I couldn't hear the sound, someone covered my ears.
The world in front of me lost its color. They voluntarily left my field of vision, and then they were covered with a thin veil, and everything became blurred.
The air choked my throat, as hard as stone, muffling my voice into my neck, unable to move.
Ever since that bloody patch of blood hit my eyeballs, the tower of hope built up over the past few days has collapsed. The beams were broken, the nails were bent, and they turned into a pile of ruins under the weapons of those people, with no possibility of recovery.
This is all my fault.
If I had not chosen to go back and help others, if I had chosen another route, if we had rushed to the core tower...
A voice as thin as a mosquito's whisper lingered in Leonid's ears, buzzing and making it difficult to hear clearly. If Anfiya hadn't been sitting next to him, he would have felt like a worker leaning against a collapsed mine, and the thin sounds in his ears were the breeze blowing from the cracks in the rocks.
But now it seems that they have indeed become "distressed". The whole team was wiped out, and the leading shield guard also died in the hands of those herd mercenaries. I am afraid that no one is alive except the three of them.
Anfiya was sitting on the ground with her head lowered. Leonid couldn't see her face, but he was sure that the little girl must be crying at this time. The leadership temperament she had when arguing with others and commanding the team not long ago disappeared without a trace. Her back, which had always been upright, also collapsed, and her whole person looked like a crooked tree. , as if there is no other ending except being cut off, which is sad.
Yefim next to the girl was not in a good condition either. He was even more depressed than Anfiya. He was stuck to the wall like mud. He raised his head and looked at the ceiling with dull eyes.
When Leonid first met this young man a long time ago, he was in this state. When a mission came from above, he would stand up and move around like a zombie. When he had nothing to do, he would lie down in the resting place, not knowing what he was looking at. If he hadn't been kind-hearted and collected food for the survivors, Leonid probably wouldn't have cared about him at all.
Yefim's eyes and expressions when he handed the food to the survivors were vivid, and only then could Leonid see a real person.
They are two very good young people. Although the environment is very harsh, they are still fighting in their own way. Leonid really wanted to lead them to grow, and he did so, and the results were pretty good.
As a result, just as they raised their heads and raised their weapons, the world showered them with malice.
Those unreasonable big rocks suddenly appeared and blocked everyone's way forward just when they saw hope, burying most of the people running towards the light into eternal darkness, except for the sentence "Fortune makes people happy" Leonid didn't want to say anything.
By the way, he learned this Yanguo word from Valentine. Now it seems that he not only learned this word, but also learned this guy's bad luck...
My back still hurts now!
Leonid had just eaten the rubble flying from the center of the explosion to protect these two young men. Even if he was protected by the Origin Stone skill, he could not completely withstand the damage. Not to mention the stab-proof clothing that comes standard with Integrated Sports. It is just a piece of paper. Its main purpose is to provide psychological comfort and is of no use.
Countless debris penetrated Leonid's ice coat and hit his back, tearing the white robe to pieces and leaving blood-red scratches. He could feel the burning pain on his back with the slightest movement. He could only use the Origin Stone technique to quickly coagulate the blood in the wound to relieve the pain. He also thought about how to comfort these two young people who were not in the same style as this world. Divert your attention, maybe the wound will heal soon.
But now it's better to let them calm down and calm down.
There was a faint smell of blood in the air, which mixed with gunpowder smoke was a bit unpleasant. However, the surrounding environment is quite quiet. It seems that other teams around have left. There is nothing but the sound of wind, which is quite suitable for rest.
Speaking of which, I have been so decadent before...
Long-lasting memories cleared up the fog and emerged in Leonid's mind. The two people in front of him reminded him of himself many years ago, the boy who stood in front of the ruins of the tavern on a rainy day and cried silently while looking at the remains of his parents.
At that time, Leonid was a top student at the Royal Academy of Ursus. As long as he graduated, he would have a decent job. If he was lucky, he might be spotted by a noble lady, and then he would be successful in his career. During the years he had lived in the big city, he had almost forgotten his days living in the slums, but a phone call from the Chernobog police station pulled him back and pushed him into the abyss.
After burying his parents, Leonid asked his mentor for another two weeks' leave. After making the phone call, he ran to the pub to drink vodka. I vomited when I was drunk, fell asleep after vomiting, and continued drinking when I woke up. This continued for a week.
