Fatal Complacency

The indoor training ground.

Straight punches, hooks, thrust punches, blocks, rising elbows, horizontal elbows, hip twists, clinches and knee strikes—she repeated them nonstop, punching nonstop, attacking nonstop.

Sweat soaked her clothes, dampened her hair, and ran down her cheeks.

But she couldn't stop!

"Is that all you've got, kitten? ...Again! Hit me in the face!" Hill pushed the punching bag aside and stood in front of Song Zhi.

Song Zhi swayed, but quickly steadied herself and charged again, gritting her teeth as she swung a fierce punch at Hill.

"Fuck!!!"

She had been sick of him for a long time!

But Hill intercepted her full-force punch halfway. He gripped Song Zhi's wrist, applied a little pressure, and sent her flying to the ground with a shoulder throw. Then he pressed in over her, twisting her arm behind her back.

It was a textbook grappling combination.

If he had used it on an enemy, Song Zhi would have had to say, "Nice!" But with it being used on her, all she could do was curse helplessly. "Fuck!"

"You're too weak!" Hill patted Song Zhi's flushed face, his tone contemptuous.

Song Zhi was exhausted. Her breathing grew quick and heavy, her chest heaved violently, and her legs trembled slightly from the excessive exertion.

"Uh-huh... If I were strong, I wouldn't have been captured by you people! And I definitely wouldn't have sold myself in the rainforest!"

"But you attacked Lu before, and you succeeded... You don't have the strength or the stamina, so you have to use your brain, understand? You have to attack the enemy's weakest point and kill them in one strike!"

"Do you have a weakest point?" Unable to break free, Song Zhi simply lay on the mat and conserved her strength.

"No!" Hill snorted.

"Fuck!" Song Zhi swore angrily.

"Ha! At times like that, I might..." Hill tightened his grip, looking at Song Zhi with eager anticipation. "You could seduce me, then finish me off with a knife while I'm in ecstasy, but before you could make your move, I'd crush your throat first... You can try!"

Try my ass!

Song Zhi rolled her eyes. Her arm felt numb. She let out a breath and surrendered. "Can we take a break?"

Hill released her, got up, and fetched two bottles of water. He unscrewed the caps and handed one to Song Zhi.

"Thanks." Song Zhi sat up, took the bottle, and gulped down two mouthfuls.

After about half an hour's rest, Hill raised his wrist, looked at his watch, and gave an order. "That's all for today. Go shower and change first. The lieutenant is already waiting for us."

"Copy!"

Song Zhi sat in the back seat again. She was exhausted and sleepy, and after fighting to keep her eyes open countless times, she finally collapsed on the seat. As for whatever consequences Hill had warned her about for sleeping in his car, let them be what they were!

Even if Blue Star exploded, she wouldn't be able to get up. The rocking car and the dull hum of the engine were like a hypnotic spell, sending Song Zhi into a deep sleep.

When Hill picked up Lai'en, the first thing Lai'en saw as he got into the car was Song Zhi, fast asleep. Hill's coat was draped over her, and Lai'en's perpetually cold blue eyes showed a trace of anger.

"She already did her best..." Hill tried to explain.

He had observed Song Zhi closely all morning and thoroughly analyzed her reactions, movements, and speed. His conclusion was that she wasn't cut out to be a mercenary. Someone like her wouldn't survive three seconds on a battlefield.

"Continue the lessons!" Lai'en ordered.

The ride was so smooth that Song Zhi still hadn't woken up by the time they reached the apartment. Lai'en got out, opened the back door, bent inside, and carried the sleeping Song Zhi into the room.

Lai'en laid Song Zhi on the bed, but instead of leaving, he sat in the chair by the desk. He raised his wrist and looked at his tactical watch, starting the timer.

1:25 p.m. He wanted to see how long Song Zhi would sleep.

So when Song Zhi woke up and stretched, aching all over, she saw Lai'en sitting cold-faced beside his bed, staring fixedly at her. His icy gaze finally settled on the strip of waist she had exposed while stretching, and his azure eyes grew even colder.

