191: Homecoming and reunion

Eastern Federation Capital, Central Plaza.

On the gigantic holographic projection screen, a special report from the “Eastern Federation Daily” was playing on a loop: “...In this Alpha Centauri System exploration mission, ten exploration vessels and one thousand brave sons and daughters of the Eastern Federation sacrificed their precious lives. The Zijin Pavilion today issued a special announcement, posthumously awarding all fallen heroes the title of ‘Interstellar Pioneer Martyr’...”

The plaza was bustling with people, yet it was exceptionally quiet. People looked up, silently listening to the reading of the list of the fallen. Upon hearing phrases like “all crew members of Mount Huangshan Three” and “all crew members of Mount Qinling Seven,” many citizens quietly wiped away tears.

“They sacrificed for the future of humanity,” an Old Professor with white hair told his students. “These young people opened the door to the sea of stars for us with their lives. Now, it’s up to you.”

The students around the Old Professor nodded in unison, their gaze fixed on the screen.

At the Military Academy’s training ground, instructors were inspiring cadets with the deeds of the exploration fleet. “Do you see? This is the responsibility we soldiers should have!” an instructor roared, pointing at the holographic projection. “When crisis struck, to give more people hope of survival, they unhesitatingly chose to sacrifice!”

Under the holographic billboards in the commercial district, several entrepreneurs were discussing. “I heard the exploration team brought back some artifacts of the Trisolarian civilization,” a CEO of a tech company said excitedly. “Creations of an alien civilization! How valuable must they be!”

In the crowd, a young man wearing glasses tightly clenched his fists, his eyes shining with firm resolve: “Dad, Mom, I’ve decided! I’m going to apply for the Space Military Academy!”

Such scenes were constantly playing out across the Eastern Federation. The martyrs’ heroic deeds were like a spark, igniting the entire society’s passion for space. The latest polls showed that the proportion of citizens supporting increased investment in space exploration soared from 68% to 92%. The number of applicants for major space academies surged within a single week, and long queues formed in front of the Eastern Federation Space Military recruitment stations.

A sociology professor at Mars University published a commentary in the “Mars Daily”: “This incident shows that we are ready to enter deep space. Exploring the unknown is destined to be full of risks, but we choose to face them calmly. Our young people no longer limit their gaze to Blue Star and Mars, but look to the entire Milky Way. This is a leap in civilization.”

Pierpoint, Chairman’s Office.

Chen Hao stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the busy spaceport outside the viewport. Since the Trisolarian incident was resolved, the Interstellar Peace Corporation’s Talent Incentive Department had received a massive number of resumes, all from talented individuals from various industries wanting to join the company.

“Chairman,” Aventurine pushed open the door, swirling a glass of amber liquid in his hand, “the public reaction from the Eastern Federation is even better than we expected. It seems this ‘martyr marketing’ was exceptionally effective.”

Chen Hao turned around, his brows slightly furrowed: “Watch your words, Aventurine. Those people are true heroes, not marketing tools.”

Aventurine shrugged, taking a sip of his drink: “Of course, of course. I’m just speaking from a business perspective... Never mind that.” He put down his glass. “By the way, our old acquaintance Lin Mo sent a formal invitation, hoping you can attend next week’s martyr memorial service.”

Just as Chen Hao was about to reply, his communicator on his wrist suddenly vibrated. He glanced down, and his expression instantly turned peculiar.

“What’s wrong?” Aventurine keenly noticed the abnormality.

Chen Hao stared at his communicator, his expression complex: “It’s my parents. They said they want to visit me at the company.”

Aventurine raised an eyebrow: “Oh? If I remember correctly, Boss, you haven’t told your parents about your identity yet, have you? Do we need to help you put on an act?”

“Probably not needed,” Chen Hao rubbed his temples. “My dad directly called me ‘Chairman’ in the call... They seem to already know my identity.”

“Hiss~ Who leaked the secret?”

“It wasn’t me, though. Boss, you know me, if I had free time, I’d definitely be at those casinos.” Aventurine spread his small hands, indicating his complete innocence. As he spoke, he cast his gaze towards Topaz.

“Boss, you know me.” Topaz, seeing Chen Hao’s gaze turn to her, shook her head repeatedly, even Numby, who was perched on her shoulder, was shaken off. “I don’t even have the contact information for Uncle and Auntie. Protection work is the responsibility of the Executive Department and the Market Development Department.”

Seeing that Jade and General Jing Yuan, who were tasting wine, were also about to speak, Chen Hao directly interrupted their spell-casting, “Alright, alright, you two don’t say anything. Are you all playing a meme?”

After a moment of thought, he shook his head: “Never mind, we’ll find out then. Anyway, it’s just a matter of time, a few days earlier won’t hurt.”

“What about the martyr memorial service then? Boss, do you plan to accept the invitation?”

“To be frank, this matter has little to do with the company, and it’s not worth my personal attendance. The handling of the Trisolarian matter wasn’t exactly glorious, so the company shouldn’t seek the limelight,” Chen Hao said after a moment’s thought. “Let Zhou Ping from the Traditional Projects Department go. He’s now a P20 employee, he’s in charge of Eastern Federation affairs, and he’s familiar with Lin Mo.”

Aventurine raised an eyebrow: “Zhou Ping? The kid who climbed up from the grassroots? He’s a real old employee, indeed a good choice.”

A week later, Eastern Federation Capital National Cemetery.

Zhou Ping, wearing the formal uniform of the Interstellar Peace Corporation, stood in the second row at the memorial service, alongside dignitaries from all walks of life in the Eastern Federation.

