MPWATMBC Chapter 119

Gamma Planet.

All the soldiers who participated in the Third Legion’s joint exercise had returned to their respective posts. The entire military base showed no change due to this brief interlude—everything was as usual, everything remained the same. Even with the absence of Supreme Commander General Auston Dalton, the base’s daily operations continued without the slightest disruption.

Only a handful of people knew that General Auston Dalton, who had taken both regular leave and parental leave, would be returning to the base today. When news of the General’s marriage broke, the shock within the entire Golden Crusade Legion was nothing short of a magnitude ten earthquake.

Their general actually got married!

The youngest General in the entire empire actually got married!

Their mighty and strikingly handsome imperial General actually got married—and his spouse was just an ordinary soldier from the legion!

Marriage in itself wasn’t the issue. The general had waited for a match for so many years—getting married was perfectly normal. But why was the general’s genetic sequence X?!

…

Doubts about Ryan flooded in from all directions. Many people wanted to know—why? Why was that lucky person Ryan Smith, an unremarkable, practically invisible soldier from the mecha engineering department?

What made Ryan Smith worthy?

Those who had worked with Ryan: Heh.

If anyone asked what exactly that “Heh” meant, those who had worked with Ryan would mysteriously say: “You’ll understand once you spend time with Ryan. That’s someone who can crush you in every possible way—completely and utterly.”

Most listeners would dismiss it on the spot, while a small number remained skeptical. How could someone be that outstanding? How could they surpass others in every single aspect?

Then, a series of news reports emerged—

Ryan became Master McAryan’s closed disciple.
Ryan joined the Imperial Mecha Research Institute.
Ryan took charge of beast-type mecha development.
Ryan became the acting executive director of the Imperial Mecha Research Institute.

In just a few months, he accomplished what took most people years, decades—even a lifetime. When a person’s excellence reached such an overwhelming level, others lost the will to compare. Even jealousy and resentment faded into nothing.

Once everyone accepted the reality of General Auston Dalton’s marriage, they found it rather fitting—after all, the one who married the General was truly exceptional.

Today, Gamma Military Base remained unchanged from any other day.

Starships came and went in the docking port, uniformed soldiers moved about with precision and discipline—everything orderly, everything running like clockwork. A small, fully black starship entered the docking area without causing a stir, blending in seamlessly with the other vessels.

When the hatch of the black starship opened, the first to emerge were two small robots—an unusual entrance that caught the attention of a handful of onlookers. Then, a child stepped out from behind them.

A three-heads-tall kid in military uniform.

He was adorable. His plump cheeks had a healthy rosy hue, his dark eyes were bright and full of life, and his finely sculpted brows hinted at how strikingly handsome he would become as he grew. The little one was dressed in a perfectly tailored miniature military uniform, and on his shoulder gleamed a Golden Crusade Rose Medal—a badge issued by the Golden Crusade Legion to family members residing at Gamma Military Base, thanking them for leaving behind the bustling cities to live alongside the soldiers in a life far removed from the glamour of the outside world.

The little one walked forward with steady steps, his expression calm and unflustered despite being in an unfamiliar place.

Whose child is this? So adorable!

More and more people slowed their pace, turning their attention toward the open hatch of the starship, curious to see who the child’s guardian was.

After taking about two meters’ worth of steps, the child stopped. He tilted his head, looking back into the starship, and waved his little hand toward the inside. His soft, milky voice called out—

“Da Fu.”

Da Fu?

Some people turned the name over in their minds—it sounded strangely familiar.

The child called again.

A deep, growling beast’s roar echoed from within the starship, followed by a massive creature emerging from the hatch. It was as large as a fully grown male griffin, pure white from head to tail, with a pair of powerful wings folded against its back.

“A winged lion?!”

“Wait… isn’t that the one the general raised? The mutant atavistic griffin?”

“It was just a tiny cub back then… How did it grow this big? I remember reading somewhere that atavistic mutant griffins can’t even survive, let alone reach adulthood.”

“And yet, look who raised it. You really think anything our general raises would be ordinary?”

“That makes so much sense… I can’t even argue with it.”

“Could this child be…?”

“He is…”

Everyone’s eyes lit up as they stared at the chubby little boy, Tuantuan, and somehow—against all logic—they actually saw the stern, commanding presence of General Auston Dalton in that soft, round face.

Tuantuan frowned slightly, his delicate brows furrowing.

These adults are so annoying. Why are they all staring at him?

He pursed his lips and turned to his companions.

“Chu Chu, Ling Ling¹Ling means Zero; Ling Ling addresses Code Zero in a affectionate way, why are they all looking at me?” he pouted and asked unhappily.

Yuan Chu, who had long since accepted his peculiar new nickname, replied matter-of-factly, “They envy your uniform.”

Code Zero answered, “They think you’re cute.”

Tuantuan immediately refuted, “No, it’s ‘handsome’! Boys can’t be called cute.”

“Oh.” Code Zero smoothly corrected himself, “They think you’re handsome… and also envy your uniform.”

Tuantuan glanced at the uniforms worn by the surrounding adults, then looked down at his own. After a moment of consideration, he nodded. “Mine looks better.”

“Awoo.”

