Chapter 78: The Gap

“Chief of Staff Han, this is all the manpower we have left. If we send out another unit, our division itself may be disbanded. Please think this through!”

Several mid-ranking officers voiced their opposition to the broad-browed officer’s order to send out another blocking force. Everyone knew that the so-called blocking force was nothing more than a suicide squad. The chance of any of them surviving was practically nonexistent.

“Do you think I don’t know any of that? Do I need you to explain it to me? What are we? We’re soldiers! And soldiers obey orders! Soldiers aren’t afraid of sacrifice! Our mission is to get the people on that bus safely to the capital. No matter how great the sacrifice required, we must carry it out!”

The broad-browed officer’s voice suddenly turned razor-sharp as he issued the order in a tone that allowed no argument.

In Chief of Staff Han’s eyes, it did not matter how many soldiers died. As long as he delivered those young people safely to the capital, he would have rendered a great service. With that favor in hand, he would surely be able to secure a good position there and continue living a life above ordinary men.

The identities of these young people were far from ordinary. They were all ** from the capital. No one knew what they had come to Bright Sun City for before the catastrophe, though they seemed to have been attending some sort of gathering. The gathering had been held in the northern part of the city, and when the city fell, these young masters and ladies joined the group attempting to break through the encirclement.

The moment Chief of Staff Han learned who they were, he knew his opportunity had arrived. He had been worrying about how to enter the upper circles after reaching the capital, and now the chance had practically fallen into his lap!

The capital had once been a place where high-ranking officials were everywhere. After the catastrophe, the situation was even more extreme. A mere divisional chief of staff like him would amount to nothing there. But if he protected these young masters and ladies, everything would be different. He might not rise straight to the top, but at least he would not be pushed forward as cannon fodder.

“Chief of Staff, I’m afraid I can’t carry out that order. I’ve never heard that we were supposed to protect the people on that bus, and I won’t send my men to die for nothing!”

The officer in charge of the rear guard stiffened his neck. To everyone’s surprise, he directly refused the order.

“Colonel Lan Zhengyu, are you planning to disobey a military order?”

Chief of Staff Han narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them as he spoke in a grim voice.

“Hah! So what if I am, Han Fuchuan? This is the apocalypse. Do you really think that position you kissed up and clawed your way into still gives you the power to suppress me? Go to hell! You want my men to die for you? Take a good look and see whether you’ve got what it takes!”

“If you don’t believe me, I’ll execute you on the spot!”

Chief of Staff Han had lost all authority. Grinding his teeth in fury, he drew the pistol from his waist and pointed it at Colonel Lan. In a fit of rage, he was about to pull the trigger.

Clatter! Clatter-clatter!

The soldiers on the two trucks suddenly raised their rifles. Every muzzle pointed toward Chief of Staff Han. His hand trembled in fright, and he nearly dropped his pistol.

“What do you think you’re doing? What do you think you’re doing? Are all of you planning to rebel with this man Lan Zhengyu?”

Seeing so many soldiers supporting Lan Zhengyu, Chief of Staff Han felt a pang of fear. He shouted at the armed men with a loud but hollow show of authority, and the atmosphere became unbearably tense.

“What are you doing, Chief of Staff Han? Your authority doesn’t seem to amount to much. Your own soldiers won’t even listen to you. Then stop pretending to be their leader. From now on, everyone follows my orders. Anyone carrying a gun will go to the rear and hold back the spider monsters. No one retreats without an order!”

A pale, clean-shaven man stepped down from the bus. One of his arms was pitch-black, and two strangely shaped Awakened followed behind him. He walked up before Chief of Staff Han and spoke with a cold laugh.

“Captain Yuan, please don’t misunderstand. There’s no problem here. It’ll be handled immediately, immediately.”

Chief of Staff Han’s expression changed the instant he saw the pale man. He was the leader of the Awakened squad, someone Han had no power to command. The Awakened seemed to have reached some kind of agreement with the young masters and ladies, obeying only their orders. Han had only two Awakened at his side and was utterly incapable of opposing them.

“Stop wasting time. The spider monsters are already within three kilometers. Are you planning to wait until they come charging in before organizing a defense? Anyone who disobeys is to be killed immediately!”

The pale man swept his gaze across the group before it settled on Colonel Lan Zhengyu.

“Ah!”

A streak of red light shot through the air. One of Lan Zhengyu’s arms was severed and sent flying. Blood did not spurt until the limb struck the ground.

“This is what happens when you disobey orders!”

The pale man’s contemptuous voice rang out, plunging the entire group into silence.

“Colonel Lan! You damned bastard! We’ll fight you to the death!”

Several of Lan Zhengyu’s trusted subordinates saw the gruesome sight and their eyes immediately reddened. They raised their submachine guns and prepared to fire at the pale man.

But at that moment, the pale man’s blackened right arm swept through the air, tracing a circle. Every firearm in the soldiers’ hands suddenly rose into the air, twisting together into an irregular mass of metal. With a flick of his arm, the pale man flung the tangled mass aside. It struck the ground and scattered back into a heap of guns.

“Hmph. A bunch of cannon fodder, and you still think you have the right to demand anything?”

The pale man snorted coldly and returned to the bus with his two subordinates.

“Hiss!”

Every soldier, including Chief of Staff Han, drew a sharp breath.

It was not as though they had never seen Awakened fighters battling monsters during their journey. Yet whenever they confronted monsters, the Awakened had not seemed particularly powerful. They had been chased around just like everyone else. Subconsciously, the soldiers had never believed that a few Awakened could replace the army’s position.

But now the pale man had finally taught them a lesson. He had shown them that, before an Awakened, soldiers carrying rifles were as weak as ants. Just as he had said, their only purpose was to serve as cannon fodder.

“Hmph. You people refuse to believe it until you see the coffin. Now do you understand what it means to obey orders? Everyone, listen up! First Battalion and Third Battalion will cover the rear. You will hold back the monsters for twenty minutes, even if it costs you your lives! Everyone else, follow me and cover the bus as it retreats!”

Chief of Staff Han glanced at Lan Zhengyu, who lay unconscious on the ground with one arm missing, then issued his orders with a complicated look in his eyes.

This time, no one resisted. With Lan Zhengyu’s fate before them, no one wanted to follow in his footsteps. Even those who intended to disobey were planning to flee only after separating from the main force.

Although the soldiers had no choice but to obey under the threat of the Awakened, they were no longer fighting for their country. They had been forced into becoming private troops for those few sons of powerful officials. There was no way they would truly stay behind and die for them.

The soldiers and all the heavy weapons from six trucks were left behind. Two Awakened remained on the bus as supervisors. Under the protection of the two remaining trucks, the bus rapidly sped away along the highway.

Yet before the pursuing spider monsters could even reach them, the bus that had just vanished came racing back at an even greater speed. Only one truck followed behind it. The other had disappeared without a trace.

“Not good! A giant insect! It’s a giant insect! Prepare the anti-aircraft guns, hurry!”

The two Awakened left behind had sharp eyes. They immediately spotted a white giant insect more than twenty meters long emerging in the distant sky. There was no doubt that the monster had forced the bus to turn back.