Chapter 56: A+A (IV)

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Chapter 56: A+A (IV)

Shang Ke had been all ready to joyfully fall in love at first sight, only to discover that he had mistaken the man for someone else! He was deeply disappointed. His heart felt unbearably heavy.

His eyes, which had been shining like stars only a second ago, immediately dimmed.

Rhine instinctively examined his own hand. It had a few calluses, but the shape was excellent and the fingers long and well proportioned. Surely it wasn’t so ugly that merely looking at it could make someone lose all hope in life?

While Rhine was still pondering this, the blade in Shang Ke’s hand fell to the ground with a clang, and Shang Ke collapsed sideways. Rhine caught him and pulled him into his arms. The body beneath his hands was burning hot, his muscles unnaturally rigid. His condition was clearly serious. The fact that he had remained conscious until the rescuers arrived before finally collapsing spoke volumes about his astonishing willpower.

When Rhine brought Shang Ke back, almost every surviving soldier in Via City came out to welcome him. Seeing the horrific wounds and dried blood covering their commander, the soldiers’ eyes filled with tears, and cries of “Sir!” rose one after another.

Rhine took Shang Ke to the medical center. It was already overflowing with patients, but the doctors still arranged a private room for him. With modern medical technology, ordinary external injuries could generally be healed. Moreover, an Alpha’s natural recovery ability was several times stronger than that of a Beta or Omega. As long as an Alpha survived, it usually did not take long for him to become a powerful soldier again.

Shang Ke, however, was in very bad condition.

After examining and treating him for three hours, the doctor said to Rhine, “Brigadier General Lancelot, please have Second Lieutenant Filmore transferred to the capital hospital as soon as possible.”

Rhine’s eyes darkened. “Is it serious?”

The doctor replied worriedly, “His external wounds aren’t the problem. But he spent two days exposed to radiation from the Insect Sandstorm, and his body was pushed far beyond exhaustion. His muscles are showing severe rigidity, and a large number of cells have undergone necrosis. We can’t provide effective treatment here. Even if he returns to the capital, I estimate his chance of making a complete recovery is no more than fifty percent. Second Lieutenant Filmore… may never return to his former physical condition.”

Sympathy appeared in the doctor’s eyes. The young man had survived against overwhelming odds and should have been entering the most glorious period of his life, enjoying the honors due a hero. Instead, he now faced the possibility of permanently losing his chance for advancement. Wasn’t fate being far too cruel to this young second lieutenant?

“I understand. Prepare to transfer him tomorrow.” Rhine gave Shang Ke one long look before turning and leaving.

When Shang Ke woke again, seven days had passed. He had been brought back to the capital and admitted to the First Military Hospital of the Capital.

“How are you feeling?” a middle-aged doctor asked gently.

Shang Ke opened his mouth, but no sound came out, so he could only indicate with his eyes that he was all right. Aside from his entire body aching and feeling weak, being unable to move, and having a splitting headache, there didn’t seem to be any other major problems.

Unfortunately, Shang Ke soon learned exactly how serious his problem was. When the doctor told him that from now on, if he could sit, he shouldn’t stand; if he could walk, he shouldn’t jump; and if something could be settled with words, he absolutely shouldn’t settle it with his fists, Shang Ke felt his entire world darken.

The doctor was puzzled as well. Given the radiation levels at the time, Shang Ke should not have suffered damage this severe, yet the examination results were undeniable.

Shang Ke understood immediately. His physical condition was probably not primarily caused by radiation, but by the aftereffects of the Berserk state inflicted by the Curse Halo.

Seeing him fall silent, the doctor comforted him. “Second Lieutenant Filmore, don’t become too discouraged. If you persist with rehabilitation and cooperate with the medication regimen, there’s still a good chance you’ll recover substantially.”

“To what extent?” Shang Ke asked hoarsely.

The doctor hesitated before answering, “Conservatively, I’d estimate that you can recover to more than sixty percent of your original physical condition.”

Sixty percent? That’s nowhere near enough! At that level, he might not even compare to some Betas. His mission was to become a Senior Colonel within ten years. Under the normal promotion system, advancing from Second Lieutenant to Senior Colonel would take at least fifteen to twenty years. Only by repeatedly participating in combat and accumulating military merit would he have any chance of receiving accelerated promotions.

If he became physically ordinary, his only prospects would be discharge from active service or reassignment to a desk position. Either way, completing the mission within the allotted time would become nearly impossible.

“Fil, you’re awake?” A man entered the room and looked at Shang Ke with obvious delight.

Information about him immediately surfaced in Shang Ke’s mind: Jiva, the original Filmore’s Omega father, an ordinary-looking male Omega. Shang Ke looked at the delicate man before him and still found the concept of two men having a biological child somewhat difficult to process.

