Chapter 102: Reunion

"My heavens, look who it is!" Myron exclaimed theatrically when he saw David come through the door. Then he put on a solemn face and said, "Welcome, our great hero, David!"

"Thank you!" Daly strode up to David, embraced him firmly, and said it with real feeling.

"Thank you!" De Quincy also bowed respectfully.

Though the news of David's deeds had not yet fully spread, among the military and the higher ranks of government it had already become common knowledge.

"Myron, I hereby declare your Gladstone safe!" David nodded to the two of them, then smiled at Myron.

"What, you're not planning to take the academic exams anymore?" Myron asked curiously.

With their friendship, even if the six-model Gladstone car were given to David, his family would not object; they might even support it.

What he cared about was David's choice for the college entrance exam.

"No. The military assigned me an armored vehicle to use, so your Gladstone is safe!" David said with a grin.

"What, an armored vehicle? After dinner, let us take it for a ride!" Myron's eyes lit up as he hurried to say so.

Daly and De Quincy had lost their earlier reserve because of this as well, and they cried out with excitement.

David had said it that way on purpose. He did not want his friends to change the way they treated him because of his performance in the war.

"Bring the food first. I'm starving!" David said, patting his stomach.

"David, I know you were injured today. Don't worry, I made a special point of telling them that all the dishes today are meant to restore your strength!" Myron looked David over and, finding no sign of injury, smiled as he spoke.

While they were still talking, the private room door opened and two female waitresses came in pushing a serving cart, setting out one exquisite dish after another.

"Wait, we didn't order this much, did we?" Daly stared at the spread on the table, then turned in surprise to ask the waitresses.

"Why worry about that? No matter how much they bring, today's on me!" Myron declared generously.

"Like hell you'll be the one paying. I was the one who asked David to get together with everyone today!" Jim immediately protested, waving a hand.

"It shouldn't be either of you. I should be the one paying today. David saved my father, and if I don't spend this money, I'm afraid I'll be in for it when I get home!" Daly also slapped the table and shouted.

"What? These dishes were sent by the hotel?" De Quincy, who spoke the least, had been about to quietly settle the bill with his identity bracelet when he heard the waitress's soft explanation, and he blurted out in surprise.

"Yes. Our manager heard that Mr. David was dining here, so he had us send these dishes up. He said that if outsiders heard that Mr. David came to dine at the West City Hotel and still had to pay credits, they would tear down the hotel signboard!" The speaking waitress was very articulate, and she explained respectfully to De Quincy.

When she finished, both waitresses looked at David with admiration. Such a young hero, so much like the champions in a legend, only missing the princesses from the story.

"All right, since that's how it is, we'll take turns treating David from now on!" Jim said with a smile.

"David, from now on I'll be the one taking you out to eat!" Myron said, leaning close to David with a greedy expression.

In that warm atmosphere, Jim did not insist on making them drink heavily. The friends joked with one another and enjoyed the delicious food.

In the middle of the merriment, the door opened once again.

"Who is disturbing the peace now?" Jim complained casually.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a hand land on his head, and heard his friends stifling their laughter.

"Father, what brings you here!" Jim said hurriedly, feeling the familiar hand and the force behind it.

David saw Lieutenant Eaton and Lieutenant Elmer, the two major figures of the military in Perran City.

"We're not here to see you. I heard David was here, so I came to say hello!" Lieutenant Eaton patted Jim's head again and pushed him aside.

"Uncle Eaton, I should be the one coming to see you!" David said quickly as he rose to his feet.

"Brother David, if you call Eaton anything, you have to call him brother too, or I'll be making myself a generation older for nothing!" Lieutenant Elmer said, glaring in displeasure.

His words made Daly's face go pale. If his friend became his uncle, how was he supposed to greet him from now on?

"David, just call me by my name from now on!" Lieutenant Eaton said at once with a laugh, smoothing things over, then turned to the young men and said, "You each address one another as you please. Don't mind us!"

"Brother David, come visit me when you have time. You can try any of the armored gear as much as you like, and I also have military armored training equipment over there!" Lieutenant Elmer said warmly.

Even Lieutenant Eaton did not know what to say. You can mention such things in private, but the good thing was that everyone here could be trusted, and they were all David's friends.

Every piece of military armored gear was classified. At the very least, before David had the proper clearance, he could not come into contact with those items. The same was true of the armored training equipment.

"Thank you. I will!" David answered with a smile and a nod.

"David, stay in Perran City for the next few days. I've already submitted your commendation. There should be a reply within a few days. Also, now that your body has just recovered, mind your diet!" Lieutenant Eaton said quietly.

The two lieutenants did not stay long. They could see that with them there, these young people simply could not relax and enjoy themselves.

Perhaps it was excitement, or perhaps they had been frightened by the earlier insect invasion, but after dinner the group rode together in a Type Two Land Tiger armored vehicle, flying over the city for most of the afternoon. It was not until nightfall that they each went home.

When David returned home, he discovered that his identity bracelet had received a message from the school at some point.

"Due to the impact of the insect invasion, classes will be suspended. Resumption of classes will be announced separately."

"That works too. I'll rest well for a few days." David shut off the identity bracelet with a casual motion and murmured to himself.

The exhaustion of the day, the tension of war, and the indulgence of the afternoon had left him utterly drained. He collapsed onto the bed, and before long he was already asleep.

In an office, Koush sat before his work computer. On the display screen was David's information.

It included the full account, handed over by the military to the government, of David's participation in the war, complete with accomplishments and evaluations.

"David..." Koush murmured grimly, his hands moving swiftly over the keyboard. As a police officer, he had greater authority than ordinary people, and he could see many things others were not allowed to view.

Koush had been transferred from the Keya City police bureau to the Perran City police bureau. Because of that transfer, most of the police in Perran City assumed he must have offended some high official, to be sent from a large city down to a place as small as Perran City.

His rank in Perran City had not changed. He was still a senior officer, second only to the police chief, a fairly high-ranking post in the city. But because the city police bureau was constrained by the city's legal affairs office, the level of his position was quite a bit lower than that of a senior officer in Keya City.

Still, Koush did not care about that. He had come to Perran City for Jerry and the Everlasting Holy Water.

He had already been in Perran City for several days, during which he had investigated Jerry's residence as well as several hidden safe houses.

Through careful examination, he had reached several conclusions.

First, before Jerry disappeared, one of his important assets, Mr. Stout, had been killed, and he had been shot dead by a long-range sniper cannon from atop the city wall.

David was involved in that incident; he had been standing not far from the sniper cannon at the time.

Second, along the route Jerry must have taken before he disappeared, in front of the industrial district waste processing plant, there had been signs of a battle.

A sniper had taken part, and at least one close-combat fighter as well.

What supported this judgment were several inconspicuous craters he had found, as well as bullets that had penetrated buildings or the ground, along with fragments of a hover car.

In the street there were several points where Jerry had braced himself and driven off with his feet. Though the traces on the ground were not very obvious, how could such a method of exertion escape his eyes?

He also suspected that a powerful electronic warfare specialist had taken part, because that night none of the industrial district's scan probes had detected the battle.

For that reason, he had investigated every armored combat suit that had entered Perran City recently, because in his view only an armored combat suit could pose a threat to Jerry's life.

But when he discovered that David possessed such formidable sniping ability, he began to suspect that David had been involved in the action against Jerry. That was the only lead he had found so far.