Let the Bullets Fly a While

The brutal battle raged on.

Soldiers were constantly being transferred to reinforce the west wall. At the same time, close attention had to be paid to the movements of the other three walls to prevent the elves from launching a surprise attack from the other side. This war was also a great pressure for the highest commander, and every decision had to be made with utmost care.

Kang De sat in the car, gazing at the city outside the window. Magical flashes of light continuously illuminated the night sky, reflecting on the panicked and crumbling city. Shouts of killing and screams could still be heard through the car window. The blood on his hands was so thick that it was impossible to dissolve, and it now emitted a pungent and strange smell.

He ripped open his collar and gasped for breath.

The car's air conditioning radiated a steady stream of cool air, calming his sweltering breaths. But his skin remained icy, his blood still boiling. Scenes flashed through his mind, all of them happening not long ago. Reality and nothingness intertwined: severed limbs, faces twisted, deformed, in pain, even dazed; those pierced, those hacked to death, those embracing enemies and falling off the city wall—so many, so many people.

And the soldier's crazed and venomous expression, and the increasingly strange looks from the surrounding soldiers.

Even with the advancement of modern Civilization and the progress of society, racial discrimination and xenophobia remain deeply rooted. Not to mention differences in race, prejudice and malice exist even within a single country or province, let alone in a world where Civilization is far inferior to that of Earth.

A foreigner who marries his country's princess will attract criticism and dissatisfaction even in peacetime, let alone in the brutal and terrifying world of war, where trust and respect are as fragile as paper and as fragile as a sandcastle, collapsing at the slightest gust of wind. Just as now, he even has to face the hostility of both sides in the war.

This time... is different from Glittering Sand.

His enemy was not a minor viscount and his hundred private soldiers, but the elite legion of a world hegemonic nation, a force of twelve thousand elite troops with extremely high individual quality, education, organization, logistical support, and even military prowess, comparable to the armies of modern superpowers.

His companions were not a princess who grew up under the protection of others and was therefore gentle, innocent, and understanding, nor were they knights who were noble, upright, and resilient. Instead, they were a mad mayor who would stop at nothing, and a third-rate garrison that was willing to fight for their homeland with a heart full of courage, but that was all.

These ordinary people will fight bravely for their families and homes, even at the cost of their lives. But they are, after all, just ordinary people. They are neither wise nor noble. They can break down under immense mental pressure and, in a fit of hysteria, unleash the pathetic evil of human nature, criticizing those who should not be criticized.

His job, however, was to protect the city.

Regardless of why he came here, or what his initial purpose was, judging by his actions rather than his intentions, what he is doing now is protecting this city from the evils of war under the iron heel of the elves, preventing its people from suffering a tragic end. This is what he is doing.

But all of this... is so similar to Glittering Sand.

That night, Samuel ruthlessly killed his companions on the ship. He and the knights escorted Princess Tina away and then broke through the encirclement together. At that time, Kang De could only fight desperately, but he had no better option, because his companions were right beside him. He could not abandon them and use the White Mist World to leave and hide. He could only continue to fight and flee until he was the only one left.

Just like now.

The preparations in the White Mist World, his own strength and skills—all of this might allow him to break through the elven encirclement, but it wouldn't be enough for him to defeat the elite army of twelve thousand elves. He knew that his only chance of victory came from Earth, but one day on Earth is seven days in the other world. Even if he only needed one day to seize the powerful weapon that could annihilate the entire Dusk Warband, seven days would be enough for this elven army to raze Valentan to the ground, and perhaps even raze it twice.

"Actually, I understand the logic... I understand the logic."

Kang De said softly, "I razed Glimmering Sand Castle to the ground, I killed the Good Family and their accomplices one by one, without sparing a single one. I executed them, I slaughtered them, but from beginning to end I understood that even if I killed ten, a hundred, a thousand, he would not come back to life."

Surprisingly, the Autobots understood what Kang De was trying to say.

"Father, this is not your fault."

Iron Son's deep voice came from the speakers. "You've done your best."

Kang De leaned wearily against the back of his chair and whispered, "I tried my best... I tried my best in Glittering Sand, but apart from Tina, I couldn't save anyone. I tried my best here too, but if the elves breach the city and slaughter everyone, then all my efforts will be meaningless."

"Of course I can continue to be an enemy of the elves, using every cruel and terrible means I can think of to deal with them, to avenge them, torment them, make them weep, make them deeply regretful, but those who have been killed and slaughtered by them... will also not be able to come back to life."

The Humvee jolted, Iron Son said uneasily, "Father, you..."

Kang De smiled wearily, "Don't worry, don't worry, I'm not that foolish as to bind myself and leave the city to save the lives of all the people in it... I won't do that."

"I know that most people in this city have the potential to be scoundrels. Right now, many people are cursing and blaming me in their hearts, and maybe even more will do so tomorrow. They'll curse me, resent me, hate me, drive me away, and then the elves will break into the city. They'll probably be in deep trouble too; it's their own fault. While I won't be ecstatic, I won't blame myself for it in the slightest either..."

"But..."

Kang De looked out the window at the rows of dark houses. Amidst the fierce shouts of battle and the earth-shattering siege, the powerless, weak, and helpless people must have been hiding in their homes, under their beds, huddled with their families, trembling, pleading, and passively awaiting their fate.

Even so, no matter what, I feel sadness, pity, and sorrow simply for the future fate of the people of this city, for the suffering these innocent lives will endure.

