Los Angeles defector

Solitary confinement

The majestic Rocky Mountains, stretching over 4,800 kilometers, lie across this ancient land. Nestled among the peaks at the southern foothills is an unnamed small village, currently basking in the spring sunlight.

"Report." Isabella walked into the regimental headquarters in the village, her crisp voice causing the soldiers inside to turn their heads.

"Oh, Isabella, you're here. Please, have a seat." A man in his forties gestured towards a nearby stool, poured some hot water into a teacup, placed it on the table, then sat down across from Isabella. He was David Ding, a staff member of a certain independent regiment in the resistance army.

"Well, Isabella, your identity has been verified by the higher-ups. There's been a message from the division that you are to report to the division headquarters. You will be leaving with the signalman shortly."

"Oh, that's great! I'll leave right now." Isabella stood up excitedly again. After two months of hardship and wandering, she finally returned to the organization. Upon hearing this news, her cheeks flushed with excitement, eager to start working immediately.

David Ding looked at the eager Isabella and smiled slightly, "Haha, look at how impatient you are. I have one more thing to ask you. How should we handle the person who came with you? Before you leave, I need to hear your opinion."

Isabella didn't report her 'sad affair' and had already seriously warned Jason that if he dared to bring up the matter, she would tear him apart. Now, when David Ding asked about that shameless cowardly bastard, Isabella couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with hatred.

"He's a government army deserter who forgets loyalty for personal gain. It was a difficult journey, and to protect the documents, I paid him in dollars to escort me back. Now that my mission is complete, as for how to deal with him, Chief of Staff, it's up to you to decide. I have no objection to getting rid of him! Chief of Staff, I'll leave now."

David Ding was taken aback by what was said. Even if he was a government soldier who had abandoned his post for personal gain, he had still put in some hard work. When did I ever mention wanting to kill him? Not understanding, he decided to ask Isabella more carefully. Suddenly, cries could be heard from outside the door, so he waved to Isabella, "Well, you should set off now. Be safe on the road."

Isabella left the room, and David Ding also stood up and walked to the open door. A young soldier was being held back by guards in the courtyard, his nose running and tears streaming down his face. He was shouting hoarsely, "I want to see the battalion commander. I want to see the staff officer. I want justice for the Ninth Company."

David Ding stepped over the threshold and gestured to the guards to let the young soldier go. Frowning, he said, "Listen, Sandy Sniffles, can you be a bit more realistic? The Ninth Company no longer exists. Not to mention the Ninth Company, even the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Companies have all been reorganized. Who do you think you are with your behavior? Our battalion is short on personnel now, and reorganizing into three companies is to unify the battalion into a fist, to fight better, to kill more vampires. Do you understand?"

Unmoved by the staff officer's words, Sandy Sniffles continued to cry out, "I don't care. The Ninth Company cannot be disbanded. When the company commander died, he told me to run, just to leave a seed for the Ninth Company, to prove that the Ninth Company still exists. Now, if they want to disband the Ninth Company's designation, I won't agree! If that's the case, why am I still alive? Why should I live?"

The staff officer's head was aching from Sandy Sniffles' crying. This kid has really gotten himself stuck in a rut. Why is he so stubborn like this?

At this moment, a person walked in from outside, it was the regimental commander returning from the training ground. He took three steps and stood in the middle of the courtyard, with a stern face, he said to Sandy Sniffles, "Your whining can be heard eight hundred miles away, even Lady Liberty would be brought to tears by you. Look at you, crying like a little girl, are you still a soldier of the resistance army? Get out of here."

Sandy Sniffles seemed truly possessed, even the regimental commander's stern words couldn't stop his crying: "I'm not leaving! I won't leave unless you promise to keep Nine Platoon. All my brothers from Nine Platoon in heaven will support me!"

The regimental commander, impatient with Sandy Sniffles' nonsense, pointed to the guards and ordered, "What are you waiting for? Quickly get this troublemaker back to the barracks."

In a small room with earthen walls all around, there is a wooden door in the front with several gaps showing through. On the outside of the door, some large words are scribbled with chalk, "Solitary Confinement Room." To the north, there is the only small window without glass or shutters, revealing the sky. Below the window is the only piece of furniture in the room, a worn-out wooden bed. Jason is sprawled on the bed, using folded bedding as a pillow, resting with his eyes closed.

It's been more than ten days now, and apart from meal deliveries at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Jason has not been attended to. There is a guard outside the door, whose face, still bearing traces of youth, is colder than Jason's, making communication impossible. It would be easy to escape; the window above his head lacks a pane, so he could climb out at any time, but Jason hasn't entertained the thought.

As it stands now, there is nowhere to go, so what's the point of causing trouble? That stubborn woman, she must have reached her destination this time. Carrying her all the way to Washington, she couldn't find the person she was looking for, and that's when Jason understood—she was a resistance fighter. It didn't matter to Jason; he wasn't interested in politics. Instead, he felt a sense of satisfaction because continuing the journey meant he still had a goal and direction. So, Jason accompanied her without hesitation, traveling north until they arrived here. Unfortunately, even now, Jason doesn't know her name, only imprinting in his heart a pair of beautiful yet icy phoenix eyes.

Faint rustling sounds came from outside the wall, barely audible. Jason felt helpless; this annoying and immoral thing, when would it ever stop? Since the first day he entered this room, it had been constantly bothering him. If he didn't show it some attitude soon, it would go too far. Jason reached out and picked up a piece of clay from the floor beside the bed, rolled it into a ball in his hand, and then lay back on the bed, pretending to doze off.

The faint sound crept all the way to the bottom of the window. After a while, a petite shadow quietly appeared at the window, with a pair of perky braids tied up, a pair of mischievous big eyes fixed on Jason pretending to sleep on the bed. A cute triumphant smile emerged on the face, followed by the setting up of a slingshot, pulling it back, stretching it taut...

Snap—

Before the stone in the slingshot could be shot out, a piece of clay hit the tender forehead, blossoming into a flower. Accompanied by a cry of surprise, the little girl tumbled down from the window, dazed from the fall. She struggled to get up from the ground, ignoring the mud on her forehead and the dirt all over her body, quickly returned to the window, and set up the slingshot again.

"Hah! You little brat, your surprise attack failed, and you still want to attack? Dream on!" Jason mocked as he picked up another piece of clay, flicked his hand, and sent it flying towards the window.

This time, the little girl was prepared and quickly ducked. However, Jason's piece of clay wasn't aimed at her but at the window above her head. The mud shattered against the window, splashing all over her head and face.

Under intense fire from Jason, the little girl huddled at the base of the window, unable to lift her head. Anger welled up inside her, "If I don't take down this turret of yours, I'll never live it down!" Before the childish words could even fade, she reached into her messenger bag and pulled out a hand grenade...