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Did we win? We won, didn’t we?

Aber tried his best to suppress it, but a tinge of gloominess appeared on his face. Based on his original expectations, he should have been welcomed heroically for his return, and the warriors ought to have cheered his leadership, but it was otherwise.

Highlighted by the damned relentless rain that felt sour and contaminated, everyone else was affected by the heavy mood as they were alarmed and silent under the downpour.

It was as though Aber’s heroic feats were forgotten and everyone had forgotten that he was the one who held it up until the very last moment and broke through the enemy’s defenses. He put his life on the line and went directly for the enemy’s captain to acquire the rights to negotiate a ceasefire, hence ending the conflict.

Everything he did was seemingly forgotten because of Tang Ling!

Aber looked further ahead to see a slightly slender figure carrying a dead New Moon Warrior. There was an invisible aura around the person that affected everyone he walked past.

Was he mourning or angry? Or was he sad? With his eerily calm presence, his silent figure was depressing to look at. Everyone else unconsciously felt alarmed and depressed. It seemed like even the relentless rain mourned for his sadness.

“But shouldn’t he be dead by now?” Aber pulled his mantle away agitatedly. He did not want to admit that he was also affected by the invisible aura to the extent that he felt heavy and depressed. He glared at Andrew angrily, but the latter turned a blind eye to him.

Hmph...the son of a peasant woman is as useless as they say! It seems like my arrogance got to me so much so that I allowed a bastard in the family to ruin my plan!

As Aber’s throat felt dry, he was bitter. The particular tactical movement disk, which should have been given to Tang Ling, had been tampered with so that the retraction function would fail in the end. Given that he was smart, he knew that it ended up in another unrelated New Moon Warrior’s hand for some reason.

The only one who could have caused this screw-up was none other than Andrew.

However, Aber never expected that even if Andrew did not tamper with the distribution of the disks, Tang Ling would have also removed his own disk when he escaped back then.

The little competition between Aber and Andrew caused Aber to lose to Tang Ling, who had been at a disadvantage. On the other hand, Tang Ling lost to human nature. He did not lose to Andrew, but to Amir.

Amir limped weakly while being supported by Orston, wobbling helplessly as his friend led the way. While his awareness was a blur, the past memories were coming back to him vividly as if it had just happened yesterday.

Back in the harsh settlement, he was the smallest and the weakest among the five children in the family. No one cared about him or paid attention to him. He was always starving and dared not even fight for himself because every time he displayed the urge to get more food, he would expect his brothers’ punches and his sisters’ vicious cursing.

Amir dared not even speak loudly, hence he always lowered his head. He did not want to be noticed or even be known to be alive.

What was warmth to him? What was love to him? His life was as bleak as bleached paper.

However, that ominous night, he had miraculously survived. He had stood in front of the gate of the safety sector in despair and had been selected because his age matched the requirements.

It was the very first time in his life that he had felt grateful for his youth. That night, he had done something that changed his life. He had pushed the youngest of his older brothers away and told the warrior beside him, “His age doesn’t meet the requirements. He’s 16.”

Technically, his brother had not been 16 years old yet as his birthday was a month away.

However, that Purple Moon Warrior, who was holding a strange disk in his hand, had not exposed Amir’s lie. Instead, he had grinned at him profoundly and asked, “You hate your brother, don’t you?”

Amir had lowered his head in denial, but the Purple Moon Warrior had dragged the youngest of his older brothers away from the selected group.

“Your talent is amazing although it was just a quick test.” The Purple Moon Warrior had tapped the strange disk on his hand and said, “That’s why the powerful can do whatever they want.”

What ever would they want? Amir had never thought of it before. He just did not want to live under the shadow of his brothers and sisters. He was fed up with them taking away his things and living in fear every day. He also hated being beaten or scolded for the slightest mistake.

“Amir, please, Amir...” It was the first time his brother, his own blood, had shown weakness in front of him. Tears had rolled down his brother’s face as he begged.

Amir, however, had not been moved, and he had not turned back to his own blood. He reacted the same way since no one in his family, including his parents and his siblings, cared about him. He had always been labeled as a useless piece of garbage who merely wasted food.

The rain continued to drizzle.

Amir helplessly looked up. His fading gaze was still strong enough to see Tang Ling in front of him, and he also saw Vian whose eyes were closed in Tang Ling’s arms.

Had she ever cared about the first time they met? Had she cared about him at all even until her death? Or had she forgotten it?

During the first exam, Amir had been standing alone in a corner. He was the only one from the settlement after it was destroyed. Even though he had told himself countless times that he was a talented person, he still had not dared to walk up and mingle with the others since they might have hated him for his origins.

