When she returned from the hospital, Celia was buried in the kitchen, preparing meals for the endless stream of guests. After more than two hours of busy work, it was time for the changing of the guard. Celia took off her apron, found a faucet to wash her face, and walked out of the kitchen while wiping.

In the store, the number of customers is less than at noon, outside the door, the police car is still parked in place, there are a lot more policemen standing outside, they look nervous, and there are more than four people, is there another policeman?

Celia was disappointed and unhappy. I wanted to say thank you to Glenn at noon, but the family had already left. In the kitchen, Celia realizes that Smith has prepared enough ingredients for the store week that she doesn't need to deliver them for the next few days—or she won't see Glenn for days.

Luna said that she would be able to go home in a week at most, and by the fourth day, there wasn't much time left.

No way.

Taking advantage of the fact that it was time to rest, Celia planned to go directly to the market to find Glenn, but the thought of asking the police for permission made her a little discouraged. The girl turned her head and saw Smith, who was settling accounts behind the counter, and had an idea again.

"Uncle Smith, do you have a phone number from Brother Glenn?"

"Yes, I have all the phone numbers of the delivery man, do you want to call him?"

"Well, for this morning, I want to thank him anyway."

"Haha, what a sensible good boy." Smith said with a smile as he opened his phone's address book, "But I didn't expect you to get along with him." ”

"Really? Probably because they all like to cook. ”

"That's what the like-minded people mean, come, call with my phone."

"Thank you, uncle!"

Taking Smith's phone, Celia took a deep breath very seriously, not wanting Glenn to answer the phone very quickly, and picked it up after just two rings, Celia hurriedly put the phone to her ear.

"Brother Glenn?"

"The voice, Celia? I thought it was the boss. ”

"Well, I borrowed it from Uncle Smith, and I have to tell you something now."

"Oh? Wouldn't you want to confess? First of all, I don't accept girls who are too much younger than me. ”

"What are you talking about? It's not a confession! ”

Celia said angrily, and quickly returned to normal.

"I want to say, thank you for these few days."

"Huh?"

"In a few days, I'll probably be going home. When I was first brought here, I was upset, very uneasy. It was Sister Luna who comforted me at that time. And after that, it was you, Brother Glenn, who made me happy.

"I'm serious. At home, my aunt and uncle were very kind to me, but they were adults after all, and it was inconvenient to talk to them about some things. And you, although we have only known each other for two days, there is a feeling of, well, that we hate to see each other late, as if we have known each other for a long time...... Feed? Are you listening? ”

After a long time of monologue, Celia suddenly noticed that there was no sound on the other end of the phone, as if there was no sound of breathing. She shouted loudly, and Glenn came to his senses.

"Huh? Ah, listen, listen......"

"Really, it would be a perfect mark if you could be a little more polite."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't rush to apologize, I have one last thing, I have to confirm it anyway."

It's finally this point.

Yesterday at noon, when Glenn left, the girl had left this question, and now, taking advantage of the good weather, she wanted to ask what was going on.

"Are you ......?"

Suddenly, the phone was taken away. Selia looked back and saw that it was Junsha who had taken it, and there were two policemen standing behind her. Celia was about to have a seizure, but she immediately controlled it.

Junsha's face was very ugly, not as kind as usual, full of anger, she returned the phone to Smith, and took Selia's hand again.

"Boss Smith, Selia has been taken care of by you these days, but now she has to go somewhere else, let's go."

"Where are you taking me again?"

"Don't ask, follow along."

"What the hell is going on?"

"We had a colleague killed, and the killer's next target was you."

"Huh?"

Something happened to the police again? And also killed? And again...... Myself?

While Selia was thinking about these questions, she had been wheeled into the police car and headed to a destination she didn't know.

*****

"Major, are you kidding?"

"Am I like the kind of person who jokes about business? Really, I kid you not. ”

Yes, no matter how much he jokes, Jade is never ambiguous when it comes to serious things, and Akeya knows it well. But......

SHADOW used to be a nameless person, and even if this kind of thing made Akeya want to break his head, it would be impossible to think of it.

"Then why did Tokar and I never see him? Didn't hear the colonel say it? ”

"Strictly speaking, he's a nameless reserve member, what's the specific reason......"

