Chapter 521: Chapter 340: Shattered Hope (Part 2)
Squid laughed, "I heard your dad say your condition has improved a lot, so we came to see you. You were not doing well before, and the hospital wouldn’t allow visits, which worried us a lot."
The Fatty said jokingly, "Ink, you should stay up all night playing games less. I think your illness is because of gaming."
Coco, a girl, gently punched the Fatty’s big belly with her little fist and said coquettishly, "What did games ever do to you? This has nothing to do with games. If Ink quits the internet, who will you drag down in rankings, you useless teammate?!"
As the close friends chattered away, Su Xun led Li Huishu out, smiling kindly, "You young folks chat; we will go for a walk outside."
Coco, being an internet addict, couldn’t wait to take out her phone and sat down next to Su Mo, "Come on, come on, it’s been a while since we played together, let’s have a match."
She didn’t forget to look at Dr. Chen, asking expectantly, "Doctor, this should be okay, right?"
Dr. Chen laughed, "It’s fine, playing for a while with friends can help adjust your mood."
Coco cheered, "Wilderness King Mo, get online quickly, I’m going to totally ride on your coattails this match!"
Su Mo smiled and picked up the phone from the bedside table, opening the game.
When he saw the game’s loading screen, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat lost and turned to look out of the window.
There was a constant feeling... as if he had forgotten something important...
...
...
...
[Eastern Border District, adjacent to the Rust Wall]
As time went on, more and more border refugees came here, but they were all blocked by invisible holo-warning signs, and no one dared to approach that ruthless and merciless fire recognition zone.
The rain was still falling. The surrounding buildings had long been packed, and millions more were exposed to the rain, silently and restlessly gazing at the Rust Wall, waiting for it to open, not knowing when that might happen.
Yet amidst this oppressive moment, the brilliance of humanity quietly unfolded.
The adults took off their clothes voluntarily, draping them over children, regardless of whether they were their own, to shield them from the rain.
The children were initially low in spirits, but later discovered many peers around them. From cautious glances, they began chatting noisily and eventually became more familiar, forming groups of three or five to play together, laughter injecting a touch of vitality into the gloom.
An elder who had escaped brought with him the guitar that had accompanied him for decades. Surrounded by a crowd, he played and sang softly. Though the melodies were simple, smiles returned to people’s faces as they couldn’t help but focus on him.
On the outside, the Wolf Assault Thugs watched these self-encouraging citizens, sharing a knowing smile, saying, "Actually, the border isn’t as bad as everyone thinks."
A companion sighed longingly, "If there were a choice, who would choose to live in disgrace? The circumstances just made it happen."
Just as the two were speaking, a commotion suddenly arose among the crowd.
"Look at the sky!"
"A fleet! A fleet is coming!"
"Are they here to rescue us?!"
Everyone looked up at the sky.
Not far away, an aerial fleet comprising hundreds of floating airships was flying away from the New Moon City sky, heading towards the border.
At the center of this aerial fleet were various giant transport ships, each over a hundred meters long, their massive size resembling flying giants in the sky, with flames from their plasma engines more dazzling than the sun.
Surrounding the giant transport ships were numerous small floating gunships, all of the most advanced military models, equipped with sophisticated energy weapons, capable of high-intensity combat lasting hundreds of hours without consuming physical ammunition, relying on built-in energy sources for prolonged engagement.
At the outermost area were many dense little black dots, all human escorts on personal flying devices, performing escort missions around the fleet. They possessed the most flexible mobility, ready to respond to any potential emergencies.
Since this air fleet was not too far from the ground and given the massive size of the transport ships, it didn’t take long for someone to see the Scythe of Death emblem on the fuselage.
In New Moon City, this was the symbol of the King of Mercenaries.
The Death Scythe Mercenary Corps had arrived!
Instantly, cheers erupted from the crowd, as they looked at the approaching Scythe Fleet, tears filling their eyes:
"The Death Scythe mercenaries are here to save us! Wonderful!"
"Someone still remembers us! We haven’t been abandoned!"
"Baby, look, the King of Mercenaries is here! We have hope!"
While everyone was cheering and jumping for joy, the Wolf Assault members had peculiar expressions.
Just a little over a month ago, they were fighting fiercely with Death Scythe, both sides having experienced each other’s strengths, ending in Death Scythe’s timely retreat, withdrawing from the border to cut their losses.
And now, in just over a month, those previous fierce enemies were about to become allies. The feeling was indeed strange.
Of course, in moments of crisis, every piece of strength is crucial, and all factions should come together regardless of past grievances; such grudges had long been discarded by the Wolf Assault members.
They looked up eagerly at the approaching Death Scythe air fleet, their eyes filled with urgency, hoping the Death Scythe mercenaries would quickly land and join the battle against the monstrous beasts.
However, as time passed, some of the experienced Wolf Assault members noticed something wasn’t right.
"This is wrong; the altitude hasn’t lowered... This air fleet isn’t heading towards us, they’re just passing by!"
Soon, this remark proved true.
As everyone watched longingly, the enormous Scythe Fleet soared overhead one by one, flying further away without stopping at all.
Hope rose and quietly crumbled as the refugees’ eyes turned hollow, some slumped to the ground in despair, while others stood motionless, numbly facing the harsh reality.
Then, just as the tail of the Scythe Fleet was about to fly past, one of the small black dots noticed the crowd below and began to lower its altitude.
It was a Death Scythe mercenary on a personal flying device, geared up with full combat equipment, and judging by their skilled aerial maneuvers, they were indeed an elite of the Mercenary Corps.
The Death Scythe mercenary approached a Wolf Assault Thug below, asking, "Are you covering the evacuation of the populace?"
The Wolf Assault thug looked up at him and said, "Yes, you? Where are you headed?"
Death Scythe mercenary: "Our unit is ordered to conduct an airlift mission, assisting the Iron Blood Alliance in transporting experimental equipment."
The Wolf Assault thug’s emotions turned angry as he questioned, "At such a time! You’re still transporting equipment? Is equipment more important than human lives?!"
The Death Scythe mercenary’s voice was calm, like a machine devoid of emotion, "I think, yes, these are precise instruments, each costing millions, and they’re more valuable than the people around you."
These words unconsciously clenched the Wolf Assault thug’s fists, but he restrained his emotions, saying in a low voice, "Can you do this? You handle your tasks, and once the equipment is transported, come help us out."
"I know those giant transport ships; one can carry three to four thousand people. Just divert ten or so ships over, and you can transport tens of thousands in one trip. Even if you can’t bring them into the Inner City, at least transfer them to another place for refuge!"
The Death Scythe mercenary shook his head decisively, "That’s not possible. There is a large amount of equipment that needs to be transferred on the Iron Blood side; all our transport aircraft are fully utilized and can’t undertake additional tasks."
The Wolf Assault thug’s temples bulged, and he shouted, "Then can you at least say something to the leadership up top on behalf of us?!"
"Our people are fighting desperately everywhere to give the populace a little bit more evacuation time, yet the authorities refuse to open the Rust Wall, leaving millions trapped outside."
"We are out of options now! If this continues, everyone here will die, please help us, I’m begging you!"
The Death Scythe mercenary continued to shake his head, "I am not obliged to do that."
The Wolf Assault thug eventually lost control of his emotions, roaring, "Then why the hell did you descend here? Just to mock us?!"
The Death Scythe mercenary calmly replied, "I lowered my altitude just to check for any anti-aircraft hazards here, ensuring the fleet’s safety."
"Oh, by the way, out of personal respect for you, a friendly reminder—I saw some beasts approaching over there; you’d better prepare yourselves. Farewell."
