Chapter 239: The Long Way Back
The walk back from the residential district should have taken less than ten minutes.
Instead, nearly half an hour passed.
Not because the roads were crowded.
Not because they got lost.
Mostly because Ramos kept finding food.
The man had somehow purchased roasted corn, sweet bread, and something wrapped in banana leaves despite repeatedly insisting he was full. Ryan eventually stopped questioning it and simply accepted that Ramos operated under different biological laws than everyone else.
By the time they reached the central district again, the streets had begun to quiet down. Families returned home. Market stalls closed one by one. Workers finished their shifts and headed toward the residential blocks.
The city was settling in for the night.
Eventually, Ramos spotted another group of soldiers near the recreation hall and wandered off to join them.
Ryan followed shortly afterward.
Not before giving Adrian a suspicious look.
Then Chandrika.
Then Adrian again.
The grin on his face made his intentions painfully obvious.
Adrian pretended not to notice.
Unfortunately, Chandrika noticed immediately.
"Did he just leave on purpose?"
"Probably."
"That was definitely on purpose."
"Definitely."
For some reason, that answer made her laugh.
Now it was just the two of them walking along one of the quieter roads leading toward the training grounds.
The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable.
It felt strangely natural.
Streetlights illuminated the road ahead while insects chirped from nearby trees. The evening breeze carried away much of the day’s heat, making the walk pleasant.
After several minutes, Chandrika finally spoke.
"Can I ask you something?"
Adrian glanced toward her.
"You usually do."
She rolled her eyes.
"Serious question."
"Go ahead."
She hesitated briefly.
Then asked.
"Were you always like this?"
Adrian frowned slightly.
"Like what?"
She gestured vaguely toward him.
"Calm."
The answer surprised him.
"Calm?"
"You coordinate military operations involving bombers and warships."
"That’s not an answer."
"You fought through the outbreak."
"You lead thousands of people."
She looked ahead.
"Yet somehow you still spend your evenings walking around the city and arguing with Ryan about food."
Adrian couldn’t help smiling slightly.
When she put it that way, it did sound strange.
"No."
She looked toward him.
"No?"
"I wasn’t calm."
That got her attention.
The answer came more quickly than she expected.
"I panicked a lot."
"You?"
"Yes."
She looked skeptical.
He laughed softly.
"The first few weeks were a disaster."
They continued walking while he spoke.
The memories felt distant now.
Almost unreal.
"There weren’t many people at the beginning."
"Just survivors trying not to die."
"Every decision felt important."
He looked toward the lights of the city.
"If I made a mistake, someone paid for it."
Chandrika quietly listened.
She had heard stories about the early days.
Most people had.
But hearing them directly from Adrian felt different.
"There were nights when I couldn’t sleep."
He shrugged.
"Still happens sometimes."
That surprised her.
For some reason, she had imagined someone like Adrian being immune to fear.
Immune to doubt.
Immune to uncertainty.
Now she realized how unfair that assumption had been.
"You just hide it well."
He laughed.
"That’s called leadership."
The answer made her smile.
They reached the training grounds shortly afterward.
The area was empty now.
Most personnel had already returned to their quarters.
Floodlights illuminated the obstacle courses and firing ranges, casting long shadows across the concrete.
Chandrika stopped near the edge of the field.
Her expression became thoughtful.
"Can I ask another question?"
"You already are."
She ignored that.
"Why did you rescue us?"
The question caught him off guard.
For a moment, he thought she was joking.
Then he realized she was serious.
Very serious.
"The hotel."
She looked down briefly.
"When everything happened."
"When you came for us."
Her voice softened slightly.
"You didn’t know me."
"You didn’t know my friends."
"You didn’t owe us anything."
The memory returned immediately.
Okada.
Gunfire.
The evacuation.
The rooftop extraction.
At the time, it had felt like just another mission.
Now it felt strangely important.
Adrian considered the question carefully.
Then answered honestly.
"Because you needed help, and your father asked us to."
She looked disappointed.
"What?"
"That’s such a Commander answer."
He laughed.
"It’s true."
"I know it’s true."
She folded her arms.
"But it’s also boring."
That made him laugh harder.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
The quiet night surrounded them.
Somewhere in the distance, a transport aircraft taxied across the airfield.
Its lights moved slowly through the darkness.
Eventually, Adrian looked toward her.
"Can I ask you something?"
Now it was her turn to be surprised.
"Sure."
"Why did you join?"
She immediately understood what he meant.
The military.
The training.
Everything.
A year ago she had been an ordinary civilian.
Now she carried a rifle and participated in military operations.
The change had been enormous.
For a while she didn’t answer.
When she finally did, her voice sounded softer than before.
"I got tired of being afraid."
The words came out quietly.
Almost reluctantly.
She looked across the empty training grounds.
"After the rescue..."
"I kept thinking about it."
"About how helpless I felt."
The memory still bothered her.
Being trapped.
Waiting.
Hoping someone else would save her.
"I hated it."
Her fingers tightened slightly.
"So I decided if I survived..."
She smiled faintly.
"...I didn’t want to stay helpless."
Adrian nodded.
He understood that feeling.
More than she realized.
The silence that followed felt different.
Not awkward.
Not uncomfortable.
Just honest.
The kind of silence that only existed after two people shared something genuine.
A breeze passed through the field.
A loose strand of hair drifted across Chandrika’s face.
She reached up automatically to move it aside.
Before she could, Adrian’s hand moved first.
The gesture was simple.
Instinctive.
Barely a second long.
Yet both of them froze immediately afterward.
His fingers had brushed against her hair.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
The contact was brief.
Almost accidental.
Yet the sudden awareness that followed felt impossible to ignore.
Chandrika blinked.
Adrian looked equally surprised.
Neither of them spoke.
For some reason, the quiet seemed louder now.
Much louder.
The distant sounds of the base faded into the background.
All Chandrika could hear was her own heartbeat.
Which felt very unfair.
Because she was supposed to be the composed one.
Finally, Adrian cleared his throat.
"...Sorry."
Her face immediately grew warm.
Why was he apologizing?
Nothing inappropriate had happened.
Yet somehow the apology made it worse.
"It’s okay."
The answer came out softer than intended.
For several seconds, neither knew what to say.
Then salvation arrived in the form of a very familiar voice.
"Commander!"
Both of them turned.
Ryan jogged toward them from across the training grounds.
A grin already stretched across his face.
Adrian immediately knew they were doomed.
Ryan looked from Adrian.
To Chandrika.
Then back again.
His smile widened.
"Oh."
Chandrika closed her eyes.
Adrian sighed.
Ryan pointed dramatically.
"I interrupted something."
"You didn’t."
"I absolutely did."
"You absolutely didn’t."
Ryan looked delighted.
Which meant this conversation would probably continue for the next several months.
Unfortunately.
Somewhere deep down.
Neither Adrian nor Chandrika seemed quite as eager to deny it anymore.
