Chapter 39: Cognition

Dr. Jiang Miao found herself sandwiched between two men, her gaze somewhat wandering.

She took a sip of her drink, set down the glass, and decided she had to separate these two men filled with a warlike spirit!

So Jiang Miao signaled to Tanaka.

Tanaka calmly glanced at the time on his smartwatch and spoke, “Jiang, we should go see the boss.”

Jiang Miao: “??? Is there no tacit understanding? Did the dogs eat it?”

“Um…” She hesitated, looking at Yan He.

Yan He: “You guys go ahead. I’ll chat with Mr. Arthur about border matters.”

Joe also chimed in, “Major Yan and I hit it off immediately. We’d like to talk some more.”

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Kkydt Ykys pvkzz blpkvyvle, cwv Mydyjy pxkzle yde pyke, “Mbld usw twup byhl qwd,” yde eayttle bla yoyu.

Ebld vblu tsv vs y pzktbvzu qyavbla rzynl, Kkydt Ykys nswzed’v blzr xwvvlakdt, “Uyd’v usw pll vblal’p psxlvbkdt oasdt clvolld vbspl vos?”

“Tlbl.” Mydyjy awccle bkp bydep lmnkvlezu. “R byhld’v plld vbkp jkde sq pnldl kd y zsdt vkxl. Rv’p vbakzzkdt.”

Kkydt Ykys: “…!” Zsw’al eskdt kv sd rwarspl!

“Ebyv’p vbl ckt elyz, Kkydt? Zsw’al alyzzu olkae!” Mydyjy vlyple bla. “Mos xld pbsokdt bspvkzkvu vsoyaep lynb svbla clnywpl sq usw. Yspv osxld pbswze cl byrru ycswv vbyv.”

Tlal, altyaezlpp sq tldela, lhlausdl vssj rakel kd clkdt nbyple cu xsal rlsrzl sq vbl srrspkvl plm. Mbl xsal plmwyz alpswanlp sdl bye, vbl xsal kv rashle vblka nbyax.

“Lsv alyzzu.” Kkydt Ykys xyppytle bla qsalblye. “Zsw esd’v byhl ydu kdvlalpv kd Ksl…”

“Fs obyv? Tl’p y pvayktbv twu, R nyd’v poyu bkx.” Mydyjy ldfsule oyvnbkdt vbl lmnkvlxldv. “Gde R’hl yzalyeu pyke R’zz kdvasewnl bkx vs usw. Uyd’v zlv vbl tsse alpswanlp qzso vs svblap!”

“…Forget it.” Since everyone was adults here, Jiang Miao made up her mind. “Let’s go, to Helena… I mean! Isn’t that Harrison?”

Jiang Miao’s and Tanaka’s underling, Harrison, was eagerly talking to Helena, obviously trying to grab a project!

“Ugh, that guy Harrison, he’s beaten us to it!” Tanaka said. “Hurry!”

“Oh, dear, I can’t promise you that. The military personnel specifically asked to see Jiang.” Helena always had a smile on her face, but her refusal was firm. “Oh, Jiang, Tanaka, we’ll be waiting for you.”

Harrison could only watch helplessly as Jiang Miao and Tanaka were led by Helena into the meeting room to talk to the military personnel.

This Jiang Miao always gets the best treatment!

The meeting proceeded very smoothly.

The military personnel were very impressed with Dr. Jiang Miao.

“Dr. Jiang is truly promising,” a brigadier general said. “Since the deployment of the Shark Tooth ship-mounted cannons, all the feedback from the front lines has been full of praise. Even the captains who haven’t upgraded their old cannons are submitting reports requesting to replace them as soon as possible. We can only keep adding orders to Allison. This is really in line with Helena’s intentions.”

Even the lowest-ranked person in the meeting room held the rank of colonel, and both generals and colonels were smiling. Helena also showed a reserved but pleased smile. “Of course, Jiang is the shining star of our Allison. Oh, she’s also the flower of Allison.”

Jiang Miao could only be modest. The meeting room was filled with friendly laughter once again.

A female general smiled and said, “I just saw Dr. Jiang earlier. Is your boyfriend a major in the Garrison Corps?”

