Chapter 2019: A Test

Ning focused on the woman as she moved through the crowd. She had a pale, almost white complexion that contrasted strongly with her red hair, which had been cut short enough that it would not interfere with a helmet. Her clothing was unmistakably military, though Ning immediately noticed something missing.

There was no badge.

No visible unit designation either.

She still carried herself like someone who had been trained, but whatever official position she had once held did not appear to mean much at the moment. That was likely because she was only a student and didn’t hold an official position.

Ning watched her for a few seconds before looking around.

His System had found her as a possible user for the Upgrade System, but that did not mean Ning was going to simply walk up and hand it over.

He was only going to give this to someone who deserved it.

Ning changed his appearance slightly and moved toward the side of the street, where the cleaner commercial district began giving way to older buildings. Still, his clothes had become a collection of worn rags, and even in such a place, he stood out a lot.

He dirtied his face as well.

Then he sat against the wall and waited.

He had not yet decided how he wanted to test Naysha when several soldiers noticed him first.

There were four of them, all wearing military uniforms without proper badges and functional helmets hanging either from their belts or resting over their heads. They slowed when they saw Ning sitting near the street and immediately changed direction.

Ning looked up as they approached.

One of the men stopped directly in front of him.

"What are you doing here?"

Ning glanced around as if he did not understand the question. "Sitting."

The soldier’s expression hardened. "This isn’t the slum."

The lower districts were several kilometers away, separated from this part of the city by reinforced barriers and controlled entrances. Truimal apparently had enough poverty that the authorities had decided it was easier to contain it in one area.

The soldier pointed in that direction.

"Go back."

Ning lowered his eyes. "I don’t have anywhere to go."

"Not our problem."

Another soldier stepped closer. "You know the rules. People like you stay in the lower district."

Ning almost smiled at the wording, but he kept his expression weak.

"I can’t make it there."

"Then crawl."

The others laughed.

Ning looked from one face to another, wondering whether they were simply trying to intimidate him or whether they actually intended to follow through.

The first soldier answered the question quickly enough.

"Get up and leave before we make you."

Ning remained against the wall and deliberately let his body sag.

"Please don’t send me back," he said. "I’m too weak to walk that far. I haven’t eaten in days."

The soldiers showed no sympathy.

One of them snorted. "Then you should’ve stayed where people like you get fed."

"They don’t give me anything there," Ning said in a weak voice.

"Still not our problem."

Ning could already sense Naysha moving closer down the street.

Good.

He lowered his head further.

"Please. Just let me stay here for a little while."

The soldier nearest him stepped forward and kicked him in the side.

Ning allowed himself to roll slightly with the impact, making the movement look much worse than it actually was, while moving closer to the road so he could be in better view of everything.

"Move."

Ning coughed loudly and curled inward.

The man kicked him again.

By then, Naysha had noticed them as well. Ning saw her turn sharply from the corner of his vision and begin walking toward them.

He decided to make the situation slightly clearer.

"Please!" Ning cried out, raising an arm to protect his head. "I can’t walk. Please don’t hit me."

A third kick came toward him, and Ning let it connect.

"Stop!"

The voice came from behind the soldiers.

All four of them paused, turning to look at who had spoken.

Naysha approached with an angry expression, her eyes moving from Ning on the ground to the soldiers surrounding him.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

The man who had been kicking Ning turned around, and his expression changed when he recognized her.

"Flores."

Ning looked between the two. They knew each other.

Naysha stopped a short distance away. "Leave him alone."

One of the soldiers laughed. "Since when do you care what happens to slum trash?"

"They’re not trash."

Ning remained curled against the wall while quietly observing the exchange. Naysha had stepped in quickly, which was already a good sign. The soldiers, however, did not seem particularly intimidated by her.

The first man folded his arms.

"You should worry about yourself."

Naysha’s expression hardened. "Scram." She continued before any of them could answer. "Or I tell command exactly what the four of you were doing when I found you."

"And how will you tell them?" one of them asked. "That helmet on your head is just for show, after all."

"What?" Naysha frowned.

"What? Do you think we don’t know that it’s broken?" the man asked.

"How..." Naysha’s expression changed. "You. It was you."

The man continued, "Now you scram. Or else, we’ll destroy the next helmet you get too."

Something changed in Naysha’s face. The anger that had already been there became much sharper.

"You destroyed my helmet?"

The way she said it made the answer obvious before anyone responded.

The first soldier gave her a mocking grin. "Maybe you should’ve learned to keep your mouth shut."

Ning watched it all closely. Everything there was more interesting than the situation he had originally planned.

The helmet clearly mattered to her far more than a normal piece of equipment should have. Given what Crownus had explained, losing one could affect identification, communication, employment, military access, and even the ability to pilot one of the human mechanical bodies.

The soldiers had not just broken something expensive. They had practically crippled part of her life.

Now that she had learned the truth, he wanted to see what she would do.