[COD] Newbie's Rise to Power

"I can't! Why can he?! YN, I'm better than him..."

You gripped the bag tightly, your heart pounding with tension at his sharp insight.

"Kruger, don't question me like that!"

You interrupted him, and then, suppressing your heartache, you uttered cruel and realistic words.

“I have never promised you anything. Our current relationship...you have no right to question my private affairs.”

The pain, like a dam bursting, surged and overwhelmed every inch of the body's meridians. Wherever it went, a wave of sorrowful bitterness filled the air.

You didn't want to talk to him like that, but you couldn't accept that he was questioning you in such a calm yet resentful tone.

It's as if you betrayed him, hurt him, and abandoned him.

But you never made him any promises, and you never confirmed your relationship.

Yes, you like him, but liking someone doesn't mean he can question your decisions or interfere with your life at will.

You believe that if you don't stop it now, a dispute is bound to break out between Kruger and Koenig.

That's not the scene you want to see.

"Our current relationship..."

Kruger's sharp eyes suddenly filled with helplessness.

"Little squirrel, does a kiss not count as confirming a relationship?"

"So, are you toying with my feelings? We kissed like lovers, but you tell me we weren't in a relationship..."

You frown and immediately retort:

"I didn't! It's just..."

"YN, your main job training is about to start, aren't you going back to change your clothes?"

Vita's voice came from behind.

ch.239: The New Instructor's Strangeness

Urged on by Vita, you hesitated for two seconds before deciding to say goodbye to Kruger first.

"Kruger, I'll explain to you later."

After leaving those words, you hurriedly ran back to your dormitory, changed into your combat uniform, and rushed to the sniper team's training room.

Unfortunately, you arrived too late.

Although the class was scheduled for 9:30, you arrived at 9:25, but the new instructor was already in the classroom.

You stood at the door and gave a military salute.

"Reporting, instructor, I'm late."

The instructor who had been facing away from you turned around upon hearing this.

A man, roughly in his thirties, with distinctly Russian features and a resolute yet composed demeanor, completely clad in combat gear, meets your gaze.

"Come in."

He was brief and to the point, and didn't say much more to you.

You strode in immediately and sat down next to Vita.

After a brief self-introduction, you learn the identity of your new instructor.

The Russian man didn't mention his previous military experience, only revealing that he was currently serving at the base, was 41 years old, and his name was Yuri.

"Instructor, is that your code name?"

Vita raised his hand to ask a question.

Yuri shook his head: "It's not a code name, it's a name."

"Don't you have a surname?"

You're a little curious, since it's rare to see someone here introduce themselves by only their first name, without their surname.

These foreigners' names not only have a surname and a given name, but some also include abbreviations for family or personal commemorations. For example, the "P" in Keegan's name is a simplified form of his name.

Moreover, the names they choose usually have a meaningful meaning, which shows that they value their names very much, so it is rare to find someone who only introduces themselves by their name.

Yuri shook his head again: "No surname."

Upon hearing this, you all stopped asking further questions.

Since the other party has already said that, there must be some unspeakable reason, and it would be impolite to ask any further.

But a strange feeling rises in your heart.

There's no surname, and perhaps even the given name is fake. The background can't be mentioned, but those eyes, full of stories, inexplicably draw you in with a sense of mutual appreciation.

And the other person seemed to feel the same way about you, because they specifically asked you to stay behind after the course ended.

In the classroom, after everyone else has left, you remain seated, looking at him from a distance of two or three meters.

"Instructor Yuri, what would you like to discuss with me privately?"

Looking at the man across from you who was silently staring at you, after a few minutes of stalemate, you took the initiative to start a conversation.

Yuri silently approached you, and under your questioning gaze, moved a chair and sat down opposite you.

It was during his walk that you noticed something strange about his gait, as if he had a problem with his legs.

He finally spoke only after their eyes met at close range.

"YN, female, Chinese, age unknown, basic information unknown, past experiences unknown, like a mystery, a person who suddenly appeared."

He calmly and gently gave his assessment of you.

You suddenly feel a tightness in your chest, a chilling feeling as if your secret has been exposed.

But on your face, you appeared completely calm.

“Instructor Yuri, I don’t understand why you kept me behind alone and said these things.”

Yuri didn't answer your question; instead, he continued talking to himself.

“I understand your wariness, but here we are the only ones who are the same, and I hope you can trust me.”

...

After you left the classroom, all you could think about was what Yuri had said: what did he mean by "you are the same"?

Is he testing you?

Or did he find out something?

Especially his last sentence: "Stay with me and live here!"

It makes you both curious and uneasy. You get a different feeling from him, but your intuition tells you that you are different and you can't easily trust him.

So, in the end, you chose to keep it to yourself and ended the conversation with him in a roundabout way.

You frown and shake your head. Since you can't figure out the other person's purpose, then don't think about it for now.

Since he took the initiative to approach you, as long as he has needs of you, he will naturally reveal his true colors later on.

Suddenly remembering something, you immediately take out your phone.

As soon as I turned on my phone, the message bar was full of unread messages.

The latest news is about Koenig.

Koenig: Princess, I'm awake and in the training room now.

Then there's a selfie of him lifting weights, his bulging muscles and smug eyes seemingly showing off his good physical abilities.

You respond with a head-patting emoji and a compliment.

[König is such a disciplined man, very good.]

Then, he replied that he wanted three more sets.

You smiled faintly as you opened the next message, from Wang Zhiqiang.

Qiang: Hey sis, I heard you got kept after school by your new instructor. What happened?

The time was a few minutes ago, so it can be inferred that he encountered Vita and Blizzard and then learned about this.

Wang Zhiqiang's question reminded you of Yuri; you felt that there was something unusual about him, but you couldn't quite put your finger on it.

So, you decide to discuss this with Wang Zhiqiang, the only person who knows everything about you.

"Bro, I feel like the new instructor is acting weird. Let's talk about it when we meet sometime."

After replying to Wang Zhiqiang, the next message came from Keegan. He sent it very early, probably right after he woke up.

The first thing Keegan sent in his message was a screenshot.

That was a video posted in the group chat, and the blurry figures in it were clearly a recording of your performance.

Keegan: So beautiful, my Venus of the East. It's such a shame I can't see her in person.

Keegan: The song is also very good, worthy of your hard work.

His descriptions and praises filled you with a sweet feeling.

Although he was always quiet, every word he uttered could soothe and inspire others.

You also confided your current feelings to him.

I miss you so much, Keegan.

Keegan didn't seem busy and replied to you quickly with a voice message.

Click play, and his deep, heavy bass voice resonates, its vibrations feeling like an electric current penetrating to the bone.

“My dear girl, your longing is not lonely. As long as we miss each other, distance is no longer a barrier.”

His gentle tone softened your expression.

See, that's just how he is; he always makes people feel calm and at ease.

Keegan has a base complex, so it's not surprising he knows about your Christmas performance. But...