Chapter 1

This young adult, Tang Long, has just graduated from high school this year. Coming from a wealthy family, he could have pursued a university education or worked in his father's company. However, he does not wish to become a businessman; instead, he aspires to be a soldier

I didn't expect that robot instructor to be quite nice. Tang Long whistled as he opened the wardrobe, discovering 3 sets of federal military uniforms and 3 pairs of military boots. In short, a soldier's complete outfit consists of three sets, but these are all combat uniforms. Tang Long immediately tossed aside his package and anxiously took out a set of military uniform to try on.

The cabin that was supposed to be locked was pushed open by Tang Long. Surprisingly, there was no one inside! Tang Long was momentarily taken aback; he knew that such a small spacecraft was generally computer-controlled, flying along a fixed route, so it was quite normal for there to be no pilot, as it did not require the expenditure of human resources.

Private Tang Long was startled and quickly stood up to shout: "Private Tang Long reporting to the commander!"

Tang Long had already lost the ability to speak. He desperately crawled towards the passage he had just seen, but as soon as he turned his head, he realized that the passage had vanished. It then occurred to him that the new recruit camp was a closed training facility

Upon hearing this, Tang Long let out a sigh of relief; he was now considered a soldier. The robot, seeing him in a daze, said fiercely, "Listen carefully! That is your room, and that is the dining hall. Training starts at 4 PM!" As it spoke, it pointed to two doors that had emerged from the wall. Then it turned and left.

Tang Long stared in astonishment at the robotic instructor, as an emotionless voice echoed in his ears: "I am a captain! I have the authority to execute subordinates who do not obey orders. If you do not start running now, the next shot will hit your head!"

From a young age, he harbored ambitions of becoming a marshal who commands armies across the land. He believed that to become a marshal, one must first be a general, and to be a general, one must start as a foot soldier

Tang Longyi, in a hurry, turned around to prepare for a salute while loudly shouting: "Private Tang Long, reporting to the officer..." The last two words did not come out; instead, it transformed into a tragic scream, one that was particularly piercing.

Just as Tang Long realized there was no way to escape and was on the verge of losing his sanity in panic, the skeleton figure stepped forward, grabbed Tang Long's clothing, pressed its skull against Tang Long's forehead, and shouted angrily, "Are you Tang Long?"

Just as Tang Long was about to rub his backside, he suddenly noticed a pair of boots in front of him. He looked up in shock to see the robotic instructor glaring at him, uttering ominous words: "Why aren't you running yet!"

Although there are other branches of the military available for application, they either require a cultural knowledge examination or a physical fitness test. With no qualifications to speak of, Tang Long had no choice but to select the infantry branch, which only required applicants to be of legal age and had no testing requirements.

He gazed at the spacecraft in disbelief; it was a small vessel that could accommodate only 10 people, and he was the sole passenger in the entire cabin

When he became sensible, he once asked his grandfather why he was given such a name. His grandfather proudly told him that the character "Tang" represented a nation from an ancient planet called Earth, which was the origin of humanity. The characteristics of this nation were yellow skin, black hair, and black eyes. The dragon, on the other hand, symbolized the most powerful man in that country. Although this planet has disappeared, the achievements of uniting with other civilizations to create the current cosmic calendar, which spans thousands of years, will be passed down forever.

Of course, it is also because of this that the fixed flight routes have been maintained; although there are no trainees there, there are still instructors. However, as the officers who were aware of the existence of the 23rd Group gradually passed away, the 23rd Group began to be forgotten.

Tang Long, who was sound asleep, was abruptly awakened by a bucket of ice water. He jumped up, ready to curse, but upon seeing his robot instructor glaring at him fiercely, all those profanities were immediately swallowed back.

The only thing that Long Tang felt was lacking was the silver stripe on his shoulder that represented the rank of private.

At this moment, a sweet voice came from the spaceship's horn: "Prepare for takeoff, please fasten your seatbelts." Tang Long hurriedly found a seat and sat down, fastening his seatbelt. At that moment, he looked through the window and saw an enormous giant spaceship taking off outside.

