When Lin Mu finally reached the nearest satellite city after a three months’ journey and hoped to buy some basic supplies, he quickly noticed a crowd gathered around the bulletin board.
After reading the notice, Lin Mu almost crushed the cane in his hand, and his strange reaction quickly attracted the attention of the nearby guards.
But the next second, Lin Mu disappeared into the crowd and ran toward the forest, leaving the guards to exchange puzzled glances at the forest.
It turned out that after the entire Seventh Legion was wiped out, Hilton still worried about possible survivors.
After all, many of the soldiers’ bodies were swept away by the beast tide, making it difficult to account for everyone. So, Hilton ordered that the names and photos of the key figures of the Seventh Legion be sent out to various parts of the Federation as traitors.
Lin Mu, as Commander Bol’s orderly, was naturally listed among them. Once found, it would spell serious trouble for him.
That night, back in the forest, Lin Mu sat on a large rock at a high point, staring blankly at the distant lights of the town.
The star lion beside him whimpered softly, as if sensing Lin Mu’s mood.
But it was the silence brought on by extreme anger that finally allowed Lin Mu to begin calmly reflecting on everything that had happened after his rebirth.
The comrade who acted so differently from the previous life, the vanished S-rank bounty mission, the sudden emergency military order… It seemed that the fate he tried to escape from had returned in another form.
Was this an accident, or was it orchestrated?
A few days later, after disguising himself, Lin Mu successfully entered a tavern in the city. With a hood, he sat silently in the corner, seeking information as the nearby light screen broadcasted the major news.
The defection of the Seventh Legion had resurfaced.
“On behalf of the Federation Military, I express my deep regret…”
This time, Marshal Hilton also appeared in the interview footage with a solemn and sorrowful expression.
Compared to the booing in the tavern when the Seventh Legion was mentioned, Marshal Hilton still received the trust and recognition of the public.
“In my opinion, this can’t be blamed on Marshal Hilton. It’s too harsh for him to voluntarily accept punishment and be demoted for three years. Who could have guessed that Bol would collude with the enemy to become a traitor?”
“There’s nothing we can do. Marshal Hilton is just that kind of person. If not for him…”
“…”
Amid the tavern’s noisy discussions, Lin Mu finally put down his cup and silently walked toward the rainstorm outside the door.
“If you want to find the answer, you must become stronger, even close enough to the core of the Federation army. Only then will you have a chance to find and confirm that person, and your remaining options are limited.”
The voice of Teacher Hachir echoed faintly in his ears.
*
Three years later, the new recruits for Marshal Hilton’s guard reserve.
“Rui Wen?”
“Here!”
The first in line was none other than Lin Mu, who had completely changed his appearance. His once sharp and heroic features had been altered into a more dark and reserved look.
From the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Marshal’s residence in the distance, Marshal Hilton observed the scene from above.
“So, this is this year’s top recruit?”
Ever since the “incident” three years ago, Hilton had been repeatedly waking up from nightmares of assassination attempts. This led him to believe that perhaps it was time to take advantage of this year’s opportunity to cultivate more loyal subordinates.
“Yes, Marshal. This kid is incredibly skilled, and he even carries a hint of military discipline. But when we looked into his background, guess what we found?”
The secretary beside him cautiously introduced the information while also seeking credit:
“This guy is an orphan from the slums. He used to be a soldier but committed a crime and became a fugitive, a deserter who can’t afford to be exposed. If discovered, he would be sent straight to a federal prison.”
Upon hearing this, Hilton’s expression turned meaningful.
“But that’s a good thing.”
After all, what he wanted to cultivate were loyal followers of the Marshal’s residence, not devoted believers of the Federation’s military.
Highly capable yet with weaknesses that could be exploited, this was exactly what suited his needs.
“What do you think would happen if an elder or superior who cares about him and appreciates him appeared at this time?”
The secretary knew Hilton’s temperament very well and immediately followed up in a flattering tone:
“This poor creature would definitely be extremely grateful to you!”]]
[End of Volume Eight Preview]
From the initial grief and anger that gripped the readers to the rapid plot twists leading up to this final scene three years later, the entire preview flowed seamlessly without a single break.
By the time readers reached the end, they were left in complete shock, eager to turn the page to witness the reunion of Lin Mu and Hilton…only to be met with the words “End of Preview”. They were so devastated that it was difficult to express in words.
