Only until the footsteps weren’t heard anymore, did Lisa crawl out from under the desk.
She was holding that silver lighter with a dazed expression on her face.
She had seen the Chief Instructor fidgeting with this lighter before.
But she had never seen the Chief Instructor smoke.
For the Chief Instructor to suddenly be tossing this lighter to her, what did it mean?
She carefully looked at it. It was only a small, silver lighter.
There weren’t any patterns, and it was square. However, engraved on the silver coating was the alphabet J.
She couldn’t quite understand why, but she carefully placed that lighter into her pocket before heading to the combat competition venue.
There was still some time until she was due to compete. Since the latter part was mostly the guys competing, Lisa didn’t harbor much hope due to the disparity in physical strength between the two genders.
Coincidentally, she and Jennie competed at roughly the same time, so she didn’t have the chance to watch Jennie compete.
Surprisingly, Lisa won two consecutive rounds in the combat competition.
She didn’t have much difficulty winning those rounds.
It could only be said that she got lucky, to be assigned to opponents who weren’t that strong.
After Lisa had emerged as victorious, Sana and Tzuyu came up to surround her. “Aiyoyoh Lisa, you’re really capable. You even made it to the second round in combat. Don’t tell me you’re going to create history?”
Seeing them look so excited, Lisa shook her head and laughed. “Stop talking about me, what about you guys? I remember you two made it past the selection rounds in combat.”
Although Sana and Tzuyu didn’t have much talent in shooting, both did pretty well in combat and qualified to compete in this segment.
However, the instant she asked this question, the atmosphere grew a little awkward.
Sana opened her mouth and said, “… We were defeated in the first round.”
She looked as though she couldn’t bear to recall the matter.
Lisa couldn’t help but rap Sana’s head and jokingly said, “Useless!”
Then she asked, “How are Jennie’s results?”
With a hint of mystery, Tzuyu answered, “I think she’s really capable. She defeated her opponent in more or less ten seconds, and she was forceful and ferocious in her tactics. She’s occupied one of the three spots in combat.”
“It’s likely for our dormitory to have the champion in shooting and combat. Incredible.”
Sana then came up with a rare retort, “Only the two of us are dragging the dormitory down.”
Tzuyu instantly rolled her eyes at Sana. “I’m better than you, okay? At least I was defeated in the second round, whereas you lost in the first round.”
“You just got a bit luckier!”
Sana was unwilling to admit defeat, and seeing as the two of them were about to get into a quarrel again, Lisa hurriedly stopped them. “Alright, alright, let’s stop talking about this. Let’s go back to the dormitory first.”
“No, no. Let’s go for dinner first. I’m famished.”
The school canteen extended dining by an hour so that students who had just finished competing would have something to eat.
“Alright, lets’ go.”
Lisa nodded. She was just about to go with Sana and Tzuyu to the canteen when she saw Feng Yumeng running over.
She looked a little thrilled. “Lisa, I saw that you made it to the next round. Congrats.”
Seeing Feng Yumeng, Lisa nodded with a smile. “Thank you, I will try my best.”
“Go for it. Only you and two other people from our specialization made it to the next round.”
Sana was astonished to hear this. “Why is the computer science specialization so unlucky?”
...
The rules for getting into the next round were pretty similar for combat and shooting, but the number of people who could get to the next round wasn’t as certain.
After all, each specialization would be up against other specializations. But for the computer science specialization to have so many eliminated participants at one go, it was truly surprising.
Feng Yumeng scratched her head. “Perhaps that’s because we’re used to following instructions. That can’t be helped.”
Of course, their solid capabilities weren’t as strong as the other specializations.
“It’s alright.” Sana patted Feng Yumeng on her shoulder. “At least there’s Lisa who will bring glory to you guys in target shooting. That’s not bad already.”
Her words caused those present to burst into laughter.
“Alright, let’s go out and eat first. Feng Yumeng, have you eaten?”
“I’ve long eaten. If you guys wish to eat, just go ahead. I’ll stay around and watch the competition to gain some experience.”
Feng Yumeng touched her nose and ran away.
Lisa was quite surprised to see this lass show such self-awareness.
Indeed, having experienced the joy of victory, she started to develop some self-awareness.
Tzuyu clicked her tongue. “This Feng Yumeng ranks the bottom in the computer science specialization, right? I’ve heard of her name. But from the looks of it now, Lisa, you’re indeed capable. You can even rescue someone ranked at the bottom.”
“I wasn’t the one who rescued her.” It wasn’t that Lisa was being overly modest. “She has decent capabilities, to begin with, and her physical stamina isn’t too bad. It’s just that she fears pain—so much that when others hit her she won’t dare to retaliate. Now that she knows what to do, her performance naturally got better.”
“Aiyoh, regardless, you’re truly lucky!”
The few of them chatted merrily as they went to the school canteen.
The results for the first day of the competition were out.
For the physical training competition, three people from the computer science specialization got into the next round; two for shooting and two for combat!
Surprisingly, their computer science department did slightly better in the physical training competition.
According to logic, computer science folks should pale in comparison to other specializations in physical training.
But as a whole, this was quite a bad result.
