Chapter 38

The Corridor of Eras is a gallery of imperial glory, occupying the absolute center of the Imperial Memorial Hall. It is a place where the brightest stars of humanity are immortalized.

Every decade, individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Empire in any capacity are nominated by both the Upper and Lower Houses. These nominations are submitted to the Privy Council, passed to the Emperor, and finally, only upon the Emperor’s personal approval, is a date set for a coronation ceremony to bestow the Golden Medal of Honor.

The Golden Medal of Honor is the highest decoration in the Empire. In any given century, the number of successful recipients can be counted on one hand, representing the pinnacle of supreme honor. Possessing this medal grants one the eligibility to be inducted into the Corridor of Eras, to have a statue erected, and to bring glory to one’s ancestors.

Note, however, that this is merely eligibility. To truly be selected for the Corridor of Eras, a public vote by all imperial citizens is required. A passing rate of at least 70% is mandatory to display the medal engraved with one’s name in the corridor.

"Look! I see Principal Feng's medal!" someone exclaimed.

Upon hearing this, the military academy students rushed over in a flurry to get a closer look. Inside the display case sat a golden medal engraved with the name "Feng Yuanming," with a small inscription below: [One of the Heroes of the Doomsday Insect Tide].

Beside the medal, a holographic projection displayed the image of the honorary principal who spent his days at the Imperial Academy obsessing over cats and birds.

Wu Haoxuan noticed a discrepancy: "Wait, this isn't right. They awarded nearly ten Golden Medals of Honor for the Doomsday Insect Tide alone. It’s like they’re selling them wholesale. Wasn’t this medal supposed to be incredibly rare?"

He happened to be standing right behind the docent. When he spoke, he startled the man so badly that the docent jumped and cried, "Ghost!"

"What ghost? I’ve been standing here the whole time," Wu Haoxuan said, looking innocent.

What did he have to do with his passive ability to be ignored? It wasn't his fault!

"How is that possible?" The docent distinctly remembered that there had been no one behind him. However, hearing an urgent prompt through his earpiece, he had no time to figure out where the kid had popped up from. He calmed his racing heart and continued the tour: "Uh, that student brings up a very interesting point."

"Why were so many medals issued for the Doomsday Insect Tide? Setting aside the debate over whether Hai Dongqing orchestrated the events himself, the Doomsday Insect Tide was indeed the greatest crisis the Empire has faced in the last thousand years. It erupted with such ferocity that it caught both the Empire and the Federation off guard."

The docent continued: "As you all know, there are three main defensive lines separating humanity from the insect-controlled star territories: Scorching Sun, Morning Star, and Bright Moon. To this day, these three fronts remain engulfed in the fires of war."

"Scorching Sun is the first line of defense, while Bright Moon is humanity’s ultimate line and final stand. During the Doomsday Insect Tide, the endless waves of insects breached the Bright Moon line for the first time, heading straight for the Central Star System."

Even after more than thirty years, the docent still felt a shiver down his spine when recalling that day.

"The entire Central Star System was on the brink of destruction. The giant sky screens broadcast the front-line battle in real-time; everyone could look up and watch their homes being swallowed by the insect race step by step. The entire imperial royal family was dispatched to the front, and half of them perished. The Privy Council even issued a declaration regarding the survival of humanity and initiated the 'Seed Project,' sending a group of citizens who met physical standards into the unknown deep space to preserve the last sparks of humanity."

The docent said, "Students, can you imagine it? In that doomsday filled with despair and smoke, one person stood up. He was only at the initial stage of the Saint level, incomparable to any of the veteran Saint-level talents. Yet, this young hero descended like a god, saving the Empire from the brink of catastrophe."

It was clear that the docent had once been a die-hard fan of the hero Hai Dongqing. His inflammatory account left the students from both academies feeling their blood boil, as if they were back thirty years ago, itching to enter the insect swarms themselves to protect the people.

"Because of this, after the Doomsday Insect Tide, Hai Dongqing leaped to become the hero of humanity and the rising star of the Empire."

"Perhaps you aren't fully aware of the status Hai Dongqing held in the hearts of interstellar citizens back then. I can give you a simple statistic: the public referendum supporting Hai Dongqing’s inclusion in the Corridor of Eras reached a staggering 96%, a figure that has yet to be surpassed."

Following the docent, they gradually arrived at the center of the Corridor of Eras.

On the walls of this section of the corridor, holographic light and shadows flickered, projecting the real scenes that occurred in the Empire when the Doomsday Insect Tide descended.

The urgent voices of news anchors, desperate faces of civilians, exhausted soldiers on the front lines, teammates falling one after another like a suicide squad, the defeated gaze of the Privy Council's Chief Minister, and the old Emperor, looking much younger and more resolute as he rushed to the front lines.

There were so many ordinary heroes, so many shining moments, yet one figure was conspicuously missing. That presence, which should have been the most brilliant in the footage, had been deliberately erased from the holographic display.

Yuan Han-shuang looked up at the flickering light on the wall. Unlike the other students, who were either impassioned or solemn, her expression was quite strange.

"Is that expression... curiosity?"

