CHAPTER 1 — “JUST A NOBODY”

The corridor outside the training hall smelled of metal, sweat, and old paint.

Linh stood alone near the lockers, holding a thin folder to her chest, trying to make herself smaller than she already felt.

Around her, laughter echoed.

Not the friendly kind.

The cruel kind.

“Well, look who’s here.”
A tall female recruit leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes sharp with amusement. “The civilian girl who thinks she belongs with us.”

Another voice chimed in. “She doesn’t even have a unit patch yet. Probably doesn’t even know how to salute properly.”

Linh lowered her gaze.
“I’m just here to submit my documents,” she said quietly. “I was told to wait—”

“Wait?” The tall girl stepped closer. “You think you get to wait here, in our hall?”

Someone kicked Linh’s bag across the floor.

Papers slid out.

Forms, certificates, recommendation letters.

Linh knelt instantly, scrambling to pick them up.

“Careful,” a boy laughed. “Wouldn’t want to lose those precious civilian papers.”

Her hands trembled as she gathered the documents. Her cheeks burned, but she forced herself not to cry.

She had promised herself she wouldn’t.

Not here.

Not in front of them.

Across the hall, Instructor Kade watched the scene with cold, indifferent eyes. He said nothing. Did nothing.

Silence was permission.

“Hey, Linh, right?” the tall girl said, crouching in front of her. “Tell me something. Do you even know what kind of place this is?”

Linh nodded. “Yes. I know.”

“Then you should know we don’t babysit fragile little civilians who wander in here by mistake.”

Linh stood up slowly, gripping her folder.
“I didn’t wander in. I passed the written tests. I’m here for evaluation.”

That made them laugh even harder.

Evaluation.

Like that meant anything without connections.

“Oh, that’s cute,” the girl said. “She thinks rules protect her.”

Another recruit whispered loudly, “Does she even have anyone backing her up?”

Silence fell for a second.

Then the tall girl smiled.

“Of course not.”

Linh’s fingers tightened around the folder.

“I don’t need backing,” she said. “I just need a fair chance.”

A shove hit her shoulder.

Hard.

She stumbled back, crashing into the lockers.

Metal rang through the hallway.

“You don’t get ‘fair’ here,” the tall girl said quietly now, eyes cold. “You get what people like you always get.”

Instructor Kade finally spoke.

“Enough.”

But his tone wasn’t sharp.
It was bored.

“Just make sure she’s still standing when training starts.”

The recruits grinned.

That was all the approval they needed.

Inside the Training Hall

The hall was massive, filled with echoing footsteps and the thud of heavy boots on mats.

Linh stood at the edge of the floor, heart pounding.

Pairs of recruits sparred in the center.

She had trained. She wasn’t helpless.

But she could already feel the eyes on her.

Waiting.

“Pair up!” Kade shouted.

No one moved toward Linh.

Then the tall girl stepped forward.

“I’ll take her.”

Kade raised an eyebrow. “Try not to break her.”

“No promises, sir.”

The recruits formed a loose circle.

Linh swallowed.

“Ready?” the girl asked, not bothering to hide the mockery.

Linh nodded, raising her guard.

The first strike came fast.

Too fast.

A kick to the ribs knocked the air out of her lungs.

She gasped, barely staying on her feet.

Another hit.
Then another.

She tried to block, tried to counter, but every move was crushed by brute strength and pure aggression.

“Is that all you’ve got?” the girl sneered, grabbing Linh’s collar and throwing her to the floor.

Linh hit the mat hard.

Her vision blurred.

“Get up,” someone shouted. “Don’t pretend you’re injured already!”

She pushed herself up, shaking.

“I’m… not done.”

That earned her a punch across the face.

She fell again.

This time, no one laughed.

They just watched.

Even Kade’s expression tightened slightly — not with concern, but calculation.

Linh lay on the mat, ears ringing.

Her body screamed at her to stop.

But something inside her refused.

She forced herself to her knees.

“You should’ve stayed home,” the tall girl whispered, gripping her hair and pulling her head up. “This place eats people like you alive.”

Linh met her eyes.

“I’m still here.”

