Iron Blood Flower

Davirmus, the most dazzling pearl of the Star Alliance.

Inside the gloomy and stifling underground training grounds of the Star Alliance's First Military Academy, Dolen, wearing an assistant instructor's uniform, smiled as he lifted a pirate soldier covered in wounds.

"This lesson is on interrogation techniques." After punching the pirate, whose tongue had been cut out, in the face, Dolen grinned at the circle of junior students surrounding him. "This isn't a mandatory course. If you can't handle it mentally, you're dismissed. For all junior students who successfully complete this course, congratulations, you'll receive an additional ten credit points."

He forcefully threw the pirate to the ground and clapped his blood-splattered hands. "For the first lesson, students willing to take this course, please leave some marks on this unfortunate fellow. Experience the feeling of getting your hands dirty."

After several minutes of silence, eighty percent of the military academy students turned and left. Only fewer than ten remained.

Dolen shook his head helplessly, sighing, "A highly developed civilization, a highly developed spiritual civilization... the spirit of a warrior!"

He scanned his surroundings, his gaze pausing briefly on a tall figure standing in a dark corner of the training grounds. Dolen, with a smile, asked, "Which junior student will go first? I have daggers, short swords, steel spikes, and various common torture instruments prepared."

Silence. A long, drawn-out silence. The remaining students took a step back, as if intimidated by the torture instruments Dolen was pulling out one by one.

Dolen shook his head in disappointment, lamenting, "No one? You don't even have the courage to draw blood? Then how can you become a qualified soldier?"

The tall figure in the dark corner moved. She walked steadily to Dolen.

Dolen smiled. "Junior student Fuya!"

Fuya Ming, wearing the First Military Academy student uniform, gave Dolen a cold glance before focusing her attention on the torture instruments.

With short black hair cut to her ears, a delicate and exquisite melon seed face, long phoenix eyes, a pair of clean-cut sword eyebrows, and a tall stature a finger's breadth taller than Dolen, her body, tightly wrapped in her student uniform, was agile and powerful, like an Iron Blood Flower blooming in the night. Fuya Ming frowned as she stared at the torture instruments. Suddenly, she drew her sidearm and pulled the trigger, aiming at the pirate's forehead.

The crisp gunshot echoed in the training grounds. Dolen, who had been calm and composed, staggered back a few steps, startled by Fuya Ming's sudden action. He exclaimed in shock, "Junior student Fuya, you..."

Fuya Ming frowned. She said indifferently, "Interrogation? Unnecessary! Confession? Also unnecessary. The best pirates are dead pirates."

After placing her sidearm back in its holster, Fuya Ming turned and walked towards the exit of the training grounds.

"Senior student Dolen, if you're truly bored, you can go fight beasts, but please don't waste our time. Ever since the Psycho-Wave Excavator was invented, interrogation has been removed from the academy's elective course list for hundreds of years."

"No matter how you managed to get ten credit points for this outdated course, please don't summon us here in the middle of the night. Our time is precious."

The sound of combat boots on the ground gradually faded as Fuya Ming disappeared into the darkness. (To be continued)