Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 530

"Hey Seventeen, you've been laughing all day. What made you happy? Did you eat magpie poop?" Yuri put the Space Marine he was holding on the sand table next to him, looked at Chen Xi who was curled up in the spectator sofa with a smile that never left his lips, and couldn't help but complain.

The club was filled with the crisp clinking of dice on the tray, the soft rustling of chess pieces moving, and the low murmurs of players, some excited and some frustrated.

On the enormous sand table, two vastly different Warhammer 40k armies are locked in a fierce battle, with miniature models of energy weapons and chainswords intertwined amidst the meticulously arranged ruins.

The club's walls are adorned with the flags of various war clubs, and the cabinets display beautifully painted finished models.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xi lazily sat up from the sofa, as if only then realizing that the muscles in her face were a little sore, but her smile deepened: "What's it to you? Anyway, it's good news."

“He probably has something good going on,” said Sea Rabbit, who had just finished directing a charge and was waiting for the opponent’s turn to end. While fiddling with a few green-skinned boys waiting for orders, she revealed without looking up, “I saw him with my own eyes a couple of days ago. He was having dinner with a really pretty girl at a Western restaurant. The atmosphere was... wow, it was practically overflowing with pink bubbles.”

"Whoa!" The impact of this news was no less than that of a hot melt cannon, instantly attracting the attention of several heads around, whether they were observing the battle or preparing for the next round of deployment.

A group of mostly single "loyal servants of the Empire" or "followers of Chaos" immediately surrounded her, chattering: "Who is she? Who is she? Which family's daughter is she?" "Is she pretty? Do you have a photo? Send it to the group chat quickly!"

"The key question! Do you play Warhammer? Are you one of us? Which warband are you in?" The air in the club instantly filled with the smell of gossip, and even the battle situation on the sand table was temporarily forgotten.

"Stop! Stop! Hold on!" Surrounded by people, Chen Xi raised his hands in surrender, both amused and exasperated. "I just dipped the brush in ink for the character 'eight' and haven't even started writing yet! If it's really done, I promise I'll bring it over for the organization's inspection, okay? Now, please spare me, alright?"

He knew perfectly well that although things were progressing smoothly with Li Jingyi and they understood each other without saying a word, he didn't want to become the center of attention until their relationship was truly stable and things were settled.

There's no particular reason; I just feel that relationships are a private matter and there's no need to flaunt them.

The crowd burst into laughter, showering him with accusations such as "forgetting loyalty for lust," "valuing beauty over friendship," and "traitor to the Emperor/Chaos," all mixed with good-natured teasing.

After the laughter subsided, on the other side of the sand table, Old Meng, who had just taken out the enemy's key vehicle with a precise sniper shot, proudly put away the dice and gestured with his chin across the battlefield to Chen Xi, his tone somewhat serious: "Hey, Seventeen, stop laughing like an idiot. Have you heard anything about the September 3rd military parade?"

Chen Xi raised an eyebrow, leaned forward, rested her elbows on her knees, and looked at Lao Meng with amusement: "Rumors? What kind of rumors are you referring to? Do you know there's a military parade commemorating the victory against Japan on the 3rd of next month? It was even broadcast on the evening news. Or..."

He deliberately dragged out his words, his gaze drifting to Liu Yi, who was quietly giving his Astral Army a final check in the corner. "Want to know some 'insider' information? Then you shouldn't ask me, you should ask Liu Yi. He has connections, maybe he can get some inside information."

Liu Yi, whose name was called, didn't even look up. He simply used tweezers to carefully adjust the gear decorations on the shoulder armor of the missionary, his voice calm and even: "Don't flatter me. This level of activity is highly classified."

The publicly available information online is the ceiling. Besides, September 3rd isn't National Day, so the scale and equipment display will definitely be a level lower. What will be showcased will likely be active-duty main battle equipment; don't expect anything new.

