Chapter 665 Ding Hu: I Feel Someone in the Distance Needs Me

October 3, 2999
At the age of twenty-one, Ding Hu finally graduated from the Earth Military Academy in the third solar system with a qualified performance, becoming a freshly-baked second lieutenant.
There are two employment choices in front of Ding Hu.
First, enlist locally and join the Solar System Defense Force, starting as a combat team leader, training around the clock, ready to fight the enemy at any time, gradually honing his abilities in the overall peaceful environment of the region.
Secondly, go to the front-line battlefield located in the Sagittarius Arm, and immerse yourself in the dangerous battlefield. Under the test of blood and fire, you will either grow quickly or sacrifice yourself.
According to Ding Hu's own thoughts, he is more inclined to choose the second path.
But his family and friends don't quite agree.
After all, he is just too mediocre.
Reversing the clock to the year 2978, in fact, when Ding Hu was born, the social resources he received were amazing, and his early growth rate was not slow.
Unfortunately, it was around the age of twelve that Ding Hu reached his peak as a combatant.
His talent was so mediocre that he could only barely cross the B-level threshold at the age of eighteen, despite giving it his all.
From now on, every potential assessment system has left a deeper mark on him, indicating the limit of his life, which is b-level.
Even if he experiences many trials on the battlefield and walks between life and death many times, it cannot change this recognition. At most, he can only transform from a fresh b-level player into a seasoned b-level old hand.
He will never be able to take on the crucial tasks that can determine the outcome of the battle on the battlefield. He will always just follow the main force and do what he can. Perhaps he is an inconspicuous fish in the big battle, or maybe he is a regular army unit that confronts ordinary enemies on the sidelines, or maybe he is a garrison unit that defends a certain area with his life and discovers intelligence about enemy raids.
Ding Hu is not dissatisfied with these comments.
As a firm practitioner of the doctrine of fate, and a fervent fan of the sages, Ding Hu regards a sentence from the sages' quotations as a sacred scripture.
"Every seemingly insignificant screw has its undeniable value."
He was willing to be that screw and work hard for it until suddenly he graduated and had to face new choices.
At the moment of graduation, the goal he has been striving for seemed inexplicably elusive.
Ding Hu knew he shouldn't have such absurd and wavering thoughts, he was just temporarily undecided.
He has more than 20 days to consider, and he only needs to make a decision before midnight on October 31st.
Dinghu spent several days discussing with many people, including family and friends, as well as some successful and influential people, and many non-profit consulting organizations.
He even went to the Social Sciences Institute of Xingfeng Research Institute and talked to some well-known old scholars who help others with life planning for a long time.
Ding Hu wants to find a path that can best realize his own value.
After running around for two weeks and asking hundreds of people, as well as consulting the mainbrain database of Fanzxing, Ding Hu came up empty and didn't get the answer he wanted.
Feeling a sense of confusion that lingered, Ding Hu piloted his personal shuttle to the base of the Mount Everest on Earth.
There is a memorial hall here to commemorate the growth process of the philosopher Chen Feng in multiple segments of history of nothingness.
The memorial hall has many digitized historical materials that record how Chen Feng gradually became the hope of humanity from an ordinary person in this ordinary training base.
Ding Hu loves this period of history very much. Whenever he feels tired, he will come here. Not only can he temper his will in history, but also he can cultivate his sentiment by enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Daxue Mountain.
The Daxue Mountain Memorial Hall is a privilege of the human race in the solar system, and it always brings a certain degree of emotional stability when needed.
What's more unique is that the ordinary person Dinghu, whenever he sets foot in the Daxue Mountain Memorial Hall, feels particularly peaceful inside, with unusually clear thoughts.
Only in the historical materials seen by Ding Hu, except for the clear appearance of the ancient sages themselves, the faces of other people are very blurry, as if they have been deliberately processed to conceal the appearance of these people.
Dinghu once asked the history teacher about this matter.
The teacher told him that this was indeed intentional by the Academy of the Wise, with the purpose of protecting the people around the sages and avoiding disturbances to them in their process of growing up.
After walking around the exhibition hall in the memorial, Ding Hu quickly climbed up the snow mountain.
Half an hour later, he had his hands in his pockets and was stepping on the snow, making a creaking sound.
The icy wind brushes his face, slightly chilly but of no concern to him.
On the mountainside, a newly evolved snow-white eagle is slowly flying by, seemingly hunting.
Dinghu looks at the eagle with a hint of envy. Sometimes he envies the animals on earth. They have no worries without intelligence, and no troubles, born in ignorance and dying in ignorance.
People are different, living in a group from the moment they are born. While they can enjoy resources that non-intelligent creatures can never imagine, they also have to face worries that non-intelligent creatures will never have.
