Trapped on a Rainy Night

Waking the others would not have been wise.

Song Zhi gently shook her head, signaling that she would not speak again. Only then did Hill let go, though he still did not let her leave.

His broad palms were covered in calluses that scraped against Song Zhi's cheeks. Scars crisscrossed his muscular, robust upper body like a tangle of intertwined tree roots.

Every scar was a medal marking his survival on the battlefield!

As if possessed, Song Zhi reached out to touch them. Beneath her fingertips, she could feel the uneven knots of scar tissue. She then noticed another scar at the corner of Hill's eye, but just as she reached for it, he seized her hand.

"Heh... what's this trick now? Are you putting on a tender act for me too?" Hill's gaze abruptly turned cold, and his grip on Song Zhi's hand tightened slightly.

"Bas..." Song Zhi said. It was the name of that oil town.

"What?"

"Bas, that oil town. I watched the recording of that mission. You and Lu Yu... and those children, the civilians."

Song Zhi closed her eyes, recalling the footage. Hill had fired the first shot at that child.

A cold glint flashed in Hill's eyes, mixed with a trace of icy killing intent. He said nothing, only staring fixedly at Song Zhi, taking in every bit of the panic on her face.

His stare made Song Zhi's skin crawl.

He suddenly lowered his head and chuckled, the sound low and hoarse, as though forced from deep in his chest, tinged with barely suppressed anger.

He looked like a wild beast that could lose control and go mad at any moment.

Song Zhi was terrified. She had rashly brought up the mission in Bas to strike back at Hill, hitting him where it hurt. She did not want to remain under his control.

Normally, he would fly into a rage and shout, "Get out!" That was exactly what Song Zhi was waiting for.

The air seemed to freeze around Hill's low laughter, and a chill ran down Song Zhi's spine. Even more frightening was the sinister, evil look in his eyes, as though he could swallow her whole the next second.

"Heh heh... what are you going to do? Have a heart-to-heart with me? Hm? Guide? Am I one of your mission targets?" Hill pressed his forehead hard against Song Zhi's. His brown eyes were full of ruthlessness and contempt, and his words dripped with mockery.

"Do you know how to soothe a soldier?"

Hill's words overlapped with Lai'en's, and Song Zhi's whole body trembled.

Yet at that moment, her mind was unusually clear. She suddenly understood the true purpose behind Lai'en's uncompromising order for her to attend lessons with Hill, and the real reason she had been kept in Group A.

"What?"

"What do you think?"

Song Zhi was trapped. She realized she had made a fatal mistake.

Without first establishing a deep bond of trust with the soldier, she had tried to pry into his private affairs, provoking a rebellious outburst, and she was not yet capable of protecting herself.

Only then did Song Zhi understand Lai'en's true intention in training her so strictly.

Unfortunately, her own cleverness had ruined everything. Perhaps Lai'en had anticipated everything that had happened tonight, using the facts to teach Song Zhi a vivid, unforgettable lesson.

But was everything that had happened tonight really so simple?

Perhaps it was another hidden data assessment.

What should she do?

Scream at the top of her lungs? Stop Hill? Or draw the others over and make a scene?

No! That certainly would not be wise.

"Hill... calm down..."

It was surely a little late to ask him to calm down now. There was no calming down at all.

She could see Hill's cold, hard jaw, and his eyelashes trembling slightly from the effort of holding himself back.

"Then be gentle..."

Song Zhi's voice softened, and she turned her face to the side. It was a compromise, the least damaging choice she could make after weighing the pros and cons.

The grip pinning her wrists loosened considerably.

The rain had fallen all night and still had not stopped the next day, pattering steadily. The people in the apartment were trapped there by the rain, and everything had been put on hold for the time being.

By the time Song Zhi woke up, it was already afternoon. She was still lying in Hill's bed, and when she sat up slightly, her whole body ached.

