The setting sun bathed the African earth in a somber gold-red glow. The heat waves that had scorched the land all day gradually faded, and the evening breeze began to bring a touch of coolness.
The vast expeditionary camp lit up with rows of lights, shimmering alongside the first stars appearing on the horizon.
Soldier Li Rui returned to the camp with the flow of people.
The tent section where he lived was neat and orderly, built with a modular design and equipped with basic protection and temperature control.
Li Rui stepped into his own cubicle. With practiced movements, he slotted his longsword into the weapon rack beside his bed, then took off his standard-issue light composite armor, now coated in fine dust, revealing the dry, sky-blue combat uniform beneath.
He didn't rest right away. Instead, he sat down at a simple metal table, pulled a tactical tablet from his pack, entered his ID code with practiced ease, and opened the combat log.
Li Rui's fingertips hovered over the screen for a moment, as though reminiscing.
Then he began typing.
Log entry: Expeditionary Army, Day 001
Location: Expeditionary Army camp.
Today, I finally set foot on African soil.
There were almost no intact buildings around the airport, and we could still hear the occasional explosion in the distance.
We were assigned to a huge temporary camp. The tents grew densely across the leveled ground like mushrooms.
The Ross Kingdom troops had set up camp right next to us. You could smell the strong scent of vodka from a long way off.
The captain said we'd be fighting alongside these allies from now on.
I'm not sure how I feel about that.
Then there was Commander Lin Yi.
I'll never forget how he appeared today. It wasn't something a human being