[COD] Newbie's Rise to Power

Very good, the stitches are very fine, it definitely won't turn into an ugly centipede after it heals.

Once you relax, you can start to observe. Kruger's shirt, which he lifted to expose his wound, revealed a section of his abdomen, through which you could vaguely see the lines of his abdominal muscles and a few unhidden tattoo marks.

With Kruger's strong arm and some light scars, it's undeniably a tough-guy image.

After applying medicine and bandaging the wound, you called out to Kruger.

No response.

You see his steady breathing, is he... asleep?

He fell asleep like this while you were stitching him up with needles?

Well, I guess he's just too tired. After all, he's been on duty for several days and got injured. He needs to rest.

You throw the post-operative waste into the trash can, then pick up the trash bag and quietly leave, closing the door behind you.

The room fell into darkness and silence, broken only by the soft sound of breathing...

ch.57: This is your freedom

At dinner time, you and Su An'er went to the base for dinner and did some exercise as usual.

When it got dark, you returned to your room, only to see the light on in Kruger's room outside your door.

Has she woken up?

You open the door and walk into your room, turning on the light as you go.

You take out a box of painkillers from the bag of medicine Su An'er gave you.

When you were applying medicine to Kruger just now, you noticed that he didn't bring any painkillers. Now that he's awake, his wounds will definitely hurt.

As you left with your painkillers, you happened to catch a glimpse of the firefly bottle on the table.

After thinking about it, you still picked it up.

This time when you knocked, the door opened very quickly.

Kruger put on a light jacket and seemed to be getting ready to go out.

"Going out for dinner?"

Ask him; after all, he's slept for so long, he must be hungry.

Kruger didn't answer you; instead, he asked what you were doing here again.

You hand him the medicine and say, "Take it first."

Kruger took the medicine, and without saying a word, he took out one pill, popped it into his mouth, and swallowed it without even drinking water.

"Very well, since you look so pitiful today, I'll give you a consolation prize."

As you were speaking, you took out the bottle that you had been holding under your arm and showed it to him.

And when you shake it like that, the fireflies inside the bottle flash their light.

Kruger took the bottle and asked you, "Where did this come from?"

You gave a vague answer: "I went to catch it."

Kruger stared at the tiny black worms crawling inside, making a sound that seemed to be puzzled.

"Don't you think they feel confined in such a small bottle?"

You were silent for a moment, then asked him, "Do you want them to leave the bottle?"

Kruger nodded, then hesitated:

"But this is a gift from you, can I do that?"

You can't be sure if he's simply asking you this question or if he's asking something deeper.

But no matter which one, your answer will be the same.

"Of course you can. Once I give it to you, it belongs to you. You can do whatever you want with it. That's your freedom."

Upon hearing this, Kruger's gaze shifted from the bottle to you, his expression too complex and profound for you to discern.

You took the bottle and went outside, standing in the hallway. Kruger reached out and opened the bottle cap.

Pale yellow lights danced in the dark night before slowly drifting away.

Kruger watched the few glimmers of light recede into the distance until they disappeared completely.

You looked at the bottle in his hand and tentatively asked him, "What do you want to do with the rest of the bottle?"

You know, you put a lot of effort into making this bottle look nice, and you even tied a bow on the neck with a tricolor braided rope that you wove yourself.

If he doesn't want it, you might want to keep it for yourself.

When Kru heard your question, he looked at the bottle in his hand, then at your expression, and guessed what you were thinking.

"You want it?"

You turn your head away, pretending not to care, but your eyes can't help but look back at the bottle.

"What I mean is... well, if you don't want it, I can help you get rid of it."

Kruger chuckled, shattering your illusions:

“You said it was mine, so don’t even think about taking it back from me.”

After saying that, he took the bottle back to the room, put it on the table, and immediately locked the door.

"Let's go eat."

Kruger looks at you, seemingly inviting you.

You smile and shrug: "I just ate, so I'll decline."

"explicitly declined?"

Kruger picked out the two words and repeated them.

You're saying something puzzling again. He can understand the meaning, but the way you express it is always a bit strange.

You cover your mouth and laugh: "It's a Chinese expression, meaning a clear refusal."

Kruger: "To express it in parts? Interesting."

You extend an invitation: "Want to learn? I'll teach you."

Kruger chuckled, then said to you in a very smug tone, "explicit declined~"

After saying that, he turned and left, giving you no chance to retaliate.

You chuckled in exasperation, then covered your mouth to hide the genuine smile on your lips.

Do you feel that Kruger seemed more relaxed around you today?

As your body recovers, you're no longer satisfied with just post-meal relaxation and want to experience the feeling of sweating.

So, you started going for your morning runs.

Around six o'clock, just as the first light of dawn appeared in the sky, you finished washing up and went out.

To make running easier, you finally changed out of your hospital gown and received a set of fitness gear.

Several figures were already exercising in the open-air training plaza.

You warmed up a little and then started jogging.

You move slowly, maintaining even breathing, so you can easily sense whether the wound is uncomfortable.

After two laps, which is probably over a thousand meters, you should stop and rest for a while.

You've broken out in a light sweat, but this amount of exercise is just a warm-up for you. If it weren't for your health, you could run a few more laps in one go.

But you have damaged your lungs after all, and excessive breathing will put a strain on them.

Just as you are resting and relaxing, a figure runs up to your side.

Looking at that familiar attire, you tentatively ask, "Nicto?"

Nicoto nodded, slightly out of breath.

"Are you feeling better?"

He spoke briefly as always, but you could almost feel his concern.

You nodded: "Appropriate physical activity will help you recover faster."

By this time, the sun had been out for a while, and you could clearly see that the area around his eyes, still exposed outside his mask, was sweating, and a drop of sweat even trickled down onto his black eyelashes.

You quickly took a handkerchief out of your pocket and handed it to him.

"You're sweating, do you need this?"

Then you added, "It's clean, I haven't used it today."

It's a very ordinary square handkerchief, the white kind that's provided by the base.

Nicole reached out and took the handkerchief, thanking you.

"Thank you, that's exactly what we needed."

"Us?" You looked at Nicholas with a puzzled expression. You noticed last time that he would refer to himself as "us."

Last time you thought it was just a slip of the tongue, but this time his subconscious remark confirms that it's a habit of his.

It was a peculiar habit, but you didn't ask any questions. After all, he seemed to be hiding it intentionally, probably because he didn't want others to look at him strangely.

After chatting for a couple more minutes, you said to Nicholas:

"I'm going to continue. You can rest for a while first?"

You've caught your breath and are ready for two more laps.

He nodded: "Okay."

You waved to him, and then started jogging again.

Throughout the entire process, you didn't notice that Nicoto, holding the handkerchief you gave him, never once used it to wipe his sweat.

After you left, he didn't do anything; instead, he put the handkerchief in his pocket.