Die for Ideals

Liu Mingxuan looked at Lin Yan seriously. After a moment of silence, he said, "All right."

Just as Lin Yan had said, they couldn't simply sit around and wait to die.

If the monsters below swarmed them all at once, they would indeed be doomed. They couldn't possibly count on some peerless master appearing in the nick of time to save them from this desperate situation.

But since the monsters had surrounded them without attacking, this was not yet a completely hopeless dead end.

He first tried using his communicator to request support from the military district, but the magnetic field in this area was extremely unstable. His communicator simply could not send out the distress signal.

Chu Wei watched what he was doing, met his gaze, and wore a bitter smile.

He had probably already tried. It had not worked.

Chu Wei had once said that his family was wealthy, which was why he had been able to purchase the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade from Limit Martial Hall's online store at full price.

Liu Mingxuan knew some of the inside story. Not only was the family behind Chu Wei enormously influential, but his father was also a War God!

If they could call for help through their communicators, then even if the military district was short-handed and could not spare a suitable candidate, with Chu Wei's father's strength and connections, he might well be able to invite a War God to City 032 to rescue them!

But now, they could only rely on themselves.

Liu Mingxuan suppressed the gloom in his heart and said, "Then let's pick up the pace. Search this building thoroughly and find Zhang Wei as quickly as possible."

The group resumed their search.

They had searched slowly before because they were being highly vigilant. But given the situation now, there was no need for that.

On the stairs to the thirty-second floor, a figure was curled up on the landing halfway up.

His face was filthy, and his combat uniform was damaged all over.

There were also marks on his body from being whipped.

Lin Yan looked toward the rooftop above, feeling somewhat unsettled.

He must have stayed by the rooftop so he could spot any martial artists passing by in time.

Liu Mingxuan ordered, "Stay alert."

"Xiangyang, go see what's going on."

Lin Yan immediately raised his sniper rifle, covering Bu Xiangyang as he kept watch.

Bu Xiangyang walked over and crouched down to inspect the man before returning. "Confirmed. It's our mission target, Night Hawk Reconnaissance Company scout Zhang Wei."

"He's extremely weak. He hasn't eaten for days, and his water intake has been severely limited. He has a fever, and some of his wounds are inflamed. He has already fallen unconscious and needs immediate treatment."

Liu Mingxuan nodded and asked, "Can the medicine we brought handle it?"

"No problem." Bu Xiangyang gave an affirmative answer, a rare piece of good news. "Before coming here, I considered this possibility. I even prepared a Gene03 drug in case Zhang Wei was too weak to move with us."

This was a weakened gene drug. It had neither the effects nor the side effects of a true gene drug. It could restore physical stamina and suppress or heal certain internal ailments.

But it was only useful on Ordinary People.

Its effects on martial artists were negligible.

Bu Xiangyang took out the medicine from his backpack and treated Zhang Wei, injecting him with Nutrient Fluid as well. Zhang Wei's breathing visibly became steadier, and his complexion improved considerably.

The symptoms plaguing his body were fading away.

"All right. He'll probably need a few more hours before he wakes up, but he's out of danger now," Bu Xiangyang said as he packed everything away.

Liu Mingxuan nodded, then turned to Chu Wei and asked, "How did it go?"

Chu Wei frowned deeply and set down the device in his hand. "No. I tried, but under these magnetic conditions, it's impossible to connect to the network or send any messages. As for the building blueprints, I downloaded them beforehand, but I couldn't find any route we can use to get out."

After hearing that, Lin Yan pondered for a moment. "These blueprints are over fifty years old. They might not even have been accurate back then. I'll go check the basement myself."

"Have Jia Yan go with you."

"All right."

The two of them stood on the second floor and could see the Earth Giant Lizard lying outside, asleep on the ground. That gray ape was sprawled across its back, its round belly exposed as it slept soundly, drool trickling from the corner of its mouth.

The other monsters wandered around the area.

But none of them entered the building, nor did they show any reaction upon seeing them.

They had tried going outside from the first floor before. The lazy-looking monsters had immediately given off an extremely dangerous aura.

Jia Yan used both hands to pry open the elevator doors, which had been without power for decades, then jumped straight down through the elevator shaft. Lin Yan followed him down, entering the first basement level that way.

The first basement level had once been used as a parking garage. The blueprints showed only one exit, and that exit was right beside the main entrance, making it useless.

Lin Yan searched around twice before he could only give up.

The monsters' senses were sharp. If they damaged the building, there was no way they would not attract their attention.

This really was troublesome.

They were trapped here with no supplies, no support, and no way out.

"It's okay."

Jia Yan noticed his distress and tried to comfort him.

Lin Yan gave a bitter smile. "How could it be okay?"

Jia Yan stood straight as a ramrod and said earnestly, "We are soldiers. Every time we go on a mission, we are prepared for this. I've watched many comrades die. They were my friends, and they were my family. Now it's simply my turn."

His tone turned icy. "If there truly is no way out, then we'll fight them to the death. Even if it chews my bones to pieces, I'll still knock out its teeth!"

"This is how we have always lived."

Lin Yan was unwilling to accept it.

Jia Yan looked at Lin Yan, his expression somewhat complicated. "Do you know who the first comrade I lost was?"

Lin Yan turned his head toward him questioningly.

"My older brother." Jia Yan spoke softly. "I had only just become a martial artist then. I wasn't like you. Back then, I was very weak."

His gaze drifted as he sank into his memories, his eyes filled with struggle and pain. "It was my first time entering the Wilderness Area on a mission. We encountered a mid-level Beast General Unicorn Wild Boar. My brother was the captain of the team, and he was the only entry-level War General among us. We should have been able to escape, but because I was too weak, my brother tried to save me and had his stomach pierced by the Unicorn Wild Boar's horn."

Tears filled his fierce eyes, and his voice choked slightly. "His blood was everywhere. Even his intestines had spilled out. We barely held on until reinforcements arrived, but my brother couldn't hold on any longer."

"I cried then. Cried like a woman. All I could think about was revenge. I was so stupid I wanted to jump straight into that Unicorn Wild Boar's belly!"

"Before he died, my brother gave me this." Jia Yan carefully took a Third-Class Merit Medal from inside his combat uniform. "It was the medal he received for his first meritorious deed. He told me then: remain true to your ideals, and death holds no fear."

"I still remember how he looked when he said that. Fragile, yet proud."

Jia Yan gently wiped the medal in his hand, then solemnly placed it in Lin Yan's palm and gave him a military salute.

"Second Lieutenant Lin Yan."

"We die for our ideals."

"And thus, our deaths have meaning."