FI CH 22

Chapter 22: Battlefield Memories (III)

The second time they entered, their drop point landed them in a secluded grove. Several small squads from both enemy and ally sides were engaged in an ambush sniper battle, with gunfire occasionally echoing around them—tension filled the air.

The two quickly assessed the current situation and took cover behind a large tree.

Bai Hua glanced around and asked, “Is the drop point random?”

“Yeah,” Kurosawa replied. “If we’re lucky, we might even land near Lin Yuan. Of course, the danger level would be much higher too.”

“No thanks, I’m not ready to break the record for fastest death just yet.”

Kurosawa chuckled and remarked bluntly, “Looks like you’re pretty self-aware.”

Bai Hua shot him a glance. “You say this is a survival training, but what exactly are the conditions for passing? There has to be some way to end it.”

“There are two options,” Kurosawa replied. “We either stay here until the timer runs out—or kill the owner of this battlefield memory, Lin Yuan. That’ll automatically terminate the mental landscape.”

“What’s your take?”

“I thought we were on the same page about that.”

Bai Hua didn’t deny it. Even though this was just a training simulation, both of them shared the same goal—they wanted to understand Lin Yuan as much as possible. And right now, only these fragments of memory held traces of who he truly was.

Kurosawa added, “Let’s take it one step at a time.”

“I know.”

After leaving the forest, the two of them once again encountered Yin Qing and Lu Mingyue on the road. It felt like facing a checkpoint—no matter how much they tried to avoid it, there was no way around. The only way forward was to keep challenging it until they broke through.

Bai Hua suddenly had a thought—if he and Kurosawa grew stronger, maybe the ones waiting for them next time wouldn’t be those two anymore.

He clenched his fists, staring at Yin Qing who was slowly approaching. For a moment, he was reminded of that intense battle with Lin Yuan back in the rainforest.

“Bai Hua.” Kurosawa spoke, snapping him out of his thoughts. By now, it had become almost a habit.

“I can handle this.” The words weren’t just for Kurosawa—they were also for himself. “Don’t worry about me.”

Kurosawa glanced at him briefly, then quickly looked away. In a tone only the two of them could hear, he said, “I’ll try to prevent Lu Mingyue from activating a mental landscape and sever the connection between her and her Sentinel. Their mental link is very strong. I might not be able to fully disrupt it, but even slight interference will create an opening. I can’t tell you exactly when that moment will be—you’ll have to find it yourself.”

“Got it.”

After a short strategy discussion, Yin Qing had already made his move. Bai Hua took a few steps to the side, trying to pull the battlefield away from Kurosawa and Lu Mingyue so they wouldn’t interfere with each other.

Suddenly, Yin Qing sped up and charged directly at Bai Hua.

After suffering a painful defeat once, Bai Hua had learned his lesson. He didn’t rely on his eyes to track Yin Qing’s position. Instead, he listened to the subtle movements in the wind. Even when Yin Qing was about to crash into him, Bai Hua didn’t flinch.

But in the next second, he caught a shift in the air currents—he abruptly stepped forward, and the phantom in front of him vanished. Yin Qing had attempted a sneak attack from behind, but his blade missed, and he quickly continued pursuing Bai Hua head-on.

With swift reflexes, Bai Hua drew his dagger and turned to meet the attack. He thought to himself: So it’s the same move again.

It was a simple and straightforward tactic—but it had taken the lives of many.

If it was just a close-combat brawl, Bai Hua wouldn’t necessarily be at a disadvantage. But Yin Qing’s tendency to disappear mid-fight was incredibly annoying.

After several exchanges, Bai Hua had mostly figured out Yin Qing’s patterns. But the moment he tried anything too aggressive, Yin Qing would retreat back to a safe distance.

Bai Hua understood this wasn’t cowardice—it was caution born from years of battlefield experience. Every strike in combat was a gamble with one’s life, meant to catch the enemy off-guard and kill decisively. He remembered Kurosawa’s words and kept his composure, patiently waiting for the right moment. Although he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to recognize it, perhaps because it was Kurosawa handling things, he didn’t feel too worried.

The opportunity came quickly.

During one of Yin Qing’s stealth maneuvers, he failed to completely disappear. At first, Bai Hua thought it was a trap, but he soon noticed that even Yin Qing didn’t seem to realize it.

No—this wasn’t an accident.

If it was Kurosawa, he’d definitely be able to tamper with the enemy unnoticed.

Seizing the moment, Bai Hua deliberately exposed a weakness. When Yin Qing moved in to strike, Bai Hua countered with a fatal blow. The blade of his dagger slashed cleanly across the throat, and once Yin Qing collapsed to the ground, he never got back up.

When Lu Mingyue realized Yin Qing had died, her mind wavered—and she was swiftly dealt with by Kurosawa.

