No Beast Girls on the Western Front

Page 87

But the weather showed no sign of cooling down; the scorching sun still hung high in the sky, and the ground was sweltering, making people drowsy.

In a small, quiet café in Minnesota, a blonde girl is engrossed in reading a book, her brows furrowing slightly at times, and her chin resting on her pen, like a college student pondering how to solve a difficult problem.

The sycamore leaves outside the window rustled in the scorching air, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches, casting dappled patterns of light on the wooden floor of the café.

Behind the bar, a coffee machine imported from the Fasfulo Empire hissed, steam condensing into white mist in the sweltering air before quickly dissipating.

Several customers in the store had been secretly glancing at the blonde girl for a long time, but she herself was completely unaware of it.

One of the customers at the table was a young couple. They were chatting and grinning at her, occasionally playfully pulling at each other, as if trying to get their companion to strike up a conversation.

But before the two could make up their minds, a crisp doorbell rang. The blonde girl looked up, her furrowed brows immediately relaxed, and she waved to the person who entered.

Ah, it seems we're not just a step late, but hundreds of steps late—thinking this, the two looked at each other, then turned back to continue drinking their coffee with some disappointment.

"Sorry, I might be a little late..."

"It's okay, it's okay, come on over."

Mary's smile lasted only until Payne sat down. When she saw the expression on the man's face across from her, she immediately asked with concern, "How have you been these past few days...?"

Chapter 136 CXXXV. Meeting My Pen Pal in Person (Part 1)

"...To be honest, it's not very good. But at least it's gradually getting better. Ugh, this awful weather..."

Payne wiped the sweat from his face and fanned himself with his soaked collar. "Well... at least I won't see Grace during the day anymore, but she'll most likely still come looking for me in my dreams at night..."

But before Mary could express her concern, he said casually, "It's okay, it's nothing serious. I'll take care of these problems myself, don't worry."

"Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that being able to see Grace again in hallucinations and dreams is... a kind of comfort..."

Mary pressed on, "So, although there are frequent flashbacks, it's not to the point where you can't distinguish between reality and memories, and there's no amnesia, right?"

Payne nodded: "At first, both Xiao En and I had some inclination in that direction. You saw it yourself, that poor Xiao En was right in front of Grace when it happened... But thankfully, the symptoms gradually subsided after a few days."

Why don't you come looking for me?

"You're not a psychologist, and psychology is still in its infancy. Even if I told you, it would only make you worry about me for nothing."

"But... at least I feel a little better after saying it out loud..."

"No... Some things can't be relieved by forcibly recalling them... PTSD is a very complicated thing..."

Where did he learn all this strange and unusual knowledge? Calling him a naturalist doesn't even seem quite right...

As the man's eyes gradually became somewhat unfocused, Mary felt more heartache than doubt.

It seems that Payne isn't averse to talking about Grace, at least for now; she feels she should still discuss the bovine beastman with him.

"It seems... you quite like Grace? I've only read about her in letters, I never imagined something like this would happen before I even met her... Could you tell me about her?"

Payne immediately returned to normal and began to speak fluently:

"I do like her quite a bit, or rather, cows are inherently likable creatures, strong and gentle... and more importantly, she's very smart."

"Just before you came to me, she showed me her back. Unsurprisingly, it was covered with crisscrossing whip marks."

"But she was lucky that, in addition to the regular shows, she also met three people who were kind to her—including me."

"Therefore, she was not completely numb and desperate, or filled with hatred for humanity as a whole, but hoped to see the true face of everyone she met."

She will treat those who are good to her with gentleness; and she will also be patient with those who are not good to her.

"But patience is not endless concession. If she feels she can't hold on any longer, she won't keep working until she's exhausted like other orcs. She will choose non-violent non-cooperation."

"Besides her confidence in her strength and belief that people wouldn't easily abandon her... you know, cows are generally quite tough-skinned..."

"

Hey~

The host's depressing jokes were detected.

Depression level: 50%

Funny level: 10%

Freshness: 10%

Note: Meets the reward distribution criteria

Points increased by 70

"

Payne: "..."

Um... well, strictly speaking, this is indeed a kind of joke...

Hearing this, Mary sighed with regret, "From what you've said, it seems she really is an unusual orc. It's such a pity we didn't get to meet her..."

"By the way, I think you mentioned before that there was a new animal at the hospital? What's going on? Is she alright?"

Upon hearing this question, Payne appeared quite displeased, but a long-lost smile appeared in his eyes:

"You mean Alpha? Although she hasn't fully recovered, she's just like those guys in B Company; she couldn't resist sneaking out of the hospital and rejoining the team without permission."

"Sigh, this girl is really something. I told her to cooperate with the doctor's treatment and to come back only after the injury is fully healed... Now look what's happened, it'll be even more troublesome if it gets infected."

"She was indeed lucky this time; the doctor who treated her was very dedicated."

"Although that guy doesn't like orcs, he also believes that orcs will enter the army on a large scale in the future, so he decided to start preparing now, and this time he just happened to run into Alpha who was sent to the hospital..."

Hearing this, Mary finally smiled. "This is the first time I've heard of such a thing, that a doctor would be willing to treat orcs... In any case, it is indeed a positive change."

