Regardless, if even one of Yu Len's companions 'booed' him, it meant there were at least ten nearby. While the absolute ratio wasn't that exaggerated, everyone just needed to grasp the spirit of it.
Sure enough, after three minutes of following the clues, Yu Len actually pulled out more than a dozen companions, all of whom were crew members of Hong Fang (Red Team). There were maintenance crew members under the three tech geeks, three flight cadets who partnered with Li Baolu, and Kou Shan's muscular companions.
Aisen Franchi swore to Yu Len by the universe spirit that they were truly just here for the celebration. Meeting Captain Yu, Commander Gongsun, and Queen Fina here was truly just a misunderstanding. He then earnestly apologized while pressing down on Tamir and Bai Ziya's heads.
Tamir and Bai Ziya also earnestly stated that they weren't 'booing' but were preparing to shout 'Captain Yu,' and didn't expect to be so misunderstood.
Kou Shan and Li Baolu almost cried, swearing by the stars in the sky that they weren't trying to run away upon seeing the Captain, but simply wanted to go see the world.
Yu Len was very pleased.
The three tech geeks were just online chat enthusiasts; Kou Shan was the least educated among the ship's officers, and since he had no great name passed down to future generations, he would probably at most be an R; Li Baolu was an avid flight enthusiast, but a bit shy in private. And these young people, who didn't know each other two months ago, now got along very well, like old friends.
"I'm very pleased!" Yu Len said emotionally to everyone.
Everyone on the Red Ship was even more moved.
"So, today I'm giving you a reward! Accompany Fi... accompany Queen Fina and Commander Gongsun in playing magnetic ball."
Everyone looked at each other, somewhat tempted.
After all, they were in the prime of their youth and hadn't had their hair shaved off, a time when their aesthetics were normal and their blood was hot. They didn't dare to dream of a goddess's favor, but playing a ball game with a goddess shouldn't be a problem, right?
Even decades later, it could be cherished as the most beautiful memory of their youth, and then they could leave the world with a smile, surrounded by their virtuous wives and filial children.
"Then, as for me..." Kou Shan cautiously raised his hand, then looked at Gongsun Qing, instantly recalling the memory of being knocked down in one hand and one round by her, and shivered: "I am a member of the Assault Team, so of course I will join Miss Gongsun's side."
"Then, then I'll... Miss Fina, may I?" Tamir said cautiously. Unlike the big fatty Aisen and the small animal-like Bai Ziya, he was the one among the three tech geeks who was truly enthusiastic about physical exercise. It was said that he was also the ace player of an amateur magnetic ball club in his hometown, and among the Grey, he was considered strong.
Feifei glanced at Yu Len and nodded with a smile.
The result was unremarkable; Feifei was just an ordinary person after all, and no matter how good her ball skills or how cunning her calculations, she couldn't withstand the opponent's strength. Fortunately, she also knew to let her partner take over when in danger and protect herself as much as possible.
Of course, the process was very beautiful, so beautiful that Yu Len didn't know how to describe it, so he wouldn't elaborate further.
Anyway, we know that Feifei was happy from beginning to end, and Gongsun Qing finally expended some of her inexhaustible energy, so she wasn't as aggressive anymore.
"Thank you, everyone!" Feifei was drenched in sweat but thanked everyone gracefully.
"You're all so useless! You men!" Gongsun Qing said loudly to everyone, her face not red and her breathing not labored. Playing ten high-intensity magnetic ball games probably consumed less energy for her than a regular otaku doing ten one-kilogram bicep curls.
Of course, after ten games, although everyone once again confirmed that spiritual energy users were truly not the same species as themselves, their relationships inexplicably grew much closer. Thus, Miss Gongsun also decided to stop maintaining her persona as a countess's daughter and future star, and completely let her true nature fly.
The boys, except for Yu Len, were obsequious, smiling along, but didn't even have the strength to speak.
The crew members would hate themselves even more in the future, but Yu Len swore to the universe spirit again that he absolutely intended to leave them with such beautiful youthful memories of playing ball with a goddess.
Of course, to help everyone recover quickly from their recent emotions, he decided to organize some team-building and loyalty-boosting activities for now, so he took everyone to Guanghan City Center for a big meal.
"C-can I call Martha over?" Li Baolu asked softly. He probably felt he was pushing his luck, his face flushed, and he lowered his head.