Still, Filmore’s father had been fortunate to marry an Omega at all. Omegas made up only twenty-eight percent of the global population, and generally only Alpha nobles or high-ranking military officers were eligible to be matched with one. Admittedly, Filmore’s family did count as hereditary nobility, even if it had gradually declined after going more than a century without producing a high-ranking officer.

Given Filmore’s outstanding performance at Via City, his future should have been exceptionally bright. No one had expected him to suffer injuries severe enough to nearly cut off his path to promotion. His moment of glory seemed destined to be as fleeting as a flower blooming for a single night.

The enormous swing from elation to disappointment was difficult for the entire Seaver family to accept. Since Shang Ke’s return to the capital, his relatives—including his father—had visited only during the first few days. After that, Jiva was the only family member who remained to care for him.

“I brought you some food. See if there’s anything you like.” Jiva was gentle, but because his appearance was rather ordinary, his husband Kenwyn had never been especially fond of him. Kenwyn, by contrast, was a tall, handsome Alpha who radiated aristocratic bearing. Good-looking and wealthy, he was naturally something of a philanderer. As far as Shang Ke knew, his nominal father had at least three Beta lovers outside the marriage.

“Thank you.” Shang Ke smiled at him.

Surprise flashed through Jiva’s eyes. His child had not treated him so warmly in a very long time. Probably influenced by his father, Filmore had looked down on the plain-looking Jiva from childhood, believing he was unworthy of Kenwyn and swearing that one day he himself would marry a truly beautiful Omega.

As Shang Ke ate, he activated his personal terminal and began browsing the network.

Jiva looked as though he wanted to stop him, but in the end said nothing and simply sat quietly beside him.

The greatest news story in recent days was naturally the battle at Via City. A defensive line that had been expected to collapse completely within five days, wiping out the entire garrison, had ultimately held for thirteen days, with more than twenty thousand soldiers surviving. In circumstances bordering on hopeless, they had fought desperately to preserve the final defensive line and protect hundreds of thousands of lives. It was a miracle—and a devastating yet magnificent victory.

As the greatest contributor to the victory, Shang Ke had become the focus of nationwide attention. He had assumed command at the moment of crisis, fought without fear of death, drawn the entire Insectoid army away by himself to give Via City’s soldiers a chance to survive, then battled the swarm alone for two days and two nights until rescue arrived.

Footage of his fighting in Via City, along with the photograph of him covered in blood and calmly roasting an Insectoid leg atop a mountain and sea of corpses, had been released online. Overnight, both became viral sensations, and countless people were captivated by him.

Now that was a real soldier. He was fucking cool!

Because Shang Ke had remained unconscious, the public had yet to interact with him directly. Unable to interview the hero himself, reporters and admirers turned their attention toward the Seaver family instead. Kenwyn eagerly took advantage of the opportunity to raise the family’s prestige. Their businesses flourished, and the family’s other younger members benefited as well.

Compared with the family basking in endless attention, the actual hero had instead been left largely neglected.

Judging by public reaction, no one outside seemed to know the true condition of his body yet, and Kenwyn certainly had no intention of revealing it for the time being. Once his injuries became known, Shang Ke might receive plenty of sympathy, but those motivated primarily by self-interest would probably cool toward him considerably. After all, an honored soldier who could never advance any further held little value as an investment or political connection.

Shang Ke did not care. What concerned him was how to recover his combat ability, complete the mission, find his man, and then spend the rest of this life thoroughly enjoying themselves together.

At that thought, Rhine’s figure surfaced in his mind again, and Shang Ke became conflicted. Why did the man who seemed most likely to be his man have no mole on his palm?!

Their auras might be similar, but without the mole, Shang Ke absolutely did not dare recognize him! What kind of tragedy would it be if he chose the wrong person? Across so many worlds, he was bound to encounter people who resembled that man. Shang Ke’s only reliable way to identify him was through both the familiar aura and the mole on his palm. Neither alone was enough. Therefore, Shang Ke firmly believed Rhine was not the person he was searching for.

It seemed he would have to investigate the people around Rhine instead. Perhaps Zeka, the Alpha who had competed with “him” over an Omega, or maybe that Omega Ryan himself. But could his man possibly be an Omega? Shang Ke tried imagining it.

Fuck. Nope. Absolutely cannot process that.

“Fil, your father and the others…” Seeing Shang Ke’s expression change, Jiva hesitantly began speaking, apparently intending to comfort him.

Shang Ke waved a hand. “It’s fine. I’m happier with the peace and quiet.”

Jiva watched him for a long moment. Once he was certain Shang Ke genuinely did not care, he smiled softly. “Fil, you’ve matured.”

