Within the second vehicle sat the Major General who had just endured the reprimand. Although the incident had passed, the Major General's countenance remained markedly displeased.
The staff officer beside him wore an obsequious smile, "General, there's no need for vexation. Such a youngster isn't worth taking seriously..."
"What the hell do you comprehend..." Gazing out the window, the Major General cursed, "Ryuichi backs him; who dares disregard him? Originally, if that old fellow Miyamoto had sought the position of Supreme Commander, we could have fully supported his ascension. But he behaves like Ryuichi's lapdog. Upon hearing it was Ryuichi's son commanding, he uttered not a single word. Truly irredeemable mire."
"The General speaks truthfully; Miyamoto is precisely as you described," the staff officer concurred eagerly.
The Major General could only sigh silently, feeling sorrow for himself, surrounded entirely by imbeciles...
The convoy neared the intersection. The child released 13's collar, tightly gripping the shoulder straps of his schoolbag. His gaze was exceptionally resolute.
"Is it worthwhile?" 13 inquired placidly.
"Truly a verbose old man. My affairs require no intervention from you." Seizing the opportune moment, the child navigated through the crowd, squeezing to the forefront.
"Everyone possesses merely a single opportunity to live. Moreover, you are so young; to perish without having experienced numerous things, do you not find it regrettable?" The child had just stabilized his stance when 13 already stood beside him.
The convoy arrived before them. Due to 13's words, the child's figure hesitated slightly, yet he still charged forward with determined, closed eyes. This was the utmost resistance he could muster—resistance against the aggressors. He merely wished to convey through this act to his deceased father, "We have been resisting continuously..."
"Truly a disobedient urchin." 13 lifted the child who was poised to dash past the soldier cordon.
"Unhand me! The vehicle..." The child struggled desperately; the convoy was already upon them.
"That is an armored vehicle." 13's free hand unfastened the child's backpack. The clock inside continued its steady progression; even approaching the terminus, there was no sensation of a final sprint.
"Hey, you two!" The soldiers noticed the actions of this peculiar pair.
"Do not touch the backpack; it's about to detonate!" the child roared. He did not fear death, only perishing meaninglessly...
"An explosive of this yield wouldn't even scratch the vehicle's paint. If you doubt it, observe." Setting the child down, leaning back, he forcefully hurled the sizable backpack in a straight line, past the advancing soldiers, striking directly against the window beside the Major General's vehicle. The Major General, still gazing out the window, was startled by the abruptly flying object.
Just as he prepared to curse, "Boom!" A tremendous explosion erupted. The glass windows lining both sides of the street shattered completely. Pedestrians instinctively dropped to the ground. The vehicle's performance indeed matched 13's assertion; forcefully displaced laterally by half a meter due to the shockwave, yet even the impacted window remained intact. The soldiers stared vacantly at the individual who had thrown the bomb.
Inside the vehicle, the Major General's face twitched strangely; his trousers were thoroughly soaked. Likely few individuals in the world had observed an explosion at such proximity.
"See? I didn't deceive you," 13 stated triumphantly, looking at the child.
"Are you an idiot? Old man..." The child was utterly stupefied, managing to utter a single sentence with difficulty.
"You two..." The soldiers began chambering rounds.
"To contend with the monster within the iron shell, such weaponry is required." Saying this, he swiftly retrieved the guitar case from his back; the COOL-FIRE5 rested quietly within.
He raised the colossal black firearm, half a head taller than his own body. The child beside him experienced fear for the first time.
The instant the soldiers prepared to aim, 13 pulled the trigger. A high-velocity armor-piercing round surged from the muzzle. Before the Major General could react, it penetrated the reinforced glass and his fragile skull. Splattered crimson and white matter coated the entire vehicle interior. The staff officer, having narrowly escaped, shrieked like a woman.
"Excellent!" Indeed different from other children; witnessing such a gory scene, he could still become excited.
"Baka!" The sergeant, after glancing back at the slain Major General, furiously raised his weapon to aim.
"It's not concluded yet..." Before finishing his sentence, he pulled the trigger again. A high-explosive round launched, targeting the vehicle's fuel tank.
"Boom!" An explosion louder than the previous one resounded. The blast wave propagated outwards, forcefully knocking down the soldiers who were about to fire.
Like festive fireworks, the vehicle was blasted over three meters into the air.
"Mission accomplished, still not fleeing!" 13 lifted the still-excited child, stepping on the backs of the prone pedestrians, and ducked into an alleyway.
