Chapter Twenty-Six: The Prodigy

“Lieutenant Lei Dong,” An Jing put on a stern face, striving to appear dignified and authoritative as a teacher, yet her lovely features only made her seem more approachable and charming. “Please recite the basic information about Aymar Nawal!”

“Yes, Instructor!” Lei Dong remained lying across An Jing’s lap, but brought his right hand together, fingers pressed to his temple in a salute, his expression grave though laughter sparkled in his eyes. “Aymar Nawal, thirty-five years old, born in the Dari Autonomous Prefecture of Ningbei Province. Wanted for separatist activities since 2025, he fled across the border in 2026 to the Republic of Amanda, entering a terrorist training camp. He participated in the planning and execution of the Ningbei Province, Gandzhou City bombing, the Ningxi Province, Kada City bombing, and the Ningxi Province, Lantian Prefecture police station attack. Directly and indirectly, he caused hundreds of civilian casualties, and eight police officers lost their lives in the line of duty…”

These details were etched into his memory as if branded there; Lei Dong recited them without hesitation, not missing a single word, his pace quickening. An Jing’s eyes grew wider and wider in disbelief, until Lei Dong abruptly stopped and called, “Pen and paper, please!”

An Jing stared at him dumbfounded, mechanically handing over a pen and a sheet of paper. Lei Dong snatched them up, still lounging in her lap, one hand supporting the paper and the other racing across it with the pen, drawing swiftly, his narration uninterrupted.

“Sharp-minded, agile, currently Deputy Director of Operations for the East Uguqat Liberation Assault Squad, and so-called Deputy Director of Armaments for the Republic of the Western Front Exiled Government…”

As his words flowed ceaselessly, accompanied by the soft scratching of pencil across paper and An Jing’s astonished expression, a sketch emerged on the A4 sheet—a portrait of Aymar Nawal, indistinguishable from the photograph in the file!

“How is this possible!” An Jing’s eyes were wide with incredulity.

Lei Dong’s voice continued, his pencil gliding rapidly, filling the room with its quiet whisper. One name after another, one fact after another, one likeness after another poured forth from his mouth and hands, like an endless river rushing forward, unceasing.

“Hoitim Mifni, fifty-seven, born in Lantian Prefecture, Ningxi Province… Minister of Operations for the East Uguqat Liberation Assault Squad, Chief of Staff for the Republic of the Western Front Exiled Government…”

“Kapman Delai, fifty-six, born in Kada City, Ningbei Province… Minister of Intelligence for the East Uguqat Liberation Assault Squad, Minister of Internal Affairs for the Republic of the Western Front Exiled Government…”

“Agulasan, fifty-nine, born in Ganliang City, Suzhou Province, Commander-in-Chief of the East Uguqat Liberation Assault Squad, President of the Republic of the Western Front Exiled Government…”

No further tests or proof were needed—Lei Dong had, without a doubt, absorbed all the material before him in just half an hour!

An Jing stared, slack-jawed and mechanical, at Lei Dong’s moving lips, at his youthful, confident face, radiant with a strange light, as if watching some kind of monster.

Memorizing such a vast array of information was astonishing enough, but what shocked An Jing even more was that Lei Dong not only remembered every person's appearance, but could reproduce their likenesses flawlessly, as if he were a high-resolution photocopier! Even the expressions in their eyes—arrogant, gloomy, or fierce—seemed to leap off the paper.

She knew, of course, that as an elite special forces soldier, a member of the most specialized unit within the special forces, the Republic’s most elite strategic force, every fighter in the Furious Dragon Squad had to master topographic mapping skills. But that was mapping terrain, not drawing portraits! It was clear that, without even mentioning traditional painting or oil painting, Lei Dong’s almost duplicative technique was already at a master level.

She could not have known that, with his brain’s precise recollection of everything he saw and his exact control over every muscle in his body, Lei Dong found all this effortless. In fact, An Jing’s initial guess was not wrong: in a sense, Lei Dong was like a scanner coupled with a high-capacity, high-speed hard drive.

Watching Lei Dong in amazement, An Jing felt a sudden impulse to crack open his skull and see what secrets lay inside. Her mind flashed back to the first time Lei Dong had acted at Han Jing University, recalling the shock he had given her: “Is he even human?”

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Nine o’clock in the morning, outside the northwest fourth ring of Han Jing, Changchun Garden.

This garden, whose construction as an imperial palace began nearly a thousand years ago, was continually expanded and restored by generations of emperors, reaching its peak 360 years ago. Covering over 290 hectares, its dense forests and countless pavilions were complemented by the Kunming Lake, spanning more than 220 hectares, and the Everlasting Mountain rising sixty meters above sea level. The scenery of lakes and mountains was enchanting, making it one of the most famous attractions in Han Jing City and the entire Republic.

It was Lei Dong’s idea to visit.

In a sense, having grown up in a military compound, surrounded mostly by officers of all ranks, and having been subjected to traditional education throughout his military career, Lei Dong, though prone to fights and mischief in his youth, was at heart a rather “traditional” and upright young man, holding onto values that others might find peculiar. For instance, he stubbornly believed that romance should be about two people strolling under flowers and moonlight, speaking softly, exchanging glances and lingering in tender affection—not about spending the night together on the very first day.

Thus, he insisted on visiting the Republic’s most renowned imperial garden, to savor the gentle flow of love amidst lakes and mountains, quietly appreciating the enduring tenderness between lovers.

The garden’s location was also a key factor in his choice.

As a special operations elite, Lei Dong understood the importance of time and planning, and his itinerary was meticulous. The garden was close to the Furious Dragon Squad’s base, not far from the Du Family River where the Second General Staff’s family compound was located, and near the west gate of Han Jing University. According to the plan Lei Dong and An Jing discussed and finalized in just three minutes, they would spend the morning in Changchun Garden, leave at a quarter past eleven to return home, arriving just in time for a delicious meal prepared by his mother and a good chat. After dinner at six, they would revisit Han Jing University’s campus to relive the moment of their first meeting, and finally return to the squad just before reporting time—making for a perfect day together. That was life! That was love!

As the architect and executor of this plan, Lei Dong could not have foreseen that the unexpected events during this outing would mark the beginning of wave after wave of bloodshed he was soon to face. For now, he held An Jing’s delicate hand, strolling along the long embankment beside Kunming Lake.