[I was shocked but expected that Lin Mu didn’t die. I shed tears learning about Commander Bol’s death, but I could still keep reading. When Hilton, that hypocrite, gave his public speech, I slammed my desk in fury, but I could endure it… But THIS? Ending the preview right here? Teacher Fish Soup Noodles, how could you?]
After this disbelieving comment was posted under Yu Mian’s preview announcement on Starblog, it was immediately liked by countless excited readers and fans within tens of seconds, breaking Yu Mian’s record for the highest number of likes in history.
The flood of outraged reactions completely drowned out Starblog.
[Is this even a preview? You might as well have just killed me outright. Of all places to stop, you chose here?]
[Seeing Hilton’s acting smug makes me want to punch him on the spot. Did Lin Mu infiltrate the Marshal’s residence because he sensed something was off with Hilton? Or was there another reason?]
[ I never expected Lin Mu to meet Hilton in this way! Please, I need to know what happens next. Is there anyone in the universe who can get the next part of the manuscript!?]
If there was one thing all book fans could agree on at that moment, it was that Fish Soup Noodles had left them hanging in the worst possible place, making it impossible to sleep for the next few months!
Even a dog reading this preview would be tossing and turning at night, wondering what would happen when Lin Mu met Hilton.
“Damn… This is a bit… too much.”
At Huanyu Publishing, Editor Shaxs, despite having been warned by Yu Mian beforehand that the preview would end at a crucial moment to maximize book sales, still found himself regretting not having read it in advance and persuading Fish Soup Noodles to write a few hundred more words.
If he were just a reader, even he would be tempted to send the author a blade in the mail.
At this point, Fish Soup Noodles might as well not have released a preview at all and just waited a little longer to publish the whole thing in one go.
“Shaxs, so this is what happens when you remind Teacher Fish Soup Noodles about cliffhangers? You…”
Turning around, Editor Shaxs found himself under the fiery gazes of his fellow editors, many of whom had red-rimmed eyes and were barely suppressing their anger and resentment.
At that moment, getting beaten up seemed like a real possibility.
“No, no, it wasn’t me! I swear I didn’t tell Teacher Fish Soup Noodles to end it here, please, calm down!”
Meanwhile, at the old residence, Yu Mian, who had just posted the preview on Starblog, was now resting against his luggage, exhaling deeply.
After spending so much time indoors writing, he felt like his stamina had declined.
Would he really have to start waking up early to jog with Huo Ting for exercise?
Even though Yu Mian had repeatedly stated that Huo Ting’s role as his bodyguard came with zero salary, Grandpa Huo’s arrangement still went through.
After all, the entire family felt uneasy about Yu Mian living alone.
Only Huo Yan opposed the decision, arguing that “it should be me, not my cousin”, but his suggestion was unanimously rejected.
Huo Ting placed the last large suitcase beside Yu Mian. The pile consisted entirely of special edition copies of Yu Mian’s published works. If any one of them were to get out there, it could fetch an astronomical price among Fish fans.
However, Huo Ting’s gaze eventually landed on the manuscript of Volume Eight in his hands.
After some hesitation, Yu Mian reluctantly handed over the first half of the manuscript for Huo Ting to review. Upon finishing it, Huo Ting fell into a long silence.
“Why are you staring? Did you find a plot hole?”
Yu Mian noticed his gaze and subconsciously leaned over to look at the manuscript as well.
He had always taken novel-related issues very seriously.
If there was a mistake, he needed to fix it quickly. Anyway, only the preview had been released, and there was still time to edit the rest.
“…I was just thinking about something.”
“What?”
“Assigning you a bodyguard for your new place was definitely the right decision.”
Yu Mian looked at Huo Ting in disbelief, as if surprised that even he would joke like this. But then, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“You think stopping here will make readers want to find me offline and beat me up?”
“Listen, you don’t understand. Editor Shaxs said the purpose of a preview is to make readers eager to continue reading. Stopping at this point actually maximizes their enthusiasm.”
“This creates a harmonious and lively reading interaction!”
Trust me, I’m a professional.
Yu Mian’s expression practically spelled out these words.
As Huo Ting looked at the confident look of the fish beside him, he was already considering asking Secretary Hals to contact the secretary of Chairman Michaels to remind the old man not to read this kind of preview at night.
