Return Journey (I)

Xianni smiled more than most of his brothers, and usually it wasn't a snarl, but a very ordinary and kind smile. For this, he was once cruelly called "the stupid wolf" or "the winged one."

No explanation is needed; you can understand what those two titles were implying. However, after he secured First Company championship title with his own strength, these titles immediately disappeared.

After that, he was usually addressed as "Xianni" or "Xianni of Terra" with respect and a smile. Some people would also call him "the boy from Terra" to combine the two. Of course, only those older than him could call him that.

To be honest, Xianni isn't a brother who fits the Midnight Blade's personality at all; his character is completely different from Night Lords. While this doesn't detract from his inherently sarcastic humor and willingness to mock, well, that's just how it is.

"Could you stop laughing like that?" The First Company's adjutant, Mollez, looked at him with annoyance, his right hand already reaching for a combat dagger on his belt.

This is his knife, not Van Cleef's.

"Your smile is annoying, Xianni, like some idiot showing off how great his teeth are."

Xianni shrugged, unperturbed by his adjutant's insulting remark. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, revealing his sharp canines once more. "Say what you will, dear adjutant. But you and I both know you're just jealous of me."

"Me, jealous of you?" Mollez asked with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. "Do you really understand what you're saying, Xianni? What do you have that I'm jealous of?"

My name.

". What?"

"My name is Lieutenant," Xianni grinned.

"Your name is awkward and unpleasant to pronounce, far less catchy and memorable than Xianni's. And, I'm certain of at least one thing: the instructor will remember my name in far less time than he'll remember yours."

"Damn it, Xianni, our names are all three syllables. How could the instructor possibly spend more time on my name than you?"

Enraged, the adjutant threw his dagger with the speed and technique of a weapon thrower, but it was caught squarely by Xianni.

The latter shrugged again. "Say what you will, esteemed adjutant. The victor should always be considerate of the loser."

His tone sounded nothing short of provocative, and Mollez's eye began to twitch. A subtle, grimace appeared on his pale, cruel face; most of the time, the adjutant bore a striking resemblance to Company Commander Van Cleef.

This is interesting because they aren't exactly the same; at least Mollez is very prone to anger. When he's angry, his face contorts, making him look quite frightening.

"I'll make sure you can't participate in ground patrols for three months!" the adjutant roared menacingly, veins bulging on his forehead. "Even if you try to trade me the rare Ancient Terra poems this time, it won't work!"

"Suit yourself, dear adjutant."

Xianni smiled again, his signature gentle smile. Mollez's eye twitched again; he had a premonition.

"Once we return to Nostramo, I'll begin training our only reserve soldier. As the company's champion and the entire company's unarmed combat champion, he'll definitely come to me for guidance. I'll need you to take my place on ground patrols then."

The adjutant abruptly stood up from his seat and lunged at Xianni. The ensuing fight was reminiscent of the Midnight Blade, each move aimed at vital points, each strike ruthless, yet always managing to abruptly withdraw just when a kill was truly imminent.

The adjutant held his company commander's short knife, while Xianni was unarmed. His power claw weren't activated, so in this situation, engaging Mollez in close combat was, frankly, no different from fighting bare-handed.

Mollez's attacks were extremely fierce and difficult to deal with. He didn't simply make one strike; instead, he would swing his arm again along the cut after making that strike.

Slashes or cuts in this situation would glide past the enemy's vitals like a winding stream, extremely dangerous, but also incredibly beautiful. Xianni squinted, unconsciously licking her lips.

He seemed to taste the blood, and thus immediately became serious—just as Mollez's slash was about to touch his cheek, Xianni raised his right hand, blocked with his power claw, and then swung his left fist, striking the adjutant squarely in the chest.

The metal clashed against each other, the armor vibrated, and the deck beneath their feet trembled violently. The Apothecary Sergio Donio, who was resting in bed nearby, immediately sighed.

"Can you two stop?" he complained in one of the dormitories in First Company. "The company commander was only gone for less than five minutes, and you two started already."

"Come on, we're heading back to Nostramo, not to another war, so there's no need to maintain our condition on the road. Especially you, Xianni Mollez. It's understandable that you don't see it, but do you think I don't? Damn it, you're just itching for a fight, looking for trouble, aren't you?"

"No." Xianni withdrew his arm, gently pushed the adjutant aside, and answered the Apothecary sincerely. "I genuinely think his name doesn't sound as good as mine."

The Apothecary sighed again and covered his face with the book he was reading.

