"... Prepare to withdraw!"
Xu Ruiyu paused, forgetting what he was about to say, and subconsciously asked:
"Aren't the Calamity Beast coming?"
"Hmm," Shen Heng responded, tossing the bone in his hand onto the ground.
"Calculate based on the fastest time first."
"If the Calamity Beast want to come, the fastest way is to have the remaining Calamity Beast go to the nearest Anchor Point or other location immediately after the last failed siege, and then return to report. This process takes one day."
"Then, after the proposed idea is approved, messengers are sent to various Anchor Point to notify them. This process takes a bit longer, about three days."
"After that, the various Anchor Point will draw Calamity Beast and gather them at the designated location. Considering that there are many low-level Calamity Beast in this step, the Calamity Beast will be much slower, so let's assume it will take eight days."
"One plus three plus eight..."
"Twelve days!" Xu Ruiyu replied subconsciously. They had arrived here on the eleventh day, and now it was the eighteenth day!
"Hmm," Shen Heng poked at the fire with a stick, "Which means that, theoretically, the Calamity Beast could appear the day after we arrive here!"
"Then... could it be that they're moving slowly? That's why there was a delay?" Xu Ruiyu looked at Shen Heng with a glimmer of hope.
"Possibly!" Shen Heng nodded, not denying it. "But almost twenty days have passed now. That's almost enough time for the Calamity Beast Calamity Beast to be transferred from the Ruins Realm. If they can meet their needs for attacking us by transferring Calamity Beast from the Ruins Realm, do you think they would still need to recruit Calamity Beast from other places?"
There was no reply, but Xu Ruiyu already knew.
Since there's already enough time to requisition Calamity Beast from the Ruins Realm, there's naturally no need to requisition them from other Anchor Point points. However...
Somewhat unwilling, Xu Ruiyu looked to the side.
The group gathered around the campfire, their faces dusty and unwashed from days of neglect, the machine guns and artillery set up, the newly dug bunkers...
Did all that time and effort they spent preparing ultimately go unused?
"Why aren't the Calamity Beast coming?" Xu Ruiyu murmured to himself. "They failed last time, and so many of their kind died. Aren't they angry?"
"I don't know..." Shen Heng paused for a moment, then let out a soft sigh, "Maybe I just didn't expect it!"
Upon hearing this reason, Xu Ruiyu couldn't help but give a wry smile.
Unexpectedly, it did indeed align with their understanding of typical Calamity Beast, but...
Xu Ruiyu was still sitting on the ground, but there was a clear difference between him and before.
Just now, when he was sitting on the ground, you could clearly feel that his body was strong, but now, his posture was hunched over, and he looked somewhat dejected.
If Shen Heng hadn't said those things to him before, he probably wouldn't have cared so much, and wouldn't have bothered if Shen Heng hadn't come.
After all, wars can't always go as planned, but...
Xu Ruiyu looked up with some difficulty at the soldiers sitting around the campfire, chatting and laughing quietly.
Tears welled up and streamed down his face without him even realizing it.
" Captain Shen," he said.
"Mm," Shen Heng replied.
"If we can't stop the next beast tide that attacks Bedrock City, what should we do about who leaves?" Xu Ruiyu asked.
"In summary, those whose children are adults will stay; those whose parents have siblings or spouses who can support them will stay; those whose spouses have stable incomes or the ability to live independently will stay; and if there are still not enough people..." Shen Heng paused, then said, "We will decide the remaining people by drawing lots!"
"This... can it be changed?" Xu Ruiyu asked somewhat hesitantly.
"I remember you were in the group that could be evacuated, right?" Shen Heng asked.
"Yes, I'm an only child, and I don't have any kids, but my parents aren't very old, and they can take care of themselves," Xu Ruiyu said nervously.
Shen Heng paused for a moment, then turned to look at Xu Ruiyu, "You really enjoy throwing your life away?"
"Who would want to die if they could live?" Xu Ruiyu's words were devoid of emotion.
"Yes, who would want to die if they could live?" Shen Heng sighed, not pressing Xu Ruiyu for an explanation. He simply said, "It can't be changed!"
Nodding, Xu Ruiyu said nothing more, only staring blankly at the flickering flames ahead.
A tear occasionally fell onto the ground.
A moment of silence fell around the campfire.
"Crackling..."
Moisture bursts out of the wood.
"What's wrong, feeling down?" Shen Heng poked at the fire.
"No, it's just..." Xu Ruiyu paused suddenly, then nodded, "Yeah, I'm a little discouraged."
"It's good to feel down!" Shen Heng gave a wry smile.
"Is this... alright?" Xu Ruiyu looked at Shen Heng with some surprise.
"In a place like this, it's okay to occasionally feel down and vent your negative emotions, as long as you can pick yourself up afterwards!" Shen Heng looked up at the dark clouds in the sky. "After all, the confrontation with the Ruins Realm is really not something to be happy about!"
" Captain Shen."
"Um?"
Do you get discouraged sometimes?
"Probably!" Shen Heng replied, "It's just that because of my abilities, I'm quite sensitive to this. Once I realize it, I'll adjust my emotions as quickly as possible."
Xu Ruiyu nodded, his gaze returning to the campfire.
After a long silence, he said again:
" Captain Shen, will we win?"
"Are you asking about our Erosion Zone, or about humanity?" Shen Heng asked.
"Everyone's asking, right?"
Shen Heng paused for a moment, then said:
"Winning will be difficult. In fact, so far, most of what we've done is just to slow down the stabilization of the Erosion Zone and delay the invasion of the Ruins Realm. But the strategy set by the base this time will succeed! Even though many people may have to sacrifice themselves for this strategy."
Xu Ruiyu nodded and asked, "What about the future?"
Shen Heng looked up at the dark clouds in the sky.
A similar question was asked by a soldier some time ago, and Xu Ruiyu was also present at the time. His reply was that they would win, but...
Maybe!
This time, Shen Heng gave a completely different answer than before.
Without surprise or sadness, Xu Ruiyu nodded silently.
The area around the campfire fell silent again, and after a long while, a question was finally asked.
"How's it going? Is it all adjusted?"
Xu Ruiyu took a deep breath and replied, "Yes, it's adjusted!"
Actually, after he expressed his discouragement earlier, the few words he exchanged with Shen Heng had already helped him adjust his mood a little!
However, now that some time has passed, my mood has indeed improved a bit!
Although it's not completely over yet, it's enough for me to move around normally!
"Now that everything is adjusted, let's go and inform them!" Shen Heng said.
"Okay!" Xu Ruiyu replied.
Shen Heng glanced at Xu Ruiyu, who had gotten up and was walking away into the distance, then looked up at the sky.
Can we win?
He had pondered this question countless times in his mind, but the result... perhaps... was always somewhat unsatisfactory...
Clouds drifted by, and sparks flew.
A figure sat silently by the fire.
Suddenly, he looked up in a certain direction.
A moment later, a bitter laugh echoed from beside the campfire.
"That's such a groping move..."