Earth Era

part 27

After a fierce battle, the team's members were sharply reduced by nearly half. What was once a team of over a hundred people now numbered only sixty-something, including a dozen or so wounded.

The captain arranged for several people to escort the wounded back to base, while the rest continued forward.

Qin Feng and Zhong Yuanjie dug a large pit in the open space and buried Ruan Xiaoyu's body.

"Brother, rest in peace!"

Everyone saluted in unison, then turned to face the battlefield they had just left, solemnly saying, "Brothers, rest in peace!"

In the smoke of battle, how many had sacrificed their precious lives? They had families, friends, and someone they loved deep in their hearts...

Yet they couldn't individually bury them all; they could only send them off in this way.

"We still have a mission to complete. Let's go," the captain said calmly.

"Wait a moment," Qin Feng ran towards a nearby building.

The captain puzzledly asked, "What's he doing?"

Zhong Yuanjie replied, "He's going to find his girlfriend."

"Girlfriend... Oh right! He's still with a girl," the captain remembered.

Qin Feng arrived at the door and, for some reason, instinctively knocked.

The door opened, but instead of Xiaoya, an elderly man stood there!

Qin Feng was stunned for a moment, thinking he had gone to the wrong place, but he checked his surroundings—it was indeed the right house.

Their eyes met, both filled with confusion.

Just as he was wondering, Xiaoya's voice came from inside, asking, "Is that you, Qin Feng?"

"Yes, it's me," Qin Feng replied.

Xiaoya ran over, peeked outside, and asked, "Is it safe now?"

"It's safe."

She pushed the door open and stepped out, looking Qin Feng up and down, "You're not injured, are you?"

Qin Feng shook his head, "No."

She nodded, then turned to the elderly man and said, "Uncle, you should come with me. I'll take you to the bunker; it's safe there."

The old man smiled and waved his hand, "No need~ We're already old and won't live much longer anyway. Let them come~ I'm not afraid of them..."

During their conversation, Qin Feng learned that there was also an old lady and a little girl inside the house. The elderly couple refused to leave, and Xiaoya had been trying to persuade them for a while.

Qin Feng pulled Xiaoya aside and asked, "Why won't they leave?"

"On one hand, they say they're too old and don't want to be bothered anymore, but obviously, that's just an excuse. On the other hand, they're waiting for their son to come and get them. He's also in the Marines..."

"Has their son sent any news?" Qin Feng asked.

Xiaoya shook her head.

Qin Feng looked up at the sky, where the war still raged on, with countless plunderers pouring in from outside the 'hole', explosions rumbling faintly in his ears.

"No, we can't let them wait here. It's too dangerous."

Xiaoya shrugged, "No matter what you say, it's no use. Why don't you try?"

Qin Feng tried, but failed.

He reported the situation to the captain, who, along with over fifty people, surrounded the elderly couple. After over half an hour of persuasion, the elderly couple finally agreed to follow the others to the bunker.

Xiaoya held the little girl's hand, chatting and laughing along the way.

In the subsequent search, more stranded individuals were found, mostly elderly people who were reluctant to leave. It always took some persuasion to get them to go.

By the time they reached Zone 1, it was already early morning. If it weren't for the cover of the alien mothership, the sky would probably have been getting light by now.

They brought a total of 22 stranded individuals. After arranging them properly, Xiaoya realized that something seemed wrong—someone was missing. She asked Qin Feng, "Where's Xiaoyu?"

Qin Feng replied, "He's gone."

"Where did he go? He left without saying anything," Xiaoya asked, puzzled.

Zhong Yuanjie pointed upwards.

"What's going on? Are you saying..." Xiaoya's expression was incredulous.

"Yes, he's gone," Zhong Yuanjie confirmed.

Wide-eyed, Xiaoya looked at Qin Feng, as if seeking answers.

Qin Feng nodded gently.

"What happened? How could this happen? You two were fine... How could he..." Xiaoya covered her mouth, unable to continue, her eyes slightly red.

"He sacrificed himself to save me," Qin Feng said.

She didn't say anything, tears quietly falling.

Although Xiaoya and Ruan Xiaoyu hadn't known each other for long and rarely saw each other, they quickly became friends due to their easy rapport. After a period of time, they had developed feelings for each other.

A few hours ago, he was alive and well, chatting and laughing. A few hours later, he was gone. It was hard for anyone to accept.

If anyone found it hard to accept, it would be Qin Feng and Zhong Yuanjie. After all, the three of them had known each other for over five years. They trained together, played together, went on missions together, and laughed together. They were practically inseparable except for going to the bathroom and taking showers.

Suddenly losing one person made it hard for them to accept, too, although they didn't show it as visibly as Xiaoya.

Qin Feng wanted to cry his heart out, but he couldn't. It wasn't the time to cry yet.

The invaders were coming, and it was a matter of life and death for everyone on Saitan. Everyone should do their utmost to defend their homeland, not just shed tears for lost loved ones and friends.

Qin Feng wanted to comfort Xiaoya, but he didn't know what to say. He had zero experience in consoling girls. In the end, he just said softly, "It's all my fault..."

Xiaoya looked at him, stopped crying, and nodded.

Zhong Yuanjie gently patted his shoulder to comfort him.

No one slept that night; everyone was exhausted.

The captain arranged accommodation for everyone and instructed, "You can go eat now. After eating, come back and rest as soon as possible. We'll meet in four hours."

"What? Four hours? I can't get up..." Xiaoya said.

The captain looked at her, "Then you can choose to sleep longer."

Xiaoya glared at him, and the captain continued, "Our war isn't over yet. The plunderers are still launching attacks against us continuously. Do you want a good night's sleep? There's only one way—drive them away! Otherwise, as long as there's one plunderer left on our planet, we'll never be able to sleep well."

"Why don't we just kill them all?" Xiaoya asked.

"You go ahead and do it. Dismissed!" the captain said.

"...," Xiaoya fell silent.

Qin Feng shook his head helplessly and said, "No wonder you got along with Xiaoyu so well. You're really alike."

"What do you mean? I'm just stating facts... Hey, don't go! Driving them away means they'll come back, but killing them all is different... Hey, where are you going? Wait for me!"

"To eat," Qin Feng said without looking back.

Four hours later, they received unexpected news that surprised everyone.