For a moment, the girl hesitated.

Then she shoved Linh back down.

Harder.

“Match over,” Kade said at last. “Next pair.”

Just like that.

No punishment.
No questions.

Linh lay there, staring at the ceiling, chest rising and falling painfully.

No one helped her up.

After Training

She cleaned the blood from her lip in the restroom sink.

Her reflection looked small.

Weak.

But her eyes were still steady.

“You okay?”

A soft voice came from behind.

Another recruit — shorter, nervous-looking.

“They really went too far,” the girl whispered. “You should report it.”

Linh shook her head.
“It won’t change anything.”

“Why are you even here?” the girl asked. “If you don’t have connections, they’ll just keep targeting you.”

Linh hesitated.

Then said quietly, “Because I promised someone I wouldn’t quit.”

The girl frowned. “Who?”

Linh didn’t answer.

Instead, she folded her documents carefully and slipped them back into her bag.

Somewhere Else — At the Same Time

In a quiet office far from the training hall, a man in a neatly pressed uniform stood by a window, hands clasped behind his back.

Silver lined his hair.
His posture was rigid, disciplined.

A subordinate stood nervously beside him.

“Sir, the new evaluation group has begun training.”

The man nodded slowly.
“And the civilian applicant?”

The subordinate hesitated.
“She’s… having some difficulties integrating.”

The man’s jaw tightened.

“Define ‘difficulties.’”

“…She’s being tested more aggressively than the others.”

The man closed his eyes for half a second.

Then opened them, sharp and cold.

“I see.”

He picked up his cap from the desk.

“Prepare the vehicle.”

“Sir?” the subordinate stammered. “You’re going to the training hall personally?”

“Yes.”

“But sir, your schedule—”

“Can wait.”

He placed the cap on his head.

“Because if what I think is happening is happening,” he said quietly,
“then some people have forgotten who they’re dealing with.”

Back at the Barracks

That night, Linh lay on her bunk, staring at the ceiling.

Every muscle hurt.

Whispers traveled through the room.

“She won’t last a week.”
“Why even let civilians in?”
“She doesn’t belong here.”

She turned on her side, clutching her blanket.

Her phone vibrated once.

A single message.

Are you holding up?

She typed back with trembling fingers.

I’m fine.

Then added.

I won’t quit.

She didn’t know if anyone would come.

She didn’t know if anyone even could.

But tomorrow…
something felt different.

Like a storm was coming.

And no one in that building had any idea whose daughter they had just pushed to the ground.

CHAPTER 2 — “SET UP TO FALL”

Morning came with cold rain and the sound of whistles.

Linh woke up sore in every muscle, but she pushed herself out of bed before anyone could say a word.

She would not give them another reason.

Outside, the training yard was already crowded. Recruits stood in formation, boots sinking slightly into wet mud.

Instructor Kade walked slowly in front of the lines.

“Today,” he said, “we test teamwork under pressure.”

Some of the recruits exchanged glances.

Teamwork.

Linh already knew what that meant for her.

“You,” Kade pointed at her. “You’ll join Squad C.”

The tall girl from yesterday smiled without warmth.

Lucky me.

They moved toward the obstacle field — walls, ropes, smoke machines, and timed checkpoints.

Kade raised his hand.
“Complete the course. Squad time counts as one. If one fails, all fail.”

The whistle blew.

They ran.

At first, Linh kept up. She climbed, jumped, crawled, ignoring the pain in her ribs.

But then came the rope climb.

One by one, they went up.

When it was Linh’s turn, the tall girl whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

“Try not to slow us down again.”

Linh grabbed the rope and started climbing.

Halfway up, something burned across her palms.

She looked down.

The rope had been cut.

Not fully — just enough.

It snapped.

She fell.

Hard.

Pain exploded through her shoulder as she hit the ground.

A sharp cry escaped her lips before she could stop it.

The squad stopped.

“Get up,” someone snapped. “We don’t have time for this.”

Linh tried.

Her arm screamed in protest.

“I… I think my shoulder—”

“So now you’re injured?” the tall girl said loudly. “Unbelievable.”

Kade’s eyes narrowed from across the field.

