books44 Chapter 261 [Empire] Former Soldier
Chapter 261 [Empire] Former Soldier
After lamenting, I took the public hovercraft that afternoon to Wen Ya's residence. The scenery outside the car window quickly passed by, the sky gradually darkened, and the twilight cast a gentle gray-blue on the city.
Wen Ya is painting at home today.
When I entered his room, he was standing at his easel, his brush moving across the canvas with an elegant and deliberate movement, as if weaving a quiet world that belonged only to him. I didn't interrupt him, but simply leaned against the door and watched him silently. The setting sun filtered through the curtains, casting a soft shadow on his profile, the soft lines of his face as captivating as his demeanor.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, he raised his head and tilted his face to look at me. At that moment, I noticed a familiar tenderness in his eyes, like the warm winter sun melting the snow.
"The way you dress today... looks a lot like me." His voice was soft, with a hint of laughter.
I looked down at myself. Trench coat, ankle boots, and long pants—I was wearing the exact same outfit as him. Even my hairstyle was almost identical, by coincidence. Standing before him like this, I suddenly felt a little lost, but I couldn't help but smile. "Doesn't this just show how well we're in sync?"
He put down the paintbrush in his hand, walked over and stood in front of me, leaning over slightly to look at me, with a hint of warmth and indifferent doting in his eyes: "Yeah, we do have a good understanding."
The gentle tone in his voice made me dazed, and the long-lost sense of security calmed my restless emotions a little.
"Let's sit down and chat for a while," he said, pulling my coat closer and handing me a warm drink. At that moment, the whole world seemed to quiet down, only his gentle presence and the faint scent of paint in the studio quietly enveloping me.
"Wen Ya, you..." I hesitated and asked tentatively, "Were you a soldier?"
He raised his head, his gaze resting calmly on my face, as if waiting for me to continue. I swallowed, a little hesitant, but continued, "When you bought the Space Link for me, you paid me for it with military merit."
The room was silent for a moment, filled only by the gentle sound of the wind outside the window. He didn't answer immediately, but lowered his head and gently stroked the brush in his hand, as if thinking about something.
"Yes," he finally said, his tone lacking much emotion. "I served in the military for a while."
I was still a little surprised when he said it himself. Wen Ya always gave people an impression of being gentle and refined, and untainted by worldly things. His behavior and temperament made it difficult for me to associate him with the identity of a soldier.
"Why don't you tell me?" I asked quietly, a hint of tentativeness in my tone. "It seems like you've always been very...low-key."
He smiled, his eyes falling on the canvas, and said calmly, "There's nothing much to say. Those days are over. For me, the present life is the most important."
"Have you ever come into contact with combat plants?" I continued to speak tentatively, trying to sound nonchalant, but my eyes were fixed on his every move.
Wen Ya paused for a moment, then slowly turned to look at me. His clear eyes remained calm, even holding a gentle smile, but I could sense a moment of nervousness as his fingers tightened slightly.
"Why do you ask this suddenly?" He did not answer directly, but asked softly, his tone so gentle that it was almost harmless.
"Just asking." I smiled and pretended to look away nonchalantly. "I came across some information in planting class, and I feel that this plant is very... special."
He seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking slowly, "Combat plants are indeed special. Both their biological characteristics and the way they are used as weapons are unique." His tone was lightly lamented, as if describing a distant memory. "However, their danger should not be ignored. Those in the military who come into contact with them... rarely discuss it in a lighthearted manner."
I caught onto his words and pressed him, "What about you? Have you...been exposed to it too?"
Wen Ya's eyes met mine. His expression remained warm, but for a moment, a hint of coldness seemed to pass through them. He didn't answer immediately, as if he was weighing something.
"I did have some contact with him," he finally replied, his voice still steady. "But that was a long time ago."
His words were simple and calm, yet they left me with an inexplicable sense of alienation, as if he had deliberately hidden this part of his memory deep within, revealing only a fragment that was insignificant. I wasn't satisfied with this answer, but I didn't dare to ask further questions.
"Are they really that dangerous?" I asked casually, hoping to elicit more information.
"It's dangerous beyond imagination," Wen Ya whispered, a barely perceptible solemnity in her tone. "Combat plants aren't something humans can easily control. They... most of the time, it seems like they're testing our limits."
"Huh?" I uttered a soft "huh?" with undisguised curiosity in my tone, my eyes fixed on Wen Ya. "You just said they seemed to be testing our limits? What does that mean?"
In the mouths of ordinary people, combat plants are always described as brutal and dangerous creatures - their tentacles can tear steel, their toxins are enough to destroy an entire team, their vitality is so tenacious that it is despairing, and so on and so forth... Because I have come into contact with them and fought against them, I believe all of this.
However, Wen Ya's statement was completely different. He did not directly emphasize their violence and terror, but used the word "temptation", which made me very interested in his point of view.
Wen Ya lowered his head, stroking the paintbrush in his hand, as if pondering his response. His gaze fell on the canvas, but he didn't seem to truly absorb it. After a moment, he slowly spoke, "Their existence and behavior aren't simply destruction and killing. They're more like... purposeful behavior. They're always seeking, or perhaps testing, the limits of our reactions."
"Verify?" I frowned. "Can that plant be so 'smart'?"
Wen Ya chuckled and shook his head. "'Smart' might not be the right word. Their behavior isn't rooted in wisdom, but rather instinct." He looked up at me, a hint of inexplicable depth in his voice. "But that kind of instinct, so precise and persistent, is definitely not something a creature of disorder can possess."
His tone brought some strange images to my mind.