting Commander Bol and the Seventh Special Forces Legion.

Commander Bol was just as described in the book, a mature, dependable older man exuding an undeniable charm.

For Lin Mu, an orphan, Commander Bol had, in a way, played the role of a father figure, letting him feel the care and protection of an elder for the first time in his life.

Many readers who picked up on this naturally developed an even greater fondness for Commander Bol.

Strong, reliable, and so caring towards his subordinates, slowly and carefully nurturing Lin Mu as his orderly. No wonder he easily won over the readers’ hearts.

[The key factor is that he’s a handsome man in a military uniform. Love it! Commander Bol is absolutely amazing. Every interaction with Lin Mu gives me such strong elder-figure vibes.]

[Seriously, I never expected “Rebirth of the Interstellar Soldier King” to make me discover a new favorite character. Though Technician Officer Tucker is pretty fun too, hahaha.]

[After following the serialization for so long, I really love everyone in the Seventh Legion from the sixth volume! Will Lin Mu’s life be completely different this time around?]

Many readers even speculated that if Lin Mu continued growing within the Seventh Legion like this, he might, after a decade or so, be trained as Commander Bol’s successor.

Becoming a legion leader capable of standing on his own, how cool would that be?

“But Lin Mu’s experiences in the past life weren’t coincidences; they were inevitable. Given a second chance, as long as his existence is discovered and perceived as a threat by the other party, another confrontation is bound to happen.”

“But I have to admit, the artwork is really well done.”

Yu Mian scrolled through various fan illustrations, pausing on one that depicted Commander Bol reaching out a cautious yet reassuring hand toward a wary and confused young Lin Mu in the slums. At that moment, he immediately understood why this image had skyrocketed in popularity.

If he could start over again, if Commander Bol could have discovered Lin Mu, a promising talent, and trained him carefully from the beginning, maybe things would have been different.

But now, Yu Mian couldn’t even begin to imagine the reactions when the seventh volume was published.

As soon as Commander Bol ate the lunch box knife, his favorability would skyrocket, his heroism would reach its peak, and he would undoubtedly become the eternal white moonlight mentor figure.

Naturally, when the pre-sale announcement for “Rebirth of the Interstellar Soldier King, Volume Seven” was made, the book fan circle, which was still unaware of the situation, erupted.

They were just short of declaring a universe wide celebration for such a joyous occasion.

[My “Rebirth Of The Interstellar Soldier King” is finally updating! I’m so satisfied!]

[Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, our god! Wuuuu, wife, you’ve worked so hard! (blushing face)]

[Will there be a live broadcast? Will there? Teacher, you haven’t live broadcast l in so long! Don’t tell me you’re canceling them forever?!]

After the last live broadcast accident, President Fox quickly made a public statement, admitting to a verbal slip and clarifying that it did not mean Teacher Fish Soup Noodles was quitting novel writing. A detailed explanation and apology were given.

Huanyu also promptly reassured fans that all projects were proceeding as usual and dismissed rumors that Fish Soup Noodles was transitioning into screenwriting as baseless speculation.

Meanwhile, as “Bei Xing’s Necklace” continued airing, “God of Cooking” was also being serialized steadily.

With the official release plan for the latest volume of “Rebirth of the Interstellar Soldier King” announced, readers were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Although, in certain corners of the fandom, a quiet group of fans had started chasing Fish Soup Noodles because of his looks.

But it couldn’t be helped, ever since that incident, Yu Mian had remained extremely low-key, so much so that countless fans felt like they had devoured an entire year’s worth of food all at once, leaving them in a state of withdrawal.

Yes, they had caught a glimpse of him for a few seconds, but who would’ve thought those precious seconds were an advance installment, paid in full?

Teacher Fish Soup Noodles used to interact with fans all the time on StarBlog outside of his live broadcasts! TwT

In fact, Yu Mian hadn’t done this on purpose. Lately, aside from writing, he has been busy with several things.

First, he had been looking at houses in the Starry Sky Lake area. Even with Ernis’ guidance and advice, buying a home was a major decision, so he had to make multiple visits.

