Extra Chapter 8:

Fred sent for Lu Yu a week after she arrived at the garrison base.

Lu Yu entered Fred’s office and looked at the man sitting behind his desk. It had been several years since they’d last met, but her impression of him hadn’t changed much; he was just as she remembered from their first meeting.

It was as if time had left no trace on him.

Fred looked at the young woman who had appeared in his office. He smiled and gestured for Lu Yu to sit. "Are you getting used to things here?"

"There’s nothing I’m not used to. Everything is fine, thank you for asking." Sensing the distance in Lu Yu’s tone, Fred said, "You don’t need to be so formal with me here."

Lu Yu blinked. "If you’re thinking of giving me special treatment on account of my father, there’s really no need."

"Heh!" Fred hadn’t expected Lu Yu to have such backbone. "Don’t worry, I won’t give you any special treatment on Admiral Clan’s account. Besides, we’re old acquaintances, aren’t we? I thought we could at least be considered friends. Or was I just being presumptuous?"

"You weren’t," Lu Yu replied without hesitation. Just as Fred was about to say more, a smile touched her lips. "But I don’t want to *just* be friends with you. I’m still weak now, but I’ll work hard. I ask that you wait and see, Your Excellency. If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back to my training."

After speaking, Lu Yu saluted, turned, and left. The movements were fluid, without any hesitation.

It was Fred, left behind in his office, who was completely surprised. He only snapped back to his senses after watching Lu Yu disappear through the doorway.

"Doesn’t want to just be friends with me?" Fred muttered. "What is that girl thinking!"

Lu Yu, who had just left, was not as calm as she appeared. Having revealed the secret hidden in her heart like that, she was panicking inside.

’I finally said it!’ But she didn’t regret it. She had wanted to do this for a long time. Her lips curled into a happy smile. Whatever Fred thought, at least she had finally said it!

Filled with excitement, Lu Yu started running laps around the training grounds.

Fred stood by the window, watching the young woman running laps on the training field. He had to admit, her words had sent a faint ripple through his calm heart.

"Vice Admiral, Battlefield A03 is ready. We can dispatch personnel." His adjutant entered and set down a file. "This is the application list for the mission."

Fred turned, picked it up, and opened it. The first thing he saw was Lu Yu’s name at the very top of the list. "She applied too?"

The adjutant nodded. "Yes. Lu Yu was the first to apply. Sir, should I remove her name?"

Fred hesitated for a moment. "Leave it. Since she wants to participate, let her go."

"But the A03 mission involves an S-Class Insect Race warrior. It will be very dangerous. We..."

"She’s a soldier now. I believe she’s already prepared for this kind of situation. There’s no need for special treatment. If she can’t handle it, she’ll leave on her own."

"Yes, sir. I’ll go arrange for the personnel now." After the adjutant left, Fred sent a message to Admiral Clan, telling him that Lu Yu had applied for the A03 mission and that he had approved it.

Admiral Clan’s reply was simple: "Understood."

Clearly, neither of them saw her enlisting, attending the military academy, and heading to the battlefield as a joke.

He supposed Lu Yu wouldn’t want them to, either.

Once the A03 mission began, Fred went to the front lines to personally oversee the operation, constantly monitoring the incoming battle reports:

"Lu Yu’s squad has successfully infiltrated the Insect Race base!"

"Lu Yu’s squad has encountered the Insect Race vanguard... They’ve successfully eliminated enemy defenses, buying time for our rear guard!"

"Lu Yu is injured! Repeat, Lu Yu is injured!"

"The S-Class Insect Race warrior has engaged! It is approaching Lu Yu’s squad’s hiding position! Reinforcements are still en route..."

...

The stream of battle reports came in one after another, and the adjutant standing by his side grew visibly tense.

’As a female, Lu Yu charged even more ferociously than the male soldiers.’ If the adjutant had to voice an opinion, it would be, ’As expected of Admiral Clan’s daughter. She really has guts!’

The battle, originally expected to last five hours, was concluded within three, all thanks to Lu Yu.

They encountered no Insect Race interception on their way back.

When the group returned to the base, Lu Yu’s arm was simply wrapped in gauze.

The medical bay was chaotic, with injured soldiers being brought in one after another. Lu Yu wasn’t in a rush to go inside. An injury like hers was nothing.

She found a spot to sit down by the entrance, took the food from the logistics department, and began to eat.

Just as Lu Yu was looking down at her food, a dark shadow suddenly fell over her.

She instinctively looked up to see Fred standing before her, his eyes lowered to meet hers.

She froze and was about to stand, but Fred stopped her. "Stay seated and rest. You did well."

But Lu Yu stood up anyway. "It was alright. It was the result of everyone’s hard work."

Fred’s lips curled into a smile. "I have people reporting on what you did. No need to be modest. It was excellent. If you hadn’t bought us that time, victory wouldn’t have come so quickly. You’ve worked hard."

Hearing this, Lu Yu looked at Fred. "So you think I did okay?"

"Yes, excellent."

Lu Yu nodded, as if letting out a sigh of relief. "That’s good."

"There’s space inside now. Go get that wound treated."

"Oh, okay." Lu Yu glanced inside, then ran in. But as she moved, a small notebook hidden in her clothes fell out.

Fred saw it, bent down to pick it up, and was about to call out to Lu Yu when his adjutant hurried over. "Vice Admiral, could you please take a look? We have a situation over here."

Fred had no choice but to put the small notebook away for the time being and return it to Lu Yu later.

When Fred finished his work and returned to his office, he thought of the little notebook he had picked up and couldn’t help but take it out and open it.

He discovered that it was Lu Yu’s diary.

He had no habit of prying into people’s privacy. Just as he was about to close it and find a time to return it to Lu Yu, a photograph fell out from inside.

Fred instinctively picked it up. When he turned it over, his eyes widened in surprise.

The person in the photograph was him.

’What’s going on?’

Why would Lu Yu keep a photo of him? And judging by the photo’s faded colors, it had to be from years ago.

This sent a flurry of complicated feelings through Fred.

Recalling what Lu Yu had said that day, the answer was practically staring him in the face.

’But how could that be possible?’

Fred stared at the photo in his hand, and for a long moment, he had no idea how to handle the situation.