Gus poured her a full glass of wine.
Do you want to go back?
Stella looked at him, her eyes filled with complex emotions. "Go back to where?"
"Battlefield."
Stella remained silent for a long time.
"I want to, but I can't go back."
"Why?"
"Because nobody needs me," she sighed, then continued.
Everyone thought that women should stay at home and that nobles should enjoy life.
"Even I'm starting to think that way; I guess I'm really getting old, and I've really resigned myself to my fate."
She cried.
Gus didn't say anything, he just pushed the bottle over.
At this point, we're already halfway there.
Gus has a foolproof formula for pursuing women, provided they don't dislike you.
If you can't win them over, it means you haven't talked enough about your family of origin.
He only spoke after she had finished crying.
I think you can still fight.
Stella looked up.
I've seen photos of you when you were young.
"That look in your eyes isn't the look of someone who has resigned themselves to their fate."
Stella looked at him, her eyes sparkling.
Just then, Gus's communicator on his waist beeped.
He answered the phone, listened for a few words, and his expression turned serious.
"What's wrong?" Stella asked.
" Over the Forbidden Wall, a group of Orks bypassed the defenses and appeared at the rear."
We need to send troops to wipe them out.
He stood up and straightened his uniform.
I have to go.
He walked to the door, then suddenly stopped and looked back.
Stella sat there, still holding a wine glass in her hand, tears still streaming down her face, but there was a certain longing in her eyes.
"Why don't you give it a try, Ms. Stella?"
The next day, Stella appeared at an outpost behind the Forbidden Wall.
She was wearing a Power Armour that she hadn't worn in a long time.
She stood in the temporary command post, in front of a simple map.
Gus stood to the side, with several PDF officers standing behind him.
"There are about a thousand Orks soldiers, hidden in the valley, currently building a stronghold."
"A thousand? That's all?" Stella frowned.
The officer glanced at Gus, Gus nodded.
"Yes, madam, but the terrain is complex, easy to defend and difficult to attack."
Stella stared at the map for a full three minutes.
Then she began to give orders.
" The First Company launched a feint attack from the east, firing shots but not charging, to lure them out."
The Second Company lay in ambush on the west side, waiting for them to emerge from the valley before attacking.
The Third Company circled around to the north, blocking their escape route.
The heavy firepower group has taken the high ground and is waiting for my signal.
The officers exchanged glances, then looked at Gus.
Gus nodded. "Do as she says."
The battle lasted less than two hours.
All 1,000 Orks were wiped out, with zero casualties on our side.
Stella stood in the center of the battlefield, looking at the green corpses scattered everywhere, panting heavily.
Her Power Armour was stained with green blood, and her Chainsword was still trembling slightly.
But a smile appeared on her face that hadn't been seen for many years.
That smile was as bright as the sun suddenly rising over an icy plain.
"How is it?" Gus walked over and handed her a jug of water.
Stella took the water bottle, took a big gulp, and then looked up at him.
"That was so awesome, so incredibly awesome!"
Gus laughed.
For the next few days, Gus did not contact Stella again.
But news kept reaching Stella's ears every day.
Gus led his troops to wipe out a group of Orks. Gus won another victory on the front lines Gus was commended by the governor.
She sat in the empty hall, fidgeting restlessly.
On the fifth day, she finally couldn't resist and took the initiative to go to him.
Gus arranged one battle after another for her.
Every match was meticulously designed, with just the right number of Orks for her to fight.
The terrain is treacherous, but there's always a way out; the enemy is ruthless, but our firepower always "just right" suppresses them.
After a battle, there is always a grand victory celebration banquet.
Gus would stand at the front, raise a glass to celebrate her, and give her all the credit.
"Ms. Stella is the real hero!"
"We can't win without her leadership!"
" The Brevis Cross? That's nothing! Stella is worth an entire legion by herself!"
Stella's face turned even redder.
In her more than thirty years of life, she had never heard so much praise.
Then, on a night after a celebratory banquet, Gus drove her back to her temporary lodgings.
The corridor was quiet, with only the sound of two people's footsteps.
Stella stopped and turned to look at him.
" Gus."
"Um?"
She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Gus smiled, stepped forward, and bent down to kiss her.
She did not refuse.
Arumi Holstein escaped from prison twelve days after his capture.
Everyone thought he was dead, but he was just being held captive.
