Two more days passed.
More than ten kilometers southwest of Shuofang City, in a mountain valley.
Several figures stood at the edge of the mountain valley, silently watching the distance ahead.
There, large amounts of mud surged upwards and to both sides.
There was no roaring sound, no flying dust, only a dull, continuous movement.
A moment later, the mud stopped moving.
A large rectangular pit appeared in the center of the valley.
No one spoke.
One by one, soldiers carrying the bodies leaped over the piles of mud from either side.
He set down the body, leaped out of the pit, and picked up the next one.
And so it goes.
a long time.
The last body was also placed into the pit.
silence.
One figure after another stood by the side, silently watching the bodies in the pit.
After a long while, the figure standing in the middle raised his hand and slowly pressed it down.
The soil piled on both sides surged again, slowly covering the center of the pit.
Without a word, the figure who had just given the order raised his hand, which he hadn't yet lowered, and saluted.
Then, as if it were a contagious disease, one figure after another silently raised their hands.
The wind swept through the mountain valley, stirring up wisps of dust.
The soil stopped churning.
The ground was as smooth as ever, yet its difference from the surrounding area was still clearly visible!
A gentle breeze had risen up sometime earlier, carrying with it the surrounding snow and fallen leaves, and blanketing the area.
Looking at the initial distressed finish, Zhou Zhenguo raised his eyes and glanced around at the figures standing nearby, then said:
"Thank you all for your hard work. If there's nothing else, you can head back now."
"Yes, sir."
The sound came out intermittently.
Then, one figure after another began to turn and leave.
Although he had asked everyone else to leave, Zhou Zhenguo himself did not leave immediately.
He gazed at the ground rapidly blending into its surroundings, and after a long while, sighed.
"He gave his life for his country, but in the end, he couldn't even go home and had to be buried in a place like this. The worst part is, he couldn't even get a tombstone..."
"That's enough!" Li Boyuan stared heavily at the ground. "Green hills everywhere bury loyal bones; why must they be wrapped in horsehide to return home..."
Shen Heng stared silently at that spot, listening to the conversation between the two people beside him.
If they had the means, they would certainly like to send these fallen soldiers back to Blue Star, but...
There simply aren't enough resources to do this kind of thing!
Even burying these soldiers took several days to complete!
Fortunately, the Plateau Erosion Zone is frigid year-round, so there's nothing to worry about...
Zhou Zhenguo and Li Boyuan continued their conversation nearby.
"... If I also perish in the Erosion Zone in the future, then bury me here as well," Li Boyuan said.
Zhou Zhenguo chuckled, "Then you'll have to go to the back of the line; the soldiers need to be given priority."
"I know that leaders should lead by example, but isn't this a bit too demanding?" Li Boyuan said, his lips twitching slightly.
Zhou Zhenguo smiled and looked to the other side, " Shen Heng, what about you?"
Shen Heng turned his attention back to the two people staring at him and said, "As long as it's not eaten by the Calamity Beast, it's fine!"
"Your demands aren't high!"
Zhou Zhenguo said something, then looked away.
The surface has been distressed!
Zhou Zhenguo glanced at the few soldiers still standing around and sighed.
"Let's go back, there's a ton of stuff to take care of."
There was no response, Li Boyuan turned and followed.
Shen Heng also turned around, but after taking a few steps, he stopped and looked in a certain direction.
He crouched down and turned to look at the two people who were watching him because they had noticed he hadn't kept up.
" Elder Zhou, you all go ahead, I'm going to see someone."
Zhou Zhenguo glanced at him, said nothing, and simply nodded.
Shen Heng walked toward the figure in his field of vision.
The figure stood alone at the edge of the ravine, silently watching the newly filled pit, lost in thought.
Shen Heng walked over and stood beside him.
Would you mind having one more person?
The sudden sound startled Kuang Jie slightly.
He turned his head, looked at the familiar figure beside him, paused for a moment, shook his head, and then looked back at the filled-in pit.
Shen Heng didn't pay attention, his gaze also fixed on that spot.
Black snowflakes silently blanketed the ground...
Are you looking at Zhao Ming?
The person in front paused for a moment because someone had suddenly arrived.
But this time, even knowing that Captain Shen was next to him, Kuang Jie couldn't help but pause for a moment.
He turned his head to look at Captain Shen standing beside him, his eyes filled with slight disbelief.
" Captain Shen, do you still remember Zhao Ming?"
"Of course I remember," Shen Heng said calmly, looking at the ground. "And you, I remember you too, otherwise why would I have come here?"
Kuang Jie paused for a moment, then, realizing what he meant, gave a wry smile.
"Too."
He looked back, the bitter smile on his face fading.
"Yes, I am indeed thinking about Zhao Ming. After all, we've been classmates and comrades-in-arms for so many years, and now..."
The conversation ended there; it didn't continue.
Shen Heng didn't press further, but simply asked,
"Losing an important comrade for the first time?"
Kuang Jie hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Mm."
"If you stay in the Erosion Zone long enough, you're bound to encounter this kind of thing sooner or later. Even I'm no exception!"
"Yes, I understand."
There was a moment of silence.
"Feel sorry."
His voice was soft, tinged with a slight hint of shame.
Kuang Jie paused for a moment, then looked at Shen Heng.
" Captain Shen, you..."
"No," Shen Heng said calmly, looking at Kuang Jie. "I just wanted to apologize for not protecting your important comrade."
Kuang Jie opened his mouth.
"But this... has nothing to do with you, you've already done very well."
"But ultimately, we can only protect that portion," Shen Heng said slowly.
There was no reply.
Kuang Jie opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a word. Instead, he began to sob, trying his best to suppress his sobs.
"I'm not usually like this!" Kuang Jie said, sniffling.
"Yes, I know!" Shen Heng responded softly, "But sometimes, it's not a bad thing to cry!"
There was no response, only the increasingly loud sobs.
After a long while, the voice, which had recovered somewhat, finally rang out.
" Captain Shen, is this kind of sacrifice meaningful?"
There was no immediate response. Shen Heng looked up at the gray sky above.
After a long silence, a soft reply finally came.
"It will be meaningful..."
The last group of soldiers left.
Only the two figures standing there remained, along with their long, drawn-out shadows...
"... Shuning, look! This is the Grassland Erosion Zone! We've entered the Erosion Zone!"
A slightly excited voice rang in my ears.
Shen Shuning snapped out of her intense feeling of weightlessness and spatial disorientation and looked in the direction her friend was pointing.
Then, she froze.
Stretching for miles, a sea of metal buildings; towering walls hundreds of meters high; drones flying overhead...