So you’ll kill me yourself, is that right?
Just as you personally issued the order for my death, because you have to set an example for everyone else. No matter how painful it is, you can’t show any hesitation.
Ye Ming stared intently at Cossen. He felt like he was going to be sucked into the eddy deep in his eyes and be buried under their heavy sorrow and resolve…He grit his teeth and suddenly jerked his head away, hastily averting his gaze.
Cossen looked away, then turned around and headed out. He said indifferently, “Do you know why I took you here?”
“Why?” Ye Ming forced out.
Cossen said, “Because I want you to remember all of this. Don’t forget what they died for. Don’t forget what we fight for.”
Ye Ming was a little bit choked up. He lowered his head, saying, “Yes.”
How could he forget? He would never forget…
Cossen nodded. Before he got onto the car and took off, he told Ye Ming, “Although I really admire your brave action of rescuing your fellow soldier back at base F876, your current physical aptitude is insufficient for you to become an official member of the team…Conveniently, my former orderly has applied to fight on the frontlines. Why don’t you take over as my orderly for the time being?”
Ye Ming looked astonished. He still had yet to snap out of his previous sorrow. When he suddenly heard Cossen’s words, he was speechless from surprise. He hadn’t thought that the opportunity to get close to Cossen would come to him so easily.
Cossen slowly said, “You don’t want to?”
Ye Ming gave a start, then suddenly stood straight up. He exclaimed, “I want to!”
Cossen looked at him meaningfully and didn’t say anything else.
I know what you want, and I know you definitely won’t pass up such a good opportunity to get close to me. I’ll give you what you want. And what will you give me in return?
………………
[Ye Ming: Ah, I’m about to be with Keke all day and night. I’m so nervous and excited, what do I do? He’s actually keeping calmer than I expected.]
[888: 100 blackening value.]
[Ye Ming: I know…]
[888: I’m just reminding you: it hasn’t lowered by even a single point. It’s still a full 100. And he already knows your identity. Get yourself together. Hehe.]
[Ye Ming: …]
Ye Ming fell asleep frightened. Later, when he remembered he still had 888, he felt like he had nothing to fear anymore. Anyway, no matter how mean Cossen was toward him, he couldn’t be meaner than Xicks. The reason he wasn’t exposing Ye Ming right now was definitely that he wanted to use him. Even if he really couldn’t control himself and wanted to get rid of him, he still…should only flare up after finding a pretext for it.
He just needed to reveal Roy’s identity and clear his own name before he lost his little life. Considering how much Cossen cared about him, he wouldn’t want to kill him anymore.
The next day, Ye Ming woke up bright and early to report to Cossen.
There hadn’t been any large-scale battles recently, only minor skirmishes with some alien beast troops. There were always small-scale conflicts—they pretty much could always be taken care of by the local bases. Thus, Cossen was not too busy and was mainly preoccupied with some daily military affairs.
As Cossen’s orderly, Ye Ming just ran errands and did odd jobs. Though his status was very low, he was often by Cossen’s side and could now access much more.
Cossen deliberately placed Ye Ming by his side in order to create opportunities for him. As long as Ye Ming made a move again, or secretly got in contact with anyone, he would definitely know.
On this day, Cossen had just finished up an important military meeting, which was held via holographic projection. Apart from himself and several other generals at Fort Müller, other high-ranking military officers and members of parliament from the faraway capital star were also in attendance.
Representative Lindt found Cossen’s decisions over the past three years too conservative. Cossen had neither achieved military successes nor seized back their lost territory, so he was very dissatisfied with him. Many other representatives also took Lindt’s side and constantly attacked Cossen about it. They believed it was his fault that Fort Frederick was destroyed, yet he hadn’t even done anything to redeem himself.
Rigidly, Cossen endured their questioning. He finally got through it by offering cursory responses, as usual. He had already gotten used to such meetings.
He very clearly knew these people’s characters. They would make a ruckus back at the capital star, fussing louder than anyone else and casting judgement on others as if they could come and kill Xicks off in minutes. But if they were asked to come to Fort Müller, they wouldn’t even be willing to take a single step. Every last one of them cherished their lives too much.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
After the meeting ended, General Monroe told Cossen, “These people don’t do anything; they’re too scared to kill even one alien beast. They live a life of luxury on the capital star, yet they’re constantly complaining that we aren’t doing enough. They don’t understand how difficult it is for us to defend this place at all! Is Xicks so easy to get rid of? If it were so easy, would we have to pay such heavy prices? We are the ones who want it dead the most! Too bad we don’t even know where it is.”
