Chapter 2 (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“Ah! Even though my dream is gone, I can still live easy for the rest of my life…” Qin Hao sighed as he looked at the ceiling. He was just taking a gamble back when he first joined the military. Only when he was on the frontlines did he learn the cruelty of war.

Just a year ago, Qin Hao was an ordinary senior high school student who was about to face his graduation examination. If everything had gone well, getting into the Federal Naval Academy with his excellent results would not have been too big a problem. As an officer, he could then be a fighter pilot or even a starship pilot.

Unfortunately, things had not gone as planned, and the day before his graduation exam, someone screwed him over. A sleeping pill made him miss the first subject of the examination, and the lack of a grade meant that Qin Hao would not be accepted into the Federal Naval Academy.

Seeing that his childhood sweetheart had been admitted into the Federal Naval Academy while he could only live a mediocre life on a migrant planet, their futures would definitely diverge. Qin Hao was not resigned to his face, and he joined the army. He wanted to start from the bottom as a foot soldier and hoped that the day his love graduated from the naval academy, he would have also become an officer through meritorious military service.

Sadly, with only high-school-level education, Qin Hao would never be admitted into any technical units. In the end, he could only join as a mechanized soldier of the lowest order and become cannon fodder on the battlefield.

While in the unit, Qin Hao had several interstellar video calls with his love, but due to the cost, he could not talk to her every single day. At first, he could still feel the bond between them, but later on, he could obviously tell that the distance was causing their hearts to drift apart as well. If two lovers were unable to be together for a long period of time, their feelings would likely fade with time.

Qin Hao did not bear any ill will toward her because of this. After all, she was now a student of the Federal Naval Academy, and after her graduation, she would be an officer. She would be serving on a clean and tidy starship while he was nothing but cannon fodder, spending his days in a trench with his head down.

So, Qin Hao later learned to let go. He only wanted to be able to live until his time of discharge. The girl’s growing distance from him resulted in a loss of motivation to exert himself in the army. Now the opportunity had presented itself. Since he had lost an arm in battle, he could be discharged ahead of time.

“Argh… why is it so itchy?” Qin Hao frowned and felt an extreme itch in the area where his shoulder and the robotic arm were connected. It was as if tens of thousands of ants were gnawing at him.

As his shoulder had been completely wrapped by the robotic arm, Qin Hao could not scratch it even if he wanted to. He could only grit his teeth and endure it because he knew that a doctor would not bother with such a small problem. From his experience with battlefield injuries, Qin Hao knew that someone like him—who had been saved and was now waiting to be discharged—would receive the lowest priority when it came to getting treatment from the military doctors. They would prioritize wounded soldiers who could return to the battlefield. As for him, so long as he did not die, it would not be a problem.

“Private 1573, you can be discharged from the hospital!” Sure enough, just as Qin Hao wanted to consult the nurse about his itch, someone had already come to chase him away. After all, the Battle of Alpha was raging, and every moment, a large number of casualties would be sent in. People like Qin Hao, who would no longer return to the battlefield had no right to continue occupying the beds.

“Okay…” Qin Hao nodded. He also knew that someone else needed treatment more than him, so he gave up his bed. He took the maintenance kit for his robotic arm and some anti-inflammatory drugs before he left the ward. Then, Qin Hao departed from the hospital ship on a small shuttlecraft. He needed to return to his starship and report to the officer in charge to apply for a discharge.

…

“Private 1573… Seriously wounded on Isis Beach’s landing on September 9th, 107 E.F.C… Lost an arm after an emergency rescue… Level 3 disability certificate…” The Military Affairs Department Officer studied the information Qin Hao had handed over and looked at him from time to time.

Qin Hao sat up straight opposite the officer and waited for his reply.