"That's how it goes for now, General."
In Zaraha City, in the command room of the central hall, General Bernard, the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Frontline with a tired look on his face, was listening to reports from his subordinates. And for a period of time after the end of this sentence, the general, whose eyes were bloodshot and seemed to have not closed his eyes for a long time, did not say a word.
"They..." After a long time, a very dry voice came from his mouth: "Are they all dead?"
"Very few people survive, General." The person who answered him said, "Many people are already in a weak physical condition, so..."
General Bernard did not answer, but looked at him with a questioning look. The latter hesitated for a while, then lowered his head: "Some of them...have not eaten for several days."
"Asshole!"
An angry roar suddenly came from the command post. The roar was full of shock. Even the elite elites of the empire standing guard at the door couldn't help but shudder: "How many times have I told you! This is the empire. The battle with the principality should not affect the civilians! You just don’t listen! Now, you dare to deduct the rations distributed, you, what else do you dare not, ah? "
"You are embarrassing our empire! You are violating Her Majesty Frey's will! You... you are laying the foundation for the future of the empire!"
The last few words were almost all spoken by Bernard through gritted teeth. He had lost his usual serious expression, and his whole face became distorted: "Call Karias, I want to see who gave him such courage..."
"General."
The man standing next to him interrupted him in a low voice: "You can't blame Karias alone. After all... our troops are now very tight on food and salary. Since Zaraha City was occupied by us, close to the east There is no food left to be found near the principality."
The man's voice became a little urgent: "The clearing tactics implemented by Dusk have gradually taken effect, and the empire has penetrated too far into enemy territory. Zaraha City is so far away from our country, and logistics... is simply impossible. ensure."
"That is to say..." Bernard's voice became lower: "We can't delay it anymore?"
"There is nothing we can do about it, General." As the voice lowered, the man leaned his head over and said, "Your Majesty asked us to delay it for the time being. We can only delay it like this, although the situation has become a bit worse now. Bad, but..."
"How can we not obey His Majesty's will?"
"That message, and the subsequent order..." Bernard whispered: "What exactly do you want to do? Your Majesty..."
Silence spread in every corner of the command room. It was not until a sonorous and heavy footsteps gradually approached that Bernard, who regained his serious expression, seemed to wake up from deep thought: "How is the investigation going? ?”
"Unless there is other sufficient evidence, the previous conclusion cannot be overturned." The person immediately replied: "However... we have started a follow-up investigation to confirm that no more people are involved."
"No, don't continue to investigate in that direction." Bernard shook his head: "Those city residents have learned a lesson, and their power...can't make any waves. I'm worried about other issues. .”
"These past few days..." Recalling what the woman in blue robe said before leaving, Bernard's voice deepened again: "I always feel uneasy..."
"Report!"
A guard figure suddenly appeared outside the door: "General Combienne Calogrenan, commander of the Snow Wolf Army, wants to see you."
"Let him in." Bernard said solemnly, then turned to look at the guy who reported: "Morey, you go down first."
"yes."
The guy named Morey put away his report, then saluted, turned around and walked out under Bernard's gaze, just in time to meet a sturdy imperial general who came in at the door. The hunky-backed man whose collar was about to burst glanced at the man who walked out, then stood upright again: "Commander of the Snow Wolf Army, Combien, please see your Excellency!"
"What's the matter, do you still need to come to see me in person?"
"Uh..." The strong-backed man suddenly collapsed: "That's it. This afternoon, several adventurers broke into the left-wing position we were guarding, and also broke into Friedrich's temporary research institute. room……"
"What!" Bernard's face turned dark: "Is he an adventurer from the principality?"
"Judging from the situation at the time, it should be yes."
Combien lowered his head and said, "One of them... also took a sample."
"you……"
The slender and serious figure was silent behind the table for a few seconds, and then stood up suddenly: "What do you do for food!"
In the command room in the central hall, the roar of the empire's commander-in-chief once again erupted.
****************************
There is a silent world in front of my ears, boundless chaos in front of my eyes, and the blurred and unrecognizable vision is gradually becoming clearer, but this process seems to have gone through for a long time, and it seems to have only passed for a moment - the concept of time seems to have disappeared in In the consciousness, finally, the fog-like feeling gradually disappeared, replaced by the gradual clarity of the world.
It's like waking up from a dream.
"Uh-huh..."
A subconscious groan came out of his mouth, and the focus of his pupils gradually focused on the top of his head. Duan Qing carefully identified it, and then the word "ceiling" appeared in his mind. With a little force on his hand, he slightly confirmed the control of his body, then slowly climbed up and looked around, and then he was a little sure that he did not seem to die and return to Tania City.
"This place... seems to be a fortress."
Surrounded by clean and tidy beds, there were some official clothes belonging to the principality scattered around, as well as some white sheets and bedspreads that had not yet been put away. The dim light shone into the room from one side of him, bringing light to the place. At the same time, it also lengthened Duan Qing's side-sitting figure. He recalled it carefully, and then he remembered where this place was - after discussing the mission with Qicai Lingguang yesterday, he was led here by the other party. It seemed that he had borrowed a certain location from Fars Fortress. The casualty emergency room was used for a night's rest. Unexpectedly, such a place could be recorded by the system and become his rebirth point after his first death in the free world.
"Maybe it's because there's no one here."
