"About twenty... minutes."
Shen Heng replied, his voice revealing a weariness that even he himself found unfamiliar, hoarse and heavy.
He realized his lapse in composure and tried to make his tone sound more firm.
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't regain that clear and powerful state of mind I used to have.
"..." On the other end of the headset, Wang Hai was silent for a moment before finally saying:
"I remembered the first time I witnessed my teammate sacrifice himself."
"He sacrificed himself to save someone."
"Unexpectedly, that person was too badly injured to be saved."
"Afterwards, I barely ate anything for three whole days."
"More than once I thought, 'If only he hadn't gone to save that person!'"
At this point, Wang Hai smiled.
"Of course, this idea has never been voiced."
"However, he truly existed in my mind at that time."
"Later, my captain noticed my condition and came looking for me. Do you know what he said?"
"What?" Shen Heng asked instinctively.
He said, "Don't be fooled by how powerful we seem, joining the Supervision Bureau and fighting against otherworldly forces; we're just one part of the tide of history."
"Perhaps some of us will become very strong, become great figures of the new era, and even be recorded in human history."
"But the vast majority of people remain unknown."
"They fought silently, and they sacrificed themselves silently."
Wang Hai's voice was low and tinged with a distant, dreamlike quality as he recounted what he had heard from elsewhere.
"Just like the crops in the field."
"It looks like a vast expanse, but when the wind blows, entire swathes of it collapse."
"Some of them even let out a sound."
"Yes, some died silently in the mud without a sound."
No one cares about the exact moment a particular stalk fell, nor does anyone remember the posture in which it fell.
But does that mean our efforts were meaningless?
He paused, and the sound of him taking a deep breath came through the headset, the slight daze being suppressed back under his determination.
Fewer and fewer people will remember us, until there are none left.
"But this land, these crops, will always remain!"
After he finished speaking, Shen Heng remained stunned for a long time.
"Do you understand the significance of what I'm telling you?" Wang Hai's voice came again, pulling Shen Heng back from his reverie.
Shen Heng took a light breath, and when he spoke again, although his voice was still hoarse, it had regained its former firm core:
"This land, these crops, will always be here!"
Wang Hai's relieved laughter came through the earpiece.
"If it were Wu Cheng, he would tell me that this time the noise will be even louder!"
Shen Heng sat silently in place, offering no reply.
He suddenly remembered something, his Adam's apple bobbing, " Han Ling..."
This time, Wang Hai remained silent.
After a long silence, his even deeper voice came through the receiver. "She's a good girl, she shouldn't be with someone like me who's been married once."
Shen Heng neither nodded nor shook his head; his gaze remained fixed on the ground.
" Shen Heng." Wang Hai's voice suddenly became much more serious.
"I've already reported this to headquarters. You will be the new director of the Linhai City Supervision Bureau."
He paused, then finally said firmly:
"Let's keep going, everyone."
"Yes, I understand!" Shen Heng nodded heavily and clearly.
"Besides..."
Wang Hai's voice suddenly lowered again, almost blending into the static of the electricity.
"If you have time, could you look after Little Bell for me?"
Shen Heng remained silent for a long time before saying:
"Good."