66: Sacrifice and Glory

“After we both passed through the rift, we weren't far apart. If I'm not mistaken, the rift should be near us. We'll split up… ”

Gao Lingfeng looked at the bewildered He Jingrui, stopped speaking, shook his head helplessly, and pointed in one direction, saying, “Never mind, let’s go together. We’ll look over there.”

He Jingrui scratched his head and chuckled, “Alright, Captain.”

Fifteen minutes later, both of them, with swollen faces, walked back, supporting each other.

He Jingrui rubbed his pig-like face and grumbled, “These bees, whatever species they are, sting way too hard.”

Gao Lingfeng rubbed his swollen areas, on the verge of speaking but holding back.

The two rested for a while, then explored in a different direction.

Thirty minutes passed, and this time, they ran back, covered in mud and stumbling.

“Damn it, can mud become sentient these days?”

“This place is really dangerous.”

As they lamented, they helped each other clean off the remaining mud, then continued in a new direction.

Twelve minutes later, at the exit of the canyon, they discovered a wide rift, and a swarm of Strange Beast gathered beneath it.

“Captain, look at that lively, small-sized Strange Beast. Is that the Beast King's Cub?”

He Jingrui, with his sharp eyes, immediately spotted an Strange Beast crouching beside the rift.

“Let me see.”

Gao Lingfeng took the binoculars, observed carefully for a moment, then nodded.

“Judging by how the other Strange Beast don't dare to approach it, this little guy should be the Beast King's Cub.”

He Jingrui was already eager to act, but he held his patience and asked Gao Lingfeng, “So, us?”

Gao Lingfeng also wanted to complete the mission quickly and leave this dreadful place as soon as possible.

He nodded, and he and He Jingrui began to check their equipment.

Flashbangs, smoke grenades, submachine guns, pistols, bullets, daggers, high-explosive grenades, etc.

He quickly formulated an action plan in his mind, and after confirming there were no major issues, he patted He Jingrui's shoulder and said, “Your physical strength is greater than mine. We need to work together now. In a moment, while the Strange Beast below are in chaos, you must rush to the Beast King's Cub immediately, seize it, and then ignore everything else and charge towards the rift.”

“I'll be responsible for clearing a path for you, understand?”

He Jingrui nodded without hesitation.

Gao Lingfeng nodded in satisfaction.

“Very good.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he had already thrown flashbangs, smoke grenades, and high-explosive grenades into the swarm of Strange Beast below.

With the sound of explosions, smoke immediately spread below, accompanied by the roars of Strange Beast.

He Jingrui immediately leaped down, using several protruding points on the cliff to absorb the impact, then charged with all his might towards the Beast King's Cub.

As for Gao Lingfeng, he wielded two submachine guns, continuously firing at the Strange Beast rushing towards He Jingrui.

Under the cover of intense firepower, He Jingrui's pupils contracted slightly; his extraordinary physical prowess allowed him to become a flash of lightning, rapidly charging towards the Beast King's Cub.

Startled by the sudden change, the Beast King's Cub shrieked, preparing to hide among the swarm of Strange Beast.

But still not an adult, even with its innate talent, it was no match for He Jingrui.

“I've got it, Captain, retreat quickly!”

He Jingrui excitedly knocked out the Beast King's Cub and tucked it under his arm, then ran towards the rift while shouting loudly to Gao Lingfeng behind him.

However, he received no response from Gao Lingfeng. He looked back in surprise, only to find Gao Lingfeng surrounded by a group of Strange Beast.

“Captain!”

He Jingrui became anxious, no longer caring about the mission. He turned and sprinted towards Gao Lingfeng, who was trapped in the swarm of Strange Beast.

Then, with a flying kick, he sent an Strange Beast flying, and with an outstretched hand, pulled Gao Lingfeng out of the encirclement.

Gao Lingfeng was startled by the powerful tug. Upon seeing that He Jingrui had abandoned the mission to save him, he was initially angry, but that quickly turned into relief.

He was not one to dither. He clutched a grenade, silently counted, and then threw it at the large group of Strange Beast hot on their heels, then continued to run for his life with He Jingrui.

When they reached the rift, swarms of Strange Beast rushed at them from both sides again.

Seeing the desperate number of them, a look of determination flashed across Gao Lingfeng's face.

He was about to stop and act as He Jingrui's final cover, but then he felt a strong force pull at the back of his collar, and the Beast King's Cub was shoved into his arms.

“Captain, go well!”

He Jingrui's voice rang in his ears.

A hot mist immediately welled up in front of Gao Lingfeng's eyes, and he was uncontrollably flung into the rift.

His last sight was He Jingrui being crushed beneath a swarm of Strange Beast, with only his blood-stained, honest-smiling face visible.

“No!!!!”

...“Sizzle sizzle...”

“No!!!”

A noisy screen in the corner suddenly flickered, then a mournful howl echoed throughout the entire command center.

The sudden incident startled everyone.

Only a glint flashed in the young man's eyes.

Senior Colonel Pu Xiujie quickly reacted, immediately shouting, “Quick, project the B-3 screen onto the main screen.”

The support staff responded and operated, and the next second, everyone simultaneously shifted their gaze to the large screen in the center.

