"Future new workplace?"
Hearing Wang Hu's response, Yang Wei felt the man before him growing increasingly unfamiliar.
Moreover, based on his understanding of their base's procedures, even if he'd been severely injured and rescued from space by a recovery team...
The first person to appear before him after regaining consciousness shouldn't have been Wang Hu.
It should have been the chief physician from the base medical center. Even if he were completely unharmed, regulations would still require a full medical examination!
So then...
Could it be that we were defeated, and I've been brought to a Coordinator prisoner camp?
Has this thick-browed, big-eyed fellow before me turned traitor?
At this thought, Yang Wei's expression subtly changed, his eyes faintly revealing a trace of killing intent.
If this were truly the case, then this bastard he'd thought had reformed...
Would truly become the entire military's greatest disgrace!
No. His head might be forfeit, his blood might be spilled, but his honor must remain intact.
Having prepared for the worst, Yang Wei expertly concealed the dangerous glint in his eyes.
He decided to accept the sugarcoating but return the artillery shell.
Blinking as he sat up, Yang Wei pretended not to have noticed anything and asked cheerfully:
"Wang Hu, where is this place? By the way, did our side win?"
As he asked this, Yang Wei studied Wang Hu closely, trying to detect any microexpressions.
"Homeland." Repeating this term, Wang Hu's expression remained completely normal.
He then answered Yang Wei's other crucial question:
"As for the Nova Resource Satellite, according to reports I've received, we won."
"Though it wasn't a complete victory, the triumph was indeed ours."
"Whew." Hearing this, Yang Wei visibly relaxed.
Assuming Wang Hu wasn't lying, then the worst-case scenario didn't exist.
This kid probably hadn't joined the Coordinators—otherwise, he wouldn't have looked so at ease discussing their victory.
Which meant Wang Hu might belong to some other organization with ulterior motives?
Which one could it be?
The Atlantic Federation? Or the Eurasian Union?
Surely not members of that urban legend from military rumors—the Library!
"Captain Yang Wei, how's your condition?" Wang Hu spoke up while Yang Wei was still pondering.
"If you're feeling well enough, would you like to see your future workplace and living quarters?"
"Oh, sure." After brief consideration, Yang Wei readily accepted Wang Hu's invitation.
Perfect opportunity to probe this kid's background and learn more about this place.
Just don't let me find an opening, or you'll regret it, punk.
Having made up his mind, Yang Wei swiftly got up, carelessly throwing on his clothes while feigning enthusiasm.
"This way, please."
Wang Hu gestured for Yang Wei to follow before turning to lead the way.
He seemed prepared to give a thorough tour of this so-called Homeland.
"What is this?!" The moment they exited the room, Yang Wei's jaw dropped at the sight of a glass window spanning several miles, leaving him speechless.
Such observation-platform-like windows weren't uncommon within gravity wells...
But the scenery outside the window was unmistakably space. Even in this era where humanity had set foot in the cosmos.
With Yang Wei's knowledge, he had never heard of any Colony Satellite being extravagant enough to build something like this.
Don't think for a moment that constructing a several-mile-long observation window in space was an easy feat.
First, you had to consider the strength of the glass, or invent a material with the same transparency as glass yet possessing unparalleled toughness.
The omnipresent, microscopic particles invisible to the naked eye in space were the biggest challenge.
Unlike within the gravity well, where dust posed minimal harm to humans and structures.
But in space, even an imperceptibly tiny fragment could cause significant trouble for steel warships.
Let alone something like glass, whose strength and toughness decreased the larger it became!
"How thick? What material?"
Losing his composure, Yang Wei even reached out, pressing his hand against the glass as he asked.
"About the thickness of regular household glass."
Instead of showing off by citing technical specifications, Wang Hu casually gave a down-to-earth example.
Little did he know this subtle flex was the deadliest kind.
His jaw hanging open for a long time, Yang Wei kept turning his head between Wang Hu and the flawlessly clear glass before him.
Then Yang Wei once again examined how far the glass extended.
As far as the eye could see, the long corridor was lined entirely with transparent glass observation windows.
"Terrifying," Yang Wei muttered under his breath, his worldview thoroughly shaken.
"Look outside," Wang Hu suggested with a strange smile.
"Rest assured, what you're seeing with your naked eyes is real. It's genuinely glass, not an electronic screen."
"Hmm." Yang Wei pressed against the glass multiple times, confirming it definitely wasn't a screen.
"What place?"
Earlier, he'd been too awestruck by the glass corridor to notice the scenery outside.
Now when he focused, his heart skipped another beat.
What was he seeing?
In the distance were three suns, while nearby floated massive debris fields with countless engineering vehicles shuttling about.
They carried unfamiliar chunks of Purple Ore, transporting them toward the mothership where he currently stood.
Pressing his face against the glass, Yang Wei strained to see what the battleship he was on actually looked like.
And what the full picture outside truly was!
After all, the scenery outside didn't match any location he knew within the solar system!
"Mars? Saturn's ring system? Pluto's border?"
As a Space Fighter pilot, Yang Wei had considerable knowledge of cosmic geography.
Yet what he saw now made his pupils dilate violently.
"How long was I asleep?!"
Having often read web novels during his leisure time,
He spun around and grabbed Wang Hu by the collar, firing off questions rapid-fire.
"Time travel? A century-long dream? Or have aliens invaded the solar system?"
"Are you human or some alien wearing human skin?!"
"I am human," Wang Hu said gently, patting Yang Wei's hand reassuringly.
"Not some bug wearing human skin."
"As for where this is, honestly I don't know either."
"But one thing I do know—this place is called Homeland, where human civilization will rise in the future!"
"Homeland?" Releasing his grip, Yang Wei discarded all his previous wild conjectures.
"Explain clearly, Wang Hu!"
"Come on." Seeing Yang Wei's serious expression, Wang Hu beckoned and continued leading the way.
"You already died—on the battlefield of the Nova Resource Satellite."
Wang Hu, with his back turned to Yang Wei, dropped this bombshell the moment he spoke.
"Died? Then what am I now? A ghost?"
Yang Wei, now completely calm, retorted.
"Homeland gave you a new body and then infused your soul—or, if you prefer the scientific term, your brainwaves—into it."
"Whichever helps you understand better."
Taking the high-speed elevator to Homeland's central control room, Wang Hu explained.
"This…" Stepping out of the elevator, Yang Wei felt as if he had used up a lifetime's worth of astonishment in a single day.
A control room the size of a football field…
Not even sci-fi movies had scenes like this!
What kind of family could afford such a vast control room on a spaceship where every inch of space was precious?
"The Homeland Civilization Spaceship—its exact dimensions…"
Wang Hu paused, choosing not to cite numbers that would be hard to visualize.
"About the size of three moons."
"No way!" Even though Yang Wei was mentally numb, hearing this comparison made him lose control of his emotions, shouting involuntarily.
"And you still claim you're not an alien!"
(End of Chapter)