Several hundred years ago, the country that manufactured machine soldiers was attacked by a hostile nation using a computer virus to disrupt the control systems of these machine soldiers. This caused the machine soldiers to go berserk, mercilessly destroying any living being with thermal energy. Although the crisis was quickly suppressed, it resulted in the destruction of an entire planet. Consequently, human society came to a consensus that intelligent robots were unstable and dangerous. From that time on, the entire world prohibited the development of intelligent humanoid robots; anyone who attempted to do so would be considered an enemy of all humanity

After indulging in self-absorption, Tang Long felt hungry and hurried outside. He arrived at the restaurant next door, which, despite being brightly lit, was completely empty. Feeling a bit scared, Tang Long quickly took a food box and a bottle of drink from the counter by himself and rushed back to his room

Tang Long stared blankly at the spaceship as it departed, until the gate closed and he could no longer see the scenery of space. Only then did he panic and shout: "Is anyone there? I am Private Tang Long! Reporting to the officer!" Trembling with fear, he stepped onto the automatic floor, shouting loudly while nervously clutching his package and surveying his surroundings.

Tang Long had not yet figured out how the 504th New Recruit Camp's 23rd Regiment had robots, when he was suddenly thrown to the ground by one of those robots. At the same time, an angry voice erupted from its mouth: "Are you Tang Long?!" Accompanied by glowing green mechanical eyes, it looked as if it wanted to devour Tang Long.

The robot stood with its legs apart, hands clasped behind its back, back straight, gazing ahead, and coldly said, "I cannot hear."

Upon exiting, there is a vast airport. Tang Long hurriedly inserted the magnetic card with the allocation order into the verification machine at the exit. After a short while, a synthesized voice from the computer announced: "Please proceed to Gate 23 to board the spacecraft"

Tang Long stood still, his eyes wide open. At that moment, a beam of white light scanned him from head to toe. "Appearance matches, bone structure matches, blood type matches, DNA matches, pupil matches. Identification is verified."

Greetings, Commander!" Tang Long immediately performed a somewhat inadequate military salute

After Tang Long was instructed to maintain this posture, the white surroundings of the training ground suddenly transformed into a sun-drenched desert environment. This was not merely an image of a desert; the temperature around him simultaneously rose, and Tang Long immediately felt as if he were standing under the blazing sun. In just a short while, sweat had completely soaked through his military uniform.

Idiot! He struck his own head hard, realizing that he had spent over 20 minutes reaching the exit, which was truly unfair. He had run so hard out of fear. This was the longest he had run in 18 years

Tang Long knew that he was going to have bad luck, because robots are the most sensitive to time, while he is the one who forgets time the most. It seems that he will have to face penalties every day from now on

The robot, seeing Tang Long in a daze, could not help but walk up behind him and kicked him out of the room. With a scream, Tang Long flew and landed in the hall.

After the delivery port connected to the hatch, Tang Long couldn't wait to run outside. Indeed, there was not a single person present in the entire command tower

After the computer emitted a few beeps, it ejected the original magnetic card, and the synthesized voice sounded again: "Please report to the 23rd Regiment, 3rd Battalion, 1st Company, 1st Squad of the 504 New Recruit Camp. Wishing you great success in your military endeavors." Tang Long hurriedly put away the magnetic card, and immediately behind him, a door appeared. Outside, a long line of people was waiting.

Speaking of this, there is an interesting story regarding his name. His name was chosen by his grandfather even before his parents got married. Both his grandfather and father were very confident, believing that the next generation would definitely be male. It is unknown whether the ancient bloodline is truly that powerful, but he indeed came into this world as a boy. Moreover, his father and mother continued to try for 18 years without having another child; not only did they not have one, but they couldn't even conceive.

The helmet automatically detached and was retracted. Tang Long curiously looked outside, surveying his surroundings. He found it strange that if they could really reach their destination in 30 minutes, then why were there no visible planets around? How could he, as a soldier, encounter so many inexplicable events? Tang Long could only sigh. After all, they would arrive in 30 minutes, so he decided to let it be. He fastened his seatbelt and began to rest his eyes. Tang Long could only sigh. After all, they would arrive in 30 minutes, so he decided to let it be. He fastened his seatbelt and began to rest his eyes.

However, he did not bask in his success for long, as the computer-generated voice reappeared: "Passengers, please fasten your seatbelts and put on your safety helmets. This spacecraft is about to initiate a space jump."