Yeah, they must have hated him. Just look at his yellowish skin and skinny body, not to mention that cowardly temperament that reeked of disgust...

“Are you here for the exam as well?”

Amir had looked up to see a girl with big brown eyes and beige hair. There were freckles on her face and her smile was sweet.

What a beautiful smile! What a beautiful girl! He had never seen someone so gorgeous back in the settlement. Nonetheless, a beautiful girl like her had bestowed a smile unto him. She had carried a refreshing fragrance while her hands were clean and her nails were free of any dirt or mud.

Amir had wanted to walk away because he was more afraid than ever to get close to such a holy being.

“Stand here with me. I just arrived and I don’t know anyone yet. Please, can you stay with me?” She had smiled and even pulled him by the arm.

She had touched him.

Amir’s arm, where Vian had touched, had emanated with a strange heat that intoxicated him and fazed him. He had been so surprised that he had failed to listen to what the girl was saying beside him. He had lowered his head like he always did until he saw a pair of fair hands holding a handkerchief with two pieces of cornbread on top.

The bread had been freshly baked, so it was still warm.

“Do you want some? My mother prepared breakfast for me, but I ate a lot already, so I can’t finish this. My mother always tells me to eat more to be stronger.”

Amir had looked up in shock at Vian’s bright smile. He had squinted his teary eyes like a newborn doe from the jungle.

A beautiful girl was sharing precious food with him?

Amir had hesitated because he was actually very hungry. Back at the temporary shelter, no one had prepared breakfast for him because no one expected a kid from the settlement to get into the First Reserved Camp.

“Here, have one.” A steamy hot bread had been placed in his hand.

This feeling...Was it the warmth that he had never felt from his family?

In the present time, Amir looked up to the sky. The first light that pierced the clouds that morning was bright and refreshing.

Christina’s weeping continued ceaselessly. Her best friend had died just like that. Was it a dream? Why would Tang Ling place his sword on Amir’s neck and why Amir would...

Christina could not help but glance at Amir. She had been glancing at him along the way back many times, but he did not reply to her, not even with a gaze.

God, please save him! No matter what he did, please save him first.

However, the suppressed rage in Tang Ling’s eyes showed that he cared nothing for Amir anymore, not even for his life or death.

Christina even remembered that scene when Tang Ling carried Vian to the river, he had said something to Amir, “If, and only if, you still want to make things right, please make it back to the Hope Barrier. Stay alive until the truth is revealed.”

Those words were nothing short of cruel. Why would Tang Ling have uttered something like that? Were they not friends?

Yeah, they were friends who had been close before. They had been naive together and warmed each other up during the harsh times, so this particular incident would be the heaviest lesson for every single one in the Fierce Dragon Squad.

Perhaps in another era, such a lesson was not necessary, but in this era, it was something that they had to go through.

If Tang Ling had the mood, he would have answered Christina as such, but he did not. An icy cold rage wrapped his heart as his blood that flowed to every inch of his body and filled every vein of his was brutally cold.

He was sketching the outline, planning strategically, holding his emotions back, and waiting...

His heart longed for things to be forever clean, yet his hands looked forward to the killing.

“So...” Amir looked at Tang Ling’s back, his pace as steady as ever even though he was carrying Vian.

Tang Ling would take a strip of vicious beast meat from his pocket from time to time and chew on it brazenly. He no longer needed to hide his resources, and if he was being this brazen about it, he must be planning something astounding.

Amir actually admired Tang Ling, but at that very moment, when he observed his breath, it was messed up. He would never forget it.

During the first exam, Vian’s gleaming eyes had been fixed on the bloody cage, more specifically, on the young man who had stood beside the Leceister silverback bear. The young man’s hand had been bleeding and he had requested the door to be opened coldly. The crowd had crowned the young man as the ‘wonder kid’ from that moment, and at the same time, his presence as the ‘wonder kid’ had overpowered his own victory.

During the second exam, Orston had pushed him away cruelly and called Tang Ling to stand further ahead. Although he was a five-star Genetic Chain Talent, Captain Fei Long had not paid extra attention to him. He also did not forget that Captain Fei Long had used some lousy excuse to arrange Tang Ling to be the last to take the exam, as though to make him shine even brighter.

In the end, Tang Ling’s test result had been poor, yet everyone had worried about him.

Nevertheless, Tang Ling himself never cared about it at all. He had never cared about whether the others admired him, loved him, or paid a lot of attention to him. He was always doing his own things, or what he thought he should be doing such as being a rascal, going over the line and even acting arrogantly at times, yet he was always right. He would always find the right timing to overshadow Amir and his presence altogether.

