The wind whistled, and leaves fluttered.
Damien Cole pulled his coat together and once again looked at the military campground that he had for so long gotten familiar with, as well as the familiar faces.
He clenched his jaw tightly.
"Let's go." he says finally and walks forward.
He then steps into the helicopter, which hatchdoor had been waiting at the side for a long time.
Behind him were teams of tall, toned, and muscular men standing uniformly in neat rows. Despite having tears in their eyes, they were standing still with their backs straight in the cold wind and raising their hands in unison to perform a standard and reverent military salute.
"Wishing you a safe trip, from the Assault Team, Commander!"
"Farewell from the Special Forces, Commander!"
"From the Logistics Team, we are wishing our beloved Commander journey wishes!"
…......
Amidst the sounds of the helicopter's propeller continuously rotating, the loud yelling sounded consecutively.
It was full of enthusiasm and pride!
"Commander, can you really bear to…"
Tristian muttered with reluctance in his eyes as he wiped his tears and closed the helicopter's hatch door.
The wings of the helicopter rotated, and it ascended. The familiar campground and teams were gradually turning into tiny marks on the ground.
Damien looked away and said with a faint smile, "Everything comes to an end someday. There's no longer a need for me to keep on staying here."
And he was right. He had been living in this place for a whole five years.
During these five years, he was quickly promoted from a fresh recruit to a general who held great authority after various close encounters with death.
The most dreaded and revered Black Dragon Regiment under his command firmly guarded the vast territory around the state of Calonia.
He became the most powerful God of War in the eyes of the tens of thousands of members of the Black Dragon Regiment because of his excellent command ability and combat power. No one dared to invade Calonia anymore, as it was now very well fortified.
Having achieved success, he could finally retire, even though he was only twenty-seven years old.
The helicopter flew south toward the nearest airport.
While on board the chopper, Damien took out an antique pocket watch from his chest, in which held a slightly yellowed photo.
It was a photo of a young man and a young woman taken five years ago. Back then, they looked a little bit slightly immature.
The woman's face was beautiful, delicate, and exquisite. Her lips were pursed stubbornly, and her slanted, crystalline eyes seemed to be staring straight into Damien's hands through the photo.
The scene that seemed like a farce at that time was still fresh and vivid in his memory.
Damien smiled bitterly as he began to recall the events from six years ago.
A young and beautiful CEO with a glamorous appearance actually had a disgraceful private life, as she had had an affair with the company's chauffeur!
The media made a big deal out of it and released all sorts of malicious, speculative, and untrue reports.
The lady's image was ruined overnight, and she fell to rock bottom together with her company that was thrown into jeopardy.
No one bothered to discover the truth.
They just blamed the woman and her chauffeur.
The real truth was that they had actually been drugged.
The masses as usual were only interested in gossip, and the woman's family in particular, just wanted to cover up the scandal.
In the end, the chauffeur got married into the woman's family and became her husband.
However, the marriage did not save them, or rather, their image either.
Everyone mocked and criticized the woman, who at that time was known as the city's beauty. They also made terrible remarks about the penniless chauffeur who was lucky enough to marry into a wealthy family.
That penniless chauffeur was no other person but Damien Cole, and the lady in question, was his wife Lena Parker.
Unable to bear the scrutiny of the town, Damien quietly left for the military force and vowed to make a name for himself so that he would be worthy of the woman who was once used to be favored by God.
Five years had passed, and he was finally returning back home after achieving success.
Damien looked at the woman in the photo, his emotions mixed with inexplicable remorse and apology.
He wondered how she was doing after years of being away from her.
..........
"Finally back!" Tristan stretched his back and looked at Damien, who had a look of nostalgia.
Soon the helicopter landed at their destination, which was Greenville international airport.
The two of them passed through the crowded Greenville city International Airport and casually ordered some fast food at a mall just outside the airport.
"Commander… No, I mean, Damien, your hometown is in Greenville, isn't it?"
Damien casually nodded.
It had been a long time since he left Greenville city, and now that they had just returned, there were many things for them to tend to.
"Mommy… I want Mommy…" All of a sudden, a puerile and crisp cry sounded near them.
Damien stopped in his tracks.
For some reason, the tender cry was tugging at his heartstrings.
Following the sound of the cry, he began to push his way through the crowd, and arrived at the scene.
In front of him was a little girl standing below a billboard not too far from him and weeping, her face stained with tears.
The girl was about four or five years old and was holding a stuffed rabbit in her arms. Her tiny face was as fine as jade, and tears were welling up in her large, dark eyes. Her small and delicate nose was sniffling because of her crying, and she looked particularly adorable and pitiful, making Damien's heart scrunch up.
In particular, she seemed bizarrely familiar to Damien.
At this moment, the girl saw Damien as well, and she abruptly stopped crying.
Her eyes were full of surprise, she suddenly leaped toward Damien and hugged his thighs.
"Daddy!"
Damien was stunned speechless and at a complete loss for what to do.