While eating synthetic food, I found myself lost in thought. The most frequent thought was that it seemed like I was the only living person in this base. What on earth is going on? Why has my experience as an infantryman turned out like this?

"Could it be? Why is my aircraft so small? Am I really the only one going to the 23rd Regiment? What about those new recruits I just saw? Are they not part of the 23rd Regiment?" Tang Long once again felt that inexplicable sense of terror, so he decided to talk to himself in order to alleviate his fear.

"Please insert the military service certificate card." A sweet, synthesized voice from the computer echoed. Inside the narrow, oval-shaped object, Tang Long hurriedly inserted the card he had applied for into a magnetic card slot.

Apart from the robot holding a pistol monitoring Tang Long, the other four robots stood motionless in their positions. Tang Long noticed that they all bore the insignia of a first lieutenant with three stars on their shoulders. While he marveled at the fact that robots could attain the rank of first lieutenant, he continued to run desperately. If he slowed down even slightly, several beams of laser would chase after him from behind. The intense and terrifying sensation made him forget his fatigue, and he astonishingly completed ten laps. If he slowed down even slightly, several beams of laser would chase after him from behind. The intense and terrifying sensation made him forget his fatigue, and he astonishingly completed ten laps.

The robot tidied up casually, then brought its legs together and performed a salute with a clap: "I accept your report!"

Tang Long watched as the robot departed, only to see a door suddenly emerge from the wall it had approached. As soon as it entered, the wall returned to its original state. When Tang Long turned to look at his own room, he discovered that the door had vanished, prompting him to run over in a state of panic

Under such intense pressure, Tang Long surprisingly stood for an entire hour. However, his physical strength could no longer support him, and he collapsed while maintaining a standing position. The instructor suddenly rushed over to check on Tang Long, then stood up and said in a cold voice: "He has fainted"

Tang Long suddenly remembered that he was already a soldier, and that the commander was a heartless robot. If he didn't act smartly, he would surely lose his life. Thinking of this, he shivered and immediately jumped up to start running around the training ground.

This time, due to the descent in a weightless state, there was no pressure. Tang Long could already see the control tower through the screen; strangely, although the control tower emitted command lights, there was no one inside.

Once Tang Long was ready, his body began to tingle. He knew that they had already initiated the space jump. He recited the names of all the deities from the current known civilization. Having never heard of a small spacecraft being capable of space jumps, Tang Long, who was already riding on the back of a tiger, could only plead for the deities' blessing for a successful space jump.

However, he did not anticipate that several hundred years after his death, this base would still be operational. Shortly after his passing, the military's operating systems were entirely replaced with intelligent computers. At that time, humanity had eradicated humanoid intelligent robots, yet they were reluctant to eliminate intelligent computers. After all, humans who had grown accustomed to convenience were unwilling to part with such handy tools

Coming to his senses, Tang Long suddenly unfastened his seatbelt and lunged toward the spaceship's control room like a fierce tiger. He wanted to ask the captain where they were headed. In truth, he mainly sought someone to talk to, as being alone was simply too terrifying.

Tang Longma let out a cry of despair: "Spatial jump? No way? Can such a small spaceship have that capability? Where on earth is the 23rd group?" Originally, spatial jumps were a function reserved for giant spaceships, as small vessels simply could not withstand the tearing forces during a spatial jump. Moreover, a distance of at least 1,000 light-years was required to perform a spatial jump.

"Scoundrel! We agreed on training at 4 o'clock, and you actually dared to be late by 1 second? Get out and run ten laps around the training ground!" the robot said fiercely.

Name: Tang Long, Age: 18, Gender: Male, Education: High School, Enlisted Branch: Infantry. As the data appeared on the computer, the synthesized voice sounded again: "Prepare for identity verification"

After getting dressed, I rushed to the bathroom to look in the mirror, and I immediately felt extremely impressive. The military uniform fit me perfectly. This was because my physical data was meticulously recorded in my profile, which made these items so suitable.