“Move, Recruit,” he shouted. “Or you’re done for the day.”

Linh forced herself up, biting back tears.

She used her good arm to climb again, slower now.

They finished the course last.

Because of her.

Back in formation, Kade’s voice cut through the rain.

“Squad C failed.”

Eyes turned to Linh.

Not with sympathy.

With blame.

“You cost us everything,” one of the boys muttered.

Kade walked closer, stopping right in front of Linh.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Linh swallowed.

“The rope was damaged, sir. I fell because—”

“Excuses,” he cut in. “In real situations, equipment fails. Teammates don’t.”

The tall girl spoke up instantly.

“She complained about pain instead of pushing through, sir.”

Kade studied Linh for a moment.

Then said coldly, “Drop and give me fifty.”

Linh stared.

“Now.”

She dropped to the mud and began.

Ten.
Twenty.
Her injured shoulder trembled violently.

At thirty, her arms gave out.

She collapsed.

Laughter rippled through the line.

“Pathetic.”

Kade’s face remained unreadable.

“Get back in line.”

Later — Equipment Room

Linh went to retrieve her gear.

As she opened her locker, a voice behind her said, “Looking for this?”

The tall girl held up Linh’s access badge.

Without it, Linh couldn’t enter certain zones.

“I didn’t take that,” Linh said.

“Oh?” the girl smiled. “Then how did it end up in my pocket?”

Two other recruits stood nearby, arms crossed.

“You’re setting me up,” Linh said quietly.

“Watch your tone,” one of them snapped. “You already messed up training. Now you’re accusing others?”

Linh reached for the badge.

The tall girl pulled it back.

“I think Instructor Kade should hear about this.”

In the Office

Kade listened as the tall girl spoke.

“She was acting suspicious, sir. Hanging around the equipment racks. Then I found her badge in my pocket. Maybe she tried to plant it on me.”

Linh’s heart pounded.

“That’s not true,” she said. “Someone cut the rope earlier. Now this—someone is targeting me.”

Kade leaned back in his chair.

“Do you have proof?”

Linh hesitated.

“No, sir.”

“Then what I see,” Kade said slowly, “is a recruit who keeps failing, keeps causing problems, and now keeps making accusations.”

“That’s not fair—”

“Life here isn’t fair.”

Silence filled the room.

Kade stood.

“For today, you’re suspended from exercises. Report to cleaning duty.”

The tall girl hid her smile.

As they left, she leaned close to Linh’s ear.

“Next time, it won’t just be your shoulder.”

Cleaning Duty — Alone

Buckets. Mops. Cold floors.

Linh scrubbed in silence.

Anger burned in her chest, but she forced it down.

If she exploded, they would win.

Her phone vibrated again.

Where are you right now?

She stared at the screen.

Cleaning duty.

The reply came almost instantly.

Did someone hurt you?

Her fingers hovered.

Then she typed:

It’s fine. Please don’t come.

Several seconds passed.

Then:

I’m coming anyway.

Her heart skipped.

No, please. I can handle this.

No reply.

Evening — The Final Blow

Just as Linh finished mopping, Kade appeared at the door.

“Follow me.”

She froze.

“Yes, sir.”

He led her down a quiet corridor to the storage wing.

Inside, several officers stood around a table.

On it lay broken equipment.

“This was found in your assigned area,” Kade said. “Damaged straps. Missing parts.”

Linh stared.

“I didn’t touch those.”

“Witnesses say you were alone there.”

Her breath caught.

“Sir, someone is trying to frame me.”

Kade looked at her carefully.

“Or you’re sabotaging training to avoid participation.”

“I would never—”

“Enough.”

He turned to the officers.

“We’ll escalate this. Until further notice, she’s confined to barracks.”

Linh’s legs went weak.

This wasn’t just bullying anymore.

This could end her chance completely.

As she was escorted out, she heard the tall girl’s voice behind her, soft and satisfied.

“Told you she didn’t belong.”

Outside — A Black Military Vehicle Stopped

At the front gate, guards suddenly snapped to attention.

A black vehicle rolled to a stop.

The door opened.

A man stepped out.

