Chen Lian

Lin Yan clutched the military merit medal tightly in his hand, and his heart could not calm for a long time.

"Loyal to ideals."

"Die for ideals."

He rarely thought about life and death. Even when he had died in that car accident in his previous life and awakened after being reborn, he had never truly considered living or dying.

He had always felt that he had a future.

Perhaps because he had seen the future of the world, he knew there was a young man named Luo Feng in this world, knew that he would rise in the universe and become an unparalleled powerhouse of the Cosmic Human Race in the primordial universe.

Earth would shine brilliantly as well.

Because he knew these things, he had developed an illusion. He had always felt that he would live to see that day, that when that day arrived, he too would become someone remarkable.

But the path to strength was always accompanied by danger. Even with such a wondrous encounter as his own, how could he transcend life and death?

After Jia Yan's words, Lin Yan felt this world more truly.

However, he would still stand by his beliefs.

As long as one was alive, one should strive bravely to survive.

He raised his head and looked at Jia Yan. "Thank you for your advice, but until the very last moment, I will still believe that we will not die here."

"Human civilization needs those who die for their ideals, but it needs even more those who are willing to die for their ideals to brave the wind and waves, cut through thorns and brambles, and have a brilliant future."

Lin Yan returned Jia Yan's salute. "Major Jia Yan."

"I will keep this military merit medal safe. If possible, when humanity reestablishes order in the Wilderness Area and those brilliant ideals are realized, I will return it to you."

"We will all witness that day with our own eyes."

Jia Yan looked at Lin Yan before him and could not help but be moved. He was still that high-spirited young man, yet he now shone with an entirely different radiance.

Full of fighting spirit, brave and fearless.

Perhaps it really is possible.

We really will survive, and that day really will come.

The two of them returned to the group. Liu Mingxuan asked, "Did you find anything?"

"Although I wanted to say we did, we really didn't."

Lin Yan did not seem dejected, but he was still somewhat helpless. "This monster is very different. Its intelligence has already gained some understanding of humanity's methods and capabilities. It should have a clear idea whether there is a way out of this place. It is very likely that Zhang Wei and we are not the first humans to be trapped in this building."

The magnetic field disturbance in this location did not seem to have formed by accident. The explanation Lin Yan found more acceptable was that they had already understood some of the principles behind human communication devices, or perhaps they had merely mastered a way to counter them.

Bu Wenxing asked, "You mean that Gray Gorilla?"

Lin Yan replied, "Of course. Because we lack knowledge of this unknown monster, we have no way of knowing its strength. I hope it isn't Lord level."

Chu Wei voiced his opinion. "The possibility of it being Lord level should be low."

"Other than that Earth Giant Lizard, there are thirteen Beast Generals left, but most of them are D-rank monsters at the Mid-level Beast General level. There is only one High-level Beast General, that Tiger Cat."

"If it were Lord level, such a lineup would not make sense."

After hearing that, Lin Yan also felt it made sense. If the Gray Gorilla were Lord level, it would have stronger monsters under its command.

At that moment, Chen Lian brought up, "After we lost contact with the military district, will the military district take the initiative to assist us? We can also record the information we have in writing on the rooftop. The military district can still learn about our situation after photographing it via satellite."

Lin Yan's eyes lit up. This was a good idea.

After hearing this, Liu Mingxuan said, "We can give it a try, but there is no guarantee of how timely it will be. And because a certain ruin has recently opened, Tianjing Base City actually has very few War God level experts right now. On top of that, they need to guard against a beast tide, so we'd better not place too much hope in it."

He understood the situation more comprehensively than the others. Although he did not want to dampen everyone's spirits at this moment, he felt that giving them empty hope would be even crueler.

Distant water could not put out a nearby fire, after all.

Although he was already on the verge of reaching the fifth level of All Things Severed, strength at this level was not enough to bear the current situation.

Everyone waited for Zhang Wei to wake up while discussing ways to break the deadlock.

But for the moment, no good ideas emerged.

They could only cultivate on their own.