The transmigrator from Earth murmured, "These people are going to die..."

Having experienced such a bloody battle, and having foreseen the future from the elves' despicable schemes, it wasn't just Hong San was affected, but also Kang De himself.

They had one thing in common: they had no extravagant desires or delusions about humanity whatsoever.

"But I was completely helpless."

Kang De calmly replied, "I can only be an Avenger, not a protector. I can only smash everything the murderer owns to pieces afterward, but I cannot stop them when the violence occurs..."

"It was the same last time, and it's the same this time..."

He pulled the Crimson Scroll from his robes. It was this wondrous artifact, discovered on the Holy Seal Archipelago, that altered the teleportation location, forcibly pulling him here and intervening in Valentan's fate.

"Fuck you, why?"

He sighed softly and laughed sarcastically.

"Why did you bring me to this godforsaken place?" he muttered. "Otherwise, I might not have come, otherwise I wouldn't have seen it, otherwise I wouldn't know."

The Elven invasion was fierce, Goth was engulfed in flames. The city struggled to hold on, but eventually fell and Valentan inhabitants perished. Countless lives were lost, and this was not just a matter of war.

But at least it's better if you can't see it or don't know about it.

"I've said I want to end the war and change all of this..."

Fighting through the unprecedentedly suffocating atmosphere, Kang De, in the middle of the night, pressed his forehead against the steering wheel and silently murmured, "It's too hard, too hard..."

The Crimson Scroll flashed in his hand as usual, but nothing happened.

The god of justice and mercy, the Dragon of Space and Time, the head of all gods, has not answered any call from the earth today. The war on this land continues, and evil, death, madness, and despair are constantly unfolding.

Kang De slumped over the steering wheel, eyes closed, silent and still.

The Autobots offered no comfort.

The newly born mechanical life form lacked sufficient wisdom and experience to comfort his father or offer any advice or guidance.

But the spiritual connection allowed it to feel a great yet restrained sense of confusion, powerlessness, and sadness from its father. This gave the young Autobots some insight—to recognize his own powerlessness and inadequacy in the face of cruel and frustrating realities, to fall into self-blame and sadness but not to be defeated by them, and to still firmly believe in the possibilities and power of the future... This process may be called growth.

"Father, I will protect you, protect everything about you."

It whispered, "No matter what you encounter, no matter what you want to do, whether you move forward or backward, stand tall or fall, persevere or give up, I will always support you and be supported by you, guarding the path we believe in."

"Be as vigilant as an eagle against the enemy, and become a steadfast and unyielding guardian. If you are hindered or injured by a despicable enemy, I will avenge you at all costs... Father, I have finished reading the Egypt section of the mythology books you gave me, and I have found the name I want from it."

The Autobots paused for a moment, preparing to proudly utter that name.

That was the name of the god it saw in Egypt mythology, a name that both aligned with its own will and purpose, and reflected the deep affection between father and son.

It intends to use this as its name.

In the past, Kang De would have been very interested in the name his Iron Son had chosen and would have taken the opportunity to ridicule and criticize it. But not now, because he was immersed in a different emotion. A name was just a label. Tonight, many lives with names had passed away, and perhaps more would happen tomorrow.

But when the Autobots were about to say the name, Kang De's expression changed.

Because they heard the melodious and resonant sound of a bugle.

That desolate and rugged sound was heard very rarely, but probably no soldier in the city was unfamiliar with it, for it was the elven bugle call; its playing meant war, meant death.

Or perhaps... a retreat.

A huge cheer came from the distant city walls.

But only in the distance; the nearby city walls remained silent, as if delayed. After a period of deathly silence, weak cheers and cries finally broke out.

The elves retreated.

They repelled the enemy.

The city was saved.

He survived again.

Hong San's figure flashed down from the city wall, rushing to the Humvee at lightning speed. He pounded on the window almost recklessly, exclaiming joyfully, "Master, the elves have retreated! We won! They actually held on! I thought we were about to collapse! It seems the elves couldn't hold out any longer! Could it be that reinforcements have arrived?"

The car window rolled down silently, and Kang De turned to look at Hong San, his eyes calm, without a trace of joy.

He said slowly, "Can't you figure out why the elves retreated? Did they really give up?"

Hong San was taken aback at first, then the remaining smile froze on his face, and boundless horror and unease rose up and enveloped his whole body, as if a cruel Winter Day had suddenly arrived.

After the initial surprise faded, he guessed the elf's intention.

That despicable and shameless divisive tactic, used alone, would not work. Only when the cruel and terrible pressure of war constantly erodes the morale of the Valentan People can this psychological warfare strategy truly take effect. Tonight, the elves attacked the city like Raging Tide, overwhelming the Valentan People's fighting spirit, driving one soldier after another mad, and immediately withdrew when casualties reached the warning line. Their purpose was nothing more than...

--Let the bullets fly for a while.

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PS1: That's all for today... The chapters these past two days have been rather heavy, after all, there's still a lot of build-up to be done, which has made me feel a bit down. Plus, there's that Kyoto Animation thing... As a creator, it really feels pretty bad. I heard that arsonist bastard survived, and I have to say, that's the best news I've heard in the last two days. How could we let such a beast just die like that?

PS2: Should we ban a few silly group members tomorrow to have some fun...?

PS3: Anyway, I'll try to write as much as possible tomorrow and the day after, quickly finish the final setup, and then go to sleep.