After Crossing Over, I Marked the Empress

In the Second District of the Free Federation, military bases were established in both the northeast and southwest regions.

The meeting place agreed upon by Gu Junwan and the commander of the Fifth Army Group was a training camp 100 kilometers away from the southwestern military base.

Both sides’ armed forces were on guard outside the camp.

Inside the camp, there were fewer than 100 people in total.

Gu Junwan entered the camp with her assistant, the entire guard team, plus over ten military experts.

The other commander brought only twenty people.

Additionally, the camp had arranged for regular medical and logistics personnel, numbering seven or eight.

The commander of the Fifth Army Group was named Yu Xiao, nearly 60 years old, and an A-class Alpha.

He was very robust in build, with a rugged face and sharp features, looking quite valiant and battle-ready.

Closely following Yu Xiao was a taciturn middle-aged man.

This was his adjutant, with responsibilities similar to a commander’s secretary.

Yu Xiao and Gu Junwan didn’t want anyone to know about their conversation, but due to their current different camps, they couldn’t meet privately like normal “ruler and subject”.

Who knew if that commander might attempt something like taking hostages?

Given this situation, the venue for their face-to-face meeting was chosen to be a special room.

A thick bulletproof glass divided the room into two sections.

Gu Junwan and Yu Xiao entered the room through different doors, completing their conversation across the glass.

Inside the room, their voices weren’t obstructed, while outside, neither human ears nor listening devices could discern the conversation’s content.

Functionally speaking, this meeting method wasn’t much different from a video call.

But in terms of sincerity and confidentiality, communicating through devices certainly couldn’t compare to face-to-face interaction.

Advanced technology sometimes acts like a double-edged sword.

While bringing convenience to people, it also adds many barriers to trust between individuals.

One wall of the room where Gu Junwan and Yu Xiao were located was made of soundproof glass.

Shen Han and others standing on the training ground outside could clearly see the two talking inside the room.

Unable to accompany her Empress inside, Xu Zhao simply took out her laptop and began working, seated on a chair.

Inside the conversation room.

Gu Junwan didn’t mention anything about the military rebellion.

After discussing the matter of moles being planted within the Army Group with Yu Xiao, a brief silence fell over the room.

Yu Xiao’s expression was solemn. He didn’t offer any explanation for his actions a year and a half ago, nor did he seem eager to end the conversation.

He just sat there upright, looking at the woman across the bulletproof glass, lost in thought.

After a moment, Gu Junwan spoke first.

“Uncle Yu, about Yu Man’s incident back then—”

Before she could finish, Yu Xiao interrupted with his panther-like eyes glaring: “Enough! You don’t need to bring up that incident again!”

“I support Yuwei, not because you did anything wrong! You’re more suited to be a leader, but I approve of her will more!”

As he spoke, Yu Xiao was very agitated.

He slammed his fist against the bulletproof glass in front of them, causing a buzzing sound to echo throughout the conversation room.

The two groups standing guard outside were all startled.

The Fifth Army Group members were slightly better off, as they knew their leader had always been hot-tempered.

But the Empress’s team members led by Shen Han were on high alert!

If they hadn’t seen Gu Junwan, sitting calmly inside, raise her hand towards them, they would have almost rushed in.

Gu Junwan didn’t turn her head to look at her guard team members.

After lowering her hand, she continued speaking to Yu Xiao: “Uncle Yu, I’m not bringing up old matters to reopen your wounds.”

“However, I think I should tell you some other truths I’ve discovered. You can continue supporting Yuwei, but I don’t want you to always live in hatred.”

Hearing the word “truths” in Gu Junwan’s speech, Yu Xiao was first stunned, then his lips curled into a self-mocking smile.

He spoke in a deep voice: “I’ve investigated very clearly who shot my daughter back then. I don’t think there exist any other investigative truths you speak of.”

Gu Junwan frowned and shook her head: “It’s not about the shooter.”

Although the Free Federation hadn’t been involved in foreign wars for many years, small-scale battles within its borders had never ceased.

First of all, the concept of Alpha-Omega equality would greatly shake the interests of many old powers.

Such reform requires the joint efforts of several generations to see significant results, and cannot be changed just by issuing a few decrees.

When Gu Junwan took over governance at 16, Yu Xiao’s daughter Yu Man had just turned 18.

Yu Xiao had spent half his life in the military and was nearly 40 when he had this precious daughter, cherishing her immensely.

Naming his daughter with the character for “romantic”, he hoped she would maintain her romantic innocence and be happy all her life.

No one had imagined that Yu Man’s flower of life would wither at 18.

Differentiating as an A-class Alpha like her father, Yu Man was very proud.

She was admitted to military school, aspiring to become an officer like her father.

That year, Gu Yuwei had just completed her differentiation and was Yu Man’s best friend.

The two shared everything and were full of ideals and aspirations for their future.

In the hearts of these two immature Alpha girls, they both more or less felt that naturally delicate Omegas weren’t very suitable to be leaders.

Even the formidable former Empress ultimately had to step down due to health reasons.

Besides, having Alphas lead the people wouldn’t hinder Alpha-Omega equality, right?

The place where Yu Man was shot was a newly peacefully liberated mountain village.

She was shot down on an earthen bridge and fell into the river below.

