The air fell silent once again.
Scattered gunfire could still be heard in the distance.
Flames continued to burn.
Thick smoke slowly rose into the sky.
But at the center of the main battlefield,
the oppressive presence that had nearly spiraled out of control was gradually weakening.
Dawolf slowly lowered his head.
His fists remained clenched.
The muscles in his arms repeatedly tensed and relaxed.
Structural Lock was stabilizing again.
For a moment just now,
he had nearly lost control completely.
If Alma had actually been hurt,
he didn't even know what he would have done.
The wind swept through the ruins.
Dust stirred across the ground.
Lucian remained standing where he was.
He did not attack.
He did not approach.
He did not speak.
He simply waited in silence.
The surrounding escort unit members remained on guard as well,
but made no further move.
For the first time,
the battlefield came to a genuine standstill.
Elsewhere,
within the ruined area,
the Third Squad was still conducting its final search.
Their muzzles swept continuously through the interiors of the damaged buildings,
making sure no enemies had been left behind.
The exchange of fire just now had not been particularly intense.
But it had been extremely sudden.
The enemy's objective had been very clear.
It was not supplies.
It was not the position.
It was the child inside the building.
That made many of the squad members realize something was wrong.
Spent casings were scattered across the corridors.
Bullet holes covered the walls.
Some areas had even collapsed.
The air was filled with choking dust.
Two squad members were inspecting the bodies,
confirming their identities,
checking their equipment,
and making sure there were no hidden communication devices.
Elsewhere,
the medics had already begun providing basic treatment to the wounded.
In the corner of the building,
several people responsible for protecting Alma finally relaxed.
One of them had been shot in the shoulder.
Blood had already soaked through his clothes.
But during the battle,
he had remained at the front the entire time.
Only now did he finally feel the full pain from the wound.
His body slowly leaned against the wall.
He let out a long breath.
Alma sat there,
her arms wrapped around her knees.
Her eyes were still filled with unease.
She didn't understand what had happened.
She only knew that suddenly,
there had been countless gunshots.
People had been running.
People had been shouting.
And the uncles protecting her had raised their weapons one after another.
Then the battle had begun.
For an eight-year-old child,
everything had happened too suddenly.
It was all too unfamiliar.
The only thing she knew was that
her father was still outside.
And he was in danger.
Just then,
Scope walked over to her.
He slowly crouched down,
trying to bring his eyes level with the girl's.
His voice softened considerably.
"Don't be afraid."
"You're safe now."
The girl said nothing.
She simply stared at him nervously,
her hands still clutching the clothes of the man beside her.
As if she would be taken away the moment she let go.
Scope did not rush her.
He simply waited in silence.
After a few seconds,
the girl's breathing finally became slightly steadier.
"What is your name?"
The girl hesitated.
Then whispered,
"Alma."
Scope nodded.
"Alma?"
"Good."
He continued,
"What is your father's name?"
This time,
the girl answered immediately.
As if the name itself could give her a sense of security.
"My dad's name is Dawolf."
The members of the Third Squad froze simultaneously.
One of them even instinctively looked at Scope.
Scope's expression changed slightly as well.
Because they had just heard that name.
And it had been only moments ago.
That man had just engaged Lucian in an intense battle.
Scope stood back up
and opened the communication channel.
"Confirm target identity."
"Direct connection confirmed between the target and the main battlefield target."
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Then came the response.
"Received."
Scope looked down at Alma.
"Your father is waiting for you."
The girl froze slightly.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Is he okay?"
Scope paused for a moment.
Then nodded.
"He's still standing."
The girl's eyes immediately reddened.
The emotions she had been desperately holding back finally broke through.
She lowered her head
and rubbed her eyes hard.
But no matter how much she wiped,
the tears wouldn't stop.
The Third Squad began withdrawing.
Several members formed a protective circle,
escorting Alma out of the building.
At the same time,
in the center of the main battlefield,
Dawolf slowly raised his head.
His gaze fell back onto Lucian.
Finally,
he spoke.
"Why?"
The wind swept through the ruins.
Lucian looked at him calmly.
"Why what?"
Dawolf remained silent for several seconds.
His voice was much lower when he finally spoke.
"Why did you save her?"
The air fell silent for a moment.
The flames in the distance flickered softly.
Lucian did not answer immediately.
He simply looked around.
At the wounded personnel being evacuated.
At the buildings still burning.
At the streets destroyed by the battle.
Then,
he calmly spoke.
"Because she's a noncombatant."
Dawolf said nothing.
Lucian continued.
"A real battle."
"Should never involve a child."
The wind swept through the ruins again.
The air fell silent once more.
Dawolf slowly lowered his head.
Countless images suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Sirens.
Fires.
Ruins.
And those people he had once rescued from danger.
Once,
he had thought the same way.
At least,
a long time ago.
Lucian did not try to persuade him.
He did not talk about ideals.
He did not talk about the future.
He simply stated his judgment.
