I Possessed a Broken Academy Instructor

Chapter 19

Originally, the entrance exam inspector never moves alone.

‘There are simply too many enemies.’

This isn’t just a matter confined to the instructors of the Central Special Officer Academy.

What is an instructor at any military academy?

Ultimately, they are superhumans, vital resources prioritized for deployment in wars or civil unrest.

Moreover, they are more accessible than the special officers currently engaged on the battlefield, and they are the ones who nurture and educate the cadets who will one day serve in the military.

This means that even outside the Empire, there are countless forces, organizations, and even individuals eager to target instructors.

“Well, it’s obviously to protect you from the bad guys who might be after you, Instructor!”

……In the end, it is Major Obia.

Her words are not entirely nonsense.

Indeed, it was true that the military police from each academy moved together for the safety of the instructors.

However, the issue lies in the fact that it is inappropriate for her, the commander of the military police battalion, to be involved.

Jin Crow silently watched Obia, who was fidgeting in front of him, and soon cast a wordless glance at the two military police standing behind her.

‘Didn’t they stop her?’

‘…Do you think she would listen if they tried?’

Though no words were exchanged, there was an unspoken understanding.

Why was that?

Squeak-.

In the end, Jin Crow had no choice but to pull a cigarette from his pocket and place it between his lips instead of continuing to engage with Obia.

〔Initiating internal air purification.〕

Then, the AI within the cabin murmured softly, and the sound of air vibrating and circulating replaced the brief silence with a mechanical hum.

Perhaps it was the annoyance that showed on his face.

Or maybe he had simply lost interest.

“Got it. You just need to leave, right? But don’t relax too much, I’ll be back later!”

Obia Timist, with a cigarette in her mouth, flashed her characteristic red eyes and a bright smile at the nonchalant Jin Crow before stepping out of the cabin without waiting for a reply.

……It felt as if a storm had just passed.

Yet, thanks to that, he was granted a moment to gather his thoughts, allowing him to sink into the sofa with a sense of relief.

‘The more I see her, the less I can adapt.’

Obia Timist. A major in the military police and a special operations officer of the Quad Gear.

On the surface, she seemed endlessly lighthearted and foolish, but the reality was far from it.

‘A sociopath? No, it’s different.’

To explain would be complicated, but to put it simply, she was a woman who moved based on ‘self-interest.’

‘Perhaps she sensed something during the last meeting with Ideale.’

Ideale, the special operations officer of the Penta Gear, hadn’t noticed, so she likely hadn’t eavesdropped outright, but the way she had fled the scene while speaking was clearly a nervous attempt to escape the situation.

At that time, he too had been flustered and had let it slide, but one thing was certain: she was a dangerous woman.

It was clear that her involvement in this matter was driven by some personal interest.

‘Could it be me?’

No matter how he thought about it, the most likely candidate was none other than Jin Crow himself.

……It is not strange at all.

To eliminate any sense of dissonance, I have tried to mimic Jin Crow’s personality as closely as possible, yet in such a short time, I have committed quite a number of misdeeds.

‘For now, let’s just remain vigilant. Just vigilant.’

There are points that make outright hostility difficult.

She is neither a villain nor a hero.

Simply put, she is a being driven by ‘curiosity,’ and if woven together well, she could become a valuable ally.

‘Yes, if woven together well.’

For some reason, my thoughts have become more tangled.

In the end, he rose from his seat and retrieved a can of beer from the simple mini-bar set up in one corner of the room.

Schiick—.

After cracking open the beer can, he turned on his watch to check the contact information sent by Rosen earlier, but, as expected, there were no new messages.

“Phew.”

It would have been nice if there was something clear to grasp.

No, perhaps it would have been much easier if I had possessed the protagonist, Baek Hwi-young.

Ultimately, all that remained were complaints.

It was around the time he finished the can of beer that a voice echoed from the speaker.

〔We will soon enter hyperspace. All crew members, please take your positions.〕

The voice of the captain, rich with experience yet imbued with a certain weighty power, flowed through the air.

Following this, a barrier descended outside the window, which had just shown the vastness of space, and soon a brief but powerful jolt shook the ship violently.

Kugugugugung!

If one were unaware of what ‘hyperspace jump’ entailed, they might have thought the ship was under attack, such was the sudden and intense vibration and noise.

‘This is hyperspace jump.’

How could humanity establish a nation on a galactic scale?

The answer lies in the “hyperspace jump.”

The detailed principles and structures are so complex that I can hardly recall them, but simply put, it can be thought of as a ‘highway in space.’

‘However, it is dangerous in many ways.’

There is a reason for lowering the barrier.

While the special operations officer, being superhuman, is somewhat less affected, the materials of hyperspace can have adverse effects on both humans and androids.

It is no wonder that there exists a national holiday to honor the pioneers who wandered through hyperspace in search of paths during much harsher times.

“Did they say it would take three days to reach Atlacollon?”

As I gazed at the small cactus that had become my ashtray, I mulled over the words of the crew member who had briefed us before departure.