Jade looked around, as if looking for something.

"Let's go have a meal first, Akeya. I haven't eaten yet, what about you? ”

"Major, didn't you say you want to explain the matter of SHADOW?"

"Anyway, let me fill my stomach first, and talk while eating."

"I've eaten it."

"Then stay with me, don't worry, I'll tell you everything I need to say."

Having said that, Akya stopped objecting and followed Jade to the outside of the hospital. The two of them found a nearby fast-food restaurant, and there were many people dining, and the room was full, so Jade picked a seat outside.

He didn't like to line up at the counter to order, and after waiting for a while, a waiter happened to pass by, so he called the waiter, ordered a few random things, and sent him away.

This time is the prologue to the gorgeous night of the metropolis. The air was filled with the humidity and comfort of a seaside city, and the warm music was endless, and Jade leaned back in his chair and took a beautiful puff of cigarettes, his body relaxing with the exhaled smoke, and he was almost slumped in the chair.

"Big cities are good, what do you want."

"Has Major been to Akiyama City before?"

"Well, I've been with the Colonel a few times. Every time I come here, I think that when I retire in the future, I will bring my family and live in such a city. But the colonel was reluctant, he preferred the quiet countryside now. ”

"Didn't it before?"

"It's a little different."

Taking two more puffs of his cigarette, Jade scratched his eyebrows and flicked the ashes of his cigarette, which Akeya knew was a sign that the Major was about to get down to business.

"Before I talk about SHADOW, I'm going to ask a question, and that's what the Colonel wants to ask."

"Excuse me, Major."

"Do you hate the Colonel?"

AKEYA'S EYES WIDENED SEVERAL TIMES, THE QUESTION WAS EVEN MORE ADVANCED THAN THAT OF SHADOW BEING NAMELESS. No, it's not a problem at all, it's like asking "are you human?"

"Major, what are you...... Which words? ”

"Leave it alone, answer me."

"Hate? To hate is to hate myself, and I can't continue to stay with the colonel! For me, the Colonel is the reborn parent who gives me the value of survival! ”

Jade hurriedly waved his hand, interrupting Akeya's impassioned speech. The voice was a bit high, and it drew the attention of the guest at the table next to him.

"Okay, I got it. Your reaction is a matter of course, the Colonel had hoped for it before, but now he least wanted it. ”

"What do you mean?"

Jade didn't answer, took a puff on his cigarette, and threw out a second question.

"Let me ask you again, why do you think the Colonel is looking for you and Tokar to form Nameless?"

Another question that puzzled Akeya.

"This ...... At that time, the colonel said that he had seen the physical education class of the children in the orphanage and thought that Tokar and I were of good quality, so he came to us, and Tokar and I were happy to accept it. ”

"No, no, no, that's only part of the reason. If you think about it carefully, it is necessary to set up a secret group with high combat effectiveness, directly select powerful soldiers from the troops, and with a little training, and explain the principle of secrecy, they will be able to fight in real combat immediately. But if you're looking for a child, you'll have to start from scratch. Physical fitness, technical skills, cultural knowledge, social skills, etc., all have to be cultivated slowly, which is time-consuming and laborious.

"BY THE WAY, WHEN SHADOW JOINED NAMELESS, HE WAS JUST OVER EIGHT YEARS OLD. Don't you think it's strange that the Colonel is an efficient man, but he chooses such an inefficient method? ”

Akeya was speechless. He had never thought about these things, not at all, not at all, but it sounded quite reasonable.

"So, why is that?"

"Because the Colonel wants to cultivate something, and it has to be cultivated from a child."

"Something?"

"That is, loyalty."

"Loyalty?"

"Yes, after all, the former colonel was quite cold-blooded."

Jade had been under Karp for almost twenty years, and when he joined, Karp was appointed commander shortly after the formation of the Special Operations Mission. This special operations regiment is advertised by the Silver Wing as a spearhead in the fight against terrorist forces, and its training and combat intensity far exceed that of other units, and only the best soldiers are eligible to enter. And being selected as the commander of this excellent unit also confirms Karp's excellence.

