The Gamma Military Base once again began to stir for the same reason, much like water in a pot about to boil. As the boiling point approached, more and more bubbles began to rise, and soon, everyone would be bubbling over with excitement.
“Did you hear? The General is back, and he brought a child with him.”
“I didn’t just hear it, I saw it! The child looks about two years old, wearing a little military uniform, with a chubby face and a serious expression. He really has the General’s demeanor.”
“Well, that’s obvious, the General’s son is bound to look like him.”
“…”
Such conversations were happening repeatedly in different corners of the Gamma Military Base. After discussing it face-to-face, people were also sending messages through their personal terminals, and the number of people who knew about it grew exponentially. This news wasn’t limited to the base alone; soldiers who were on patrol or stationed at the borders, and others in similar roles, were also getting the latest updates.
“We’re going to be neighbors with the General!”
“Where does the General live?”
“Building 16, Unit 1 in Area A. I saw them go in, but I’m not sure which floor they live on.”
“It’s the first floor. My place is in the second unit on the twenty-third floor. I happened to glance down from the balcony, and I saw the General’s son and that mutated griffin beast playing in the yard.”
“Really? The first floor…”
“Flowers and plants are hard to take care of.”
“The General’s house is different!”
In the family district, the topic of conversation was slightly different but still centered around the General’s family. Many people couldn’t help but pay attention to them. However, everyone knew to respect their privacy, so no one stared outright. Instead, when passing by the General’s garden, they’d sneak a glance inside. Unfortunately, the trees growing along the fence were thick and lush, effectively blocking the view, leaving only the sound of the child’s cheerful laughter and the mutated griffin’s growls to reach their ears.
It sounded so lively.
It was certainly the little boy in his military uniform and the snow-white griffin beast exploring the garden together—what a beautiful sight.
People living in the upper floors couldn’t resist standing on their balconies to look down, only to regretfully find that a sunshade had been stretched across the General’s yard, blocking all views.
The first-floor units with gardens were truly ideal. The interior was over 150 square meters, with three bedrooms, two living rooms, two bathrooms, and a study. The layout allowed for cross ventilation, and when the sliding door to the living room was opened, a small balcony was revealed. The balcony led down a staircase with five steps, and at the bottom was a spacious 70-square-meter garden. The winding path through the garden was laid with flagstones, bordered with pebbles arranged in simple floral patterns using two shades of blue and white.
The variety of plants in the garden was quite rich—there were starry peonies that had been growing for over thirty or forty years, sunflowers stretching toward the light, large-leafed aquatic plants, and long-leafed orchids, among many others. At first glance, the garden appeared chaotic, but upon closer inspection, it revealed careful planning. There were flowers blooming in every season, hidden behind the apparent mess.
It was beautiful, but also notoriously difficult to maintain.
The move-in condition was clear: the plants had to be preserved without any major damage or death. Though confident at first, Ryan’s confidence was quickly shaken less than two hours after they moved in, thanks to his son and the griffin.
A sunflower leaf lay crumpled before him, its tip broken with sap slowly seeping out. Behind the leaf stood his son, Tuantuan, his small hands pressed together, honestly admitting his mistake. Beside him, Da Fu, the griffin, sat on the ground with its head lowered, also in an unspoken admission.
Ryan spoke softly but firmly, “What did Daddy say?”
His tone wasn’t harsh—there was no need to scare the children over this—but it was a lesson nonetheless. The house had been hard to come by, and if they were to lose the garden due to negligence and have to move upstairs, they wouldn’t be able to enjoy nature as much.
Tuantuan mumbled, “We should cherish the plants in the yard and not hurt them on purpose.”
Da Fu chimed in, “Howl!”
Tuantuan continued in a small voice, “If we accidentally hurt the plants, we should be brave enough to admit it and correct our mistakes. That’s what a good child does.”
Da Fu echoed again, “Howl!”
Tuantuan tilted his head up to look at his daddy, his big, round eyes full of expectation. He had sincerely admitted his mistake. The moment he realized he had accidentally damaged a leaf while playing, he immediately brought it to his daddy and reported that the plant was hurt. He was a good child, wasn’t he?
There was no denying that Tuantuan was incredibly intelligent for his age. Many children at his stage still spoke in broken sentences with muddled logic, but he could already express his thoughts clearly. He constantly expanded his vocabulary through the things and people around him, quickly picking up new words and using them in context like a little parrot. He was a particularly impressive little one.