They saw a bloated figure emerging from the vast, dark rift, suspended without support.

As the surrounding mist gradually dispersed, everyone could clearly see that the “bloated” figure was Gao Lingfeng, tightly clutching the Beast King's Cub.

The young man's eyes only held the Beast King's Cub, and a rare look of joy appeared on his face.

Senior Colonel Pu Xiujie, however, stared intently at the rift behind Gao Lingfeng, but he never saw another figure appear.

The hope in his eyes gradually vanished, and his expression suddenly became extremely grim.

“Immediately, notify other squad members to abandon their current tasks and quickly reinforce the Fox Hunt Squad. Ensure Gao Lingfeng and the Beast King's Cub are brought back safely.”

Senior Colonel Pu Xiujie gritted his teeth as he issued the order, then glared fiercely at the young man before turning and walking out of the command center, heading towards the distant battlefield...

Ban Yangming constantly observed the movements of the distant rift.

When he saw a figure emerge from the rift, realizing it might be Gao Lingfeng and He Jingrui returning, he immediately excitedly urged his teammates to rush towards the rift, attempting to meet their comrades.

However, as they approached the swarm of Strange Beast, they found that the Strange Beast were behaving very strangely.

Like rabid animals, they had become extremely bloodthirsty and frenzied.

In just an instant of contact, the members of the Fox Hunt Squad were all wounded.

Ban Yangming's face became very grim as he watched the Strange Beast, like zombies, still wildly biting at him despite being riddled with bullets.

He had never expected the Strange Beast to suddenly undergo such a change.

Now, not only had they failed to rescue the Captain and Xiao Rui, but they themselves were also in danger.

Ban Yangming looked at the drooling, red-eyed Strange Beast, sweat beading on his forehead, and pondered a countermeasure while firing his weapon.

However, just then, several drones pierced through the mist, speeding towards them.

They then transformed into dazzling fireballs, engulfing most of the Strange Beast surrounding the Fox Hunt Squad.

The massive firelight and explosions left the members of the Fox Hunt Squad dizzy and disoriented.

But that wasn't all; several more drones sped towards the rift, and upon approaching, they once again turned into fireballs, furiously slaughtering a large number of Strange Beast around the rift.

“Dada dada da——”

“Boom boom boom boom——”

The continuous sounds of machine guns and artillery fire from afar first startled Ban Yangming, then a look of great joy appeared on his face.

“Brothers! Reinforcements are here! Follow me and cut through these bastards!”

The other members of the Fox Hunt Squad were also overjoyed. Without a moment's hesitation, they followed closely behind Ban Yangming, charging once again towards the rift...

Half an hour later.

Senior Colonel Pu Xiujie arrived at the outskirts of the battlefield, where he met the members of the Fox Hunt Squad who had withdrawn from the fighting.

However, his usually hurried demeanor quieted when he saw the sorrow on the faces of Gao Lingfeng and Ban Yangming.

Gao Lingfeng looked up and saw that the newcomer was Senior Colonel Pu Xiujie. Though his heart was filled with grief and indignation, he still led the Fox Hunt Squad in a salute.

“Sir!”

“Attention, all! At ease! Attention! At ease!”

After returning the salute, Senior Colonel Pu Xiujie quickly told them to relax their posture, then spoke with an apologetic tone, “Brothers, you've worked hard...”

“And, my condolences.”

The order to enter the rift had been his, and he bore inescapable responsibility.

The reason he had specifically come to meet Gao Lingfeng and the others here was because a thorn was stuck in his heart.

As the highest person in charge of the base, the members of the six special squads had all been personally selected by him, having visited various local military units.

It could be said that he knew and understood every single person, including their life experiences, personalities, hobbies, and professional specialties.

Sometimes, in his eyes, these diligently trained and fiercely competitive team members were like his own children.

He was like an old father, always tirelessly nurturing his children's growth, vowing to cultivate each and every one of them into capable individuals.

Yet, ironically, it was also he who issued cruel orders.

And caused one of his children to remain forever in another world, with not even his bones to be brought back.

Gao Lingfeng looked at the profound sorrow on Senior Colonel Pu Xiujie's face, and the anger in his heart gradually extinguished.

He licked his chapped lips, finally stepped forward, saluted Senior Colonel Pu Xiujie again, then lowered his hand, puffed out his chest, and shouted, “To die on the battlefield, wrapped in horse hide—this is the unique glory of a soldier. All the warriors of our Fox Hunt Squad will always remember the sacrifice of our brother He Jingrui, and will fully protect the lives of the people and the security of our homeland. Please rest assured, Organization!”

Senior Colonel Pu Xiujie looked at the resolute and sorrowful expression on Gao Lingfeng's face and returned the salute.

Then he said nothing more, only nodded, turned, and limped away.

To lose a comrade, how sorrowful!

But the road ahead was uncertain, and the threat of the world's mutation still hung like a knife at humanity's throat.

Fortunately, the people had these excellent soldiers.

They would not wallow in sorrow; instead, they would store that grief in their fists, gathering strength, waiting for a day to unleash that angry punch with all their might against an unknown enemy.