It's not so much the Epscha as the Jed is working hard for Karp. Jed, who had only been in the Silver Wing for a few years, had heard a lot of Karp's amazing achievements, so he went to great lengths to get himself to participate in the Special Operations Group test. After surviving the test, he got his wish and became Karp's subordinate. Learning from Karp and rising through the ranks is Jade's dream.

However, within a few months of joining the special operations group, he regretted it a little.

The tasks of the Einsatzgruppen are incredibly difficult, some of them are even impossible, and the soldiers often have to choose between the lives of the enemy and the lives of their comrades. This is something that needs to be decided repeatedly in the eyes of Jade, but in Karp's eyes, it is more brainless than judging right and wrong.

I don't know how many times, Jade watched Karp sacrifice his soldiers without hesitation in exchange for victory. Two years later, in a battle, he himself became a victim. Fortunately, his lucky stars shine brightly and he escaped death.

On that mission, Jed's squad was tasked with marching through the mountains to lure the enemy. They succeeded, and an enemy came out to meet them, but Karp did not allow them to retreat because more enemies had not yet appeared. Jed had no choice but to take a dozen soldiers and exchange fire with nearly 100 terrorists, and all the soldiers were killed. Karp then sent the main force to annihilate all the terrorists who poured out of the nest.

"Has the Major ever had this experience?"

"No, I was going to run away in disobedience. When I got back, I went to the Colonel and scolded him, worse than Tokar had scolded after the Sector F battle. ”

"So, what did the colonel say?"

"He's calm. When I've had enough of scolding, show me the intelligence analysis records provided by the Ministry of Intelligence. After reading it, I realized that sacrificing my squad was almost the only option for the colonel. Because the number of enemies far exceeds the number in the records, it is still the main force, which is obviously caused by insufficient intelligence gathering. ”

This wave of analysis Akeya was very convinced, those people in the intelligence department were better at internal intrigue than their own work, and he sighed helplessly. Just as the waiter arrives to serve the meal, Jade extinguishes the cigarette butt and puts a glass of Coke in front of Akya.

"If you don't eat, drink some."

"And then?"

Later, the colonel came to a conclusion. The efficiency of the troops is becoming less and less, and in order to avoid further sacrifices in the future, they need a secret team that is not bound by their superiors and only obeys their own commands. ”

This secret group can be said to be the nameless predecessor. With extremely high combat effectiveness and efficiency, it specializes in intelligence gathering, covert sabotage, or sniping designated targets. As for the right candidate, Karp first found Jed. Being able to carry out his unreasonable orders so thoroughly shows that Jade is a person who pays attention to efficiency and is not bound by common sense, just like himself.

As it turned out, Karp's guess was correct.

In less than a month, the secret team was formed, consisting of three elite soldiers selected by Karp from the troops, plus Jade. After explaining the principle of secrecy, the team began to work, the same work as Nameless. And they, like Nameless, were investigated by the Ministry of Intelligence.

Under the intelligence department's round-the-clock attacks, the identities of the four members were dug up. They were investigated by the Intelligence Department in different ways, and all three of them, except for Jed, confessed to Karp. But Karp had been prepared for a long time, and after a month of operation, he only received a pay cut and a three-month penalty of deprivation of command, while the other three were taken away by the Ministry of Intelligence, and it was not known later.

This incident made Karp realize two problems, the secret team does have a considerable role, but this group must have absolute loyalty. These three words, in the patchwork peacekeeping forces, belong to the existence of rare animals.

So, Karp thought of a phrase that people often say: start with a doll.

The orphanage where Akya and Tokar are located is the fourth one that Karp has visited. When he saw Akya and Tokar, Karp had no doubt that he had come across someone worth cultivating.

"You know the rest of the story. Nameless has been questioned by all sides since you started your mission, but each time the Colonel has been able to deal with it calmly, because he is not worried that you and Tokar will betray him, and you really don't want to betray, do you? ”

"yes, not at all."

"That's what the Colonel is for."

Jade ate as he spoke, a burger had disappeared from the plate, he picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, and then rested his chin on his wrist.

"The Colonel has asked me to convey this because you have a right to know that he took you out of his own selfish motives. So, he ...... Well, how to say it......"