Therefore, people would always gather around Tang Ling, not him, but it mattered not because deep in his heart, Amir had always wanted to follow Tang Ling.

But...Vian...he could not give her up.

In the corner, he had noticed that Vian’s gaze at Tang Ling had become softer and softer. Soon, he noticed that Vian was always gazing at Tang Ling.

It was a bitter experience.

When Tang Ling came back alive that day, Amir had truly felt happy. He had tried to put his thoughts away and embrace the friendship, but then he saw the hug Vian had given him. That moment was the last straw that broke the camel. He felt sheer despair.

If he could be stronger than Tang Ling or even surpass him then...

The Purple Moon Warrior had mentioned to him, “You are strong, so you can do whatever you want.”

However, where would his hope lie? Tang Ling always kept his whereabouts mysterious, yet he was getting stronger day by day. It was until that day when Andrew had sent his men for himself.

The disgrace of betrayal and the desire for power had clashed fiercely with his desire for Vian. It had torn him apart, but in the end, he had chosen the former.

Amir had leaked Tang Ling’s information to Andrew again and again, and he even passed it on to Aber. All he did was deliver Tang Ling’s information, so it should have been fine. Andrew had provided him with a lot of resources, so he tasted the sweetness of growing stronger in a short period of time.

He was actually calculating when he would surpass Tang Ling. By the time that thought arose in his mind, he had strayed too far from redemption.

In the end, the matter about the tactical movement disks was brought up and he had to go along with the plan.

“Don’t worry. Tang Ling won’t die. There’s something fishy about his identity, so he will just be captured. However, he’s a cunning person, so a faulty disk will increase our chances of capturing him alive.

“Why don’t we take him ourselves, you ask? No, no no, we can’t do that. The safety sector is much more complicated than you think. We can’t simply whisk someone away. Tang Ling has protection around him. Do you remember Su Yao?”

Amir had been convinced. If Tang Ling was captured, then...

Amir had also thought of the warmth he received in the Fierce Dragon Squad, and he had lied to himself that he would make it up to Tang Ling when he got stronger. At least, it would be all for Vian. If not for the fact that he had been oppressed for most of his life, he would never have done that personally because he had never hated Tang Ling.

But...how did it end up like this? Why Vian was the one dead? Why did the faulty tactical movement disk end up in Vian’s hand?

I gave it to her myself!!!

A drop of tear rolled down Amir’s cheeks as his breath got lighter and his body felt numb. His memories wanted to stop at that morning when the first light had pierced the clouds.

******

“You got it right again. That kid really went back to the Hope Barrier.” A man was tossing his butterfly knife around while squatting beside Su Yao. He sighed helplessly when he saw the troops march back from the battlefield ruins with Tang Ling leading in front.

“I got nothing right. I just got confirmation from first-hand intelligence. I’m sure the kid will surely go back.” Although Su Yao did not react differently, his deep gaze showed a hint of reminiscence.

“What he did...Hmm...” Deftly, with a quick clap, he closed the butterfly knife and kept it away at his waist.

“At least, what he did proves something—he really is that crazy bastard’s son. What do you think? If that crazy guy is still alive, what would he have done?” Su Yao grabbed a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

“Yeah, what a great leader of him. We used to follow the leader and do all sorts of crazy stuff too, and now we’re following his son in all the crazy stuff? Can’t any one of them make the right choice during the critical moments? Isn’t running away the best option? I’m tired, man. I don’t want to fight,” the man grumbled as he stood up. He claimed that he was too tired to fight, but he cracked his knuckles as if he was getting pumped up.

“What does your logic tell you?” Su Yao spewed a cloud of smoke as he flashed a profound smile and continued, “Just let the kid have his way. The messier, the better. It will be the best entrance for him to announce his arrival to the world. Do you think the Agnes family can conceal his identity this time?”

“If you put it that way...” The man also showed a mysterious smile before he continued, “It’s exciting. I really want to know how will those bastards react when this kid announces his arrival. It must be hilarious! Hahaha...”

After that, he looked at Su Yao. “Mad Lion, Su Siao, you have been lonely, eh? Are your fists screaming for blood? Mad Lion, are you also waiting for the day of his return?”

“No, I’m just in charge of the welcome party, welcoming this kid on the path of that crazy leader.” Su Yao looked into the sky. He realized that his memories were already a distant past because a new cycle had just started.

The world lived on and a certain ember would soon grow strong into a flame that burned the land.

