Golden light spilled over the ruins.
There was no wind. No rain.
A deathly silence surrounded them.
Lin Feng turned around. The hem of his black trench coat hung gently down.
He stepped through the mud and water covering the ground, walking back one step at a time.
His leather boots landed in puddles with a "splish, splash."
The sound was quiet. But to everyone listening, it felt as though he were stepping on the very tips of their hearts.
Before the isolation gate.
Hundreds of fully armed soldiers stood ramrod straight.
They even held their breath.
Every pair of eyes was fixed firmly on the approaching man.
That was reverence. Fanaticism. The gaze one gave a god.
Lin Feng reached the crowd and stopped.
He swept his gaze over the soldiers.
Their uniforms were tattered. Their armor was covered in scratches. Many still wore bandages seeping blood.
Their eyes were bloodshot. Those were the marks left by prolonged fear and sleepless nights.
"Lower your weapons," Lin Feng said softly.
"The alarm is over. There are no monsters outside anymore."
The soldiers did not move. They were accustomed to obeying their commanding officers.
Seated in her wheelchair, Star Sea Survivor abruptly waved her hand.
"Didn't you hear Lord Lin Feng? Lower your guns! Stand down!"
Clatter-
Weapons were stowed in unison. Hundreds of electromagnetic rifles lowered at once.
Some young soldiers collapsed as soon as their fingers left the triggers.
They were too exhausted. Their nerves, stretched taut for half a month, had finally snapped.
Some covered their faces and wept silently.
Lin Feng did not smile. He understood that feeling.
He walked toward Scarface.
Scarface straightened his back. His single mechanical eye flashed red.
"Sir." Scarface gave a regulation military salute.
Lin Feng looked at him, then at the