The more you know, the more you fear, the more you have to overcome fear.
"Are you... are you Ding Hu?"
A woman's voice suddenly came from behind.
Ding Hu turned around.
A agile woman in a gray technician's uniform stood below, looking up at him.
The girl had a short shoulder-length hair, looking neat and clean, with a curious and nervous look on her face.
Ding Hu turned and took two steps down, getting closer. "Yes, who are you?"
The girl suddenly turned a little nervous, "My name is Liu Weiwei, I am a nuclear core collection technician."
"Oh, Liu Weiwei, hello hello. How do you know me?"
Dinghu was puzzled.
"Well... um..." Liu Weiwei stuttered.
After a while, she said, "We are neighbors. My home is downstairs from yours. When we were kids, we often ran into each other going up and down the stairs."
Ding Hu paused for a moment, his eyes gradually lighting up, "Little chubby girl."
"Yes!"
Ding Hu became excited, "I can't believe it, you've grown up to be so beautiful now. By the way, how did you end up here?"
"I... I just came to take a walk and relax," Liu Weiwei lied.
After all, she was not a professional agent, nor an actress. Under pressure, she was not good at acting.
But she couldn't admit that, a day ago, she had received a message while she was working on Saturn's ring regeneration, building a fast neutron-cycling station. The message told her that the little brother, Ding Hu, who she had secretly watched countless times when they were young, had graduated successfully and was now eligible for marriage.
She didn't think much about it, took a sick leave, and then took the Solar System Transit Network's fast shuttle back to Earth, just in time to intercept Ding Hu here.
She came here to get married. But after all, she is a girl with thin skin and can't speak for a while.
Traditional straight guy Ding Hu completely failed to understand Liu Weiwei's thoughts, he just saw the other person was a childhood friend, so he enthusiastically invited, "Let's go shopping together, what do you think?"
"Okay."
What was originally a solitary walk became a walk for two, and Ding Hu's attention was divided.
The two chatted as they walked, discussing childhood memories and their current jobs, as well as their hopes for the future.
"Gathering data must be difficult, right?"
"Not too bad, most of the time I'm sitting in the office, working with artificial intelligence to handle unexpected situations. It's definitely much easier compared to you military personnel."
"Hi! Work is not distinguished by honor or disgrace, dedication is not distinguished by high or low."
"Ding Hugge, you really like to quote the words of the sages."
"Ahem, I don’t have much culture myself, so I have to memorize some things to pretend to be knowledgeable."
"Haha, you're really funny. I used to be too scared to talk to you when I was a kid. I always thought you were very serious and I felt nervous whenever I saw you, thinking you were so outstanding."
"Ah? Is that so? You really overestimate me. Maybe in the world, only you think I'm outstanding. I work so hard, but I'm just a B-level fighter."
"There are still many people who can only reach C level. Like me, my combat talent assessment is at D level, you know? I don't even qualify for military service, so I can only go and become a collector."
Ding Hu: "It's okay. The role of a collector is also very important. As long as you work hard, it's good."
"You too."
"Understood."
"Ding Hu, what are you planning to do next? Have you made a decision?"
"I want to go to the front line, but my family doesn't agree. It's not that they are afraid of me sacrificing myself, but they feel that with my level, going to the front line would just be dragging others down. Even if I die, it would be in vain. They prefer for me to stay at the school, saying that I have a talent for training new recruits."
"Is it like this?" Liu Weiwei was secretly delighted. Since they were not leaving, then the matter between the two of them should be able to work out.
"I agree. Since Brother Ding Hu, your talent lies in this area, why not strengthen it? Stay."
"But I...I am not quite content. I believe that instructors who have not been tested on the battlefield are just armchair strategists, which is irresponsible to the students. And I always feel..."
"What do you feel?"
Ding Hu suddenly stopped and said slowly, "I feel like someone in the distance needs me, calling out to me."
"Huh?"
"I can't say how this feeling came about, maybe it's just my illusion. It might also be because I think too highly of myself. I always feel like fate has a plan for me. This plan might lead to my early death, but if I don't try to fulfill it, I might never find peace in my life, and will just be a walking dead."
Liu Weiwei didn't know how to respond to this, "But... but..."
"But I am too weak, can't bear any heavy burden, right? Haha, I know. I am very self-aware."
"So, are you still going to the front line?"
"He doesn't know."
The two were chatting when Ding Hu's communicator rang.
It was a global broadcast message.
He opened it and his expression changed slightly.
The third choice has appeared.