And precisely because of that,
it became even harder to refute.
The surrounding escort unit members remained on guard,
but no one interrupted.
They could all see it.
This was no longer simply a battle.
It was a choice.
A choice more important than victory or defeat.
Time slowly passed.
Footsteps could be heard in the distance.
The communication channel sounded at the same time.
"Target confirmed safe."
"Returning now."
Dawolf's body trembled slightly.
He said nothing,
but his shoulders,
which had remained tense for so long,
finally relaxed somewhat.
Lucian naturally noticed it.
But he did not point it out.
He simply remained standing where he was.
The wind swept through the ruins.
Silence once again settled between the two men.
Meanwhile,
dozens of kilometers away,
inside a hidden stronghold,
more than a dozen surveillance screens continued flickering.
Battle footage from different areas constantly updated.
Communications officers moved back and forth,
organizing the latest intelligence.
The atmosphere inside the room was oppressively tense.
Because everyone knew
the front line was not going well.
At the center of the room,
Viper sat there,
expressionless as he flipped through the reports.
Just then,
a communications officer hurried over.
"Report."
Viper didn't even raise his head.
"Speak."
The officer swallowed.
"The Alma capture operation has failed."
The room suddenly fell silent.
Viper slowly raised his head.
His gaze was icy.
"Failed?"
"Yes."
"The operation team encountered the escort unit's Third Squad."
"The target has escaped their control."
The air seemed to freeze.
Everyone around them lowered their heads simultaneously.
No one wanted to speak at a time like this.
Because they knew
Viper had placed great expectations on this plan,
even though it had only been devised moments ago.
Not long before,
the team monitoring Dawolf had sent back a report.
Dawolf was at a disadvantage.
And he had been unable to gain the upper hand.
So Viper had quickly come up with a new idea.
If Dawolf could not be dealt with head-on,
then Alma could be controlled.
As long as the child was in their hands,
Dawolf would naturally fall back under their control.
It was the simplest method.
And the most effective one.
But now,
it had failed.
Bang!
Viper slammed the metal cup in his hand against the wall.
The metallic impact echoed throughout the room.
Several people flinched.
"Useless!"
"You can't even capture a child?!"
No one answered.
The entire room fell deathly silent.
Just then,
another communications officer suddenly spoke.
"Report."
Viper coldly looked over.
"Speak."
The officer took a deep breath.
"Latest update."
"Lucian and Dawolf have stopped fighting."
The room fell silent again.
Viper narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Stopped fighting?"
"Yes."
"The two sides are still confronting each other."
"It has already exceeded the normal interval between engagements."
"There are currently no signs of the battle resuming."
Silence filled the room.
Viper slowly leaned back into his chair.
His fingers lightly tapped the armrest.
Once.
Then again.
The rhythm was not fast,
but it made everyone's nerves tighten further.
Because they knew
Viper was thinking.
After a moment,
Viper slowly stood up.
He walked toward the surveillance screens.
On the screens,
Lucian and Dawolf were still standing opposite each other.
Neither had made another move.
This scene caused Viper's eyes to gradually turn colder.
"Interesting."
"Very interesting."
His voice grew increasingly low.
"Alma was rescued."
"The battle stopped."
"And then they started talking."
No one in the room dared to respond.
Because everyone understood.
Viper had begun to suspect something.
He suspected Dawolf.
He suspected the man who had always fought for him.
The air remained silent for several seconds.
Then Viper slowly spoke.
"Is the surveillance team still on site?"
"Yes."
"Good."
The communications officer immediately responded.
Viper stared at the footage coming from the battlefield.
There was not the slightest trace of warmth in his eyes.
"Notify the surveillance team."
"Execute the contingency plan."
The communications officer's body trembled slightly.
He clearly knew what that meant.
"Confirm execution?"
Viper did not turn around.
His voice was terrifyingly calm.
"Confirmed."
"Deploy Meltdown Explosives into the area occupied by Dawolf's forces."
The room instantly fell silent.
Several officers raised their heads at once.
Their expressions changed noticeably.
Because they knew what those things could do.
They were not ordinary bombs.
They were specialized weapons designed specifically to target equipment and metal structures.
Once detonated,
large amounts of metal would rapidly lose their structural strength.
Some would even collapse outright.
And Dawolf's forces
happened to be gathered there.
Someone couldn't help saying,
"Our people are still there."
Viper slowly turned his head.
He looked over.
The man immediately fell silent.
Cold sweat ran down his back.
The air became silent once again.
Several seconds later,
Viper withdrew his gaze.
His tone remained completely unchanged.
"Execute the order."
There was no explanation.
No reason.
The order was quickly transmitted.
Far away,
the surveillance team began to move.
A concealed transport vehicle slowly opened.
Several specialized metal containers were carried out.
The safety mechanisms were disengaged.
The detonation sequence began.
Meanwhile,
in the center of the ruins,
Dawolf remained standing there.
Completely unaware
that the reckoning targeting him
had already begun.