"I don't think it matters."

Akya replied earnestly, holding back all the words that had come back from Jed.

"Really?"

"Actually, when I first came to the army, I was also very uneasy, after all, I came with Tokar. At that time, the colonel was very kind to me, although he was also strict and ruthless at times, but in the end he would definitely think of us. No matter what others think, as long as the Colonel has not done anything wrong to me, then I have no reason to hate him. ”

"But Akeya, have you ever thought that if there was no colonel, no nameless, you would have stayed in the orphanage and lived a good life, and your life would not be the way it is now, and there would not be so many painful and dangerous experiences."

"You're right, Major. If I stay in the orphanage, I will continue to live peacefully, and then go to school, go on to higher education, go to work, and live an ordinary life. I used to dream of a peaceful life, but then I came to realize one thing. ”

Akeya lowered her head, paused, and then raised again, a strong gaze in her eyes.

"I'm fighting, I'm defending a peaceful life, I'm doing something meaningful, I'm going into danger so that others don't get into danger. So, I want to thank the colonel who taught me combat skills and gave me the meaning of survival. Hate or something, it's impossible! ”

Perhaps moved by Akeya's words, Jade leaned back in his chair and lit another cigarette. I took a few puffs and scratched my hand on my forehead. His expression, which had been a little nervous and worried just a moment ago, changed back to that familiar smile.

"Really, I taught you how to fight."

"Ah, I'm sorry, and of course I'm thankful to the major."

"Okay, okay, I'm relieved to hear your words."

"Is the Major worried that I'm going to have some kind of overreaction?"

"Well, sort of. After all, the Colonel rarely shows his feelings in front of you. ”

Akya remembered the day Karp saw him off on the day he left the Special Operations Force, and he decided not to tell Jade about it.

"Did the Colonel tell the Major about this?"

"I often say it. Don't look at the Colonel as serious in front of you, in fact, he is also a person who is easily emotionally touched in private. I don't know when the Colonel began to treat you and Tokar as his own grandsons. Every time you go on a mission, you must be well prepared and give top priority to your safe return. ”

Jade tilted his head, pinched a few fries with his thumb and forefinger, held them in his mouth like a cigarette, and swallowed them little by little.

"On several occasions, when we were both drinking, he said that he regretted that he should not have traded the youth of a young man for victory, and that he would be damned sooner or later. More than once he wondered how he could get you back to your usual life, and that's why there was Lily. ”

"Lily?"

"It was deliberately arranged by the Colonel, who felt that a girl of the same age might arouse your feelings and be more like an ordinary person. Otherwise, asking a little girl in her 20s to run with the special operations group is awkward, right? ”

It turned out that the colonel still had this intention, and Akeya tasted it in his heart. Jade was more like letting go of his baggage, stretching hard, and pouring himself a sip of Coke.

"Alright, that's all for that, it's time to get down to business."

"SHADOW, HUH?"

"My real name is Denick Gallepo León, and I joined Nameless 13 years ago, when I was 8 years old."

*****

While Jade was training Akya and Tokar, Karp wasn't idle. The work of repairing EXP equipment often ran into obstacles and needed to be dealt with by him. And how to use it after repair, who will use it, he didn't think about it.

With EXP equipment, you need to cultivate EXP resistance first, but at that time, Akya and Tokar were still children, and it was too risky to receive the cultivation of EXP resistance. Even if they don't die, the pain they endure will break their will, and the nameless will cease to exist.

In the second year after Akya and Tokar joined, the two NSs were completed as Karp had requested, and the experimental data was perfect. As for the actual combat effect, you have to find someone to test it. Ideally, a superhuman child would be recruited and brought to the nameless to train together.

This difficulty is hundreds of times more difficult than going to an orphanage to pick out quality orphans. There are EXP monitoring devices in the army, but they can't be used privately, and Karp can't distinguish between superpowers, let alone quasi-superhumans and the like. Not only that, but they have to be helpless children. Even if you find it, if your physical fitness is too poor and there is no value in training, it still won't work.

Karp didn't expect that such a candidate with complicated conditions would be bumped into by his own luck within a few years.

