The General's Love Glitch - Chapter 38.1

“Take us to meet the person in charge of GR03,” Jun Jue said to the bald man.

“You mean our Planet Master? Please follow me.”

The title “Planet Master” was essentially the ruler of a planet, but it sounded somewhat childish, like playing house. Jiang Tang couldn’t help but laugh.

“The Federation refers to planetary rulers as Star Lords,” Jiang Tang said.

Ruan Wei, resting on Jun Jue’s back, listened quietly. She thought “Star Lord” sounded much better than “Planet Master.”

The bald man hadn’t thought much of it before, but now he felt a bit inadequate. He scratched his head awkwardly and continued leading the way.

“Don’t you have any transportation here?” Jiang Tang asked again. She wasn’t being fussy about walking, she just didn’t want the general to tire herself out carrying her wife.

“Our GR03 is a small planet. The residents are all concentrated in this area, so we don’t really need transportation. If I had to name one, our Planet Master-no, our Star Lord has a flying car, but it’s rarely used.”

Jiang Tang looked at Ruan Wei in disbelief. Ruan Wei, still clinging to Jun Jue’s neck, nodded gently. “GR03 is quite underdeveloped.”

“How long will it take to walk to the Star Lord’s residence?” Jun Jue asked.

“Not far. If we pick up the pace, it’ll take about half an hour,” the bald man replied.

Life on GR03 was rather dull, with few entertainment options and leisurely work. Walking to places helped pass the time, so the residents were used to it.

Jiang Tang found it hard to believe, the disparity between planets was truly staggering.

Jiang Lan and Jiang Li supported the vampires Tao Xinran and Sun Qian, adjusting to their pace as they trailed behind.

Ruan Wei had grown accustomed to flying cars in the Federation, only walking when shopping or sightseeing. Walking wasn’t a problem, but Jun Jue had already been carrying her for so long. To walk briskly for another half hour while carrying her would surely be exhausting.

So, Ruan Wei tightened her grip on Jun Jue’s shoulders and said, “General, put me down. I’ll walk on my own.”

“Weiwei, your shoes,” Jun Jue reminded her.

“It’s fine. The soil on GR03 is so soft, I’ll just take off my other shoe and walk barefoot. It’s comfortable. When I escaped GR03, I was barefoot the whole time. G30 was covered in gravel, but I made it through.”

Tao Xinran, ever the caring elder sister, looked at Ruan Wei with pity. “Weiwei, you must have suffered a lot back then, didn’t you?”

Ruan Wei straightened up on Jun Jue’s back. “Sister Tao, it wasn’t suffering at all!”

Sun Qian laughed. “Look how happy Weiwei is now.”

Jun Jue came up with another solution. She unfastened the silver fox mecha pendant hanging around her neck.

In an instant, a towering silver fox mecha stood on the open ground, its weight causing the soft soil beneath to sink slightly. Jun Jue carried Ruan Wei into the mecha’s main cabin and gently set her down on the seat.

“It’s a bit hard,” Jun Jue said.

Ruan Wei was too excited to care. She adjusted her position on the seat and said to Jun Jue, “General, do you remember back on G30 when you wouldn’t let me inside? You used-”

“That was my fault.”

“No, General, you were wonderful. You cradled me in the palm of the silver fox mecha and even covered me with a blanket in the middle of the night!”

Jun Jue: “…”

How did Weiwei know about that?

…

Jun Jue summoned her mecha, and the Jiang Lan sisters also called forth their own. Their three mechas were like triplets, all black in color.

In an instant, only Tao Xinran, Sun Qian, and the bald native remained on the ground.

Tao Xinran’s gaze lingered for a few seconds on the three nearly identical black mechas before she walked up to the foot of one that stood with its hands on its hips. She reached out and lightly knocked on it. Inside the main cockpit, the pilot was checking the performance metrics of her mecha to see if it had been affected by the unfamiliar planet when she suddenly felt a tap on her lower leg.

Every part of the mecha was connected to the pilot’s senses. Jiang Tang looked down and saw the tiny Tao Xinran standing beside her leg, looking up at her.

“Are you Jiang Tang?”

Such a simple question, yet it froze Jiang Tang in place. She maneuvered the mecha to crouch down.

