"Ptui!"
A Maliro soldier spat out blood-tinged saliva. He had merely glanced outside, but a bullet had struck the brick less than a foot away from him! He had almost had his head blown apart!
But he had survived through sheer luck, and the price was a cheek and lips sliced by the shattered brick. It was truly a blessing in disguise!
Although the coldest part of winter had passed, the temperature was still extremely low. It was not only cold, but dry as well.
The dry cold made his skin feel tight. In barely any time at all, the edges of his wound had begun to gape, and the fresh flesh inside had darkened.
It looked like the slabs of meat at the livestock stalls by the roadside in a market—the cut surfaces bloody and mangled, their color darkening.
His taut skin pulled the wound open from both sides. That nearly imperceptible force gradually made the soldier feel pain. He tried licking his lips, then gave up.
He could feel his tongue touching a slit, as well as a small strip of flesh that had split open, dried out, and hardened.
That single lick left his tongue covered in blood.
The pain and anxiety made him even more agitated, so he changed positions.
The fighting during this period had taught him that once his position was exposed, he would be in extreme danger!
The Federal snipers had excellent aim, and they also had heavy weapons. For all he knew, something might already be aimed at the building he was in! To the Federals, if one shell could eliminate one enemy, it was obviously a worthwhile trade!
But the Maliro People found that difficult to understand.
Not long after he had moved away, a tank in the distance finished adjusting