The sun rested on the distant peaks.

  Dante finished his training early. He headed back to the guards' dormitory, took a shower, and changed into a white T-shirt with a simple pattern.

  Of course, he still wore military trousers on his lower half, along with polished, shiny military boots.

  Rocco came to pick a fight again. “Heh, Dante. Who are you trying to seduce? Antonio or Bernardo?”

  Dante ignored him.

  He just hoped he could move out of the guards' collective dorm soon and get far away from a lowlife like Rocco.

  While others were still training, Dante was already waiting for Antonio outside his office.

  Seeing Dante arrive, Antonio finished his work early and headed to the dining hall with him.

  The clock pointed to 5:25. In half an hour, the soldiers would finish their training.

  Antonio usually went to the dining hall at this time just to see that old pervert, Bernardo.

  When Dante walked into the dining hall with Antonio and saluted Bernardo together, Bernardo’s eyes lit up.

  Jealousy, craving, envy, and the rage he struggled to suppress—all of it laid bare the moment he looked at Antonio.

  Only then did Antonio realize he had crossed Bernardo’s line. Bringing a young, handsome guy to dinner ruined the one-on-one time Bernardo looked forward to every day.

  He could only blame Dante—the kid just had to dress so damn sharp today.

  When they left the office, Antonio hadn't cared much about Dante’s outfit. Since the soldier was off-duty, he should have the freedom to wear a T-shirt.

  “Dante, find a seat. Order whatever you want. The chicken legs and everything else will be deducted from my salary. Eat as much as you like.”

  In reality, the food here didn't actually need to be deducted from Antonio’s pay.

  “Tsk tsk!” A total straight boy like Dante didn't notice Bernardo’s hostility at all. He casually picked a table near them, sitting right across the aisle from the old man.

  Antonio couldn't exactly kick Dante out now.

  Facing Bernardo, whose expression was hideous, Antonio started reporting his work just to break the silence:

  “I’ve handed the compensation plan to Commander Ricardo. He said he’d submit it to the Ministry of Defense and the President’s Office immediately. It should be approved by tomorrow.”

  Reporting directly to Ricardo had been Bernardo’s idea, yet the old man kept his face stony.

  Was this old geezer actually jealous of Dante?

  Bernardo seemed not to hear a word. He frantically stuffed food into his mouth. By the time Lito brought out two more plates, Bernardo’s was already empty.

  He ate like he was dumping trash.

  As he passed, he leaned into Antonio’s ear and hissed viciously, “You just finished doing Garrison, and now you want to do a common soldier too?”

  “Uh...” All Antonio could do was stand up and salute Bernardo’s retreating back.

  Dante stood up too.

  He could tell from Bernardo’s expressions and actions that the Commander was very unhappy, and it seemed to have something to do with him.

  ...

  The last shift of the guard ended.

  Sienna and a group of others carried their rifles past the edge of the village. There was a celebration going on; word was that Bob had gained both a grandson and an adopted daughter.

  An adopted daughter? Could it be Elena? She did save that child’s life.

  Driven by massive curiosity, Sienna couldn't help but walk into the village.

  Of course, she couldn't bring her gun into the village. That was the rule, and Luis had already collected it.

  Bob’s house happened to be right across from Matthew’s.

  Sienna stood at Matthew’s door, peeking across. She saw Daniel holding his adopted sister’s hand, vividly describing the thrilling rescue.

  Elena’s driving skills are incredible...

  Elena stayed until the baby was born and only left after knowing both mother and child were safe...

  Elena even made a connection with a Bureau Director...

  The Elena described by Daniel was practically a universal warrior. Sienna was almost moved to tears by pure rage.

  Her parents were biased!

  Even God was biased!

  So Elena was sent by her parents to learn driving? Elena not only had the love of her biological parents but now had adoptive parents, brothers, and sisters?

  Then what did she have?

  Sienna had lived for nineteen years and felt like she had nothing at all!

  “I curse you...”

  Before Sienna could finish her curse, she felt a sharp pain in her scalp. A massive force grabbed her hair and yanked her backward, followed by an old hand frantically beating her head.