“...They interpreted what courage and responsibility are with their lives...” The Premier of the Eastern Federation’s voice echoed in the solemn venue. “The names of these thousand martyrs will be forever engraved on the monument of humanity’s exploration of the sea of stars...”

Zhou Ping’s gaze swept over the martyrs’ families in the front row. Some mothers sobbed softly, clutching photos of their children, while some fathers stood tall, bravely holding back tears. His own eyes couldn’t help but well up.

After the memorial service, Lin Mo walked up to Zhou Ping.

“Zhou Ping, long time no see,” Lin Mo’s voice was a little hoarse. “I didn’t expect the company to send you.”

Zhou Ping nodded solemnly: “Yes, it’s my honor. Everyone in the company deeply respects the sacrifices of the martyrs.”

They walked side by side towards the monument, where a thousand golden names were engraved.

“Do you know,” Lin Mo said softly, “those ships that gave up their defenses, they all volunteered. Not a single person hesitated, not a single person backed down.”

Zhou Ping took a deep breath: “I know. If it were me, I would do the same.”

Lin Mo nodded. They stood silently before the monument, gazing up at the names shining in the sunlight.

In the distance, a group of young people in Space Military Academy uniforms were taking an oath. Their resonant voices echoed over the cemetery:

“...We swear to inherit the martyrs’ will, to open up the sea of stars for humanity...”

At the Pierpoint Space Station VIP berth, a streamlined silver shuttle slowly docked. This was Chen Hao’s private vehicle, the “Starry Sky,” rarely used, but specially deployed today to pick up his parents.

Upon receiving the news, Chen Hao left the lab and returned to his luxurious residence on the top floor of the company headquarters building. As the elevator doors opened, the sight before him stunned Chen Hao. Bronya was accompanying Chen’s Mother and Chen’s Father on a tour of his private collection room, the three of them chatting and laughing.

“Bronya?” Chen Hao said in surprise, “Why are you here?”

Bronya turned around, her silver hair shimmering in the light: “Chairman, your parents arrived early, so I took the liberty of receiving them.” She smiled, turning to Chen’s Father and Chen’s Mother, “Uncle and Auntie are very interesting, we had a great chat.”

Chen’s Father patted Chen Hao’s shoulder: “This girl is good! Much better at talking than you, kid! If you had half her ability to deal with people when you were little, I wouldn’t have been called to your teacher’s office every day!”

“Tsk~” Chen Hao’s mouth curled downwards, “What’s there to communicate with a bunch of little brats?”

Bronya covered her mouth and chuckled: “Uncle, the Chairman is very excellent now. It’s just that he works too hard and often forgets to eat.”

“See! I knew it!” Chen’s Mother immediately patted her son lovingly, “He’s been like this since he was little, forgetting everything when he gets busy! I remember when he was seven, he got blisters all over his hands trying to put together some model.”

“Mom! Let’s not bring up these old stories...” Chen Hao awkwardly tried to interrupt.

Bronya, however, listened with great interest: “Really? What happened then?”

“Later on,” Chen’s Father took over the conversation, his eyebrows dancing, “his hands were trembling so much he glued his fingers together, screaming and yelling.”

Bronya’s eyes curved into crescents as she laughed: “So the Chairman has been so persistent since he was little.”

“Indeed!” Chen’s Mother held Bronya’s hand. “This child has always been single-minded. In junior high, he liked a girl in his class, staring at her every day, but he never said a word, scaring the little girl away!”

“No? I’ve said it before, at that time I just found her facial proportions conformed to the golden ratio, that’s why I was observing, alright!” Chen Hao almost jumped up. “Bronya, don’t listen to their nonsense!”

Bronya, however, blinked: “Really?”

“Oh, Xiao Hao is just thin-skinned,” Chen’s Mother said enthusiastically. “He has so many anime figurines in his room, each one prettier than the last.”

Chen’s Father suddenly lowered his voice mysteriously: “Girl, do you know? When Xiao Hao was sixteen...”

“Dad!” Chen Hao quickly interrupted. “Let’s go to the living room! I’ve prepared refreshments!”

The group walked, laughing and chatting, towards the living room. Bronya intimately linked arms with Chen’s Mother, occasionally exclaiming: “Really? The Chairman had such moments?”

“Indeed!” Chen’s Mother became more and more animated. “When he was just born...”

Chen Hao followed behind, watching his parents being charmed by Bronya, their faces beaming with smiles, feeling both helpless and warm.

In the living room, Bronya skillfully brewed tea, continuing to probe: “Auntie, does the Chairman have any other interesting anecdotes from his childhood?”

“Plenty,” Chen’s Mother said, taking the teacup. “When he was five...”

“Mom!” Chen Hao quickly offered a plate of pastries. “Try this. It’s baked after grinding a new plant, a specialty of Pierpoint.”

Chen’s Father took a bite, his eyes lighting up: “Delicious! If this were sold on Mars, it would definitely make a fortune!”

Bronya smiled and nodded: “Uncle truly has a business eye. In fact, the company is considering developing this product line...”

“Really?” Chen’s Father became interested. “Let me tell you, in terms of marketing, you could do it this way...”

Watching his father and Bronya enthusiastically discussing business plans, Chen Hao suddenly realized that he might have truly been “schemed against.” Bronya not only made his parents happy but also unknowingly collected so much of his “dark history.”

He shook his head helplessly, yet couldn’t help but smile. He hadn’t experienced such a family atmosphere in a long time.