My youth is like the legend of the ghost cat, so elusive that it doesn't really exist.

Living itself is quite similar, but it's unable to bring any value.

Perhaps, the experience of youth has truly passed me by, or maybe I just started to feel a bit motivated, only to be thrown off a cliff into an abyss of no return.

After going through those extremely painful years, I feel like a bastard child of this world!

Existence is inexplicable; unable to even enjoy youth properly, I face the world.

In this country with a population of less than three hundred million, the bustling city has lost its former fast-paced feeling.

I am a senior student in high school, Tsubaki Juxi, and this year is turning out to be quite unusual for me.

Wrapped in a silver-white hoodie, I habitually wait alone at the end of the pedestrian walkway for the green light that's about to flash, with an extremely lazy expression. I yawn while putting my hands in the pockets of my jeans, my two dark eyes so tired that the eyelids are in a constant battle.

"Achoo!"

In the coldest season of the year, I can't help but sneeze.

With a pale and dismal expression, I complain, "Just when one trouble ends, there's nothing to do anyway. Might as well drop out of school!"

The pedestrian green light on the opposite side of the street finally turns on, and I quickly cross the zebra crossing.

Usually, as long as nothing unpleasant happens, I follow traffic rules quite well. This coffee shop across the street suits my taste, so I decided to meet my brother there today.

"Hello, welcome...!"

As I enter, the manager at the counter just lifted her head, and we stare at each other for a second.

Upon seeing her face, I furrow my brows slightly, force a smile, and wave to her, "Hey, how have you been... Lan?"

Qiu Caolan, the cafe's owner, is a woman with delicate yet not too outstanding features, but she's definitely at the level of a beauty. There are no flaws on her face except for a slightly twisted smile that adds a unique charm.

Her slender figure highlights the prominent features... everything is just the right size, laughing in the right places.

Underneath the wild lace miniskirt, her long and sexy legs are exposed, especially when paired with the green ribbon tied hair bun on top, she exudes a beauty akin to a tropical Amazonian female warrior.

"Oh my, darling, you're here again at this humble place... it's truly an honor... Oh, I can't resist, come here, give me a kiss!"

Though not stunningly beautiful, this woman who can be considered a beauty pounces on me like a hungry wolf within half a minute of me entering, her pretty face adorned with a hint of cunning eyes and a smile.

"Come, come, remember to be responsible to sister!"

"Enough, who cares about the value of an old woman like you?"

"Hmph, little brother, saying such words is hurtful."

"…all right, my mistake."

Despite just working here, the new assistant Yu Nai couldn't stand by anymore.

She grabbed the collar of the owner, Qiu Caolan, with her pretty face and dragged her back less than ten centimeters away from me.

With a serious expression, she smiled at me, "The owner's rude behavior towards customers; let me apologize on her behalf!"

"Hehe, forget it, young man, remember this! If big sister is still single, she will claim you as her own!"

Qiu Caolan, who broke free from Yu Nai's grasp, pretended to be angry, shamelessly putting her hands across her chest to flaunt her ample bosom, demonstrating her dissatisfaction in a playful manner and provoking her.

"Nah, it seems you don't understand the charm of women, no wonder you don't have a boyfriend!" Qiu Caolan slung his arm around me, then flirtatiously leaned his bosom against my arm, deliberately mocking the puzzled Yu Nai standing nearby.

"You shameless woman, aren't you single too?" Facing Qiu Caolan's provocation, Yu Nai launched a counterattack without backing down.

I was taken aback at first, then looked Lan up and down tightly embracing me in his arms.

Finally, my gaze fell on her impressive bosom and I inadvertently swallowed, making Qiu Caolan, who was bickering with Yu Nai, uncomfortable for quite some time.

Seeing me staring straight with saliva almost dripping to the floor, both Lan and I blushed furiously, feeling angry.

"Hey, where are you looking at? Pervert!" She blushed and cursed before quickly fleeing behind the kitchen counter as if to escape, but Yu Nai was already accustomed to the spirited Lan.

"Shuixue, take a break, what would you like to drink?" Yu Nai warmly welcomed me into the private room.

I didn't feel as lively as usual, skipping the usual precautions against the host's harassment and greeting Yu Nai.

"Alright, I have a friend still on the way, could you please order me a whiskey and uh..."

Never having drunk alcohol before, I was at a loss, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

"How about some fresh lemon juice?" Yu Nai suggested, holding a pen in hand.