Uniform immaculate.
Stars on his shoulders.

The guards saluted instantly.

“Yes, Commander!”

He nodded briefly and walked forward without slowing.

Inside the barracks, Linh sat on her bunk, staring at her shaking hands.

She didn’t know what was coming.

But somewhere in the building, footsteps were moving with purpose.

And every officer who recognized that uniform felt their blood turn cold.

CHAPTER 3 — “WHEN THE DOOR OPENED”

The meeting room was silent.

Too silent.

Linh stood in the center of the floor, hands clenched at her sides, while officers lined the walls. Instructor Kade stood near the front table, arms crossed, expression firm.

“This is a formal review,” Kade said. “You will answer honestly.”

Linh lifted her chin.
“I will.”

One officer spoke first.
“Why were you in the storage wing after being assigned cleaning duty?”

“I was told to clean that area, sir.”

“Anyone confirm that?”

No one answered.

Kade continued. “Damaged equipment was found there. Can you explain that?”

“I didn’t touch it.”

“Then why were your fingerprints on the straps?”

Linh’s eyes widened.
“What?”

“We checked,” another officer said coldly. “Your prints were present.”

Her heart dropped.

That wasn’t possible.

Unless—

Someone had planted it.

“You’re framing me,” she said, voice shaking but firm. “Someone cut the rope yesterday. Someone took my badge. Now this. It’s not coincidence.”

Kade slammed his hand on the table.

“Enough. This unit doesn’t tolerate paranoia or excuses.”

“I’m not lying!” Linh snapped, unable to hold back anymore. “I’ve been targeted since the first minute I walked in here!”

Murmurs spread across the room.

Kade stared at her, eyes sharp.
“Careful, Recruit.”

“Why?” Linh shot back. “Because I don’t have connections? Because I’m ‘just a civilian’?”

That phrase hung in the air.

Several officers shifted uncomfortably.

Before Kade could respond—

The door opened.

Slowly.

Every head turned.

A tall man stepped inside.

His presence alone changed the air in the room.

Uniform crisp.
Command insignia gleaming on his shoulders.

For half a second, no one spoke.

Then chairs scraped back.

Officers snapped to attention.

“Commander!”

Even Kade stiffened, face draining of color.

The commander’s eyes swept the room once.

Then locked onto Linh.

She froze.

Her breath caught in her throat.

He walked forward, boots echoing on the floor, stopping only a few steps away from her.

“Are you injured?” he asked quietly.

Linh stared at him, shocked.

“…No, sir.”

The room went dead silent.

Kade cleared his throat. “Sir, this is an internal disciplinary—”

“I know exactly what this is,” the commander interrupted.

His voice was calm.

Which somehow made it worse.

He turned to the officers.
“Who authorized the suspension of this recruit without my knowledge?”

No one answered.

Kade finally spoke.
“I did, sir, based on repeated failures and suspicious behavior.”

The commander looked at him.

“Failures,” he repeated. “Or isolation?”

Kade stiffened. “Sir?”

The commander turned back to Linh.

“Tell me,” he said, “who cut the rope?”

Linh hesitated, eyes darting toward the tall girl standing near the back of the room.

The girl’s face had gone pale.

“I… I don’t know, sir,” Linh said. “But it was damaged before I climbed.”

The commander nodded once.

Then turned sharply to the officers.

“Pull the obstacle course footage.”

Kade’s eyes widened slightly. “Sir, the cameras in that sector—”

“Now.”

A junior officer rushed to the control panel, hands shaking.

Seconds later, the screen flickered to life.

Footage showed the rope station from the morning.

Time stamp: before training.

Three figures appeared.

One of them was unmistakable.

The tall girl.

She glanced around, then pulled out a blade and sliced partway through the rope.

Gasps rippled through the room.

The girl stumbled back. “I— I can explain—”

“Save it,” the commander said.

His voice was still calm.

But his eyes were ice.

The footage switched.

Storage wing.

A figure entered while Linh was mopping elsewhere.

The same girl again.

She handled the equipment, pressing Linh’s badge against the straps.

Planting fingerprints.

Silence crashed down like thunder.

