Chapter 381: Ambush
Shlink
The door slid open, revealing the man she had wanted to see and, at the same time, had not wanted to face.
Elena groaned softly as she stepped inside. "How did the training go?" she asked casually, deliberately keeping her tone light as though nothing had happened.
Kyle merely nodded. "It went fine."
Then he returned his attention to his book.
Elena stared at him for a moment before letting out another quiet groan. She had only just returned from the infirmary after three days, and he had not even asked whether she was feeling better.
Well, we only spent a couple of hours together. It’s not like he has any reason to worry about me.
The thought came almost immediately, and Elena inwardly frowned at herself. She was probably reading too much into his indifference.
She walked toward her bed, but after taking a few steps, she hesitated. Her fingers briefly tightened around the strap of her bag before she finally asked, "Did my father come to meet you yesterday?"
Kyle slowly nodded. This time, however, he tore his eyes away from the book. Elena still had no idea what he could possibly find so interesting in it.
"Yes. He thanked me for protecting you, even though I repeatedly told him it was simply my obligation."
Elena stared at him, unable to understand the man.
"Hey... aren’t country bumpkins supposed to be eager to get into the good graces of rich people?" she asked. "My father is pretty wealthy, you know."
Kyle hummed thoughtfully. "I figured. But truthfully, I already have everything I need. I don’t have much reason to try and get into his good graces."
Elena fell silent.
There was something about the way he said it that left her at a loss for words. He did not sound arrogant or as though he were trying to impress her. He simply sounded sincere, as if her father’s wealth held no particular value to him.
And now he was looking at his book again.
Fearing that the conversation would end there, Elena hurriedly spoke before he could completely retreat into his reading.
"Thank you... for everything you did."
Her voice softened.
"I don’t think I could have imagined what might have happened if you hadn’t intervened."
The words carried more weight than she intended. Her throat tightened, as she recalled that incident. She was on the verge of breaking down in that pit before he Kyle intervened.
Despite the bold personality she presented to everyone around her, Elena had grown up in a remarkably sheltered environment. She had never been forced to deal with people who could openly challenge her without consequence, nor had she experienced the kind of hostility that came from someone who knew her full name and still chose to treat her with contempt.
Here, everything was different.
The people around her did not care about her family name. Her instructor treated her like every other cadet, neither granting her special treatment nor showing any interest in who her parents were. Then there were people like Ray, who seemed determined to test her patience at every opportunity and had even harbored intentions that went far beyond simple rivalry.
It was a world she had wanted to experience.
For years, she had insisted to her parents that she wanted to face difficult situations on her own, without hiding behind their influence or allowing their status to smooth every obstacle in her path.
Now that she was finally getting what she had asked for, Elena was beginning to understand that wanting hardship and being prepared for it were two very different things.
Still, she was not someone who would retreat simply because reality proved harsher than she had imagined.
If anything, the challenges only reminded her why she had come here in the first place.
Kyle nodded at her. "It’s fine."
With that, he returned to his book.
Elena did not disturb him any further. Instead, she settled onto her bed, put on her earphones, and started listening to music. She needed something to quiet her thoughts. Her mind had been racing ever since she returned from the infirmary, and she knew she would only make herself more anxious if she kept turning everything over in her head.
There was little chance she would have to deal with Ray again. Her father would make certain the man was no longer allowed to remain at the HQ, which meant Elena could finally put that incident behind her.
What mattered now was what came next.
She needed to prepare herself for whatever other challenges might come her way. She had chosen this path herself, after all. She could not expect every obstacle to disappear simply because the first one had nearly gone too far.
And above all... her goal has become more certain.
She had finally found a rival.
....
"Are you sure about this?" Hannah asked, looking more worried than the person about to confess her feelings.
"Yeah, I am." Clara muttered the words under her breath, but the determination in her eyes left little room for doubt.
