Harness Weakness into Strength

Lixin got out of the car. He was wearing his military uniform that hugged his body in all the right places.

Waiting outside was Troop Leader of Squad 21. He saluted to Lixin. "Welcome Commander. We are currently waiting on the emergency vehicles to transport the injured civilians to the hospital."

"Alright. Show me the way, Yuze."

"My pleasure, sir."

They headed into the dark hallways lit by dim ceiling lights. The hallways were narrow and smelled so putridly. Lixin covered his nose with his sleeves. He could hear squeaks coming from some of the abandoned rooms.

Lixin couldn't understand how anyone could live in these conditions. He wouldn't even put his worst enemies in here. [Gege… I hope you're here, at the same time, I hope you aren't.]

"The comatose civilians were hidden very deep into this warehouse. It took us a while to locate them. They used the warehouse as a disguise."

Yuze took a left turn and Lixin followed. He noticed that the lights began to get brighter.

"We are now at the heart of the facility. There used to be an entire, fully functional laboratory here, or whatever is left of it."

They passed machines and contraptions that were broken, shattered, and smashed. There were a couple of soldiers here looking for information that could be useful in tracking down Toxiem. They saluted to Lixin and Yuze as they passed by. Lixin nodded to them.

"We are almost there. It is right past these doors ahead of us. "

As Yuze said that, Lixin's heart began to beat faster as they approached a pair of steel doors. Something was pulling him into that room. His heart was telling him… [He's here].

Lixin has been disappointed so many times; over and over again. As a soldier, he has been in so many operations. He has saved so many civilians from the hands of Toxiem, but he has never found the one person he wanted to see the most. He tried to be optimistic. He tried to stay rational, but everytime deep, dark thoughts entered his brain.

Unbeknownst to everyone, under his uniform, Lixin had scars all over this arm. He's been blaming himself everyday. For every week that he hasn't found his gege, he marks himself as evidence he was a failure. But now, the situation is different.

Lixin sped walked. The distance between him and the door shrank. His heart was beating uncontrollably. Eventually, he surpassed Yuze who was leading the way.

Suddenly, Lixin stopped. He was right in front of the doors, but… he felt hesitant. He had no idea what he would see. He hadn't felt this emotion in years. He was… scared.

Lixin didn't notice, but while he was hesitating. Yuze had reached him. Yuze, who was Lixin's comrade-in-arms before he was promoted to commander, knew why Lixin was so desperate in these operations. In their dorm they used to share, although Lixin tried to hide it, he could hear his sniffles at night. He knew Lixin was vulnerable to this topic, so Yuze went to confront General Commander An.

As someone who was born into a military family, Yuze looked down on men who were weak. To survive in this chaotic world, humans had to be strong. He was going to ask General Commander An to remove Lixin from the group.

"Yuze. Lixin's weakness makes him stronger." General Commander An was sitting at his desk. Yuze was in standard position in front of him. "He's been searching for someone all these years without end. Without this motivation, without this thought, without the emotions, Lixin would have left this world behind."

At that time, Yuze understood that Lixin was living off hope. His vulnerability just made him stronger.

Yuze patted Lixin on the back, "Go."

Feeling the encouragement, Lixin gathered his emotions. He gave Yuze a nod and pushed the door open.