He opens his eyes. He closes them again. Then, he opens them once more. A ceiling with a marble-like pattern fills his vision. Vadim rolls his eyes around while lying still. Subconsciously, he clenches both fists tight.

  “I definitely remember protecting Natasha and collapsing after being shot… where am I?”

  Vadim relaxes his gripped fists, pushes himself up, and sits on the edge of the bed. He turns his head to look at the bed; it isn’t made of fabric and springs. It feels like a bed made of solid stone. It appears to be a unique mineral never before seen on Earth, yet strangely, soft blue pillows rest on top of the bed.

  Vadim looks up to scan the room. He sees no lighting fixtures on the ceiling or walls, yet bright light seeps directly from them, making the entire space look like a pure white room without a single shadow.

  Vadim stands up from the bed. As he looks around the room, he realizes he is wearing a helmet. He tries to pull it off with both hands, but it won’t budge. Then, he notices his own hands and legs. They don't look like human limbs; they are encased in a suit that looks like gray steel. It occurs to him that he is wearing some kind of special space military uniform. He applies force again to remove the helmet, but it doesn't even rattle.

  Vadim walks around the room. Walking doesn't feel like he's wearing a steel suit at all. It feels exactly like walking normally—actually, it feels even lighter. He experiences no discomfort whatsoever. As he slowly approaches the door, it opens automatically. He steps outside into a long corridor.

  Strangely, the layout of this place is crystal clear in his mind. He knows exactly which room is at the end of the hallway, which way to go for the combat control room, and the location of the fighter hangar. Even the location of Lillik’s room is mapped out perfectly in his head.

  –

  “What on earth is happening? It’s like I’ve experienced this before. I know the entire layout of this place.”

  Vadim cannot wrap his head around it. It feels as though two different mental worlds are coexisting in his brain. The memories of the life he has lived remain intact, yet new memories of this space battleship have been generated and naturally absorbed into his body. It is as if an encyclopedia of this world has suddenly been sucked into his brain. His body surges with a newfound confidence he has never felt before—a sensation like being pumped full of highly concentrated vitamins and caffeine.

  Furthermore, he can hear the movements and conversations of every soldier on the battleship inside his head. For a moment, Vadim thinks this is only natural, then he startles himself.

  “Why does this feel natural? What has happened to me?”

  At that moment, a voice calls out to him directly in his brain.

  “Vadim. Come to my room.” It is Lillik.

  While wondering who she is, Vadim’s body instinctively turns toward Lillik’s room. He moves toward her quarters naturally, as if he has known the way for a long time.

  As he stops in front of her door, it opens on its own. Vadim quietly steps inside.

  “Ah... it’s her... the alien I saw in the square... the Asian woman...” Vadim says to himself.

  Lillik is waiting for Vadim. She contemplates how to explain the current situation to him. She must prevent him from falling into an identity crisis. Vadim is the person she specifically selected and optimized for the critical mission ahead.

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  When she gave Vadim the body of an Officer Droid, she could have erased his past memories. She could have minimized his human emotions and turned him into a humanoid droid that only follows orders. But she chose not to. She has dealt with obedient droids before. What she needs now is a leader capable of making the kind of creative, original decisions that only humans can make.

  “Vadim... you know who I am. You remember me designating you as the liaison for the space battleship back at the square, right?”

  “Yes, I remember. But why am I here?” Vadim asks calmly. He finds his own composure strange; it feels as though certain emotions have been deleted from his mind.

  “Vadim... let’s go outside and talk. Follow me.”

  Vadim follows Lillik out of the room and into what appears to be the bridge (the control room). Female droids wearing helmets are seated at the controls, staring at monitors, and a massive holographic screen dominates the front of the room. It looks like a flat monitor transformed into a 3D space.

  “Vadim... your last memory on the ground is hearing the voice of an NK soldier and running toward Natasha, right? Do you remember?”

  “Yes. I remember. He told me someone was going to sniper Natasha and told me to go protect her.”

  “Vadim... look at the holographic screen in front of you. This is what actually happened that day.”

  On the holographic screen at the front of the bridge, aerial footage plays back in 3D, appearing just like a movie.

  In a snow-covered trench on the U side, a sniper is monitoring the R territory through his scope. As time passes, a group of our soldiers and three war correspondents walk in a single file toward the space battleship. Suddenly, Vadim throws himself over Natasha, and they collapse. Natasha weeps, shaking Vadim’s body, as he lies dying. Then, a small craft emerges from the space battleship and retrieves him.

  “Vadim... this is what happened yesterday. You remember, don’t you? At this moment, you were practically dead.”

  “……” Vadim remains silent. He finds it strange that he doesn't even feel sadness at the mention of his own death.

  “But why did the U forces snip Natasha?” Vadim asks, filled with curiosity.

  “Vadim... look at the screen again.”

  On the screen in front of him, the sniper fires his rifle and then sends a text message from within the trench. The screen clearly reveals the content of the message: “Failed to snipe Natasha.” On one side of the screen, an indicator shows that the recipient of the text is the mobile number of the Director of National Defense Intelligence for R.

  “No... you're saying my own country ordered the hit on Natasha?” Vadim is shocked. How could this possibly make sense?

  “It is the truth, Vadim. Natasha opposed this war, and not long ago, she provided materials to a German reporter to publish anti-government articles. The story broke in Germany, and R Intelligence found out and confirmed her identity. The Director of Defense Intelligence judged her to be a dangerous journalist for R's future and tried to frame it as if she were killed by U forces on the battlefield.”

  “Is that true? I can’t believe it.”

  “Vadim, you are free to believe it or not. But this is a fact. We have clear evidence. And we saved you, the man who took a bullet for Natasha. We brought you back from the dead and gave you the body of the universe’s strongest warrior.”

  Vadim listens to this shocking and unbelievable story, yet no emotional turbulence rises in his chest. He feels as though his capacity for emotion has been castrated.

  “Vadim... you are reborn now. Rebirth. You are still young. Think of it as living a second life. Isn't it exciting? No one on Earth can physically defeat you. You are the strongest soldier in the universe.”

  “May I go to my room and be alone for a while?” Vadim needs time to think.

  “Of course. Go ahead. But don’t ponder for too long. I expect R to launch a heavy attack on our battleship soon. I need you to play your part.”

  Vadim turns his head and looks at her silently.

  “By the way... do I have a face?” Vadim wants to believe there is a face inside the helmet. He thinks that is the only way Natasha will recognize him.

  Lillik approaches Vadim, places both hands on his helmet, and whispers.

  “Vadim... your old face can appear on the surface of the white helmet in 3D—as a hologram. When you meet Natasha later, just give the command to show your old face, and it will appear on the helmet. Don’t worry too much.”

  “……”