He walked quickly with large, steady strides; Nancy almost had to jog to keep up.

The next morning, the assembly whistle blew.

Six people stood on the training ground, divided into three pairs.

The Commander stood at the front, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

"The Northern Front mission only requires one team. We’ll have an evaluation in three days. Whoever is best gets the assignment."

Nancy’s heart tightened.

Only three days.

The morning consisted of physical tests.

Weighted cross-country runs, pull-ups, and a four-hundred-meter obstacle course, all back-to-back.

Nancy gritted her teeth and pushed through to the end, collapsing at the finish line, gasping for air.

Julian stood nearby, his breathing only slightly heavier than usual.

"You okay?" he asked.

Nancy braced her arms to stand up, patting the dust off her clothes. "I'm not dead yet."

The afternoon was for drawing lots for combat.

Nancy drew a male soldier from another team who was over six feet tall and broad-shouldered.

The onlookers felt the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

Julian stood by the side of the field, expressionless, only saying one thing: "Don't fight force with force. Find his weakness."

Nancy nodded and walked onto the field.

Her opponent didn't take her seriously at all, charging at her immediately.

Nancy stepped aside to dodge and kicked him behind the knee.

The man stumbled, turned, and swung a fist; she ducked under it and drove her elbow into his side.

After a few more strikes, the man grew restless. His movements became larger and more reckless, leaving more openings.

Finally, Nancy took him down with an over-the-shoulder throw. The sideline went quiet for two seconds before someone let out a whistle.

The corner of Julian's mouth moved slightly.

At dinner in the mess hall that evening, Nancy took her bowl and sat across from Julian.

He looked at her and pushed the egg from his bowl toward her.

"Eat up. You used a lot of energy today."

Nancy was startled for a moment but didn't decline, picking it up and taking a bite.

"Those moves today were good," Julian said. "Who taught you?"

"Self-taught," Nancy said while chewing a bun. "I used to get into fights a lot back in the compound."

Julian looked at her, his lips curving into a very slight arc.

After dinner, the two of them walked back. The moon was large, casting a bright light over the training ground.

"Why did you come here?" Julian suddenly asked.

Nancy thought for a moment. "I wanted to prove that I’m not just someone else’s accessory."

Julian didn't ask further.

"What about you?" Nancy asked.

"The mission needed me," he said.

Nancy smiled. "Couldn't you say something more sentimental?"

Julian looked at the shadows of the distant mountains, pausing for two seconds. "I can realize my value here. That's enough."

Nancy looked at his profile illuminated by the moonlight, and her heart suddenly stirred.

The third day’s final evaluation was team-on-team combat.

The three groups drew lots to face each other, with the winning two groups going to the final.

In the first round, Nancy and Julian’s opponents were the most favored team from the other groups.

The opposing male soldier was aggressive and the female soldier's coordination was seamless, but Nancy and Julian moved as if they had been partners for years—

If she ran left, he knew she was drawing away the person on the right;

If he made a gesture, she knew exactly which side to flank from.

In three minutes, it was over.

The final was even more efficient.

While Julian provided a frontal distraction, Nancy circled behind to seize the flag. The whole process took less than two minutes.

When the whistle blew, Nancy stood in the center of the field, the flag in her hand snapping in the wind.

The Commander looked at his stopwatch and nodded. "Northern Front mission: Nancy Miller, Julian. It’s the two of you."

Nancy was stunned for a second, then turned to look at Julian.

The setting sun hit his face, turning his eyes a beautiful light brown.

He reached out his hand, and his mouth slowly curved into a smile.

Nancy smiled and reached out to shake it.

The moment their palms met, they both burst into laughter at the same time.

"Looking forward to working with you," Julian said.

"Looking forward to working with you."

The two of them let go and walked back side-by-side.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long, overlapping one another.

Nancy suddenly felt that going to the Northern Front wasn't so scary after all.

Chapter 12

Three years later.

The Northern Front mission was a complete success. Due to her outstanding performance, Nancy was awarded a First-Class Merit and transferred back to the Military Region Headquarters to serve as an Operations Staff Officer.

On the day she reported for duty, she was walking through the main gate of the military compound when she saw Wendy coming from the direction of the family housing area.

Wendy was in civilian clothes—a floral dress and small leather shoes—with permed hair. Her belly was slightly rounded, and she walked with one hand resting on her abdomen.

As a military spouse, she lived in the family quarters behind the compound and was out for a stroll.

The two of them ran straight into each other on the training grounds.

Wendy was stunned at first, but then she smiled.

"Sister? What are you doing here?" She took two steps closer, looking Nancy up and down. Her gaze landed on Nancy’s shoulder tabs, and her smile faltered. "You... you’ve been transferred back?"

"Yes," Nancy replied flatly. "The mission is over. I’m an Operations Staff Officer at Headquarters now."

Wendy stared at the shoulder tabs for two seconds before forcing a smirk.

She placed her hand over her protruding stomach, her smile returning with a touch of deliberation.

"Sister, I have good news. I’m pregnant—three months along. Xavier has already submitted the paperwork to have me commissioned as an active-duty officer from a spouse status. It should be approved soon."

She finished speaking and stared at Nancy without blinking, waiting for her expression to crumble.

But Nancy only gave a calm "Mhm."

"Congratulations."

Just one word, delivered in a level tone. After saying it, she continued walking toward the office building.

Wendy’s smile froze.

She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

It had been three years. She had been married to Xavier for three years and had lived on the base for over two.

Xavier treated her well—she never lacked for food or clothes—but she knew better than anyone who was in his heart.

On their wedding night, he had called out Nancy’s name twenty-three times.

The locked trunk in his study was filled with Nancy’s things.

She thought that being pregnant and running into Nancy on base would finally give her the upper hand.

But Nancy hadn't even blinked.

Wendy bit her lip, suddenly quickened her pace to catch up, and blocked Nancy’s path, her smile back in place.

"Sister, don't be in such a hurry to leave. Xavier is in a meeting in the office building; it’ll be over soon. Won't you wait for him?"

Nancy looked at her but said nothing.

Wendy gritted her teeth, glanced toward the office building, and suddenly took a step backward.

"Ah—!"

She let out a cry and fell backward, landing hard on the ground.

Clutching her stomach, her eyes turned red and her voice trembled: "Sister... why did you push me..."

Nancy stood where she was, watching her with no expression on her face.

Just then, the doors to the office building opened.

Several officers walked out, and the man at the front was none other than Xavier.

He was in uniform, with an extra star on his shoulder tabs.

Hearing Wendy’s cry, he rushed over and knelt to support her.

"Wendy, what happened?"

Wendy leaned into his arms, tears streaming down her face, her voice sounding aggrieved: "Xavier... Sister... she didn't mean it... don't blame her..."

Xavier snapped his head up to look at Nancy.

It had been three years. She was darker and thinner, but standing in the sun, her back was as straight as a spear.

She looked the same as before, yet somehow entirely different.

Xavier’s Adam's apple moved as he spoke in a low, pressed voice: "Nancy, why did you push her? Didn't you know she’s pregnant?"

Nancy looked into his eyes for two seconds.

"I didn't push her."

Xavier’s brow furrowed, his tone darkening: "Nancy, I saw it. Only the two of you were here. If you didn't push her, did she just fall on her own?"

Nancy looked at him and raised a finger to point above the main entrance of the office building.

"That security camera is pointed right this way. Go see for yourself."

Xavier followed her finger.

A black dome camera was aimed directly at them, its red light blinking, clearly capturing the scene that had just unfolded.