Chapter Five

Chapter Five

It turned out to be a complete mistake for Holman to include Baisha in his advanced combat class.

The mistake lay in the word "advanced."

Holman firmly believed that the instinct to fight is innate, just as newborn wild cubs know to fight for milk.

But Baisha—she had no clue about fighting!

It wasn't that she didn't know how to fight at all, but rather she subconsciously rejected the idea. With no experience in combat, what was there to "advance"?

"Honestly, fighting can easily lead to legal issues. Facing problems, resorting to violence is never the best solution," Baisha defended herself, "Besides, everyone has their strengths. I can take the intellectual route; I don't necessarily have to resort to violence, right?"

"I think you're just afraid of hardship and making excuses for yourself," Holman chuckled, glancing at her and tapping her arm with a metal stick, "Hey, don't stop, keep going. We agreed today on three sets of push-ups, fifty in each set, and not one less. Otherwise, I won't let you go for lunch."

Baisha let out a soft hiss, shakily propping up her arms to continue her push-ups.

Beside her, Jingyi and Yanning were practicing punches on a punching bag.

In the trio, since Baisha had no foundation in combat, Holman had arranged various physical training exercises for her, like push-ups, pull-ups, and weighted running. For someone like Yanning, although Holman also arranged physical exercises, he at least got to practice with the punching bag and received some pointers from Holman.

Holman spent most of his time on Jingyi.

Probably no combat instructor could refuse a student like Jingyi: she learned quickly and applied her skills effectively, striking precisely and fiercely. Her willingness to endure hardship was a given, and her resilience was extraordinary—no matter how hard she was hit, she always got up at the fastest speed.

While teaching her, Holman occasionally felt as if he was not instructing a girl in combat but imparting his life's experiences to a battle machine.

After a training session, Jingyi was tired yet eager for more, Yanning was too exhausted to speak, and Baisha was so limp like a noodle, needing her two friends to support her to avoid collapsing on the ground.

"Holman is a devil..." Baisha said weakly.

"I heard that Teacher Holman is a retired frontline soldier of the Federation," Jingyi's black hair soaked with sweat, clinging to her forehead, but her eyes shone brilliantly, "If we can beat him one day, getting into the military academy will be almost certain."

"Isn't there any other option besides the military academy? You both seem quite intelligent," Baisha wondered.

"But we aspire to be more than just soldiers. We aim to become distinguished officers and hold sway in the Federation," Yanning said more seriously than usual, his green eyes misty from the intense exercise, "For people of our background, the quickest way up is through the military. Although there are barriers, it's still a suitable choice. Right now, our Federation is busy repelling star bugs and on edge with the Empire, war could break out anytime… There will be many opportunities for promotion."

Baisha realized she had underestimated the depth of these two kids' thoughts. They had considered their paths thoroughly and were prepared to bear the burdens for their dreams.

Baisha fell silent.

"Actually, you're right. There are many paths in life; you don't necessarily have to join us in the military academy," Yanning said, "From what I know, not many from Lanslo star get into the academy every year. Whether we'll succeed is still uncertain."

"But look at her, she wouldn’t even know how to survive if she left the orphanage," Jingyi criticized with a frown, "With such a weak body, she really needs to train more."

Baisha sighed, "Yes, I'm so weak that I can barely handle a bit of exercise. My hands are still trembling. I definitely can't help in the kitchen now. Once or twice is okay, but if it happens more, Mrs. Qiong might think I'm not working seriously and replace me..."

And there goes the extra food?!

Yanning and Jingyi exchanged glances, both seeing the words "emergency situation" in each other's eyes.

Baisha quietly observed their expressions, knowing she had successfully influenced them, and then said suggestively, "Well, actually, Mrs. Qiong wouldn't blame me for not attending Holman's combat classes. How about this, next time I'll just go to the kitchen as usual, and you guys try to convince Teacher Holman that I really don't have time for his combat class…"

Jingyi: "This really can't continue."

Yanning: "We need to figure out a solution."

Baisha: "Right—"

Jingyi and Yanning turned to Baisha simultaneously: "We have to improve your physical fitness."

Baisha: "???"

"Jingyi, how did you train physically before? Teach her," Yanning suggested.

"It's just Holman's routine. I believe his training plan is definitely more professional than ours," Jingyi's mind worked quickly, "The secret to improving combat skills is definitely more practical combat. Recently, I've been challenging older boys in the orphanage to fights. Maybe next time I'll bring her along."

