Chapter Twenty: The Final Glory

With a heavy thud, Chen Cao fell hard to the floor, as everyone had expected, and the dormitory erupted with laughter. His face hit the ground, and the filthy water from the bucket spilled across the dorm floor, soaking his battle-worn, repeatedly patched uniform.

Chen Diwen stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the metal frame of the bunk bed, watching Chen Cao with a sidelong glance as he slowly got up, letting the dirty water drip down his cheeks.

“Get up, Chen Cao. I really don’t understand why the instructors all signed to keep a waste like you in this honorable unit,” Chen Diwen said, then lightly kicked the bucket several meters away with a splash.

Chen Cao got up, wiped the grime from his face, walked over to retrieve the bucket, bent down, picked it up, his expression unchanged, and then gathered the rag as well.

The others in the dorm, who had expected Chen Cao to explode and fight back against Chen Diwen, fell silent. Indeed, everyone here was a hot-blooded youth, and in just a month, they would embark on their first missions, marking the start of their glorious path.

Though they looked down on Chen Cao, his surprising reaction made them despise him even more. Not a shred of backbone, not even the most basic instinct to resist—just as the instructors said, he was the disgrace of this proud unit.

“Chen Cao, we don’t need orderlies here. The 0611 unit has never had orderlies. So get out!” Seeing Chen Cao’s unnaturally calm demeanor, the burly man behind Chen Diwen, after a year of bottled-up anger, finally snapped. He charged forward and with a flying kick, knocked the bucket from Chen Cao’s hand. The bucket flew straight to the door with a crash, not even grazing Chen Cao's hand.

Now, only the pounding of hearts could be heard in the room. Since the resounding crash of the bucket hitting the door, everyone sensed it: after such humiliation, Chen Cao would surely erupt in fury and brawl with the bear of a man.

They had waited a year for this—Chen Cao’s pent-up anger to finally burst, for him to be driven out of 0611 in disgrace. Now, at last, it was happening. Waiting for this orderly to explode had become a part of their cadet lives.

“You see, the bucket is public property. If you break it like that, I’ll have to get a new one from the supply office tomorrow,” Chen Cao suddenly lifted his head and spoke slowly to Chen Diwen, then calmly walked to the door, bent down, and picked up the bucket.

“Bastard!” The bear behind Chen Diwen raised his fist to charge again, but Chen Diwen stopped him with a hand.

“Boss, you—” the bear began, but Chen Diwen raised a finger to his lips, signaling for silence. At that moment, footsteps sounded outside, and a tall figure entered the dormitory.

“What just happened?” Instructor Zhou Anshi poked his head in, sweeping his gaze across the room before resting his eyes on Chen Cao. “Were you fighting?”

“No, I just slipped and fell,” Chen Cao replied, his face relaxed.

“Oh? Is that so?” Zhou Anshi glanced around at the others.

“Coward,” the bear grunted, turning away in contempt.

“Instructor, I’ll clean up right away. If there’s nothing else, I’ll get back to work,” Chen Cao said softly, lifting the bucket.

“Alright, go on. Don’t forget to clean the bathroom later,” Zhou Anshi smiled, then addressed the rest, “The annual assessment is about to begin—are you all ready to be eliminated?”

“No, sir!” the others replied in unison.

“Then what are you waiting for? Get moving!” At his command, everyone sprang into action.

Zhou Anshi turned and watched Chen Cao’s retreating figure with the bucket, shaking his head, a wry smile flashing across his face.

...

As the sun set, signaling the end of another day’s labor, Chen Cao gazed at the blood-red sky and took a long breath before hurrying into the forest. For him, the days of indulgence and the glittering nightlife were all in the past; now, that tiny wooden hut was his only refuge, the only place he could breathe. A year ago, he stayed for friendship; now, he no longer knew why he remained or what he was holding on to. Only now, running wild through the woods, did he feel any release.

It was the simplest feeling—he loved the rhythm of breath and heartbeat. He thought he no longer belonged in the outside world or at school. In the rush of the forest, he felt he belonged to nature. Perhaps, if things continued like this, he would spend his whole life running through these woods.