Bai Hua looked at the hand gripping his knife and suddenly felt a strange sense of unreality. He understood that because this was a battlefield memory, the enemies didn’t have the full range of real-life thinking. The real Yin Qing and Lu Mingyue would never have been taken down so easily.

“Let’s go. The second wave of enemies will arrive soon.” Kurosawa seemed to sense something, his eyes fixed on the distance.

They left the area and headed toward the enemy’s frontline.

When they returned home that evening, Kurosawa quickly compiled a report on the day’s training results. Overall, the outcome wasn’t bad—but it wasn’t what he was aiming for either.

Seeing that Kurosawa had finished his work, Bai Hua asked, “Are we going to withdraw from the battlefield early for the next few days too?”

“Yes. I want to gather some data on our joint combat performance. Though honestly, even if I didn’t say it out loud, it’s probably obvious by now.”

Of course Bai Hua understood. Rather than fighting together, it had basically been them each fighting solo. There was hardly any coordination between them—very few moments of synchronicity or joint strategy.

Kurosawa asked, “Do you know what our problem is?”

Bai Hua realized that Kurosawa wasn’t looking for an answer—he was asking for his agreement.

“You want to establish a mental link with me?”

Kurosawa could’ve easily used ‘battle strategy’ as an excuse, but instead he admitted frankly, “Yes.”

“Like what we did back in the rainforest?”

“A step further,” Kurosawa said frankly. “I need to understand how you think and how you operate in combat.”

Bai Hua glanced at him without replying. They were partners. It wasn’t unreasonable for Kurosawa to make such a request. Bai Hua understood that if they weren’t fighting together, all of this training would be meaningless. But back in the rainforest, their mental link was done under urgent circumstances—he had been solely focused on saving someone and hadn’t had time to think it through. If they did it again, he couldn’t guarantee how much Kurosawa would see.

Kurosawa added, “I know it might be difficult to overcome the mental barrier at first, but it’s a necessary process. If we want to improve…”

That last line struck a nerve in Bai Hua. Just thinking about Lin Yuan made him hesitate no longer—he agreed without further resistance. “Alright.”

“It’s okay if we don’t sync perfectly at first. We’ll ease into it gradually.”

“If we form a mental link… will I be able to see your spiritual form?”

“You’re interested?”

“Just curious.”

“I’ll show you—but not yet,” Kurosawa said, pausing for a moment before continuing, “…Haven’t you noticed? You’re constantly, unconsciously on guard around me.”

Bai Hua froze. He finally understood why Kurosawa kept emphasizing trust between them. So that was the reason they hadn’t been able to see each other’s spiritual forms?

“…Probably because… you make me feel threatened,” Bai Hua admitted.

That answer took Kurosawa by surprise. “Why?”

“I don’t know. It’s just a feeling.”

From their very first meeting, Kurosawa had vaguely sensed that Bai Hua was highly guarded around him. At first, he assumed it was due to the Sentinel-Guide pairing system or pheromone compatibility—but later realized it wasn’t. After all, Bai Hua could still talk openly with him about those topics. But whenever anything involving mental perception came up, Kurosawa could sense Bai Hua instinctively pulling away. It wasn’t fear, nor was it simple dislike—but it definitely wasn’t comfort or trust either.

Over time, as they spent more time together and Kurosawa got to know him better, he came to one conclusion: Bai Hua was hiding a secret—one that no one else knew.

And ever since they returned from the rainforest, Bai Hua’s stress responses had only become more pronounced.

Kurosawa had no interest in prying into other people’s secrets, so he had always pretended not to notice. He knew that gaining someone’s trust often required the other person to open up on their own.

Lin Yuan’s appearance might be the turning point. Kurosawa thought it was time for their relationship to make some progress.

He looked quietly at Bai Hua for a moment before saying, “I don’t know what I can do to make you drop your guard around me. But I hope you’ll remember this: no matter the situation, I will never hurt you.”

That line inexplicably reminded Bai Hua of the time Kurosawa had shielded him from a knife. He responded with a quiet “Mm,” unsure of how to continue the conversation.

Kurosawa thought for a moment, then motioned for Bai Hua to sit beside him. “Maybe trusting someone isn’t as hard as you imagine. Let’s start with something simple.”

“Simple?”

“Yeah. They say that physical contact helps foster emotional connection.” As Bai Hua sat down beside him, Kurosawa suddenly grabbed his hand. He could feel the muscles beneath his palm instantly go taut—then slowly relax. Observing Bai Hua’s reaction, he asked uncertainly, “Were you just about to hit me?”

“Mm. Almost. If I hadn’t realized it was you, I probably would have.”

Kurosawa let go. “Got it.”

“Got what?”

“That I’ll probably have to accept the risk of getting beaten up by you in the future.”

Bai Hua frowned. “Do you have to touch me?”

“It’s the most effective way.”

“…”

(To be continued…)
T/L: These two… ૮ >⸝⸝⸝⸝< ა