Heroic Death System (BL)

ARC 6 : A + A

Chapter 60

Shang Ke was going to use his vacation to go visit his mother. But when his mother heard of his plans, he firmly advised against his decision and had him stay put where he was. There were still many reporters out there waiting to catch him, if only to confirm whether or not his present physical condition was qualified to join the 45th Legion.

At first, this situation wasn't supposed to be such a big deal, after all, the Empire rather respected and treated their heroes with courtesy. Even if Shang Ke was unable to enlist into the army again, he could still be given a position with practically no obligations and enjoy generous treatment. This was actually what the higher ups preferred as well, mounting Shang Ke up as a tragic hero and taking him out from time to time as encouragement. It was far better than letting him run off to the battlefield and throwing his life away.

No one believed that Filmore still had the ability to participate in battle after seeing his medical report. If he sacrificed his life on the battlefield without any contribution, it would leave behind a stain on his title of "hero". Sacrificing oneself for the country was admittedly glorious, but it also depends on their individual strength. Forcing oneself despite knowing of their own condition and inevitably falling would give the person a reputation of "overestimating one's capabilities".

For the Seiver family, Filmore's retirement was not a bad choice. Although he couldn't pile up anymore achievements, at least he possessed the honor and could raise the prestige of their family. But Shang Ke chose to enlist again, so no matter if it was the higher ups of the Empire or his family, they were all unhappy with it.

TL: The Seiver Family was mentioned twice in 56, but I somehow didn't translate it oops. I fixed it....

As a result, both sides took a laissez-faire attitude toward the reporters news and the populace's evaluation. Kanwen on the other hand, took a more hands on approach by saying to the public he had tried his best to change his mind but failed, his son was determined to work for the country and he, as the father can only support him. He played the emotion card and did not care about what kind of pressure and disturbance it would cause his son.

The hero event that should had stopped perfectly continued to receive attention due to the external hype given to it. The populace's attention turned from praising the hero, to judging whether or not he was qualified to become a member of the 45th Legion, if he could actually fight, and what kind of performance would he show on the battlefield and so on.

If Shang Ke's future performance does not meet their expectations, then the honor he slowly gained would instantly decrease by a large margin. This meant that he could only be better than others, otherwise, even if he gave up his life for a good cause, he would only garter sighs that he was nothing much. After all, in the era of war, many heroes have stood out, it was not only Shang Ke that was worth remembering.

So to say, Shang Ke's decision to join the army and placing himself in a spot where he could only advance without a way out is something no one supported. However, he had no choice. His mission was for him to promote to Senior Colonel in ten years. If he doesn't join the army and accumulate merits, his mission was a guarantee failure. He has to go up if he has the qualifications, if he doesn't have the qualifications he has to make them and still go up.

Shang Ke finished contacting his mother and did not linger outside to long before he returned to the training camp. He resumed his dull and difficult training life and pretty much severed his connection to the outside world.

What was worth rejoicing lately though was that after that one challenge, the number of people provoking him decreased. In addition to his perseverance in daily training, he gradually obtained everyone's approval. Under his influence, the atmosphere of the training camp surged up abnormally and everyone acted so passionately as if they had been shot with chicken blood.