Catching Up to the Troops

Ang and Blue Star had both lived in cities. With urban development, they had not been to places like forests with lush trees for a long time. Only during vacations would they go hiking or something similar.

Because the camp had been built, all the trees within several hundred meters had been completely cut down.

The mountain battlefield's camp was located on the edge of Ankara Mountain. Ang and the others were not fighting Demons as the main force; they were mainly responsible for cleaning up the battlefield, surveying roads, and clearing out enemies who had fallen behind.

Ang had heard his teammates say that magical beasts lived deep within Ankara Mountain, and the Demons' teleportation array was also deep in the mountains.

Ang and the others mainly chopped down trees, cutting a path into the mountains to make it easier for the Duchy's main army to enter. Ang's unit was a Logistics Regiment of around five hundred men.

Back home, Ang had also chopped firewood for his family. After joining the Logistics Regiment for military service, he was still chopping trees, so he naturally handled an axe well. That was why he had chosen a short hand axe as his weapon.

Looking at the endless forest before him, Ang immediately felt much better. He had not seen so much green in a long time.

He picked a tree with many branches and climbed to its top to look into the distance. His field of vision was filled with trees, and the distant mountains looked especially tall. Yet at the edge of his sight, there was gray smoke, seemingly from burning trees. It stretched over quite a long distance.

The moment he saw it, Ang's heart tightened. According to his predecessor's memories, the Logistics Regiment always pushed felled trees to both sides and never burned them.

Smoke rising far away now meant the Demons were burning the forest to clear a path. Though they seemed far from him, there might be a Demon advance Scout Team nearby. He was alone. If he ran into them, he would probably die here.

He quickly climbed down from the tree.

Then he ran toward the traces left by the retreating troops.

In his predecessor's memories, Demons were terrifying creatures. He had once seen a Demon stuff a companion's severed limb directly into its mouth and chew it. It had nearly made Ang vomit. If they had not been in battle at the time, with his mind tightly focused, he would have done more than merely feel nauseated.

The scene had been too bloody and horrifying, leaving Ang with a deep impression. The instant he spotted the distant smoke, he hurried down and fled, terrified of encountering Demons. Alone as he was now, he could not deal with them.

While on top of the tree, Ang had also noticed that the farther west one went, the shorter the trees became. At the western edge of his sight appeared to be a plain.

People said a mountain might look close enough to kill a horse trying to reach it. Though it did not seem far, Ang had run for around half an hour without leaving the forest, and the trees had not become noticeably shorter.

According to Ang's memories, he was now a Senior Warrior Attendant, and his physical condition was quite good. After running for over half an hour, he had covered at least seven or eight kilometers at that pace.

Even Ang was breathing hard after such intense running. Worried that the Demons might catch up, he did not stop. He still watched his footing along the way to avoid stepping into empty ground. On Blue Star, he had hit his head because of a misstep. If he fell again by accident, he might be left in these mountains. The swelling at the back of his head had not completely gone down yet.

Even a slight bump to the back of his head hurt. As long as he did not touch it, there was no serious problem.

After resting briefly, Ang got his bearings and sprinted off along the trail again.

Along the way, Ang did not encounter any small animals. There might have been some, but he had not noticed them.

After running another thirty-odd kilometers, the trees Ang saw finally began to grow shorter and thinner. He estimated that another ten or so kilometers would take him out of the forest.

Ang, fleeing for his life, lost track of time. When he emerged from the dense mountain forest, a vast grassland lay before him. The vegetation was lush, and the grass reached up to his waist. When the wind blew, the grass rolled around him like a green sea. Ang was about 175 centimeters tall, and walking through such grassland was somewhat difficult for him.

Several faint trampled trails could be seen across the grassland, left behind by the retreating Logistics Regiment. The paths crossed one another, showing the chaos and haste of the retreat when they had arrived here. Ang stopped and took a deep breath, trying to steady his breathing. He had been running at high intensity for more than two hours straight, likely covering over seventy kilometers. His stamina was nearly exhausted. Besides, he had only awakened recently and could not keep running.

He found a relatively clean rock and sat down, taking off his shield and hand axe before wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. Though exhausted, Ang knew he could not stay long. The Demons might catch up at any moment. He looked around, examining the traces left behind by the retreating Logistics Regiment.

He ate a piece of black bread and drank a full flask of water. After resting for a while, he recovered some strength. While running, Ang had not dared to stop, nor had he dared to pause for water.

