The Fourth Possibility

In another bar at the street corner, Reno sat with Stark, drinking and talking.

 Perhaps due to Stark's size, nobody bothered them this time.

 "After leaving the ship, I and some others were assigned to the Trekk camp for rest. Honestly, it was really bad there." Stark poured alcohol into his mouth like beer, drinking it in large gulps. What's strange was no matter how much he drank, he never got drunk.

 Reno was curious about Stark's words, "How bad was it? As far as I know, the living conditions and food there are pretty good."

 "That's true, the scenery is beautiful there. There's a redwood forest where I stayed. When the wind blows, it rustles like a red sea, truly beautiful. But the people there weren't great." Stark waved his strong arms, roaring like a bear.

 Reno understood Stark's meaning.

 The soldiers from the Mecha Battalion were all fighters.

 For them, combat was the greatest pleasure.

 So their usual entertainment was fighting, fighting, and more fighting.

 Bare-handed fighting, wielding weapons fighting, wearing mechs fighting, anything lively would do.

 But on Earth, this obviously wouldn't fly.

 Surprisingly, Stark couldn't find anyone to fight with in the Trekk camp.

 The Abronado was a flagship starship, and as mecha soldiers on a flagship, besides Teckos and Reno, Stark hadn't been defeated by anyone.

 When he came to the camp hoping to find some opponents to "spar" with and pass the boring time, he was disappointed to find himself surrounded by lambs.

 The feeling of a tiger among sheep wasn't excitement but rather profound disappointment. In Stark's eyes, it was the worst vacation imaginable. When he heard that Earth's bars were good places to fight, he came over.

 Yes, his purpose was to find a fight, but he hadn't expected to meet Reno.

 "Earth isn't a battlefield, Stark," Reno smiled and shook his head. "You need to learn to relax your nerves, instead of looking for fights everywhere. Taking a walk occasionally, enjoying the night scenery, beautiful landscapes, is also a good feeling. It requires heart to appreciate, not just the body."

 "I haven't really felt things in years," Stark replied. "We don't have that privilege."

 "What do you mean?" Reno was puzzled.

 Stark replied seriously, "I mean, we don't have the privilege to experience things. We're soldiers, facing the danger of death on the battlefield at any moment. What makes us forget the danger? It's not loyalty to the Federation, nor the desire to return home alive, but rather, it's the passion and excitement."

 "Passion and excitement," Reno savored the words, nodding gently.

 Indeed, soldiers, facing the enemy on the battlefield, were driven not only by loyalty but also by their ironclad convictions.

 This conviction only required the burning of fighting spirit. Under its influence, soldiers fought selflessly, forgetting fear and death.

 Reflect on life?

 That's not a habit soldiers should have. The result of reflecting on everything on the battlefield was trembling amidst the thunderous gunfire, shrinking, and losing courage entirely.

 It's for this reason that most valiant soldiers are often troublemakers in private.

 Only those with such a combative spirit could become outstanding soldiers.

 You can never expect a soldier as gentle as a virgin to be as fierce as a tiger on the battlefield.

 Character doesn't change; it remains consistent.

 Stark was such a person. His world was simple, with only two colors, red and black. Red represented blood and flames, black represented emptiness and death.

 "The soldier's philosophy," Reno murmured. "Thank you, Stark, you've taught me a lesson."

 Stark laughed heartily, "Actually, I envy you, Commander. You can freely switch between the calm man and the fierce man. It's a remarkable quality, one I can't achieve. You know, even three days after I left the starship, when I closed my eyes, I still heard the roar of cannons, and explosions flashed before my eyes. I can't get out of those nightmare-like battle scenes..."

 "Post-war trauma syndrome." Reno frowned. "Didn't they provide you with a psychologist?"

 Most soldiers experience some psychological issues after leaving the battlefield, and in severe cases, it can lead to incidents like suicide or murder. Thus, vacation isn't just leisure; the military arranges for psychologists to guide soldiers' psychological recovery. Reno had been assigned one, but his mental adjustment was good, and he was quickly confirmed to have no issues.

