CHAPTER 25: THE NEW VICE-CAPTAIN AND BASE 2'S CIRCUS
In the crisp, early dawn, a palpable tension hung heavy over the expansive courtyard of Base 2. Lieutenant Colonel Sayuri stood at strict attention, her hands clasped firmly behind her back. Behind her, rows of frontline guards stood at the ready, gripping their rifles tightly, thick beads of sweat rolling down their foreheads under the suffocating pressure of anticipation.
Reika let out a long, exaggerated yawn, leaning in to whisper to Arata, who was standing right next to her. "Rumor has it that this new Vice-Captain was handpicked directly by High Command. It's gotta be some gruff, battle-scarred veteran with a face full of stitches and an aura of pure murder..."
Arata lazily scratched his belly and let out a soft burp. "Tch. As long as the old man doesn't try to steal my breakfast rations, we're good."
The colossal Titan-steel gates slowly groaned to life, parting outward. Sayuri took a deep breath, her commanding voice echoing across the courtyard. "All units! Attention! Present arms for the new Vice-Captain!"
The gates swung wide open. There was no heavily armored convoy. There was no suffocating, bloodthirsty killing intent.
Stepping through the grand entrance was a young man in a sloppy, untucked uniform. A lollipop dangled lazily from the corner of his mouth, and dangling from his fingers were... two cheap plastic bags stuffed to the brim with steaming hot pork buns and cups of soy milk.
The newcomer raised a hand, waving cheerfully with his eyes closed in a wide, goofy smile. "Yoohoo~! Morning, everyone! The line for the pork buns down the street was crazy long, so I'm a little late. Sorry about that~!"
Dead silence fell over the entire courtyard. A lone autumn leaf blew across the quiet ground. Sayuri's face darkened instantly, a storm brewing in her eyes. Reika's jaw practically hit the floor.
Arata was the absolute only person whose eyes lit up like stars. He dashed straight toward the new Vice-Captain with breakneck speed. "WOAAAH! Meat buns! Man, you are an absolute angel!"
The newcomer excitedly threw an arm around Arata's shoulder. "Right?! You've got a great eye, buddy! Here, eat up, eat up!"
In the background, the sharp CRACK of a ballpoint pen snapping into pieces echoed. Sayuri crushed the pen in her trembling fist, her voice seething with pure rage. "What kind of circus is this..."
While the two "idiots" were happily dividing the pork buns, Sayuri marched over. Her voice was as cold as a glacier. "Are you the new Vice-Captain? Where are your transfer papers? And for the love of god, fix your military uniform!"
The young man chuckled sheepishly, reaching a hand into his messy pocket to retrieve his documents when—
RUMBLE!!!
A deafening crack tore through the air from the observation tower directly above them. Weakened by the violent aftershocks of yesterday's battle, a massive chunk of concrete and twisted steel rebar weighing several tons suddenly snapped off. It plummeted straight down, aiming directly for where Sayuri and Reika were standing!
The multi-ton steel block fell too fast. Sayuri's eyes widened in sheer horror. Reika screamed. The distance was far too close; there was absolutely no time for Sayuri to draw Weapon No. 1 to defend herself.
But in the fraction of a second before the concrete could crush Sayuri, the temperature in the courtyard plummeted to absolute zero. The lollipop dropped from the Vice-Captain's mouth.
His goofy, carefree demeanor vanished entirely. In its place, his pupils sharpened into cold, razor-like daggers. An abyssal, suffocating killing intent erupted from his body, feeling as though it could crush the very space around them. Moving at an imperceptible speed—so fast that not even Arata's eyes could track him—he vanished from his spot.
BOOM!!!
A massive cloud of dust exploded outward. Sayuri slowly opened her eyes. The new Vice-Captain was standing directly in front of her. With just one bare hand, he was effortlessly holding up the entire multi-ton block of concrete and steel. Thick, terrifying veins bulged across his muscular arm, holding back the catastrophic weight as if it were nothing.
With a casual flick of his wrist, he casually tossed the massive chunk of debris far away, as if discarding a trivial toy. The heavy concrete crashed harmlessly into an empty corner of the yard.
As the dust settled, he turned his head back to look at Sayuri and Reika. The razor-sharp, terrifying glint in his eyes was completely gone. He bent down, picked up his fallen lollipop, blew the dust off it (fwoosh, fwoosh), and scratched the back of his head with a goofy laugh.
"Oh man, that was super dangerous! What awful luck, it almost crushed the pork buns I worked so hard to queue up for!"
Sayuri, Reika, and the entire battalion of guards stood frozen, their mouths hanging wide open in utter shock at the monstrous, logic-defying display of physical strength they had just witnessed.
The only one unfazed was Arata, who happily took a massive bite out of his pork bun. "So good! What's your name, bro?"
The Vice-Captain flashed a bright, radiant smile, throwing up a casual V-sign (Peace) with his fingers.
"Me? Just call me Vice-Captain [Character Name]. Please take good care of me, everyone!"
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