In the afternoon, other instructors taught us additional combat techniques, including punching, wrestling, knee strikes, elbow strikes, joint locks, ground techniques, various kicking methods, and the rarely used headbutt techniques. Although these instructors weren’t as perverse as Instructor Thompson, the training was still just as brutal. After a full day of training, all the fighters had to run twenty laps around the training field to maintain their stamina for the final moments of a match. By the end of the day, my whole body felt like it was falling apart. After dinner, everyone returned to the dormitory to rest. As soon as I got back to my room, I collapsed onto my bed, but unlike the others, I didn’t fall asleep right away. I didn’t want to become as twisted as Instructor Thompson in the future, nor did I want my roommates to end up like him. I struggled to stretch out my leg and gently kicked the bed board above me: “Hey, my name is Hunter Reed, I’m from the ‘Killer Bee’. What about you?” The guy on the upper bunk didn’t respond, but I didn’t give up and continued, “We’re all pirates, right? I’ve been a pirate for six years now…” Obviously, my rambling annoyed them. Five of them jumped up together and surrounded my bed. I got up and stood among them: “Don’t be like this. If we keep going like this, we’ll all go crazy—didn’t you see how twisted Instructor Thompson is? He’s the kind of killer this cruel training camp produces. He’s not even a whole person anymore. Do you want to end up like him?” The flames of anger around me slowly died down, and they returned to their beds. I kept telling my story, and though they still didn’t join in, they no longer gave me trouble. I knew that someone among them was listening.

The days that followed passed in much the same way, with the intensity of training increasing every day. At first, I could never get breakfast, and sometimes I missed lunch too. It wasn’t until a month later that I finally caught up with everyone else, and life got a little better. Instructor Thompson didn’t target anyone in particular; as long as a trainee broke the rules or failed to meet the standards, without exception, they would face his harsh punishment. After witnessing his demonstration that morning, no one dared to challenge his authority. He clearly enjoyed the pleasure of physically punishing others. Every time he whipped a trainee, I saw an excited, bloodthirsty gleam in his eyes. I guessed that, in those moments, he must have felt as if he were back in the ring, using his invincible “battle axe” to finish off one opponent after another.

Every day at noon and in the evening when I returned to the dorm, I would tell my stories. I told them about funny things from my childhood, about my embarrassing first raid, about the meticulous care Uncle Brandon gave me… Each day, I could only talk for a little while, because I was so tired that I’d fall asleep mid-sentence. The first time I mentioned Uncle Brandon, I said that he saved my life during my first raid. After I finished, I suddenly felt a bit emotional and said, “I became a fighter because I want to earn enough money to buy Uncle a villa on Moonfall Star. He’s getting old and can’t be a pirate for many more years. I just want him to enjoy his later years—he’s the only family I have left in this world…” I fell silent for a moment. The room was quiet. I kicked the bed board above me; none of them were snoring, which meant they weren’t asleep yet. I kicked his bed board and asked, “Hey, man, why did you come here to be a fighter?” I was just asking casually, thinking they’d ignore me as usual. After asking, I lay back with my arm under my head, staring at the ceiling and thinking about Uncle. It had been over a month, and I wondered how he was doing on the ship now. A low, slow voice came from the upper bunk: “I don’t really know why I came here. No one on our ship wanted to come, but that day, when I got off the ship and went home, my parents told me that my four quadruplet younger siblings would be going to school on Ruinabo Star next year. But my parents don’t have jobs, and I’m just a small-time pirate—I don’t have that kind of money…”

Ruinabo Star is the most famous academic planet in the universe, home to all the most prestigious schools. The current school system is based on recommendations, so if his siblings could go to school on Ruinabo Star, they must have worked very hard. “…As their big brother, I can’t even afford their tickets. When I got back to the ship, the next stop was here. The captain promised that even if I died, he would take care of my family and make sure the four kids finished college.” His voice cut off abruptly, and I felt a wave of sorrow. It seemed that everyone who came here had their own sad story. After a long while, I asked, “What’s your name?” “Kyle.”