"But why so suddenly?" Hannah asked, still stunned by her friend’s decision. "I thought you decided to wait... to make him fall for you first?"
"Why are you so bothered?" Clara narrowed her eyes at her. "You don’t happen to have a crush on him, do you?"
Hannah rolled her eyes.
"I just don’t want you to regret it later. Besides, I feel like the two of you have been getting closer lately. Well, Ethan at least seems to be getting closer to you. He respects you more than he used to."
That much was true.
Ethan had always been dismissive toward Clara. She had never been a priority to him, and he had once been perfectly capable of skipping a promised date over the slightest excuse. There had been no hesitation, no guilt, and certainly no concern about how it might make her feel.
But lately, something had changed.
He was more attentive whenever they were together. He spoke to her with genuine politeness rather than the casual indifference he had once shown her, and, most importantly, he had started keeping the promises he made to her.
They were small changes, almost insignificant on their own.
But to Clara, they meant everything.
While these were certainly good signs, Hannah still wanted her friend to think things through before making a decision she might regret.
Clara, however, looked completely certain.
"I’ve decided. Tomorrow, I’m going to confess my feelings. And no one is going to get in my way."
....
[1:45 AM]
There was absolute silence throughout the quarters.
The late-night training had concluded around midnight, leaving the cadets exhausted after an entire day of physical conditioning and combat drills. Most had barely made it back to their rooms before collapsing into bed. By now, the entire floor had fallen into a deep, uninterrupted sleep.
Elena and Kyle were no different.
Both were buried beneath their blankets, the exhaustion of the day keeping them completely unaware of everything beyond the walls of their quarters.
For several minutes, nothing disturbed the silence.
Then...
"!!"
Kyle’s eyes snapped open.
He had no idea what had awakened him. Instinct, perhaps. A faint disturbance. Something his body had registered before his mind could.
He barely had time to lift his head.
DOOOOOOM!
The entire front section of the quarters erupted.
The explosion tore through the corridor with a deafening roar, violently shaking the room and sending fragments of metal, plaster, and shattered fixtures flying through the air. The walls trembled beneath the impact as a wave of heat and pressure swept through the quarters.
BANG!
The emergency lights flickered once before flooding the room in a harsh red glow.
WEEEEE-OOO! WEEEEE-OOO!
The alarm screamed to life.
Almost immediately, the peaceful silence of the quarters descended into chaos.
Doors slammed open across the floor. Cadets stumbled out of their rooms half dressed, some still trying to pull on their uniforms while others emerged barefoot and disoriented. Shouts and frantic questions overlapped with the blaring alarm as people struggled to understand what had happened.
Then another explosion shook the floor.
BOOOOOOM!
A second followed only seconds later.
BOOOOOOOM!
The ceiling trembled.
Dust rained down from above, smoke poured through the damaged corridor, and emergency lights painted everything in an eerie crimson glow. Somewhere nearby, someone screamed for a medic. Others shouted for help while officers barked orders that were almost impossible to hear over the alarms and explosions.
"What in the hell?!" Elena cried out in panic as she shot upright.
She threw the blanket aside and looked around wildly. Her heart hammered against her chest as another distant blast rattled the windows.
Kyle was already on his feet.
The sleep had vanished from his eyes completely.
His expression hardened as he moved toward the damaged side of the room, carefully scanning through the thickening smoke. The air reeked of burning metal and dust, and the muffled sounds of fighting could already be heard somewhere beyond the corridor.
His eyes narrowed.
"This isn’t an accident."
Elena stared at him.
Kyle’s gaze shifted toward the ruined entrance.
"We’re being ambushed."
The words had barely left his mouth when a figure slowly emerged through the smoke.
The chaos around them seemed to fade for a moment.
Kyle recognized him almost immediately.
And as the dust began to settle, Elena saw him too.
Her eyes widened.
Her breath caught painfully in her throat.
That face.
There was no mistaking him.
"Ray?!"