He felt that the pillar in his heart was broken and he had no goal in life. His life seemed to have become worthless waste paper in the mud. It seemed that there was no way out except death.
Until one day a growler guy met Leonid and beat him up severely while he was drunk. The ridicule before leaving went into his ears like a needle and pierced into his heart. This The decadent young talent found a new goal.
In ten years, the Howler changed its blood, and Leonid became the king of the underground in the west part of Qicheng City. His enemies were also frozen into ice blocks and thrown into the government building, which was a cruel mockery of those who did nothing. Chicheng Government. He also found a new life to rely on, walked out of the darkness of the past, and began to live like a normal person, until now.
Anfiya and Yefim are now like Leonid back then, except that the blow he experienced at that time was much more serious than the two young people now. It is inevitable to get out of decadence and regain confidence, but it takes time and a leader.
"Ouch."
He sighed and smiled to himself.
Since I had a relationship with you at that time, I have to take responsibility to the end.
At least you have to be worthy of the "teacher" and "boss" these two young people call you, right?
"Amphiya?"
Leonid gently called the girl's name, but received no response. Just when he was about to stand up and sit in front of the girl, Anfiya suddenly raised her head and looked at the middle-aged man in front of her.
"ah?"
Her voice was a little hoarse, her eyes were a little red, and those beautiful eyes were still confused, but at least they were no longer without luster.
This is a good sign. Leonid smiled and praised the girl in his heart.
I didn't see the wrong person.
"Are you still crying?"
He clapped his hands, took out a piece of paper from his pocket, held it between his fingers and handed it over.
It's a good habit to carry toilet paper with you because you never know when you're going to need it, but you will.
Like now.
Yefim leaned against the wall and glanced at Anfiya, wanting to say something to the crying girl, but the words were swallowed back when they reached his lips.
"No, no..." Anfiya took the toilet paper and wiped the tears on her face, her voice trembling: "I just, I just..."
"I just can't accept it..."
Falling from peak to valley is not a pleasant feeling. Anfiya experienced it once, when Qicheng fell. However, she did not directly encounter the death scene of her family at that time. The weak relationship with her family and the long-term education she received prevented her from crying, and she was able to take the gun and calmly shoot at the enemy.
But it's different now. The brothers and sisters who had grown close to each other after being together for several months died in front of her. The enemy was too powerful to fight against. What Anfiya saw just now was not a battle, but a one-sided massacre. Even the shield guards died. into their hands.
Friends who loved their families died as soon as they saw hope. They were severely crushed by the enemy, and they didn't even have a chance to resist, so they could only run away. This feeling of multiple despairs hitting her at the same time was like a huge stone hitting her heart. She was so depressed that she couldn't breathe at all, as if she was dead.
Everything he has done has been rejected and destroyed by the world in an instant, and there is no room for redemption. Can he still be alive? Can this still be alive?
"But it happened, little girl."
Leonid knew very well how Anfya felt now, and he could only persuade her through his own past feelings.
"I've heard about the mess that Mephistopheles did in Qicheng Middle School, and I also know that you escaped from the school. In addition, you have been in the Integrated Movement for so long, you should become a strong person. It’s a girl.”
"...No, that's not right."
He frowned and quickly relaxed.
"You are already very strong and a good girl."
Anfiya looked up at the smiling Leonid in front of her, confused.
"But, but I..."
"Isn't it just crying? Who hasn't cried before?" Leonid waved his hand and stopped her words.
"The situation I encountered back then was much more serious than it is now. It felt like the whole sky had turned dark, and I couldn't see the daylight at all. I had lost the motivation and goal to continue living in life."
A slight rubbing sound came from Leonid's side, but he didn't pay attention and continued to talk about his past.
"At that time, I drank every day. After I drank, I vomited, and after I vomited, I continued to drink. When I couldn't drink anymore, I threw myself on the ground and started to sleep. As a result, I was thrown out by the bartender many times."
"Then one day I felt that this was not going to work. I couldn't drink anymore. Otherwise, who would avenge you? Who can avenge you? There is no one except yourself. Everyone is living a miserable life, and no one can care about others. You can rely on yourself.”
Anfiya sniffed, stared at Leonid in front of her with big eyes, and asked softly: "What's the result?"
"result?"
Leonid smiled again.