Real frontline intelligence has been transmitted, the Tiantong Portal in the Dagger Warzone of the Cloud Peak Star Region has been stable for two years, and a large number of human fleets in the frontline have been continuously traversing the portal, entering the Cloud Peak Star Region, and joining the most intense battle between humans and the Compound Eyes at the moment.
Over there, humans are facing extremely strong and overwhelming forces of compound-eyed soldiers, and the battle is extremely fierce. In order to prevent the reserve forces from falling behind the frontline consumption, the Empire of Dawn has already launched a comprehensive conscription involving the entire empire.
From now on, all personnel in the defense forces of the rear galaxies can choose to sign up for selection on their own. Those who pass the selection will enter the front-line reserve, heading for the jump gate leading to the Tian Dong Star Gate, while receiving intensive training.
Once the front line is in need, these reservists will be immediately deployed to the battlefield.
New recruits who have just graduated from military academies also have the qualifications to enlist, including Ding Hu.
Ding Hu suddenly froze in place.
His heart began to inexplicably race.
Undoubtedly, the importance of the Yunding battlefield is the highest among all current human battlefields, without a rival.
Even ordinary soldiers with extremely low access to information can figure out that as long as the Yunding Star Domain does not fall, the security level of the imperial headquarters in the rear will be much higher.
But do I have the qualifications to participate in this level of battlefield?
Definitely not, I'm afraid I don't even have the chance to be selected.
But why do I feel a strong sense of destiny that I can't shake off when I think of that place?
"What's wrong, Brother Dinghu?"
"It's, it's nothing."
"You seem troubled. Let me see what the news is. Oh, you're going to the Cloud Peak Star Domain! Goodness gracious!" Liu Weiwei was shocked.
Dinghu shook his head awkwardly. "I'm just thinking about it, but I'm afraid I won't be chosen."
Liu Weiwei was puzzled, "Why! Isn't it very dangerous there? It's like going through nine deaths and still surviving!"
Ding Hu asked back, "But we still have thousands of billions of comrades holding on over there. Including the original expedition fleet, those predecessors didn't think about coming back when they set off. Now the soldiers added to the fleet also know it's nine deaths and still surviving over there, but everyone still went. You can't say that just because it's considered nine deaths and still surviving, we shouldn't do it. If every soldier thinks like this, what hope is there for humanity?"
Liu Weiwei lowered her head in shame, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, it's not your fault. The job of a collector also has its dangers, aren't you still doing it?"
"Understood."
After a long time, Ding Hu slowly said.
"The ancients once said, the compound eyes are not our ultimate enemy. Behind the compound eyes, there must be a powerful mastermind beyond our imagination. Sooner or later, we will have to face a strange and even more powerful enemy. The struggle of mankind is not a short-term war with easily visible results. This war will inevitably be long-lasting, extremely difficult, and will inevitably result in countless sacrifices and bloodshed."
"But the ancient sages also said that human beings have ultimate potential beyond the limits of the universe. As long as people can unite and strive for generation after generation, each person remembers that they are a part of the current era, and none stand aloof. Each person is not afraid of sacrifice, and in their respective positions, they strive for perfection, advancing like the Foolish Old Man Moving Mountains, slowly unleashing our potential and raising our limits. Then the relationship of 'enemy strong, we weak' will surely be reversed."
"When the transfer of this power relationship reaches a certain critical point, human resistance will be unstoppable. There will be a day for humans, and now. The existence of the Cloudtop Starfield represents the transformation of our power relationship with the Compound Eyes, which has reached a certain limit."
"This is an unprecedented major milestone. As long as we win the Battle of Cloud Peak, we will achieve a phase of civilization freedom that was previously unimaginable. The global call represents that the leadership of the empire has realized this. I, Ding Hu, may be insignificant, but I am eager to go to the most dangerous battlefield and participate in the most dangerous tasks, to make the greatest contribution that belongs to me personally. Whether successful or not, I will sign up and give it a try. If I can go there, whether as a warrior or as the new recruit instructor, I will have no regrets."
He is no longer lost.
After more than two weeks of wandering and searching, Ding Hu finally found his ultimate choice.
Liu Weiwei looked at the man she had seen for the first time since she was a child, and felt that he was the man destined for her, her heartbeat accelerated.
She suddenly hugged Ding Hu and said, "You have to give your parents a grandchild first. Let’s get married, Hu. I like you! I have liked you for many years!"
Hu's face suddenly turned red.
Ding Hu never expected that there were still a group of scholars in the plan of the sages who were watching him and Liu Weiwei.
The scholars sighed.
It's no wonder he is the enlightened teacher of the sages, bringing together the threads of two destinies in one fell swoop.
One is the wife destined for him, and the other is the tutor destined by the predecessors.
The power of time and fate is truly incredible.