Especially considering Lisa took up a spot in combat and shooting.
Her peers in the computer science specialization were getting more and more impressed by her.
Tomorrow, it would be the second round of shooting and combat, so Lisa had to be prepared for that. After dinner, she returned to the dormitory with Sana and Tzuyu.
After taking a shower, Lisa fiddled with that lighter.
She placed the lighter beside her pillow and hid it at the corner.
After some thought, she ultimately couldn’t hold herself back from sending a text message to the Chief Instructor.
{ Chief Instructor, why did you give me that lighter? =.= }
She just couldn’t figure out why.
After waiting for a good while, the Chief Instructor still hadn’t replied to her.
Just then, the door opened. Jennie had returned too.
She said nothing and went straight into the bathroom to take a shower.
Since they were roommates, Sana spoke up. After all, they were still roommates. “Qi Jennie, congrats on getting into the next round in combat.”
To everyone’s surprise, Jennie cast a strange glance at Sana, then nodded and softly said, “Thanks.”
She then went to the upper bunk above Lisa.
Sana was quite worked up to get a response from Jennie. She looked towards Tzuyu, who then rolled her eyes which nearly sparked a fight in the dormitory.
Lisa watched as they clowned around, a hint of a smile at the corner of her lips. Just then, her phone suddenly vibrated from under the blanket.
Her heartbeat accelerated rapidly.
She felt for her phone under the blanket, and saw this reply:
{ It’s a present for you, keep it properly. }
A present for her?
Ripples of emotions formed in Lisa’s heart.
This was Chief Instructor’s first present for her. But why a lighter?
Lisa couldn’t understand the meaning behind this.
Hence, she sent a text message to the Chief Instructor to ask.
{ Chief Instructor, why did you give me a lighter? }
{ Do I need a reason to give you a present? }
His response made Lisa speechless. While he didn’t need a reason to give her a present, giving her a lighter was somewhat absurd. She wasn’t a smoker, and she wouldn’t need to light a fire regularly. What was the use of this lighter?
But from the looks of it, this lighter had a special meaning to the Chief Instructor.
Lisa felt that the Chief Instructor wasn’t the sort of person who would give someone a present for no reason.
So, she better keep this lighter properly.
After all, this was the Chief Instructor’s first present for her. It would at least serve as memorabilia.
With this thought, Lisa kept the present away, then replied.
{ Chief Instructor, I’m going to bed now. You should rest early too, goodnight. }
{ Goodnight and have a good rest, you still have to compete tomorrow. }
After seeing the Chief Instructor’s reply, Lisa’s lips curled in a smile. She had developed a habit now, and that was she could only peacefully go to sleep after seeing the Chief Instructor’s reply. No idea if this was the case for all lovers in the stage where they were passionately in love, but she felt more and more melodramatic.
She slapped her face then secretly sneaked a glance at the other people in the dormitory.
It was still some time away from lights out, but Lisa already felt like sleeping.
She looked at the others, then went to sleep.
…
Early the next morning, the second round for the fifty-meter target started.
Such a competition didn’t pose a challenge at all to the present Lisa.
Hence, she used the quickest response speed, as usual, and hit the bullseye for three consecutive shots.
She won first place with a perfect score once again.
Everyone saw this coming, so no one was surprised.
After the quarter-finals ended, it was time for the combat competition in the afternoon.
This time, Lisa finally met a tricky opponent.
She lost when faced against a guy.
She could sense that her response speed wasn’t slower than her opponent, but she seemed to have lost due to… experience.
She wasn’t as skilled as the other party in terms of moves, and he also didn’t seem like he was a beginner in combat.
Naturally, Lisa wasn’t a match for him.
Despite losing in the combat competition, Lisa didn’t feel dejected.
It was okay so long as she did well in the finals in the shooting competition.
If she won the finals, Lisa would obtain three military points.
This was a great advantage to a first-year student.
Sana and the rest were quite disappointed to see her be defeated in the combat competition, but Lisa seemed to be making it easier than them.
As for Jennie, just like rumors had it, Jennie defeated every single opponent that came her way and smoothly made it into the finals.
In their dormitory, one made it to the combat finals, and one made it into the shooting finals.
Moreover, they were hot contenders for first place. This caused their dormitory to suddenly shoot to fame in the entire university.
Although Sana and Tzuyu were simply observers, they felt glad for Lisa and Jennie nonetheless.
Without much of a hiccup, Lisa successfully entered the finals of the shooting competition.
Also, she went on to clinch the first place in the finals.
The final competition was the hundred-meter stationary target.
When Lisa set down her gun, her expression was somewhat aloof.
Deafening cheers erupted all around her, from classmates who were ecstatic at her win.
She looked around and saw a smile on everyone’s faces as they cheered for her.
Even the instructors wore a proud smile.
In her trance, there was a sense of unrealness.
She lowered her head and gently pursed her lips.
She caressed her fingertips, and she had no idea what was going through her mind.
The Commanding Officer came over and took her away. She was still in a dazed state, as though she suddenly had no thoughts in her mind.
Until an unknown man appeared in front of her.