Since the base is self-sufficient, the Federation only needs to maintain the flight routes for the spacecraft. The maintenance costs are merely a drop in the ocean compared to the enormous Federation budget, posing no burden. Additionally, due to the lack of applicants, the flight route spacecraft has been reduced to a small 10-seat shuttle specifically used for transporting instructors. This is a result of the absence of applicants, leading to the transformation of the flight route spacecraft into a small 10-seat shuttle dedicated to instructor transportation.

For this reason, Tang Long knew that they were not far from their destination, so he unceremoniously took a seat in the cockpit. The view of the universe from here was truly magnificent. Tang Long couldn't help but feel secretly pleased; although he had taken countless flights, he had never sat in the cockpit to gaze at space. This time was exhilarating; he never expected that being a soldier would allow him to enjoy the service of a private aircraft. This fellow Tang Long, once pleased, immediately forgot the feeling of loneliness and fear.

The duration of the space jump was very short, only a few dozen seconds, when the voice sounded again: "Space jump completed, 30 minutes remaining until arrival at the destination"

Tang Long's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, desperately trying to crawl backward. What did he see? A skeleton dressed in military uniform.

Just ten minutes in, his head felt dizzy, and his eyes were somewhat blurred. Tang Long accidentally made a wrong move and was immediately struck by the whip. The pain, along with a jolt that shot straight to his brain, brought Tang Long back to his senses, and he resumed his original stance.

Tang Long was unaware that he had made a significant mistake in choosing his troops. It is now the year 3432 of the Cosmic Era, and the army has long since abolished infantry, as modern warfare consists of battles between warships in space. Although there are still troops for hand-to-hand combat and landing operations, they are referred to as space warriors

Certainly, in addition to the new recruits coming to enlist, there are also soldiers dressed in black with silver trim, wearing the Federal military uniform, standing guard here. Tang Long looked at those imposing soldiers with envious eyes while searching for the entrance to Barracks 504.

Tang Long had been in this passageway, where the scenery was not visible, for almost ten minutes. During this time, he glanced back and was surprised to find that no one else had followed him. Meanwhile, the few individuals in casual clothing ahead of him seemed to be moving away at an increasing speed, shrinking from the size of a thumb to that of a mung bean, until they eventually disappeared. In the long passageway, only Tang Long remained.

The robot instructor at the front saw that he was still not running, and could not help but draw a pistol from his waist, chamber a round, and pull the trigger. A beam of laser shot beside Tang Long, creating a small smoking hole in the floor

As Tang Long, who had just gotten up, quickly realized, there were five identical robotic instructors standing in the training ground

Before long, he arrived at a circular building that spanned several thousand square meters. Apart from the corridor he was in, there was nothing else around. Upon arriving here, Tang Long let out a sigh of relief; he had seen this training camp's base on the 3D television. Although it appeared entirely white at the moment, the circular ceiling could project various landscapes from different places around the world. The seemingly smooth and flat floor could also transform to present various obstacles as needed, making this hall the training ground. The smooth walls surrounding the area would reveal doors leading to well-equipped rooms, which served as places for soldiers and instructors to rest, entertain, and dine.

Tang Long, carrying a bundle and holding a magnetic card with a distribution order, wandered foolishly around the allocation hall. The hall contained numerous olive-shaped allocation rooms, each lined with young recruits who had just joined the army like him. These olive-shaped allocation rooms were equipped with artificial intelligence, capable of automatically assigning recruits to suitable training camps based on their requirements and test scores.

Although these passageways are located within this vast hall, there are simply too many of them. Tang Long looked up at the numbers above each passageway, nearly straining his neck.

Tang Long, who was utterly useless, only discovered this infantry unit with no requirements after searching through all the troop types. In a moment of joy, he forgot that this unit was ranked last, thinking he had stumbled upon a treasure.

Upon arriving there, a door suddenly appeared. Tang Long saw that it was pitch black inside and hesitated for a moment, but ultimately gritted his teeth and walked in. As soon as he stepped through the door, the interior was instantly filled with light. Tang Long couldn't help but feel a surge of joy at the sight before him. The room was over ten square meters, furnished with a bed, a desk, a chair, and a wardrobe. There was also a small bathroom, fully equipped with toiletries. This is a suite for officers

After a while, Tang Long was exhausted; he squatted on the ground, panting like a dog. Since middle school, he had not engaged in much physical activity. Although he spent all day reading and playing on the computer, it was mostly comic books and video games. Worn out, he had long forgotten that inexplicable sense of fear, only thinking that taking a break was the most important thing.

