Thick smoke continued to rise into the sky.
The temporary assembly area that had originally been used for evacuation had already descended into chaos.
Transport vehicles had collapsed.
Equipment was destroyed.
Broken metal and scattered parts were everywhere.
The air was filled with the smell of burning.
And the smell of blood.
The communication channel had completely descended into disorder.
"Someone's trapped over here!"
"Come help!"
"Where's the medical team?!"
"The number of wounded is increasing!"
"We don't have enough stretchers!"
"All the equipment is damaged!"
One voice after another came through.
Overlapping.
Covering each other.
No one had time to maintain order.
Because people were being injured every second.
Beside a collapsed transport vehicle, more than a dozen members were desperately trying to rescue someone.
Beneath the vehicle,
an arm protruded from underneath.
It kept slapping against the ground.
"Here!"
"I'm still here!"
The voice was filled with obvious pain.
Several people nearby immediately rushed over.
Together, they grabbed the deformed vehicle.
"Together!"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
More than a dozen people pushed with all their strength.
The heavy vehicle lifted slightly off the ground.
The person underneath let out a muffled groan.
Blood flowed through the gaps.
They were just about to pull him out—
Crack.
A sudden snapping sound came from inside the vehicle.
Everyone's expression changed.
The next second,
the structure that had barely maintained its shape collapsed again.
With a loud boom, it slammed back down.
"Damn it!"
One of the members slammed his fist against the ground.
Someone beside him immediately crouched down to check.
After a moment,
he shook his head with a grim expression.
The surroundings suddenly fell silent.
No one said another word.
Because everyone knew what that meant.
Elsewhere,
several medical personnel were treating the wounded.
Someone had their chest sliced open by a steel plate.
Someone had a broken arm.
Someone had been struck in the eye by flying debris.
The number of wounded continued to increase.
Yet medical resources were rapidly running out.
A medical worker had just opened a first-aid kit
when he discovered that the metal fixation frame inside had already been deformed.
Several locking mechanisms were completely broken.
He tried to take out the equipment.
But the moment he picked it up,
the support frame snapped.
It crashed onto the ground.
The man stood there silently for several seconds.
Then he suddenly kicked the ruins beside him.
"Damn it!"
No one blamed him.
Because everyone was already reaching their limit.
The communication channel sounded again.
"Third evacuation point has lost contact!"
"Repeat!"
"Third evacuation point has lost contact!"
"Fifth squad casualties have exceeded half their personnel!"
"All logistics vehicles are out of commission!"
More and more reports came in.
The situation was getting worse and worse.
And at the center of the main battlefield,
Dawolf listened in silence.
Those voices continuously passed through his ears.
Every name.
Every identification number.
All of them were familiar.
Because those people had once fought alongside him.
Carried out missions with him.
Climbed out of piles of corpses together.
And now,
they were waiting for rescue.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for him.
Yet he stood here,
unable to do anything.
Suddenly,
a familiar voice came through the communication channel.
"Captain."
Dawolf's body stiffened slightly.
It was the captain of the Sixth Squad.
One of the people who had followed him the longest.
"We can still hold out."
The man's voice was calm.
But explosions and cries continued in the background.
"There are just too many wounded."
"If we had some support…"
He paused.
Then chuckled softly.
"Forget it."
"Pretend I never said anything."
The communication ended.
The channel once again returned to chaos.
Dawolf slowly clenched his fist.
The veins on the back of his hand gradually surfaced.
Meanwhile,
the report from the monitoring team had already reached Viper.
"First-round deployment complete."
"The target area has fallen into chaos."
"Equipment losses are severe."
"Combat capability is expected to have decreased by more than seventy percent."
Viper listened quietly.
His expression did not change.
As if he had merely heard an ordinary report.
The monitoring team member hesitated for a moment.
But eventually spoke.
"Boss."
"If this continues…"
"A lot of Dawolf's people will die."
The room fell silent.
Viper slowly raised his head.
His eyes settled on the man's face.
The man's body immediately stiffened.
"So?"
Three calm words.
Yet they sent the atmosphere in the entire room down to freezing point.
No one dared to answer.
Viper turned his gaze back toward the distance.
"If they cannot even carry out an order,"
"then what difference is there between being alive and being dead?"
There was no anger in his voice.
No emotion.
As if he were merely stating a fact.
"Their value comes from obedience."
"That is all."
The room fell silent again.
The monitoring team member lowered his head.
