“It’s that soldier who evacuated from Kunming city with us, the only survivor of the 75th Infantry Division—Brian Carter.”

The colonel made no attempt to hide his intentions: “His overall personal abilities are very strong. He fully meets the standards for members of the mobile unit.”

“He’s just a private. And the minimum rank for selection into the mobile unit is at least an officer. That doesn’t seem quite appropriate, does it?” A brigadier general’s staff officer clearly disagreed.

“If his rank isn’t high enough, we can promote him.”

Henry Clark didn’t care about this issue at all: “Just the fact that he fought his way out of the city alone and saved the assault squad—these two achievements are already quite impressive. Giving him a warrant officer rank isn’t excessive.”

“Order: Private Brian Carter of the 16th Combat Squad, 6th Battalion, former 75th Infantry Division, is hereby promoted to at least second lieutenant for outstanding military merit. Awarded the First-Class Soldier Medal. Effective immediately, transferred to the 64th Mobile Unit.”

With a single sentence from Lieutenant General Eric Bennett, those who had objections all fell silent: “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. As the only returning member of the 75th Division, this soldier truly deserves his special honor.”

……

In the field hospital ward, the air was usually filled with the pungent, nose-stinging smell of disinfectant. However, when Brian Carter woke up, the first thing that greeted his nose was a faint, elegant, and subtle fragrance.

It was the scent of a small bunch of pale yellow daisies placed at the bedside. A military green enamel mug was filled with water, and the freshly picked wildflowers arranged inside made the scene even more peaceful and serene.

“You’re awake?”

With a voice as clear as silver bells, a young nurse entered through the half-open door. Her skin was fair, her figure light, her eyes as clear as pure water, and her face was full of smiles.

“…What a beautiful girl!” For some reason, this thought popped into Brian Carter’s mind instinctively.

“You sure can sleep. It’s been two whole days, and you haven’t even turned over once.” The girl seemed to love smiling. She reached out her delicate, soft hand, gently pressed the pause button on the physiological monitor at the bedside, tore off the ECG chart, and clipped it into the medical record. Turning around, she gave him a sweet smile: “You must be hungry, right? What would you like to eat? I’ll go to the cafeteria and get it for you. The hospital leadership has instructed that you’re a hero and must receive the best care…”

During these days in the field hospital, Brian Carter’s mood constantly swung between happiness and anxiety.

The thing he had always worried about ultimately did not happen. The wound beneath his shoulder and neck didn’t seem to be worsening. On the contrary, the torn muscle had already healed. Even the surface skin had closed tightly together. If not for the faint, light brown scar left on the surface, at first glance, no one would ever imagine that this had once been a terrible, life-threatening injury.

His whole body felt normal. There were no signs of mutation in his left arm at all. The skin hadn’t darkened, the muscles hadn’t hardened, and there was no sign of them turning into long, sharp, terrifying blades. Everything that had happened before now seemed like a dreadful but unreal nightmare.

Yet, Brian Carter’s mood hadn’t changed much because of this. Every night before falling asleep, he was always afraid that when he suddenly woke up, he still wouldn’t be able to escape the fate of becoming a mutant… So many people had died, had turned into inhuman monsters. What about me? Am I really an exception?

Only during the day did he truly feel comfortable and happy. And this happiness came from another person.

The cheerful girl had a lovely name—Jason Grant.

Strictly speaking, Jason Grant wasn’t really a nurse. She was just a student still studying at Sichuan Medical University, not yet graduated. The reason she wore that white nurse’s uniform was because of her internship. In two months, she would still have to return to school to finish her final studies.

She was a very lively and beautiful girl. Every day, Jason Grant would bring a freshly picked bunch of wildflowers to the mug at his bedside. In return, Brian Carter would tell her stories of everything he had experienced. From growing up in an orphanage, to getting into university, graduating, joining the army… Jason Grant listened to it all with great interest. Especially during the tense moments, her big, constantly blinking eyes always shone with an incredibly innocent and pure sincerity.

Brian Carter really liked Jason Grant. Every time he got an injection, he felt it was the happiest moment. When those slightly cool, soft white hands gently inserted the needle into the vein on his wrist, Brian Carter would silently pray: Could time stop, just for this moment…

He really wanted to confess his feelings to the girl. But he didn’t dare. Everything that had happened in Kunming was still vivid in his mind. Brian Carter truly didn’t know whether he was a normal person, or already a mutant infected by the virus. After all, just because his body was fine for now didn’t mean it would always be so. Who could guarantee that one day, while holding the girl he liked, he wouldn’t suddenly turn into a monster and bite off her head?

Chapter 4 The Girl

The colonel’s arrival brought Brian Carter a bit of relief, more or less.