Chapter 934 – Side Story, The Comeback
Jiang Pengji felt her body heavy and languid, like a rootless weed drifting in the vast sea.
Liu Xi was just an ordinary person; her body would inevitably weaken with age, something Jiang Pengji couldn’t fight against.
In her ears, it seemed she could hear Jiang Yan’s cries and the shouts of the officials, some genuine, some feigned.
Forget it, forget it—
With her consciousness fading, Jiang Pengji felt an infinite sorrow in her heart, allowing the darkness to engulf her mind.
She didn’t know how long it had been before a wave of crisis surged in her chest, prompting her to instinctively dodge an incoming attack, showcasing agility that surprised even herself.
“Jiang Xiaojiu, your skills have certainly declined more than just a little!”
Who was that?
A strange woman’s voice chuckled beside her, and Jiang Pengji barely managed to steady her posture.
So blinding—
The light around her was dazzlingly white, making it uncomfortable for someone accustomed to the dark, and tears streamed down her face reflexively.
“Who are you?”
Jiang Pengji exclaimed, her instinctive use of the long-unspoken interstellar mother tongue slipping out.
The woman clicked her tongue in feigned surprise, her words laced with barbs, “Tsk tsk, just from an injury, and you’ve forgotten your old boss?”
Old boss?
Jiang Xiaojiu?
The two strange yet familiar terms collided, unlocking memories sealed away for years.
After a moment, she managed to adjust to the harsh light, stunned to find herself in a Federation military medical facility.
Raising her hand to inspect her arm, she noted she was clad in the blue and white hospital garb.
What’s going on?
She blinked rapidly, almost failing to register her surroundings until someone appeared before her.
Upon seeing the person’s face, Jiang Pengji instinctively straightened up and saluted, “Reporting to the Commander!”
The woman stood in front of her, narrowing her eyes as she scrutinized Jiang Pengji’s face.
“The mental fluctuations are normal,” the woman said slowly, “Otherwise, based on your earlier performance, I’d suspect someone has maliciously occupied your body. You’ve recovered from being seriously injured, but you’ve been unconscious for three months. If you hadn’t woken up, the Seventh Legion might’ve had to parachute someone in.”
The Human Federation was not exactly harmonious; there were power struggles among the various legions.
Jiang Pengji was part of her faction, and if she didn’t wake up, who knew if someone outside would parachute in to take over the Seventh Legion?
At that time, even if Jiang Pengji had the chance to wake up, she might not be able to.
Because there were many more who didn’t want her to wake than those who did.
Upon receiving the news of Jiang Pengji’s serious injury and coma, the woman had hurriedly interrupted her vacation and temporarily taken over the Seventh Legion.
“Thank you for your hard work, Old Commander.”
Jiang Pengji pressed her hand against her aching forehead, her memories muddled and making it hard to distinguish reality from dreams.
That life spanned three to four decades, equating to the previous years.
After being apart for so long, Jiang Pengji could only dredge up faint memories, recognizing the woman before her as her old boss.
As for more… she would need time to deeply excavate those memories.
“It’s no trouble, no trouble. You should hurry and cancel your sick leave and return to take charge,” the woman said, arms crossed as she leaned against the bed, her eyes partially closed. “Be careful, though. The Federation Marshal election is approaching, and there are plenty of people looking to make trouble for you.”
“Marshal election?”
Jiang Pengji was startled for a moment, did that really exist?
Wait—there seemed to indeed be such a matter.
This old commander, having retired from the Seventh Legion, was supposed to enter the legislature for a cushy role, but who knew the old marshal had fallen seriously ill and wouldn’t last long? To stabilize the political situation in the Federation, they had to hastily convene a Marshal election, and the old commander was on the candidate list.
As her successor, Jiang Pengji naturally belonged to this faction.
Given that Jiang Pengji was still young and held military power, her weight in the old woman’s bid for marshal was significant.
As long as the Marshal election wasn’t settled, the undercurrents of the struggle wouldn’t cease.
Having organized her memories, Jiang Pengji said, “Don’t worry, Old Commander. I’ll recover quickly and return to my post.”
Her overly obedient attitude aroused the woman’s suspicion.
After all, Jiang Pengji was always one to push back; the woman had previously had to bear pressure to strongly recommend Jiang Pengji to the position of commander of the Seventh Legion. Even so, Jiang Pengji had never held back, treating her old commander with the same indifference.
What was different today?
“As long as you know,” the woman shook her head, her tone softening a bit, “Now that you’ve awoken, our pressure has lessened. There’s no rush for you to return to your position; focus on exercising your skills first, or you might not even know how you died if you get assassinated.”
Jiang Pengji felt her skills had improved, yet to others, it seemed she had regressed by seventy or eighty percent.
Such weak skills would be unsurprising if she were assassinated while out on the streets.
The old commander worked to stabilize the Seventh Legion, buying Jiang Pengji time to adapt to the changes.
By the time Jiang Pengji fully recovered to her peak state, over a month had passed.
When she was discharged and returned to the legion, only a little more than half a year had gone by.
For the long-lived interstellar humans, half a year felt like little more than a few days.
However, the changes in Jiang Pengji left all the officers of the Seventh Legion dumbfounded.
Had they ever seen a commander quietly reviewing documents?
In the past, finding her for a signature was nearly impossible; whether she signed or not depended entirely on her mood.
Had they ever seen a commander speaking calmly and without barbs?
In the past, subordinates would dodge her as if she were a minefield, fearing their misdeeds would be exposed and become fodder for gossip.
Had they ever seen a commander who balanced gentleness and severity?
In the past, subordinates looked at her as if she were a cat chasing a mouse.
What on earth had happened to cause such a dramatic change in their leader?
“Could it be that she’s in love?”
This speculation spread swiftly, even reaching Jiang Pengji’s ears.
Jiang Pengji smiled, “Though the news isn’t entirely accurate… it’s not completely without basis.”
The Marshal election was in full swing, and the internal situation of the Federation was growing increasingly severe.
Jiang Pengji was too busy to ponder, spinning like a top.
By the time the election concluded, over six months had passed and the Federation military underwent a massive purge.
Fortunately, the old commander had made it through the trials.
Otherwise, given the old commander’s standing in the election, after the new marshal took office, the old commander’s faction wouldn’t have been spared.
…
“Lately, it feels like a dream…”
Jiang Pengji blinked, gazing at the old commander dressed in a marshal’s uniform, wearily sighing.
The old commander laughed, “You’re not dreaming.”
Jiang Pengji paused, the old commander continued, “You know why your superior handed the Seventh Legion to you all those years ago—it was for retirement. How could she possibly participate in the Marshal election? This dream is riddled with flaws; I didn’t expect you to linger so long.”
Jiang Pengji looked into the woman’s eyes, her lazy demeanor growing dull and lifeless.
“Then what is this?”
“Old Commander” smiled, “This is likely your subconscious hope before you die, wishing for everything to turn out well.”
“And me?”
“You’re dead. But you have a chance, and it’s a gamble. Win, and you can have that resolution; lose, and you’ll have nothing.”
“How do I gamble?”
“Make a comeback, which is akin to giving you a chance to resurrect. However, your memories will be sealed. Everything will return to the starting point.”
…
“Alright, I bet!”
