Chapter 63

A heavy punch landed, accompanied by Han Ya’s furious shout: “Who gave you permission to address him by name? Have you no manners? Call him Major!”

Horne never turned back to see what was happening behind him. He only heard Han Ya’s anger and Hels’s displeased retort amid the ensuing chaos. None of the soldiers behind spoke up. Before long, Hels apologized and promised to respect Horne from then on, addressing him as Major.

Horne felt like laughing a little. The moment he did, his bullet missed the target, so he immediately regained his seriousness.

This was also a great test of his ability to remain undisturbed.

“Explain how you learned this set of fighting techniques today?” Han Ya had finished disciplining Hels and dragged him out alone.

Hels didn’t like being around people and even took a step back. He snapped harshly, “What’s there to explain? As long as you’ve got all your limbs intact, that’s enough.”

Silence fell over everyone at once.

During a pause to reload, Horne turned his head and glanced expressionlessly at Hels. Their gazes met, and Hels immediately straightened up.

At 11 p.m., few people remained in the Military District’s open grounds. Horne draped a towel over his shoulder as he walked toward the Command Room while checking messages on his terminal.

Horne: [Why did the application I submitted last month get reduced by another ten percent?]

Leon: [New underground base construction.]

Horne slammed the door shut forcefully.

“What’s wrong? That fired up?” Ben Yian leaned obliquely against the sofa. Only when he saw Horne enter did he sit up straight.

“Nothing. Aren’t you going back to rest? If you don’t rest for the next couple of days, you’ll be heading to the outer city district for real.” Horne glanced at him, then checked the time, but he immediately noticed the exhaustion on Ben Yian’s face. “This busy? Your dark circles are about to fall off.”

Ben Yian shook his head. “Ben Mu’s condition worsened these past couple of days. I’ve been staying up late taking care of her. I only came out because she went to sleep early today.”

Horne paused for a moment and sighed. “That’s why I said we should bring her to the Military District.”

“We can’t do that. Who knows how much longer we can hold out… Never mind, let’s not talk about it.” Thinking about it brought too much pressure, so Ben Yian changed the subject. He pointed to the food bag on the table and said, “I made some pastries. Want to try them? They’re all cheese-flavored.”

Horne looked out the Command Room window and saw Hels, who was still being punished outside. He was running laps with weights for several kilometers, the overhead lights illuminating the sweat pouring down his face.

Horne said, “It’s too late. I’m not eating.”

“Put them in the fridge?” Ben Yian asked.

Horne thought for a moment. “I’ll ask Hels if he wants any later.”

Ben Yian: “…”

Ben Yian skipped the topic entirely. “I’m off all day tomorrow. No rush to go back tonight. Want to take a walk with me? Are Han Ya and Wen Yu around? Should we call them? Aren’t they heading out of the city soon?”

Horne hadn’t paid attention to whether Han Ya was around. He’d spent the whole evening practicing shooting. Aside from hearing him chew out Hels, he had no other impression.

Horne changed clothes and headed out. “They’re leaving in two months. As for us, another time. These next few days, I’m still chasing Wen Yu’s record, and it’s too late. I need to head back with Hels.”

“Hm?” Ben Yian looked puzzled. “He can go back alone, right? Hasn’t he stopped freaking out?”

Horne smiled, a bit helpless. “No, his condition has only just improved a little. I don’t want him regressing.”

This “just improved a little” only applied to his behavior around Horne personally. He no longer jolted awake the instant Horne got up at night and followed him step for step. He no longer clung desperately when Horne left for something. Even if he didn’t see Horne in the training grounds for half the day, he wouldn’t spam the terminal. But at night, he still stuck close.

His improvement around others was minimal too. He just wouldn’t lash out in a triggered attack the moment someone approached. Most of the time, if Horne wasn’t around, he stayed by himself and barely interacted with anyone.

“Alright, then whenever you have a free day.” Ben Yian yawned.

As he spoke, the door was pushed open. Hels came in panting heavily, having just finished his ten-kilometer weighted run. When he saw Ben Yian, his footsteps paused, then he took a step closer to Horne without saying a word.

Ben Yian smiled and asked him, “Hey, how’s the training been going lately? Getting used to life in the Military District?”

Hels glanced at him but didn’t respond.

The smile on Ben Yian’s face gradually turned awkward.

Horne was used to it and explained, “That’s just how he is. He often ignores people when they talk to him. Don’t take it personally.” Then he gave Hels an indifferent look. “Who gave you permission to enter the Command Room without knocking?”

Previously, Hels hadn’t been part of the military, so Horne had treated him like a little brother and brought him in and out of places without restrictions. But now that he was in, he had to be treated the same as everyone else. Only a few of them could enter the Command Room freely. Everyone else needed to knock first or have permission from a superior officer.

Hels pressed his lips together and said nothing.

Horne didn’t dwell on the issue. He pointed to the table. “Want some pastries? Ben Yian made them himself.”

Hels glanced at them, too lazy to respond, and turned to leave.

Ben Yian turned to meet Horne’s gaze, his eyes carrying a hint of confusion. Horne had no idea what was up with Hels either and could only sigh. “I’ll take them back. You should head back and rest early too.”

Nighttime in Loch City was quiet, with only patrolling soldiers passing by sporadically in small groups.

Horne usually walked quickly with large, steady strides that were precise to the inch. When with Hels, he slowed down a lot, but lately, he hadn’t been deliberately waiting for him.

Horne walked a stretch, and Hels gradually fell behind. Soon he jogged up to catch up, only to fall behind again, then jog up once more.

