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墨書 Inktalez
In the towering Heavy Industry Zone, within one of the buildings.
In a dimly lit room, beneath some high-precision instruments, Conduit was pulled out from a Machine Pod. A group of people emerged from these Machine Pods, their eyes opening to survey the pitch-black surroundings. Suddenly, the lights flickered on, revealing a heavy sound of machinery emanating from the wall opposite them. Moments later, a group of middle-aged men in black suits and sunglasses stepped through the wall.
Each of these men held a medical box, from which they extracted vials of green liquid. They began to apply this liquid onto the skin of those present, then injected it directly into them. The heart rates of everyone seated inside the Machine Pods surged dramatically. As they were enveloped in confusion, a refreshing sensation coursed through their minds, spreading from their brains to their chests, limbs, and every cell in their bodies, filling them with strength. However, this sensation soon transformed into a burning heat, as if flames were scorching their bodies, and cries of pain filled the room.
“Wake up, you fools!”
Freyr was the last to regain consciousness. He felt the changes in his body and examined himself closely. Just as he hesitated, a shadow loomed before him. A balding middle-aged man kicked the metal shell of the Machine Pod in frustration and then stepped aside. At that moment, the transparent cover of the Machine Pod slowly slid open, allowing those inside to step out.
They clearly did not understand where they were now; in their minds, they believed they had died. Each person looked at the familiar faces around them—those who had perished in battle and some who had abandoned their comrades in moments of crisis. Despite this familiarity, panic spread across their faces as they realized so many known individuals stood beside them.
“I... I don’t want to be here! I can’t be dead! I don’t want to die; I don’t want to go to hell! This isn’t my fault! I didn’t want to abandon you; I just didn’t want to die! Please spare me!” a man sobbed as he bowed his head.
Panic rippled through those nearby. Just then, three muscular men with dark faces approached from the wall ahead. Each grabbed an arm of the weeping man and forcibly pulled him away. As his cries faded into the distance, a chill settled over everyone’s hearts.
The speaker emerged from a groove in the wall. As his cold voice echoed throughout the room, expressions of surprise appeared on everyone’s faces. When he drew closer, they saw a stoic Officer standing before them—a hard-hearted Cousins, who had previously fought fiercely with new recruits and then vanished. Now he stood before them, his sharp gaze sweeping over the lethargic recruits without any unnecessary words.
“You all are pathetic; I've never seen such terrible soldiers.”
Some in the group couldn’t help but laugh at this remark and replied, “Hahaha! That’s too funny! Do you really care about us being dead?”
The others fell silent; indeed, they had collectively endured an unimaginable ordeal and did not believe it was merely a dream. Everything felt too real—the lingering aches in their bodies testified to how harsh their previous environment had been. They had faced death; some were devoured while others fell behind and perished from thirst or worse fates.
Colonel Cousins stepped forward and said coldly, “Clearly what I want is not your concern; you’re all still alive. Now then, I am Colonel Cousins of the Joint Defense Force Fifth Division Crimson Dragon Army First Brigade Crimson Dragon Army. You can call me ‘Dad,’ as I mentioned before—I trust you haven’t forgotten? Also, before reporting back, I need to inform your superior that you are quite undisciplined; I’m assigning you thirty push-ups as punishment.”
“This is unbelievable! Why should I believe you?” a young man shouted after thinking for a moment.
A hint of helplessness flashed across Cousins's stern face as he shook his head and pointed at a Virtual Screen. “Don’t you want proof that you’re still alive? It’s simple; I can provide evidence.”
At that moment, a section of the Virtual Screen descended, revealing all military channels marked with special permissions. After a satellite logo flickered around it, an authentic Virtual Screen appeared. Cousins manipulated a virtual keyboard in mid-air to set his permissions and conjured up images from the battlefield showing brain-controlled consciousness.
More than twenty people stood speechless. Seeing his own fate laid bare brought relief to Freyr, who then exclaimed, “Could all this be fake? The temperatures we felt and how intense our battles were—can technology really intervene in dreams now?!”
Cousins smiled slightly, "That's right, but this is something only a few can use, and I am one of them. You all have enjoyed an exhilarating journey thanks to my authority."