  “I’ll kill you, you little fox! You caused my grandson to be beaten! You caused our family to end up in this miserable state! Wherever a harlot like you appears, there’s no peace!”

  Matthew’s grandmother hit hard!

  She aimed exactly where it hurt. "Battling" her daughter-in-law for years had given this old woman some serious combat skills.

  Sienna instinctively protected her face so the old woman wouldn't scratch her. she curled her body to keep the old woman from hitting her stomach.

  “Help! What are you doing?!”

  People rushed over to pull the two fighting women apart.

  When Elena saw it was Sienna, she didn't even want to speak. She thought, What is she doing here? She deserves to be beaten.

  Elena turned back into the yard to eat meat and coax her new little nephew.

  Sienna couldn't find Elena, so she scanned her surroundings, only to see Matthew standing coldly behind his door, just peeking his head out.

  Your grandmother is hitting me, and you won't even come out to stop her?

  Matthew, are you even a man?

  Although she thought this, Sienna had no chance to say it. There were too many guests at Bob’s house. They all thought a perfectly fine girl like Sienna was being bullied by a crazy old woman and were advising her to leave.

  ...

  Bernardo returned to his office, the more he thought about it, the less he understood.

  He was so good to Antonio, so why didn't Antonio appreciate it? Why did he keep switching "boyfriends" one after another?

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  If it were a young hunk like Dante, it might be understandable, but a pig-head like Garrison? How could Antonio sleep with him?

  Huge face! Ugly!

  A bloated belly from sitting in an office analyzing intelligence all day! And he was married? He slept with a woman every night.

  Disgusting!

  Bernardo couldn't understand why Antonio would sleep with Garrison instead of choosing someone like himself, who kept himself clean.

  Since Antonio had gotten close to him, Bernardo hadn't messed around with anyone for a long time.

  He felt he had made a huge sacrifice for Antonio.

  With no one to tell his grievances to and his resentment unquenched, Bernardo was like an out-of-control car. He stormed toward the underground tunnel where Ramon was held and gave a death order to the two guards.

  “Bring the interrogation rack inside. Tie Ramon down with his arms and legs spread wide. Blindfold him and gag him with a towel. If a word of this leaks out, I’ll have you executed!”

  The guards were Bernardo’s confidants and knew exactly what he wanted to do.

  It wasn't like they hadn't done this before.

  They immediately saluted sharply. “Yes, Commander Bernardo. It will be done.”

  Stepping out of the officers' dining hall, Antonio walked past the training field. He caught sight of Bernardo’s back—the old man was storming toward the underground tunnel where Ramon was held.

  He whispered to Dante behind him, “Keep an eye on him. See what he’s up to.”

  Dante tugged at his white T-shirt, looking hesitant.

  “Go to the guard room and find Rocco. Tell him: find the Intelligence Colonel, or watch the man himself. Let him choose.”

  Antonio waited in his office for nearly half an hour. In the end, it was Tom who came back to report.

  “The old man said something to the tunnel guards and then went back to his office.”

  After Tom left, Antonio noticed his Office Director's eyes were darting around sneakily, trying to watch Tom’s back but not quite daring to.

  “Colonel Maxim!”

  “Huh?” Maxim startled. “Division Commander, you called me?”

  “Yes, you! Go to my room, take a bath, and wait for me. Dante, guard the door. Later, I’m going to have a……'heart-to-heart'……with him.”

  Under Dante’s "escort," Maxim walked unwillingly toward Antonio’s room.

  The last spy was gone. Only three guards were left in Antonio’s office. They had been pretending to be busy, now suddenly they stopped the act and swarmed around Antonio.

  “Boss, you haven't given us any work in a long time.”

  “Exactly! You're biased!”

  “Why does Dante get to follow you all the time now?”

  Looking at the three indignant men, Antonio only commanded: “Listen up. Until Maxim is dealt with, you won't get any orders. Now get back to work.”

  The three guys went back to their "work," heads swaying carelessly. One operated the printer, one organized files, and another hit the calculator.

  As if they were actually qualified office clerks.

  Antonio fell into deep thought...

  …

  Mother was asleep.