He said nothing more.
At the same time,
another report arrived.
"Boss."
"Lucian still hasn't left."
"Dawolf has also stopped fighting."
"The two sides are currently in a ceasefire."
At that,
Viper's eyes finally turned colder.
"They're still talking?"
"Yes."
After a brief silence,
Viper suddenly smiled.
But the smile sent a chill through everyone.
"Looks like…"
"He really has forgotten whose side he belongs to."
Then he directly issued an order.
"Begin the second round."
"Drop everything."
The order was transmitted.
No one dared to object.
High in the sky,
the new deployment devices began adjusting their direction.
They flew toward the same area.
At that very moment,
in the ruins,
the team responsible for security finally noticed something unusual.
"Wait."
"What's that in the sky?"
Several people beside him looked up at the same time.
Their eyes passed through the thick smoke
and looked toward the distance.
The next second,
everyone's expression changed.
Black dots.
More black dots.
And there were even more of them than in the first round.
"Damn it!"
"There's a second round!"
"Notify everyone!"
Alarm sirens immediately rang out.
The already chaotic area completely erupted.
"Everyone take cover!"
"Quick!"
"Get the wounded out!"
"Move away from the vehicle wreckage!"
Shouts rose one after another.
But reality was brutally cruel.
Many of the wounded could not move at all.
Some were trapped beneath the ruins.
Some had lost too much blood.
Some had already lost consciousness.
The evacuation speed was nowhere near fast enough.
A medical worker looked at the sky in the distance.
His face turned pale.
"We won't make it."
No one contradicted him.
Because everyone knew
he was telling the truth.
At the center of the main battlefield,
the members of the escort unit quickly received the report.
"Report."
"Second-round deployment detected."
"Numbers exceed the first round."
"Estimated arrival in several minutes."
The surrounding members of the escort unit frowned simultaneously.
Lucian slowly raised his head.
He looked toward the distance.
After a moment,
he spoke.
"Medical team."
"Prepare to move out."
Everyone around him froze.
"Young Master?"
Lucian continued.
"Transport team."
"Prepare to receive the wounded."
"Logistics team, prepare backup equipment."
One order after another was issued.
Without the slightest hesitation.
Finally,
someone could not help asking,
"Aren't those people our enemies?"
The air fell silent for a moment.
Lucian's gaze remained fixed on the distance.
"Not anymore."
Just four words.
The entire area fell silent.
The next second,
the orders were rapidly transmitted.
The escort unit began moving.
Vehicles started their engines.
Medical personnel gathered.
Transport personnel prepared stretchers.
Large quantities of supplies were quickly loaded onto the vehicles.
The entire process was orderly.
And Dawolf saw all of it.
On the communication channel,
his subordinates were still calling for help.
Above them,
the second round of deployment was drawing closer and closer.
The two scenes continuously overlapped.
Creating a stark contrast.
One side chose destruction.
The other chose rescue.
One side chose abandonment.
The other chose to extend a helping hand.
The wind swept through the ruins.
Dawolf slowly lowered his head.
The voice of the young member echoed in his ears once again.
"Captain."
"Have we been abandoned?"
He had not answered earlier.
Because he himself did not know the answer.
But now,
the answer was right before his eyes.
Dawolf slowly closed his eyes.
Then opened them again.
He looked toward the sky where thick smoke continued to rise.
For the first time,
his eyes became completely somber.
The communication channel still did not fall silent.
Instead,
it became increasingly chaotic.
"There's someone here!"
"Come quickly!"
"He's trapped!"
"Lift this side!"
Deep within the ruins,
several members were gathered beside a collapsed building.
The building had been severely damaged.
Part of it had sunk into the ground.
A faint human silhouette could be seen underneath.
A young member lay beside a gap,
calling out repeatedly.
"Can you hear me?"
A response soon came from inside.
"Yes."
The voice was extremely weak.
But it made everyone nearby breathe a sigh of relief.
Alive.
At least he was still alive.
"Hang in there!"
"We'll get you out immediately!"
There was a brief silence from inside.
Then came a bitter laugh.
"You guys say that every time."
The people around him froze for a moment.
Then someone cursed.
"Cut the crap."
"Get out alive first."
More than a dozen people soon gathered around the building.
They began trying to move the debris.
Some cleared away fragments.
Some searched for support points.
Some watched for changes in the structure.
However, as the rescue continued,
their expressions grew increasingly grim.
