Funeral

Only when Tianyang stepped out of the medical vehicle did he learn that the convoy had not set off at all over the past few days.

They were still in the same place.

Ghost Car seemed to have been the most powerful of the Children of Darkness in this area. It was dead now, but its body was enormous.

Even after five days, its corpse had yet to rot away completely, and the smell it gave off kept the other, lesser Children of Darkness from approaching.

Wanderers seemed to be an exception, though. Those Darkfolk had no intelligence, so they knew no fear.

Ghost Car had "spat out" quite a few Wanderers a few days earlier, but judging by the current situation, Han Shu and the others must have cleared them out.

In the distance, Ghost Car's corpse still lay where it had fallen, like a small hill.

Recovery Team members in protective suits moved through its remains, scavenging and recovering valuable materials. They had been at it for five days already.

From the look of things, they would need to stay another day or two before the recovery work was finished.

"What are you spacing out for? Over here."

Up ahead, Cang Du called to him impatiently.

Only then did Tianyang look away from Ghost Car's corpse and follow the ponytailed young man to an open area. It had clearly been cleared out, and small piles of stones dotted the ground.

A nameplate hung from each pile.

Tianyang finally understood whose funeral this was.

The encounter with Ghost Car had cost the convoy dearly. More than half the soldiers had died in battle, along with seven Ascenders.

Those whose bodies were relatively intact now lay in the medical vehicle's refrigerated compartments. They would be handed over to their families upon their return.

As for those whose bodies were incomplete, Nightwalker tradition called for them to be cremated and buried where they had fallen.

Tianyang had heard of this tradition, but this was his first time attending a Nightwalker funeral.

Many people had come to the funeral. Apart from those who had work to do, practically everyone was there.

The men stood in the middle, with the women on either side. Everyone wore black, and the women also wore black hoods. The atmosphere was solemn and heavy, dignified yet desolate.

Han Shu stood at the front. Looking at the piles of stones, he bent forward in a bow.

Someone began reciting the eulogy. "The night is long. I walk alone in the darkness. Death is my destination, the battlefield my grave."

Another voice took up the words. "The night is long, yet I have never walked alone. My comrades stand beside me. Along this road, I know no loneliness."

Then everyone began reciting aloud. "The night is long. We stand watch for one another! My blade helps me hold back the darkness. I shall forever seek the light of dawn. The road ahead is boundless, evil hangs heavy in the air. We walk through the night, exploring what lies beyond."

The voices fell silent.

Han Shu had straightened up. In a deep, resonant voice, he recited alone. "The night is long. My bones now lie in a distant land. Do not weep for me. On the far shore of dawn, I shall await the morning light."

Silence settled over them.

Tianyang clenched his fists. Without realizing it, tears had begun streaming down his face.

The Nightwalkers' eulogy made the young man feel as though he could see generation after generation of explorers stumbling onward through the endless darkness. They fell, suffered wounds, bled, and died.

Yet it was precisely these people who walked through the night, willing to give of themselves and unafraid of sacrifice, who had built the splendor of the world beyond the gate.

Even if that bright world was still imperfect, even if many people still struggled to feed and clothe themselves.

At least the Fortress had been able to raise its high walls, and people no longer had to wander homeless.

The threats in the endless wilderness were gradually becoming legends, rather than nightmares people had to face themselves!

A short while later, the women on either side lit small lamps. Fueled by solid fuel, these lights could burn for a long time in the Inverse Realm.

They placed the lamps before each pile of stones. The flames illuminated the metal nameplates, carrying their prayers that the dead would feel neither lonely nor cold in the darkness.

Once the women had stepped back, Han Shu raised a hand. Every man at the front raised his gun.

Three volleys rang out, and the funeral ended.

After a while, the crowd gradually dispersed, but Tianyang had no intention of leaving. Instead, he walked up to one of the piles of stones.

The nameplate hanging from it bore the name "Shattered Star."

Tianyang remembered her as a Hunter from the Yellow Dragon Squad. She had short hair and loved to smile. During their breaks, her hearty laughter could always be heard.

Now she rested here forever. On the journey home, they would no longer hear her laughter.

His heart sank.

"Why haven't you left?" Han Shu's voice rang out, accompanied by the choking smell of cigarette smoke.

Tianyang looked up. The Raven Squad's captain was smoking. Beneath the dim skies of the Inverse Realm, the red glow at the tip of his cigarette stood out sharply.

"What about you, Captain?" Tianyang asked instead of answering.

Han Shu lowered his cigarette and exhaled a stream of smoke. "I wanted to look at them a little longer. I might never get to see them again."

Tianyang looked at the piles of stones. "I didn't know most of the people here. Some of them, I only exchanged a word or two with. Even so, it still hurts. It must hurt even more for you, Captain..."

Han Shu looked up at the darkness overhead. "I'm used to it. People like us are always saying goodbye to our friends and family. Maybe one day, it'll be our turn."

"My only wish is to leave a decent-looking corpse when I die. If someone's there to recover my body, even better."

Tianyang fell silent.

Neither of them spoke again until Han Shu finished his cigarette. Then the man turned and said, "Let's go."

Tianyang followed behind him.

Han Shu slipped both hands into his trouser pockets. "We owe you a lot this time. Without you, even more people probably would've died. I'll report what happened. The higher-ups are bound to reward you. Also, your Particle Warblade is beyond repair. But we found some good materials on Ghost Car. I'll see if I can get hold of some and have a Material Weapon made for you."

Material Weapons were weapons forged from a part of a Child of Darkness's body.

Such weapons usually retained some of the properties of the creature the materials came from. Ghost Car had undoubtedly been an extremely dangerous Child of Darkness. A weapon forged from its materials would surely be stronger than a Particle Warblade.

The young man nodded, full of anticipation.

Not far away, someone stepped out from behind a combat vehicle. It was Zhou Wang.

He had heard everything Han Shu had just said. Watching Tianyang from a distance, Zhou Wang's eyes brimmed with jealousy. "Why do you get all the good things? I fought hard too! Why don't I get a special reward or a Material Weapon?"

He gave a loud snort, turned, and left.

Two days later, the convoy set off. They left Metropolis and headed straight for Lighthouse Outpost Base.

Once the handover was finished, their mission was considered complete. Han Shu had planned to take some time off, but Ling Feng gave him another assignment. Though the rough-looking man grumbled and swore, he still accepted it.

As for Tianyang, Ling Feng had no new assignment for him for the time being. After staying at the base for four hours, he boarded the high-speed train back to the Fortress.

To his surprise, Luo Shan was also taking Xun back, and they happened to be in the same carriage as Tianyang.

He had thought he would have company on the journey home, but his good mood lasted less than five minutes. It vanished completely the moment he saw Zhou Wang's arrogant face.

Whether he did it on purpose or not, Zhou Wang plopped down between Xun and Tianyang, leaving Tianyang with no choice but to turn toward the window.

Even the oppressive, twisted scenery of the Inverse Realm along the way was a hundred times more pleasant to look at than Zhou Wang's face!

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