  Tatiana gently pulled the jam jar from her mother’s arms. Only a few spoonfuls were left; she needed to buy a new one as soon as possible.

  Strangely, this jar didn't even have a label.

  Right now, in the hospital, her mother could rely on glucose IVs for nutrition. But if she returned home tomorrow and still refused to eat or drink, her body would truly collapse.

  In the hospital corridor, using the public telephone, Tatiana wanted to call Vivienne. But when dialing, she habitually called Antonio’s office instead.

  This was already the fifth time. Why didn't Antonio ever pick up?

  Couldn't someone in his office just answer the phone?

  How could she know that at this hour, Antonio always sneaked off to the canteen for a "date" with Bernardo?

  Eventually, Tatiana had to call Vivienne’s house. A female servant answered.

  “Looking for the Madam? May I ask who is calling?”

  “I am Division Commander Ramon’s daughter, Tatiana. Could you please ask the Madam to come to the phone?”

  Tatiana showed the servant enough respect and patience.

  “Please wait a moment. The Madam and the others are having dinner in the dining room.”

  The Madam and the others? They?

  Was the Madam having dinner with a lover?

  It seemed she had chosen the wrong time to call.

  Tatiana’s mind raced with scenarios. Not long after, she heard Vivienne’s voice: “Tatiana, is something wrong?”

  “Yes. That jar of jam—where did you get it? I want to buy another one for my mother; she’s almost finished it.”

  “Didn’t your mother tell you?” Vivienne’s tone was calm, not an intentional difficulty or a rhetorical question.

  “No, she’s asleep. I want to give her a surprise.”

  You can’t buy it for now. That’s jam produced by a small workshop on the other side of the river; the seller couldn't even name the production site. Now, the other side is cracking down on smuggling, and the river transport has been completely frozen. Tatiana, forget about it for now.”

  “I see. But I was thinking, the batch you bought shouldn't have been just one jar, right? Aunt Vivienne, can you tell me where you bought it? I’ll go look nearby.”

  “It’s at the Riverside Market near Port Sol. But there are many gangs there; you’d better let your brother go.”

  “Alright, thank you. I’ll tell Domenic to go.”

  Finding the jam his mother liked in the Riverside Market? Domenic didn't think it would be hard at all. This kind of street-stall junk was usually everywhere.

  Domenic poured the remaining jam into a bowl and headed out with the empty jar and a few scraps of residue.

  As it turned out, he spent two hours turning the market inside out and still couldn't find that specific jam.

  To get the jam, Domenic had to pretend to be the son of a big department store manager, claiming he wanted to buy 500 jars.

  Seeing that Domenic’s clothes and shoes were all high-end brand-name goods, the merchants didn't think he was a fake. They all promised him that by next week, their shops would definitely be filled with this jam.

  Domenic didn't believe such baseless promises.

  His sister said the river was sealed and no goods could come in. But in the same batch Aunt Vivienne bought, someone must have an unopened jar.

  Thinking about how his mother couldn't eat anything except this jam, Domenic got ruthless. He went to a print shop and printed 500 "Want to Buy" flyers—then spent more money on a vagrant to help paste them all over the streets near the market.

  The vagrant grumbled while sticking the papers: “2,500 Kronen for one jar of this jam? 47 dollars? Is he crazy?”

  When Domenic returned to the ward, he found his mother awake, sitting on the bed and wiping away tears.

  “What’s wrong? Any news about Father?”

  “Mother said she dreamed that Papa... was dying... what should we do? Domenic, I’m so worried about him.” Tatiana leaned against her mother’s bed, her eyes red.

  “Yesterday, didn't Antonio say he’d help us? I’ll go call and ask him.”

  Just as Domenic turned around, Tatiana grabbed him: “I’ll do it. You’re a man; he doesn’t like men.”

  “He said that?” Domenic couldn't believe it.

  “Idiot. To know which gender a man likes, you just have to see where he looks. He definitely! Doesn’t like you!”

  “As if he’d like you,” Domenic muttered behind Tatiana’s back.

  …

  The office phone rang. It was Tatiana. Her voice was trembling:

  “Tatiana? Speak. It’s Antonio.”

  “Ah! You finally picked up. I’ve called five times today.”

