I Married A Degraded Alpha
Chapter 64: Volunteers

Chapter 64: Volunteers

Yuri walked down from the stairs, noticing an odd vibe in the living room. She didn’t pay it much mind, heading into the kitchen to make some fresh juice.

Just as she stepped into the kitchen, Tuss walked in behind her. He grabbed the cup she was holding and muttered, "We’re not inviting them over again."

Yuri replied nonchalantly, "Whatever you say. As long as you’re happy."

At her words, Tuss broke into a smile, his previous grumpiness dissipating like smoke.

News of Tuss’s discharge from the hospital spread quickly. Officials from Planet Alpha, those he knew and those he didn’t, nearly all sent greetings. There were plenty of visitors too.

Yuri, growing tired of the constant influx of guests, decided to flee home and hide out in a hotel.

After spending a day alone at home, Tuss decided to follow suit. He went to find Yuri at the hotel on the second day.

The two once again commenced their catch-up study sessions, with just a month left until the start of the school term.

Four days into their hotel stay, they got a message from Ender asking if they were interested in volunteering.

"The Fritillaria Galaxy has been attacked by insectoids on three planets simultaneously," Ender informed them gravely. "Although the Alliance’s forces arrived promptly, the sheer number of insectoids was overwhelming. It took five full days and nights of fierce combat for our two level-four commanders to repel the massive insectoid army. The loss of soldiers and civilians has been tremendous. They’re in urgent need of supplies and manpower."

"The Alliance is calling for volunteers from No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No.4 Military Academy, as well as other institutions. Those who participate in the operation can earn two academic credits. If you make a significant contribution, you could earn even more. You two have taken a semester off, perhaps you could use the extra credits."

"But there’s also some risk involved. Quite a few stray insectoids are still scattered around the three planets."

"I, Daleks, and Kilana have all signed up. If you want to join, just sign up through the campus website."

With the end of the communication, Yuri turned to Tuss and asked, "Should we go too?"

Not wanting to discourage her, Tuss simply said, "Why don’t you try signing up first?"

Yuri gave him a sidelong glance as she logged into the campus website, questioning, "There are restrictions even for volunteering?"

Under Tuss’s gaze, Yuri managed to sign up successfully.

Surprised, Tuss decided to give it a go himself. And he succeeded in signing up as well.

A few hours later, Officer Lyao sent a communication request to Yuri.

"The lev that the First Commander promised to give you is ready. I’ll have someone bring it over to you shortly," Officer Lyao informed her.

"Thank you," Yuri responded politely.

"You’re welcome," Officer Lyao replied before getting down to business. "Are both of you planning to go to the Fritillaria Galaxy?"

"Is that a problem?" Yuri asked in return.

"Not at all. However, I’ll arrange for a few people to accompany you," Officer Lyao proposed.

"Wouldn’t that make us stick out like sore thumbs?" Yuri wondered.

Officer Lyao glanced at Tuss, remarking, "At this point, practically everyone knows who he is. You won’t blend in, no matter what."

As soon as they were back to the manor, someone delivered the lev over in a red dimensional button.

Getting a lev was one thing, but it also came with a dimensional button. Yuri was all smiles, graciously telling the soldier, "Please let Officer Lyao know that I’m quite pleased with the reward. I’ll be on call if needed in the future."

"I’ll make sure to relay your message," the soldier responded, swiftly turning on his heels and leaving.

"Do you enjoy helping others sort out their Sea of Consciousness?" Tuss asked once the soldier was out of sight.

Yuri detected a hint of resentment in his words. She looked at him in surprise, "Isn’t it the easiest way to make money?"

Tuss shook his head, "When other betas assist alphas in sorting out their Sea of Consciousness, it usually exhausts them. They usually need a day or two of rest to recover."

Yuri fell silent, realizing that she might have been too casual.

"Will they capture me for research?" Yuri considered the possibility seriously.

Tuss grimaced, "They value your role more than the prospect of having you as an enemy. After all, they’ve been studying betas for hundreds, if not thousands of years. They’re probably tired of it by now. And most importantly, the higher-ups wouldn’t allow anyone to harm you."

His explanation seemed to reassure her.

The lev was the latest model from the Alliance, the kind money couldn’t buy.

"The vehicle is great, it’s just the color..." Yuri stared at the familiar combination of red and green, her eyebrows furrowed. "Do they have some misunderstanding about our favorite color?"

Tuss looked at her in confusion, "Isn’t the color quite nice?"

Yuri just stared at him blankly.

Yuri handed the lev to Tuss, claiming that she already had a mecha.

Having decided to volunteer, Tuss was whisked away that very day by Ender and the others for shopping. They invited Yuri too, but she declined.

She wanted to stay home and study.

With just a month left to catch up on their studies and now also volunteering, there was even less time for reading. Yuri didn’t want to feel completely lost when classes resumed.

Scoring poorly was a hit to her pride she couldn’t afford.

Tuss thought it would be just Ender and the others, but when they arrived at the meeting place, there were more than twenty people.

"We’re setting off tomorrow. Everyone was free at this time, so we thought we’d all go together," Ender explained.

Tuss nodded, "Where are we going?"

Rolling his eyes, Daleks responded, "Obviously, the largest mall on Planet Alpha."

The group set off to take the public lev, each person allotted two hundred astracredits.

Back home, Yuri suddenly received a deduction notification, followed by the expense details: Public transportation fare.

She was puzzled. Has Tuss forgotten that he now owned a vehicle?

Sitting in the lev, Tuss played with the dimensional button on his ring finger, imagining a future leisurely drive with Yuri in their own lev.

An hour later, they arrived at the mall.

The mall was bustling with students and citizens who had signed up to volunteer. Despite it being a regular day, the mall had a festive atmosphere.

Tuss and the others began by purchasing basic supplies, a large amount of Nutrient Fluids, and every common healing medicine available in the market.

Tuss also bought a few knives.

"Why are you buying knives? To chop bones?" Daleks asked, puzzled.

Tuss just nodded, not feeling the need to explain.

"We’re thinking about buying a mini lev, either a single or double seater. Do you want to come and take a look?" Daleks asked Tuss. They used the word "look" rather than "buy" because they knew that Yuri already had one, and a top-tier one at that.

Just as Tuss was about to agree, a few girls passed by.

"The saleswoman from Beta Clothes just messaged me. They’ve got a new batch of super soft clothing. There’s not much stock, so we need to be quick or they’ll sell out."

The girls started jogging toward the Beta Clothes store.

Tuss looked at Daleks, Ender, and Kilana.

"Alright, we got it, go ahead." Daleks waved his hand dismissively.

"Yes, you better hurry, or they’ll sell out," Kilana said, appearing even more anxious than Tuss.

In a blink, Tuss was off, following closely behind the girls.