books44 Chapter 389 [Empire] Senior Mercenary
Chapter 389 [Empire] Senior Mercenary
With Lin Hao's "protection," I finally had the chance to skip a week of classes and take the Advanced Mercenary Assessment. This opportunity was crucial to me. After all, reaching the rank of Advanced Mercenary meant more challenging missions and perhaps even a change in my future relationship with the military. These were exactly what I needed to find my true life and future.
The senior mercenary exams were just as brutal, completely different from the previous intermediate exams. Without any prior preparation or guidance, the examiners simply threw us into some extreme environment, and from that moment on, the rest depended entirely on our individual abilities.
Whoever survives is considered qualified. In such a harsh environment, the limits of an individual are repeatedly pushed, and life's fragility and resilience coexist. We never know when we'll be thrown onto a deserted island or into the ruins of a city. We face not only the extremes of nature, but also unfamiliar enemies, traps, and our fellow travelers.
That week, I barely had time to rest. My body and will were strained to the limit by the various challenges. As a rising mid-level mercenary, I was confident in my abilities, but this assessment gave me my first real taste of the pressures of a high-level mercenary. Every assessment, every mission, was filled with uncertainty. The threat of death lingered around me. It seemed that if I wasn't careful, I would be the one left behind, a mere skeleton in this world.
And I finally passed. With unwavering perseverance and even more luck, I overcame all the challenges and completed the assessment. The moment I returned to the hall, all the fatigue and pain were released, but with it came an inexplicable sense of emptiness.
Standing in front of the list of high-level mercenaries, I saw my name appear at the bottom. Although it was the lowest ranking, it was still the honor I earned through my own efforts.
I stood before the leaderboard, staring at the number beneath my name. All that past glory and splendor seemed insignificant at this moment. Becoming a high-level mercenary wasn't the end, but a new beginning. It meant even greater challenges awaited me.
At that moment, I thought of Lin Hao. He didn't know I'd successfully passed the assessment, and I didn't tell him right away. I kept this achievement to myself, neither wanting to show off nor to burden him. Perhaps, only when I truly had my own direction and goals would I let him know. For now, all I could do was keep going, searching for my own future.
Yet, even so, deep down, there's always a lingering sense of unease and uncertainty. I can sense that my future is shrouded in fog, as if no matter how hard I try, I can't see the path ahead clearly. But I know I'm willing to keep going.
Everything has just begun.
Nightingale, dressed in a neat black uniform, held an exquisite gift in his hands. Under Wen Ya's piercing gaze, he respectfully handed it to me. He wore a slightly cold smile on his face, as if he wasn't afraid of Wen Ya's threats.
The two floating cannons hovered steadily in the air as Nightingale moved. A semi-automatic heavy machine gun was also silently placed before me, emitting a silent power. Wen Ya's eyes were still as sharp as a blade, but he remained silent, seemingly patiently awaiting my response to these "gifts."
I suddenly felt awkward, and the atmosphere became delicate and oppressive. Wen Ya's stern gaze seemed to cut the air in two as he stared intently at Nightingale, as if warning him not to cross some uncrossable line of danger. Wen Ya hated nothing more than my taking risks. He always believed that my safety was paramount, and these dangerous "gifts" were clearly a silent challenge to his bottom line.
Nightingale, oblivious to the solemn atmosphere, maintained his composure. He respectfully handed me the control modules for the self-propelled machine gun and the floating cannon, a subtle smile flickering in his eyes. He clearly understood the value of these pieces of equipment, but the current atmosphere made these gifts seem particularly inappropriate.
Wen Ya took a deep breath, her brow furrowed tightly, and ice seemed to drip out of her mouth. "Nightingale, you know very well that I don't want him to take risks outside. Aren't you afraid of angering me by doing this?"
Nightingale smiled faintly, as if she had anticipated all this. "Wen Ya, you should understand that improving your strength is the safest protection. No matter how much you dislike it, sooner or later he will have to face these dangers and challenges, as well as equipment like this."
I lowered my head guiltily, feeling like I was pushed into an inescapable corner, stuck between the two, unable to move.
I suddenly wanted to flee, my heart awash with panic. Wen Ya's fury was almost suffocating, and Nightingale's nonchalant attitude only made me uneasy. The atmosphere was growing increasingly tense, as if something could explode at any moment. I wanted to slip away, before they noticed me. Slip away to a safe place—perhaps even avert the impending conflict.
But my steps seemed to grow unnaturally heavy, as if gripped by the earth. The nightingale's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, her gentle brow furrowed, a chilling air intensifying.
I knew that escaping so easily would only make the situation worse. Although I wanted to escape, I knew that I couldn't get away easily.
"Are you planning to run away?" Wen Ya's voice was cold and gentle, as if it penetrated my thoughts and pierced my heart.
I stopped awkwardly, gave a forced smile, and finally looked up with all my strength: "I didn't... I was just going over there to take a look." As soon as I finished speaking, I couldn't even believe it myself.
In the end, I gritted my teeth and accepted Nightingale's gift, despite feeling apprehensive and awkward. The semi-automatic heavy machine gun and two floating cannons practically made my hands tremble. This wasn't just any equipment; it was precious weaponry that would make any mercenary organization jealous. Even I felt unworthy of accepting it.
Nightingale seemed to have anticipated my reaction. A confident smile played on his lips, and his eyes revealed a firmness that refused to be refused. No matter how I tried to refuse, he insisted on pushing the equipment in front of me: "This is your honor, you deserve it."
Wen Ya stood by, his brow furrowed, his face as gloomy as a mountain. His eyes fixed on me, as if he could see through my every thought. Every second of pause felt like an invisible knife, piercing my entire body.
"I told you, the outside world isn't for you." Wen Ya's voice was almost cold, almost suffocating. "You knew danger was everywhere, so why did you go seeking death?" Every word he spoke seemed to be squeezed through his teeth, his words filled with disappointment and anger. He was rarely so harsh.
I was speechless, only able to lower my head and grit my teeth as I accepted the heavy gift. My fingers slid over the weapon, knowing it was a gift symbolizing my advancement, but I felt no joy at all. Instead, I was left with a heavy burden of responsibility and invisible pressure, which made me feel breathless.
Wen Ya's rage nearly exploded. From that moment on, his eyes turned icy, as if he didn't care at all. He turned silently and said coldly, "Since you insist so much, then enjoy your glory." Then he walked out of the room without mercy.
I was stunned. Before I could say anything, I watched Wen Ya's back gradually disappear into the distance. A complex wave of emotions surged in my heart, and even the breath I breathed turned cold.
That night, Wen Ya didn't come to my room to "coax me to sleep." Instead, he left me alone, completely cold. I knew he was angry. He was always like that, calm on the surface, but a turbulent tide raged beneath his surface. Every time he left me alone, there was an unspeakable pain and loss hidden behind it. That night, I lay alone in my bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Whether it was Nightingale's gift or Wen Ya's silence, I felt an unprecedented sense of oppression.
I clutched the bed sheet tightly, trying to calm myself, but Wen Ya's words kept echoing in my mind: "Why do you have to seek death?" And the heavy machine gun and two floating cannons swayed in front of me again, as if they were not just gifts, but more like an inescapable weight.
Time passed minute by minute, and the whole room was shrouded in an unknown silence.