"In the end, I succeeded. My enemy was killed by me, his property was taken away by me, and I also have a career and family."
"It was quite happy at first, and then a few years later the integration movement came again."
"You all know what happened next, until now."
Anfiya stopped talking and lowered her head to stop looking at the smile on Leonid's face.
That smile is heartbreaking.
"It's a bit far-fetched, but it doesn't matter."
Leonid didn't know what the girl felt in his heart. He just felt that his words had no effect.
"I just want to say that you are much stronger than you think you are."
"Perhaps you don't even realize how strong a girl you are. After an incident at school, you can calmly go home and escape with a gun in your hand. When you encounter an enemy on the road, you are not frightened but kill him with a gun. In Longmen After being captured, he dared to play a killing game with that Rhode Island operator, just to come back and help his deceived brothers and sisters..."
That day, after Leonid broke free from the rope, he did not run away immediately. Instead, he stayed outside the window for a while and listened to the conversation between Anfiya and Valentin. As a result, his evaluation of her rose to a higher level.
"How many people in the integration movement have the courage to risk their lives for an illusory ideal?"
Even Leonid would not do this, it was a clearly loss-making business.
He would shoot the opponent the moment he loaded the bullet, then grab the enemy's gun and run away.
This is normal development.
"And you have already come out, but you have some doubts and fears in your heart."
"You are questioning whether the order you gave not long ago was correct. If you had not given that order but chosen another direction, would they have been fine and could have helped more people."
"You start to doubt your abilities and your confidence starts to waver."
Anfiya didn't speak, just listened quietly.
"But in fact, there is nothing wrong with your decision."
"The core tower is protected by the elite Sakaz mercenaries. If we enter rashly, we will definitely encounter them, and the end will be the same as now. If we stay in that stronghold, not only the shield guards will not agree, but other soldiers will also disagree. in this way."
"There is only one best way: transfer the team to help other resistance forces."
"As for this herd that suddenly appeared..."
Leonid's back hurt when he thought of them, as if he had been hit by gravel again.
"This team appeared suddenly. It turns out that there are no such Sakaz mercenaries in the core city. Their appearance cannot be said to be a problem with your abilities. It can only be said that we are unlucky."
"But our luck is not good either. It's the same in Qicheng and it's the same in Longmen."
Leonid sighed and cursed Valentin in his mind.
The sword that this guy hit him at Longmen was so powerful that his bones almost broke.
"But you've never fallen down, right? You've done well."
"Crying is good. It can relax you and relieve stress. But if you keep crying, it won't work. You will become disabled. What you did just now was very good. You stopped crying soon, although your eyes are still a little red."
This little girl reminded Leonid of his own daughter. Not only was her personality similar, but so was her cry. When she was a child, Vera shed tears easily, but she stopped crying after a while and started doing whatever she was supposed to do. After entering middle school, she never shed tears, but instead often made others cry.
There were many times when she used the book to make Valentine's tears come out of his eyes, so that they were directly smeared on his face...
I heard this from Xing Yihuang, and it is quite true.
It turned out that he was worried about whether his daughter would be bullied by that bastard, but now he just wanted to laugh.
"The reality is right in front of you. It's useless no matter how hard you don't accept it. It has already appeared and cannot be changed. At this time, you can only cheer up again and find a way to restore the situation or take revenge."
"You can't doubt yourself, and you can't let bad results affect your mood, especially your judgment. There are no warnings for natural disasters and man-made disasters. If they happen, it doesn't mean that your judgment is wrong."
"As long as you are still alive, you have a chance to make a comeback. But if you lose confidence, you have given up on yourself. It is no different from death. Then the chance of a comeback is gone."
…
After talking, Anfiya's mood had calmed down a lot, and her eyes gradually regained their vitality. Although still tinged with sadness, Leonid could see that the girl was alive again.
"Thank you, teacher."
She stood up and bowed to Leonid with a sincere tone.
"As long as you recover, it means I didn't waste my words in vain."
This phrase "teacher" was very useful to Leonid. The last time he heard her call him this was when he taught her how to use the gun correctly.
Then he seemed to become an "old guy"?
It seems that I need to find time to trim my beard and hair. After all, I am only in my forties...
"Wait, your back is hurt?"