Recalling the temporary hospital that looked like a public clinic that he had seen in Green Stone Village, Duan Qing smiled bitterly and shook his head, then jumped out of bed. He did not rush out of the room, but opened the system menu immediately, and then checked his equipment up and down.
What is gratifying is that the huge long knife is still hanging on his back.
"Phew...long live the alliance."
Exhaling a long breath, Duan Qing smiled somewhat relaxedly - the serious injuries and unbearable pain that accompanied him for a period of time also turned into a passing cloud with this death, and the system marked himself All the abnormal conditions seem to have been restored. He moved his arms, and after confirming that his character attributes had returned to their usual state, he opened the door in front of him and walked out of the room.
"However, the fewer such experiences... the better."
Perhaps because it was evening, there were not many people in the fortress, both inside and outside. Through the walls of the fortress, Duan Qing did not hear the lively shouts belonging to the players that came from outside the fortress gate in the past, and until he walked out of this place, he could count the number of fortress guards passing by him with one hand. .
"It seems that everyone is very busy..."
Muttering helplessly to himself, Duan Qing arrived at the open-air square in the center of the fortress. Some players who went out early in the morning to take risks and complete the battlefield dungeon have begun to come back from the west side of the fortress one after another. Some members of the team are smiling, while others are sullen. The head, probably because the mission failed. Some of the guys who knew each other chatted with each other, and then walked into the temporary tavern in groups to grab seats, or on the pergola near the square. He sat down and boasted about the adventure he had just had. The NPC that Colorful Emmanuel called the Quartermaster began to be surrounded by more and more players. It must be that some guys who have completed the mission can already ask for their own rewards from that person.
But these things are not what Duan Qing cares about. He straightened his hair, and then walked straight towards the west fortress gate.
In the dim vision, the setting sun gradually hid behind the gate that Duan Qing was looking at, and at the same time cast the shadow of the gate on his head. He held on to the hilt of the dagger at his waist and slowly He leaned against the small door guarded by the captain named Silenko, and at the same time looked back and forth at the people coming in and out, hoping to find the figure he wanted to see. Perhaps because it was the time of day, the small door where players were constantly coming in and out was always open, and among the sounds made by the bustling passers-by, the loudest one was the voice of the captain coming from outside the door.
"You guys! Don't stay here, walk quickly..."
"Those guys over there! Don't think that I don't know you. Do you want to come in? I can recognize you adventurers even if you turn into ashes..."
"Oh, dear captain of the Overlord of the Seven Seas, you are finally back. How is it? Did today's mission fail as always?"
"One, two, three...why is there one person missing? Is another one dead?"
Frowning his brows, Duan Qing's attention was slightly attracted by these words. He looked at the other side of the small door and the disheveled figure among the several principality guards guarding the other side. Secretly, Shaking his head - this guy named Sranko Ferris seems to have a big prejudice against adventurers, and judging from what Duan Qing heard while waiting here, this guy has never concealed his disdain for players. His disgust was expressed vividly in every word. Except for a few players who seemed to have some friendship with Silenko and were able to say hello to him when they entered, the rest of the adventurers who were originally very happy all quickly passed through the small door with their legs waving. , as if they were hiding something, the expressions on the faces of many players who had not successfully passed the level became darker. Duan Qing, who saw this scene in his eyes, shook his head in his heart. I think if one day the empire really attacks, if the players remember their hatred, it will really be their own fault.
No matter how much you hate the adventurers, they are still a group of people who are helping the principality.
While thinking about it, the conversation ahead continued: "Well, one of our teammates wanted to cover us..."
"Okay, okay, stop talking. Another one died, right? You adventurers are willing to go to the battlefield without any skills. In the end, you can't even run back. If it were my soldiers, they would all be safe. Coming down..."
Are the soldiers of your principality very good at running away...
The surrounding players frowned, cursed secretly in their hearts for a while, and then left each other. But this was not what Duan Qing was thinking. He even smiled because the answering voice was relatively familiar to him.
"Um...we brought back a wounded person."
Amidst Captain Silenko's thoughts, the voice rang out again: "He claimed to be a refugee who escaped from Zaraha City and was seriously injured..."
"What!"
Before he finished speaking, Captain Sranko on the other side of the small door suddenly shouted: "Refugee from the principality? Why are you so careless? You, hurry up! Send him to Lena for treatment!"
Amidst the noise of all hands and feet, the captain's shouting still did not stop: "How did you adventurers do it, you can't even protect the safety of a refugee? Where are all the skills you usually brag about? What if? If those congressmen find out and pass the accusation to the parliament, we will be in bad luck again, do you know..."
"Hey, don't go too far." Another voice rang: "We worked hard to get him back. Even his teammates took one..."
"So what? Are your lives worth as much as these people's lives?"
As soon as these words came out, the players present all looked in the direction of the captain, with some unfriendly feeling in their eyes. Several principality soldiers who were carrying the wounded felt uncomfortable with these looks, but the captain didn't notice it at all: "What are you looking at? An adventurer is an adventurer! When you become an adventurer, you have to be like this consciousness……"
"Brother Qingshan!"
A certain girl's voice suddenly interrupted the conversation, echoing in the air inside and outside the small door.
Under the surprised gazes of all the players and NPCs, a red-haired girl suddenly crossed the threshold of the small door, and then rushed to a player who was standing by the door with a smile. She looked at the other person with tears in her eyes for a while, then her lips curled up, and she threw herself into the man's arms with a "Wow" sound. (To be continued.)
