Bullet Time

She suddenly recalled her time at the convent, often spending it in the church bell tower, looking out at the distant road.

Every year on the convent's open day, families vetted by the two nuns, Elma and Gerdin, would enter the convent to adopt children they fancied. Back then, she and Boheng would wait in the bell tower, guessing which children would be chosen that year to leave with their adoptive parents.

New parents meant a new home and a new life. This was, in itself, part of the convent's charitable work, except she and Boheng had never caught the eye of any adoptive families—Boheng had chosen to stay at the convent, unwilling to leave that way, while Hesta, for various reasons, had never been presented to anyone.

At this moment, Hesta's attention was no longer consumed by physical pain. She gazed into the distance, towards the end of the road, Miss Chiba's rapid-fire words disappearing with the folding car into the distance… Now she stood on high ground again. Her gentle elders and kind friends from the past were all gone, and she remained alone.

"Don't be afraid."

Hesta suddenly felt a pair of hands on her shoulders. She turned her head and saw Valenti smiling at her.

"Let me take you to the dorm, okay?"

The reserve dormitories were housed in a very retro four-story building. The first and second floors contained lounges, training rooms, and a small library, while the third and fourth floors were the actual dormitory areas, with the boys on the third floor and the girls on the fourth. Both floors had bathrooms and communal showers at either end.

Hesta followed Valenti, slowly ascending the old stairs—there wasn't even an elevator here.

"There are over two hundred active Quicksilver Needles in District 3, and a total of 67 reserve personnel in Tanyi City. Apart from a few children currently doing internships, most of them live here," Valenti said with a smile. "Your room, let me see… Room 403, ah."

Valenti's voice suddenly stopped, and she chuckled, "Your number ends in 403, and you've been assigned room 403—you and the number 403 really are fated."

Valenti's voice was gentle and cheerful as she showed Hesta the two fitness areas and the common lounge on the first floor. It was around four in the afternoon, and everyone was in another teaching building for classes, making the dormitory area seem deserted.

According to Valenti, people wouldn't start returning until after seven in the evening. They would stay in the gym and library until ten, then return to their rooms on the third and fourth floors to sleep, and this was the daily routine.

However, as they passed the bathrooms, both of them heard a faint sobbing sound.

The smile in Valenti's eyes vanished almost instantly, replaced by a look of concern. She asked Hesta to wait there while she went to see what was happening, but Hesta still followed behind her, accompanying her to find the source of the crying.

The sobbing in the bathroom mingled with the sound of water. In a corner of the women's changing room, they soon found a girl curled up in the corner. Wearing a freshly changed t-shirt, she squatted on a wooden bench against the wall, burying her face in her arms. Her damp brown hair obscured half of her face.

Valenti recognized her immediately but didn't approach.

"Alright, alright, Miss Hesta," Valenti tiptoed away and quickly used her phone to inform a companion of the situation. "Let's go, I'll show you your room…"

Hesta looked back with some concern. "Shouldn't we help that person?"

"Someone will come for her, but perhaps she just wants to be alone right now."

"Do you know her?"

"Of course," Valenti smiled. "I know everyone here—her name is Tulan, and she also lives in 403."

Tulan, Hesta remembered the name. She thought for a moment longer. "Why is she crying?"

"Hmm," Valenti thought carefully. "I think it's because her time is too short to join the front-line teams and directly participate in operations against the Chelated Beings—she's always wanted to be one of them, just like Masaki."

"Is she seriously ill?"

"No," Valenti looked at Hesta with a hint of surprise. "Why do you ask?"

"You just said her time is too short…"

"Ah…" Valenti suddenly understood and then smiled. "That doesn't refer to her remaining lifespan, Miss Hesta. Miss Tulan is very healthy and trains diligently; she'll surely live a long, long time… The 'time' I'm referring to is each Quicksilver Needle's 'Bullet Time,' which directly determines how long they can stay on the battlefield when fighting Chelated Beings."

Hesta's steps slowed slightly. "What is… Bullet Time?"

Valenti seemed a little surprised. "Didn't Masaki tell you about it?"

Hesta shook her head.

Valenti continued, "From the time a Quicksilver Needle is discovered until they can truly enter combat, they generally undergo two awakenings. The first usually happens when they first encounter a Chelated Being. Bullet Time, however, is a talent that all Quicksilver Needles possess after their 'Secondary Awakening'… You've already seen a Chelated Being with your own eyes, haven't you?"

"Yes."

Valenti paused. "When you were facing the Chelated Being directly, did you feel anything unusual?"

"Unusual feeling…" Hesta fell silent for a moment, and the strange sight of everything slowing down flooded her mind again. "A little."

"About 78% of Quicksilver Needles feel something unusual during their first awakening, usually a burning sensation or pain in their bodies," Valenti said softly. "After the first awakening, Quicksilver Needles emit a unique aura that allows them to be recognized by their own kind."

Hesta stopped walking, her steps faltering. She lowered her head, sniffing her clothes with a hint of concern.

Valenti chuckled, "Haha, don't worry, ordinary people can't smell this scent. Only a small number of Chelated Beings and some Quicksilver Needles with particularly sensitive senses can detect it—and besides, the scent itself is very faint and disappears after your Secondary Awakening."

"Is that so…" Hesta murmured softly.

"These are minor things, nothing to worry about," Valenti continued. "After the Secondary Awakening, the emergence of 'Bullet Time' is the most significant change—it refers to the duration a Quicksilver Needle can maintain their combat state. During this period, our speed, strength, vision, hearing… all improve dramatically."

"...Become as fast as a bullet?"

"You could put it that way," Valenti replied. "In this state, a Quicksilver Needle can easily catch a flying bullet."