I awoke from the darkness, trying to find the light. Looking around in confusion, I saw nothing but an abyss.
When I opened my eyes again, I was in a small hospital room, a white sheet covering me and an IV drip in my wrist.
I turned toward the window. A shaft of light parted the curtains, and then dreams were no longer dreams, and waking was no longer waking.
Stepping from light into darkness, from reality into a dream, I was no longer myself.
“You’re awake? Looks like you’re recovering well!” Navier’s voice came from the doorway.
I turned to look. She had washed the makeup from her face, revealing a classic Western appearance.
Her platinum-blond hair cascaded down to her waist. Her sapphire-blue eyes were like a pool of autumn water, gleaming azure. Her black bandeau top could barely contain her ample breasts, and her slender waist was both fair and alluring, without an ounce of excess flesh. Her skin was as smooth and pale as jade, as white as frost and snow, without a single blemish.
It was hard to imagine that a mercenary who had spent years on the battlefield had not a single scar on her body. It made no sense. Could bullets really show mercy to a Beautiful Woman?
“Am I pretty?” Seeing me stare, Navier deliberately spun around to show off her figure.
“Beautiful!”
I answered instinctively, but immediately realized how forward that sounded, so I casually asked, “Where is this?”
“A private hospital on Noxi Island. It’s a beautiful place, if you don’t count the pirates bothering us!” Navier sat on the edge of the bed and removed my nearly empty IV.
“Why am I here?” I had never even heard of this unfamiliar place.
“Oh my God, you haven’t lost your memory, have you? Do you remember the day you pushed me into the sea?”
My face reddened, and I nodded without thinking.
Navier breathed a sigh of relief. “That was the day you nearly drowned. I pulled you onto the boat and brought you here.”
So that was what happened!
“Thank you. You saved me again!” I couldn’t remember anything after jumping into the sea.
“No. If you hadn’t pushed me off the boat, the person talking to me now might be God.” Navier smiled.
“Sorry. I couldn’t think of a better way at the time,” I explained with a wry smile.
“Your plan was a good one. I’m the one who should apologize. You’re not as weak as I thought. Maybe I should change my opinion of you. You’re brave. Now we’re even.”
Navier’s smile was beautiful, and somehow healing.
“What happened to the people on the boat?” I suddenly remembered the ones who had survived.
“They died,” Navier said casually.
Although I had known that would be the outcome, hearing her confirm it still made me feel awful. It was as if a stone were lodged in my heart. After all, my classmates had been on that boat, too.
After a moment of silence, I knew there was nothing I could do to change anything. Just staying alive was already a blessing from God.
“When can I leave?” I sat up and moved my limbs. I felt like I’d regained quite a bit of strength.
“Leave? Where do you want to go?” Navier looked surprised.
“I want to go home. This isn’t the kind of place I belong.” What I wanted most right now was my bed in the dorm. If I had a choice, I’d have stayed at school like a good student.
“I’m afraid you can’t!” Navier shook her head.
“Why?” I didn’t understand.
“This is pirate territory. They already know you’re connected to us, and they’re hunting you down. You won’t make it off this island without us. You might get killed the moment you step outside.” Navier shrugged.
“Is it really that serious?” I suspected she was trying to scare me.
“Believe me, you’ve seen what the pirates are capable of. Falling into their hands is terrifying!” Navier’s expression was solemn. She didn’t seem to be joking.
“Then what should I do?” I started to panic. I really didn’t want to go through what had happened on the ship again.
“It’s simple. Stick with me, and I’ll keep you safe.” Navier patted her chest.
“Stick with you? To do what, become a mercenary?” I asked tentatively.
“What’s wrong with that? At least you’d be able to protect yourself—and the people you love!” Navier licked her lips, a sexy gesture so beautiful it took my breath away.
“No, I can’t do that. I can’t kill people, and I never will!” I shook my head repeatedly, nearly falling for her charms.
In my mind, mercenaries were a pack of arms dealers who killed recklessly for money, a group of Demons who could kill without blinking, criminals with blood on their hands. They had no limits when it came to profit—cold-blooded, heartless, cruel, inhuman killing machines.
How could I ever become someone like that? That wasn’t the life I wanted. Absolutely not.
Navier seemed to see my misgivings. She gazed gently into my eyes, and in that instant, her clear gaze overturned everything I thought I knew about mercenaries. How could a girl like her be a killing machine?
“Mercenaries are soldiers, too. You won’t understand until you’ve experienced it. Maybe it’s not what you think. The opportunity is right in front of you, so why not give it a try? There’s a first time for everything. I can see the wildness in your eyes. Trust me, I’m not wrong about you. You were born to be a warrior. You should learn to fight.”
Navier’s words struck me as ironic. When faced with the pirates’ guns, I hadn’t even had the courage to raise my head. What warrior? What wildness? I was just a coward, a pathetic coward afraid to die.
“That’s enough. I’m not going with you. I never want to go through that again.” I decided to stop getting mixed up with them. I was a grown man; I’d find some way to get back home.
Navier shrugged helplessly. “All right, I respect your decision. As a friend, let me warn you: once you walk out that door, a whole group of people will be after your life. Good luck.”
I didn’t believe anyone would dare commit murder in broad daylight. I’d already made up my mind: as soon as I got out, I’d head straight to the harbor. There had to be a ship there that could take me home.
I took off the hospital gown and changed into my own clothes. None of my belongings were missing, though there wasn’t much to begin with: my wallet and keys, that was all.
Just as I was about to leave, three burly men walked in.
“Goddess, how did it go?” asked one of them, a man with a thick beard and a Smoking Pipe in his mouth.
Navier glanced at me and shrugged. “Recruitment failed. He doesn’t want to come with us.”
“See? I told you he wasn’t cut out to be a soldier!” said another, a young white man.
“Forget it. The Undertaker never forces anyone. We have a mission to complete, so there’s no point wasting time here. Everyone go check your gear. We leave in half an hour,” ordered the man with the Smoking Pipe.
“Yes, sir!” they all shouted in unison.
Then they left the room, and no one paid me any more attention.
I didn’t mind. This was for the best. Being around these people always brought trouble.
When I left the hospital, I made a point of asking where the harbor was. The nurse gave me a rough idea of the direction. It was less than three kilometers away.
Walking alone down the street, surrounded by plain, unremarkable buildings, I was overcome by a powerful sense of unfamiliarity. A trace of fear rose inexplicably in my heart. For some reason, everyone who passed me seemed to look at me with hostility.
I glanced back at the hospital, not far behind me. After hesitating for a moment, I gritted my teeth and strode toward the harbor. I’d finally managed to get away; I couldn’t get tangled up with the mercenaries again.
After walking about a kilometer, I suddenly heard an engine roaring behind me.
Remembering Navier’s words, I grew even more nervous and instinctively turned to look.
A black Pickup Truck came speeding toward me as if out of control, heedless of the pedestrians in its path.