The warm streetlights cast shadows of the two that kept separating and overlapping.

Horne finally couldn’t hold back and turned to look. “What are you doing?”

Hels paid no mind to Horne’s bewilderment and kept walking at his own pace. After two more rounds, Horne figured out what he was up to.

The kid was imitating his walking stride and step frequency. Unfortunately, he wasn’t tall enough and could only match the frequency. Each step was a bit shorter, so he fell behind after a few.

Horne chuckled and turned forward, walking on his own. “Did you just realize your legs are short?”

Hels pursed his lips and huffed softly. “Even so, I’m still the fastest runner.”

Horne neither confirmed nor denied it. Recalling something he’d heard at the training grounds, he asked, “I heard you get into conflicts with your teammates every day?”

“They’re not my teammates,” Hels emphasized. “They’re not worthy.”

Horne’s footsteps paused for an instant. He continued forward, through familiar streets, turning into the doorway of the place where he’d lived for over twenty years.

Steam filled the bathroom as Horne pondered his future plans. His own aspirations seemed increasingly out of reach. Then he thought of Hels. The talent Hels had shown these past few months was heartening. With proper guidance, he would surpass them all in combat prowess someday.

Aside from his weird personality.

Choppy music played intermittently in the living room. After his shower, Horne comfortably nestled into the black sofa to read.

The water upstairs shut off. Less than two minutes later, hurried footsteps pounded down the stairs, right up to him. Hels, radiating post-shower warmth, squeezed onto the single-person sofa without a word and wedged himself into Horne’s arm.

“Brother.”

“Hm?” Horne’s gaze stayed on his book as he replied, flipping a page.

Hels had been staring up at Horne from below. Seeing that Horne wasn’t sparing him any attention, he leaned against him and looked at the book together.

It was like this every day. Whenever Horne returned, no matter where he sat, Hels would sidle up close. When Horne read, Hels read along. When Horne cooked something in the kitchen, he mimicked every step. When Horne went to wash up, he squatted by the door and waited.

He paid attention to Horne’s every move, imitated all his habits, and liked everything he liked.

At first, Horne hadn’t understood and asked the psychologist who’d examined Hels. The doctor replied with a long message on the terminal.

Doctor: [Hello, Major. This is a process of self-construction through identification. He extremely lacks stable attachment and security, so he rebuilds his self-perception by imitating you. In other words, he is highly dependent on you and highly approves of you, wanting to become you. This reduces his loneliness and anxiety, and on that foundation, he can develop his own personality.]

So Horne let him be.

The narrow single-person sofa wasn’t enough for two. Horne knew even if he told Hels to move, he wouldn’t. He simply sacrificed some comfort, holding the book in one hand while wrapping the other arm around Hels’s shoulder, slowly stroking his hair.

Hels leaned against him. After a while, he asked, “When are you finally going to train me personally?”

Months of facing Han Ya’s deadpan face every day, getting beaten at the drop of a hat—and unable to fight back—Hels wanted out of basic training. He just wanted to pass the test quickly and enter Horne’s training group.

Horne gently ran his fingers through Hels’s hair, his attention still on the book. “There’ll be a unified test. Only after you pass will you come to me.” He smiled faintly. “The training period is two years. You’ve only done a few months. Why the rush?”

While Horne hadn’t turned the page yet, Hels flipped it for him first, very satisfied with their nearly synchronized reading speed. He’d gradually figured this out over the past few months.

“Because I want to surpass you.” Hels’s voice was firm.

Half an hour later, Horne calmly closed the book, had Hels get up, then stood from the sofa himself and headed upstairs. Hels quickly followed.

“Brother.” Hels called again. He could only see Horne’s back, so he stuck closer.

“What?”

Hels grabbed the hem of Horne’s clothes and repeated firmly, “I want to surpass you.”

Horne turned on the bedside lamp in the bedroom. The soft light illuminated his face and sharply defined features, his eyes as gentle as ever. He murmured an acknowledgment and said, “I wish you success soon.”

The kid stood by the bed, staring dazedly at the man who sat down. Suddenly, he darted off.

The footsteps receded, then quickly pattered back, accompanied by a clinking of metal.

“Brother.”

Horne turned his head, his gaze instantly focusing on the hand Hels raised.

Horne paused. “Why’d you bring my gun over?”

Hels held it forward a bit more, right up to Horne, who then noticed the difference on the gun.

This was the silver laser gun custom-made for him in the Military District based on his hand size, but now…

The barrel tip had a tiny letter engraved: Horne.

It was crooked, shallow, and wouldn’t affect use.

Horne chuckled and took it. But that wasn’t the source of the crisp metallic clinks from before. Horne looked behind Hels.

He held two keychains in his hand.

“What’s this?”

Hels immediately showed a hint of disdain. “For Han Ya and Wen Yu.”

“Hm?”

The displeased expression on Hels’s face intensified. “Would that make you happy?”

Horne burst out laughing. Giving them gifts, but only to make him happy.

He poured nearly all his gentleness onto Hels.

The latest advanced training test was scheduled half a month later. New recruits who passed a random instructor’s evaluation would be allowed to start shooting training, at which point Horne would officially take them on.

Usually, these were all recruits over eighteen. But this time, unprecedentedly, it included a ten-year-old new recruit.

Dozens of people first underwent stress tests, then a ten-kilometer weighted run with almost no rest, followed immediately by combat tests under elimination rules. They could use any method except those that endangered lives to win spots, then face a final random evaluation from the instructors.