The wind howled across the snow-covered mountains, but the biting cold did nothing to dampen the cheers of the Federation members.
After such a long period of hard work, we have finally overcome this huge mountain. How can we not be excited?
However, unlike the researchers and soldiers cheering beside the tents, those who emerged from the dimension of death did not show much joy, especially the two commanders, whose faces remained serious.
After several shouts, everyone looked at Tali, who was covered in dust and whose eyebrows were covered in ash that he hadn't had time to wipe off... and the outside dimension calmed down.
"The death of Axehead isn't completely confirmed yet, don't be so happy." Tali remained serious, coldly glancing at everyone before sitting down on the ground without any regard for his image. His assistant promptly handed him a cigarette. He lit it, took a deep drag, and his tense back relaxed slightly. He dug his other hand into the snow, unconsciously grasping at something.
Logically, this should be a happy occasion, so why can't I feel happy...?
It's probably because too many people sacrificed their lives.
Those exceptional soldiers, the college students in the prime of their youth, and the dedicated researchers, were thus buried in the dimensional sphere, reduced to ashes. Perhaps their flesh and steel became one, their skin and gears seeping into each other's gaps, inseparable forever.
Jiang Cheng doesn't smoke. Sitting in the car in a daze, he felt no joy at all; instead, his mind was filled with a multitude of thoughts.
This tragic death toll, this exchange of lives for lives... was it because his plan wasn't perfect, because he misjudged the axe, that so many people didn't have to die? If he had been perfect, many more could have escaped death and gone home.
As he pondered, a smile crept across his face, and he unconsciously reached out to scratch his hair, his eyes filled with a sense of melancholy.
"It's fine."
While he was lost in thought, Jiang Cheng suddenly heard a light, airy sentence.
The voice was very soft, and the tone was very gentle.
He recognized that it was Qingwan who spoke, but he still didn't look up. He had lost the will to communicate. If the war hadn't not been far from over, Jiang Cheng would have loved to hide away and find some peace and quiet.
"Boss, you won but you're not happy..."
“Because so many people died,” Jiang Cheng replied, his voice muffled, as if his emotions were stuck in his throat.
“War, sacrifice is inevitable, everyone knows that. Boss feels sad because you bear the responsibility, wield supreme power, and feel you've chosen their fate, but that's not the case… They voluntarily do things for humanity, exchanging their own lives for it. In Western dark tales, the goat demon tells humanity that to get something, you must exchange it for something else, but these brave people refused to make a deal with the goat demon. They spontaneously became gods, reaching out to gain light and keeping their promise to give up their most precious lives. Even in death, their souls are bathed in sunlight, and their descendants will live under the sunlight forever,” Gu Qingwan said, using her frail body to block others' view, and reaching out her fair hand to carefully touch Jiang Cheng's head. This action was too disrespectful to the boss, even Jiang Cheng was a little taken aback. She continued, “There are no perfect people in the world. Boss is sad because the boss is too chivalrous and compassionate, which is why you are so respected by everyone… Boss, you are really good, you have done things that humans cannot achieve. Without you, what would we do? It's unimaginable.”
She gently touched him twice before quickly withdrawing her hand. Jiang Cheng raised his delicate face, looked at Gu Qingwan's serious expression, and felt some of the pressure in his heart dissipate. He took a deep breath and stood up.
"Alright then, finish this last thing, then hide away and grumble."
Jiang Cheng shook his hair, the ashes and ash from the explosion sticking to it. The shake caused fragments to fall down with a "rustling" sound.
He strode towards Tali.
"Let's call a few more groups over."
"how?"
"Later, we'll cut off a part of the axe's body and take it back for research. We also need to retrieve the shattered War Maiden and Phoenix Feather. Most importantly, I'm afraid it's not completely dead yet."
“Alright, let’s do as Commander Jiang says.” Tali was encouraged to see that Jiang Cheng could remain calm and composed under such circumstances, suppressing his emotions and discussing the next steps with a clear mind.
He regained his commanding presence, waved his hand, and ten minutes had passed before he led his men back into the dimension of death.
One after another, armored vehicles carrying highly vigilant soldiers advanced toward the devastated dimension. Guns were already loaded, and plasma cannons were set up in the rear compartments of the giant armored vehicles. Two commanders, along with several high-ranking officers, followed behind the vehicles.
As soon as we entered the dimension.
They were then forced to wear protective masks.
Thick smoke billowed, black fog obscured the sky, and in the distance, it stretched into a sea of fire. The air above was distorted by the scorching heat, and pungent tar was splashed onto the gray ice surface. Every now and then, the sound of alloy armor plates exploding due to excessive heat could be heard.
This place doesn't feel like a battlefield; it feels more like hell.
As far as the eye can see, there is almost no ground that can be described as "complete".
Jiang Cheng saw that the bodies of the War Maiden and the Axe-Hand were lying together on the ice, a most gruesome sight in this dimension. Their bodies were incomplete, torn to pieces, with dozens of parts scattered everywhere, and not a single intact organ could be found.
Overwhelmed with grief, his throat tightened, and he could no longer bear to look.
Jiang Cheng knew that Zhu Yibai's body was among the rubble. The young Chinese driver had no chance of survival, given the close proximity and the scale of the explosion... More importantly, Brain-like No. 4 had lost contact.
This satellite, which had explored the dimensions of the sky, was born in the Northwest, was replicated and continued by countless individuals, and represented one of the top technologies in Jiangcheng. This modern invention completed its mission and disappeared.
Heavy armored soldiers were at the forefront, followed by lightly armored soldiers carrying anti-aircraft guns, protecting the masked researchers as they swept through the dimensions.
Those who document the battlefield are responsible for collecting useful information.
Some soldiers were retrieving the bodies of their comrades and weapons that were not so badly damaged.
Jiang Cheng and Tali walked straight to where the axe had fallen. They wanted to step on its body themselves, take pictures, and send them to the powerful nation behind them to announce it to the world and inspire people.
Even in death, the enormous head, cut in two by the axe, was still terrifying. The light in its eyes had faded, and its vertical pupils would never contract again, but a close look still sent shivers down one's spine.
It's like a dream; the Federation has defeated such a monster!
Jiang Cheng and Tali climbed up the half-head of the mountain together, looking down with deep sorrow in their hearts.
"well."
With a sigh, Jiang Cheng's eyes turned to the axe-wielding man's dull, murky yellow pupils...
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