ICTEUWMN Chapter 120.2

Another group of readers, however, believed that the current development was clearly an improvement.

[Lin Mu, who has lived a second life, has already embarked on a completely different path. I think completely letting go of the past and moving on isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Every time I see Lin Mu suffering from nightmares and insomnia, my heart aches for him.]

[I also prefer this development. If you’re given a second chance, you should aim higher! Those former enemies have already been left far behind by our Lin Mu. Isn’t that satisfying enough?!]

However, some readers still insisted that things might not be so simple.

[The more different this life’s Allen is from his past self, the more I suspect there’s a third party behind all of this. Otherwise, why would Allen have backstabbed Lin Mu in the previous life? He doesn’t seem like such a bad person.]

[Yeah, the moment Lin Mu was reborn, Allen lost his memories, and all clues were cut off. Who is the real target for revenge?]

But these wary concerns were momentarily overshadowed by the new round of refreshing plot developments as Lin Mu put on the military dress uniform he had dreamed of in his previous life and followed behind Commander Bol to attend the award ceremony.

Seeing Lin Mu, who was always composed and reserved, suddenly appearing at a loss as he adjusted to the feel of the uniform under the gaze of countless onlookers, readers couldn’t help but feel happy for him.

[This is the first time seeing Lin Mu like this, he feels kinda cute OwO]

[Agreed. He was always too mature before, constantly burdened with so many heavy things. It’s so rare to see this limited-edition version of Lin Mu.]

After suffering through two lifetimes, Lin Mu had finally reached a new peak in life thanks to meeting the perceptive and competent Commander Bol and the Seventh Special Forces Legion. For loyal Soldier King fans, this was nothing short of thrilling.

Many of the distinguished guests and dignitaries attending the ceremony were figures Lin Mu had once only been able to gaze at from afar through the flickering, outdated light screen of a small shop on Garbage Star.

Now, they stood before him, impeccably dressed and exuding refined elegance. As he stood beneath crystal chandeliers and atop the thick, warm carpets in the hall, it seemed like he was in a world belonging to an entirely different dimension from the Garbage Star.

Most importantly, through Commander Bol’s introduction, Lin Mu even had the opportunity to meet the legendary Marshal Hilton.

[[Marshal Hilton was one of the rare scholarly generals of the interstellar era. Not only did he have outstanding military records, but he was also well-versed in astronomy and geography.

In his private life, he was known for his deep loyalty and devotion, he never remarried after his wife passed away, and his only son is also very outstanding.

His prestige and popularity in the Federation are unparalleled.

After the introduction, Marshal Hilton then mentioned that he had heard about the Seventh Legion unexpectedly discovering an exceptional new recruit this year, so he specifically came over to take a look, saying that Lin Mu would receive special attention and cultivation in the future.

Commander Bol grinned from ear to ear but still had to maintain a modest demeanor. Having Lin Mu stand out in front of these high-ranking figures would undoubtedly provide countless hidden advantages for his future military career.

And sure enough, after the award ceremony ended, the Seventh Legion received an extremely important strategic military mission upon returning to their base.

Commander Bol immediately declared that this time, he was going to take Lin Mu along for a firsthand experience of what it was like deep in a real interstellar battlefield.

“By the time we return, you’ll probably have a few more stars on your rank.”

Commander Bol’s words as he led the team out made everyone break into smiles.

By now, Lin Mu had truly earned the full recognition of everyone in the legion through his exceptional performance and steady personality. Many had even been personally saved by him on the battlefield.

They were all eager to see just how far Lin Mu, this civilian soldier who had fought his way from a Garbage Star into the core military forces, could go.

Would he become the next legendary god of war after Marshal Hilton, who also came from a civilian background?]]

By the time readers reached this point in the seventh volume, long-time Soldier King fans were already accustomed to getting excited all over again.

After all, it was obvious that this was another major campaign arc for earning military merits.

Since joining the Seventh Legion, Lin Mu had participated in countless battles and accumulated a staggering number of achievements, thrilling fans every time.

But a mission of such a high rating, this was definitely the first time.