"I appreciate the thought," Baisha wriggled free from their grasp, almost wanting to run away, "Aren't you afraid of being punished by Mrs. Qiong?"

Jingyi calmly grabbed her: "Our orphanage doesn't have solitary confinement. And it's not my first time doing this. See those bandaged up, Vivian and Klaiza? I fought them—though there were two other boys about their age helping, but I led the surprise attack. Vivian and Klaiza know some combat too, they aren’t easy to deal with by ordinary means."

Baisha remembered the two unfortunate injured boys: "Didn't they say their injuries were from fighting each other?"

Jingyi sneered, an unusually vivid expression on her face: "That's just their guilt talking, afraid to confess the real reason for the group fight to Mrs. Qiong. But, this has become a sort of tradition in the orphanage, the losers take the blame and punishment. Nothing to complain about."

Baisha: "So this is a conflict among the older kids. How did you get involved?"

Jingyi choked up and did not respond.

Baisha eyed her: "And there must be a reason for fighting, right? Don't tell me it's just because someone didn't like the look of someone else, that shallow."

In Baisha's time, students fought over trivial matters. Even many long-term bullying incidents were merely because someone "didn't like the look" of someone else. They could invest a lot of time in these disgusting entanglements over minor triggers, but partly because they were just "idle" with nothing better to do.

However, the children at the orphanage were generally precocious (excluding those with intellectual disabilities). Would they really waste their energy on meaningless disputes?

"Of course, there's a reason," Jingyi spoke softly, "—Let's go eat first, I'll tell you after the meal."

Baisha: "?"

"Right, right, I'm also hungry," Yanning said, draping an arm over Baisha's shoulder, "You go to the kitchen first, and remember to bring me an extra chicken roll! I've thought it over, Jingyi really shouldn't take you to fight. If you both get caught, everyone will be without food. On the other hand, with Baisha in the kitchen, even if Jingyi gets caught and Mrs. Qiong punishes her, you won’t go hungry."

Jingyi frowned, as if wanting to retort 'you think everyone is as food-obsessed as you', but she ultimately held back.

Baisha noticed they were changing the subject but didn't intend to press further; after all, there was plenty of time to uncover the truth.

……

Before mealtime, Mrs. Qiong made a round in the hall and saw Baisha pushing a cart and setting the tableware.

She worked meticulously, arranging the various utensils neatly and attractively; from a distance, even the spacing between each plate seemed uniform.

For convenience, she had rolled up her sleeves, revealing delicate, seemingly fragile wrists. There were conspicuous red marks on her wrists, strikingly visible.

Mrs. Qiong, observing Baisha carefully placing the plates, her hands trembling and weak, turned and went to the staff office to find Holman.

"Welcome, honorable inspector," Holman sat cross-legged on the sofa, raising the jug in his hand to Mrs. Qiong, "Visiting me at this time, is there any new guidance?"

Mrs. Qiong expressionless: "I remember warning you not to drink in the orphanage. Especially not in front of the children."

"What's the big deal? At least half of these orphanage kids will end up dependent on alcohol when they grow up," Holman dismissed, "But rest assured, I won't let them have any illusions about alcohol. I tell them it's for pain relief, a medicine, and of course, medicine should not be taken carelessly. As for addiction, that’s a choice for adults to make..."

"I don't want to waste time on your nonsense," Mrs. Qiong said, "I want to talk about Baisha. You put her in your combat class? What were you thinking? Her physique is not outstanding, even malnourished. Why else would I arrange for her to work in the kitchen? And from what I observe, becoming a soldier is not the best choice for her. You can't treat every child as potential military academy material, can you?"

"But she must go to the military academy," Holman said, staring at the jug, "With her talent, she will not fade into the crowd. If not the academy, her fate lies with Kangheng Life Safety Company."

Mrs. Qiong was momentarily taken aback.

"Kang Heng has been recruiting talents within the Lanslo Star region, or rather, binding talents. Even in our orphanage, the slightly promising students are all working for Kang Heng Life. Inspector, don't you find this ironic?"

"Let her go to military school. Whether it's to become a commander, a mech soldier, a communications officer, an instructor, a military supply officer... or even just a regular Federation soldier and then retire – it’s all more meaningful than working for Kang Heng Life."