"Sergeant Jock?"
As soon as Jason reached the top of the stairs, his gaze settled on the two soldiers on the other side of the room.
One lay on the ground while the other stood beside him, with his rifle aimed at the door.
Just as Jason's group locked onto the two soldiers, the soldiers also noticed them.
"Sergeant Patrick Jock?" Jason repeated, his gaze now fixed on the standing soldier.
He appeared to be in his thirties, with a mature-looking, clean-shaven face and an average build—exactly what one would expect from a military man. He wore camouflage trousers and a shirt beneath a camouflage tactical vest.
"You're the reinforcement responding to our transmission?" the soldier asked.
His question basically answered Jason's own.
Jason nodded in acknowledgement.
"And the creature?" Sergeant Jock asked, gesturing toward the Cane Corso.
"Friendly," Jason replied.
Sergeant Jock slowly lowered his gun and approached them, watching the Cane Corso warily.
"Sergeant Patrick Jock, GEC Transport Division, 3rd Battalion, 5th Company, 7th Platoon, 6th Squad. May I ask who you are and where the rest of your team are?"
Sergeant Jock gave a formal introduction, scanning the room for other people but finding none.
This time, Ethan spoke up.
"I'm Ethan, and this is Baby Killer. We're Driftbound recruits. We arrived at Vanguard Sector Nine yesterday and were on our way to the extraction point when we picked up your signal. As for the rest of our team..."
Ethan glanced around. "This is it. There's no one else."
"T-This is it? I thought it was a platoon, hell, even a squad would do." Sergeant Jock began to panic.
Jason, on the other hand, had already tuned out the conversation and approached the soldier lying on the ground.
He squatted before the soldier, who was looking back at him and noticed the corporal insignia on the soldier's shoulder.
'He bears a close resemblance to Sergeant Jock over there. Most likely a relative. That explains why he'd stay with him despite the risk.'
Jason returned his attention to the soldier who appeared to be around his age.
"What's your name, soldier?"
"Fredrick," he replied anxiously. He took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Corporal Fredrick Jock. GEC Transport Division, 3rd Battalion, 5th Company, 7th Platoon, 6th Squad."
Jason nodded at the formal introduction.
"How are you holding up, Corporal Jock?" Jason asked.
"It started in my feet. Now I've lost all feeling from my arms and chest downward," Fredrick replied.
"All right, you hang in there, and you hold on tight, okay? We'll leave for the extraction point in a few hours," Jason said and Fredrick nodded.
He patted Fredrick on the shoulder before standing up and turning around.
'When rescuing someone, you try your best to put them at ease and not agitate them further, especially if they're injured.'
These words echoed in Jason's mind as the face of a beautiful, ice-cold military woman flashed through it.
'I only wanted to ask his name. Even now, you still influence me, Lady.'
Jason mused, frowning as he returned to Ethan and Sergeant Jock.
"Sergeant Jock," Jason called, drawing the Sergeant's attention to himself.
"What's your relationship with Corporal Jock over there?" He asked quietly, making sure Fredrick couldn't hear him.
"He's my younger brother," Sergeant Jock replied, unsurprised by the question.
Jason nodded before speaking again, but his next words were something none of them expected.
"I respect your concern for him, and I'll naturally do everything within my power to help. But understand this: the moment he can no longer respond when called by name, I won't hesitate to put a bullet in his head."
A shiver ran down Ethan's spine as he gazed at Jason's cold, blood-red pupils behind the respirator's visor.
Sergeant Jock immediately narrowed his eyes.
'He's different from the Driftbounds I've met. The bloodlust in his eyes is that of a battlefield survivor. But he only arrived here recently, which means he has probably survived a brutal battlefield even in the Driftbounds' world.'
After a few moments, Sergeant Jock nodded in understanding.
"So when do we leave?" Ethan asked, feeling the suffocating atmosphere and deciding to change the subject.
Jason pulled up the GEC device interface and checked the time.
12:44
"We leave at 3pm. For now, I have things to attend to in the real world, so I'll desynchronize. I suggest you do the same," Jason said to Ethan before turning to Sergeant Jock.
"For the next three hours, our bodies will be almost lifeless. Try to stay put until we return."
'Seems they're about to return to their world,' Sergeant Jock thought as he nodded.
Being familiar with the Driftbounds, Sergeant Jock wasn't particularly surprised by what they said.
"What about the creature?" he asked as Jason sat in a corner, fiddling with his device. Ethan had already desynchronized.
