Aiden followed the stairs up to the third floor. The corridor was long, lined with identical iron doors on both sides.
Before he could even find Room 307, a smell of cigar smoke so strong it was almost pungent forced its way into his nostrils.
Aiden paused, his brow furrowing instantly.
"This smell... is someone smoking in the hallway?"
He subconsciously quickened his pace, wanting only to find his room quickly and get away from this area. However, the further he walked, the stronger the scent became, as if the source were directly ahead.
He stopped.
Before him stood the dormitory door with "307" hanging on the plate.
That thick smoke was steadily seeping out from the cracks of this very door.
Aiden stood at the entrance, falling silent.
"Is the person living in here... smoking nonstop?"
He took a deep breath, accepted it, and inserted the key into the lock.
What greeted him wasn't a normal dormitory, but a room filled with thick smoke.
The haze made the room dim, and visibility was low. The air was filled with a strange aroma of cigars mixed with sweat, so stifling that he nearly coughed on the spot. The room was a mess: finished food packaging, empty liquor bottles, crumpled-up stinky socks... they were everywhere.
In the center of that messy room, a person was sitting.
A head of unruly white hair, a top consisting of only a white tank top revealing clear muscle lines, and a mouth holding two cigars at once, both billowing thick smoke.
Aiden immediately felt annoyed, as if trouble had shown up on his first day.
Damn... that iconic white hair, that reckless way of smoking... there's no mistake. It's the future "White Hunter," Smoker.
"Great," Aiden thought expressionlessly. "First day of school and I run into a heavy smoker. It seems staying low-key here for a whole year is going to be a bit difficult."
As Aiden was complaining internally, the figure heard the door open. He didn't even bother to turn his head, only shouting in an extremely impatient, raspy voice:
"The new guy? Close the door, the smoke is escaping!"
Aiden took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to turn around and leave. He planned to try being polite before resorting to force, attempting to reason with this defiant smoker first.
He closed the door expressionlessly and placed his only luggage bag on the only patch of floor that looked relatively clean near the entrance. Then, he put on a kind and harmless smile, took a step forward, and took the initiative to speak:
"Hello, my name is Aiden. Starting today, I'm your roommate."
He paused, using a very polite tone to negotiate: "Uh... I'm personally a bit sensitive to cigarette smoke. Look, could you perhaps smoke on the balcony or in the corridor? It would be better for both of us."
Smoker slowly turned his head and looked Aiden up and down with a hard stare.
"Huh?" As if it amused him, he let out a scoff through his nose. He then took a sharp drag from his cigars and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke directly into Aiden's face.
"Sensitive? That's your problem." Smoker pointed his chin toward the door, his tone arrogant to the extreme. "This is my territory. I smoke where I want. If you can't stand it, get the hell out and sleep in the hallway!"
The smile on Aiden's face didn't change at all. But behind that cloud of choking smoke, his expression hardened.
He continued to try reasoning in that same calm tone: "According to the Marine Recruit Training Camp Management Regulations, Chapter 3, Article 7: smoking is strictly prohibited within the dormitory area. I am merely reminding you not to violate the rules."
That was a lie.
Aiden had no idea if such a thing as the Marine Recruit Training Camp Management Regulations even existed. But he bet that Smoker definitely wouldn't pay attention to such things either. So, he just made it up on the fly.
"Rules?"
Smoker reacted immediately. He lunged off the bed and got practically face-to-face with Aiden, standing close as he growled:
"Don't try to use those bullshit rules to pressure me! In my world, the fist is the only rule!"
Before his voice had even faded, his entire lower body, without any warning, turned into a mass of rolling white smoke! The smoke formed a swirling mass, instantly sweeping through the tiny dormitory and enveloping Aiden as well!
"Since you like reasoning so much," Smoker's upper body remained solid, a defiant sneer hanging on his face, "then I'll have a nice little 'chat' with you!"
The next second, the smoke slammed the dormitory door open and, carrying Aiden with it, rushed out into the corridor!
Aiden didn't resist the entire time. Even with his current strength, he couldn't guarantee the tables and chairs wouldn't be caught in the crossfire if they fought inside. Going outside was fine too.
The smoke carried Aiden into the hallway, and the commotion immediately alerted the neighbors.
Many dormitory doors opened quietly, heads peeking out to watch.
Aiden even saw a tall woman with pink hair. She was nearly as tall as Smoker, with a pair of long legs encased in standard-issue Marine trousers that made them look straight and tidy, and they stood out.
The girl didn't have much expression on her face; she just watched with a lazy gaze.
Hmm? Wait... that spectator is a woman?
In Aiden's mind, his thoughts shifted.
So the Elite Training Camp has co-ed dorms? Has the atmosphere at Marine Headquarters already become this progressive?
In the corridor, the smoke dissipated, and Smoker returned to his solid form. He squeezed his fists, his joints making crisp "crack-crack" sounds. He grinned at Aiden with a provocative smile: "Kid, now repeat it. What were you trying to say just now? I didn't hear you clearly!"
The sounds of jeering and whistling from the surroundings rose and fell.
Just at this moment, when a fight was about to start—
"—EVERYONE SHUT THE HELL UP!!!"
A shout came from the end of the corridor, and everyone went quiet.
An instructor with a tall, burly build and a black iron-jaw tattoo on the lower half of his face appeared. His eyes were fierce, and he looked angry.
The recruits watching the show quickly retracted into their rooms. The corridor instantly became empty.
The "Iron Jaw" instructor rushed in front of the two in a few steps. He glanced at the smoke in Room 307, then looked at the tense Aiden and Smoker, and frowned.
"Very good... it seems you two have plenty of energy."
A smile appeared on the Iron Jaw instructor's face.
"Since you're so spirited, go to the solitary confinement cell and have a nice 'chat' to build your relationship!"
He pointed toward the stairs and barked in a tone that allowed no room for doubt:
"The two of you, now! Immediately! Get your asses to the solitary confinement cells! Don't even think about coming out before tomorrow morning!"
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