“Black Titan, see what tasty treat I brought you today!” Chen Cao, carrying half a roasted chicken, pushed open the wooden door, wiping the sweat from his brow. At this time, Black Titan, his old friend, would usually greet him with a joyful howl. Seeing this companion eating the food he brought, the pent-up Chen Cao would finally break into a smile.

But today, the hut was silent. In the faint light as he opened the door, Black Titan lay flat in the middle of the small room, breathing heavily.

“Black Titan!” Seeing his longtime companion like this, Chen Cao seemed to understand. He rushed over immediately.

This military dog was too old. A year ago, Chen Cao knew from Duan Tianya that Black Titan wouldn’t live much longer, but when the moment finally came, he still couldn’t accept that his only friend would leave him too.

“Black Titan!” Chen Cao knelt, stroking his old friend’s head, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face. He realized that all he could do was call his name—nothing more.

At Chen Cao’s touch, Black Titan suddenly lifted his head, eyes glinting with a final spark, and sprang up to snatch the chicken from Chen Cao’s hand.

Caught off guard, Chen Cao watched as Black Titan devoured the chicken in a few bites and dashed out of the hut.

“What’s wrong, Black Titan? What’s happening?” Chen Cao, bewildered, followed after him.

With the moon just rising, Black Titan bounded up the small hill near the hut and let out three fierce, mournful howls that echoed through the valley.

When Chen Cao reached the hilltop, Black Titan collapsed again.

Chen Cao knelt and saw the old dog in its final moments, body convulsing.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Cao scooped Black Titan into his arms, tears soaking the dog’s fur.

Black Titan only extended his tongue, gently licking the tears from Chen Cao’s cheek before growing still.

Chen Cao wept again—perhaps for the second time since he could remember.

“Why? Why does it have to be like this?” Holding the gradually cooling body of the military dog, Chen Cao could no longer contain his grief and howled into the night.

“He’s telling you where a soldier’s soul lies!” As Chen Cao grieved, Duan Tianya appeared silently on the hill, dressed in black, the moonlight casting him as a shadowy mountain. Each word he spoke rang out like thunder.

“I give up! I’m done! I can’t bear it anymore!” Chen Cao shouted at Duan Tianya, who had not shown himself in a year, his voice full of despair.

“Is that so? Fine, I’ll arrange your discharge immediately. But first, give my friend a proper burial,” Duan Tianya said, turning to walk down the hill.

With no tools, Chen Cao spent the night crying as he dug a grave for his loyal companion with his bare hands. Using his own blood, he carved the epitaph on a wooden plank: “Here lies Black Titan, the hero.”

To Chen Cao, Black Titan was a hero, a truly enlightened one. In his final moments, with those three mighty howls, he had proved himself—a worthy military dog who had fulfilled his duty.

“Rest in peace, Black Titan,” Chen Cao said softly, gazing at the epitaph. “Farewell, my brother.”

A gentle night breeze blew for a long time.

Chen Cao stood, and bowed deeply three times before the mound. Perhaps, some things truly had come to an end.

When he returned to the hut, Duan Tianya was sitting quietly by the door, eyes closed as if he had waited all night. Beside him lay two ancient longswords.

At the sight of Duan Tianya, Chen Cao stopped ten paces away.

“I don’t think I have anything left to pack,” Chen Cao said quietly, his voice weary.

Clang! Before he finished, Duan Tianya drew his sword, the blade flashing straight for Chen Cao’s brow. The prosthetic limb did nothing to slow him; he moved like a gust of wind, the tip of the sword stopping just a centimeter from Chen Cao’s eyes.

Yet Chen Cao didn’t flinch, not even raising his eyelids.

Duan Tianya sheathed his sword with a flourish and smiled faintly. “You want to die again?”

Chen Cao raised his eyelids. “Facing someone as strong as you, I have no way to resist. It’s obvious.”

“So you choose to give up?” Duan Tianya traced the engraved characters on the hilt with a finger, his expression unchanged.

Chen Cao did not answer, nor did he deny it. He merely clenched his fists, knuckles turning white.

“Chen Cao, do you know what you lack?” Duan Tianya took a few steps back and sat on the ground.

...

Flame King 20: The last glory—chapter complete.