Chapter 3

The lead examiner took off his glasses and gave a slow nod.

"Ethan, we will follow protocol to verify the complainant's identity. Once that's confirmed, you will receive an official notification."

I stood up. "Thank you, sir. I'll wait for the notice."

I pushed open the door to the waiting room.

Chloe and Julian were sitting side by side on the bench, barely an inch apart.

At the sound of my footsteps, Chloe shot to her feet, and Julian quickly followed.

"Ethan, how was it?" Her voice was pitchy, with a faint tremor at the end.

I walked up to them, locked eyes with her, and said, word by word:

"I passed the re-exam. My color vision is completely normal."

The last bit of color drained from Julian's face. His lips trembled before forcing out a single word:

"Congratulations."

"One more thing," I said, casually sliding my hands into my jacket pockets. "I've requested the center pull up the complainant's identity. They promised me an official explanation."

Chloe's pupils contracted violently.

"Can... can they actually trace that?" She cleared her dry throat. "Aren't those reports usually anonymous?"

"It was submitted anonymously," I nodded, my gaze drifting slowly over Julian's bowed head. "But the examiners told me that even anonymous submissions leave digital logs in the system. Pulling the logs will trace it right back to the source."

Julian's shoulders shuddered visibly.

Chloe shifted half a step to the side, shielding him from my view.

"Ethan... do you really have to dig into it? You passed the re-exam anyway. Maybe just let it go."

"Let it go?" I repeated the words softly, but the quiet tone made her freeze. "Someone accused me of cheating on an entrance exam for a military academy. That's a stain on my record. If I don't clear it up, that allegation hangs over my file forever."

Julian finally looked up, his eyes rimmed in red, his voice shaking:

"Ethan's right. Something like this really shouldn't just be ignored."

I met his eyes and gave a faint smile.

"Julian, were you crying this morning? Your eyes are awfully red."

His neck stiffened, and he quickly looked down, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

"I... I just didn't sleep well. I was worried sick about your re-exam today. I was up tossing and turning all night."

"How considerate of you," I said softly, my voice completely level. "I didn't even lose sleep over my own exam, yet you stayed up half the night stressing for me."

Julian pressed his lips into a pale line, his fingers twisting the hem of his shirt.

Chloe stood between us, darting glances back and forth, her mouth opening and closing without producing a sound.

I took a step closer to her, lowering my voice so only the two of us could hear.

"Chloe, why do you think someone would report me?"

She jerked backward half a step until her back hit the wall.

"How... how would I know?" Her voice was rough. "Maybe it was a misunderstanding, or someone just misread the situation."

"Misread the situation and jumped straight to an official complaint?" I tilted my head, staring at the faint beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "The center processes over a thousand candidates a day. The medical staff double-checked everything before signing off. Is this complainant smarter than the doctors, claiming cheating after a single glance?"

The hallway air felt suffocatingly heavy.

"Ethan, maybe we should just go home. Your parents are waiting for news."

Chloe finally found her voice, barely holding onto her composed demeanor.

"No rush." I turned toward the elevators, keeping my pace steady. "Waiting for the results won't take long anyway. Between the report and the formal review, it's only two or three days."

The elevator doors slid shut behind me.

Through the narrowing gap, I saw Chloe leaning against the wall for support, Julian standing a step away from her, both of them paralyzed in silence.

As the elevator descended, I caught my own reflection in the metal doors.

That expression reminded me of myself in my past life, typing out that final text on my cracked screen right before dying.

My fingers had lost all their strength back then, but I had forced out every single letter anyway.

The message sent, a red exclamation mark popped up, and then everything went black.

This time was different. Every single debt owed to me would be paid back in full.

The elevator dinged on the first floor. As the doors opened, I almost ran into someone.

She wasn't particularly tall, wore the academy's PT uniform, and held a manila folder in her hand.

She stepped aside, glanced at me, and then peered behind me.

"You here for the physical too?"

"A re-check," I answered simply.

Riley Brooks arched an eyebrow, clearly surprised by the bluntness, but she didn't pry.

"Well, you're in luck. The lead examiner on the review board today is the chief of the center. Known for being strictly by the book."

"I know." I moved past her toward the exit.

Her voice called out from behind me: "Wait, what's your name?"

I glanced back.

"Ethan Vance."

The corner of her mouth lifted. "Riley Brooks. Physical check too. Maybe we'll be classmates."

I didn't reply, pushing open the glass doors into the outside world.

The blazing sunlight beat down, burning hot against my skin.

In this lifetime, the world was finally starting to warm up.