Thus, the count of non-combat R-Army officer fatalities reached 13, the rank elevated to Major General.
"Old man, you truly are exceptionally formidable!" In a deserted back alley, 13 set down the child in his arms. Yet, the first words he uttered were not "Thank you!"
"Why do your eyes persistently fixate on the COOL-FIRE5 as you speak?" 13 sensed an ill-omened aura.
"So it's called COOL-FIRE5!" The child stroked it back and forth. "Resembles weaponry used by space warriors; it can actually blast such a large vehicle into the sky!"
"Alright. Our association is concluded." 13 raised the weapon, rendering it completely out of the child's reach. Walking over to a nearby pile of refuse, rummaging casually, he found a large black garbage bag. Clearing out the trash within, he wrapped the COOL-FIRE5, slinging it behind his back. Observing the child's expression—one of profound "desecration"—was extremely grating.
"You intend to abandon me?" The child clung to 13's trouser leg.
"Is there something amiss? We had no prior connection to begin with," 13 attempted to disengage.
"But you just assassinated an R-Army Major General!" Both hands gripped tighter.
"So what?" Strenuously attempting to break free.
"Everyone witnessed me with you just now. They will undoubtedly issue wanted notices for both of us when they pursue you!" The child held on even more firmly.
"Weren't you unafraid even of death? Why fear being wanted?" Gave up...
"But the issue now is, I didn't die! You must take responsibility," the child latched on.
"Do you not have parents?" 13 inquired helplessly.
The child's tears fell, weeping silently. Unlike the sorrowful appearance of other children, it resembled more the shedding of tears by a mature adult.
A pause lingered...
"Alright, alright, I concede. What do you want?" 13 sighed. Among 13's countless battles, large and small, this one represented complete failure.
"Right now, naturally, is escape!" The child swiftly wiped away his tears, speaking with abundant confidence. 13 suddenly felt deceived.
"Alone, I pose no problem. But bringing along a child like you..." 13 articulated the difficulty.
"No matter. I know a secure location. Follow me!" With that, the child turned and ran off.
13 could only sigh and follow.
Mimicking the child's posture, he crouched beside a manhole cover.
"This exit hasn't been utilized in a long while, but it's the closest one currently." 13 cleared away the debris atop it.
"But it appears thoroughly rusted," 13 swept away the rust patches, finally locating an opening.
"No matter, I believe you can open it," the child smiled, looking at 13.
Observing the surroundings, finding no suitable tool to serve as a hook, he resorted to using his hand. Inserting his left index finger into the narrow opening, he applied some force; the manhole cover remained unresponsive. Adding more force, he forcibly pulled the manhole cover out. Perhaps exerting excessive force, his left index finger slipped as it swung backward; the manhole cover flew from his grasp towards the thin wall behind, embedding itself within. A family eating inside stared blankly at the newly acquired "iron discus" on their wall.
"You truly are a barbaric old man," the child sighed.
"Cease the nonsense; are you descending or not!" 13 experienced rare embarrassment.
Navigating through the narrow, dim sewer tunnels, a familiar sensation evoked reminiscences of the past for 13. He recalled traversing sewers during the TB assault on Black Dragon. There, the four of them contended for the first time to shield their comrades, completely disregarding combat factors. That instance made 13 comprehend the unspoken emotions among them. He wondered how they were faring now.
"Old man, turn here! Stop zoning out," the child reminded.
Yet, 13 consistently found the appellation "old man" grating.
"Urchin," he retorted retaliatorily, "why did you attempt to assassinate an R-nation officer?"
"They are enemies who invaded our country. Is such justification insufficient?" The child remained unfazed by 13's term.
"Somewhat peculiar. At your age, most urchins likely don't even comprehend the definition of a nation. Yet you were foolish enough to become a human bomb?" 13 analyzed.
"Cannot an urchin sacrifice his life for the nation? If the adults refuse to resist, we must take up arms ourselves." The child's placid statement was sufficient to induce shame in all H-nation adults.
"But... alright, never mind." 13, about to pose further questions, halted his words.
"If you have queries, just ask. I am not petty. Considering you saved me once, I will answer truthfully any question I can." Felt the child wasn't as bad as initially perceived.
"I originally intended to ask why you possessed something as perilous as a bomb... but there's no need now." 13 gazed at the black iron door ahead. "Because it should have been procured from here. The excessively heavy scent of gunpowder is somewhat pungent."
"We've arrived. This is my 'home'." The child ran towards the iron door. His expression was indiscernible, but likely smiling.
"'Home?'" 13 murmured to himself.