True to our childhood friendship, he knew my preferences well.

I liked lemon juice because it was plain-looking but not too ordinary, with a sprinkling of freckles on the face giving a mischievous touch.

"Uh, sure, that'll do." I forced a smile at Yu Nai and said, "Thank you."

Yu Nai returned a happy smile, pulled back the curtain, and left the private room, leaving me alone to leisurely rest my arms on the soft red sofa, lazily gazing up at the ceiling, reminiscing about my first encounter with the host four years ago.

If the self from four years ago was enough to make the present me content... then, the transformation that would occur in my life just two months later had already left me feeling astonished!

Several months later...

"Captain, are we... going to..."

Immediately after getting off the plane, facing the biting cold wind, the newcomer lost his nerve!

The snow was thick, at least two centimeters deep, and his feet sank deeply as soon as they touched the ground.

He trembled and staggered towards me, making my already unsteady body even more unsteady.

"No turning back now?"

"Can you calm down?!"

Slap! Slap!

I swiftly slapped him across the face, assuming a fierce and wrathful expression.

"Sob... it hurts so much, I'm scared..."

"If you don't want to die right away, keep your mouth shut!"

Saying that, I picked up the only Army God in my hand and loaded two white bullets into the magazine.

Army God: 5.7mm caliber, with a trapezoidal gun body. The bullet is relatively long and slender, with a built-in propulsion engine, a 0.01-second difference within a range of one kilometer, making the bullet more suitable for silently killing the target!

"Be careful, let's figure out how to get out of this snow mountain next."

I took out my communication phone to communicate with the headquarters' rescue team, "Hello, Commander... Commander?"

"Damn it!!"

The walkie-talkie had no signal at all, so I had no choice but to observe the surrounding terrain first.

We were in the middle of the snow-capped mountain, continuously climbing up or going back the same way was not a scientific move, especially with such a reality gem by my side!

"Commander, what should we do...?"

"Prepare your parachute, then follow my lead, can you do it?"

But before we set off, I had to make sure of one thing...

I turned to the new driver behind me and said in a serious tone, "If what I'm about to suggest next might lead us to die on this snow mountain, such as from lack of oxygen..."

I made it clear, as I didn't want anyone to hold me back.

"Will you still follow me?"

It seemed that we had to cross this gigantic snow mountain peak before us since there were no visible caves or passages around.

"It's already hard enough to escape back, what about the new driver?"

Commander was concerned about the newcomer, and I had to tell him the truth.

"I'm deeply sorry, that person didn't make it."

"Oh, I see."

Commander picked up the steaming coffee from the table and handed it to me, "Don't blame yourself too much, that's just how the world works..."

The sorrow of losing a companion did not shake Commander's mind, I knew, this kind of pain would not affect his iron heart!

"Commander, I know life means very little to you, even the lives of others don't matter much to you."

"Well," Commander was pleased with my insight, "having such awareness is a quality that an excellent Alliance soldier should possess, I admire that about you."

This wasn't something Commander had cultivated, but a trait I had possessed from the beginning.

"Of course, I am no longer that empty shell of a person, but an individual with my own thoughts!"

I patted my chest where the pocket watch was kept, and declared vehemently from the depths of my soul.

It was because of that watch that I slowly regained my lost memories, making it even harder to let go.

Ever since I obtained the watch, infinite thoughts had come to me at the final moments of my life, memories vividly playing before my eyes, as if...

"My past was just a dream, a very long dream."

At least that's how I saw it, but as for my future, our future, everyone's future, I caught a glimpse of it.

Although the glimpse was brief, so short that I couldn't see the tragic end clearly.

The entire world turned dark, as if it had been covered entirely in white, the dark sky and the vast white earth, all lives faced extinction, all things faced destruction!

Before that impenetrable sky, every life, no matter how powerful, seemed fragile and vulnerable.

Just as my commanding officer, Commander, had said.

"Sheep only complain about unfairness, while wolves fight for more rights!"

With these words, he patted my shoulder and briskly rolled up his sleeve, walking out of the camp to issue new orders.

Gazing at the gradually disappearing figure, I couldn't help but sigh at how time flies. Not long ago, I was so destitute and had nowhere to go, but now I find myself mingling with these people who constantly dash back and forth on the edge of the sword. The transformation has been so rapid that I haven't even had time to react - I've been in this alliance squad for two months already! However, the training was abruptly halted after just over a week.