But the two hadn't been happy for long when Payne said in a "let's get down to business" manner, "Okay, let's not talk about my situation anymore. I'm really fine, don't worry about us."

"Tell me about yourself. In the letter you left me last time, you said you were going to write an article about what happened to me and publish it in the newspaper... I guess you didn't succeed, did you?"

"Have you read the newspaper?"

"I didn't watch it, but I knew it was impossible to succeed."

"...Sigh, yes, the editor-in-chief won't let me publish it."

Mary visibly became dejected. "He said... the war has reached its most critical year, and we can't publish these reports that affect morale..."

“Ha, I knew it.” Payne waved his hand. “This year is the most crucial year, next year is the most crucial year, every year is the most crucial year.”

Mary seemed somewhat unwilling: "But...don't the soldiers' morale deserve any concern?"

“Remember what General Hank said? ‘There’s no such thing as shock syndrome. These cowards should all be court-martialed!’” Payne deliberately imitated that angry yet comical tone.

If he were facing his brothers from B Company, this would definitely have earned him cheers and applause, but Mary couldn't laugh at all. She just cursed angrily, "Barbarians!"

“Be content, at least he said it was a military court, not that he’s going to kill us all,” Payne joked.

Two years from now, things might really turn out that way—he thought to himself.

Seemingly dissatisfied with this indifferent attitude, Mary's anger subtly shifted towards him: "I'm concerned about you!"

Pine knew she genuinely cared about him, but honestly, in an era where information and communication were underdeveloped, psychology was just beginning, grand narratives dominated, and militaristic fervor remained unabated, what could she possibly do?

She can't even publish a single report.

Therefore, after calming down, Payne finally spoke the truth: "Our fate is not in our own hands."

Chapter 137 CXXXVI. Meeting My Pen Pal (Part 2)

Payne also felt that he should be even nicer to a girl who was willing to care about him, understand the situation of the soldiers and beast girls, and have an "academic exchange" with him.

However, whenever the conversation turned to the hardships of the common people, the poor conditions of the soldiers, and the indifference of the upper class, Payne, who had been through more than a year of war, no longer felt much anger. He could only express his dissatisfaction through sarcasm and irony.

Although this might give Mary the impression that she's indifferent and doesn't care, Pine still couldn't help but say a few words about it.

He didn't really feel like he could change anything, but at least he could complain a bit to vent his emotions.

At times like these, Mary would neither get discouraged nor offer lecturing advice, but instead would bring up the topic that Pine was most concerned about:

"Would you like to know the results of my communication with the orc training base?"

"Of course I do!"

Payne sat up straight immediately, but quickly leaned back in his chair. "I guess it won't come to any results, right?"

Mary glanced at the desktop for two seconds, then looked up and said, "I'm sorry... I was the one who suggested this method, but it didn't work at all..."

"It's alright, it's alright, it's not your fault. The fact that they were willing to receive you and discuss my suggestions with you is already a great favor to a reporter."

Although he didn't have high hopes, he was still somewhat disappointed when he heard Mary admit that the plan had failed.

It seems that either her family's influence is not strong enough, or everyone knows that she is completely fighting alone and cannot use family resources.

But Payne's words of comfort seemed to only further provoke Mary. She became extremely remorseful about her failure and even, unusually, started swearing.

"These conservative, lazy, and incompetent fools! Why won't they adopt the more comprehensive and scientific training methods?! Why won't they listen to the experts?!"

Listen to this, cultured people curse in a different way, they use idioms as soon as they open their mouths, unlike Pine who only knows how to curse as an idiot.

After thinking for a moment, he explained, "I also spent some time at the orc training base, so I know a little about what they're thinking."

"Most training officers don't know much about orcs. They have no advantage over orcs, let alone orc industry professionals, or even ordinary people."

"They are either military academy graduates who think they are superior, or they are old soldiers who have served in the army for a few years and have bad tempers. How could these people possibly treat orcs kindly?"

"What's even more commendable is that they not only don't treat orcs as human beings, but they also know nothing about real warfare."

"Under these circumstances, what can you expect the orcs to accomplish besides subjecting them to pointless torture every day?"

Mary immediately said, "Even if they don't treat orcs as human beings, if the orcs they train perform well on the front lines, isn't that an achievement for them?"

“That’s another issue,” Payne shrugged. “Ultimately, people don’t have any expectations of orcs at this stage. It’s enough for them to follow orders and do the hard labor.”

"The troops I lead are exceptional. If it is proven in the future that orcs can replace human soldiers, that will be my achievement. Will anyone think about the role of training officers in the rear?"

"No. Even if they trained the orcs using scientific methods and helped me a great deal, no one would realize that."

"Moreover, the verification of the orcs' combat capabilities is still in its infancy and in a state of chaos. Each training officer may have to face a dozen, twenty or even more orcs of different species at the same time, and these orcs will have different living habits, physical qualities and personality traits."

"This is much greater than the differences between humans."

"Given limited energy, how do you think these training officers, who know nothing about orcs, would choose to get such diverse orcs to obey orders at the same time?"

Of course, the best choice is a language that all living beings can understand—pain.