His earnest attitude and willingness to take responsibility made Ryan proud. He crouched down to meet Tuantuan’s gaze, his expression warm. “Tuantuan, you did great. You recognized your mistake and thought about how to fix it. Daddy is giving you a big thumbs-up.”
Tuantuan blushed and smiled shyly. “Mm-hmm.”
When he looked up, he saw his papa standing behind his daddy, also giving him a thumbs-up. Puffing up his still-small chest, he declared proudly, “Daddy says we have to take responsibility for our actions. Daddy, Da Fu and I will be responsible!”
Da Fu let out a reluctant whimper. “Awooo…” It really didn’t want to, though…
Ryan crossed his arms and announced, “Since you said you’ll take responsibility, your punishment is no snacks for today.”
Tuantuan’s eyes widened in shock. Da Fu let out a dramatic wail, “Ahhh!”
Ryan held back his laughter. “You need to learn to bear the consequences of your mistakes, understand? The snacks will be saved for tomorrow. Now, take that leaf and put it in the green waste bin, then you can go back to playing. Just be more careful this time, okay?”
Tuantuan’s little face drooped in disappointment. When his papa and daddy left, he turned to Da Fu. The beast’s fluffy face was full of distress, and it howled twice in frustration—it had suffered a huge loss today!
Tuantuan reached out his tiny hand and patted Da Fu’s nose. “Don’t be mad. We have to take responsibility. But don’t worry, when we have snacks tomorrow, I’ll give you my share.”
When they had just arrived at the Gamma Military Base, Tuantuan had promised Da Fu a strawberry daifuku in exchange for letting him ride on its back. That was supposed to be today’s snack.
Da Fu let out a miserable groan. “Awooo…” But the snacks changed every day! Ryan said today was strawberry daifuku, but tomorrow it could be something completely different—howl, howl, howl!
Tuantuan said confidently, “It’s okay. If you really want strawberry daifuku, I’ll give you my share when we eat.” His eyes curved into a sly smile—this way, tomorrow’s snack would be all his.
Da Fu let out a short whimper, hesitating and slightly regretting its choice.
Tuantuan patted Da Fu’s face with a serious expression. “You said you wanted strawberry daifuku, so you can’t change your mind now. You have to be a good person.” He meant to say “someone with integrity,” but he couldn’t remember the exact phrase, so he substituted with something simpler—after all, being a good person worked in any situation.
Da Fu had no choice but to nod but still had to protest. “Awooo.”
“Got it, got it. You’re a good beast.”
With his chubby little hand clutching the big leaf, Tuantuan walked toward the green waste bin, Da Fu trailing behind, still brooding over the phrase “good beast.” The bin was tucked away in a small corner of the yard, designated for kitchen scraps and fallen leaves, which would later be turned into organic fertilizer.
Above them, the retractable sunshade had opened, filtering the intense sunlight. The softened light provided warmth for the plants while protecting the child’s delicate eyes and skin.
Back at the military base, Auston and Ryan didn’t immediately return to their duties. They had a night to rest before reporting back to work the next morning. Auston, of course, didn’t need to formally check in—he simply had to review matters with his deputy.
Their first night in the new home was peaceful and dreamless.
The next day, Auston left for work early, while Ryan had an extra hour before heading in. He used this time to take Tuantuan to register at the kindergarten.
The kindergarten’s toddler class welcomed a new student. The principal and teachers came out to greet them before leading Ryan and Tuantuan into the classroom. Ryan had already familiarized himself with the kindergarten beforehand and was quite satisfied after seeing it in person. He glanced down at Tuantuan, who neither showed curiosity nor resistance toward the new environment. That was a good start, right?
There were several toddler classes, and Tuantuan’s class had about twenty students. He wasn’t the youngest—there were children younger than him by three months. Once seated in the spot assigned by the teacher, Tuantuan didn’t cry or fuss. Instead, he quietly lowered his head and fiddled with the toy in front of him, looking somewhat listless and withdrawn.
In the classroom, a few children were crying. A teacher gently comforted one child for quite a while before the sobs finally subsided. The little one’s face was covered in tears and snot, looking utterly pitiful. Tuantuan glanced over a few times, his lips pursing slightly in grievance. Hmph, he would never cry like that.