“No, he’s my parenting partner,” Jiang Miao explained. “He was originally stationed on the front lines but was temporarily transferred to the rear due to a mission-related injury. It was planned to take advantage of this period to have our child.”

In this era, advanced medical technology can almost cure any external injuries. Amputations and limb injuries can be treated using 3D-printed bones and the cultivation of autologous cells to reshape physiological tissues. Newly formed bodies are almost indistinguishable from the original ones.

Alternatively, one can choose mechanical prosthetics, which might look a bit unsightly but don’t affect daily life.

Military personnel are transferred to the rear due to “injuries,” which are usually psychological traumas. When Jiang Miao explained this, everyone in the military understood.

“To what extent?” the female general asked with concern.

Jiang Miao’s choice of a military man as a parenting partner naturally endeared her to the military personnel.

“Minor,” Jiang Miao said. “Fortunately, I live with him, and you can’t tell at all.”

The oldest general, whose hair was already gray, looked completely like an elderly person, smiled and said, “Living with a wonderful young lady like Dr. Jiang must be quite therapeutic. I believe that major will recover his spirits soon.”

No, he’s quite spirited now, Jiang Miao thought to herself.

After the important matters were discussed, the conversation turned to parenting experiences. The senior military officers, being older individuals, somehow started talking about raising children.

“I have twenty-one children, and twenty of them are military personnel. Only the youngest one, surprisingly, became a designer, inheriting none of my genes and taking after his birth mother entirely,” the old general said. “Oh, she’s a violinist.”

Jiang Miao was somewhat surprised by the number of children these military men had. Even the youngest colonel had three children.

“The policy provides the best benefits for children of military personnel. Dr. Jiang, your children can also enjoy these benefits,” said the colonel.

But all of these benefits are contingent on guiding these children to become military personnel, Jiang Miao understood.

When they returned to the hall, Joe and Yan He had already separated. Unable to see a spectacle, Tanaka, who always feared that the world wouldn’t be in chaos, was a bit disappointed.

“I’ll go find Joe,” he said.

Yan He was talking to two military officers wearing different-colored uniforms. Jiang Miao didn’t immediately go over; she stood there and watched for a while.

She didn’t know what Yan He did at home when she was at work or if he went out somewhere. Just now, mentioning his PTSD in the meeting room and seeing him interact normally with others made her very happy.

However, in just a short while, three or four women came over to strike up conversations, clearly targeting Yan He.

Jiang Miao: “…”

“Oh, here comes another one,” one officer chuckled. “Yan, you can’t refuse this one, she’s too beautiful.”

Another one simply said, “Even if you refuse, don’t drive her away. Let me see if I can get her contact info.”

Upon hearing this, Yan He turned his head and suddenly smirked.

“I can’t do that,” he smiled. “This is my companion. Excuse us, gentlemen.”

“Haha, I see. Go ahead, don’t neglect the beauty,” the officers laughed. “Nice to meet you, contact us sometime.”

“Joe, what about you two later… ah, everything okay?” Jiang Miao asked.

Yan He smiled ambiguously. “What could happen?”

Jiang Miao snorted and said, “I saw it all, you were squeezing his hand like that.”

“Jiang Miao, people from high-gravity planets like us don’t take advantage of our innate advantages to bully others. I still have some basic manners,” Yan He said.

Huh? Does that mean…

“He started it,” Yan He said lightly. “As a military man, I wouldn’t use force against civilians first. That’s basic decency.”

She had misunderstood him.

“But Doctor, you…” Jiang Miao was about to apologize when she heard Yan He leisurely throw a comment back at her, “You really know how to attract attention, don’t you?”

Jiang Miao: “…” Why is he suddenly being so petty? Geez.

She turned her head, not wanting to deal with him, and caught sight of Tanaka’s figure, then saw Joe, and then noticed Galen Allison.

It seemed that Tanaka had introduced Joe to Galen.

Yan He also followed her gaze and asked, “Don’t you need to network with others?”

“No need,” Jiang Miao shrugged. “Tanaka is better at this kind of thing than me; he’s an all-around player.”

As partners, Tanaka usually handled public relations and social matters.

“What about you?” Yan He asked.

“Me? Can’t you tell?” Jiang Miao shrugged again. “I’m just a nerd, as they say.”

Yan He smiled and reached out to tuck back a strand of her hair that had fallen.