He was dressed in a black suit and wearing a pair of black-framed spectacles, looking very ordinary.
And he was carrying a briefcase.
Lisa instantly looked around. This was a secluded corner in the school, not an appropriate place for meeting someone.
The Commanding Officer who brought her here had already left.
She was confused.
“Gu Lalisa, hello.”
The bespectacled man before her pushed up his spectacles and greeted Lisa.
He even stuck out a hand to shake Lisa’s hand. He looked decent and civilized.
The dazed Lisa stuck out a hand and said, “Hello, you are?”
“It’s normal for you not to know me.”
The man smiled at her. Although he seemed harmless and approachable, Lisa felt wary of him.
She had a feeling that this man wasn’t as harmless as he appeared on the surface.
In any case, this made her feel a sense of danger, all the more.
“Seems like your intuition in target-shooting isn’t too bad.”
The man, who seemed to sense something, said with a disarming smile, “My name is Lu Namjoon, you can just call me by my name.”
There was a wariness in Lisa’s eyes as she stared at this Lu Namjoon guy.
“Is something the matter?”
“You’re pretty straightforward.” Namjoon retrieved a document from his briefcase. “I thought you would ask about my identity first.”
He waved the documents in his hands. After a moment’s hesitation, Lisa took it from him.
However, the heading ‘National Special Department Members’ Information Investigation’ made Lisa’s eyelids twitch.
What the hell was that?
Special department members’ information investigation?
“Pardon me, Gu Lalisa, if you wish to ask me about the contents of this document, I won’t tell you. Because you don’t have the clearance to know of all this yet, and I’m merely here to inform you. After the school assembly ends, come out of the school to this place. Someone will pick you up. When the time comes, I will reveal some things you wish to know.”
A ferocious glint flashed across Lisa’s eyes.
Her hands that were holding the documents trembled.
Because written on it, was Lisa’s particulars.
Moreover, it was extremely detailed.
From the time Lisa was born, including her little conflict with the Yu family, everything was described succinctly.
But even then, every single major event in her life had been clearly expressed.
Including her sudden decision to join the troops right after senior high.
Because it was written in brackets and a straightforward manner: (Target had a sudden change in thinking, underlying reason unknown. Suspicious!)
Suspicious.
This word made Lisa’s heart shrink.
This meant that someone was suspecting her.
And the information in front of her was so detailed that Lisa had nearly forgotten about some of those events.
The period after she chose to enter the troops was annotated with comments, indicating that her personality differed from her previous self, and this was flagged out as an abnormality.
Just this point alone was enough to make Lisa’s heart turn cold.
And standing before her, Namjoon’s expression was so calm it was as though he didn’t care about Lisa’s reaction upon seeing the information.
He gave one last reminder, “Gu Lalisa, I know you’re a clever person and you will know what to do. But you don’t have to be scared either. You’re the only person who would see this information. Before handing this to you, I can guarantee that even I don’t know of its contents.”
“Only I know about it? Then who was the one who came up with this report?”
With her brows furrowed, Lisa didn’t believe his words.
Namjoon chuckled. “Of course it’s done by someone who should be doing this. But you can completely rest assured. Even if something were to happen in the future, nobody else will come to know of this information. My purpose for coming here to find you is not to threaten you. You only have to come to this place I mentioned tomorrow and you will understand everything.”
“Tomorrow is Sunday. After the school assembly ends, I need to train. How am I to explain things if I can’t go back to school after coming out?”
Lisa immediately brought the document to her back and asked with a cold gaze.
“Don’t worry about that. Your Commanding Officer has already applied for leave on your behalf. You don’t have to worry about a thing.”
Namjoon held his briefcase under his armpit and curled his lips. “I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow then. Also, Gu Lalisa classmate, it’s probably best for you to not tell anyone that I looked for you today. Remember, anyone. After you read the information, you may burn it.”
With that, he turned around and left.
Watching his back view as he left, Lisa’s pupils shrunk.
Her chest was uneasily heaving up and down.
She held up that document and glanced at it once more, with a terrible countenance.
The information written on it was so detailed it was terrifying.
If that person didn’t grow up with her since young, how were they able to know such details about her?
But the person who brought her this, clearly stated that even he had never taken a look at this. Also, he had no idea who it was that created this document.
‘Go to that place tomorrow…’
She glanced at the address Namjoon gave her and saw that it was somewhere in the city center of the capital.
But as for where exactly it was, Lisa had no idea.
Because she wasn’t familiar with the capital.
With her heart on tenterhooks, she recalled Namjoon’s final advice for her.
In the end, she gritted her teeth and dismissed the idea of telling this to the Chief Instructor.
For that person to be able to come to the school and have the Commanding Officer go to him, he mustn’t be an ordinary person.
As for exactly where it was, guess she would find out tomorrow.
For that other party to know such detailed information about her, he must be someone of great influence. It would be easy for such a person to do whatever it is he wished to do to her.
Even if she was guarded, it wouldn’t help matters.
After looking at the information, Lisa brought it back to the dormitory with her.
Sana and the rest had yet to come back, so Lisa took out the lighter the Chief Instructor gave her and burned the document.
This document shouldn’t exist.