"Martha? Who's that?"
"Miss Martha Deacon, the Blue Faction pilot from Mr. Wien's side! The top student of the Keene Flight Academy this year, specially scouted by Mr. Wien. Everyone says she's destined to be the ace pilot of the nation and even the Universe," Fina said with a smile.
Yu Len seriously searched for the name and confirmed he hadn't heard of her in the future. Either she died early, changed careers, or didn't achieve results commensurate with her student days.
Of course, the 830 Party's judgment should not be too bad; that girl would definitely be a formidable opponent in the exercise.
However, looking at Li Baolu's foolish, radiant face, there was probably no need to worry too much.
"Call her over," Yu Len said with a smile. "Everyone, if you have friends like Baolu, call them over too."
Amidst cheerful laughter, the future "Forward Eagle" lowered his head shyly and happily.
And so, half an hour later, a dozen people became thirty, and a small dinner turned into a small gathering.
Martha Deacon was a tall, beautiful, graceful, but somewhat rigid girl, and she actually became a couple with a shy straight man like Li Baolu. One can only say that there truly is a divine will at play.
In addition, besides her, several other girls from the Blue Faction also came.
This is youth! Yu Len exclaimed.
Everyone ate until past two o'clock, still not satisfied, so they decided to participate in the parade that followed.
This spontaneous public celebration officially began at three o'clock. However, before that, the Municipal Plaza was already very lively. Many street artists, facing audiences more than ten times larger than usual, tried their best to attract attention.
Gongsun Qing still seemed unsatisfied, her eyes darting towards a nearby instrument shop.
"How about it, Fina, let's set up a stall too. I'll play the instrument, you sing, and we'll see who attracts more customers. By evening, we'll have funds for activities and parties."
"I can't sing! And I don't know any instruments either." Feifei was about to say something when, at that moment, a desolate cry accompanied by music suddenly echoed from one side of the plaza.
The cry was full of wild penetrative power, making one feel as if they instantly saw endless grasslands and towering mountains. In that cruel yet vibrant natural environment, Wisdom life was struggling, growing, and fighting.
Yu Len stopped, listening to the sound, and what met his eyes was a tall, thin, round-headed, hairless alien race with four arms.
They were Luminans, one of the Blue Star Commonwealth's minority groups. Of course, they were also one of the minority groups forcibly matured by the Empire during the Galaxy pioneering era.
This Lunan's skin was already close to black-gray, like the color of burnt embers. According to their ethnic group's physiological characteristics, this was a sign of entering old age.
"Our forests are burning!"
"Our long rivers are drying up!"
"Oh, descendants of Lumina, still mourning, when will it end!"
The old Lunan uttered such a sigh in stiff common Earth language, like singing, and also like performing. His words were not eloquent, but they were melodious and quite rhythmic and penetrating, quickly attracting many tourists to stop and watch.
The old Lunan used his four arms to beat drums, play a stringed instrument, and sing loudly, becoming a band all by himself.
Then, seeing more and more tourists stop, his voice gradually became more impassioned. Yu Len knew this was the Lunan's war song; they sang this song when resisting the Empire, and now, they were singing this song to resist the Commonwealth.
Of course, their resistance had always been concentrated in remote star systems. Most Commonwealth citizens had no real sense of it, and there wasn't even much prejudice against the Luminans.
...But it must be admitted that the Luminans are truly a very stubborn and unyielding race. Likewise, their songs are truly very pleasant to listen to.
Yu Len shrugged, squeezed out of the crowd, and sure enough, saw an autonomous security robot descending from the sky.
"Commonwealth citizen, warning, warning, you have set up a stall without market management permission. According to the 'Guanghan City Market Management Law,' we will confiscate your commercial tools."
The old man didn't resist, calmly stood up and patted his butt, letting the robot confiscate his drums, instruments, and other tools. However, he stepped back a few paces, directly opened his terminal, activated the microphone function, and without musical accompaniment, still sang the war song with a hundred twists and turns, full of passion.
This time, the security robot was helpless. They had no reason to stop someone from singing, right?
The surrounding tourists and citizens began to applaud, and Yu Len's companions also started to applaud and cheer. Everyone actually didn't understand what the old man was singing, and many even couldn't stand the Luminans, but they just liked to see the government's violent organs embarrassed.
The old man, as if by magic, took out two small drums, hung them at his waist, and gently tapped them for accompaniment. His singing once again shifted from impassioned to tragic and desolate.