"Did you sleep well? Two hours. Are you here on vacation?" Lai'en raised his watch. His narrowed gaze was like a dagger flashing with cold light, stabbing into Song Zhi's heart and leaving her deeply ashamed.

"In two hours, you'd have turned to ash on the battlefield. Is this the life you want? Give up your body in Seji, then have us send you to Sri Lanka so you can enjoy a vacation?"

Song Zhi got up, enduring the ache in her muscles. She hated it when Lai'en brought up that night in Seji. It was her disgrace, and it made her feel worthless, but she had never been that strong to begin with... And it seemed she had never really been given another choice.

No, she had. She had another choice, but she hadn't taken it.

In the war-torn apocalypse, the strong survived. The weak either gave themselves up and relied on the strong, or slit their own throats with a knife and died cleanly.

Death required a surge of solitary courage; clinging to life only required bending one's knees.

But she was as conflicted as a fucking idiot, lacking both the courage to end her own life and the willingness to bend her knees and let others toy with her...

She kept her head down, afraid to look into Lai'en's eyes. Those eyes were cold, but always exceptionally resolute and unwavering. She thought that was the difference between her and them. She would never have that kind of resolute gaze... She was always wavering.

"If the enemy attacked here and we were all killed in battle... what would you do then? Would you take off your clothes and seek help when you had nowhere else to turn, just like in Seji, then go somewhere relatively safe and wait comfortably for death, repeating the cycle over and over?"

Lai'en sat in the chair, his tactical-gloved fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk. Each tap was like a heavy hammer striking Song Zhi's heart, cracking her stubborn, conflicted soul.

She felt herself coming apart. It was worse than that night, a plundering of her soul. She no longer had even that last depraved place where she could protect herself; the shelter in the depths of her soul had been blown to pieces by Lai'en's words.

"Before the nuclear explosion, you might have been an accomplished, educated woman, but unfortunately, this is a war-torn apocalypse... Complacency is deadly..." Lai'en paused, then stood and walked toward Song Zhi, studying her with an icy gaze.

And just last night, in Lai'en's room, she had said she could do it...

"I'm not... I haven't..." Song Zhi opened her mouth to protest.

"Haven't what?"

Lai'en's cold voice sounded above her, carrying a trace of flippancy and doubt.

The question left Song Zhi speechless. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She wanted to deny every word Lai'en had said, but his words were like sharp thorns piercing her heart, making it impossible to ignore the cruel reality in them. She had always been running away, running from her own weakness and from the truth of this apocalypse.

"I haven't fallen as low as you said. I haven't lost my reason to live..." Song Zhi's voice was faint and trembling. Even she felt how feeble her protest was.

She bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes. She knew everything Lai'en had said was true, but she simply didn't want to admit it.

There was no trace of pity in Lai'en's eyes as he continued, "I don't want to have a third 'heart-to-heart' with you. Go eat now, then continue your other lessons with Hill."

"Copy!"

Song Zhi swallowed her tears, gripped the doorknob hard, and opened the door and walked out. Lai'en followed close behind her. He didn't stay in the break room, but went straight back to his own room.

Song Zhi walked on heavy legs to the dining table and sat down. In front of her was a plate of fried steak, already cut into small pieces.

"Eat. The lieutenant made it. I'm surprised he didn't throw you out..." Hill had changed into clean clothes and was sitting across from Song Zhi, legs crossed and smoking, looking like a complete rogue. "Oh... Eating while crying isn't a good habit. I hope you won't still be shedding tears when you come to my room after the meal. Eat up! Crying kitten..."

Song Zhi pretended not to hear him. She wiped away her tears and ate with her head down.

Hill stubbed out his cigarette and got up to return to his room, but he didn't close the door.

After eating, Song Zhi tidied up briefly and wiped away the tears spilling from the corners of her eyes. Only after taking several deep breaths did she walk to Hill's room and knock.

"Come in... Close the door." Hill sat by the desk, his brown eyes glancing at Song Zhi from behind his goggles.