Three days after the main base of the Feathered People was breached, the war in the Quicksand Star Realm finally settled.
Federation reinforcements streamed in through the Teleportation Array. The engineering corps began constructing permanent defensive fortifications, Energy Shield Generators were redeployed, and monitoring towers shot up from the ground one after another.
The base, now named "Sandstone," had more than tripled in size.
With these facilities in place, any counter-offensive by the Feathered People Civilization would be far more difficult to execute, even without Xu Wuyi and the others present.
Xu Wuyi, Lei Hong, and Ye Guanlan stayed for a few more days.
During that time, they helped mop up a few scattered remnants of the Feathered People’s army. Only after confirming that the situation in the Quicksand Star Realm was stable and the Federation’s rule would not be challenged in the near future did the three decide to return.
...
Stepping out of the teleportation hall, Xu Wuyi took a deep breath of Earth’s air.
It was humid and slightly cool, carrying the scent of grass and trees.
"Finally back." Lei Hong stretched, his joints popping loudly. "Spent nearly a month in that godforsaken place. My mouth is full of the taste of sand."
Ye Guanlan maintained his usual calm demeanor, but a hint of relief could be seen in his eyes.
"Junior Brother Xu, what are your plans now?" he asked, looking at Xu Wuyi.
"I’m heading back to Linjiang to rest for a few days," Xu Wuyi said. "Spend some time with my parents."
"You deserve a rest." Lei Hong clapped him on the shoulder. "You haven’t stopped for the past month, kid. From the Research Institute to the Quicksand Star Realm, you’ve been running nonstop. Even Martial Artists are human. Stretch yourself too thin and you’ll break."
Except during emergencies, the Federation had always enforced mandatory rest periods for its Martial Artists.
This was especially true on the Star Realm Battlefields, where prolonged combat could take a toll on a person’s psyche.
Xu Wuyi nodded. "I know."
The three exchanged simple goodbyes and went their separate ways.
Lei Hong had to return to the Battle Group headquarters to debrief, while Ye Guanlan went straight back to the Research Institute. The combat data from the Quicksand Star Realm needed to be compiled and analyzed as soon as possible.
Xu Wuyi took an internal military flight and landed at the South Suburb Airport of Linjiang two hours later.
By the time he walked out of the terminal, it was nearly dusk.
He hadn’t notified his parents, so he simply hailed a cab and gave the address in Yunhai Prefecture.
As the car entered the residential complex, Xu Wuyi looked through the window and saw his mother strolling in the garden, talking and laughing with several other women her age.
His father was sitting on a nearby bench, holding a newspaper and occasionally glancing up.
It was a peaceful scene.
Xu Wuyi paid the fare, got out of the car, and walked toward his parents.
"Mom, Dad."
Mrs. Xu turned her head, stunned for a moment before her face broke into a wide smile. "Wuyi? What are you doing back? You didn’t even say you were coming!"
Father Xu put down his newspaper and stood up. He looked his son up and down a few times and nodded. "You’ve lost some weight, but you seem to be in good spirits."
"I just got back from the front lines." Xu Wuyi walked over to his parents. "My work is done, so I came back to stay for a few days."
Mrs. Xu took his hand and began to fuss over him. "Have you eaten? Are you tired? Were you injured?"
"I’ve eaten, I’m not tired, and I’m not hurt," Xu Wuyi answered each question in a gentle tone.
Seeing this, the other women smiled tactfully and said their goodbyes.
The family of three returned to their villa.
Mrs. Xu busied herself in the kitchen heating up a meal, while Father Xu brewed a pot of tea. The father and son sat together in the living room.
"Was it intense on the front lines?" Father Xu asked directly.
"Yes." Xu Wuyi didn’t hide anything. "It was a tough fight, but we won."
"As long as you won, that’s what matters." Father Xu nodded, not pressing for details.
He knew his son was an Innate Martial Artist, one of the Federation’s top combatants. For some things, knowing too much would only lead to more worry.
After dinner, Xu Wuyi watched some TV with his parents and made small talk.
His parents were gradually getting used to life in Linjiang.
Mrs. Xu had joined the community’s knitting club, which met once a week to learn new patterns.
Father Xu, on the other hand, had gotten hooked on fishing. He often went with a few of his old buddies to the reservoir outside Linjiang City, where they would spend half the day.
"It’s just... I still feel a little unsettled," Mrs. Xu said softly, putting down her knitting needles. "This isn’t our home, after all. Your father and I were talking, and we think we’d like to go back to Red River once things on the front lines have calmed down."
Xu Wuyi was silent for a moment.
"Let’s wait a little longer," he said, looking at his mother. "The war isn’t completely over, and Red River’s defenses are weaker than Linjiang’s. In a few more months, when the situation is completely clear, it won’t be too late to go back."
Father Xu sighed. "We’ll listen to you."
Mrs. Xu didn’t insist, but her eyes held a trace of wistfulness.
...
The next day, Xu Wuyi received a merit point settlement notice from the military.
His personal terminal vibrated, and a light screen automatically popped up:
[Quicksand Star Realm Campaign Merit Point Settlement Complete]
[...]
[Campaign Contribution Assessment: S-class, Bonus Merit Points: 24,700]
[Total Merit Points: 160,000]
A full 160,000 merit points.
Looking at the number, Xu Wuyi found it difficult to remain calm.
This amount was equivalent to what an ordinary Innate Martial Artist would earn after fighting on the battlefield for a whole year. Yet, while he had spent a month in the Quicksand Star Realm, he had only actually fought a handful of times.
Of course, this didn’t all come from killing enemies. It also included the reward for the Federation’s complete conquest of the Quicksand Star Realm, a bonus that was shared among all participants.
And as the top contributor to the campaign, Xu Wuyi had undoubtedly received the largest share.
As soon as the merit points were credited to his account, he immediately contacted the Research Institute.
"Senior Brother Ye, I’m here to pay my debt."
On the other end of the line, Ye Guanlan seemed to be in a lab; the faint hum of equipment could be heard in the background.
"So soon?" There was a rare hint of surprise in his voice. "Did the merit points for the Quicksand Star Realm campaign come through?"
"Yes. 160,000."
"..." Ye Guanlan was silent for two seconds. "I see. The debt will be deducted directly from your merit account. Exactly 100,000."
"Also, the Research Institute is very satisfied with your performance. If there are new optimization projects in the future, you will be given priority."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Ye."
The call ended.
Xu Wuyi looked at the remaining merit points on his personal terminal. Including what he had accumulated during the defensive battle of Linjiang, he now had over 83,000 merit points.
This was a huge sum.
It was enough to exchange for many resources that were difficult to obtain through normal channels.
...
That afternoon, Xu Wuyi logged into the Federation Military’s intranet.
It was an encrypted system, separate from the civilian network, that only Martial Artists—specifically, those at the Martial Artist rank or higher—had permission to access.
The currency used on it was not Federation Coins, but merit points.
The redemption list was dazzling.
From the most basic items like Life Potions and time in repair pods, to High-Tier Cultivation Techniques and Grandmaster Level Weapon Design Maps, and even exploration rights to certain special dimensions—it had everything.
Xu Wuyi didn’t browse right away. Instead, he first clicked on the "Auxiliary Equipment" category.
He needed a new personal AI.
The civilian version he had used in high school could no longer meet his needs. And while "Anna" at Star Martial University was powerful, it was a public campus AI and couldn’t be carried around.
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