The adjutant took a deep breath and began cursing in Terra slang and the underground prison's code.

Xianni shrugged again nonchalantly, a gesture that had practically become his trademark—he chuckled wickedly, "If all else fails, you can go find the instructor, Mollez, and let him judge which of our names is easier to remember."

"I'm not an idiot like you!" the adjutant retorted indignantly, simultaneously making a throat-slitting gesture. "I'll make you pay one day!"

He abruptly stopped speaking, and Xianni raised an eyebrow, his voice revealing a concern that wasn't easily noticed. "What is it, esteemed adjutant?"

"That's not what I meant, Instructor," Mollez replied without looking at him, his face stern.

"Um"

Karyl nodded noncommittally. Xianni shuddered, and upon hearing his voice, turned back with a distressed expression. "Why is it like this again, Instructor?"

"It's just a test of stealth and counter-stealth skills." Karyl smiled slightly. "You're not up to par. Mollez is quite alert, though. As for you, Xianni..."

The Apothecary, who had buried his face in books, answered sullenly, "I'm number one."

"Yes," Karyl nodded in agreement. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have reminded them to stop. As always, very perceptive."

"So, what brings you here today?" the adjutant asked, straightening his back and speaking with a serious expression. "Are you here to see the company commander?"

"I know," Karyl replied. "The company commanders are in a meeting. Although only five people came this time, that won't stop them from finishing up what they hadn't done before."

Mollez's sudden facial expression betrayed his true thoughts—he looked as if he had eaten real sand while eating dried eel—he took a deep breath and spoke with a death-defying air, "Do you need me to go and bring the company commander back?"

"No, let them fight," Karyl replied, feigning sternness. "Anyway, there's nothing valuable on the Nightfall right now. If they break anything, it'll just be the Techmarine complaining."

"And they'll also prioritize the maintenance of armor and weapons later on," Xianni suddenly said quietly.

Karyl smiled and shook his head, "You sound very experienced, Xianni."

"I'm practically on their blacklist," Xianni said nonchalantly. "The Combat Servitor at the training range keep getting damaged—seriously, can't they reinforce them with sturdier materials? It's not my problem that they break easily."

"Your sophistry has improved quite a bit," Karyl said. "Alright, let's get back to the point. I'm just here on routine patrol today, checking on your situation."

"We're used to it," the Apothecary replied seriously, sitting up in bed. "The Great Crusade is essentially all about traveling back and forth, and war. There's nothing more to say, Instructor, and you don't need to worry about us."

"I'm not so worried about you guys, I'm more worried about the desks and chairs in your dorm and the company flag," Karyl said, giving Xianni a slightly warning look, who immediately looked away awkwardly.

However, while he could escape the gaze, he could not escape the words. Karyl's voice followed closely behind.

"If you're ever really itching to fight again, feel free to come to the training ground. The Eighth Company isn't here this time, but the Second Company has quite a few skilled swordsmen. Like Dion Leviathan."

"He plays too slippery," Xianni muttered. "He always likes to maintain distance, which makes it very difficult for me to fight him bare-handed."

"Who told you to go empty-handed?" Karyl frowned. "His style is good, very practical. His counter-attacking, defensive style will definitely make things difficult for you. If you don't learn to close the distance—"

He stopped speaking, and a hissing sound came from the communication device hanging around his neck. Karyl's armor miraculously had the function of connecting to communication channels, but he usually did not wear a helmet, so the Techmarine specially made a simple communicator for him.

At this moment, the rustling sound is a prelude to someone's voice about to sound.

Mollez, Xianni, and the Apothecary Sergio Tonio all began to listen attentively.

"It's me, Van Cleef, Instructor," the company commander said over the communications channel. "You might need to come to the bridge; our Astropath have discovered something."

"I'll be there right away," Karyl replied seriously.

Oops, I fell asleep while writing this, so I'm only posting it now. Sorry.

This chapter is only 3,000 words. Let me calculate, I still owe 4,000 words. I'll pay them all off tomorrow. I'm going to sleep now.

Before I leave, let me recommend a book. Since I'm too dense to find a direct link, I'll just type the title here.

40k: The Star of Colchis, a masterpiece by the Dark Lady. If you don't know who she is, please allow me to mention another of her works, the Black Library.

A retired savior dropping to 40,000 hammers doesn't qualify as retirement! This is supposed to be a monthly hammer-based game, with the protagonist being Gudako, who starts the story on the Nightfall. The current developments are very interesting, with new laughs every day.

Okay, that's all for now. Goodnight, I'll continue coding after I wake up.