If he succeeded in this battle, wouldn’t we soon see Lin Mu donning an even higher-ranked uniform?

[I’m already looking forward to seeing some talented artists draw new military uniform designs, hehe. During the wait for updates, uniform illustrations are my only solace!]

[I really hope Huanyu can release some official merchandise for us Soldier King fans. I want to collect a full set of Lin Mu’s military badges and posters from every stage of his career.]

[I can only say Teacher Fish Soup Noodles is truly a monster. The plot of the seventh volume is getting more and more intense! The key is that the newly appeared Marshal Hilton is also very handsome, elegant and refined. After Commander Bol, I have another male god now, hehe~]

Compared to the earlier leveling-up arcs set in lower-tier star system maps, Lin Mu had finally reached the Central Star, and the supporting characters he encountered were naturally becoming more formidable.

However, just as readers were grinning with excitement and eagerly flipping to the next page, the staff at Huanyu were drenched in cold sweat, anxiously monitoring public opinion across various online platforms with tingling scalps.

“What do we do?! The first batch of readers is already more than halfway through, it’s about to happen…”

“What else can we do? What can we do?! I really want to ask the heavens right now!”

“Don’t worry. Look on the bright side, since the seventh volume has developed like this, the eighth volume is definitely going to sell like crazy.”

As the staff who had seen the manuscript ahead of time and taken the knife, they could only watch as countless readers inched closer and closer to the climax of the seventh volume, and the feeling of sweating profusely was not fake.

They could only say that Teacher Fish Soup Noodles was probably a real monster.

Generally speaking, the biggest difficulty with publishing physical books in multiple volumes is that the more volumes there are, the more likely it is for later volumes to see a drastic drop in sales.

This is why many books end up with only the first volume published, publishing houses would rather cut their losses than continue.

However, the fact that “Rebirth of the Interstellar Soldier King” had already reached its seventh volume, yet its physical book sales had only increased rather than declined, with each release growing in momentum, was truly a remarkable achievement.

“But with the release of Volume Seven, won’t we start receiving razor blades in the mail to force us to update Volume Eight immediately?”

No matter how much the staff panicked, the first batch of interstellar readers who got their hands on the book inevitably read on to the next, most tragic chapter.

At first, everything progressed smoothly, just as everyone had predicted.

Lin Mu’s simulated core had become increasingly stable, allowing his teacher, Hachir, to wake up and assist more frequently. His mecha operation skills also reached an almost godlike level.

Despite his frail appearance and damaged star core, any enemy who underestimated Lin Mu would soon regret it, as he never failed to deliver a crushing counterattack.

However, as the Seventh Legion advanced deeper into enemy territory, Commander Bol hesitated. He realized that the enemy forces and degree of environmental dangers at their destination had multiplied several times over.

There had been a serious miscalculation in the intelligence reports issued by the central military command.

When Commander Bol ordered his subordinates to immediately contact the command center and report the latest developments, the retreating enemy forces mysteriously vanished. Then, unexpectedly, a new wave of violent beast hordes, amplified by a rare cosmic storm, erupted ahead of schedule!

If the Seventh Legion were to retreat on their own, the residents of the surrounding satellite cities would face utter devastation.

In the tense seconds before the command center could respond, Commander Bol, bearing immense pressure, gave a cold and resolute order through the communicator–”Fight to the death”,

The overwhelming beast tide seemed endless, and the Seventh Legion stood as the final lock. If they fell, all the satellite cities behind them would be completely annihilated.

“Why hasn’t any support been deployed? Tell me, why!?”

Watching his comrades fall one by one to the relentless beast tide, Commander Bol, who was usually calm and composed, now roared into his communicator, his face twisted in grief and fury.

Amidst the chaos, Lin Mu turned at the sound of Commander Bol’s roar, then piloted his mecha to strike down another high-level star beast in a single, decisive blow.

Thick layers of blood coated the mecha’s exterior, and his arms had gone completely numb.

Under the raging cosmic storm, the sky was a suffocating shade of deep gray-black. Even the mecha’s communication signals became distorted, making it impossible to determine what had caused this sudden, drastic turn of events.