Hill sat at the computer with an unlit cigarette in his mouth. Several times, he took out his lighter, only to toss it back onto the desk. When he heard movement from the bed, he turned to look at Song Zhi, who had just woken up.

His fingers curled slightly, as though he felt the same nervousness as when he had first held a gun upon enlisting, along with a trace of weariness.

"What time is it?" Song Zhi's voice was a little hoarse. She was still thinking about today's training.

"It's afternoon," Hill said, lifting his wrist to glance at his watch.

"Fuck! My training!" Song Zhi hurried out of bed, grabbed the clothes and shoes scattered on the floor, and headed barefoot for the door.

"Hey! It's raining. The whole group has the day off..."

Hill got up and walked toward Song Zhi, but she was quicker. She opened the door, and the damp, chilly air outside swept into the room, dispersing the intimate atmosphere.

Just as Song Zhi stepped out, she ran into Kelante coming out of the room opposite.

Their eyes met, and Song Zhi's cheeks burned. She was barefoot, wearing only Hill's oversized T-shirt, which barely covered her thighs. Its wide collar exposed half of one rounded shoulder.

One look at her was enough for anyone to know what had happened.

Kelante merely glanced at her before stepping aside. Song Zhi slipped past him with her head lowered and hurried back to her room. The moment she closed the door, she heard Kelante say, "Hill, it's time for the meeting." After a pause, he added, "There's food left in the kitchen. Heat it up yourself."

The last part was meant for Song Zhi.

Song Zhi leaned against the back of the door, cringing slightly.

She hurried through a shower and changed into clean, soft clothes, then threw yesterday's outfit into the washing machine along with Hill's T-shirt. After drying her hair, she went to the lounge to get something to eat.

Their meeting had not yet ended, and the lounge was empty.

Rain washed over the windows. Outside, everything was shrouded in mist, and the wind and rain drove the waves against the beach with a rushing sound.

After eating, Song Zhi leaned against the kitchen counter, gazing absently at the rain outside. Coffee brewed in the machine behind her, filling the lounge with its rich, roasted aroma. Everything was quiet and pleasant.

When Hill came out to refill the drinks, he happened to see Song Zhi filtering coffee.

"Do you want milk?" Song Zhi looked at Hill and pointed to the milk on the counter.

"No, they don't like it." Hill walked over, took two packets of chocolate from his pocket, and set them in front of Song Zhi. "It's not very sweet. It suits your East Asian tastes."

"Thank you." Song Zhi picked up the chocolate and thanked him softly.

Hill carried the coffee back to the meeting room. As he neared the door, he glanced at Song Zhi out of the corner of his eye and saw her tear open a wrapper, break off a small piece of chocolate, and put it in her mouth. He smiled almost imperceptibly, the expression gone in a flash.

But Kelante, sitting in the meeting room, quickly caught that nearly imperceptible smile. His amber eyes fixed on the tray in Hill's hands, then quickly shifted to the screen displaying the footage.

The rain outside stopped, and the meeting ended. There was movement in the room as the five of them came out one after another, cigarettes in their mouths. When they entered the lounge, they saw Song Zhi squatting in the yard, repairing a bicycle.

The bicycle chain had come off, and she had spent ages trying to fix it without success.

Kelante moved ahead of the others, closing his laptop and walking into the yard. "Let me see. Does this lady need some help?"

He squatted beside Song Zhi and smiled at her hands, black with grease. "The chain came off. Are you going to ride the bicycle?"

"I wanted to buy a few things..." Song Zhi looked at the bicycle she could not fix, a little frustrated.

"If you need to go out, you can ask any one of us. We have a car and can drive you." Kelante's amber eyes darkened slightly. He thought Song Zhi was still keeping her distance from them.

"You were in a meeting. I thought it was working, and that I could be back quickly," Song Zhi explained.

"It was an oversight on our part. From now on, at least one of us must accompany you whenever you go out. Understood?" Kelante ruffled Song Zhi's hair, then stood up and took out his car keys. "Go wash your hands. I'll drive you."