Da Fu, moving with lazy, unhurried steps, walked up to Tuantuan and nudged him with its large head before lowering its body slightly—signaling for Tuantuan to climb on. This had been their agreement beforehand: Da Fu would let Tuantuan ride, and in exchange, Tuantuan would give Da Fu a strawberry daifuku.

As long as Ryan was home, the fridge was never lacking in desserts, and strawberry daifuku was a constant—it might be late sometimes, but it would never be absent. Ryan’s homemade strawberry daifuku was Da Fu’s absolute favorite.

Tuantuan loved it too. But since he had promised to give his own portion to Da Fu, his little face scrunched up in heartbreak.

Still, an agreement was an agreement.

He patted Da Fu’s side. “Lower down, lower down.”

Da Fu gave him a long, mournful look. It was already sprawled flat on the ground—how much lower could it go? Any lower and it would have to start digging a hole right there on the spot.

Tuantuan looked even more distressed. “I can’t go up…”

“Awooo~” Da Fu whined softly—Call the adults.

Tuantuan nodded seriously. “You’re right.”

Having grown up with Da Fu, he had never needed formal lessons—he could understand its vocalizations instinctively.

He turned and looked back toward the starship, puzzled. Why hadn’t Daddy and Papa come out yet?

“Daddy! Papa!” he called out, his voice urgent. He needed grown-up help right now!

Ryan’s voice came from inside the ship—

“Baby, wait just a moment. We’re coming.”

Ryan truly meant right away—he wouldn’t let this “horse” wait on the road too long. Almost as soon as his words fell, he stepped out of the starship, dressed in his military uniform, his gentle smile unwavering.

He walked over, his voice warm. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

Tuantuan patted Da Fu’s firm, muscular side with his small hand. “Daddy, I want to get on.”

“Alright.”

Ryan took a few steps forward, lifted the little one with ease, and settled him onto Da Fu’s back. He kept a steady hand on him until Tuantuan was securely seated.

“Baby, hold on tight.”

Tuantuan straightened his back, sitting as upright as possible, and gave a small, firm nod. “Mm.” He was copying the way Daddy and Papa sat—surely this made him look very composed and mature.

The onlookers watching this scene felt their hearts melt on the spot. How could this child be so adorable? They are inspired to have a child.

The world is tricking me into having a child again!

Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps came from behind them.

Both Tuantuan and Ryan turned at the same time, their eyes meeting Auston’s.

The General smiled at his little family. “Waiting for me?”

“Yeah, Papa!”

Auston chuckled softly. “Sorry to keep you waiting, baby. Let’s head out now.”

Tuantuan cheered along, his voice bright and lively, “Okay!”

The Gamma Military Base of the Golden Crusade Legion provided excellent living conditions for military families. Although the housing units were identical regardless of rank, both the neighborhood environment and interior décor were designed to ensure the satisfaction of all residents.

There were three family housing districts, all built around a lake, whose water was clear and bright, sparkling under the sunlight as if gems were hidden within. At the shallow areas along the shore, golden double-petaled lotuses bloomed, with small water birds playfully darting between the thick green leaves.

The lakefront was bordered by a park, where many young couples played with their children. Older children were already attending school, as the military base offered a full range of educational facilities, from preschool to high school. Whether it was the learning environment or teaching resources, they were on par with those found in major cities.

All the homes in the family housing district were apartments, with no standalone houses, embodying the military’s principle of equality. Even Auston had to submit an application to be granted a residence. As they walked along the park’s path toward their building, Auston was greeted by everyone they passed, and occasionally, someone would wave to Ryan, but no one could outshine Tuantuan. Riding on Da Fu, he was the most eye-catching child in the entire residential area.

Tuantuan raised his head proudly in the envious eyes of the children. He had never seen so many children in his life. It was really interesting.

“Daddy, look at that little kid yo, wearing bad pants.” Tuantuan knew it was impolite to point at someone, so he just looked at the kid wearing open-crotch pants. The weather was hot, and the little boy, who was about twelve or thirteen months old, was wearing open-crotch pants without a diaper underneath, shyly exposing his little ding dong. His clothes were long enough to cover it, but he moved around a lot, so it was inevitable that he would be exposed.

Auston softly explained to Tuantuan, “Tuantuan, that little brother is wearing open-crotch pants, you wore them when you were little too.” Tuantuan was still at the age when he was considered “little,” but it was from a time not long ago.

Tuantuan blushed and quickly denied, “I didn’t, I don’t remember.”

“Oh, you did. I even have photos of you at that age in my personal terminal. Want to see them?”

“NO, NO, NO…” Tuantuan quickly covered his ears, refusing. He definitely never wore those kinds of pants.

After some banter, they soon arrived at their new home. Auston and Ryan had discussed and chosen a ground-floor apartment with a yard, offering more space and a suitable area for Da Fu to roam freely. However, the requirements for a ground-floor residence were high, one of which was to ensure the survival of all plants in the yard, as part of contributing to the beautification of the residential area.

Ryan, confident that taking care of some plants would be easy, would later find himself often realizing he was overly optimistic. With Da Fu around and a curious growing child, along with the prospect of expanding their family in the future, ensuring the plants’ survival was truly a big challenge.

At that moment, Ryan stood in the living room, appreciating their new home on the military base, and told Auston, “It’s really nice.”

“I think so too,” Auston said, smiling at Ryan.

Amidst the laughter of the child and Da Fu’s occasional howls, their life in the family housing area began.