Edward Baldwin's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously: Big brother is the best at hide-and-seek. Being a soldier is just like playing hide-and-seek. If I become a soldier, I can play hide-and-seek with big brother again, and there will be new Transformers, hehe...

Chapter 0006 Morbid Father and Son

Time flies, the years pass by in a flash, and in the blink of an eye, two whole years have gone by. Two years is neither long nor short, but it is enough to change many things, though some things may remain the same as ever.

Edward Baldwin is now seven and a half years old, has grown taller, and has started first grade at school. Every day, when he goes to and from school, George Baldwin always takes him to school on time, then waits at the school gate, and picks him up when school is over.

Sometimes, even in the middle of class, George Baldwin can't rest easy and insists on going into the school to check on Edward Baldwin's class to make sure his son is safe and sound.

The incident two years ago left George Baldwin clearly showing signs of morbidity—he became even more concerned about his son, but also more irritable. At home, if Edward Baldwin left his sight, he would panic as if drowning, desperately searching for him, and once he found him, would beat his son harshly without a word.

As for George Baldwin's morbid behavior, Grace Miller was completely helpless. All she could do was pour all her motherly love into Edward Baldwin, doing everything she could to satisfy whatever her son wanted. There was even a time when Edward Baldwin suddenly wanted to taste what a caterpillar was like, and Grace Miller immediately went to catch one, fulfilling her son's bizarre whim in an unbelievable way.

Not only did George Baldwin become morbid, but Grace Miller did as well, though the two were complete opposites.

In this kind of family environment, seven-year-old Edward Baldwin became withdrawn. He grew more and more afraid of his father, remained silent all day, and never communicated with anyone.

His greatest joy was holding a Wangwang Snow Cake and gazing at the sky, hoping that the uncle named Samuel Carter would come and take him to be a soldier, so he could play a real game of hide-and-seek.

This day after school, George Baldwin unusually did not come to pick up Edward Baldwin. This filled the seven-and-a-half-year-old Edward Baldwin with an unspeakable sense of fear. His first reaction was: Where's Dad? Will I get beaten when I get home?

Not seeing George Baldwin, Edward Baldwin stood at the school gate with his backpack, not daring to take a single step. His eyes kept scanning the people passing by, extremely uneasy.

With a splash, someone poured a basin of water on the road to the left of the school.

Edward Baldwin's body shuddered violently, and he turned his head to look. After a long while, he came back to his senses and continued to wait anxiously.

"Bang!"

"Ah!" Edward Baldwin cried out in alarm, staring in terror at a bicycle with a blown tire.

Without George Baldwin around, every sound in the surroundings filled Edward Baldwin with deep unease, even fear. In the past two years, when other children went out to play, he had to stay under his father's watchful eyes; when other children acted spoiled in their father's arms, he would kneel on the ground in terror and silence, letting his father beat him harshly...

Over time, Edward Baldwin became afraid of his father, but also couldn't leave him. When his father was there, he was on edge; when his father wasn't there, he was still on edge. Besides bringing him fear, his father also gave him a sense of security in his world where he didn't communicate with anyone.

In a house diagonally across from the school, George Baldwin sat blankly by the window, lifting a corner of the curtain to watch his son, who looked as timid as a mouse. He was filled with self-blame, guilt, pain, and anxiety, wanting to rush to his son's side many times, but forced himself to hold back.

"Observe for another hour," came a loud and steady voice from behind.

It was a young soldier, who looked only about twenty, but wore a major's insignia on his shoulder. Accompanying him was another soldier, a woman, also in her twenties, who looked gentle and sweet when she smiled, and also wore a major's insignia.

In addition, there was Henry Grant, the division commander.

Henry Grant stood quietly to the side, his gaze extremely complex as he looked at the two young major officers, one male and one female. In his eyes were envy, passion, and sighs, but above all, respect.

An hour passed, and dusk was falling. Edward Baldwin was still huddled at the school gate. He had gone from standing to squatting, now crouched in a corner.

The young major shook his head, exchanged a glance with the female officer, and turned to leave.

"Don't go!" George Baldwin called out loudly, rushing in front of them in a flash, and said excitedly, "Give him a little more time, give my son a little more time."

The male officer shook his head.

"Please..." George Baldwin's face, worn down by the burdens of life and time, was full of pleading.

"Sorry, there's nothing we can do." The male soldier shook his head again and said, "I don't know what Instructor Carter sees in your son, but after two hours of observation, your son really doesn't have any redeeming qualities. Or rather, your son has already been ruined by you and doesn't meet our requirements."