Under the sparkling crystal lights, his facial features softened a lot, and his gaze became gentle and soft.

Would he be gentle with their children in the future too?

Ah, just appointed by the big boss to participate in a major project, with a promising future ahead, and being treated so gently by the father of her child, Jiang Miao felt like she was soaking in warm water, every pore in her body feeling comfortable.

As the music started playing, couples, both male-female and same-sex, began to set down their glasses and hold hands as they left the room.

Even Joe was holding hands with Tanaka as they left, and he even had his arm around Tanaka’s waist!

“He may be a straight guy, but Tanaka isn’t. Since he’s attending this banquet as Tanaka’s male partner, he naturally has to fulfill the obligations of a male partner. Normally, there wouldn’t be anyone here giving strange looks to same-sex couples or any other combinations.”

Moreover, Jiang Miao had long noticed that there were plenty of people in this era who were attracted to both genders, which was quite astonishing.

She remembered reading articles in the ancient Earth era that mentioned a significant number of people had mild to moderate inclinations towards homosexuality, especially among men. However, in that era, societal and cultural norms were not yet open-minded enough, so many people suppressed their inherent same-sex tendencies due to discrimination against minority groups, and outwardly displayed only heterosexual behaviors.

In this era, where there was almost no sexual discrimination, people began to embrace their true nature.

“They look so good together,” Jiang Miao whispered in Yan He’s ear as she rested her hand on his shoulder. “It’s a pity Joe is straight, and Tanaka can’t sway him.”

Yan He wrapped his arm around Jiang Miao’s slender waist and glanced over there, saying, “Tell your partner to keep some distance from that guy.”

“Huh? What’s wrong?” Jiang Miao asked, surprised.

“He has calluses on his hands, especially on his knuckles and index finger, which are characteristics of someone who has been using a gun for a long time,” Yan He said.

Jiang Miao knew this; Yan He’s hands were like that. The thin calluses sliding over her skin always made her shiver.

“Is it because of the chaos in the Starlight Free Zone? Carrying guns for self-defense?” Jiang Miao hoped to think positively.

“Chaos?” Yan He said, “Although the Starlight Free Zone is not large, it is well governed under the management of the Tri-Alliance. It’s known as the free trade zone between Nash and Gita, and has always been famous for its prosperity in trade. Even the major pirate forces have reached agreements with the Tri-Alliance not to conduct armed activities within the territory of the Free Zone. After all, most of their supplies come from the Free Zone, and if they ruin its prosperity, they’ll suffer too.”

“Really? I didn’t know that.”

Jiang Miao said, “I don’t know where this impression came from. I don’t know much about areas outside Gita.”

Yan He then asked, “How much do you know about the 21 remote star regions?”

This was something she had learned in middle school geography. Jiang Miao said, “I can recite their names and the year they were established.”

“I mean, how much do you know about the lives of people there?” Yan He asked.

Jiang Miao thought for a moment and realized that it was a blank in her knowledge.

“That’s right,” Yan He said. “People living in the capital star circle may have some understanding of the six major inner star regions at most, and their travel range won’t exceed this boundary. But, let alone knowing about political forces outside of Gita, they hardly know anything about the 21 border regions. If asked, they would naturally think of them as ‘rural areas,’ right?”

Jiang Miao couldn’t deny it.

That was indeed the case.

“Do you have no knowledge of the Nash Republic either?” Yan He asked further.

Jiang Miao thought for a moment and admitted, “It seems like I have an impression that it’s a very closed-off country, very backward, socially conservative, and narrow-minded in its views.”

“Where did you get this impression?” Yan He inquired.

Jiang Miao was puzzled for a moment and then said, “From the news?”

Yan He asked, “Have you tried searching online?”

“No,” Jiang Miao said, “Why would I search for it? Even the news barely mentions it.”

“That’s true, even if you search online, you won’t find much,” Yan He said. “There’s a wall.”

Jiang Miao could never have imagined that six thousand years later, she would still hear the word “wall.”

In the ancient Earth era, she was skilled at bypassing firewalls. But here, because the amount of information she passively received daily was already too vast, her search range was far from reaching the level where she would encounter a “wall.”

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Sansukini: Great job Auralie and Namikaze for guessing right about Joe’s character.