Unbeknownst to her, a whole team of veterans was monitoring her closely via radio. This was on a Third Legion warship hundreds of kilometers away, docked at a military spaceport in the Central Star System. Inside a secure conference room, all the old members of the legion were gathered, standing by.

The central fog-silver conference table, usually reserved for simulating tactical arrangements and military deployments, was currently connected to the feed from the memorial hall. Through hidden surveillance cameras, Yuan Han-shuang’s expression was captured in full detail.

A group of soldiers who usually held sway on the front lines sat down, beginning to analyze her expression, trying to glean more meaning from it.

"Curiosity? There shouldn't be a look of curiosity at a time like this!" The battlefield analyst at the front wanted to throw his pen. "Upon hearing that her father is wanted by the entire galaxy, shouldn't she clench her fists in shame, or be filled with righteous indignation and feel wronged?"

The big screen switched to a close-up of the black-haired girl’s hands. Not only were her fists not clenched, but she was also idly performing finger exercises.

"Is the docent's explanation not stimulating enough? Should we have him turn up the heat?"

"No," a female officer said. "Her expression seems purely observational. There is no emotional fluctuation; she is simply watching a story about other people."

"Is it possible that she doesn't know what happened to her master during his flight, or that her father was framed? That would explain the lack of reaction."

Someone interjected: "She might not even know her father is Hai Dongqing."

"That is absolutely impossible," Feng Bai replied from the other end of the radio. "If our hypothesis is correct, she went to great lengths to change her hair color and forge her identity. If she didn't know her father was a 3S-level fugitive, why go through all that preparation? Besides, have you forgotten the Third Princess? Perhaps the Third Princess taught her these things."

"Adjutant, everything you say is predicated on her being the daughter of Commander Hai." The battlefield analyst sighed. "If she isn't, then none of these conjectures hold water."

The veterans had been debating for a long time whether Yuan Han-shuang was the daughter of Hai Dongqing and the Third Princess. The only clue was from five years ago, on the night they were tasked with capturing Hai Dongqing. Feng Bai had been standing outside the command room and accidentally overheard a conversation between the Legion Commander and Wei Wenwei, and caught a glimpse of a photo through the door crack.

There were tens of billions of people in the galaxy, and with advanced cosmetic technology, many could reshape their bone structure to resemble the Third Princess, the greatest beauty of the era. A slight resemblance proved nothing.

"To be honest, I don't think it's very likely she’s the master's daughter," the female officer said, putting down her pen. "Not to mention the death certificate issued years ago, even if the little princess had somehow escaped from an SSS-level ancient ruin, could an eleven-year-old child really achieve this much?"

"Exactly. Besides, her mimicry is a bizarre, giant red fish. If she were really the little princess, regardless of the mimicry rank, the form should have either inherited her father's eagle-type mimicry or the Xuan-Yuan royal family's golden mimicry. How could she awaken a giant fish that has nothing to do with either?"

Listening to the chatter in his earpiece, Feng Bai pursed his lips. He remained silent, focusing his attention on the black-haired girl in the crowd.

"Of course, after Hai Dongqing’s crimes of colluding with the insect race were confirmed, the public collectively petitioned to have his medal and statue removed from the Corridor of Eras."

Following the docent's words, the new students looked at the display case. Sure enough, the cabinet in the center, where Hai Dongqing’s name should have been, was completely empty. There were some viscous, yellowish-white substances on the counter, and the nameplate showed signs of malicious damage.

The docent sighed helplessly: "Well, almost every day, someone comes here to throw rotten eggs."

A guard at the memorial hall chimed in: "It's not that bad. It was a spectacle a dozen years ago when Hai Dongqing’s treason was first exposed. You couldn't even get into the memorial hall back then, and after it closed, the front gates were smashed by angry crowds."

"Although many medals were awarded for the Doomsday Insect Tide, many heroes passed away over the last thirty years due to hidden injuries sustained on the battlefield. Of the eight recipients, only three are still alive today. Principal Feng, whom you mentioned, also served in the Third Legion and is one of the highly respected medal holders."

Hearing this, Yuan Han-shuang’s indifferent expression finally changed slightly. However, to the disappointment of the veterans, the change was not what they had hoped for.

A look of confusion appeared on her face: "The principal of the Imperial Academy is also surnamed Feng. Does Principal Feng have any relation to our Chief Instructor?"

"Tell her," Feng Bai commanded the docent through the earpiece. "You can release some friendly signals." Perhaps the child was just too guarded.

"That's right," the docent said, receiving the signal from his superior. "Principal Feng served as an adjutant in the Third Legion during the Doomsday Insect Tide, and the current adjutant of the Third Legion is Principal Feng’s son."

"During the Doomsday Insect Tide, Principal Feng and Hai Dongqing, who was the Legion Commander of the Third Legion, fought side-by-side. They were comrades-in-arms who could entrust their backs and their lives to one another. After Hai Dongqing fled, Principal Feng even withstood immense pressure, risking his own reputation to publicly defend him. Unfortunately, the evidence was conclusive, and he had no choice but to let it go."

"Oh."

Under everyone's gaze, Yuan Han-shuang simply said "Oh," and that was the end of it.

That was the last thing she said before leaving the Corridor of Eras.

"That's it?" The secret conference room immediately erupted into chaos.