Chapter 753 - 726 Space Armament

July 28th.

"Ka, ka."

At the Capital’s Civil Affairs Bureau, it was supposed to be closed on this Saturday, but a few staff members still came to work for less than half an hour.

The person in charge of processing was a woman nearly fifty years old. She picked up the metal stamp, placed it on the certificate page, then pressed down firmly with both hands.

After confirming that the seals on both certificates were perfectly positioned and colored, she carefully put them together and handed them out through the window:

"Congratulations to the newlyweds, may you enjoy a harmonious union for a hundred years."

Lin Ju took it and first saw the photo of himself and Yu Man, where he looked unnaturally white as if airbrushed by a beauty filter. If it had been any other day, he would have insisted on a retake.

"Look, the stamp avoided the faces, the sister did it on purpose."

Yu Man whispered to Lin Ju, excited as if she had discovered something wonderful.

"Of course, otherwise we’d have to take another one,"

In Lin Ju’s eyes, the woman’s face was blooming with a smile like a rose, and even though she was sitting in a chair, she seemed to lie amidst a vibrant field of flowers, her radiance complementing the nonexistent backdrop.

For Yu Man, this was the happiest moment of her life. Two days before this happiest moment, she spent her time in the vastness of space, bathed in starlight from the Virgo Nebula billions and billions of light-years away, a glow that still clung to her.

It was like a dreamlike story unfolding in her life, joining an unprecedented company, meeting the most unique person, and experiencing the lightest of romances.

She had everything a normal girl couldn’t even imagine, yet she seemed so ordinary; born into a typical family, with an ordinary life and ordinary self.

She remembered a character named Dou Minjun from a Korean drama; Lin Ju could be seen as a similar visitor from another star.

However, this thought would only remain in her heart, for she knew Lin Ju didn’t like to hear things associated with the Southern Dynasty.

Lin Ju saw two arms encircle his neck from above, then watched the ordinary girl cry like any ordinary girl would at this moment, her body trembling as she buried herself in his chest.

He also gently stroked her back, suddenly feeling a responsibility he had never felt before.

In the original timeline, until the time he was crowned by the Starship, he spent most of his time buried in work, considering his personal desires only very late.

After an experience that was either time travel or resurrection, the presence of the System and a middle-aged man’s attitude of forsaking worldly desires made him more focused on reaching peaks he had never been able to climb before. He didn’t dwell much on daily life, almost forgetting the most basic human pursuits.

At this moment, the world around him suddenly felt more real, and it was as if he had returned to the previous year of 2024, unintentionally tightening his embrace.

...

At the State Guesthouse’s Building 2, in the banquet hall.

Academician She, acting as the host, picked up the microphone and began to read from the handwritten script aloud:

"On this festive and joyous day, a day of family reunion, our two newlyweds have joined hands... Wait, what is this you’ve written, Shen Zuozhou?"

Academician She stopped the rehearsal, dissatisfied, and looked toward Shen Zuozhou, who was scratching his head, confused:

"This is tough for me, I had a Chinese language teacher write this; there shouldn’t be any issues."

"It might be fine for ordinary people, but I feel it needs to fit with our... um, profession, as well as our spirit of aerospace exploration. This is too mediocre, no good, no good. Lin, may I revise it for you?"

"Please feel free, I more than welcome it!"

Lin Ju, standing at the entrance, was busy greeting the guests who were arriving one by one, already drenched in sweat.

He had initially planned to have a family banquet, inviting some acquaintances along with Yu Man’s parents and close relatives. Unexpectedly, the event got out of his hands and was moved to the State Guesthouse.

Further, it was first scheduled in Building 18, but Lin Ju managed to switch it to the adjacent Building 2 after much persuasion.

The range of attendees also expanded to include familiar faces from the Aerospace Development Committee, most top-level executives from private aerospace companies, base managers, some military big shots, leadership from above, with nearly half of them sending relatives in their stead due to their inability to attend personally.

The wedding had far surpassed the expected number of people, shifting from a small affair to a large one, and the caliber of the guests was not to be neglected, which had kept Lin Ju, who had intended to be lazy, hectically busy.

Fortunately, the principle of keeping a low profile was still maintained, and the outside world was still unaware that Mr. Lin was already hosting his wedding.

"Lin Ju, where’s your gift ledger?"

The recently elusive Zhong Cheng appeared at the door, holding a sizable wrapped box in his hand.

"Ah, Director Zhong, we’re not accepting gifts; we’re following the national campaign, you know."

"It’s not anything precious. How can I come without bringing a congratulatory gift?"

Zhong Cheng directly placed the gift box somewhere, then with a serious demeanor, lowered his voice,

"Got this tiger bone liquor from an old classmate of mine, it’s quite a tonic. Where’s little Yu Man? Why are you alone?"

"You see, this..."

Lin Ju first gauged the weight of the box before responding,

"She’s in the back with her family. You go ahead; I still need to stay here and take care of some things."

"Alright... just a reminder, don’t drink too much later. The higher-ups might come by."

"I thought they were too busy and couldn’t make it."

Lin Ju was somewhat astonished; he remembered that the higher-ups had gone away from Beijing for an inspection and had specifically been notified about it.

Zhong Cheng: "Heh, you can’t just dismiss your own influence. They were supposed to return to Beijing tonight, and if they happen to make it, they will come by to show face; it won’t be for too long."

"..."

After Zhong Cheng left chuckling, Lin Ju continued to fret.

"Hey, shouldn’t the groom be standing tall and proud?"

Lu Jianfei’s voice suddenly appeared and gave Lin Ju a hefty pat on the back.

Had Lin Ju not been somewhat trained, he would have surely stumbled.

Seeing that Lin Ju wasn’t as clumsy as he had expected, Lu Jianfei seemed disappointed and, without waiting for Lin Ju to speak, reached into his clothing and pulled out a heavy item to hand over.

Feeling what he had grabbed, Lin Ju shuddered in shock.

Secretly taking a peek, he saw a medium-sized grey handgun with a noticeably smooth design, a rougher surface than standard firearms, the Space Force insignia on the side, and a string of numbers.

"Space Force’s first batch of standard-issue equipment, the specially developed Type 18 space pistol. It’s from the finest of the first 100 pieces. I’ll send you the bullets later. Is that okay?"

Lin Ju: "How did you manage to bring this thing in here? It’d be a huge problem if it’s misunderstood by others!"

Lu Jianfei: "Don’t worry. Its bullets are newly developed 6mm ammunition; without them, it’s useless. Also, did you notice this on the back?"

Lin Ju turned to look, only then seeing that a small extension protruded from the rear of the gun, equipped with a tiny digital screen.

"Electronic recorder. Every shot fired is logged, with capabilities such as location tracking and locking the firing mechanism. It’s not yet activated; you can’t even pull the trigger right now."

Lin Ju hooked it with his index finger and found it to be as described.

"General, isn’t it too early to be using this thing now?"

"No, this is old stuff that’s been lying around. The ordnance factory made a few tweaks for us to test. These concepts have already been presented.

Keep it safe; you’re not allowed to leave without drinking a few more glasses later!"