Ryan sat cross-legged at the back of the classroom, watching his son with curiosity. What was the little guy thinking?
The teacher guided Tuantuan to introduce himself, but he showed little interest. He simply stated his name and then fell silent, completely different from the lively child he was at home.
The other children clapped their hands eagerly, their innocent eyes fixed on the new classmate.
For the interactive session, the teacher had arranged a block-matching game to help Tuantuan integrate into the group. The activity involved sorting blue squares together and placing red circles in the right spots. The other children were absorbed in the game, playing enthusiastically, but Tuantuan was completely dumbfounded. These childish games? He had stopped playing them ages ago.
Tuantuan yawned frequently, completely uninterested in the game. At one point, he even slapped away the hand of a rather large boy who had tried to touch his face.
“Annoying!” Tuantuan pouted. How could anyone touch someone else’s face without permission? That was unacceptable.
The boy he hit was bigger than most of the other kids his age, but after being swatted, he shrank back timidly, looking at the teacher with a helpless expression. He felt wronged and was on the verge of tears.
Tuantuan stared at him. “…” He hadn’t even used much force.
With a serious tone in his soft, childlike voice, he declared, “Boys don’t cry so easily. That’s what Daddy says. So no crying.”
The big boy sniffled, holding back his tears.
Tuantuan nodded in satisfaction and turned back to the colorful toys, fiddling with them absentmindedly. The matching game was so easy that he barely had to think about it.
The two young teachers looked at him with starry eyes, their thoughts swirling: As expected of the general’s child—so smart and impressive!
Tuantuan yawned again. So boring. Too simple.
Ryan watched him thoughtfully. Seeing that Tuantuan didn’t cry or make a fuss, and realizing that he wouldn’t have a major emotional reaction once left alone, Ryan decided to head to work.
Before leaving, he asked the teacher to bring Tuantuan out of the group. Crouching down in front of his son, he gently cupped his chubby little cheeks. “It was our mistake not to think this through properly. Stay here for today, and Daddy will come pick you up tonight. When we get home, we’ll talk about your school situation, okay?”
Tuantuan’s bright black eyes held a trace of grievance, making Ryan’s heart ache at the sight.
Tuantuan nodded. “Mm.”
Ryan said, “Then go play. The other kids your age are fun too.”
Tuantuan let out a soft “Oh” and reluctantly walked back to join the others.
Ryan gave him one last glance before resolutely turning to leave. On his way out, he reflected on his decision. He had overlooked Tuantuan’s feelings. Tuantuan was far more intelligent than other children his age, and being surrounded by a group of noisy, incomprehensible kids must have been uncomfortable for him.
It seemed like he needed to arrange an intelligence test for Tuantuan and then have experts design a tailored educational plan. With this reference, they could better educate their child. Ryan thought about his own experience. He had been reborn with the memories of his past life. As a child, he had always struggled to fit in with others because he was too advanced for his peers. He had to adapt on his own, treating it as a test of his resilience. But Tuantuan was different—he was smart, but still a child emotionally, and needed to be handled with more care.
Lost in thought, Ryan arrived at the Mecha Engineering Department at the Gamma Military Base, where he trained and studied. Instead of heading to the training grounds to meet his colleagues, he made his way upstairs to find Colonel William Helms. There were a few things to do: first, to report back from his leave, second, to formally return to his duties, and third, to receive his new assignment. He was no longer just an ordinary mecha engineer; he was now a special engineer for General Auston Dalton!
He had accomplished the goal he set when he first boarded the Xingtian ship.
Along the way, he didn’t encounter many people—only a few robots rushing past with paper files. When he reached the third floor, he found Colonel William Helms’ office door open. After knocking twice, he was permitted to enter. Before he could say anything, the irritated colonel pressed him to the light brain.
“Good, you’re back. This file needs to be done by the end of the day. All the data and materials are in the folder. If you’re missing anything, just contact me.”
Colonel Helms wanted to get away from writing documents and didn’t want to stay in the office for another minute. “Haha, it’s good that you’re back! I’ve got something else to take care of, you focus on the documents. Once you’re done, the new assignment will be issued.” With that, he rushed out of the office, disappearing quickly.
Ryan: “…” First day back from leave.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152