All he knew was that even the usually sluggish and overweight Tucker had picked up a laser rifle, fighting desperately to avenge his fallen comrades.

But at this moment when the blood and gore deep in the heart of the interstellar battlefield reached its peak, the command center remained eerily undisturbed.

A secretary even gently placed a steaming cup of rich, aromatic coffee onto a sleek, polished desk.

Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window was none other than the famed scholar-general, Marshal Hilton.

“The Seventh Legion repositioned their forces without authorization, triggering the beast tide. They are refusing all communications and military orders, and there are signs of possible defection. Jock, can you take full responsibility for this report?”

Hilton glanced at the subordinate beside him, who nodded with a forced smile on his face.

After a long silence, Hilton finally signed his name on the military order.

Once everyone else had left, a pale-faced young man, who had been hiding in the lounge, staggered out while clutching his chest and. His gaze darted toward the battle reports as he repeatedly confirmed the details.

“He has to die this time, Dad! Whenever he gets close, my star core burns like crazy. If this continues, I’ll die sooner or later! It’s all because of that bastard that I couldn’t even attend my first-class merit award ceremony!”

Upon hearing this, Hilton turned to look at his son, his usual gentle gaze now filled with thinly veiled contempt and disappointment.

It wasn’t an original star core. Naturally, it would reject and react violently when its true owner was nearby.

The only mistake he had made was assuming that throwing the boy onto Garbage Star would be enough to stop him from crawling his way out.

Fortunately, when Bol was investigating the boy’s background, the AI system had detected the activity. After his own investigation, he discovered the anomaly and identified this monster from Garbage Star.

Even so, when Hilton first read Lin Mu’s file, he couldn’t help but be impressed.

If Lin Mu had been his own descendant, Hilton felt that perhaps he wouldn’t have had to go through such lengths.

It’s a pity that as long as the other party lived, the fact that he used forbidden techniques to plunder the star core may be exposed.

That was a risk Hilton, who had long grown accustomed to his prestige and status, was unwilling to take.

Even though Bol had only caught a glimpse of the truth, Hilton was still not at ease, so the best solution was for the entire Seventh Legion to vanish.

Hilton watched the clock hands tick forward, minute by minute, until three hours had passed. Only then did he make a call.

As expected, the latest war report arrived.

“The Seventh Legion, annihilated while attempting to defect.”

Letting out a long sigh, Hilton finally leaned back into his chair.]]

[…Huh?]

[Wait, what does this mean? Did I buy a pirated book?]

[Right?! This is weird! I feel the same way! What is going on? I even went to Central Star’s official bookstore to buy this, how did I get a fake? Lin Mu is the protagonist, are you seriously telling me the entire Seventh Legion was wiped out? I don’t believe it. Haha.]

As the first wave of die-hard Soldier King fans read through this intense, dramatic twist in one breath and witnessed the final boss’s grand reveal, their brains struggled to process it.

Wasn’t Marshal Hilton supposed to be a good guy!?

At the award ceremony, he had been so kind and supportive of Lin Mu, even shaking his hand in encouragement. His temperament was elegant, cultured, and sophisticated.

Everyone had assumed he would be another beloved supporting character like Commander Bol.

And now you’re telling us he’s the villain?

And that he personally orchestrated the downfall of the entire Seventh Legion just to cover up the crime he committed back then!?

We don’t believe it, Hahahaha!

[I already ran out to buy another copy. Don’t worry, everyone, I’ve reported to the publisher that there was a printing error. Hahaha.]

[Hurry up! Otherwise, I’m going to start crying! My heart is about to explode from rage! Help! How could there be a smiling tiger like Hilton? I’m losing my mind! That’s Lin Mu, my little angel!]

[He fought so hard just to make it this far, and now you’re telling me he just dies like that!? I refuse to accept it! Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, I’m really going to break down!]

In fact, even Yu Mian, the author himself, had yet to realize how wild the series of consequences would be from this knife-dropping plot in Volume Seven, where an important supporting character received a lunch box knife, and the protagonist faked his death.