What Are You Risking Your Life For?

The wild killing intent rushing at him made Tan Jie freeze. How had he never noticed before that this kid had such a bloodthirsty streak? He had completely lost himself in the killing!

"Deputy Commander Bai, the hyenas' numbers are still increasing. The Hyena King is probably coming.

"We can't rush this, either. The brothers are about to give out, and King Snake's mechanical arm is nearly out of energy. If we keep fighting, then..."

"Old Tan, if you dare shake the men's morale again, I'll be the first to blow your brains out!"

Bai Ye was in the middle of a slaughter, and his physical condition was continuously improving. How could he possibly leave?

Faced with Bai Ye's furious glare, Tan Jie was both shocked and enraged. Beneath that shock and anger was even a faint sense of absurdity. Who the fuck is the commander here, me or you?

No, you were just some useless deputy commander with no real authority. What the hell were you risking your life for!?

Though furious, he could not flare up. He could only patiently persuade him. "Deputy Commander Bai, hear me out..."

"No."

Tan Jie: "..."

This was fucking ridiculous. You were about to get sucked dry, and you still wanted to kill?

Looking at Bai Ye's body, so unsteady he could barely stand, Tan Jie's eyes reddened. If you wanted to die, don't drag us down with you! Once the hyena pack was wiped out, no one would stop you, but you couldn't die now!

A few minutes ago, he had desperately wanted Bai Ye to open fire. Now, he desperately wanted Bai Ye to retreat.

Just as he was about to forcibly drag Bai Ye away, Bai Ye suddenly seemed to be completely drained. He staggered and fell to the ground.

Tan Jie jumped in fright. Enduring the hyenas' bites, he hurried to Bai Ye's side, terrified that he might die.

"Deputy Commander Bai! Are you alright?"

Bai Ye grabbed Tan Jie's arm. His pale face was filled with determination as his lips trembled. "Help... help me up. I can still fight!!"

At the end, he let out a furious roar and actually dragged himself upright using Tan Jie's arm. Raising [Breath of Bones], he fired—Bang! Bang! Bang!

Tan Jie went numb. Completely numb.

Was this kid a fucking lunatic? Had the poisonous mushrooms not worn off yet?

"Deputy Commander Bai! Deputy Commander Bai! Take it easy! You really can't keep fighting! If you do, you'll die!"

Seeing that he truly could not persuade Bai Ye, Tan Jie grabbed him and tried to drag him into retreat.

Bai Ye struggled wildly and roared, "Old Tan, let go of me! I'm going to kill every last one of these bastards!"

"Deputy Commander Bai, you really can't kill anymore. Retreat, please! I'm begging you, alright?" There was even a hint of pleading in Tan Jie's voice.

"Retreat!? Where can we retreat to? Surrounded by this pack of dogs, I have nowhere left to retreat! At this point, we can only burn our boats and fight to the death! Men! Charge!"

"Bai... my dear brother, what nonsense are you talking about? Gray Soil Town is right behind us! Run a few hundred meters and we're home!" Tan Jie was nearly crying from panic. Not caring whether Bai Ye agreed or not, he dragged him away and started running.

Bai Ye flew into a rage and began fiercely slapping Tan Jie across his big face. Mostly because Tan Jie's body was covered in coarse hair, while his face had less of it.

"Behind me are eight hundred residents of Gray Soil Town! As a commander, if I don't lead them through a bloody path, am I supposed to watch them starve to death in the town?"

After taking several slaps, Tan Jie was furious. Just as he was about to explode, then suddenly...

From the distant yellow sand came the sound of ten thousand galloping horses. One savage black silhouette after another rushed toward them beneath the cover of the sandstorm, and the leading shadow was especially huge and terrifying!

"The Hyena King!!" Tan Jie's face went white with fright. He had no time to care about anything else, hoisted Bai Ye over his shoulder, and ran for his life.

Yet Bai Ye was still going at it!

"Let go of me! I'll fight the Hyena King to the death! Behind us, countless hearths still send up smoke, and children's cries still ring in our ears. Today, the weapons in our hands are the final barrier protecting the warmth of human life!"

Tan Jie said nothing and simply ran.

"They call me Deputy Commander Bai! It is not merely a title, but a responsibility! Even if I die in battle today, my broken body will become the bricks and stones of the city wall, forging a Great Wall of flesh and blood against the hyenas!!"

Tan Jie was left numb by the impassioned roar. Lunatic! This kid's brain had definitely been ruined by the poisonous mushrooms, leaving permanent brain damage. He had completely gone insane!

"Every inch of ground beneath our feet buries the seeds of the people, and every piece of armor on our shoulders bears the lights of countless homes. Only through battle..."

"Deputy Commander Bai! Stop shouting! We're home!" Tan Jie set Bai Ye down on the ground.

Bai Ye was still shouting!

Nonsense. It was precisely because they were home that he should shout louder. Otherwise, who was he shouting for? How else was he supposed to win people over?

To civilized people, these words might sound a little fake. But the wastelanders of Gray Soil Town had never read much. When had they ever heard such impassioned rhetoric?

"Close the gate!!" King Snake shouted, blood staining his body. His subordinates and the residents waiting inside the town hurriedly shut the gates. The heavy iron-sheet-and-wood gates were studded with dense, thick iron spikes—a powerful weapon against hyenas.

"Don't close the gate! Let us in!"

"Boss! We're still outside! Please, open the gate!"

Several wounded underlings, slowed by their injured legs, were left outside the gate.

Moments later, vicious howls and screams rang out one after another, mixed with horrifying chewing sounds.

The impact of those sounds left the survivors pale and shaken.

Some could not bear to watch and turned away, their eyes reddening uncontrollably. The people shut outside the gates were brothers they had lived alongside for years.

Yet now, separated by a single gate, they stood on opposite sides of life and death. The Hyena King was still far away, and they had had a chance to escape back to Gray Soil Town. But King Snake and Tan Jie had been unwilling to take even the slightest risk and had shut them out. Such an act could not help but chill everyone's hearts.

Perhaps no one dared say anything, but the matter would forever hang over their hearts like dark clouds.

"Open the gates! I'm going to save them!"

The young man's impassioned voice was like a golden sword, piercing through the dark clouds in everyone's hearts!

The residents participating in the defense, along with King Snake and the others, turned back in astonishment. Countless gazes focused on Bai Ye's resolute face, each bearing a different expression.

Seeing no response, Bai Ye said nothing more. He pulled out [Breath of Bones] and headed straight for the gates.

Tan Jie was so frightened by this that he hurriedly darted in front of him.

"Deputy Commander Bai! You absolutely cannot go out! The Hyena King is outside..."

"Move aside, Old Tan!" Bai Ye said coldly. "The brothers outside, whether from the East District or the West District, are all citizens of Gray Soil Town. So long as I remain deputy commander, I will protect them!"

If anyone else had said that, Tan Jie would have dismissed it as showboating bullshit. But coming from Bai Ye, he did not dare disbelieve it. If he had not dragged Bai Ye back earlier, this kid would still be outside fighting to the death!