"If it weren't for you, even more people would have died."
"Don't condemn yourself."
Chu Xuanzhen's presence calmed Shen Yangge considerably. He knew none of the people on this island, yet their feelings and surging emotions still affected him.
The blaze was unimaginably fierce. Smoke and ash filled the sky, and so many people were crying that the sound alone could numb the senses.
"Father, Mother, I failed you."
"My wife..."
"My precious child, my little darling."
"We were so close, so very close. Why did it turn out like this?"
The soldiers wiped away their tears and followed orders, dragging away the civilians who stood rooted to the spot and refused to leave. They, too, had loved ones buried beneath the ground, swallowed by the flames. They shared that same grief.
If they could have chosen, they would rather have been the ones buried underground, the ones consumed by fire. They were soldiers charged with defending the people and their country, yet despite bearing that duty, they could do nothing.
They could only watch their parents, wives, and sons die in the flames.
Whenever they saw someone, they instinctively went over to check whether it was a member of their family, only to be disappointed every time.
One soldier was only in his teens. He had enlisted out of spite because his family had spoiled him too much. Now he desperately wished he could turn back time. Even if death awaited him, he would not have cared.
But those wishes could never come true. In the end, all he could do was bury his regret and anguish deep within his heart.
Yue Hanshan had not dared to search for his family. He had a vague feeling that his parents had probably already...
Seeing so many people perish in the