Eventually, Yu Mian set his sights on the lakeside villa that was the closest to Grandpa Huo’s house.

“This waterfront is perfect for swimming, and there’s actually a hot spring.”

Since unexpectedly appearing on the star network, Yu Mian had been going out fully covered in a mask and hat. Now, he reached out curiously to touch the hot spring in the backyard, causing ripples to spread across the surface.

The next second, Huo Ting grabbed his hand.

He was afraid that this little fish would get the urge to transform his tail and dive in, after all, the real estate agents were still nearby.

“The hot spring here is great for your health, too. And do you see that big tree over there? When the flower buds bloom, petals will fall into the water, making the hot spring view exceptionally beautiful…”

The agents, who were used to dealing with all kinds of big shots, didn’t find Yu Mian’s fully covered appearance too strange. They simply assumed he was another celebrity looking to buy property.

With a voice that pleasant, maybe he was even a famous singer?

And the man beside him didn’t seem simple either.

As professionals, it was best not to be too curious about things they shouldn’t be.

On the way back after viewing the house, Yu Mian did some calculations and found that his savings could actually cover the cost.

Grandpa Huo and the others were filled with mixed emotions upon learning that Yu Mian was finally buying and renovating a house.

They were happy and proud of him, but also reluctant to let him go. Even Qiao Ni couldn’t help but glance at Young Master Huo Ting, as if questioning whether this was real.

“Wuuu, I don’t want Brother Yu Mian to move out! How will I see him in the future!?”

Huo Yan lunged at him directly.

“It still needs to be renovated. That’s not a simple process. I’ll take you over there to visit when it’s ready.”

Yu Mian hugged Huo Yan to comfort him.

The favorability crystal ball was practically glowing like a lightbulb when it came to Huo Yan, so bright it was blinding.

Yu Mian could feel just how strong Huo Yan’s friendship with him was.

“Don’t be so anxious. After the renovations, we’ll need to air it out anyway. Oh, right, aren’t Huo Dong and his wife coming back soon? We can have a meal together when they arrive.” Huo Yuejiang had long since started treating Yu Mian like family, considering how he was alone in the interstellar space. Now that Yu Mian had joined their household, it was only natural for him to meet the family properly.

“Mom and Dad’s outer star expedition is almost over?”

Huo Yan perked up. This time, he was determined to introduce Yu Mian to his parents!

Yu Mian felt a little embarrassed but figured it was only polite to meet them.

But as he started packing, he realized just how many things in the house were related to him.

“Even this fish food… It really didn’t taste good at all.”

Yu Mian laughed when he saw the bag of fish food. Huo Ting, who had been silently standing behind him, took the bag from his hands upon hearing this.

“It was expensive.”

“But the expensive fish didn’t like it.”

For a moment, their eyes met. Yu Mian inexplicably felt a little embarrassed and looked away, only for his eyes to land on a small box left on the desk after hours of tidying.

Opening it, he found it filled with little notes from his past conversations with Huo Ting.

They hadn’t been thrown away.

“But… why is there a scale in here? And it looks like mine?”

Yu Mian discovered a scale inside and subconsciously turned to Huo Ting in shock, as if accusing him.

“It fell on the carpet back then.”

“And so you kept this too?”

For some reason, Huo Ting took the scale from Yu Mian’s hand and looked at him as if waiting for an answer.

Even though the fact that he kept a secretly obtained scale seemed a little outrageous.

“…”

Yu Mian was at a loss for how to react to Huo Ting’s overly calm demeanor.

Just then, a call from the Food Research Institute came through.

“Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, your friend really brought a whole group of elves over! Are you coming now? Oh, and that magical cumin powder, you won’t believe it, but we figured it out!! Haaa!”

Uncle Harrison’s enthusiastic voice came through, conveniently causing Yu Mian to miss the chance to snatch back the scale from Huo Ting’s hands.

He could only watch as Huo Ting calmly placed it back into the box and closed the lid.

Yu Mian: …!?