Chapter 2699: Cafeteria

Yuan stood as still as a statue as he observed the scene, quickly realizing what was going on. Then, without the slightest hesitation, he turned around and walked away, having no desire to deal with any of the soldiers gathered there.

Since he couldn’t go home, Yuan wondered if there was anything he could do to pass the time.

’Now that I think about it, I haven’t really explored the military base,’ he thought to himself.

Because Yuan spent far more time outside the city on missions than at the military base, he had never really had the chance to explore it properly.

Thus, he began wandering around the base.

However, there wasn’t much to see. The area consisted mostly of roads and vast stretches of green grass, with only the occasional building scattered here and there.

There were plenty of soldiers wandering around, though. Since everyone’s cultivation was restricted within the city, most people had no choice but to walk or run to their destinations.

Although vehicles and hovering boards were available, only officers were permitted to use them. Since the vast majority of personnel were ordinary soldiers, such forms of transportation were relatively uncommon.

"This must be the cafeteria..."

Some time later, Yuan arrived at the cafeteria. Upon seeing it, he realized that despite all the time he had spent in the military, he had never once gone inside to try the food.

Without hesitation, Yuan entered the cafeteria.

The interior was enormous and brightly lit, almost like a cathedral, with hundreds of tables of varying lengths neatly arranged throughout the spacious hall.

Even from the entrance, Yuan could see several serving stations, each offering a different selection of food.

"I should’ve visited this place sooner..." Yuan muttered.

He wasted no time and quickly lined up at the closest serving station.

It didn’t take long for the soldiers inside to notice Yuan and recognize him.

"Hey, isn’t that Captain Yuan? The one they’ve been calling ’Gaia’s Hope’?"

"Gaia’s Hope? Because he’s the only one capable of defeating the Void Hunter?"

"Does anyone actually believe he has a chance to defeat the Void Hunter? Not even Tian Yuchen could defeat it!"

"Well, Tian Yuchen doesn’t have the Perfected Heavenly Refinement, either."

"What even is the Perfected Heavenly Refinement capable of? We still know almost nothing about it—only that it can survive the Void Hunter’s touch."

"I heard he’s also immune to Void Specters."

While the soldiers chatted about Yuan, the man himself was busy stuffing his face with every dish from one serving station before moving on to the next, almost as if he were on a mission to eat everything in the cafeteria.

"My lord, what an appetite! I have never seen anyone eat so much before!"

"He’s eating like the cafeteria owes him money..."

Suddenly, a figure approached Yuan’s table.

"May I have this seat?"

The individual asked, gesturing to the seat across from him.

Yuan lifted his head after hearing the familiar voice.

"We meet again, Huang Zhi Han," Yuan said after swallowing the food in his mouth. "You can sit there if you’d like."

Huang Zhi Han nodded and gracefully sat across from him.

"I told you we’d see each other again," Yuan continued with a smile.

"..."

"What’s wrong?" Yuan asked when she didn’t respond.

"You invited me to join your squad, right?" she suddenly asked.

"I did."

"Then why am I still not accepted into the squad? I applied the day I was asked to join, and I am still waiting for your approval a year later," she said with a frown.

"Oh... sorry, I was still in the hospital at that time, and when I came out, I left the city to train. I just got back, too. I’ll approve your request right after this," Yuan apologized.

Huang Zhi Han sighed.

"And here I was thinking that woman had fooled me... You know, we nearly fought... several times, at that."

Yuan raised an eyebrow, looking surprised.

"By that woman... do you mean Mei Xiaoyun?"

"That’s right. I’ll have to apologize to her later..."

Yuan was left speechless.

"I’ll talk to her, too," he said with a stiff smile.

"..."

After another moment of silence, Huang Zhi Han asked, "Do you mind if I ask why you invited me to join your squad? Surely, you’re aware that many outsiders joined the military because of you. I’m one of them as well. Aren’t you concerned about having me around?"

"Why would I be concerned about you? I trust you." Yuan calmly replied as he continued eating.

Huang Zhi Han raised her eyebrows in a puzzled manner.

"You trust me? Even though we’ve only met two times before this? And we’re practically strangers? You’re a little too trusting..."

"Only because it’s you."

"..."

Huang Zhi Han’s mouth dropped a little at his words that could easily be mistaken for flirting.

"I’ll be honest with you. I am here because my father sent me to seduce you," she admitted after a brief hesitation.

"Is that so?" Yuan muttered, seemingly not surprised at all.

"And what does your father hope to achieve with that?"

"You should ask him that instead, because I have no clue."

"Well, are you going to seduce me then?"

"I’ll think about it."

"Take your time."

Suddenly, Yuan heard someone shouting from the entrance.

"He’s over there!"

Yuan tilted his head and looked past Huang Zhi Han toward the entrance, where dozens of soldiers were staring directly at him. One of them was even pointing in his direction.

Of course, these were the same soldiers who had been lingering outside his residence. They had clearly received word that Yuan was at the cafeteria, which explained their sudden appearance.

Once they spotted Yuan, the soldiers rushed to his table, surrounding him like an angry mob.

"H-Hello! I am—"

"My name is—! I came from—!"

The soldiers practically fought over one another just for the chance to introduce themselves.

Seeing this, Yuan frowned and raised his voice. "I don’t care who you are or what you want from me, but if you keep disturbing my meal, you can forget about whatever you’re planning."