 Stark shook his head, "No psychologist, but some other people came, some strange ones."

 "What kind of people?" Reno asked casually, picking up his glass.

 "A guy named Russell Hill," Stark replied. "He seems very interested in your process of becoming a captain."

 Reno's hand holding the glass froze in mid-air.

 After a moment, he asked, "How did you respond to him?"

 "A starship was hit by an energy cannon, and the overflowed energy entered the conference room, killing everyone there," Stark said with a grin. "Did I say anything wrong, Commander?"

 "No, you said it perfectly," Reno replied.

 But for some reason, deep in Reno's heart, he felt a slight unease.

 But he didn't say anything, just suppressed the unease.

 Stark continued, "Some other people came too, to check my body. Damn, no psychologist, but plenty of physiologists came, always asking if there were any changes in my body recently. How could there be any changes? Eating well, sleeping soundly, just can't find a fight."

 "Oh, I've encountered that too," Reno casually replied. Indeed, a few days ago, some doctors came to him, conducted a comprehensive examination of his body, and asked many boring questions before leaving.

 "Oh, speaking of which," Stark suddenly remembered something and said excitedly to Reno, "Commander, I remember you said before that you hadn't encountered that bald guy named Polk? How did you manage to knock him out?"

 Damn, this guy only realizes it now.

 Reno smiled wryly, then shook his head, "I don't know, maybe he flew out on his own; maybe it was my illusion that I hit him; it's also possible that there was a master lurking in the shadows who saved your life."

 "I like the last answer. But, Commander, haven't you thought of other possibilities?" 

 "Other possibilities?" Reno paused. "What possibilities?"

 "Such as you suddenly gaining some kind of superpower, being able to hit him without touching him," Stark said, cracking a grin. "Isn't that a possibility?"

 Reno laughed, "Stark, I never thought you'd be so imaginative."

 "It's not surprising, is it?" Stark said seriously, leaning closer to Reno and whispering, "I heard that the Federation has long been secretly researching superhuman soldiers."

 "That's impossible."

 "Not necessarily all rumors," Stark replied seriously. "A soldier in Trekk told me there is indeed such a plan. It's called the 'Dawn Plan' and has been ongoing for hundreds of years, with some achievements."

 Then he remembered something and said excitedly to Reno, "Maybe you have some kind of superpower. Why not try it? Let go and try to control the glass with your mind, see if you can move it without touching it."

 "You seem really bored lately," Reno shook his head and chuckled.

 "Give it a try!" Stark was still excited about his fantasy and kept persuading Reno.

 Reno was forced by him and could only nod, saying, "Okay, okay, I'll try it once, but if it doesn't work, you can't force me again."

 "You have to give it your all!" Stark said seriously.

 "Of course," Reno replied.

 Stark quickly placed his own glass in front of Reno.

 So Reno stared at the glass intently for a long time.

 The glass didn't move at all.

 After a while, Reno finally gave up. He said, "That's enough, Stark. My eyes are getting sore from staring."

 "You have to use your mind to control it, make it move," Stark insisted, as if he were an expert in this field.

 "It's obvious I can't do it," Reno replied, shrugging his shoulders.

 Seeing Reno's expression, Stark knew his idea had failed. He could only accept failure with a dejected look.

 The conversation continued, and they talked for a while longer before settling the bill and leaving.

 As they reached the door, Stark still felt somewhat unwilling. He looked back at the glass on the table and said, "How about trying again?"

 Reno shook his head with a smile, "Stop talking nonsense. There's no way I can move that glass without touching it."

 Glancing at the glass, Reno turned and walked out of the bar.

 Just as he left the bar, the glass on the table moved slightly.

 It slid towards the edge of the table, then with a snap, fell to the floor, shattering into pieces.