Because the building itself was still collapsing.
Cracks continued to spread across the concrete.
Many areas could not bear any weight at all.
They had barely moved one section of wall
when another section collapsed beside them.
It was as if the entire building were slowly melting away.
The team member in charge clenched his teeth.
"Keep going."
"Don't stop."
No one objected.
Because the person inside was their comrade.
Elsewhere,
the medical area was equally chaotic.
The ground was covered with wounded personnel.
Some had bandages wrapped around their foreheads.
Some had their arms secured with splints.
Some had lost too much blood.
Their faces were pale.
Medical personnel moved constantly between them.
Sweat streamed down their faces,
yet no one had time to wipe it away.
"Stop the bleeding agent!"
"We need a hemostatic agent here!"
"We're out!"
"Then apply pressure to the wound first!"
Voices continued to ring out.
Resources were being consumed rapidly.
Yet no supplies were arriving.
Everyone understood.
If the second round of attacks landed,
the situation would only become worse.
At the same time,
the squad responsible for security continued watching the sky.
Thick smoke blocked their vision.
The black dots appeared and disappeared.
But their numbers were becoming increasingly clear.
One man lowered his binoculars.
His face was pale.
"There are more than before."
His companion remained silent.
No one doubted it.
The first round had already destroyed most of their equipment.
If the second round landed,
the entire evacuation zone would be completely paralyzed.
The communication channel suddenly sounded.
"Fifth Squad reporting."
"Second-round targets detected."
"Estimated time is very short."
"They will enter the deployment range in several dozen seconds."
The channel fell silent for a moment.
Then it completely erupted.
"Several dozen seconds?"
"You've got to be kidding!"
"We still have wounded!"
"We can't evacuate them all!"
For the first time,
panic appeared in their voices.
Because everyone knew
that several dozen seconds meant they had no time at all.
At the center of the main battlefield,
Dawolf stood silently.
Reports continued to reach his ears.
Every sentence felt like a heavy hammer,
striking his heart again and again.
He knew those people.
He knew their voices.
He knew their habits.
He even knew what kind of alcohol some of them liked to drink.
And now,
those people were waiting for his decision.
Just then,
another voice came through the communication channel.
"Captain."
It was the logistics officer from earlier.
His voice was somewhat hoarse.
"The brothers are still waiting for you."
Just one sentence.
The channel fell silent again.
Dawolf did not respond.
Because he did not know what to say.
A promise?
Support?
At this moment,
those things all seemed painfully hollow.
Meanwhile,
inside the building where Viper was located,
new reports continued to arrive.
"First-round results confirmed."
"The evacuation zone has lost its mobility."
"After the second round, it is expected to completely lose its organizational capability."
The monitoring team member finished his report
and stood silently in place.
Viper merely listened calmly.
As if everything were within his expectations.
After a moment,
he slowly spoke.
"What is Dawolf's reaction?"
"None so far."
"He remains on the main battlefield."
Viper nodded slightly.
But his eyes grew colder and colder.
"Soon."
The monitoring team member froze.
He did not understand.
Viper looked out the window.
Then slowly said,
"People…"
"Will always make a choice when they have lost everything."
"I want to see…"
"What he chooses."
Meanwhile,
Lucian's escort unit had already begun moving.
Transport vehicles started their engines.
Medical personnel quickly boarded.
Backup stretchers were carried aboard one after another.
Large numbers of medical kits were neatly arranged.
Some checked the medicine.
Some confirmed the route.
Some contacted the teams ahead.
The entire process was exceptionally fast.
Because they all knew
there was not much time left.
An escort unit member ran over.
"Young Master."
"Everything is ready."
Lucian nodded.
His gaze remained fixed on the distant smoke.
Then he spoke.
"Once inside, prioritize rescuing the wounded."
"Do not initiate combat."
"Report immediately if you detect the second-round deployment."
"Understood."
The orders were quickly transmitted.
The vehicle engines gave off a deep roar.
They began moving toward the distance.
Dawolf slowly turned his head.
He watched the vehicles depart.
He watched the members of the escort unit busily preparing.
No one asked for compensation.
No one demanded anything in return.
No one even demanded surrender.
They were simply preparing to save people.
And on the other end of the communication channel,
his own subordinates were still waiting.
Waiting for a support order that never came.
The wind swept through the ruins.
Dust rose from the ground.
The black dots in the sky drew closer and closer.
The second round of attacks was about to arrive.