Lin Yu pushed the door open, discovering that the room was already occupied.
“Come, come, everyone, look here. This is our new member, Lin Yu.”
Nangong, who had followed her in, gently nudged her towards several women who appeared older than her, explaining, “Lin, as in ‘forest,’ and Yu, as in ‘rain.'”
Though Nangong had said “everyone,” only two people were actually in the room: one tall, one short; one with long hair, the other with short.
The taller woman had short hair, trimmed to ear-length, while the shorter woman’s long hair cascaded almost to her back, significantly longer than both Lin Yu’s and Nangong’s.
“Jiang Yuan, didn’t I tell you to take her for a haircut? How can a medic have such long hair?”
“Nangong, I couldn’t convince her. This kind of thing needs your touch.”
“Oh? So disobedient?”
It seemed Nangong got along splendidly with these two new companions, their rapport already approaching that of the previous senior medics.
As the two taller medics began to persuade the shorter one, Lin Yu, clutching her belongings, searched for an available bed in the room.
‘Hmm, a single bed. Excellent,’ she thought, her mood brightening considerably.
The room contained six beds in total. Three bore clear signs of use, likely belonging to Nangong and the two other women. Two more were mere planks, evidently untouched.
The final bed, however, looked freshly made, soft and inviting—clearly reserved for her.
Lin Yu haphazardly piled her belongings in the corner of the bed and settled onto the mattress.
Beneath her, a thick mattress pad made this unassuming single bed far softer than the “beds” she’d known in trenches and tents.
The former had been temporary constructions of wooden crates and straw, while the latter consisted of a thin sleeping bag laid directly on rock-hard ground. Neither could compare to the proper bed before her.
It rivaled the beds in private hospital rooms… no, it surpassed them. This bed carried no scent of disinfectant, only the rich aroma of sunlight.
Lying back, she felt thoroughly content with the barracks’ accommodations.
“Come on, I’ll take you for that haircut. Jiang Yuan, you take Lin Yu around and help her get acquainted with the place.”
The debate over the haircut quickly concluded. Nangong took the short medic out, entrusting Lin Yu’s orientation to the other woman.
‘Why do I feel a little neglected by Nangong?’
“Hello, Lin Yu. I’m Jiang Yuan, temporarily assigned as a medic to this unit. We’ll be working together… Oh, wait, our jobs aren’t quite the same, are they?”
“Huh?”
Nangong had already pulled the reluctant short medic out the door, leaving only Lin Yu and Jiang Yuan in the room. Any questions Lin Yu had could only be directed to her.
“Why would they be different?”
“Didn’t Nangong tell you? The three of us are medics, treating people and caring for the wounded in the rear. You, however, are a battlefield medic, responsible for rescuing and evacuating casualties directly on the front lines.”
“…I suppose that’s right.”
A long, long time ago, on a distant morning, she had received orders assigning her to the front-line trenches as a “battlefield medic,” serving in what was called the “First Special Operations Assault Team.”
She was no longer merely a small medic treating patients in the rear. Instead, she had become a battlefield angel, compelled to weave through shellfire and bullets on the front lines, answering cries of agony and pleas for help.
A tiny “angel” all too easily killed by a stray bullet or a piece of shrapnel.
“So… our schedules and training regimens are also a bit different. After all, you’re going to the battlefield; you can’t have the same easy life we do.”
‘…’
A flicker of regret crossed her mind.
Would the training be like her past life’s military drills? Or like before she became a mercenary?
The former emphasized symbolism, while the latter focused on practicality. Their shared characteristic was an extreme, soul-crushing intensity—the kind that could kill a person without consequence.
Just as she was speaking with Jiang Yuan, a whistle suddenly pierced the air from outside the room. Lin Yu was pulled by the sleeve by the medic in front of her, and they headed out.
Many people were already lined up and assembled in the small open space amidst the barracks. The whistle-blower was none other than the new officer Lin Yu had seen earlier in the office.
‘If I’d known this, I wouldn’t have checked out of the hospital so quickly…’
Though the hospital reeked of disinfectant and echoed with the groans of the wounded, it spared her from having to assemble and be lectured like this.
“Is everyone present? Roll call begins now!”
One by one, familiar and unfamiliar names were called out by the Captain at the front of the formation. Some she had seen in letters, others she had heard spoken by different people, while some, like Jiang Yuan who had brought her to assembly, were entirely new to her.
This unit was not composed solely of Commander Yang’s remaining troops; at least half of its personnel had been supplemented by other units.
What’s more, those individuals all looked exceptionally formidable.
They didn’t appear to be mere conscripts, like Commander Yang’s remnants. Instead, they exuded the aura of seasoned veterans.
Lin Yu wasn’t entirely sure how to describe those reassigned to the “First Special Operations Assault Team,” just as she was unclear about the actual purpose of this “First Special Operations Assault Team.”
“Lin Yu.”
Among the last few names, the Captain finally called hers. Lin Yu’s reply was barely a whisper. “Here…”
The Captain paid no mind to her quiet response, quickly moving past her to continue the roll call.
Among the names called, one familiar to her also appeared: “Yang Xi!”
“Here!”
His hearty response stood out sharply amidst a chorus of lethargic voices, his tone easily recognizable.
Unfortunately, the Captain made no comment, proceeding with the roll call. “Jiang Yuan.”
“Here.”
“Nangong Yun.”
…
No one answered.
“Nangong Yun?”
Someone not present could hardly respond, no matter how many times their name was called.
The Captain quickly realized this, making a light mark next to Nangong’s name on the roster before continuing down the list.
“I… sa… belle… What a strange name. Isabella Sharp?”
Not a Diacla name, the Captain thought as he read it aloud, then looked up, searching the crowd for the person corresponding to this peculiar name.
The medic who had brought Lin Yu to the assembly suddenly spoke up. “Sir, excuse me.”
“…Speak.”
“Private First Class Nangong Yun took Private Isabella to get a haircut. They haven’t returned yet.”
“Oh, I see… Who exactly is this Isabella? That’s not a Diacla name, is it?”
Having witnessed Nangong take the medic, who was roughly her height, out for a haircut before the assembly, Lin Yu quickly deduced who this strange name belonged to.
It was the short one with long black hair, who adamantly refused a haircut… and didn’t speak much.
‘Her name is “Isabella”? How odd. She has the appearance of a Diacla, with their characteristic black hair, so why would she have such a foreign name?’
“You’ll find out when they return,” Jiang Yuan replied.
****