At this moment, everyone finally felt his emotion; the bustling noise, surprisingly, had a brief pause here.
Yu Len watched this scene from the crowd, his emotions a little complicated.
If he were just an ordinary young military officer about to graduate from the military academy, it would have been easy.
He would simply treat the Runa people as anti-establishment elements who refused to be disciplined and remain vigilant against them at all times.
However, having returned from a later era, he had very complex feelings towards the Runa people.
They were once Earthlings' comrades, then became Earthlings' enemies, but in the future, they would become comrades again.
It wasn't that this combat race with four arms was naturally fond of switching sides; it was just that the changes in the world were truly overwhelming for ordinary people.
Yu Len felt a slender hand grasp his in the crowd; it was a familiar touch, a familiar warmth.
He gently turned his head and saw a familiar smile.
“I don’t particularly like this kind of singing,” Fina said, though her voice was still a bit low despite her smile.
“Yes, it’s everyone’s festival,” Yu Len said.
He gave Fina a meaningful look and went straight to a nearby musical instrument store.
A few minutes later, he emerged carrying an acoustic guitar.
Under everyone’s puzzled gazes, Yu Len strummed the guitar, and the six strings resonated simultaneously, instantly filling the air with cheerful notes.
Once joy was injected into a solemn melody, no matter how tragic it tried to be, it couldn’t be truly tragic.
The Runa elder stopped singing and stared wide-eyed at Yu Len.
This race had smooth facial contours, no nose bridge, no hair, and hard carapaces on their cheeks, but expressions could still be seen.
It was clear that he was quite displeased with Yu Len for disrupting his rhythm, gnashing his teeth fiercely, and the several drums hanging from his waist seemed ready to transform into meteor hammers and smash over at any moment.
“When did you learn guitar?” Fina raised an eyebrow, seemingly a little surprised.
“You can learn this kind of thing whenever you want,” Yu Len said with a smile.
spiritual energy users, except for those martial artists who sacrificed their intelligence, generally learn things faster than ordinary people, and musical instruments are naturally one of them.
After all, strumming six strings is much easier than blocking bullets and energy beams with a sword.
Of course, what they learn quickly is merely technique.
The charisma, empathy, and subtle sense of rhythm essential for a musician to become a master depend on individual talent.
However, at this moment, Yu Len only needed technique.
“Aye! Aye! Sweet potato!” Yu Len intoned twice.
“Sweet potato?” Fina was intrigued, a half-smile on her face.
“This is Spanish… uh, never mind, let’s just switch to Runa language.” Yu Len glanced at the Runa elder in the distance, his mischievousness overflowing, his smile full of change… rich emotion of change!
What was even more delightful was that the pronunciation and intonation of Runa language sometimes truly resembled Spanish, which was something to be truly grateful to the universe spirit for.
As for rhyme in the lyrics, when the rhythm is fast and joyful to a certain extent, that all becomes irrelevant.
“Yes, you know I’ve been watching you for a while, today I must dance a song with you!
Look, your gaze is passionately calling to me!
Guide me to the path to your heart, I will brave wind and rain!”
Yu Len began to sing, stepping to the rhythm of the music.
He sang one of the Latin hits from his previous life, known as one of the easiest songs to get everyone excited and dancing.
He also felt that the current occasion was particularly suitable for this song.
Moreover, singing it in Runa language made it even more appropriate.
Fina giggled, gently slipped off her high-heeled sandals, and, barefoot, tapped her feet twice on the ground, beginning to dance gracefully… No, at this moment, “gracefully” was not quite appropriate.
Her movements echoed the lively rhythm, each action filled with an extremely oppressive sense of rhythm and excitement.
Her dance steps were passionate like a raging fire, yet her face was expressionless, cold as ice.
Ice and fire, a sense of mystery and power, coalesced into an irresistible charm that one could not look away from.
This was a Fina Yu Len had never seen before.
And at this very moment, Gongsun Qing also took off her shoes and joined the dance, barefoot as well.
Two beauties of the same caliber, with equally graceful figures, strikingly similar and powerful dance steps, and a storm of fiery rhythm and cold, elegant temperament intertwined, at this moment, it was like the collision of stars.
This was a battle belonging to the two of them…
However, why were they fighting? Yu Len didn’t quite understand.