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Cossen’s eyes darkened.
General Monroe had a good personal relationship with Cossen. He gave him a consoling pat on the shoulder and left.
………………
Cossen returned to his command room, took off his hat, and placed it on the rack by the door. Ye Ming was waiting at the door. He immediately respectfully brewed tea for Cossen and then stood straight, waiting for further instruction.
Cossen looked at Ye Ming, staring at the side of his face.
The young man’s side profile was good-looking, and his expression was earnest. His legs were perfectly straight. Standing there, he was like a flawless, brilliant soldier. Though he didn’t say anything, one still seemed to be able to feel that peculiar attractive air about him.
Cossen involuntarily remembered the past again, remembered how much he used to love this person.
Cossen could still remember when he first noticed this person. It was during a battle. At the time, Harvey was still only an unremarkable minor officer stationed at a small base, but one day, the alien beasts suddenly attacked that base. Because of his vigilance and heroic actions, he was able to successfully beat back that alien beast army and keep his comrades’ lives safe.
That was the first time he really stood out.
From then on, he only began to shine more and more, like a brilliant star. People couldn’t help but want to chase after his silhouette.
Perhaps he never realized, but in fact, Cossen had noticed him very early on.
Every one of his virtues drew him in…Cossen offered him his guidance very generously, not just because of his favorable impression of him, but more because all of the soldiers of the human military should be like Harvey, who lended confidence to the people and drew their adoration.
Cossen should not be the only hero—people needed more heroes. He wanted every single soldier to be brimming with fighting spirit and the people to be filled with hope.
So Cossen continued to silently pay attention to Harvey, observing as he grew more and more dazzling, like a gemstone gradually being chiseled into art.
But he only truly decided to bring Harvey to his side after that incident when they were trapped.
Xicks had launched a huge attack on them without any warning. He and an important unit were trapped on a minor planet. They were in a desperate situation. Reinforcements would not arrive for another two days, but they could not hold on for that long.
Even though he and a few others could risk escaping, the people who were left behind were bound to become the alien beasts’ food. He didn’t want to abandon them…
Just then, Harvey suddenly arrived out of the blue with his troops. They were few in number, but they just so happened to be close by, so he’d traveled through a wormhole and attacked the alien beasts from behind, taking them by surprise and buying Cossen time.
Cossen would never forget the way Harvey looked when he appeared in front of him that day. The young man’s golden hair was like sunlight, his blue eyes like a deep, azure sea. When he walked in front of him, all at once, he commanded his entire gaze.
Cossen never knew that he could be so attracted to someone.
This person possessed practically all the best characteristics. He was heroic and fearless, smart and kind, honest and brave…He also possessed a handsome face, as well as a dazzling temperament. Clearly, he was only an officer of humble background, but it was as if he were born the gods’ favorite.
Cossen pulled himself out of his memories abruptly. He didn’t want to keep thinking about everything that happened between them in the past. All of those beautiful memories had now become lies.
Harvey was Xicks’s apostle. So the first time he grabbed Cossen’s attention was the beginning of his plot. Everything was prearranged: the supposed alien beast attacks and the supposedly heroic actions were all just performances put on to deceive him.
In order to achieve outstanding military service, in order to get close to him, this person did not hesitate to sacrifice his comrades and those innocent civilians. He had the alien beasts attack them, and then pretended to valiantly fight them off…allowing himself to seem like a hero.
Xicks truly spared no effort to make you into humanity’s hero. But did you know that all of your glory was attained by trampling on the blood spilled by humans and alien beasts?
Using endless amounts of blood to allow you alone to shine…Making them into stepping stones for you to get closer to me step by step, to acquire power step by step, leading to one final betrayal that sent us, who trusted you, into eternal damnation.
Rage once again bubbled up in Cossen’s chest.
I actually once so carefully loved and cherished you, you who turned out to be like this.
A soulless, heartless, cold-blooded beast was not at all worthy of being treated like that!
What do you want to get from me this time? Confidential information? My life? Or others’ lives? Ah…if you want to get something from me again, you’ll have to pay a price.
And this time, I definitely won’t treat you like I did last time, because you don’t deserve that.
Cossen clenched his fists tight. Slowly, he looked up, his voice deep and low. “Corporal Kevin.”
Ye Ming stood at attention and loudly said, “Present!”
Cossen’s expression was calm. His dark red eyes were cold and ruthless. Insipidly, he said, “Turn around, back facing me.”
Ye Ming immediately turned around and stood with his back to Cossen.
