"Team leader!"
A greeting came from behind.
Gu Lingxuan turned her head and saw Cao Mingyu, who was wearing heavy armor, walking up from behind.
"It's our turn to be on duty, you should go back and rest!" Cao Mingyu stopped beside Gu Lingxuan.
Is it time yet?... Gu Lingxuan glanced to the side.
One by one, many inspectors had completed their rotation and descended the city wall.
However, the people who came to relieve them still looked tired.
The Calamity Beast remained underground, its attack unpredictable. Even with shift rotations, the constant vigilance prevented them from truly relaxing and resting.
"Captain, you should go too!" Cao Mingyu said again.
She didn't refuse, but she didn't leave immediately either. Gu Lingxuan took out a women's cigarette, lit it, and said, "I'll go back after I finish this one!"
As if he were already used to it, Cao Mingyu nodded.
Gu Lingxuan lit a cigarette, took a light drag, and felt the warmth spreading through her lungs before slowly exhaling.
She stood there silently, breathing in the fresh air, at the edge of the city wall.
Suddenly, she asked:
Do you regret coming here?
Cao Mingyu, who had been looking down, paused for a moment. He turned to look at Gu Lingxuan, somewhat puzzled as to why she would ask such a question, but still replied:
"What's there to regret? No matter where you are, aren't you fighting for your country?"
"We're fighting for our country, but this time we might die!" Gu Lingxuan said, bringing the cigarette to her lips again.
"Heh..." Cao Mingyu grinned. "So what if we die? At worst, we'll just have to fight the Calamity Beast. Killing one isn't a loss, killing two is a gain!"
At this point, he suppressed his smile and looked down the mountain.
"Of course, right now, it would be best if I could kill two Fifth Tier!"
Gu Lingxuan did not reply, but simply gazed silently down below.
Given our current situation, killing two equally powerful Calamity Beast would be a loss for the nation, wouldn't it?
Of course, she didn't say those words aloud; she just silently gazed down.
The dark figures were scattered throughout the mountains and forests, motionless. Only occasionally could one hear a very low roar, the murmur of Calamity Beast in its sleep!
Now, most of the Calamity Beast are asleep at the foot of the mountain!
Compared to the comfort below, the top feels somewhat heavy.
Gu Lingxuan turned her head to look to the side.
The staff changing shifts and those being changed only exchanged a few words during the shift change; otherwise, they remained silent, with no one wanting to say anything more.
Even the few words she just exchanged with Cao Mingyu were more than enough for tonight!
Silence, repression...
She let out a soft breath and turned her gaze back.
After so many days, everyone probably already knows what awaits them.
However, they seem powerless to change the situation; all they can do is wait.
Waiting for possible reinforcements from the Calamity Beast, waiting for the Calamity Beast to attack the city, waiting... for death!
Actually, the situation isn't that bad yet.
At least, news of their situation in Frontier-Pacifying City has spread, and...
Raising her eyes to gaze at the receding mountain silhouette, Gu Lingxuan slowly exhaled the last puff of smoke.
It's been five days. If the Calamity Beast send reinforcements, it should be within the next day or two, right?
But it's best if there isn't one, otherwise Shen Heng and the others...
Gu Lingxuan lowered her eyes.
Currently, only a few people in Frontier-Pacifying City know that Bedrock City has come to their aid.
It's not that they don't want to talk about it, but they're worried that if they do, the consequences will be even worse.
The uncertainty about the location of the Calamity Beast forced the forces of Bedrock City to split their troops, further exacerbating their shortage of weapons and personnel.
No, it shouldn't be said that it's not enough, but rather that it's lacking!
Lacking sufficient personnel and ammunition, if they were discovered outside, their ability to even protect themselves would be in question!
Therefore, after careful consideration, they suppressed the news.
The only advantage of announcing it beforehand is probably boosting morale, but the downsides are...
The morale boost, eroded over time, could be further diminished if the Calamity Beast, and the reinforcements were discovered, destroyed, or driven away by the Calamity Beast, leading to an even greater drop in morale...
In short, there's not much benefit in saying it out in advance; on the contrary, keeping it to yourself won't do you much harm.
If they are subsequently discovered by the Calamity Beast and then intercepted or driven away, the outcome will be just as bad as if they had been notified in advance!
If they are not discovered, their appearance at the crucial moment will undoubtedly cause the morale of both sides to rise and fall!
Moreover, this morale has not been worn down by time!
Just like...
Cao Mingyu stood to the side.
He turned to look at Gu Lingxuan, and seeing that she didn't seem to be leaving, he was about to speak...
"Boom--"
Like thunder, it swept across the border town.
Cao Mingyu paused slightly, his gaze instinctively following the direction from which the sound came.
Flames burst forth in his pupils.
He was too far away to see clearly; all he could see was the firelight, but...
Why is there a fire there?!
Cao Mingyu stared blankly at that spot until a whispered voice rang in his ears.
"So it has finally begun...?"
"Boom, boom, boom..."
The rumble of thunder rolled in like a tidal wave.
Those standing on the city wall, those changing shifts, and those on the streets inside the city—one after another, figures turned to look.
Their eyes were slightly open, staring in disbelief at the direction from which the sound came.
"No, that sound..."
"Explosion?! Shell?!"
"Is someone outside?"
"Are you crazy? Where did this person from outside come from!"
"If there's no one here, where did that explosion come from? Don't tell me it's some random Calamity Beast attacking another Calamity Beast!"
"I..."
The Frontier-Pacifying City instantly erupted in noise, with figures speaking up one after another, breaking the previous silence.
Lin Zhaoran and Yu Yanhui stood on the road in the city, their eyes also fixed on the faint light on the horizon.
It seemed like a long time had passed, yet it also seemed like only a short while had gone by, Yu Yanhui her gaze back to Lin Zhaoran.
" Sister Zhaoran, this is..."
Lin Zhaoran's gaze sharpened slightly as she stared in that direction. "Someone must have come to help!"
"Support... support?" Yu Yanhui's eyes widened. "Really? How could anyone possibly come to support us?!"
She had already heard from Sister Zhaoran that the message flares they had tried to launch earlier had all been intercepted by the Calamity Beast.
In other words, the outside world was unaware of the situation in Frontier-Pacifying City.
In this situation, will anyone come to help?