"It seems intelligent enough to know not to attack you. But if it does show any signs of aggression, kill it." Jason replied before his body went limp.
'His decisiveness and ability to analyze situations are impressive. He seems more like one of us than the carefree Driftbounds I've met,' Sergeant Jock thought.
He turned his attention back to the Cane Corso, only to realize that the creature was now sitting quietly, facing the room's only entrance—the stairs.
'What a strange creature!'
***
Jason opened his eyes to the darkness inside his helmet.
He sat up, pulling the helmet from his head, and his face immediately tightened into a frown.
Tossing the helmet on the bed, he quickly transferred himself to his wheelchair and hurried into the bathroom at an astonishing speed.
A few minutes later, Jason slowly wheeled himself out of the bathroom. His expression back to his cold and unreadable self.
'I was lucky to desynchronize when I did. Otherwise, my bladder might have given out on me. I should make a mental note to log out in the morning and use the bathroom.'
GROWL!!
Jason wasstill lost in thought as he exited the bathroom when his stomach spoke in its own language.
'Right, I skipped breakfast and apparently lunch, too,' Jason thought as he checked the time on the bedside clock.
At that moment, however, something caught his attention.
On his desk, right beside the new laptop, was a cafeteria tray holding two covered plates and a mug.
He wheeled closer and lifted the covers off the plates. There, spread across both plates, was a hearty but relatively light meal.
The meal consisted of scrambled eggs, two strips of bacon, buttered toast, a small portion of home fries, and a mug of coffee.
'Judging by how cold it is, this meal was left here a while ago, probably at breakfast. Was it Miss Mitchell?'
GROWL!!
He was still thinking when his stomach growled loudly at the aroma of the meal, and Jason wasted no time digging in..
Ignoring the coldness, Jason wolfed it down.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
While he was eating, a knock came at the door. Jason looked up just as someone opened it from the outside.
Mitchell slowly pushed a trolley into the room, dressed in camouflage pants and a black T-shirt, with her crimson hair tied back in a ponytail and glasses on.
She looked up, and her gaze immediately met Jason's. He was staring straight at her, causing her to freeze.
"M-Mister Jason! You're awake. I have— I mean I thought— I-I didn't... I'm sorry."
Watching the flustered Mitchell stumble through her words, Jason swallow his last mouthful of food before speaking.
"Is that lunch?"
"Yes sir, I noticed you hadn't come down for lunch an hour after lunchtime, so I decided to bring it up here," Mitchell replied, having composed herself a little.
'If he'd been in the middle of changing clothes, this would've been even more awkward. Next time, I'll wait until I get no response before opening the door,' Mitchell thought, causing a tinge of red to appear on her cheek.
"Come on in, then."
That was when Mitchell realized she was still standing at the door. She closed the door behind her and wheeled the trolley closer to the desk.
"Will you be eating lunch now?" Mitchell asked, and Jason nodded, having already finished breakfast.
"Were you the one who brought breakfast earlier?" Jason asked as Mitchell cleared the first tray and placed the lunch tray before him.
"Yes sir."
She lifted the covers to reveal a generous serving of spaghetti and meatballs.
Jason soon began to eat while Mitchell stood to the side, glancing at the VR helmet from time to time.
"You also play that VR game, sir?" Mitchell asked, and Jason nodded.
"Just started playing," He replied.
"How is the experience?" She asked, genuinely curious.
"So far, I don't have any complaints," Jason replied.
Mitchell nodded and remained quiet.
Five minutes later, Jason was done eating and Mitchell left with both empty trays.
After changing into lighter outfits, Jason went down to the gym.
'This game seems to be affecting my schedule. I'll have to rectify that,' Jason thought as he stopped at the pull-up station.
***
15:00
Jason, who had just freshened up after returning from the gym, lay on his bed with the VR helmet on his head and pressed the power button.
[Neural Synchronization Complete...
Welcome back, Soldier]
After the pulling sensation, Jason opened his eyes to find himself in the small, dilapidated security office.
However, as soon as he stood up, Ethan and Sergeant Jock hurried towards him.
Seeing their grim expressions, Jason frowned.
"What's the problem?" he asked.
"Check the mission log on your GEC device," Ethan, who seemed to have logged in earlier than Jason replied.
Wasting no time, he pulled up the holographic screen on his GEC device, where a mission-log notification immediately appeared.
[Mission Update:
Extraction Point Compromised]