Cossen narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing at the young man’s slender, fair neck peeking above his collar. Then his gaze shifted, as if it could penetrate through the uniform wrapped tightly around his body and peek at the graceful, powerful body underneath.
This is your weapon, isn’t it? In order to obtain my trust, you were willing even to pretend to love me. But what would a monster like you know about loving someone?
It was all fake…but what hurt even more was the fact that he actually was controlled and tortured by a facade…
In Cossen’s eyes appeared a frigid chilliness and a deeply oppressive anguish. What lengths are you willing to go to in order to get close to me this time?
Faintly, but in a tone that could not be contradicted, he commanded, “Now take the clothes off of your lower body.”
Ye Ming stiffened, but he didn’t immediately move. He suspected he might have heard incorrectly. How could the always upstanding Cossen demand something so ludicrous of his subordinates?
Cossen stared at Ye Ming’s back. His voice was slightly cold. “Corporal Kevin, are you disobeying orders?”
Ye Ming’s expression shifted. He could hear the chill and displeasure in Cossen’s tone. He pursed his lips tightly and finally grit his teeth and took off his pants. His lower body felt chilly, and the eyes looking at him from behind made him feel terribly ashamed.
He didn’t know why Cossen would give such an order or what he wanted to do, but these circumstances truly did make him feel embarrassed.
Cossen’s cold gaze fell on the straight and slender legs of the young man in front of him. He remained seated at his table, motionless, as if he were sizing up an object. He folded his hands in front of himself and said, “Now brace your hands behind your head and walk forward. Stand against the wall with your legs apart.”
Ye Ming felt his scalp go numb when he heard Cossen’s cold commands. He wondered if Cossen had already discovered his identity! Maybe he would directly kill him in the next second, and he wanted him to put himself in such a disadvantageous pose because it would be easier to subdue him this way!
But if he’d really found him out…it would be useless to fight back now anyway. He was no match for Cossen.
The look in Ye Ming’s eyes was complicated, torn, and chaotic, but he ultimately stood against the wall according to Cossen’s orders. As things stood, he could only gamble that perhaps Cossen hadn’t yet discovered his identity.
Very quickly, he heard the sound of Cossen standing up from the table, followed by the thumping of military boots against the floor. It felt as if each step was treading on his heart. Even without looking back, he knew that man was currently standing right behind him. That intense, oppressive air caused all the hair on his body to stand on end.
Ye Ming’s hands, braced against his head, whitened from the force he exerted. He felt a sense of danger, as if…maybe in the next moment, his head would be lopped off. His intuition told him that this person wanted to kill him!
Cossen stood behind Ye Ming. He gazed at the young man in front of him, his eyes lowered and laden with killing intent.
He understood Brody’s previous anger very well, and he also understood his hatred…He’d always told himself he had to be cool-headed and rational, not impulsive. But in fact, his heart hated, too, hated this person, hated that he couldn’t kill him…
But he couldn’t yet.
Only, even though I won’t kill you now, that doesn’t mean I’m going to treat you as tolerantly as before.
Cossen’s thin lips parted slightly and spat out ice-cold words: “As my orderly, it is one of your duties to relieve your senior officers’ desire. However, I won’t force you. You can choose to refuse, in which case I’ll have someone send you back to your original base.”
Ye Ming’s eyes widened abruptly. Fortunately, Cossen couldn’t see his expression from where he was standing.
He simply couldn’t believe Cossen would say these things. Was this still the upstanding man he knew? When they used to be together, Cossen seemed so serious and careful about even a kiss. He respected him and every other one of his comrades. He would never make such a demand.
But now…he could nonchalantly say such things to his own subordinates.
What was that about relieving superior officers’ desires? Maybe the military did have these kinds of superiors who coerced their junior officials, but Cossen…he wasn’t this kind of person originally! When did he become this way? Ye Ming felt shocked and saddened.
“Corporal Kevin.” Cossen’s eyes were cold as before. “Will you stay or will you leave? Please state your decision.”
Ye Ming trembled slightly. Although it was very difficult for him to give in to Cossen’s demands, he was currently facing the choice to either stay here or return to that remote little base. If he returned to that little base, he probably would not have the chance to get close to Cossen again for the rest of his life.
And he wouldn’t be able to do anything at all there. He wouldn’t have the seniority to contact Roy, much less Cossen. He couldn’t leave…He had to stay!
But if he stayed, he’d be violated by the one he used to love. Ye Ming was fiercely, painfully torn. He was very sad to be treated this way by Cossen, but in comparison…it was more important to expose Roy.