At first glance, one might think it would take a long time, but it only takes three days to travel from the center of the galaxy to the outskirts.

They say it’s a speed achievable by crossing the military-managed hyperspace multiple times, but it’s hard to grasp just how fast that really is.

“Phew.”

Once we reached hyperspace, it was comfortable, aside from the occasional jarring noise and vibration.

I even found the unexpected silence to be pleasing.

As a special duty officer belonging to the military police, I was treated on par with regular officers.

Yet, instead of staying in his own quarters, he had come all the way to mine to bother me.

‘I’m tired.’

Since this external schedule had been decided abruptly, I had entrusted the lecture to Sub-Lieutenant Ganitio, but organizing the materials overnight was entirely my responsibility.

Thanks to that, Jin Crow felt his fatigue double, already heavy upon him.

“……”

Tap, tap.

As I absentmindedly drummed my fingers on the leather of the sofa, my eyelids grew heavy.

I wondered, ‘Is it okay to sleep?’ but surely nothing would happen on a military transport ship.

Moreover, the thought that if I didn’t close my eyes now, Obia, who had lost interest outside, might come to bother me again, made me decide without further hesitation to shut my eyes.

‘Just one hour.’

I wished, almost unconsciously, that Obia would leave me be.

However, such hopes were soon dashed.

“C-Captain! Captain!”

A frantic voice pierced through the deep slumber I had finally fallen into after a long time.

“……”

As I opened my eyes, still heavy with drowsiness, a familiar face came into view under the flickering lights for some reason.

The first emotion I felt was irritation.

I had been struggling to find a decent place to sleep lately, and being roused from a deep slumber after so long was infuriating.

“It’s a big problem!”

But my complaints quickly faded in the face of the military police officer’s urgent voice.

His face, pale under the incessantly flickering lights, revealed a deep concern.

Moreover, it was clear he bore a serious wound, and without hesitation, I grasped the special duty weapon, my longsword, that lay beside me.

“What’s going on?”

“Th-That is…”

Perhaps they were slowly reaching their limit.

The nameless soldier swayed, struggling to maintain his balance, his face a mask of discomfort as he spoke.

“…It’s an attack. Enemies have breached the ship…”

And the last sight the soldier beheld before losing consciousness was the broad back of his superior, striding purposefully toward the door.

*

The leap through hyperspace had expanded humanity’s reach across the galaxy, yet it had also brought with it countless dangers.

Hyperspace was a realm filled with the unknown.

Whether it was a stable domain or merely a fractured gap between dimensions, or perhaps something entirely insubstantial, scholars remained divided in their opinions.

…But one thing was certain.

For humanity, hyperspace was an indispensable route and passage, as well as a strategic resource.

“Grrrgh!”

“Hold on!”

Kugugugugung!

A heavy vibration struck the crimson-painted assault ship.

Was it due to the spherical hyperspace module in use?

Or perhaps the ship’s mother AI was severely outdated?

〔Hyperspace jump complete. Core reactor three overheating. Isolating the affected compartment.〕

It seemed likely to be a combination of both.

One of the dozens of soldiers clad in red uniforms standing in the hangar muttered.

“Krieg, it seems this lady will have to retire after this operation.”

“Retirement in battle is an honor for a vessel, Sergeant.”

“I know that. It’s just a shame. She was a symbol of good fortune, after all.”

The sergeant scratched at his left eye, which had been replaced with artificial skin, bone, and an ocular implant, as he replied to the young colonel standing at the front.

The colonel returned his words with a faint smile.

“Thus, the Grand Marshal entrusted this ship to us. To return alive.”

Though no answer came back, their bond was strong enough that they did not need to question the unspoken affirmation.

Kugugugung…

The windows of the hangar were all sealed, shrouded in darkness, preventing them from glimpsing beyond the void.

“Even if we die, it is not defeat. It is merely the foundation for victory.”

That whisper, tinged with a hint of madness, echoed in the ears of the red-clad soldiers standing in the hangar.

This is vengeance, the rightful price of blood.

Whenever their hearts wavered, they recalled the humiliation and betrayal inflicted upon them by the Synthetic Nation, a legacy passed down from their parents’ generation.

“……”

Silence lingered.

All of them, swallowing their rising fury, quietly tended to the weapons in their hands.

How much time had passed like this?

〔Max output, commencing assault. Brace for impact. Good luck.〕

A voice, heavy with solemnity, resonated from the speakers connected to the hangar.

And the soldiers in their crimson uniforms, as if bound by a pact, pressed the black gas masks to their faces and murmured.

“Hell for the hypocrites.”

KWA-BOOM!

In the next moment, an explosion erupted as the assault ship collided violently with the rear hangar of the Synthetic Nation’s armored transport, which had been moving swiftly through the void.

Swoosh—.

The sound of deep breaths drawn through the filters of the gas masks filled the air, and soon the colonel at the forefront issued a low command.

“Everyone, assault.”