Put bluntly, telling him he was too weak would hurt Uncle's feelings and dampen the spirits of those veteran soldiers who were so eager to fight.
Lin Yi's thoughts raced. His expression softened, turning earnest. Rather than answer with a simple yes or no, he took a different tack and spoke slowly:
"Uncle, I understand how you feel. Uncle Chen and the others must want to contribute to this operation too. But have you thought about what it means for the main force to deploy in full?"
Zhou Jianjun froze. "The entire main force is going out? Then... the settlement will be left empty?"
"Exactly."
Lin Yi leaned forward slightly, his tone growing more emphatic. "The settlement will be left empty! Our families are all here—Auntie, Mengmeng, and thousands of neighbors who barely survived. While the main force fights outside, who will watch their backs? Are we really going to leave that to the Volunteer Patrol, a group of volunteers who may be full of enthusiasm but lack experience?"
He watched Zhou Jianjun's expression turn increasingly grave, then continued:
"What if, and I mean if, a few stray Abyss Beasts slip through, or something else happens that we didn't foresee? Can the volunteers handle it? If the fighting is raging at the front and something goes wrong at the rear, the consequences would be unthinkable."
"So..." Lin Yi said firmly, "guarding the settlement and keeping the rear absolutely secure is an extremely important mission too. In some ways, it's no less important than the attack at the front. Would the leaders at Command Headquarters feel comfortable entrusting that enormous responsibility to anyone else?"
"Only if a militia made up of experienced, levelheaded, absolutely trustworthy veterans like you takes charge can all of us on the front lines fight without worrying