Thirteen years ago, he was ordered to represent the Galactus in an event in the Arctic Nation and stayed at the World Government Embassy in Derbia. Such an embassy, which is available in every member state of the World Government, is the exclusive residence of the officials of the World Government when they come to inspect it, and non-members of the World Government are not allowed to enter, except for the national military.

On the night of staying at the embassy, Karp went out for a walk alone to release the fatigue of the journey, immersed in the silence of the night, only to be broken by a commotion. He followed the prestige, there were people fighting nearby, and he was still a superhuman being.

"At that time, Leon and his family of four were hiding from the pursuit, and it happened that the colonel saw it."

"Wait a minute!"

Akya, who had grasped the key information, almost stood up with a look of incomprehension.

"A family of four? Anyone else besides parents? ”

"I forgot to tell you that Leon had a younger sister who was one year old at the time, two years old at most."

"I really didn't expect that."

"What I didn't expect is yet to come."

At that time, Leon was only 8 years old, but he was able to fight against five or six pursuers alone, and played the pursuers around. Agility, a grasp of the terrain, an understanding of the combat environment, all the factors almost perfectly fit Karp's requirements. The only thing that is not perfect is that he has parents and a family.

But this imperfection is easy to rule out.

When the family temporarily escapes from the pursuers and hides, Karp wastes no time in appearing and revealing his identity and showing that he wants to help them, and the family is grateful. Karp led them into the embassy and hid them.

Or rather, take control.

The pursuers suspected that Leon's family had escaped into the embassy, but it was difficult for the World Government to enter the embassy, so it was not wise to break in, and they gossiped with the embassy guards while observing the surroundings of the embassy to see if they could find Leon's family.

Until then, just hide in the embassy and wait for the pursuers to leave. The family was elated, but it didn't take long for them to discover that the life-saving benefactor had revealed his true colors.

Karp gets straight to the point: hand over Leon, or else, leave the pursuers behind, and then drive the family out of the embassy, leaving them with no way to escape.

The four of them looked at each other, at a loss. Karp didn't want them to stall, leaving them only a minute to think, and when the time came, they would deal with it as if they were refused.

"Think about it."

Leon's mother was adamantly opposed, and his father, Hughes, shook his head vigorously, which was reasonable, no parent would abandon their children like this, only Leon remained silent. Karp wanted to persuade him a few more words, but the angry couple couldn't listen to him at all.

"In that case, fend for yourselves. Someone ...... coming."

"Wait a minute!"

Leon stopped Karp, who was about to leave, and like a loach, dodged his parents' outstretched hands and walked towards Karp.

"I'm still young, please don't lie to me. Is it that as long as I go with you, you will let my family go? ”

Karp looked down and couldn't help but smile. There was not a single tear or pleading expression in the boy's eyes, just an affirmative look in his eyes that made a natural choice on an issue.

"I mean what I say."

"That's good."

Hughes and his wife were about to step forward and grab Leon, who suddenly turned around and bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry, Mom, Dad, Mom, this is the only way. Let's say goodbye, and I'll go to you when I have the chance. ”

An unfair deal, and that's it.

Karp ordered Leon to be taken care of, and took Hughes, his wife, and daughter to another room. After sending away the pursuers, he ordered someone to send the remaining family of three to a safe place.

The addition of Leon made Karp overjoyed. Although this kid is younger than Akya and Tokar, his physical fitness and fighting skills are not inferior, and even if he is allowed to wear NS now, he will be perfectly fine.

After the end of the Arctic Nation's activities, Karp immediately went into action. First, it took less than a month to order Jade to kill or expel the people who knew he was hiding Leon from the Silverwing Army, and then hand Leon over to NS's production team. The members of this group have a good relationship with Karp, and they only want to get NS data, so they take on the task of taking care of, or rather spying on Leon.

Karp knew that Leon was a double-edged sword that was extremely sharp, but it was easy to hurt himself in turn, so he didn't bring Leon back to the Special Operations Group, nor did he talk to Akya and Tokar. On the other hand, Leon's adaptation with NS was very fast and was completed in less than a week. So Karp prepared some simple tasks and gave them to Leon to do.