Anfiya raised her upper body and noticed the injury on Leonid's back. She quickly sat on the ground and asked Leonid to turn around. At the same time, she asked Yefim beside him to take off his white robe and tear out strips of cloth.
"Old guy, you just said so much to Anfiya, why didn't you think of giving me a few words?"
Although there was some dissatisfaction in his words, he quickly pulled off a few pieces of cloth and handed them to Anfiya.
"you?"
Leonid turned his head to look at Yefim and smiled.
"I can understand your situation at a glance. At most, you are a little uncomfortable with such bloody scenes. There is no psychological problem at all."
"Then what if something really goes wrong with me?"
Seeing Anfiya bandaging the wound in circles, Yefim put on his robe, feeling a little awkward.
With so much fabric pulled off, the robe turned into a short skirt.
"And old guy, you have pretty good muscles. What did you do before?"
To bandage the wound, all the clothes had to be taken off, and Leonid's upper body was exposed to the two of them. Anfiya blushed slightly when she saw the strong muscles on his body.
"And the memories you just mentioned, I always feel like I've heard similar ones somewhere..."
Especially the sentence "I killed my enemy and took away his property" always sounds very familiar. There are not many urban legends in Chernobog about killing an enemy and taking the enemy's property as his own. If you think about it carefully, you should be able to remember that story.
"I was a fitness instructor when I was young. Later, I contracted oriosis and had to move to the slums, but I didn't stop exercising."
Leonid ignored Yefim's suspicion and kept telling lies.
"I made up that memory. How can a psychiatrist not lie..."
Anfiya used a little force when tightening the bandage, which caused severe pain to Leonid who had not finished speaking.
"Are you starting to take revenge on the teacher? Didn't you just tell a few lies? I'm doing this for your own good."
"snort."
The only response he received was Anfiya's arrogance.
"Today's young people are really..."
Leonid shook his head and got dressed. He stood up and stretched his muscles, staring at the corpse outside with a serious expression.
The relaxation just now was just to make the atmosphere less solemn and let Anfiya and Yefim come out of their depression. Now that they've recovered, it's time to get down to business.
"What do you want to do now?"
"I think... I want to bury the Shield Guard."
Anfiya walked out of the ruins, picked up the head still wearing the helmet, gently brushed off the dust, and placed it on top of the shield guard's body.
"At least let him leave with dignity."
Burial was unrealistic. How big of a hole could the three of them dig using only their hands? Instead of mourning the loss of a friend now, it is better to leave quickly and save more people.
"The sound is quiet now. Most people should have calmed down and moved toward the exit."
Leonid leaned down and gently rubbed the shield guard's neck with his fingers, and used his Origin Stone skills to connect his head.
"But there will certainly be pushback from supporters."
Looking at the shield guard who was "complete" again, he lightly tapped his shoulders and forehead, closed his eyes and prayed in his heart for this true warrior.
"Then let's go to the exit and help them leave."
After a brief silence, Anfiya opened her eyes and looked into the distance. The command tower still stood under the clouds like a giant, pressing down on their heads.
Not long after they moved, they encountered the herd mercenaries, and these guys left after quickly getting rid of everyone, so they would only have one target.
Control tower.
Recalling the process of this riot, Anfiya always felt that there were many doubts in it. The death of the Patriot detonated the entire core city, and the integration movement quickly divided into two factions and began to fight each other. Someone must be influencing and manipulating them.
Moreover, the shield guard never said who killed the Patriot from the beginning to the end. He only said that he was killed by Tallulah's conspiracy. So there must be a direct murderer?
Also, not long ago, Leonid was knocked out and smashed into a wall. Why did he immediately run out and risk the infection to deepen? He released a high-intensity Originium skill to block the enemy. After killing the enemy, he blocked it again. Living behind the wall?
There are definitely other forces in the core city, even more than one.
Moreover, one of the forces should be here to stop Tallulah, and they should also participate in this confrontation, maybe Rhode Island or Dragon Gate.
Longmen... Longmen...
No, it shouldn't be Longmen. They will not step into a foreign land, only Rhode Island.
"Have other forces entered the core city?"
Anfiya looked into Leonid's eyes and asked this sentence. He didn't answer and responded with silence.
"I want to come back and be there one last time."
Leonid's silence was expected, so she didn't continue asking and directly expressed her thoughts.
"Maybe I can see the destruction of the integration movement."