The tall girl collapsed to her knees.

“I was told to do it!” she cried. “Instructor Kade said if I didn’t, I’d be removed from the squad!”

All eyes snapped to Kade.

His face went rigid.

“That’s a lie,” he said instantly.

The commander took one slow step toward him.

“Is it?”

Kade opened his mouth—

Then closed it.

For the first time, uncertainty cracked through his authority.

The commander turned to the room.

“This unit trains soldiers, not bullies hiding behind rank and silence.”

He looked at Linh again.

Softly, he asked, “Did anyone help you when you were hurt?”

Linh swallowed.

“No, sir.”

“Did anyone speak up for you?”

Her voice dropped.
“No.”

The commander exhaled slowly.

Then, finally, he said the words that froze every person in the room.

“She is not just a civilian.”

Murmurs exploded.

“What?”
“Did he say—?”
“Then who is she—?”

The commander placed a hand on Linh’s shoulder.

“My daughter.”

The world stopped.

Linh’s vision blurred.

The officers stared as if struck by lightning.

Kade’s face went completely white.

“Sir… your… daughter?” someone whispered.

“Yes,” the commander said clearly. “And I sent her here without revealing her identity. Because I wanted to see how this unit treats someone they believe has no power.”

His gaze swept the room again.

“I have my answer.”

No one dared to speak.

Linh’s knees trembled.

She hadn’t wanted this.

Not like this.

“I didn’t tell him,” she whispered. “I never used his name.”

The commander squeezed her shoulder gently.

“I know.”

Then his voice hardened.

“But someone else used your weakness as a weapon.”

He turned to Kade.

“You allowed this.”

Kade swallowed hard.
“Sir, I was enforcing discipline—”

“You were protecting your favorites and punishing the unprotected,” the commander cut in. “That is not discipline. That is cowardice.”

Kade tried to speak again.

But no words came.

Two security officers stepped forward immediately.

“Escort Instructor Kade out,” the commander ordered. “He is relieved of duty pending investigation.”

Kade’s mouth opened in shock.

“Sir, please—”

“Now.”

They grabbed his arms and pulled him toward the door.

The tall girl was sobbing openly now, face buried in her hands.

“What will happen to us?” someone whispered.

The commander faced them all.

“What happens next,” he said, “depends on whether this unit remembers what honor actually means.”

He turned back to Linh.

Her eyes were wet, but she stood straight.

“You didn’t come here to be protected by my rank,” he said quietly. “You came here to earn your place.”

She nodded.

“And you will,” he continued. “But not like this. Not surrounded by people who think power is permission.”

He looked at the officers.

“Clear this room. Full inquiry begins immediately.”

One by one, they saluted and filed out.

Soon, only Linh and her father remained.

She finally let out the breath she’d been holding for days.

“I didn’t want you to come,” she whispered. “I wanted to handle it.”

He knelt in front of her, eyes softening.

“And you did,” he said. “You stood. You didn’t lie. You didn’t quit.”

Her lips trembled.

“I was scared.”

He smiled faintly.
“Good soldiers always are.”

Then his expression grew serious again.

“But what comes next… will be harder.”

CHAPTER 4 — “THEY FINALLY BOWED”

The inquiry began at dawn.

Rows of officers filled the hearing hall, faces tense, whispers dying the moment the commander entered.

Linh sat alone at the front, back straight, hands folded on her knees.

No longer hidden.

No longer invisible.

But she had never felt more exposed.

“Proceed,” the commander said.

One by one, witnesses were called.

Footage was replayed.

Statements were read aloud.

Every cut rope.
Every planted fingerprint.
Every ignored complaint.

The room grew heavier with each revelation.

The tall girl stood trembling as her turn came.

“I… I didn’t mean for it to go this far,” she cried. “Everyone was doing it. She was different. We thought she’d quit.”

The commander’s voice was sharp.
“So you decided to break her instead?”

The girl collapsed in tears.

“I was wrong.”

“You were cruel,” he corrected. “And cruelty spreads when leaders allow it.”

All eyes turned to the empty chair where Instructor Kade should have been.

Another officer stepped forward, voice shaking.

