240: Chapter 240 The Last End

When Li Ming returned, all he saw was a camp in chaos.

He didn't walk over, simply watching as Kate verified the identities of the remains one by one.

Due to a lack of sufficient cloth, the Mediation Force soldiers could only cover them with clothes.

Li Ming could see two smaller figures... When Kate lifted the clothing to check, Li Ming confirmed Tom's identity.

“Li! Why are you here?”

Li Ming turned around and looked at Maria, who had rushed back looking travel-worn. “I just got back... what happened?”

“It was the Federal Government's Special Ops Team. They entered the city through the underground pipes and were spotted by a few children...”

Seeing her hesitation, Li Ming shook his head, indicating he understood.

“Regardless, we must prepare a response,” Maria said. “For the Federal Government to be so eager for a decisive battle after reinforcing their troops, they must have a trump card.”

“It might very well be a Memetic Weapon.” Li Ming shook his head.

“It's a possibility, but not a high one, Li.” Maria recalled, “Their Memetic Weapons are immature; back then, they only lasted a few hours before losing effect.”

“A few hours is enough to wipe us all out.”

“Ha... true. Even you think so...”

Maria shook her head, the light in her eyes seeming to dim. Then she patted his shoulder, “Li... go do what you want to do.”

“What about you? Is there anything you want to do?”

“Me?... Fight to the death, I suppose... If you have a way, can you take Kate away first?”

“Why?”

“Elsa can take care of herself, but her... I'm very worried about her emotional state.”

Li Ming looked at her expressionlessly, “And what about you?”

“I'm obviously going to risk my life against those bastards!” Maria laughed, seemingly trying to project her usual courageous self.

But Li Ming simply closed his eyes and fell into hesitation.

“Then I'll be going first!” Seeing he wasn't speaking, Maria turned to leave, intending to prepare for the very end.

“Wait a moment.”

“Eh? Is something wrong?” Maria turned back, only to see him take the initiative to stand close to her for the first time.

He hugged her.

“Hey, Li?...”

“Listen, you stupid bear.” Li Ming's tone was flat. “Stay alive for me, or I'll remember you for the rest of my life.”

“Ah...”

Maria was stunned. By the time she snapped out of it, Li Ming had already vanished, leaving behind only the drifting words, “It's your duty to take care of Kate”...

“Ah, that's not right...”

The matter of Ikazuchi and Inazuma...

“Tsk, where is he?” Maria quickly put on her headset, only to find there was no sound coming from it at all.

“Damn it, electronic suppression...”

——————

“Elsa...”

“You're here?”

Li Ming watched her stroking her BMPT. After hesitating for a long time, he still approached her.

“Who exactly are you?” Elsa didn't turn to look at him, simply asking as if talking to herself.

“I am me.”

“You know... that's not what I'm asking.” She turned around. “Did you know? Someone came looking for you.”

“Looking for me? Diller or Bourne?”

“Neither. They seem to be Japanese, calling themselves Ikazuchi and Inazuma... and they are just as mysterious as you.”

Li Ming felt like he'd been struck by lightning. “Where are they now?”

“I didn't ask. They disappeared after the incident last night, so I'm not sure where they went either.”

“Tsk...”

Li Ming shook his head. As Ship Girls, even if their rigging was locked, they wouldn't have any problems. And if nothing unexpected happened... they were likely dragged here by The Governing Body at some unknown time. He'd have to ask them properly what happened later...

But for now...

“How did you find out?”

“There are only so many places you can hide things... even if we haven't lived together long, your personality isn't hard to guess,” Elsa replied. “I just didn't expect... things to turn out like this.”

“So do you think I did the right thing, or the wrong thing?” Li Ming walked over and stood beside her. “A butterfly from the East has completely changed the course of time.”

She turned back to look at him, her pale blue eyes seeming lost in thought, or perhaps confusion.

“...I don't know,” she replied. “But... thank you for your help during this time. At least during this period, I... well...”

She looked at him, opened her mouth, and only after a long while spoke again, “I'm happy. It's been a long time since I felt this kind of... sense of ease.”

“If it helped you... it's okay, I was willing,” Li Ming replied, then shifted his gaze away.

“Maria said... if I keep going like this, I'll end up as a 'loser dog' sooner or later.” Elsa sat on the front hull of the tank. “Really... sigh...”

“So what do you think?”

Li Ming climbed onto the turret to check the condition of the ammunition belts.

“I say... if, if we still have a future... I'd be willing to date you, how about that?” Elsa's gaze drifted, as if she had made some sort of resolution.

“Wait... don't make scary jokes like that...”

The corners of Li Ming's mouth twitched wildly. “You're like an old general on a stage, covered in death flags...”

“Uh...”

Seeing her fall into confusion, Li Ming's mouth twitched again. “It means saying stuff like that when a crisis is imminent makes it easy to lose your life, get it?”

“Ha...” Elsa shook her head. “Then...?”

“Then what?”

Li Ming turned back, only to see her pressing her hands against her neck, struggling to open her mouth to breathe, but unable to say anything.

At that moment, Logic's voice came through: “Commander, the virus has been activated!”

“...Fuck!”

He quickly picked Elsa up and hid her behind the tarpaulin.

Though he didn't know why he wasn't affected, now was not the time to think about it.

He slammed into the BMPT at full speed, after which his consciousness fell into darkness. When he opened his eyes again, an electronic screen was before him.

“Logic!” Li Ming roared.

“Yes! Commander! Vehicle status is good! Engine cold start initiated! Bombing drones and reconnaissance drones connected! Unmanned vehicles ready to deploy to the nearest open point!”

“Launch all drones!” Li Ming could already hear gunfire in the distance. “Logic, take over the reconnaissance feed! Find every single one of their attack routes for me!”

“Understood!”

The BMPT's engine began to roar, charging out of cover and exposing itself beneath the Federal Army's high-altitude drones.

Simultaneously, a large number of small drones flew out of cover, scattering to every sector of the city.

This was not a symmetric war, but Li Ming had no choice.

...

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