Many people stared blankly at their endings. For a moment, no one was willing to speak, and they fell into a silence that felt like death itself. Cousins looked at the group before him, his voice suddenly deepening, "Now everyone is present. It's time to start training your lazy habits. As qualified soldiers, you should not hold onto those futile illusions. What you will face next in Confronting is more terrifying than death itself. In one minute, change your clothes and prepare for a ten-thousand-meter test."
The moment the order was given, everyone Dazed turned their attention to Cousins. Clearly, his words did not dispel their doubts; everything felt too surreal. Although most were science fiction fans who had seen it on TV or read about it in newspapers, they still held many intuitive views about current technology. They believed that while mechs existed in this era, some surreal technologies were still difficult to realize. So, was all of this just a lie?
Cousins turned his head and his expression darkened swiftly. "Did you not understand the order?"
"No, I wouldn't dare," Freyr shook his head. "I will follow your command; one minute is one minute."
"Me too."
Nosty glanced at Freyr, smiled lightly as he passed by him, then returned to the Machine Pod to grab a travel bag. He forcefully tore it open and pulled out several loose coats, quickly putting them on.
Some followed suit, and many began to busy themselves. Among these people, barriers had already formed between them; it was clear that merging together would not be so simple. They remained silent as they busied themselves with their clothes.
As a minute passed beyond the limit...
"You are the worst group of soldiers I have ever trained. Now, each of you will do two hundred push-ups as punishment so you understand how important military law and discipline are for a soldier. Do not question any orders from your old man, you fools."
The Crimson Dragon Army is a special division within the Joint Defense Force, composed of the elite Special Forces of an ordinary army. Thus began Freyr's military career in the Crimson Dragon Army.
No one dared to question the old man's orders because if they moved even slightly slower, they would feel the sting of a stick on their backsides. Whether man or woman, in Cousins's eyes, relaxing their training meant leading them to death on the battlefield later.
Two hundred push-ups were nothing for soldiers; for some young men just enlisted, it might not seem like much either. However, within any team, there are always weaker individuals whose movements are not standard and lack strength—like Nosty, who truly seemed to lose sight of reality as if in a dream. He looked like someone who could be blown over by a gust of wind.
By the time he reached forty push-ups, he was already gasping for breath, drenched in sweat, lying on the ground like an old bull panting heavily and unable to move.
"Get up, you fool! If you can't keep going, you can fill out your discharge papers now and return to your mommy's embrace, coward!"
Cousins's loud voice continued to resonate as the whistle blew sharply.
"Uh, sir, you can do anything, but not my mom," Nosty stubbornly got up, chattering away, yet he continued to insist on doing push-ups, one after another.
"Never question my orders, soldier. Because of your earlier defiance, I’m adding fifty more push-ups as punishment."
"Yes, sir!" Nosty shouted defiantly.
After hearing the simple response, Cousins nodded and turned to walk away. He squatted down and blew his whistle at the person in front of him, causing Duan Shuai, who was drenched in sweat from the exercise, to feel both amused and frustrated. He wished he could smack the colonel with his shoehorn but held back, knowing that Cousins would repeat this action until everyone completed a series of exercises. Only then did he stand up and say, "Is this really all you can do for warm-ups? You all need more training. This is the last stretch of a ten-thousand-meter run without any food."
More than twenty people cursed silently in their hearts. What did it mean to have no food? But none of them wanted to be the reason for their own hunger. For soldiers, going without food meant falling into a vicious cycle; if they lacked stamina, things would only get harder.
"Yes, sir!" everyone shouted in unison.
"Get up, soldier," Cousins said as he approached Nosty. "Enough already. This is a ten-thousand-meter training exercise; don’t hold everyone back because of your own issues."
"But sir, I haven't finished your punishment yet," Nosty replied while continuing his push-ups without pause.
At this point, it seemed to ignite Cousins' temper. He fixed his gaze on Nosty and blew his whistle again, shouting, "Stand up! Soldier, you must obey the orders of your superior. Since you enjoy push-ups so much, I’m adding two hundred more to your punishment. Now you need to complete the next training exercise."
"Yes!"
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