"Okay." Luo Chen nodded, but quickly told Number Five to keep an eye on the situation on the other side.

Given the current state of affairs in this world, with wars raging everywhere, who knows whether mercenaries are good or bad?

Of course, there is no standard for judgment; in Luo Chen's view, as long as it does not threaten him, it is fine.

"Brother Xiao, I don't think I've seen this group of mercenaries before?" Number Five walked up to Luo Chen and suddenly said.

Luo Chen glanced at the bald man opposite him, who happened to be looking at him as well, raising his glass in a gesture of respect.

This was undoubtedly telling Luo Chen that he didn't need to worry about them and that they meant no harm.

"I understand. Just keep a close eye on them. No matter where they come from, they'll leave tomorrow morning." Luo Chen smiled and whispered to Number Five.

If it weren't for Qi Tianlong's injuries, Luo Chen would have left directly. However, the long journey could very well have caused Qi Tianlong's wounds to become infected and lead to his death.

It would have been fine before, but after Luo Chen learned of Qi Tianlong's identity, he dared not do so.

After all, this guy was a real participant, and his life was crucial to Luo Chen's final mission. He didn't want his reward to go to waste.

The main reason was that the system had previously said the rewards would be even better this time, which made Luo Chen quite excited.

Immediately afterward, Luo Chen entered the tent and said to Mu Shanhai and the other three, "Don't worry too much about the mercenaries on the other side. At least for now, they don't seem to have any ill intentions. We will set off for the Northern Frontier immediately after tomorrow morning, understand?"

Mu Shanhai and the others nodded.

"Are those people really not bad people? They look so scary. Are they here to arrest us again?" Jiang Xian'er huddled at the very back of the open-air tent, extremely worried. She didn't want to be captured again.

"Do you want me to go over there now and tell them they should leave, or just pick up a gun and kill them?" Luo Chen rolled his eyes at Jiang Xian'er and said irritably.

Jiang Xian'er nodded excitedly, but her brain was too foggy to understand what Luo Chen meant.

"You're kidding me! Putting aside the opponent's strength, what will you do after the shooting? What about Qi Tianlong? Do you think I'm omnipotent?" Luo Chen gave Jiang Xian'er a good two-finger flick, letting the girl reflect on her actions.

"Ouch, it hurts so much. Fine, I won't go then." Jiang Xian'er held her head and looked at Luo Chen with a wronged expression, then shrank her body further inward.

"It's alright, I'll keep an eye on them. My injury should be healed by tomorrow, at least I'll be able to move around." Qi Tianlong smiled faintly, touching the wound on his abdomen, and said, "I never thought I would become a burden."

"Tianlong, don't say that. Without you, Shiyu and I wouldn't be here. Why say such things?" Mu Shanhai shook his head and retorted.

"Alright, stop arguing. There's no point in saying this. Here are your guns. If you need to rest, take this opportunity to get some rest. Try to keep at least one of you awake tonight." Luo Chen then threw the pistols on the ground and handed them to everyone.

Fortunately, Number Five brought enough guns and ammunition, so Luo Chen didn't have to go through the trouble of collecting them.

Giving them a pistol would also help them protect themselves.

"Do you understand? Now get some rest, and try to stay alert tonight. It's not out of worry, but just in case, so you can respond quickly." Luo Chen felt like a teacher, constantly instructing his students on what to do and what not to do.

Even a dream can be so tiring, it's unbelievable.

Luo Chen was too tired to complain anymore. Regardless of who the people on the other side were, it was only right to remain vigilant.

"Alright, I'm going out. There will be people guarding outside. If you need anything, just call out. Try not to go out," Luo Chen reminded him one last time before leaving.

He finally realized how tiring it is to lead teammates, and it's even more tiring when these teammates aren't even on your side.

"Put on the fire," Luo Chen said slowly to Number Five as he stepped out of the convertible.

Number Five understood immediately and turned to give the order.

Luo Chen glanced at Lao Tie's corpse. If it wasn't dealt with soon, it would really start to stink. There was no time to lose.

"Hey, wanna have a drink?" The bald man looked at Luo Chen and walked towards him with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

Luo Chen glanced at it but did not reply.

The bald man smiled faintly, then poured the wine from the bottle into a glass, drank it down in one gulp, and then gestured to Luo Chen.

What kind of wine?

"Wine, not your Eastern baijiu. To be honest, I really can't get used to that stuff; it's too harsh on the throat." The bald man coughed twice, poured the wine from his glass into another glass, and handed it to Luo Chen.

"Haha, don't even mention you, I myself would choke on it. But I'm used to it, I feel uncomfortable if I don't drink it." Luo Chen took the glass, smelled it, and teased.

"Of course, you know, it's hard for us in this line of work to go without a drink or a smoke, at least it helps ease our minds." The bald man put the bottle on the ground and then pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket: "Want some?"

