[COD] Newbie's Rise to Power

"not me."

No, rather than saying he had no emotional fluctuations, it would be more accurate to say he was somewhat envious.

He wanted to stay with Angel from the beginning, but was rejected.

The more Nicoto recalled it, the more he felt it wasn't a hallucination; she must have been beside him at the time.

So he agreed to Kruger's invitation and took Angel away.

But what happened later made him deeply regret his initial lack of resolve.

After Kruger took Angel away, he disappeared without a trace. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find her. He had been deceived...

However, Kruger was not the only one who deceived him; the country he served also deceived him.

When he received the message from Ghost, Nicholas still hoped that it was done by the hawks, not the doves he was loyal to.

But the facts did not allow him to escape; the hawks would never use such a roundabout approach, they would only deal with everything violently and tyrannically.

If they were hawks, then it wouldn't have been a single bullet that killed Zane, and Zane wouldn't have been the only one to die.

The bullet that killed Zane was examined for rifling, which ultimately identified the model of the gun that fired it.

Unsurprisingly, it's Russian-made, and the latest model at that. Currently, only the defense forces and special forces can use it.

Ghost's actions were sudden, and it was impossible for the hawkish forces to have ambushed Zane's escape route so quickly, unless they were spies planted by the Jackals.

Or... the Alpha Squad, which operates within the base and can track their temporary movements.

Nikoto secretly investigated and eventually discovered that Ice Wave, one of the team members that day, had left the base.

Although he was ordered to procure supplies, it took him a whole day, during which time he may have carried out some other tasks.

Nobody will know.

This speculation nearly drove Nikoto to a mental breakdown, not only because his own beliefs were overturned, but also because the organization and country he served had killed his lover.

His past perseverance, pain, and struggles all seemed to have become a joke.

He lost control and kidnapped the commander to interrogate him, but was suppressed by his teammates' sneak attack.

After being forcibly injected with a sedative, he was taken to his psychiatrist.

He didn't like his therapist because his 'treatment' methods were not gentle, and he had to go through a painful ordeal each time to calm down.

This time, he even used hypnosis on himself without any hesitation.

...

When Nicoto woke up again, he had forgotten many things.

It took him a long time to gradually get used to the changes in his missing memories.

He reverted to his former self, remaining the team's most ferocious and sharpest weapon.

Until his squad was conducting military cooperation with a new unit, he sat alone in a corner as always, gazing absently at the soldiers practicing in front of him.

A friendly Asian soldier approached him and invited him to give him some pointers.

He wouldn't go easy on such arrogant soldiers, so the man quickly collapsed to the ground, covered in wounds.

Everyone else thought Nikto had gone too far and should have held back when sparring with the recruits. Even the commander criticized him for being too aggressive.

Nicoto didn't offer a single word of explanation; it's unclear when it started, but he no longer cared about what they thought of him.

But the soldier was not discouraged. His wounds healed, and he challenged him again, only to be beaten down once more. Healed, challenged him again, and was beaten down once more.

Nicoto felt like he was being treated like a monster in a game, constantly being harassed by the other side through fighting.

But it's undeniable that the other person is really hardworking, and they improve with each challenge.

After knocking the man down again, Nikto didn't turn and leave as before, but instead squatted down next to the soldier.

The first time, he took the initiative to speak to the soldiers:

You remind me of someone I used to know.

His tone was low, yet it carried a hint of hesitation.

The soldier was excited about his first interaction and immediately asked more questions.

"Is he/she a friend from before?"

Nikoto remained silent upon hearing this, even his body remained still.

A blurry figure flashed through his mind, but it was too fast for him to catch.

In the end, he simply responded to the soldier indifferently:

"I don't know, maybe he's already dead."

He had too many dead friends to remember them all, because his mind was already full of things.

Nicoto didn't want to continue the conversation, so he stood up and left in silence.

[Nikto, who were you just thinking about?]

In my mind, a cunning voice sounded, tinged with probing.

[They must be old friends.]

In a gentle yet calm voice, he voiced his guess.

[Bullshit! What idiot would want to be friends with us? Those stupid, arrogant fools, they...]

"Shut up, all of you."

Nick To calmly stopped her.

It's so noisy, so incredibly noisy, it's driving him crazy.

Nicoto didn't take this little incident to heart, but he kept dreaming about that figure on many nights afterward.

I couldn't see their faces clearly, I couldn't tell if they were male or female, and I couldn't hear their voices.

But in his dreams, he had a close relationship with "it," to the point that it was difficult for him to find relief every time he woke up.

This severely impacted his life, but he was helpless; he couldn't even remember who the other person was!

Until a phone call came, and the other party uttered the code, countless memories overwhelmed him like a tsunami!

"Believe me, this method will definitely bring her back to life! But I need your help, Nicholas."

Therefore, in October 2022, Nikto left the team he was loyal to without authorization.

He joined the Kortadz military group for a simple reason: to make money.

Koltatz treats mercenaries very well; as long as they dare to take on a mission, the commission is quite substantial.

But he never expected to run into Koenig in his new team.

The other person looked at him with unfamiliar eyes, as if they had forgotten everything.

And his investigation confirmed it was true; choosing to forget in order to escape pain—what a coward!

Nicoto didn't actually want to have any more contact with him; he had more important things to do.

Kruger's work required a lot of money, so he went on a crazy money-making spree.

Moreover, Kruger would only allow him to see Angel if he provided sufficient value.

Countless times he hovered between life and death, it was the thought of seeing her one more time that kept him awake.

Therefore, when he learned that Koenig had committed suicide, he was actually somewhat envious.

He was exhausted, but countless hands were pushing him forward, forcing him to live like a killing machine.

After becoming a mercenary, he accepted countless missions, with protection, escort, and rescue being the most common tasks.

He also carried out many sensitive missions, including taking civilians hostage, blowing up buildings, launching terrorist attacks, and transporting weapons and chemicals.

And he did indeed receive a substantial commission, which was close to meeting Kruger's requirements.

But he won't always be lucky...

In June 2023, while transporting a shipment of chemical weapons for a military, they were intercepted and attacked by Task Force 141 in Vondel.

His teammates abandoned him at the crucial moment, and he was no match for the enemy's fierce attack alone.

Despite being severely injured, he managed to hide behind cover, took off his gloves, and used his phone to transfer all the remaining money in his account to an account provided by Kruger.

The moment the phone screen displayed "success," a dark gun barrel was pointed at him.

Nicoto turned his head sharply and saw a skull mask that looked like the Grim Reaper.

sudden--

A gunshot rang out.

Ah, my mind is so quiet now, I can finally get some rest...

But his eyes stubbornly refused to close, his gaze fixed on his scarred hands and the red star ring on his little finger.

Angel, will you reject me again this time?

ch.352: Do you believe in time travel?

"don't want..."

"Koenig, no... Waaaaah..."

"What...no?"

"Little Bear!!"

You suddenly open your eyes, only to be blinded by the sunlight and forced to close them again!

You cover your eyes with your hands, your chest heaving as you gasp for breath!

Tears streamed down your face uncontrollably, and cold sweat beaded on your forehead, wetting your hands.

"Why..."

You murmured softly.

Why can't we give them a happy ending?