Chapter 4 Women Soldiers

The muzzle of the gun kept on erupting, and the sound of the shots was frequent and sharp. Stopping abruptly, nimble hands quickly unloaded and switched magazines; there was only a moment's pause as the vibrations once again cut through the eardrums, only to turn to silence when all the targets had been hit.

Windsor set aside the glowing gun and hung his hands.

Lt. Hans wrapped his arms around his chest and nodded slightly. "Excellent combat, excellent skills, excellent marksmanship, overall not bad." The overall quality was excellent, and the results of the recent observation Hans was satisfied, but at the same time, he had to admit that it was a waste to put such a person in the infantry battalion as a soldier.

"As of tomorrow, you're promoted to Corporal as a squad leader."

"Yes." Her calm response showed no emotion, making Hans appreciate it even more.

Admiringly Hans had a bit of a headache, despite being a usable talent, women were always trouble, and the pretty ones were double trouble. "It doesn't matter who you've offended before, under me it's only about strength, but you have to be smart here, there are all kinds of people in the infantry battalion, you'd better be careful how you deal with them."

Not expecting those words from the brash lieutenant, Windsor returned the salute. "I'll try; thank you, sir."

The lower ranks of the army are a mixed bag, with 99% of them coming from poor backgrounds, and there are often rumors of bullying and internal fights, which is never an ideal environment. However, to feed themselves and find a way out, the Imperial Army always has a constant supply of recruits.

Eliminating the untimeliness of a subordinate is easy; the army has its ways. After rounds of sparring on the practice field, when all are knocked out, and the new captain's orders come into effect, the strong man's call is rightly honored.

Putting the towel over her shoulder, Windsor approached the sparring ring.

The incessant whistling around her came from the soldiers on the sidelines, laughing and taunting the paralyzed soldiers. She didn't bother to pay attention to the many different colors of eyes that followed her as she unscrewed the hose on the wall and washed her face.

"You have good hands." The unfamiliar voice rang out abruptly.

Windsor looked up as shadows blocked the light, and a man came incredibly close, his brawny arms muscled up in the backlight. "How about a match."

"I'm not interested."

"Doesn't look like a newbie; where did you serve before?" The man's interested gaze seemed as if he were looking at an unruly, fiery horse, unabashedly sizing her up. "Name?"

"Who are you?" Windsor asked lightly in return, her eyes sweeping over the shoulder patches of the other man's slanted uniform blouse.

"Lieutenant Wes!" Lieutenant Hans interjected; his raw tone had to be highly unpleasant. "Got a problem with my subordinates?"

"No." We spread his hands and gave a mischievous grin, "I saw that she was good and suggested a contest."

"Her time should be spent lecturing her subordinates, not perfunctory boring pickup lines." Hans choked out in a completely unemotional manner.

"Hans, don't get angry so easily; it's not your business." Accustomed to Hans' harsh attitude, Wes was unimpressed, his eyes flicking over the silent female. "Just making friends; Aurora on your team crawled into my bed herself."

"Don't think everyone is like that stupid little bitch." Hans raged, his forehead stirred up veins, the soldiers on the side were scared by the roar and retreated a few steps, the atmosphere was stagnant, everyone knew well about Hans's violent temper, and at the slightest word, he might swing his fists at each other.

"Well, it's all in the military anyway, so we'll have a chance to see what's different about her." We laughed frivolously, pacing away with concern, avoiding the conflict.

Hans glared at the back half a moment before delivering a stiff lecture. "Stay away from this asshole, he's screwed every female soldier under that guy's command, and he's even got his hands on my team lately; I'm going to kick his ass."

The menacing tone hid a retort, and Windsor laughed silently.

"Yes, thank you, sir."

Unexpected provocateurs are a nuisance, especially to Aurora, a female soldier under Windsor's jurisdiction.

In Western Asia, where both men and women are eligible for enlistment and are treated equally during service, it is unsurprising that relations between men and women are chaotic. Ordinary female soldiers find it difficult to remain clean and independent in the hierarchical military and are mostly reduced to playthings. Wes is said to have used protection as bait to lure Aurora into his arms, but the promise fizzled out as the novelty wore off. Every time Wes shows up, he has his arm around a different female soldier, and he doesn't stop flirting with Aurora in front of her, blatantly treating her as if she were nothing.

