5-37

Commander Qin stood by a door leading to one of the dormitory rooms. He glanced at the numbers on the door, confirming he was in the right place, before knocking three times.

There was a moment of silence, before light, rushed footsteps approached. The lock clicked, and the door slowly opened, revealing a young, thin girl, with her long black hair tied in a ponytail. The girl stared at the man in front of her with a stern look on her face, not saying a word.

"Susu, I presume?" Commander Qin crouched down, trying to get to the girl's eye level.

"Yes, Sir."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, thank you, Sir," the girl answered, a hint of wariness ringing in her voice.

"That's great. How about your brother?"

Susu eyed the commander tentatively. "He is doing well too," she said, even though the sniffling coming from the room behind her seemed to suggest otherwise.