"Reinforcements! Tianfu City says reinforcements will be here soon!" The lieutenant clamped the communicator between his shoulder and cheek, frantically dressing the sergeant major's wound as he spoke excitedly.
"Don't be stupid. I'm more than forty kilometers from the city, and the nearest battalion-level garrison is over seventy kilometers away... By the time they get here, we'll be long dead!" the sergeant major said.
Veins bulged across his forehead. The pain of having an entire foot severed was unimaginable, yet this tough man nearing fifty did not let out so much as a groan.
"Morphine! Does anyone have morphine? Get me a morphine injector!" Both of the lieutenant's hands were covered in blood as he frantically rummaged through the medical kit he carried with him. Yet for some reason, the morphine injectors that should have been standard issue in a battlefield first-aid kit had vanished without a trace.
"Damn it, where did the morphine go..."
"I don't need that stuff. Don't waste your time." Supporting himself with one arm, the sergeant major forcibly sat up. "Bring that off-road vehicle over here, then help me into it."
"You're injured!" the lieutenant said urgently. "You need treatment immediately!"
"Like this, I can't leave... There are only so many empty seats in your convoy. If I don't go, you can take one more person." Gritting his teeth, the sergeant major said, "Go. Take my men with you. I'll cover your retreat."
"Wait a little longer. The reinforcements might already be on their way!" the lieutenant urged.
"Wait my ass! Wait for them to come collect our bodies? Get out! Get the hell out! The farther, the better!"
Just over ten minutes ago, the veteran had told the lieutenant to get lost in exactly the same tone. But now that he said those same