Shang Ke bit lightly on his spoon and winked at Jiva. “Of course. I’m a national hero now.”

Jiva broke into a smile, and the worry between his brows vanished.

Shang Ke discovered that although Jiva seemed delicate, he was not timid in the slightest. On the contrary, he possessed perceptive eyes and an open, broad-minded heart.

For Kenwyn and his son to fail to appreciate someone like him—they really were blind.

Several days later, once his wounds had mostly healed, Shang Ke asked to begin rehabilitation. The doctor considered it for a moment before saying, “All right. Give me one more day and I’ll put together a comprehensive rehabilitation schedule for you.”

Shang Ke nodded in agreement.

What Shang Ke did not know was that the doctor reported his condition to Brigadier General Lancelot that very day. Although Rhine had never personally visited him, he had been following his recovery closely. Rhine had originally expected Shang Ke to suffer a severe emotional blow after learning that he might never again be capable of serving as a combat soldier. Not every powerful Alpha could accept the possibility of living the rest of his life as an ordinary person.

Instead, Shang Ke had adapted remarkably quickly and actively requested rehabilitation. The glory of becoming a hero had not inflated his vanity, nor had the damage to his body left him despondent or defeated.

He truly was an exceptional person.

A trace of appreciation flashed through Rhine’s eyes. He activated his personal terminal and began designing Shang Ke’s rehabilitation program himself.

He had more than enough patience to wait for Shang Ke to recover—and then recruit him into his command.

Shang Ke began the difficult and monotonous process of rehabilitation. Recovering proved even harder than he had expected. After several days, all he could manage was walking normally, and even then, ten consecutive minutes left him physically exhausted.

Shang Ke was not discouraged and continued exercising every day, while Rhine silently kept track of his progress. Then news leaked that Filmore had regained consciousness, and the outside world immediately exploded with excitement. Reporters descended on the hospital in droves, officially bringing Shang Ke’s peaceful life to an end.

To prevent the media frenzy from interfering with the hospital’s normal operations, Shang Ke received his doctor’s approval and was discharged a month later.

Kenwyn personally came to pick him up—and brought a crowd of reporters with him.

The moment Shang Ke saw them, he immediately wanted to request an extension of his hospital stay.

Jiva seemed to understand exactly what he was thinking and smiled. “Use the back entrance. There’s another car waiting for you there. Leave everything else to me.”

Shang Ke’s eyes lit up, and he gave Jiva a tight hug. “You’re the best, Dad!”

Jiva smiled softly as he watched Shang Ke shoulder his bag, put on a pair of sunglasses, and stride out of the ward.

When Shang Ke emerged from the back entrance, he saw a high-end maglev car parked nearby. A man who appeared to be the driver waved to him.

He walked over, greeted the driver, then climbed into the back seat. Only after getting inside did he realize someone else was already sitting there.

It was Rhine.

Shang Ke had never expected a brigadier general to personally come pick him up.

Dad, you look so ordinary and unassuming, but apparently your connections are terrifyingly powerful!

“Fil, we meet again.” Rhine extended a hand toward him.

As Rhine reached out, Shang Ke faintly caught a light, pleasant fragrance.

He shook Rhine’s hand. “Sorry to trouble you, Brigadier General Lancelot.”

“Mm.” Rhine waited until Shang Ke withdrew his hand before slowly lowering his own. Washing my hands with scented cleanser before coming really was the right decision. At least this time he didn’t look completely devastated when he saw my hand. (Shang Ke: That was never the reason, okay?!)

“Why did Brigadier General Lancelot come to pick me up personally?”

Rhine replied, “Your decoration ceremony will be held at the academy. They’ve arranged an entire separate dormitory building for you, so you won’t have to worry about being disturbed.”

“Thank you. That’s very thoughtful of you.” Shang Ke gave him a curious glance, unable to understand why Rhine was taking such good care of him.

“Mm.” Rhine calmly accepted the gratitude.

Shang Ke studied Rhine’s profile for a while before his gaze involuntarily drifted back toward his hand. It was broad and strong, well proportioned, with traces left by years of combat.

But it was not the hand Shang Ke wanted to hold.

“Do you enjoy looking at other people’s hands?” Rhine suddenly asked.

“Ah… mm, yes.” Shang Ke looked away and relaxed against the seat with a smile. “You can tell quite a lot from someone’s hands—their past, their future, even their profession and identity.”

“Oh? Then what can you tell from mine?”

“Hmm…” Shang Ke pretended to think seriously for a moment before declaring with absolute certainty, “You’re going to become an extraordinary general someday.”

“…” Rhine, who was already an accomplished brigadier general: Did you really need to read my palm to figure that out…?

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