"Even the active-duty troops are impressive!" Mai Mai, watching from the sidelines, exclaimed longingly, forgetting all about her own troops about to be surrounded. "Speaking of which, I've never seen a military parade in my entire life! The sheer scale of it all makes my blood boil just thinking about it! If I could have the chance to experience it in person, it would be a once-in-a-lifetime event!"

"What are you thinking!" Yuri interrupted his fantasy without any politeness. "Want to go to the ceremony in person? Unless you're qualified to go up to the city wall! That's not a place for ordinary people like us to stand."

After teasing Mai Mai, his eyes darted around, and he put on a playful smile as he looked at Chen Xi, half-jokingly probing, "But Seventeen, you've always been incredibly resourceful. You even managed to get VIP tickets to the airshow last time. This time for the parade... is there even the slightest chance that you could manage to snag a seat at the event? Or at least stand on the edge of the square?"

He was just being sarcastic out of habit and curiosity, without any real hope.

However, that familiar smile, tinged with mystery and a touch of smugness, slowly spread across Chen Xi's face again.

Yuri's heart skipped a beat, and he almost dropped the chess piece on the sand table. His eyes widened, and his voice cracked: "No, no way... You, you really can go? You're kidding, right?"

“Well,” Chen Xi slowly sat up straight, his barely concealed smugness finally surfacing, “I’m pretty lucky, I actually managed to get an invitation. I can’t go up the city tower, but getting a seat on the viewing platform and experiencing the atmosphere firsthand shouldn’t be a problem.”

"Holy crap!!!" Yuri's mouth gaped open wide enough to fit a Dreadnought, and he looked like he'd been hit head-on by a Titan's main cannon. "Dude, you really went?!"

This news was like a vortex grenade detonating in the club, instantly igniting everyone's envy, jealousy, and hatred.

32 was so excited he almost overturned the chessboard, pounding his chest and wailing, "It's over! The class system is completely solidified! You've got a house, girls, and money all at the top of your head, and now you can even go to the military parade!"
Seventeen, oh Seventeen, you're no longer the good comrade who used to squat outside the club with your brothers, eating pancakes and staying up all night playing chess! You've betrayed the organization! You've betrayed our sacred revolutionary camaraderie!

"Come on, don't put such a big accusation on me," Chen Xi said with a smile, waving her hand and deciding to stop while she was ahead. "I was just lucky and benefited from some connections. It's nothing to mention."

As the group surrounded Chen Xi for another round of "class criticism," Guterres, who had been silent until now, suddenly leaned closer, lowered his voice, and asked with a hint of cautious anticipation, "Chen Xi, um... can... can I bring family members with this invitation? Like, a really close... brother?"

"Probably not," Chen Xi said helplessly, spreading his hands to indicate that he couldn't help. "Even if it were allowed, the spots would definitely be very valuable. I would definitely prioritize taking my parents. Taking my brothers? That would be too unusual, wouldn't it?"

These words immediately drew an even more exaggerated chorus of "wailing" and a chorus of "recognizing you as my godfather": "If I can take you to watch the military parade, I'll gladly call you godfather!"

"Having spent half my life in Bupuro, if you do not abandon me, I am willing to become your godfather!"

"Godfather! Take me to see the world! I'll do anything for you!"

This "conjugate father and son" act was purely for livening up the atmosphere among friends, and Chen Xi was also amused to the point of double over: "What a great 'purine half-life'! Did you guys just have a collective gout attack? You use this phrase so smoothly?"

Despite the laughter and banter, everyone's genuine envy for Chen Xi being able to attend the ceremony in person was written all over their faces.

After all, this is a completely different experience from buying a high-speed rail ticket to the capital and then standing on tiptoe to look around from the outside of a sea of ​​people.

They laughed and joked for a while longer, until no one paid any attention to the unfinished game on the sand table. As it was getting late, everyone reluctantly began to pack up their models, dice, and rulebooks, and said their goodbyes one after another.

(End of this chapter)