Time passed, second by second.
Yue Xiaofei walked at the front.
His vision blurred. The scene before him swayed, and his legs suddenly buckled. He nearly fell flat on his face.
Running the Emperor Engine at its second stage had pushed him far beyond his limits.
Only sheer will kept him on his feet. Every cell in his body protested, crying out with exhaustion.
"Stop!"
Zhao Mengsheng shouted and stepped in front of Yue Xiaofei again.
"Xiaofei, you can't go any farther."
Yue Xiaofei steadied himself on his broken blade and frowned. "Uncle Zhao, didn't we agree to take this on together?"
"That was then. Things have changed."
Zhao Mengsheng pointed at Yue Xiaofei's trembling legs. "Look at you. You can barely take two steps. What can you do in there besides get yourself killed?"
"I can tear their throats out!" Yue Xiaofei said through clenched teeth.
"Enough!"
Zhao Mengsheng flared up. "This is a war, not a street fight!"
"Your life isn't just yours anymore. You're the heart of this team. You're the Yue Family's hope."
"If you die here, who'll find the old company commander? Who'll uncover the truth about what happened back then?"
Yue Xiaofei tried to argue, but the moment he opened his mouth, he spat out another mouthful of bloody froth.
Zhao Mengsheng turned to Han Duoduo and Wild Chicken.
"Reverse Scale Squad, attention!"
"Sir!"
Wild Chicken and Han Duoduo instinctively straightened.
"As a Nine-Star God of War, I order you to take Yue Xiaofei and Ning Hongye and withdraw immediately. Use the path behind us!"
"Uncle Zhao!"
Yue Xiaofei tried to rush toward him.
Zhao Mengsheng shoved him away with startling force.
"Listen to me, Yue Xiaofei! I'm the highest-ranking commander here. On a battlefield, orders are absolute! Right now, you're no fighter. You're