“Click.”
As the precise mechanism of the hatch clamped tightly, a faint and crisp sound quickly arose within the silent cockpit.
The cold and sharp aura surrounding Li Hong dissipated abruptly, a hint of deep-seated weariness appearing in his eyes. Soon after, he shook his head slightly, walked over to a staircase near the pilot’s seat, and sat down. After a moment of silence, he spoke softly, “Got a smoke?”
“There are just two left.” The man who had been quietly sitting in the pilot’s seat reached into his chest after hearing Li Hong’s words, and quickly took out a slightly crumpled and open pack of cigarettes, “I’ll give them all to you.”
“One is enough,” Li Hong said as he took just one cigarette from the pack, lit it up himself, and took a drag. Moments later, he exhaled a misty cloud.
“Alright then.” The man shook his head upon seeing Li Hong’s response, put the cigarette pack back into his chest, and then looked at Li Hong with interest, “You can turn white to black with your words, your tongue is just as unforgiving as it was back then.”
“You saw that?” The swirling smoke made Li Hong’s expression grow indistinct.
“The float carriers are auto-piloted by smart brains, I’m here as a pilot only to take over for manual operations during certain critical moments,” the man said with a smile and a shrug of his shoulders, “I might as well be idling, so watching the show is just a way to pass the time. But there’s something I don’t quite understand.”
“After they get off, they’ll have to choose which instructor’s squad to join. Messing with their mindset now doesn’t seem too good, does it?” The man stretched lazily, “If I were you, I’d rather say a few nice words first, keep them sweet until they, the reserve battalion members, have chosen their squads.”
“No need,” Li Hong shook his head, “In the end, none of the ten students assigned to me will be missing. Who to teach if not them?”
“What’s your angle? Of all of us, you may not have the best temper, but it’s pretty good. Yet every time you scold the students, you’re the harshest,” the man sighed lightly, “Who scolds students by calling them ‘trash’? They are all high-achievers, the future of the Alliance.”
“Having them resent you, what’s the point? At the end of each reserve battalion term, in the anonymous ratings given by the students, you score the lowest.”
“Between instructors and students, there doesn’t need to be too much affection. It makes it easier to face parting and death,” Li Hong’s gaze fixed intently on the smoke before his eyes, “The moment I chose to become an instructor, I was already prepared for everything.”
“I still think your approach is somewhat misguided… but let’s not talk about that,” the man sighed lightly again, “How many years have you been an instructor now?”
“Four years, this year will probably be the fifth,” Li Hong replied indifferently.
“Five years, huh!” The man’s face showed a touch of emotion, “For other combat orientations, maybe it’s nothing, but to endure five years as a reserve battalion instructor, you really are tough.”
“After this year’s term, I’ll probably stop,” Li Hong extended a hand to disperse the increasingly thickening smoke in front of him and smiled, “I’m tired.”
“Planning on retiring?”
“Definitely not,” Li Hong looked deeply at the lifelike but still occasionally flashing metallic glint of the man’s prosthetic eye, “You didn’t choose to retire, so I, who still have combat capabilities, have no face to leave.”
“Me?” The man in the pilot’s seat chuckled, “My situation is different from yours; I no longer have any living relatives. I have no attachments in this world, so what does it matter where I live? The battalion values me and even let a disabled waste of Beast Taming Space like me stay on as a pilot. Naturally, I can’t leave.”
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“You’re not trash,” Li Hong spoke in a low voice.
“Enough about me, are you planning to switch to another combat orientation?” The man didn’t seem interested in delving deeper into the subject and brought the conversation back to the original topic.
“Yeah, I’m probably going to take a few months off to spend time with my family, then transfer to the Vanguard Combat Battalion,” Li Hong nodded, “I’ve already filed the report, and it’s been approved.”
“Vanguard Combat Battalion…” The man paused slightly, then shook his head, “You really can’t stay put no matter where you are. That hellish place isn’t much better than the reserve battalion. Wouldn’t it be better to find a quiet combat battalion in the rear to rest for a few years?”
“I’m just a restless soul, I can’t find peace anywhere,” Li Hong shook his head, “Let’s not talk about this. This term, there is a pretty good seedling who’s reached the third rank of the Beast Taming Space so quickly, and both his beast companions are Dark and Ice elements, making him very suitable for surviving on the frontier. I’m not sure if he intends to join the military after graduation, but I think he’d do well here.”
“Him?” The man chuckled, “You’d better forget about it.”
“Why, do you know him?” Li Hong’s face showed a hint of surprise, “I thought you said you had no relatives left?”
“I wish I had such an accomplished relative,” the man laughed, “If I remember correctly, weren’t you on the frontier for the past few months before the reserve battalion started?”
“Yes, nothing better to do. Hunting alien beasts earns some contribution points…” Li Hong nodded and looked at the man, “Are you changing the subject?”
“No, these two things are connected.” The man smiled, took out a communicator, and searched for a moment before handing it to Li Hong, “In the past few months you couldn’t access the network, quite a few major incidents have happened in the safe zone.”