When Benjy opened the door to Room 1988 and entered, the four people who had come to the headquarters with him were seated in front. Benjy, wanting to strike up a conversation with someone, sat next to a red-haired boy in the back row. The boy was taller and much bulkier than him, but his gentle appearance put Benjy at ease. While Benjy was waiting for the right moment to speak, a tall woman with a refreshing look entered through the front door.
Her hair, black as the night before dawn and reaching down to her waist, was very striking. Though not particularly muscular, an aura of authority emanated from her entire being. Three tulips were embroidered on each collar of her uniform.
"Welcome, cadets. I am Colonel Chloe Valentine of the Intelligence Command. You have been chosen by the military, having been observed carefully for at least one to three years. Be proud of yourselves."
The colonel's voice matched the cool impression she gave. Her eyes had a commanding intensity that made Benjy unconsciously straighten his back and focus on her words.
"Now, I will briefly explain the military system and here at 'SHoAF' headquarters, so listen carefully. As you may already know, our nation, SURCON, has been at war for 23 years. Our opponent is the puppet state 'Python' across the Pacific. It's truly a sad affair."
She didn't look sad at all. She just spoke in a mechanical tone, as if wanting to quickly get through the bothersome task.
"Now, this is where the classified information begins. Are you ready? Three, two, one. Let's begin."
The red-haired boy next to Benjy tensed up and began to tremble. Even Benjy, who had little interest in anything other than making a living and math, was intrigued by the word "classified" and perked up his ears.
"The Empire's army is almost victorious against Pyton. There was a time when they invaded our borders, but thanks to a certain madman… we are now preparing to advance to their capital."
Her expressionless face twisted momentarily when she mentioned the "madman," as if she didn't even want to talk about him.
But if it was thanks to this person that the tide of the war turned in their favor, he must be very important. Benjy decided to remember this mad… man's story for later.
"Their combat power is severely lacking, so they have gone all-in on information warfare. Sure, we could show them that no matter how clever their tricks, a hammer can end it all through hand-to-hand combat. But think about it. Our SURCON Imperial Army isn't foolish, is it? Using both brains and brawn is better, don't you agree, gentlemen?"
Thrown off by the sudden question, Benjy and the others responded one by one in disjointed timing.
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"That's right!"
"You will now play the role of those 'brains.' You were suddenly brought here, but isn't this place almost like heaven compared to the C or D zones where you used to live? We provide food, shelter, and even a salary. If you do well, you might even rise to a high rank. I hope you'll do your best in your assigned duties. Now, I will explain about the Imperial Army."
Everyone, including Benjy, wanted to ask questions, but no one could stop her as she abruptly moved on.
The initial part of her explanation was already known to them.
When the Earth was on the brink due to a climate crisis long ago, riots broke out worldwide, and nations collapsed. Then, the First Monarch appeared, unified the world, established the SURCON Empire, and restored peace.
To Benjy, living in the distant D3 zone from the capital, the existence of the Empire's monarch was omnipresent but never felt close. Even during ration distributions, starting and ending factory work, waking up, or going to sleep, they always expressed gratitude for the monarch's grace. They were even told that breathing was thanks to the monarch, but he felt more like a symbolic figure meant to control people.
However, being at the Imperial Army headquarters in the capital and listening to the colonel made Benjy's heart race with the sudden realization that he was now truly close to that absolute being.
After the story of the monarch, the explanation about the military began in earnest.
"The Imperial Army is divided into five parts: the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Intelligence Division, which I belong to, and the Elite Capital Defense Unit, where that madman is. Commonly referred to as DAISY. If you want a long military career, remember what I'm about to say."
She clapped twice to grab everyone's attention and lowered her voice.
"Never get involved with DAISY members. If you have any strange illusions just because it's named after a flower, discard them now. Think of it as a nuclear waste storage facility."
She called him nuclear waste, but he was too beautiful for that. Why would she say such a thing? Feeling unfair, Benjy raised his hand.
"Speak."
"Uh… I'm curious why you refer to them as nuclear waste."
