The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

Before nightfall, the plane landed on a small island.

"We're probably at a military base in the South China Sea right now," Luo Yifei whispered to me, glancing out the window.

"Hmm. What do you guys think of that Lin Fan now? He's so high up, even if he could fly, it would be difficult." As I was speaking, the plane's cabin door opened.

The next day, we began our "inhumane" military training, which was similar to the military training we received when we entered high school, only much more intense. In addition, we were allowed to handle guns.

Just as we were conducting shooting practice, a helicopter landed on the island. The person who arrived was Lin Fan's mother—Jialina.

We guessed that his arrival must be related to her son. Later, we learned from General Ma, who had brought us there, that Lin Fan had landed in a forest and was shot down by illegal hunters who mistook him for an eagle, causing him to bleed to death.

Even when I was resting at night, people were still whispering about it. I, on the other hand, had been paying attention to the sharpshooter I'd spotted during the day—someone I knew, Su An. I was surprised that she could withstand such strong recoil, while I felt that shooting wasn't as easy as it seemed in the movies after just two shots.

We were all assigned to a warehouse-like place as our dormitory. The warehouse was quite large and divided in the middle, with boys and girls on opposite sides. The warehouse doors opened to both sides; boys entered from the left and girls from the right.

Someone tried to call home on their cell phone, but quickly discovered that the phone had no signal.

We could choose our own beds, and it was obvious that many of us knew each other, so everyone chose beds close to those they knew. I naturally chose the one next to Luo Yifei. The four boys from Shenyun Middle School, including the one named Nantian, also chose beds near Luo Yifei and me. I guessed the girls probably slept in nearby beds too.

……

Ren Changxi had been crying for a while, and Su An tried to comfort her, but to no avail. Ye Xuehan was somewhat agitated, lying on the bed staring silently at her necklace. Qiao Lu also lay quietly on the bed, but she was secretly observing the others.

Finally, like the two girls on the other side, Ren Changxi got tired of crying and stopped.

Several boys from next door heard the crying and wanted to come and see what was going on, but they were stopped by the soldiers standing guard outside the door.

"By the way, Xuehan, you said you could fly on the plane." Su An finally didn't have to comfort Ren Changxi anymore and could ask her some questions.

"I don't want to talk about this now. The general will tell us the details tomorrow. Go to sleep early, I'm very tired."

"Okay, goodnight." Su An was a little disappointed, but she didn't ask any further questions and went back to her bed to lie down.

……

Two weeks passed quickly.

"Gentlemen, you have been here for two weeks now. During this time, you have undergone high-intensity military training, and I am glad that you have all persevered. Of course, I also know that you all could persevere because you are born different. You are carriers of the dominant Z gene. Simply put, your physical functions in all aspects are superior to those of ordinary people, except for your immune system. A minor cold can be ten times more painful for you than for others. Professionals will tell you about the Z gene later. What I want to tell you is that those who are capable should do more. Many time tunnels have appeared on Earth, and in the future, alien beings will travel through these time tunnels, and you will fight against them. This is because only you can gain superpowers when you travel through the tunnels. More than a dozen of you have already traveled through the time tunnels. As you have seen, they can do things that you cannot, such as breathing underwater, predicting things two minutes in advance, having superhuman memory, and moving at high speeds, etc. This is your opportunity to protect your home and country and defend the Earth."

General Ma finished speaking in one breath, then paused for a moment before continuing, "However, we live in a free and democratic country. Unlike some countries that send all Z-gene individuals over the age of ten to training camps, we have the right to choose. I apologize for bringing all of you here before; some of you volunteered, but some were forced. I apologize to you all, so tomorrow I will send you all back to say goodbye to your families and friends. I will give you a number; if you want to come back, call this number before National Day, and I will send someone to bring you back. Okay, dismissed."

The crowd was just about to move.

"Oh, right, after we get back, we've arranged single rooms for everyone. The male and female dorms are opposite each other, with the men on the left and the women on the right. Good buddies can also choose double rooms. The rooms are a bit better than budget hotels. The food will also be better than what we have now. That's all, go pack your things and get ready to go home."

The crowd began to disperse.

"Wait a minute, you can go check out the new dorms first. Everyone can get a computer. Our internet speed is pretty good."

The crowd had dispersed.

"There's no cell phone signal at all. They lied to us and said the internet speed was good. Nobody would believe that." Someone muttered to themselves as they left.

“Just think of it as early university military training. We’re going home tomorrow and we’re not coming back,” another person replied.

"Luo Yifei, do you think we'll come back?" I couldn't help but ask.

"And you, do you want to come back?"

"Back."

"Same here. I just don't know what Su An and Chang Xi think."

……

"So, in the end you still chose to join the youth team to protect your country. Come, let me toast you." Hu Hanhui picked up the glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Shen Lili also picked up her wine glass and drank it all in one gulp, then continued to recount the history of Earth.