Looking at Aurora, who was knocked to the ground and half unable to get up, Windsor mentally sighed and scratched a cross on the record book. The psychological impact is too significant; Wes, even if he does not do anything, as long as Aurora panics and is nervous, the cooperation with his companions is even more problematic; he even kicks a teammate doing the support movement away. Windsor feels the need to train her individually, or else, with the performance in recent days, it's hazardous in wartime.

Training over, Windsor leaves Aurora behind.

The female soldier's clean-cut face was troubled; two shadows under the bags under her eyes added to the haggardness, and despite sitting upright, her fingers clasped stiffly on her knees.

"Aurora, what's going on with your behavior lately."

The voice was not high, but the female soldier was as uneasy as if she had been stung. "I'm sorry, sir."

"Unwell?" Windsor tried to find a reason.

"No, sir." Aurora shuddered. "It's my fault, I'll work on it."

"It's not just a physical problem; you and your teammates can't work together, and there's absolutely no understanding to speak of." Aurora seemed to treat her comrade as a dangerous enemy, full of vigilant defense.

Aurora hung her head without speaking.

"Your previous record is good."

The answer remained silent.

Windsor didn't like to press the issue but had to find the sticking point. "Because of Wes?"

Aurora's interlocked hands squeezed suddenly, knuckles green and white.

Windsor took in her eyes. "That edge shouldn't cause you to ostracize your teammates."

"I - sir, I'll get over it -"

"It's not a small issue; once you go into battle, you lose not only your own life but also involve your teammates beside you who support you."

Aurora's eyes appeared teary, and she bit her lip nervously.

"Tell me why, or I'll just have to report to Chief Hans that you are no longer fit to be in a combat unit."

The last words crushed what remained of her will, and Aurora sobbed uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry sir." Tear after tear rolled down, soaking a large portion of the dark blue uniform. "--Please don't--I--I-- "

Handing over a handkerchief, Windsor waited quietly for the other woman to calm down, and after a while, Aurora finally stopped crying and turned to utter dismay.

"What the hell happened."

"Lieutenant Wes expressed an interest in me a few months ago and wanted to sleep with me. He wasn't the first, and I thought he might be able to get me out of being a sex slave to other people, so I said yes."

"Who are the others."

Aurora gave three names, all belonging to the same company but not to Windsor's squad.

"They threatened you? Since when?"

"Since I came to the city of Val, before ...... of course, there are others; it is the custom of the army, and everyone knows that female soldiers exist for the enjoyment of male soldiers." Aurora's face was pale and numb.

"Why don't you report it to Lt. Hans?"

"The lieutenant won't care; it's the norm." Bitterness spilled over into Aurora's words. "He hates it when Wes rakes over the line but despises incompetence even more."

Windsor dropped his eyes for a moment of silence. "And then what happened?"

"I obeyed Wes; he beat up those three guys, and the team despised me for throwing myself at an outsider with my pants down." Aurora's voice became broken, and her sunken eyes reddened with tears of humiliation and hatred. "It didn't take long for Wes to get tired of me and start beating me ...... and even raping me in front of his subordinates, and finally ...... calling them together ...... ".

Unable to retaliate and falling back into a situation of embarrassment and shame, the shadow of violence brings about a solid physical repulsion, and Aurora instinctively fears every man approaching. Windsor understands the cause but is tricky about how to handle it.

After a long while, the female soldier calmed down from her emotions and waited for the final verdict.

"Aurora," Windsor spoke with difficulty. "What happened to you is outrageous, not to mention that you should not have to bear the burden of all the injustices, but right now you are unable to become a qualified soldier, going to war is equal to death, I can't let you continue to serve under these circumstances ...... Have you considered applying for discharge?"

"No, sir, please don't throw me out of the army." Aurora pleaded desperately and sadly. "I can't do anything but be a soldier; I'll only starve to death if I leave here; please don't do this."

"Your parents' family?"

"My parents are all dead, my brother waited for me to come of age and threw me into the army, the pay was meager but at least it filled my stomach, I had no other choice."

"Try to get a job in another city? You're still young, and the army isn't a good place to be."

"I have nothing." The female soldier, tormented by her predicament, looked miserable. "The army sucks, but no decent job would want a young woman with nothing unless it's as a rogue, and I don't want to be reduced to that."

Faced with moist, pleading eyes, Windsor was in a dilemma, unable to make the right decision.