Extra Chapter 7:

Fred watched the lone young female disembark from the transport ship. He hardly needed to look closely; he could spot Lu Yu in the crowd at a single glance.

In truth, Lu Yu and Lu Xiao didn’t look alike—at least, you couldn’t tell they were sisters by their appearances. But in terms of her bearing, Lu Yu had a hint of Lu Xiao’s aura.

However, Fred would never mistake one for the other because of it.

He still remembered the first time he saw Lu Yu. The young girl had been locked up by the black market. The moment he broke down the door, he was met with a pair of bright, dark eyes. They were like those of a little leopard in the jungle—still small and weak, but ready to extend its immature claws and strike its enemy at any moment.

’I can’t believe time has passed so quickly.’ Now, Lu Yu had grown into a qualified soldier.

The Empire’s only female soldier. It was truly unbelievable.

Even he had been taken aback when he first heard the news.

Seeing her in person now, it was still just as unbelievable.

The squad leader in charge of receiving the new recruits was already leading them onto the vehicles, preparing to return to the garrison base.

Fred looked away and said to his adjutant in the driver’s seat, "Let’s head back too."

The adjutant said, "I can’t believe Admiral Clan was willing to let Lady Lu Yu come here. I still find it hard to believe that a female soldier has actually come to our garrison base. Boss, how are we supposed to treat her?"

"Treat her like anyone else. No special treatment. Since she dared to come, it means she’s mentally prepared. This isn’t a kindergarten. If she can’t handle the hardship, send her home."

"Ha, Boss, you’re saying... it’s not every day we get a female here, right?"

"Heh. It seems your training isn’t tough enough if you still have the energy for such idle thoughts. Ten laps when we get back."

"Hey, come on! I was wrong, okay?!"

...

After Lu Yu arrived at the garrison base with the main group, the squad leader assigned their dorms. As the only female in the unit, she was once again given a private room.

When the squad leader faced her, he tried to appear stern but was also clearly embarrassed, creating an incredibly awkward demeanor. "Anyway, if you have any problems, you can come find me anytime. That’s all. Get settled in for a bit. You’ll be called for mess call later."

Without lingering for even a second, he turned and bolted.

Lu Yu knew, of course, that most of these males had probably never imagined a female would join the army, let alone be sent to a place like this.

It was normal for them not to know how to act around her. But that was their problem to worry about; she wasn’t concerned in the slightest.

’Just do what needs to be done.’

After tidying up briefly, Lu Yu sent messages to Admiral Clan and Lu Xiao to let them know she had arrived safely.

When the bugle call for dinner sounded, Lu Yu got up, left her room, and went outside to assemble.

The garrison base’s mess hall was much larger than the military academy’s. They lined up and filed in to get their food under the squad leader’s direction.

The mess server did a double-take when he suddenly saw Lu Yu. After she walked away with her tray, he said to the person next to him, "Well now, this batch of new recruits is something else. There’s actually a female among them. Must be the one from the rumors, right? I can’t believe she ended up here with us. This is gonna be interesting!"

"What’s so interesting? If she can’t hack it, she’ll definitely be sent back. You’re just waiting for a good show, aren’t you? You’re terrible!"

"Hey, can’t you give me a little credit? Can’t I be hoping she stays? Look around this place—it’s wall-to-wall males. Having a female here for once will liven things up. You just watch, the soldiers are about to get a lot more motivated!"

"I doubt it. Haven’t you heard? She ranked first in the military academy assessments for four consecutive years. She’s incredibly strong. The average male is no match for her."

"So she looks down on the grunts, but what about the top brass? We’re short on everything here except for powerful males."

"You’ve got a point there. Short on everything but talent!"

As Lu Yu was eating her meal, a bold male soldier sidled up to her. "Hey, hey, I know you! You’re Lady Lu Yu! I can’t believe you were assigned to the First Military Region too. We’re comrades now. My name is Hu Ba, but you can call me Gobba. That’s what everyone calls me, hehe!"

Lu Yu glanced up at him but didn’t respond.

Hu Ba wasn’t annoyed and continued, "I also have a nickname: the Go-To Guy. If there’s anything you want to know in the future, just come find me. I—"

"Who told you to chat during mealtime? Have you no discipline? You, and you! Stand up!"

Hu Ba, singled out, jumped in surprise and scrambled to his feet.

Lu Yu furrowed her brow, hesitated for a moment, and also stood up.

"You two are the ones not eating properly, whispering to each other. In that case, you don’t need to eat. Get outside and run ten laps to cool your heads!"

"No, Sir, it was just me—" Hu Ba started to explain, but Lu Yu had already turned to leave. Seeing this, Hu Ba didn’t say anything more and ran out after her.

Fred, who had just entered from the back, saw this and couldn’t help but ask, "What happened?"

"Looks like someone was punished for breaking the rules," the adjutant said, but he still went to ask for details. "It’s as I said, but one of them was Lady Lu Yu. Should we...?"

Fred shook his head. "No need. It’s not a bad thing for her to learn early on that life here is different from the academy. If she can’t handle the hardship, she can go back."

"Sir!"

...

Outside, Hu Ba caught up to Lu Yu. "I’m sorry, I got you into trouble!"

Lu Yu glanced at him. "Didn’t you say you’re the go-to guy for information? Then help me investigate someone."

"Who?" Hu Ba’s eyes immediately lit up. "Don’t worry, I’ll find out everything for you."

"Fred." Lu Yu gave the name. Hu Ba froze for a second. "That name sounds a little familiar, I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere... Wait, isn’t that the boss of our garrison base, Vice Admiral Fred? You want to investigate him?"

"What, are you scared?"

"Not at all, I just wasn’t expecting that! Don’t worry, leave it to me. But what aspects do you want to know about?"

"Everything." After saying that, Lu Yu picked up her pace, leaving Hu Ba far behind in an instant.

Ten laps weren’t difficult for Lu Yu. By the time she finished, Hu Ba still had two laps to go. Lu Yu didn’t wait for him and went straight back to her room. She showered, changed her clothes, and after getting everything in order, she lay down on her bed and opened a small booklet. Tucked inside was a photograph. If anyone else had been there, they would have instantly recognized the person in the photo as Fred.

Judging by how yellowed the photograph was, Lu Yu had been secretly treasuring it for a long time. It was a secret she had never told anyone, not even Lu Huan or Lu Xiao.

’Now, I’m finally close to him.’

’This is wonderful!’