Chapter 111: The Revelation

David wore a smile as he returned, piloting the Type-2 Land Tiger armored vehicle. Every so often, he would glance back at the two alloy cases resting in the cargo hold.

The two cases were of different sizes; the larger one contained the Land Giant Lion exoskeleton, which was currently locked and inaccessible. This military-grade exoskeleton was keyed specifically to David’s identity, rendering it useless to any other soldier. Receiving such a piece of standard-issue equipment was a special reward from the military. It was only through Lieutenant Eaton’s intervention—and his report to superiors regarding David’s innate talent for body arts—that such an outcome was possible. Naturally, this reward would not be publicized, much like the Titan S600 transport ship provided by the city government; both would exist only in official records.

Because David would soon possess the Titan S600, Lieutenant Eaton had gifted him the Type-2 Land Tiger armored vehicle he was currently flying. As the Lieutenant had explained, his authority did not extend to installing military-grade weapons on the Titan S600, as any unauthorized modifications would not be recognized by the Sky Net and would prevent the ship from entering other cities. By gifting David the Land Tiger, he ensured that David would have a means of self-defense should the Titan S600 encounter trouble.

Just as David was feeling pleased, his brow suddenly furrowed. His Shadow Servant, positioned outside the armored vehicle, sensed someone in a ground-based hovercar keeping a constant watch on him. Since his Land Tiger was in flight, the observer could not keep pace, so they were using binoculars to track him. Had this been a few days ago, he would not have noticed such distant observation, but since his Perception had risen to 5.01, his senses were significantly sharpened; he could clearly feel the faint prickle of malicious intent from that gaze.

He glanced back at the alloy cases in the hold, shook his head, and decided against seeking out the observer to confront them. He accelerated the Land Tiger and headed toward his residence.

Upon arriving home, he immediately carried the two cases into his basement gym. He first reached for the case containing the Land Giant Lion exoskeleton. His identity bracelet received a signal from the case: "Identity confirmed. Prerequisite conditions not met. Please fulfill the requirements before attempting to open."

Suppressing the urge to bypass the restriction, David set the case aside. While he could break that level of encryption with a flick of his fingers, there was little point; the exoskeleton’s foundational requirements were in place to protect the user.

He pulled the smaller alloy case toward him, which opened easily. It was a cryo-case; as the lid lifted, a cloud of cold white mist escaped, revealing six strips of fortified meat, looking as if they had been freshly harvested.

"Level 2 fortified meat," David murmured to himself.

The military clearly possessed the best methods for processing fortified meat. The sub-zero environment preserved the freshness of the Level 2 meat as much as possible, retaining the vast majority of its energy, even if it could not quite match the efficacy of meat consumed immediately after a kill.

He did not eat it right away, instead searching the Sky Net for articles on the consumption of Level 2 fortified meat. While information was scarce, he managed to find some useful guidance. The consensus among veteran soldiers was that six strips should be consumed over six days. David figured he was not far behind a formal soldier in ability, so he decided to follow the same regimen.

He took out one strip and resealed the rest. Instead of having his smart butler, Emma, process it, he drew his secondary longsword and cut the meat into small pieces.

As David placed a small piece of the Level 2 meat into his mouth, its strange energy seemed to be naturally drawn to his body, beginning to overflow and be absorbed the moment it touched his tongue. This was, of course, thanks to his enhanced perception, which allowed him to detect minute details that others would miss.

Without hesitation, he consumed the pieces. It felt as if a furnace had ignited in his stomach, radiating energy that intoxicated his entire body. David stood up and began practicing the eighteen forms of body arts. Today’s session felt vastly different from when he had consumed Level 1 meat; the sensation of each movement triggering a surge of energy within, and the feeling of his body accelerating into a unified whole, was incredibly distinct.

His eyes grew brighter with every movement. Had he not read so many accounts of soldiers using Level 2 meat, he would have been tempted to consume all of it at once.

"Soon, it will be soon," David thought, looking at the large alloy case with excitement. Perhaps it wouldn’t be long before he was qualified to wear the Land Giant Lion exoskeleton.

At four in the afternoon, David received a notification that Myron had arrived at his door.

"David, I’m so jealous! You don’t even have to go to school. I had to take a half-day off, and I still have to go back for afternoon classes. I came straight over after school just to see what the Silver Star Medal looks like!" Myron complained as he entered.

Hearing this, David remembered that he likely wouldn’t be returning to school; he would soon be leaving Perrin City for Na'an City.

"Myron, I’m afraid you’ll have to fly to the concert alone," David said, feigning sadness.

"David, what happened? I’ve been pulling strings for ages just to get two temporary permits so we could go to Emma’s concert together. You’re just going to bail on me now?" Myron was flustered. He had promised David, and it had taken a long time to convince his father to agree. He was also worried that something might have happened to David; otherwise, given how much David liked Emma, why would he miss her concert?

"Myron, I didn't say I wasn't going to the concert. I meant I wouldn't be flying to Na'an City with you. I’m going to head to Na'an City early to lay low for a while and wait for the university entrance exams," David explained with a smile.

"David, you’re leaving Perrin City?" Myron asked, surprised, his focus shifting away from the joke.

He paused for a moment, and the reason became clear. Since several mercenaries had been killed over the bounty on David’s information, the mission posted on the Sky Net mercenary station had become common knowledge. While David had the support of the military and the public in Perrin City, Na'an City was objectively safer. Even if there were mercenaries with high-level clearance, very few would dare to make a move in Na'an City. Furthermore, David had Galen’s support there; with Galen’s power, shielding David would be trivial.

"I suppose that's for the best, but now if I want to hang out with you, I'll have to go all the way to Na'an City," Myron said, sounding disappointed.

"Myron, you'll be accepted into Na'an University in six months at most. We’ll be together again then!" David said, giving him a nudge.

"Right! Right, we'll be classmates at Na'an University!" Myron laughed, his confidence growing as he continued practicing the Storm Hammer technique.

"You’d better work hard, don't go failing the entrance exam!" David teased.

"Don't worry, I'm the genius Myron!" he said, head held high, before laughing at himself for saying such a thing in front of David.

"Here is the Silver Star Medal you wanted to see," David said, taking out the medal box and handing it over.

"David, careful! This is a Silver Star Medal!" Myron, who cherished the medal more than David did, quickly cautioned him upon seeing his casual handling of it.

He opened the box, his eyes filled with fascination. Growing up in the mayor’s house, he had seen all sorts of treasures, but he was more moved by the sight of the Silver Star Medal than by any fine jewelry. David could see that the Federation’s glorification of these medals was deeply ingrained in the public consciousness; each medal was a massive halo, attracting countless people to fight and sacrifice for them.

"David, do you believe me? I will definitely earn a medal of my own one day—at the very least, a Silver Star," Myron said earnestly, a flicker of firm resolve in his eyes.