Initially, Leon was so reluctant that Karp had to promise to help him find his parents in the future, while ordering the NS production team to spy on Leon. But two years later, Leon became honest.

"What's going on?" Akya asked.

"Leon accidentally learned during a mission that his family was dead, and they still couldn't escape the clutches of the pursuers."

"Yes...... Chasing the soldiers, right? ”

"I know what you're thinking, but I can't answer. I don't know the details of that incident, and the colonel at that time was still a cold-blooded animal. ”

"And then?"

"Leon has been hiding in the places designated by the colonels, and each time the hiding places are not far from the special operations group. Probably because he has nowhere to go, he doesn't want to run away or anything, he usually lives alone, he has a mission to go on a mission, that's all. ”

Jed, who had finished his dinner, smoked his cigarette again and gently spit out a smoke ring.

"Until, two years ago."

Two years ago, Leon suddenly contacted Karp and asked to leave the team. As for the reason, as Karp guessed.

"My sister is still alive, I'm going to find her."

To Leon's surprise, Karp, who heard this, only said "go", agreed, and allowed him to take all his weapons and equipment with him.

"I see, just as the Colonel has changed his opinion of him as he has done to me and Tokar."

"Right. Originally, Leon only lived alone, but later, the colonel went to see if he was doing well from time to time, and finally changed to regular visits, and let me go if he couldn't go. In the last years of Leon's nameless years, he rarely went on assignments. The colonel intended to let him live an ordinary life like this, and he had no record in the army anyway. But sometimes you and Tokar can't keep it all together, and you'll have to rely on him to help you. ”

The thought of a "comrade-in-arms" who had never met before secretly helped, the feeling in Akya's heart was strange.

Because this "comrade-in-arms" has just killed his current comrade-in-arms.

"But now, it's not the same as it used to be."

"Yes, you are all different from the past, and you make people."

Jade pulled out a photo and threw it on the table, and Akeya quickly took it.

"What is this?"

"Leon's photos from five years ago should not be much different from what they are now."

Akya looked at this handsome, but very tired face, and thought desperately.

"I don't think I've seen it."

"That's for sure, he often uses a phantom mask for disguise."

"Phantom Mask?"

"A capability for the people of Galebou. The illusion they create is actually the product of materializing the memories in their minds with EXP, similar to 3D printing. The average Gallebou can only create their own illusions, because people know their own body image best. And the Galebo people, who have the skill, can create illusions of people they have seen, and then get them on themselves to form a disguise. Usually only a camouflage of the face is sufficient, so it is called a phantom mask. ”

Akya stood up with a "whirl", his arm propped up on the table, and Jade benefited greatly from what he said.

"As long as you've seen it?"

"It's not too impressive, but it's not a problem for Leon. Just looking at the physiognomy for a few minutes, you can perfectly replicate it. And as long as it succeeds once, it can be replicated at will later. ”

In other words, SHADOW, who lurks in Akiyama City, presents itself with someone else's face. He disguises himself as someone else, scouts the situation, takes action.

When Rolov said that SHADOW might be lurking in Akiyama City, Akeya thought that in the battle between the Rescuer and the Black Army, SHADOW would appear because he and Dimiter had followed him all the way from Akiyama City. Being able to find your place in the melee is also proof of this.

Coupled with what Jade said, then the person SHADOW is disguised in Akiyama City is very likely to be someone who has been in contact with himself or others around him in the past few days.

The mayor is right, Jed's intelligence has become the final and most critical piece of the puzzle. Now, a series of things that have happened in the past few days are connected in Akeya's brain, turning into a waking electric current, passing through.

"It turned out to be ...... I get the idea. ”

"Oh? Thinking of Leon's plans? ”

"Yes, just two more places."

"That's good, Arkya. I've said everything that needs to be said, and in the end, I just want to say one more thing. ”

Extinguishing the cigarette butt, Jade stood up and straightened his clothes.

"In a sense, you and Leon used to be comrades-in-arms, and on a few occasions, he even saved you. But as you said, it's not the same now, and you've been through a lot. Whatever you're going to do, I just hope you don't regret it, OK? ”

"No problem, Major."

Akyari replied, returning the photo to Jed.

"This time, I'll come up with a satisfactory answer."