“Sir… we saw what was happening. But we didn’t intervene. We didn’t want trouble.”

Silence followed.

Then the commander spoke quietly.

“And that silence is exactly why this happened.”

The Verdict

After hours of testimony, the commander stood.

“These actions violated military conduct, training ethics, and basic human decency,” he said. “Several recruits will be dismissed. Others will face formal discipline and reassignment.”

The tall girl sobbed openly as her name was read.

But no one defended her now.

Then the commander paused.

“As for Recruit Linh…”

Every head turned.

“She will be reinstated immediately, placed in a new squad, and granted full medical recovery time.”

Linh’s chest tightened.

But the commander wasn’t finished.

“And she will continue training under direct supervision — not as my daughter, but as a recruit who has already proven something many of you have not.”

Murmurs spread.

Respect.

Not pity.

He looked directly at the room.

“From this moment on, no one here treats her as special. You treat her as equal. Or you leave.”

No one argued.

Later — On the Training Ground

Rain fell again.

But this time, Linh stood in formation with a new squad.

No mocking.

No whispers.

Only silence.

The recruits around her stood straighter than before.

Instructor Hale, newly assigned, walked down the line.

“Today, we train. No games. No favorites.”

His eyes briefly met Linh’s.

Then moved on.

She was just another recruit now.

That was exactly what she wanted.

The whistle blew.

They ran.

Walls.
Mud.
Ropes.

This time, the rope held.

Linh climbed with steady hands, every muscle burning, but her mind clear.

At the top, she didn’t stop.

She kept going.

And this time…

No one waited for her to fall.

They waited for her to finish.

The Apology

That evening, Linh sat alone on the steps outside the barracks.

Footsteps approached.

She looked up.

One of the recruits who had laughed before stood awkwardly in front of her.

“I… we owe you an apology,” he said quietly. “We were wrong. All of us.”

Others appeared behind him.

One by one, they bowed their heads.

Not to her father.

To her.

“We judged you,” another said. “We followed instead of thinking.”

Linh stood slowly.

Her voice was calm.

“I don’t want apologies. I want you to remember how easy it was to hurt someone when you thought no one would protect them.”

They nodded.

“We will.”

For the first time since arriving, Linh felt something shift.

Not fear.

Belonging.

Father and Daughter

Later that night, she found her father waiting near the fence.

The training lights cast long shadows across his uniform.

“You did well today,” he said.

“I didn’t win,” she replied.

He smiled.
“You stood. That’s harder.”

She hesitated, then asked, “Did I disappoint you… for needing help?”

He turned to her, eyes serious.

“Needing help is not weakness. Refusing to become cruel in order to survive — that is strength.”

Her eyes filled, but she didn’t look away.

“I want to stay,” she said. “Not because of you. Because of me.”

He nodded slowly.

“Then you’ll stay.”

He paused, then added gently, “But from here on, you walk alone. Like every other soldier.”

She smiled faintly.
“I know.”

Final Test

Weeks later, the final evaluation arrived.

Night exercise.
Urban simulation.
High pressure.

Linh’s squad moved through dark corridors, weapons raised.

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the floor.

Smoke filled the hall.

Someone screamed.

A recruit was pinned under debris.

Panic rippled.

Linh didn’t think.

She ran.

“Cover me!” she shouted.

She pulled with everything she had, ignoring the pain in her shoulder.

Others joined her.

Together, they freed him.

Medics rushed in.

As the smoke cleared, Instructor Hale approached Linh.

“You took command,” he said. “Without rank. Without hesitation.”

Linh shook her head.
“I just did what had to be done.”

He nodded.

“Exactly.”

Across the field, the commander watched quietly.

Not as a father.

But as a soldier recognizing another.

The Ending

Graduation day arrived under clear skies.

Recruits stood in perfect lines.

When Linh’s name was called, she stepped forward.

Strong.
Unbroken.

She accepted her insignia.

In the crowd, her father saluted.

Not as her protector.

But as her commander.

And around her, the same people who once looked down on her now stood in silence — not out of fear…

But out of respect.

Because the girl they once thought was a nobody…

Had earned her place the hardest way possible…