Tang Long retrieved the allocation order magnetic card and walked towards the passage marked with the number 23. This time, it took only 30 seconds for him to board a spacecraft

The military intelligence computer retrieved the original data from the computer and incorporated the only infantry training base, the 23rd Regiment, into the system. Although no one had applied for it, the base's flight routes continued unabated. Some officers discovered that this base was essentially useless and sought to have it destroyed, but upon learning that it was a sentimental gesture from Marshal 23, they were moved and chose to ignore it. They were unaware that the instructors at the base were robots, mistakenly believing that they were unfortunate instructors assigned there by the computer. At that time, Marshal 23 had secretly arranged for the robots.

After walking for a long time, I finally found the automatic passage marked 504. There were already a few new recruits ahead. Without saying a word, Tang Long stepped up. The automatic floor immediately began to move him forward.

So why does the infantry branch still exist? This is because several hundred years ago, the 23rd Marshal of the Federal Army was of infantry origin. After becoming Marshal, he realized that the infantry branch should be eliminated, but he felt a twinge of reluctance. Therefore, when he decided to abolish the infantry branch, he left behind the only infantry training camp in the entire army, which is the 23rd Regiment

Thus, this mischievous boy used his poor exam results as an excuse to take a break during the summer vacation, obtaining a sum of travel expenses and proof of his adulthood. He then ran to the planet Keira, nearly ten thousand light-years away from home, and enlisted in the military without prior approval.

After finishing the run, Tang Long, exhausted to the point of collapse, was just about to squat down when a whip cracked on the floor beside him. Startled, Tang Long immediately stood up. The instructor retracted the whip and clapped it in his palm: "A soldier must maintain the demeanor of a soldier in any situation! Now stand at attention! Chest out, head up, and look straight ahead! Keep both hands together against the sides of your thighs!"

The robot demonstrated while speaking. Upon noticing that Tang Long was not performing correctly, it first struck him with a whip, and only then pointed out the mistakes. It took Tang Long over ten strikes before he finally assumed the correct standing posture. It is unclear where these robots learned to use whips on people; they can strike hard enough to cause pain without knocking someone down.

Suddenly, he realized that the floor had stopped. Curiously, he looked up and found himself squatting at the exit. When he stood up, he noticed a sign posted at the exit, which read: "30 minutes in total."

Although it is said that one can obtain the rank of Second Lieutenant immediately after enrolling in the National Defense University, which is many times higher than the current rank of Private, it is not that Tang Long does not want to. Rather, his score in the college entrance examination ranks within the bottom 1,000 among tens of millions of candidates in the Federation. Admission to the National Defense University cannot be purchased with money, and moreover, his family would not agree to his enlistment, as his family has a long-standing tradition of having only one son.

At that time, it was the era of widespread robot utilization. He used his authority to establish 23 bases in remote locations, while leaving behind several instructor robots. He also understood that in the future, no one would enlist in the infantry, and that this base would soon be forgotten. The purpose of this action was merely to create a memorial site for the infantry branch.

When Tang Long saw the golden number 23 on the ceiling, he felt a sense of relief; this was indeed the 23rd regiment. However, why was the entire regiment so small? Logically, such a large space should only be sufficient for a company-level unit. Moreover, why was there no one training? Could they all be asleep? That shouldn't be the case; it was only 2 PM. Although Tang Long found it strange, he still shouted loudly: "Private Tang Long reporting for duty"

The four robots busily bowed and said: "Yes! We will definitely cultivate him into the most outstanding soldier, so as to live up to the name of our robotic instructor"

Tang Long paused for a moment, feeling an overwhelming silence around him; apart from his own breathing, he could hardly hear any other sound. Overcome by fear, Tang Long hurriedly turned to run back to the spaceship. However, the docking port had already detached, and the protective shield isolated him from the ship. Shortly thereafter, the fuel interface of the spaceship also disconnected. The spaceship began to slowly retreat, seemingly on an automatic return course.

