It was one in the morning.
Jiang Ye sat at his desk, frowning as he worked.
For three days, the Gaunt army had not launched a new offensive. They hadn't even held onto the bases they had captured; they had simply destroyed them and retreated.
Jiang Ye was currently busy with several tasks: processing the bodies and compensation for the fallen, mediating internal conflicts among other warlord forces, and mobilizing more mechanical soldiers to gradually replace human troops.
A knock suddenly sounded at the office door.
Cen Yemeng entered with a beaming smile, her hand extended outside the door.
"Husband, guess who's here?" Cen Yemeng asked.
"At this hour..." Jiang Ye glanced at the calendar. "Is our son on break?"
Cen Yemeng nodded happily and pulled Jiang Senlin, who was standing outside, into the room.
"Dad, I'm back," Jiang Senlin said as he entered.
Jiang Senlin was wearing a school uniform. His complexion was even fairer and cleaner than before, likely due to spending long hours indoors studying, away from the sun. He also wore a pair of glasses, which subtly exuded the aura of a top student.
Jiang Ye rose and poured water for his wife and son.
"Why are you wearing glasses?" Jiang Ye asked. "What's the prescription?"
"Two hundred degrees. I can wear them or not, but I'm used to wearing them at school," Jiang Senlin replied.
"Did you get nearsighted from studying?" Jiang Ye asked. "There's no need to cram all that knowledge from high school."
"I want to experience the growth process of an ordinary person, and also test the limits of my own abilities within the education system," Jiang Senlin explained. "This process is quite challenging and can cultivate a lot of character and skills. It's a very effective path for growth. I plan to finish high school and see how well I can do on the college entrance examination."
"You've always been intelligent and had your own ideas, so your mother and I won't interfere too much," Jiang Ye nodded. "We just hope you don't overexert yourself. Learning is a lifelong endeavor, and if you get tired of it now, it won't be good for the future."
"Our son got first place in the entire school for the final exams this time," Cen Yemeng chimed in happily. "He beat the second-place student by over twenty points!"
"That's amazing! Tomorrow, your mother and I will cook something delicious for you," Jiang Ye smiled. "For children from ordinary families, doing well on final exams is usually rewarded with a good meal."
"Let's have barbecue," Jiang Senlin suggested. "I saw a video online of someone barbecuing a small alien, and I want to try it."
"Barbecue an alien?" Jiang Ye blinked in surprise. "I'll call the cook over. You tell him what kind of alien you want to eat, and he can prepare the ingredients."
Jiang Ye called the cook and then returned to his desk to continue working.
The cook arrived shortly, chatted with Jiang Senlin for a while, and then left.
Cen Yemeng pulled Jiang Senlin over to chat. Having not seen her son for a while, the mother naturally had a lot to say.
"Are you getting along well with your classmates?"
"Yes, they respect me, and I respect them. As for close friends, there aren't many; I'm busy with my studies."
"Any early romance? Have you taken a liking to any female classmates? Tell me about it."
"No, I'm busy studying and don't have time for early romance," Jiang Senlin shook his head. "Most of them are from ordinary families. I think it will be difficult for me to find a wife from an ordinary family. It's best to find someone of similar background, someone who can understand each other."
"Similar background?" Cen Yemeng was taken aback. "It won't be easy to find someone of a similar background. Actually, there are many excellent girls from ordinary families. When your father and I were dating, your father was already the planetary leader, and I was just an ordinary person."
"Mom, do you hear yourself? Are you from an ordinary family? What was my maternal grandfather's status?" Jiang Senlin's face darkened.
"Son, let me tell you, when looking for a wife, nothing else is as important as finding someone kind-hearted, someone who cherishes you," Cen Yemeng said earnestly. "Perhaps you'll meet women from very wealthy families in the future, but if she's only with you for your money, considers your hard work as a given, and leaves you when your money dwindles, you shouldn't be with such a woman. A couple needs to build a life together; find someone you can build a life with."
"I understand, Mom. Just don't rush me into marriage. I'm not in a hurry to get married," Jiang Senlin said. "I want to have more fun for a few more years."
"You rascal!" Jiang Ye looked up from his desk, his gaze stern. "Behave yourself and don't become that kind of playboy."
Jiang Senlin scratched his head. "I didn't say I wanted to be a playboy..."
Jiang Ye lowered his head and continued his work.
"The reason I wear glasses isn't solely because of studying," Jiang Senlin continued his conversation with his mother. "I've been a bit addicted to playing games lately."
"Don't all young people play games?" Cen Yemeng smiled. "Play if you want. What games are you playing? Are they the shooting games that boys like?"
"No, it's a city-building game called 'Planet Continuum'," Jiang Senlin opened his schoolbag by the sofa and took out his laptop. "Let me teach you how to play, Mom."
"Sure, I used to be quite good at games back in the day. I rarely play now because I'm busy," Cen Yemeng nodded.
Jiang Ye had just finished his work. He poured himself a cup of tea and walked over, sitting beside his wife and looking at the computer screen.
It felt quite heartwarming for the imperial family to gather and play a computer game together.
To demonstrate the game, Jiang Senlin specifically started a new save file.
The game began with a plot of land, mostly plains, with small mountain ranges and a river flowing through it.
There was also a gray road passing through from a distance, extending to the edge of the plot.
"This road is the starting point, connecting to the outside. You can see many cars running on it," Jiang Senlin explained.
Cen Yemeng nodded gently. "And then?"
"Then, build roads and create a city."
Jiang Senlin began to operate, tapping the screen with his fingers. He started building roads on the plains, quickly creating a grid-like road network.
After the road network was completed, Jiang Senlin began planning the city, designating low-density residential areas, commercial districts, industrial zones, and so on.
Following the planning, various construction sites began to sprout up like mushrooms, then transformed into rows of beautiful houses, filling both sides of the roads.
A prosperous city emerged.
But then, two icons appeared above all the houses: an electricity icon and a water icon.
"These two symbols mean the houses lack water and electricity," Jiang Senlin explained. "So, we need to build water and power grids for the city."
Jiang Senlin continued his work, setting up a series of large wind turbines on the hillsides near the urban area, and then constructing high-voltage transmission lines that connected all the way to the city.
The electricity icons above all the houses gradually disappeared, leaving only the water icons.
Jiang Senlin began building the water network, setting up pumping stations and water purification plants by the river, and then connecting the water supply pipes to the entire city.
The water icons above all the houses gradually disappeared. It seemed that with the assurance of water and electricity, the city became more livable, and more houses began to appear.
"Watch closely, this is just a temporary prosperity; problems will arise soon," Jiang Senlin said.