Ye Ming bit his lip firmly. “I choose to stay.”
Cossen did not look at all surprised, aside from his eyes becoming even colder. He wasn’t at all worried that Ye Ming would choose to leave. Ye Ming risked everything to get closer to him precisely so that he could stay by his side. How could he possibly give up because of something like this?
Besides, a monster like him didn’t have any sense of honor or shame in the first place.
But I will make you regret it. I’m going to see just how much you’re willing to endure for this…I’m waiting for the day you expose your identity.
Cossen coldly said, “Very good. Then please remember your position. I won’t repeat what I’m about to say again: if in the future you’re unable to do something as simple as obeying orders, you can go ahead and return to your original base. Here, I only need soldiers who understand how to completely obey orders.”
“Yes!” Ye Ming forced out.
Cossen’s lips curved into a cold smile. With one hand, he gripped Ye Ming’s neck and pressed him against the wall hard!
………………
Cossen possessed the strongest SSS-grade physique in the entire military. There was no doubt he was the strongest soldier. Ye Ming was slightly weaker than him, even in the past, to say nothing of the present—now he was hiding his identity and could not resist.
This episode was terribly difficult for Ye Ming to bear, because the person who violated him was once so gentle with him, but now he was so unfeeling and completely merciless. It was only one-sided, ruthless venting.
Several times, Ye Ming felt Cossen’s hand on his neck and thought in the next moment, he might snap his neck, just like that. He wasn’t sure if this was just his misperception…
But in the end, Cossen didn’t do it.
When it was over, Ye Ming felt like all of the bones in his body had been broken. It had been more exhausting than a violent battle and more painful than an injury.
But what really hurt him wasn’t the aches of his body. This level of pain was absolutely nothing compared to what Xicks had put him through. He was already so used to it his expression wouldn’t even waver…What hurt him more was his heart.
He wondered if he was truly too human. Just like a human, he felt shame and pain from being treated this way, especially since the one who’d caused his pain was someone he used to love.
But there was nothing he could say.
From beginning to end, Cossen’s clothes were neat and tidy, without a thread out of place. Even his expression was solemn and stoic, as if he weren’t doing something evil, but instead was doing something that couldn’t be more normal.
He bent slightly at the waist and pinched Ye Ming’s chin, staring into his eyes. His gaze was dark and his tone disdainful. “Corporal Kevin, it looks like you haven’t worked as hard as you say you have. It’s been so long since you arrived, yet your physical aptitude hasn’t improved at all. Don’t tell me you’ve been slacking off all the time?”
konswa: Look, I just can’t help but comment: How can Cossen spew lines straight out of a porno like “As my orderly, it is one of your duties to relieve your senior officers’ desire” with a straight face 囧囧? I understand if Xicks gets a free pass, since he’s a tentacle monster and everything… but Marshal Cossen??
beansprout: plsss i know!! i cringed so hard when typing that out
also, bonus konswa content (in blue), in case you were, like me (in pink), confused abt why kevin is plain and also pretty at the same time:
ALSO please look at this adorable fanart that Une on discord made for chapter 66!!! it’s so cute i could cry ToT
Because KeKe hates Harvey and he knows that Kevin is Harvey. So from love to hatred is just one step, eh~
And Cossen just want to went his hatred this way, so I kind of understand him. But I don’t approve them of course.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I was wondering how Cossen was going to start “using” Kevin. So, he’s going with the ole “my rank allows me to violate you,” routine, ah? Well played Marshall. 😏
That was so out of the blue lmao. With my whole heart, I did not think this arc would include that, but I guess this would up the angst lolol. Also:
“Ye Ming fell asleep frightened. Later, when he remembered he still had 888, he felt like he had nothing to fear anymore.”Aww that’s so cute (ﾉ≧∇≦)ﾉ ﾐ ┻━┻
how else is ye ming gonna make ML feel bad later╰(´︶`)╯and yes i love ye ming and 888’s relationship so much :”(
Thanks for the chapter! ^ ^
That fanart is adorable.
Omg 888 with a mug of tea <3
Ehem… ehem… my heart knew it would come to this.
So this is how Cossen will play. Not bad not bad. Your regrets later would really not be half-bad.
would be a great twist if harvey was their most respected hero the prince hahaha
I can’t see any of those pictures on my phone. Even changing browsers don’t work T^T
NAUR I wheezed out loud at the porno lines too!! 😂
He gets violated everytime. MLs has some sort of kink🤣