Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 52: Not Counting the Beating

After activating the “Phoenix Rebirth” event, Gu Hang had 36 Grace Points left.

Not a small amount, but still not enough.

For a moment, he was tempted to use these Grace Points for a lottery draw.

A 40% chance of success—how could he not get something after three tries?

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

However, he ultimately decided against it.

He still wanted to upgrade.

By waiting for the fixed monthly income and adding it to these 36 points, he would have enough. If he spent the Grace Points now, he wouldn’t be able to upgrade in a few days.

In the end, he suppressed his urge to draw from the lottery.

…

After Gu Hang finished dealing with the various system functions, he also managed to rest sufficiently.

Although his head still throbbed a bit, it was much better compared to immediately after the battle.

This indirectly reassured Gu Hang: it seemed that the previous depletion of his psionic energy wasn’t severe and hadn’t affected his foundation.

Leaving the Infantry Fighting Vehicle, the cleanup of the battlefield continued.

Soldiers were collecting a large number of monster corpses or shattered body parts and piling them together.

Since there were too many to transport in one go, the rest would be picked up later.

These were all raw materials for the Synthetic Starch Production Line.

Elsewhere, “corpse starch” might be a derogatory term, but for Gu Hang, it seemed to be real…

Despite the fact that people starving in the wasteland might not care about this detail—as long as it was edible and didn’t cause major health issues, it was better than having nothing.

Nonetheless, Gu Hang still tried to keep this information hidden. He couldn’t completely keep it secret, but he certainly wouldn’t advertise it.

After all, it wasn’t something to be proud of.

While the troops were busy, Yan Fangxu approached him again.

Seeing the captain with a crooked nose and a bruise above his left eye, Gu Hang was taken aback: “How did you get hurt like this? This shouldn’t be the work of an Abscess Spitter, right?”

“Uh… it’s nothing serious…”

“Oh!”

Seeing the captain’s embarrassed expression, Gu Hang suddenly realized and remembered something he had almost forgotten, “You got beaten up by your former subordinates?”

Yan Fangxu immediately became anxious: “What do you mean beaten up? How can you say beaten up? Just… just accidentally lost a move or two… doesn’t count as a beating…”

“Hahaha!”

Gu Hang was amused, “Right, right, doesn’t count as a beating, just a little beating.”

Yan Fangxu was speechless.

He didn’t want to talk to the Governor anymore, but he couldn’t help feeling itchy.

Mumbling, he couldn’t help but say: “Um… Governor… about that special training… I…”

He was a little embarrassed to fully articulate his request.

Not being able to defeat his former subordinates and then having to ask the Governor for special training felt somewhat humiliating to him.

Gu Hang patted Yan Fangxu on the shoulder and said: “How could I possibly refuse such a request? But not now. Your potential is greater; you deserve more rigorous and valuable training.”

Yan Fangxu’s eyes lit up: “Thank you, Governor!”

“Don’t thank me just yet. But let me be clear, where there are gains, there must be sacrifices. Nothing in this world comes without a cost. If you want to receive Grace from me, you should be more sincere in your allegiance to me.”

Yan Fangxu understood Gu Hang’s implication.

But he dared not agree.

He was a member of the Imperial Navy; his future still lay among the stars.

Was he supposed to switch allegiance to a planetary governor and join the planetary defense forces?

There was a disparity.

The Imperial military structure roughly consisted of three parts: the Imperial Navy, the Imperial Astra Militarum, and the Planetary Defense Forces (PDF).

The first two were directly under the Empire, with relatively high status and theoretically under the command of the central Empire, receiving supplies from the Empire.

The PDF, however, was merely a planetary-level defense force established and led by the planetary governor.

The Empire wouldn’t handle the training, equipment, or supplies of the PDF, but sometimes they would conscript the PDF into the Astra Militarum or levy it as part of the Imperial tax. Often, in high-intensity interstellar wars, the PDF would be used as cannon fodder by the Empire’s main forces.

The Navy lords wouldn’t even look up to the soldiers of the Astra Militarum, let alone think highly of being in the PDF?

Comparing the captain of the Planetary Defense Forces and the captain of the Imperial Navy, only a fool would choose the former.

But what if it were a general of the Planetary Defense Forces compared to a captain of the Navy?

This… was hard to say.

A Marine Squad captain like Yan Fangxu, at most, had led a special marine squad with a hundred or so men, and now he only had thirty men left. But if he became a general, he might become a significant figure on this planet.

But could he really become a general?

Agreeing with the Governor meant putting all his stakes on the Governor’s success.

Yan Fangxu was hesitant to gamble.

He wasn’t a man with nothing to lose, unlike the native residents of Fury Owl Planet.

Seeing Yan Fangxu’s dilemma, Gu Hang didn’t press him.

He smiled and patted the captain’s shoulder, saying, “No need to rush. There’s still time; you don’t have to decide now. For now, you are my subordinate and follow my orders. As for the future, I believe you’ll have clarity when the time comes.”

Yan Fangxu breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Gu Hang with gratitude.

Thankfully, the Governor wasn’t forcing him to make a choice now.

He was afraid of making the wrong choice.

“Alright, let’s not dwell on this. Why did you come to see me?”

“There’s indeed an important matter. A troop from Revival City has approached us. They don’t seem hostile and claim to be led by the grandson of Alliance Council Member Hodgson, here to protect the Governor’s safety.”

Gu Hang’s expression turned peculiar, his tone a mix of sarcasm and lament: “A troop from the Alliance Council… Whether they come with ill intent or genuinely to protect me, their timing is rather late.”

“What should we do now? Disperse them?”

“No.”

Gu Hang waved his hand, “The matter is over; I want to see what they really intend. Take the 3rd Battalion, disarm them all, and bring them over. We need more people to clean up the battlefield, and I want to see what news the Council Member’s grandson brings.”

“Yes!”

Yan Fangxu went off to work.

He didn’t keep Gu Hang waiting long and soon brought the people over.

About five hundred soldiers, unarmed, obediently started cleaning the battlefield, carrying monster corpses along with Gu Hang’s original soldiers.

Additionally, a young man in officer’s attire was brought before Gu Hang.

“Lambert Hodgson.” Gu Hang read his name.

The young Lambert saluted Gu Hang and greeted loudly, “Governor, sir, hello!”

“What brings you here?”

“To protect the Governor.”

“Does your grandfather know about your arrival?”

“I am here under the Council Member’s orders!”

“Your timing is impeccable; my battle is already over, and the enemies have been eliminated. You should have arrived a bit earlier, whatever your intention.”

Lambert said, “I apologize, Governor. We’re late… I understand your doubts. But please believe, we are indeed here to protect you. My men and I will unconditionally follow any order you give, without complaint.”

Gu Hang smiled.