Luo Chen took one and smelled it.

"Hey, here you go." The bald man assumed Luo Chen didn't have a lighter, so he took out a lighter and handed it to Luo Chen.

Luo Chen smiled and shook his head: "No, I don't like smoking, but the smell is nice."

"Oh, you're quite a strange Asian. But then again, everyone in our line of work has their quirks. Women, alcohol, and cigarettes are always the things that make us forget our experiences."

Luo Chen glanced at the bald man with some curiosity.

"Hey, don't get me wrong, I just like making friends. This is my team. We used to have twenty people, but now it's just us." The bald man pointed to his teammates on the other side and said quietly.

Luo Chen took a sip of wine, even though he wasn't used to it.

"Hahaha, it's quite invigorating, isn't it? It's not very strong, but it'll make you forget life and death amidst the aroma." The bald man seemed to have a story to tell, and he laughed heartily as he watched Luo Chen drink.

"I'm not really used to it, thank you," Luo Chen shook his head.

"You've just been through a battle?"

Luo Chen immediately became alert, his hand unconsciously resting on his waist.

"No, no, friend, don't misunderstand, it's hard for me not to notice that corpse." The bald man gestured to the old iron corpse next to him.

Luo Chen nodded and said, "You're right, my companion has left."

"Sorry, this is really sad. Do you still want to drink?" The bald man picked up the bottle and shook it.

Luo Chen waved his hand and laughed, "No, I must remind you, as a mercenary, you should try to drink as little alcohol as possible on the road."

"You're right, it's just a habit I'm used to. You know, sometimes a habit is hard to break."

Luo Chen smiled back, keeping his left hand on his waist the entire time, his body in a defensive posture.

Regardless of whether the other party had malicious intent, Luo Chen wasn't there to have a life lesson with them.

"Brother Xiao, you're ready." Number Five's arrival broke the deadlock, and he said calmly to Luo Chen.

“Xiao, that’s a name that fits the East. My name is Mike.” The bald man raised his glass to Luo Chen.

Luo Chen nodded, then walked over to Lao Tie, picked him up, and carried him to another flat area.

"Mike? Can I borrow a few cigarettes?" Luo Chen turned to Mike again and asked.

Mike didn't pay attention to the details of his name. He handed the cigarette in his pocket to Luo Chen and then gave him the half-empty bottle of liquor: "I believe he will need it."

Luo Chen said thank you and then walked away.

Number Five had already set up a pile of firewood on the flat ground, and Luo Chen placed Lao Tie on top of it.

"Let's say goodbye." Luo Chen patted Number Five and turned around.

[System, what is the meaning of my rebirth? Is it to change the entire landscape? Or to protect my loved ones?]

The system didn't respond, and Luo Chen continued to mutter to himself: "It seems to make my original life more meaningful, but I can't be reborn every time, right? Just like I came here, I can't change anything, because I know I can't restart this world or repeat this storyline?"

"I've been thinking, what is my purpose? It seems to be to minimize regrets in every step I take. Perhaps that is the meaning of rebirth."

"Forget it, what's the point of saying all this to a heartless machine like you?"

It means having no regrets, and having fewer regrets in your life.

The system's voice startled Luo Chen.

"Brother Xiao, I'm done talking." Number Five wiped the tears from his face and said to Luo Chen.

Luo Chen looked at his old friend in front of him, as if he had a lot to say but couldn't say it.

He opened the cigarette in his hand, lit it, and handed it to his buddy.

"Go ahead and smoke. I don't have any cigars, but I'll definitely bring you some next time, bro. Why are you so stubborn? Why do you have to stay with me?"

"Old man, don't you know how powerful I am? I'm really fierce, why don't you listen to me?"

"Cough cough." Luo Chen took a few puffs of his cigarette, which made his throat feel a little sore.

Just like the system said, it seems that what people really do in their lives is to live without regrets.

Luo Chen was pulled into a dream by the system, and everything seemed to be deliberately arranged.

"Alright, I'll pour you some wine. Sigh, this wine is someone else's, so just make do with it." Luo Chen wiped away his tears and poured half a bottle of wine on the ground.

"In your next life, live well. I hope you live well, whether it's a dream or whatever, don't live in this world anymore."

Luo Chen took a deep drag on his cigarette, then threw it on the ground, lit the lighter in his hand, and tossed it into the pile of wood.

The fire raged instantly, and Luo Chen stared blankly at what was in front of him.

He hopes that he can live a life without regrets in this lifetime.

Perhaps no one in this world can truly achieve this, but at least we can reduce everything that is not possible.

The fire burned slowly, then gradually dimmed.

"Look at you, you left, and the damn regimental commander went to the front line too. He'll be so heartbroken if he comes back."

"Don't worry, I will continue to complete the mission."