After night fell, the monsters downstairs did not rest. On the contrary, they actually held a "bonfire party."

Looking at the scene below, Bu Xiangyang gave a bitter smile. "This thing has really become a demon."

Liu Mingxuan's narrow eyes were deep and dark, the firelight below flickering in his pupils. "And it has mastered the use of fire."

A group of monsters had formed a circle below, piling wood in the center and setting it ablaze with roaring flames.

The Gray Gorilla wore a grass skirt woven from reeds, with grass wrapped around its chest as well. It looked utterly ridiculous as it danced and sang to its heart's content beside the bonfire.

Though its singing could only be described as shrieking like ghosts and howling like wolves.

Once it finished singing, its little eyes darted everywhere.

Let's see who dares not applaud!

That Tiger Cat, a dignified High-level Beast General, lifted its two paws before its face and clapped them together.

The most terrifying was still that Earth Giant Lizard. As it clapped with its two forelimbs, it nearly slapped a nearby monster to death.

Though everyone saw the absurd sight before them, not a trace of laughter arose within them. Monster intelligence had never been anything but a nightmare for humanity.

"I'll go to the rooftop to get some air."

Chen Lian spoke softly, then turned and left.

Liu Mingxuan watched his retreating back with some concern, but said nothing beyond a reminder. "Be careful."

"I know," Chen Lian answered.

After a while, Lin Yan said, "I'll go check on him."

He walked up to the rooftop.

The young figure stood there, gazing up at the Night Sky. Perhaps because there were no city lights, the stars in the Wilderness Area were especially bright.

"I miss home."

"I haven't gone back in a long time."

He still had his head raised toward the stars, but he had noticed Lin Yan approaching and simply blurted out those words without preamble.

Lin Yan said, "Me too."

He missed it too, that hometown he could never return to.

In the past, he had only gone home for a few days during the New Year, year after year. Then, without him realizing it, the father and mother who had sheltered him from the wind and rain had grown old.

But life was always like this.

Yet there had always been something to look forward to.

But now? He was alive, yet he was also dead. There was nothing left to look forward to. It was already a final farewell.

He had never imagined what kind of blow his departure would deal them, because he did not dare to.

Seeing the loneliness on Lin Yan's face, Chen Lian said, "You're younger than me, but you're braver, stronger, more capable. I thought you wouldn't..."

"I would." Lin Yan said seriously, "This isn't weakness. Every real man grows up from the day he misses home but cannot return."

Hearing those words, the light in Chen Lian's eyes flickered. He lowered his head, then raised it again.

He began telling his story. "You might not believe it, but my mother died giving birth to me. My father was a gambling addict who never cared whether the family lived or died. He's probably dead by now, though I don't know for sure. My grandfather raised me by collecting scrap."

He did not seem embarrassed by it at all. Under the moonlight, his young face looked even gentler.

"Things were hard back then. We often went without meals. There was some relief money, actually, but a gambling addict... how could he ever let us touch any money?"

"Even so, my grandfather always tried to leave the food for me. He was so thin, nothing but skin and bones, dark as coal."

"When I was old enough to understand a little, I asked my grandfather, 'Do you feel that life is hard?'"

"He said."

"'Not hard. Not hard.'"

Tears filled Chen Lian's eyes. He sniffed, buried his head between his knees, and his trembling voice emerged. "How could it not have been hard?!"

"After I grew up and became a martial artist, he finally got to live a good life..."

"He had only just begun living a good life..."

Under the beautiful moonlight of this night, he broke down and wept.

Lin Yan looked at him, not knowing what to say to comfort him. Without even realizing it himself, tears slowly flowed from his eyes.

He wanted to repeat what he had said to Jia Yan, to say that they would definitely survive, but he had no grounds to say it, nor was there any need.

Chen Lian did not need anyone else's comfort in the first place.

Once he cried it out, that was enough.

After wiping away his tears, a real man would still stand tall beneath the heavens.

My stats feel so bleak... sob I hope everyone can support me. My thanks.