Reason for Living

When General Commander An came back an hour later, fury was written all over his face.

Unfortunately, someone had to break the bad news to Lixin.

The soldiers had arrived too late. The small hut was emptied out. All that was left was the bed and the chain. They did learn that the organization responsible was Toxiem.

Hearing this Lixin passed out. From them on, Lixin held an immense amount of hatred against Toxiem.

When he awoke once again, Guiying tried to ask Lixin a couple questions, but he stayed quiet. He refused to eat or talk. In his mind, there was no point in living anymore. Lixin was like a emotionless doll.

General Commander An tried to reunite Lixin with his family, but since Lixin refused to cooperate, there was nothing he could do. He knew that Lixin lost someone dear to him, but seeing how lifeless he was for an entire day, General Commander An knew he had to do something.

"I know you have your own reasons, boy, but I am sure your gege doesn't want to see you like this." General Commander An sat next to Lixin who had buried his head in his knees. He gently patted the boy on his back. "Didn't you promise gege you would go save him. I'm sure he is still waiting for you."

General Commander An had no idea what the situation was with the other boy, but he had to get this scrawny kid to eat something. In the most extreme case, they might only find a body… He sighed.

Lixin lifted his head up. Yes. He had promised gege he would save him.

"Ca…n…" Lixin's throat was so parched.

Seeing this, the General Commander got up. "Let me get you a glass of water."

He headed to the water dispenser that was located near the door of the infirmary. When he offered it to Lixin, Lixin snatched the cup and chugged it down. When he was finally done, he held the cup and looked at the General Commander An.

"Can I stay here and train?" Lixin asked him with a spark in his eyes. "I need to get stronger."

Seeing the boy regaining life, General Commander An felt relieved. "You sure can. Let's get stronger together."

Of course, being the outstanding citizen he is, he tried to convince Lixin to return to his actual family, but Lixin refused to reveal anything.

Lixin knew he wasn't welcomed in that family, so why should he go back. His father doesn't love him. His stepmother is probably celebrating his disappearance. The only person there he cared about was gone… all because he left.

Eventually, General Commander An and Guiying stopped trying to unite Lixin with his family. Guiying and Zihan formally adopted him, which from that point on, he became known as An Lixin. He learned and trained with the troops once Guiying made sure all his wounds healed. General Commander wouldn't let Lixin do actual military style training until he was 15, but until then, Lixin did basic training. That included stretches, laps, and weights. Lixin told himself, no matter how long it might take, he will find his gege. He will search until the end of the world or… he will die trying.

...

"Troop Squad 21 found a room in the warehouse with abandoned, comatose patients. They were all pretty injured with severe injuries." Junfeng reported, "There were 3 guys and 4 girls. Troop Leader of Squad 21 asked if you wanted to inspect people. There's a driver waiting outside.

Hearing this, Lixin immediately shot up from his chair. He patted Junfeng on the shoulders. "I knew I could trust you!"

Lixin headed out of the base and entered the military vehicle.

Junfeng clenched the files in his hands and looked down. He smiled sadly and whispered, "But I want more than just trust…"