"It's simple. They can't be recycled. We 'normal people' can communicate and interact because we follow certain implicit rules expected of each other. But there are those who completely lack that implicit 'line' expected in humans. If they were weak lunatics, they would have been weeded out quickly, but those who survive despite being crazy are stronger than ordinary people… excessively so."
Someone else raised their hand to ask a question.
"How strong are they exactly...?" Benjy asked, his tone curious and cautious.
"…They are exceptionally talented at killing humans. They don't experience guilt, so there's no trauma for them to deal with; they operate like killing machines. Releasing them into society would cause massive civilian casualties, and integrating them into a regular army would result in significant troop losses. The Daisy Unit is essentially a storage for such trash. So, never interact with them. Don't even speak to them. If you get caught, you won't like what happens next," Chloe warned seriously.
Despite himself, Benjy couldn't hold back his questions. "What do you mean by not like what happens?"
Chloe furrowed her brow for a moment before responding calmly. "They always do unpredictable things. Just yesterday, one of them mimicked a spoon killer and killed a comrade after 10 months. The official cause of death was suicide, but... you get the idea."
As she finished speaking, a heavy silence fell over the room. Benjy could tell from their postures that the people around him were trembling with a peculiar fear.
"What should we do then, Colonel?" a brown-haired recruit asked, raising a trembling hand. Chloe answered with an oddly cheerful tone, as if she had forgotten the seriousness of her previous words.
"Just wrap yourselves up in diapers and run like hell. A tip to identify Daisy Unit members: many of them are attractive, so you might be tempted. But they wear a sun emblem badge on the left side of their uniforms. If you see that from afar, change your route."
By now, Benjy thought she might be messing with the recruits for fun. Suddenly, he remembered the "madman" she had mentioned earlier. He felt he had to ask.
"Um, what about that weird person you mentioned earlier...?"
"The madman? He's the commander of the Daisy Unit. The chief lunatic in charge of the other lunatics."
"But isn't it disrespectful to call the commander a madman...?"
"That's being generous for a psychopathic, murderous monster. Ask anyone about the incidents he's caused. Most will turn pale and run, but some might actually tell you."
The recruits around him looked even more horrified. Especially the redhead to his right, who seemed to know something, was muttering, "The incident two years ago... it was him..."
Unlike the others, Benjy wasn't too shaken. Maybe it was because he had seen too many absurd things growing up in the slums. He knew that if he let every little thing shock him, he wouldn't be able to function. Besides, he doubted he would ever cross paths with such a high-ranking officer as a mere grunt.
"Let's wrap up here today. Go home, pack your things, and come back. Any final questions?"
A recruit in the front asked, "What is the commander's name?"
"Ah... The name of that massive landmine is Holden Diaz."
She mentioned his name just before the session ended.
Holden Diaz... Holden Diaz...
Thinking back, Benjy realized that the man who stripped him earlier was probably named Holden. It could have been a part of the standard enlistment procedure, especially during wartime when spies could be lurking around.
'Maybe such thorough inspections are necessary...?'
As Benjy tried to rationalize it, Chloe spoke again.
"If you ever meet him and get a chance to talk, good luck. Just call him Commander Diaz, not by his first name. And if you have any issues involving those trash, report to me immediately. We need to prepare for reinforcements."
'Wait. Then why did he tell me to call him Holden? Have I somehow already gotten on his radar? But why? What did I do...?'
Benjy had known a few crazy people with nothing to lose in the gang he grew up in. The way to survive was to stay unnoticed. Catching the attention of lunatics, good or bad, always led to disaster. And now...
He stopped his thoughts from spiraling further. Too many strange things had happened on his first day. Normally he would sleep on it, but he didn't have that luxury right now.
"Take care, everyone," Chloe said kindly, yet with a hint of warning, as she swiftly left the room. Soldiers who had followed her in began guiding the recruits out. They walked a slightly different path, passing through several security checkpoints, until they finally saw an exit. It seemed to lead to the back of the building.