Also, it was his first time realizing that this club-style song could evoke the feeling of a war dance!
Indeed, the capable are omnipotent!
He once again confirmed that, at least in artistic talent, he was truly far behind these two girls.
Of course, perhaps it was because they were both good girls, but in the end, the dance battle turned into a shared dance, and warm smiles finally appeared on their previously aloof faces.
The impactful sensation, like a stormy wave, gradually subsided, replaced by a bright atmosphere akin to a golden beach under the summer sun, drawing more and more passersby into this joyous mood.
The companions from both Hong Fang (Red Team) and Blue Faction joined the communal dance, even the small animal-like Bai Ziya, the dead otaku Aisen, the shy Li Baolu, and the rigid Martha, were pulled in by their friends.
Eventually, it turned into a square dance with thousands of people!
Yu Len saw the Runa elder, who, although not joining the communal dance, was tapping his feet to the beat.
“See! This is conquering without fighting! This is the power of the great unity of the Universe people!” Yu Len challenged the Runa elder with his gaze.
The Runa elder extended an arm and, in a very Earth-like gesture, gave Yu Len the middle finger, then gave up and started drumming, accompanying Yu Len.
Indeed, in this Universe, the only common things are mathematics and music!
Everyone had a very happy afternoon, and as evening approached, all the couples looked restless, and all the uncoupled eyes began to burn with fire.
Yu Len decided to respond to public opinion and act accordingly, so he announced the dismissal, which was met with cheers.
But when everyone had left, he found himself back in the same situation as that morning.
The only difference was that Fina and Gongsun Qing had been holding hands since earlier, looking exactly like best friends of over a decade.
The future Miss Sword Saint sighed magnanimously and directly placed Fina’s hand into Yu Len’s: “Forget it, you should go with Fina yourself.
I feel guilty for delaying you two for a day.”
She walked away with light steps, seeming to be in a good mood.
Yu Len and Fina were silent for a moment, then exchanged glances, both with smiles and understanding in their eyes.
Then, it was truly their time together, an atmosphere Yu Len was very familiar with, so there was no tension.
They found a small restaurant and began their meal.
“Speaking of which, Fina, your internship last year was in the New Eden Star System, right? It’s quite close to the Luna Star System.”
“Only two jumps away, it’s indeed quite close.
The army next to me even fought with them.
I did do some research.
Actually, the Runa people aren’t a monolith; there’s still a lot of room for work.
They are indeed unruly and brave, and heavily influenced by their own religion.
But they are human after all, so they have human needs.
It’s just that the high officials sent there by the Commonwealth Government have never seriously tried to understand their demands; they either want to cover things up or want to use some headcounts to embellish their achievements…” Fina’s voice was a bit heavy, and she wanted to continue, but she seemed to remember something and stopped, her peach blossom eyes narrowing into a smile again.
“Although Yu’er has great ambitions, I’m very happy and willing to help you.
However, Yu’er, are you sure you want to discuss this kind of issue with me at a time like this?”
Well, even someone as oblivious as Yu Len had to admit that now was really not the time to discuss such issues.
After dinner, it was just getting dark, and the festive atmosphere in the city grew even more intense.
It seemed too impractical to return to school now, so the two simply went to watch a movie.
They watched Yu Len’s favorite, the latest theatrical version of “Treasure Raiders Alliance,” “The Grey Ark.”
Yu Len felt that the ninth-generation Professor Jones was truly handsome, with a touch of the refined villain, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Of course, he’s definitely not as handsome as me.
Also, the unknown number of Ms. Jones were still very beautiful, but far inferior to Fina.
However, as the movie neared its end, the soundtrack surprisingly had a hint of a Runa war song, which immediately reminded the two of that joyful afternoon.
“By the way, Yu’er, what exactly did you mean by that song earlier?”
“…Uh, wasn’t it pleasant to listen to?”
“Heh, do you think I don’t understand Runa language?”
If it were ten years ago, it would surely be the delightful story of checking into a hotel and playing mahjong, right?
However, no, you’re all thinking too much… They are still students, so they all have curfews.
Nearly 6k character chapter, forgot to set the timer again.
So it’s another update today.
Also, this song is called “Despacito,” a song very suitable for everyone to get hyped to, and Spanish naturally carries attributes of joy and passion, which I love.
However, the lyrics are indeed a bit explicit, so good kids shouldn’t search for them casually.