For some reason, the governor's men never killed him.
He didn't even know how he escaped.
All he knew was that the guards had suddenly relaxed their guard, and a side door that was usually locked was open. He walked out of the cage step by step.
After he came out, the first thing he did was inquire about his family, and then he learned about his wife.
Arumi immediately rushed to where Stella might be.
He ran for a whole day and night and finally caught up with the team.
Upon arrival, he was met with an unforgettable scene.
Stella stood on a battlefield where a battle had just ended, wearing Power Armour and holding Chainsword.
In front of her stood a group of Orks who had just been killed, while behind her were cheering soldiers.
Gus stood beside her, pointing in a certain direction in the distance, as if he were pointing out something.
Stella listened attentively, then nodded and said something with a smile.
That smile was as radiant as the sunshine.
Arumi hadn't seen that smile in many years.
Ever since they moved into Uptown, ever since he decided to "settle down and enjoy the rest of his life."
Her smiles became fewer and fewer, fainter and fainter, until they disappeared completely.
That smile is back now.
But she was facing another man.
Tears streamed down his face.
After the battle, the soldiers began to clean up the battlefield.
Stella sheathed her Chainsword and turned to walk toward Gus.
Gus reached out and wiped the blood from her face.
Instead of dodging, she leaned closer and rested her head on his shoulder.
Arumi staggered forward, trying to get closer to her, trying to call out to her.
But two soldiers rushed over and pinned him to the ground.
"We've caught a fugitive!"
"Send him to the outpost!"
He desperately looked back as he was being dragged away, but Stella didn't see him.
In the cell, Arumi sat on the floor, his face ashen.
The door opened, Stella rushed in.
" Arumi! What are you doing here?! How did you escape?!"
Arumi looked up at her.
Those eyes that once captivated him were now red, filled with guilt and panic.
"It's not what you think. Lord Gus and I are just friends, it's just..."
"Friend?"
Arumi's voice trembled, tinged with sarcasm.
During his imprisonment, he watched a lot of live streams about Gus and Stella.
Not just on the battlefield.
Stella opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word.
"I'm sorry." Those were the only three words she could utter.
Arumi looked at her and smiled bitterly.
You know what? I don't hate you at all.
"I'm the one who trapped you in that cage; I'm the one who made you lose yourself."
He had already cried all his tears.
"If he can bring you back to life, then go with him."
Stella knelt before him, sobbing uncontrollably.
Just then, the door opened again.
Gus stood in the doorway.
" Stella, come out."
Stella stood up, took one last look at Arumi, then turned and followed Gus.
The door closed behind me.
Arumi sat alone in the darkness and smiled.
As I laughed, tears started flowing again.
He stood up and walked to the corner of the wall, where there was an exposed metal pipe with a sharp, broken edge.
He leaned his neck in.
He committed suicide.
When Gus told Stella the news, she was stunned.
Then she threw herself into Gus's arms and burst into tears.
Gus held her and patted her back reassuringly.
"It's okay, I'm here for you."
Stella looked up at him, her eyes blurry with tears.
His handsome face was full of tenderness, and the light in his eyes made her feel at ease.
She hugged him even tighter.
But then he discovered that something had pierced through him.
She looked down and saw a finely crafted dagger piercing her heart.
Stella stumbled backward, nearly falling.
She looked up and saw that the gentle expression on Gus' face had vanished, replaced by disgust.
"Even though her own husband is dead, she's still clinging to her enemy."
Stella's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What... what did you say?"
Gus approached her, each step feeling like he was stepping on her heart.
"I arrested your husband."
"I seized your family's property. You were just crying over his death, and now you're clinging to me."
He laughed, a laugh filled with disgust.
"Tell me, isn't a woman like you disgusting?"
Stella opened her mouth as if to say something, but blood kept gushing from her throat.
Gus raised his pistol and pointed it at her forehead.
Goodbye, bitch.
Bang.
Stella Farrell fell with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling.
It's like looking at a distant place, a place you can never go back to.
Gus put away his gun, glanced at the corpse on the ground, and turned to walk out of the cell.
A soldier was waiting for him in the corridor.
"Sir, the Holstein Family..."
"Kill them all." Gus said without turning his head, "Leave no one alive."
The Winter Family was completely wiped out.
The Holstein Family was wiped out.