******

Clyne’s armor was tainted with blood.

He was a 90-year-old Purple Moon Warrior, an old man who had not fought for many years, yet he returned to the battlefield and claimed his honor.

His grandson had led the Purple Moon Warriors underground while he himself led troops to eliminate the Underground race that roamed the surface. None were spared. He had killed a total of 70 Underground creatures.

The Hope Barrier was in high spirits as the people were cheering Clyne’s name while some were chuckling softly, wondering if they would be cheering Aber’s name instead later.

Yang Kong sneered while he stood in the crowd and thought with a cold expression, ‘The Agnes family is terribly vain. After reaping the actual benefits, they even seek distinguished reputation.’

However, when he saw the Purple Moon Warriors return from the underground, tension rose in his heart.

Why were the members of the Fierce Dragon Squad walking in front?

Yang Kong tried to feign a cold-hearted expression, but he still stepped up to the edge of the Patrol Ground. He grabbed a scout’s binoculars and gazed at the returning troops.

Indeed, Tang Ling was walking in front!

He came back alive! Yang Kong heaved a breath of relief, but in the next moment, he realized that Tang Ling was carrying someone in his arms.

Is that...Vian? She’s dead?

A tinge of sorrow came afloat in Yang Kong’s heart. Had the quiet and kind girl died underground?

And is Orston carrying Amir on his back? Is Amir still alive or is he dead too? What happened?

Yang Kong started to feel uneasy. Extreme discomfort took over his mind when he saw Tang Ling’s gaze clearly through the binoculars. The gaze seemed to harbor the flame of destruction, bringing horror to anyone easily.

Yang Kong dared not stare into that gaze, so he helplessly lowered the binoculars. He realized that someone had failed to react. With no idea what would happen next, he felt very lost.

******

“Worf, Tang Ling came back!” Zorwen stood by Worf as he looked at the returning troops on the battlefield. He was shocked when he saw Tang Ling walking in front of the group.

Worf remained silent with his hands behind his back, seeming to be lost in his thoughts.

“That damned Su Yao, why didn’t he bring the kid away? Why is he so slow? We took the risk to inform him...” Zorwen could not continue.

Worf suddenly turned around to Zorwen and asked him a strange question, “Su Yao...how do you feel about him?”

“How should I feel about him?” Zorwen was surprised. What was Worf trying to dig out of him? Why was he not concerned about Tang Ling but about Su Yao in this kind of situation?

“He felt familiar,” Worf answered his own question. He added, “Actually, I suspected this a while ago, and if my feelings about Su Yao are correct, so are my suspicions.

“I’m glad that I’m correct, that’s why I showed goodwill to Tang Ling beforehand.” Worf seemed to take pride in what he had done as he leisurely took a cigar from his desk and started cutting it.

“Worf, I’m lost. I don’t know what you are trying to do. Tang Ling is no one other than a prioritized target on that list from Safety Sector No. 17. We went to this extent to protect him because we believe we can have another seed saved, yet your actions surpass me...” Zorwen’s face was smeared with question marks.

Worf twisted the cigar in his hand and lit it up carefully. He then looked at Zorwen. “I think Safety Sector No. 17 will be even messier from now on and...do you ever take note of the details? His surname is Tang.”

“Damn it! What’s wrong with having Tang as a surname? There are a lot of Tangs in the...Wait. Tang? His surname is Tang?” Zorwen was astounded.

******

Even though the storm had turned into a drizzle, the Purple Moon Warriors, who returned from underground, were thoroughly drenched.

Their wet inner armor was dried by the steamy hot environment of the underground, yet it became wet again when they returned. The stickiness was very uncomfortable, and it was the discomfort that made everyone look gloomy.

The people who had cheered in the Hope Barrier felt a sense of distress too when they saw the mood of the Purple Moon Warriors.

Had the underground mission ended in failure? Otherwise, why would there be a glum kid carrying his dead squadmate in front?

It was at that moment that Aber stepped up and stood on the pile of boxes. While revealing his wounds, he declared with pride on his face, “We are victorious!”

Cheers sounded like the storm right after that. Aber signaled his two trusted subordinates to start telling great stories about his magnificent leadership.

Standing in the crowd, Clyne tidied his hair and stepped forward to Aber solemnly. According to the script, he should hug his grandson and bathe in the respectful gazes and loud cheers from the people.

Only a few noticed Tang Ling as he walked up front to the center of the main war passage and lowered Vian’s body.

“I want an explanation,” Tang Ling demanded, but his voice was overpowered by the raucous applause.