Tao Xinran then asked, “Can I hitch a ride on your mecha?”

Jiang Tang understood she wanted a lift. The mecha’s palm gently lowered beside Tao Xinran. “Hop on.”

“Thanks.” Without hesitation, Tao Xinran stepped onto the mecha’s hand, rising higher as the arm lifted, her heart drifting farther from the ground.

Jiang Tang opened the main cockpit door and placed the vampire in the heart of the mecha.

She had Tao Xinran sit beside her, her breathing inexplicably uneven.

“How did you recognize that this mecha was mine?”

Tao Xinran grinned at her, her eyes disappearing into crescents, leaving only two curved slits. Deep dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth.

“Guess,” Tao Xinran said.

Though it was still winter, Jiang Tang felt as if spring had arrived early.

“I can’t guess.”

“When the three of us aren’t piloting our mechas, can you tell us apart?”

“I recognize you.”

She didn’t say she could tell them apart, she said she recognized her.

Jiang Tang nearly teared up. “Can I ask how you recognize me?”

Tao Xinran just kept smiling. “Secret.”

Before Jiang Tang could say more, Tao Xinran pointed at the mecha’s control screen. “The General and Weiwei have already set off. We should catch up.”

Jiang Tang piloted the mecha into a sprint.

Sun Qian boarded Jiang Li’s mecha, while Jiang Lan traveled alone, unburdened.

The mechas swept past like a gust of wind, vanishing into the distance.

Only the bald man was left behind, the rising dust his sole companion.

A single crocodile tear rolled down his cheek.

He, too, wished he could experience such a cool mecha ride.

…

Night fell. Guided by Ruan Wei, Jun Jue and the others arrived at the residence of GR03’s Star Lord. They retracted their mechas, their feet landing on solid ground once more, with Jun Jue still carrying Ruan Wei on her back.

The house was built from stacked gold, ornate and imposing, like the palace of an ancient tyrant. Yet upon closer inspection, the craftsmanship was crude, with many sections scraped thin over time.

“Over the years, the population of GR03 has dwindled, not because they moved to other planets, but because they died of illness, starvation, or poverty. Only those with relatively fertile land, the landlords, survive here. On our planet, only the ruling class lives like humans. Ordinary people struggle to scrape by, and vampires are the lowest of the low, imprisoned until every last drop of their value is squeezed out until they lose their lives.”

Tao Xinran’s voice trembled as she spoke, her teeth chattering. Jiang Tang, standing beside her, hesitated for a moment before patting her shoulder, a gesture of comfort and encouragement often shared among their trio of sisters.

Ruan Wei lay draped over Jun Jue’s back, letting out a sorrowful sigh. Though the people who had imprisoned them were cruel, many ordinary citizens were still kind. She remembered the elderly neighbor who would share sweet, homegrown watermelons with her during the summer.

Jun Jue gently squeezed Ruan Wei’s hand, which hung loosely around her neck. “Weiwei, don’t be sad. All of this will change.”

“This is the very purpose of the Federation’s existence.”

“Mm!” Ruan Wei nodded firmly. Jun Jue’s words always carried weight, and a renewed sense of hope blossomed in her heart.

…

The Star Lord of Planet GR03 received a tip from the bald informant, here, they still relied on archaic communication methods like telephones.

Upon learning that Federation General Jun Jue had arrived on their small planet, the star lord tumbled off his gold-plated throne in shock and immediately began packing. Unfortunately, most of his wealth was tied up in immovable assets, his golden palace couldn’t be taken with him.

He pretended not to be home, too afraid to open the door.

After waiting outside for two minutes, Jun Jue’s patience ran thin. She glanced at Jiang Tang, who understood immediately. Drawing a crescent-shaped military blade from her mech, Jiang Tang dismantled the towering, gilded door in under ten seconds.

Boom! The heavy golden door crashed to the ground with a dull thud.

Ruan Wei, Tao Xinran, and Sun Qian stood frozen in awe.

Inside, the star lord, startled by the deafening noise, rushed out with a gold-threaded sack slung over his shoulder. But the moment he spotted Jun Jue at the forefront, he scurried back like a frightened rat, slamming the inner door shut behind him.

“Don’t run! I’ll tear down a hundred doors if I have to!” Jiang Tang darted after him with agile grace.