Ang stood and continued forward along the clearer tracks through the grass. At the far end of the grassland, he could vaguely see the edge of a forest. Relying on the abundant wilderness experience he had gained in the Logistics Regiment, Ang judged that the regiment's new camp should be beyond this grassland.

After gathering his equipment, Ang crossed the dense grassland and saw a camp enclosed by packhorse carts. The camp looked somewhat crude, with Marching Tents scattered around it without any order. Compared with the carefully arranged camp on the mountain battlefield, the tents here looked far more rudimentary, and their materials were obviously less sturdy than those at the previous camp.

Several soldiers stood guard at the camp entrance, gripping their weapons with tense expressions. Squads also patrolled around the camp, their steps heavy but orderly. They were clearly on high alert as well.

The camp was still around seven or eight hundred meters from the grassland. To reach it, Ang had to cross an open area. Though he was already exhausted, the sight before him told him that safety was close.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his equipment, and headed toward the camp. Every step felt heavy, but his heart was filled with determination. Not far away, a patrolling soldier noticed him and quickly reported back to the camp.

As Ang approached the camp, several warriors came forward. One of them looked at the travel-worn Ang with a surprised expression. "Ang, you're actually alive? That's wonderful!" As he spoke, he hugged Ang, while the others stood nearby watching the two embrace.

Ang lightly touched the back of his head. "Luckily, the Goddess protected me. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have woken up. Jack, why didn't you take me with you when you retreated?" As he spoke, Ang looked at Jack.

Jack was a member of another squad. Earlier, Ang's Lika Squad had gone out on a mission, and the entire squad had followed their squad leader Kukaru, leaving Ang alone in the tent. The squad probably had not expected the whole camp to retreat.

Jack looked awkwardly at Ang. Then someone beside him said, "Come into the camp first. It looks like it took you a lot of effort to catch up with us."

"Ang, come into the camp first. I'll tell you later!" There was a trace of lingering fear in Jack's voice.

Ang smiled faintly and patted Jack's shoulder. His gaze swept across the camp, and he understood that this temporary refuge was not entirely safe, but it was still much better than the open grassland.

Inside the camp, the soldiers were busy with their own tasks. Some were repairing equipment, some were cooking, and even more were keeping watch over the surroundings. Though they had tried their best to make the camp appear orderly, the tension brought by war still lingered everywhere.

The Logistics Regiment soldiers quickly prepared some food and water for Ang so he could rest properly. Ang found a relatively clean place and sat down. He carefully took a bite of Rations. Though it did not taste good, he was in no mood to be picky right now.

Jack sat beside Ang while the others went back to their own business.

"Ang, after you fell unconscious, your squadron, the Magoli Squadron, and the Lucas Squadron went out on a mission. We heard that a Demon scouting squad was not far from our camp," Jack said with a worried face.

"They left a day ago and still haven't returned. No one came back, and no intelligence was sent back either. Commander Kui Bi was worried the Demons would attack, so he ordered us to withdraw. We had to hurry, and we went to check on you in your tent. You weren't breathing, and your body wasn't moving. We thought you were dead, so we didn't take your body with us." Jack looked at Ang somewhat awkwardly.

They had believed Ang was dead at the time, but now he was sitting beside them, alive and well. In a sense, they had abandoned him.

Ang did not pay much attention to the fact that they had left without him. The situation had been urgent, and he had been unconscious. No one would likely have wanted to carry around dead weight.

Ang realized he did not know how long he had been unconscious, so he casually asked, "Jack, how long have you been at the new camp?"

"We've been here for two days and one night. Are you asking how long you were unconscious?" Jack understood Ang's intention as he answered and asked in return.

"Yes. I don't know how long I was unconscious. I only remember being struck in the back of the head by a Demon while fighting alongside my squad. After that, I remember nothing. When I woke up, I was the only one left in the whole camp!" Ang said with a somewhat gloomy expression.

"I saw Captain Lika and the others carry you in. Then Captain Lika took you to see the Shamat Mage. Later, Captain Lika even went to the merchant caravan accompanying the army and bought a Healing Potion for you." Jack spoke to Ang with some envy. He himself had never drunk a Healing Potion and had no idea what it tasted like. "Including the time we spent retreating, you were probably unconscious for four or five days. The retreat itself took us a full day."

When the people in the camp heard that Ang was alive, they all came over to greet him. Even the accompanying Shamat Mage came to take a look at him. As he left, he clicked his tongue in amazement. Back then, he had issued Ang a death notice.