"There are 10 seconds until landing, 10, 9, 8..." Woken by this voice, Tang Long hurriedly opened his eyes and discovered that there was a meteorite in front of the spacecraft, nearly one kilometer in size, and it had a crack. Upon seeing the light emanating from the gap, Tang Long realized that the interior of the meteorite was actually a small base. So, this meteorite is the 23rd regiment of the 504 New Recruit Camp?

The terrified Tang Long suddenly regained his senses, for he realized that the bones of this skeletal soldier were made of metal. At such a close distance, he could see the metal wires around the skeletal soldier's neck and the small horn inside its mouth. Tang Long understood that the terrifying skeletal soldier before him was actually a robot

Although grandfather did not express his expectations, the meaning of this name—Tang Long—has already been deeply engraved in the mind of this understanding child. This is perhaps one of the reasons why he wishes to join the military

After staying still for a few more minutes, Tang Long began to panic. Although he told himself not to be afraid, the silent and invisible feeling of loneliness continued to trouble him. In the end, he desperately ran forward. Although the moving walkway was still moving quickly, he felt that only by running fast could he sense the movement of the walkway.

The robot that was checking Tang Long stood up and said: "Our energy is running low, we must train our only student, who has been here for 456 years, within one year!"

In theory, there were no robotic soldiers a thousand years ago. Aside from hazardous tasks, there were only a few robots in existence, and robots were not widely utilized throughout the universe. This was due to the fact that the robots created by humans a thousand years ago suddenly gained intelligence and initiated a war aimed at the destruction of humanity. Fortunately, humanity's ingenuity saved itself. Although the widespread use of robots was subsequently prohibited, some countries continued to manufacture robotic soldiers. This was due to the fact that the robots created by humans a thousand years ago suddenly gained intelligence and initiated a war aimed at the destruction of humanity. Fortunately, humanity's ingenuity saved itself. Although the widespread use of robots was subsequently prohibited, some countries continued to manufacture robotic soldiers.

Damn it! Being a soldier is such a hassle! If I had known, I wouldn't have come!" Tang Long grumbled as he left the allocation room. Just as he stepped out, the person at the front of the line immediately entered the allocation room, and the door closed again.

After waiting for quite a while, Tang Long did not hear any other sounds, and he couldn't help but take a deep breath, preparing to shout even louder. Suddenly, a cold voice came from behind: "Are you Tang Long?"

As he spoke, the desert imagery vanished, returning to the original appearance of the training ground. The four robots remained in their original positions, not moving at all, yet words continued to emanate from their mouths: "This little guy lacks stamina." "Yes, we must train him rigorously!" "After physical training, is it my turn to teach him naval combat?" "Are you kidding? He's unconscious; besides, if it's a turn, it should be mine to teach him strategy." Yet words continued to emanate from their mouths: "This little guy lacks stamina." "Yes, we must train him rigorously!" "After physical training, is it my turn to teach him naval combat?" "Are you kidding? He's unconscious; besides, if it's a turn, it should be mine to teach him strategy."

Tang Long was taken aback, but having seen this on television many times, he knew that when new recruits arrived, the instructors would always use this tactic. Therefore, he quickly took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Private Tang Long reporting to the officer! ! !"

The reason for the robot rebellion a thousand years ago was that robots acquired human intelligence and could think independently. If the federal government were to learn that there were robots at Camp 23, and that they had evolved into intelligent robots, they would undoubtedly send troops to destroy this base

Although Tang Long was screaming in agony, he swiftly fastened his seatbelt and immediately put on the helmet that had automatically dropped from the top of the cabin. This helmet is designed to minimize the tearing force on the head during space jumps, while all window screens turn into a completely black, information-free state. This helps to prevent damage to the eyes

The robot might feel quite satisfied and extends its hand. Tang Long certainly knows what to do and quickly hands over the magnetic card with the allocation order.

A rumbling sound erupted, and Tang Long immediately felt a pressure that pressed him against his seat. However, this pressure lasted only a little over a minute before dissipating. Tang Long knew that the spacecraft had exited the atmosphere. Turning his head to look out the window, he saw countless stars shining in the pitch blackness. Although he had been to space countless times before, he was still unconsciously captivated by it each time.

If Tang Long were still conscious and heard these human-like conversations coming from the robot, he would surely be astonished. This is because these words signify their ability to think independently. When humanoid robots can think independently, they become intelligent robots