After a moment of agonizing deliberation, the star lord, on the verge of tears, reluctantly opened the door himself. Jiang Tang eyed his thinning hair and his belly, which protruded like an inflated ball, then wordlessly took a few steps back, waiting for General Jun Jue to take the lead before following.

“I had no idea the General was gracing us with her presence. My deepest apologies! I, Lin, may not have much, but I do have plenty of gold. Please, take whatever you wish, only spare my humble self your wrath.”

“You’re surnamed Lin too?” Jun Jue asked gravely.

“Yes, General. My name is Lin Aijing, not Lin Aijin.”

“Lin Aijin would suit you better,” Jiang Tang muttered under her breath, still holding her tool. She flicked it lightly against a delicate golden flower on a vase, and the petal snapped off.

The rotund star lord let out a pained “Aiyo!” as his features scrunched into his pudgy face.

“Didn’t you say we could take whatever we wanted? I just took one flower, and you’re already heartbroken?” Jiang Tang asked.

“Please, take more! Take as many as you like,” the star lord wheezed, clutching his chest.

Jiang Tang casually handed the golden flower to Tao Xinran. “This one looks nice. Want it?”

Jiang Li, watching from the side, felt a secret thrill. Not bad, my second sister’s learning to curry favor!

“I don’t want anything from a stinky man,” Tao Xinran refused.

Jiang Li: Ah. Spoke too soon.

Jiang Tang tossed the flower back to the star lord, who caught it with teary-eyed joy, even pressing an exaggerated kiss to it, prompting Jiang Tang to shudder in disgust.

“This is the silk tree flower, it carries a very auspicious meaning!” The Star Lord cradled the golden silk tree blossom in his palm, speaking to it as if it were a treasure, then ingratiatingly turned to Ruan Wei on Jun Jue’s back. “Would you like one?”

Ruan Wei shook her head vigorously.

The star lord was about to continue his sales pitch when Jun Jue cut him off. “Mr. Lin, I believe you’re already aware of the purpose of our visit.”

“Yes, yes. As the star lord of Planet GR03, I will fully cooperate with the General’s reorganization efforts. Whatever reforms are needed, I’m on board!”

“Good.”

Jun Jue first inquired about the remaining population of GR03. The star lord reported fewer than 1,000 residents remained.

An entire planet, with less than a thousand people left.

After a moment of contemplation, Jun Jue got straight to the point: “How much gold have you been hoarding?”

“I haven’t calculated precisely, but there’s a basement full.” Gold, as a universally recognized currency, had always been collected by enthusiasts. Even in the interstellar era where star credits were commonly used, gold still held its place in monetary systems.

“Bring it all out,” Jun Jue commanded.

“Yes, sir.” The star lord was already in tears.

“Cry any more and we’ll take your golden house too,” Jiang Tang threatened. The star lord immediately wiped his tears away.

“I’ll do whatever the General asks. Just… can I remain the star lord of GR03? Our Lin family has governed this planet for generations.”

“You’ll get a chance, depending on your performance.”

…

Meanwhile, the Federation was in complete chaos.

Since last night, citizens had been discovering corpses brutally murdered in dark corners.

By now, six victims had been found across the Federation, all killed in the same manner: two large, deep puncture wounds on their necks, drained of blood.

Over the course of a day and night, under deliberate manipulation, public sentiment had reached a fever pitch. Even citizens who had once trusted Ruan Wei were now gripped by growing panic during this brief yet interminable day.

When Jiang Lan reported this news to Jun Jue, her expression remained impassive.

“General, what should we do now?” Ruan Wei asked anxiously.

Jiang Li also voiced her concern: “They’re clearly trying to pin the blame for vampire attacks on Federation citizens squarely on Madam Wei. We’re just one step away from the breaking point.”

Jun Jue replied calmly, “We’re waiting for them to reach that breaking point.”

“Jiang Tang, how’s Lin Aijing doing with dividing up the gold from the basement?”

Jiang Tang couldn’t help but laugh at the memory of Lin Aijing weeping as he packed gold bars into individual bags. “Almost done, though the bars might be a bit dirty covered in his tears and drool.”

“General, why did you have him divide the gold?”

“What was taken from the people shall be returned to the people.”