At that time, there were over a dozen Omega villagers on the shore who had just been released from captivity by soldiers. Hearing the gunshot, they all crouched down trembling.

Seeing someone fall into the water, the Omegas didn’t dare wade into the river to save them. They only shouted in panic, calling for the distant soldiers.

When the soldiers rushed over and plunged into the river, they only retrieved Yu Man’s corpse.

The shot she took wasn’t fatal.

It was drowning that killed her.

When Yu Xiao saw his daughter, her body was already stiff.

This iron-willed soldier, who had shed countless blood on Federation soil, cried out loud for the first time in his life.

Gu Junwan was absolutely right; Yu Xiao didn’t choose to rebel for power.

He was fulfilling his daughter’s dying wish.

Yu Man’s diary was filled with her aspirations for the future.

She hoped her good friend Gu Yuwei could become the Empress, and then she could be the sharpest military blade in her hand!

The diary’s contents were an unrealistic fantasy of a passionate teenage girl.

That dream was ultimately shattered in the bitter winter river water.

But it became a glimmer of light leading Yu Xiao out of the dark hell.

Later, when manipulated by those with ulterior motives, it led to today’s situation.

Recalling that past again, Yu Xiao’s eyes uncontrollably began to redden.

Gu Junwan also felt uncomfortable, but she had to continue saying what needed to be said.

“Uncle Yu, in that mountain village you liberated back then, all Omegas had been locked up since their differentiation day, becoming breeding machines. The dozen or so people on the shore at that time couldn’t swim at all.”

“They were indeed self-abasing and cowardly, but not intentionally refusing to save a life.”

“I know this has always been a knot in your heart. Telling you this, I don’t presume to change anything—”

While Gu Junwan and Yu Xiao were engaged in a new round of conversation,

Undercurrents began to stir among the two groups of attendants standing guard outside.

What kind of leaders like what kind of soldiers.

Those who came with Yu Xiao were all burly men like him.

These muscular Alphas glanced sideways at the Empress’s personal guard team, full of contempt in their hearts.

Even though they knew there were S-class Alphas in the other team who had been on the battlefield, an invisible chain of disdain still existed.

This feeling was similar to how elite veterans from gun battles looked down on the top performers in training exercises.

In the former’s eyes, the latter were better at armchair strategies, and their excellence basically came from being contrasted with the weak.

At this moment, a soldier from the Army Group’s ranks spoke to Shen Han: “You must be the guard team captain. We have a ready-made venue here, want to spar?”

Before Shen Han could speak, Ning Xi chimed in first.

“Who are you? Are you qualified to face our captain?”

She had been holding back her anger since earlier, because the contempt in the eyes of those soldiers looking at her team was too obvious.

They might as well have written “disdain” on their faces!

Now, the atmosphere in the conversation room had long since calmed down.

Orderly sparring between the two teams wasn’t too out of line.

So, hearing the burly man from the other side call out a challenge, Ning Xi couldn’t help but retort.

However, her fiery words caused the two rows of soldiers opposite to burst into laughter.

Those men stood at attention, not whispering or swaying.

But this made it even more infuriating.

Everyone on the guard team looked very displeased.

Because there was no deliberate element to their laughter, as if Ning Xi’s previous statement was just a particularly amusing joke.

Alphas are born with competitive genes.

This, of course, applied to Shen Han as well.

She was usually gentle and polite, but that didn’t mean she had no temper.

On the contrary, when her temper flared, she could be wilder than anyone.

“Hey, what’s so funny?”

“According to our rules, if you want to challenge me, you need to make an appointment with the assistant first.”

After tossing out these words, Shen Han turned her head to look at Xu Zhao nearby: “Special Assistant Xu, have they made an appointment?”

If it were anyone else, Xu Zhao definitely wouldn’t have played along.

But the person putting on this act happened to be the Empress’s Alpha, so she had no choice but to cooperate appropriately.

“Please wait a moment.” Xu Zhao made a show of typing on her laptop, then pushed up her glasses and replied professionally, “Captain Shen has no appointments registered for today.”

Shen Han nodded, then clicked her tongue at the bewildered Army Group: “It’s so nice to not know any rules, just happy and simple.”

The Fifth Army Group soldiers were immediately stumped.

If the other side had just mocked them, they could have completely ignored it.

But for some reason, after hearing the brief exchange between Captain Shen and Xu Zhao, they suddenly felt like country bumpkins.

Wait! Since when did the Empress’s special assistant have this kind of business?

It’s like an agent booking gigs for a celebrity!

The soldier who had spoken up earlier was named Wan Peng. He had intended to watch others make fools of themselves.

He never expected that in the end, he would be the joke.

That wouldn’t do!

Wan Peng stepped forward to Xu Zhao and spoke seriously: “Hello, please register me. I want to make an appointment to challenge the guard team’s Captain Shen!”

With Wan Peng taking the lead, two more soldiers immediately walked in step towards Xu Zhao.

“Hello, excuse us, we’d also like to schedule an appointment to challenge Captain Shen!”

Xu Zhao: “……”

What’s going on?! Can’t they let people work in peace?!

Just as Special Assistant Xu was getting a toothache from her role as this “temporary agent”,

The instigator was enthusiastically maintaining order on the side.

Shen Han extended her right arm horizontally, making a traffic gesture for slowing down.

“Everyone line up properly, don’t push, one at a time.”