  After a brief flash of relief, Tatiana’s voice turned into a desperate plea:

  “My mother said she was napping and dreamed that my father was dying. Please, I beg you, can you save him?”

  “A dream?” Antonio wanted to say the dream actually made perfect sense, but of course, he couldn't.

  Military matters couldn't be leaked to civilians, not even to family members.

  “Your mother, is she alright?” Antonio deliberately changed the subject.

  “She’s not. She’s in the hospital. She can’t eat anything except for a jar of jam, but that jar is almost empty, and we don't know where to buy more.”

  “Division Commander Antonio, can you tell me about my father? Is he okay? Also, you said you were going to see Commander Ricardo yesterday. What did he say? How is he going to handle this?”

  “Tatiana.”

  Antonio fell silent for a few seconds.

  “To be honest, things were complicated last night. I went there and mentioned your father, but the high command had no energy to discuss him.”

  “What? You mean a Division Commander being arrested isn't even important? Ugh...” Tatiana started sobbing again on the other end of the line.

  “I’ll tell you the truth. The situation last night was complicated. I went there and mentioned your father, but the superiors had no energy to discuss him at all.”

  “What? You mean a Division Commander being arrested isn't important? Wuu...” Tatiana’s sobbing started again on the other end.

  “Yes. The country is on the brink of collapse. Not just your father—even I am not important. Look at the streets. How many people are starving? How many are dying of hunger? Think about winter coming in three months. When the snow hits, how many more will freeze to death?”

  Tatiana fell into deep thought. Her father had pulled his gun on Bernardo precisely because he didn't want to deploy the army to massacre the civilians. If so, why was he at odds with Antonio?

  Their ideologies were similar, weren't they?

  It seemed Antonio truly did have the intention to save her father.

  “Commander Antonio, do you need us to give you something? You can say it directly. We don't have much money, but if it can save my father, we can sell the house we live in.”

  “I don’t need money,” Antonio said decisively.

  “Then, if you need... me... and my brother...”

  “I don’t need that!” Antonio gave a bitter laugh; he understood exactly what Tatiana was trying to say with her stumbling words. “I’m only a few years younger than your father. Consider me your uncle... don’t mention that kind of thing. I can’t bring myself to do it.”

  A man who was completely impenetrable!

  Tatiana didn't know what to do. Offer money? He didn't want it. Offer the "charms" of herself and her brother? He didn't want that either.

  What else could she possibly do to save her father?

  “Is it... because you have a conflict with my father that you... won't save him?” This was something Tatiana had considered for a long time, and she finally asked it cautiously.

  “I have no conflict with him!” Antonio thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth. “I went to the cell to see him. He thinks he has a conflict with me and didn't want to give me the time of day. If he had begged me, I would have found a way to save him then. But not only did he not beg, his attitude was quite bad. So I’m wondering if I should keep getting involved in this mess, Tatiana.”

  “Ah?”

  If her father really had that kind of attitude, anyone would refuse to help.

  Wait! Antonio said he would have found a way to save him—meaning he has a way?

  Tatiana’s eyes lit up. The crux of the problem was convincing her father to request Antonio’s help?

  What was that proud old fossil thinking? Still refusing to beg even in prison!

  “Then, can I see my father?”

  “No, Tatiana. If you could see him, why wouldn't I have allowed it yesterday?”

  “I thought you were in a hurry to save him yesterday and I didn't dare ask,” Tatiana muttered.

  “His arrest warrant hasn't even been issued yet. You can’t say his detention is wrong, because he truly did point a gun at Commander Bernardo in the office. My point is, without a warrant, he isn't a formal prisoner. And if he's not a prisoner, where does the right to visitation come from?”

  “Unless...”

  “Unless what?” Tatiana was anxious.

  “Unless you have military status, I could arrange it.” Antonio felt he had said enough. If she couldn't understand this hint, he planned to ignore her from now on.

  “I know what you mean now. I’ll find a way to make my father beg you.”

  Tatiana’s answer was somewhat unexpected for Antonio. After the call was hung up, Antonio’s mind once again pictured Tatiana standing by Vivienne’s car... that high-class, and striking face...