73: Chapter 73 Evacuation Sequence

Xie Jinyuan's hand slowly fell.

The silent steel forest, formed by hundreds of military salutes, also lowered with it.

Inside the warehouse, the air, solidified by reverence, seemed to begin flowing again at this moment.

But the brief warmth quickly faded.

In its place was a reality colder than ever before.

There was a path.

But how to take it was the problem.

"All officers above Company Commander, meeting."

Xie Jinyuan's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable calmness.

The officers, who had just been immersed in the joy of surviving a disaster, instantly sobered up and quickly gathered around.

A worn wooden table and a few long benches formed a temporary command post.

Shangguan Zhibiao found a relatively intact map of the Shanghai city area and spread it on the table.

The map was covered with dried bloodstains and grease.

"The Zipline has been built."

Xie Jinyuan's finger traced a line on the map from the location of the Sihang Warehouse to the Concession on the south bank of Suzhou Creek.

A straight line, representing the hope of life.

"Now, we need a retreat sequence."

His gaze swept over everyone present.

"My opinion is, civilians and seriously wounded, go first."

No one objected.

This was the most basic morality.

"The remaining brothers will be divided into three groups."

Xie Jinyuan's finger tapped on the map.

"The first group, led by the First Company, will establish a cordon on the opposite bank after evacuating."

"The second group, the Second Company, will evacuate afterward."

"The third group, the Third Company, will be responsible for alternating cover, and will evacuate last after confirming that the First and Second Companies have all passed through."

The plan was clear and decisive.

Every word exuded the calmness and efficiency of a professional Soldier.

However, everyone fell silent.

Because they all knew that in this plan, there was an unmentioned, yet extremely fatal, link.

Bringing up the rear.

Who would hold this lifeline for the last group of people?

"Regimental Commander."

Shangguan Zhibiao spoke, his voice a little hoarse.

He pointed to the location of the Sihang Warehouse on the map, then to the red circle of the Japanese Army's deployment.

"So many of us cannot all sneak away without anyone noticing."

"Once the little devils react, they will definitely attack us fiercely."

"The last group..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

But everyone understood his meaning.

The last group would face the Japanese Army's most frantic counterattack.

They were living targets.

They were pawns.

They were the price to buy time for the main force.

"I'll take people to bring up the rear."

Xie Jinyuan said calmly, as if stating the most ordinary thing.

"No!"

Shangguan Zhibiao slammed the table and stood up abruptly.

His eyes were red, staring intently at Xie Jinyuan.

"Regimental Commander! You are our backbone! You must be the first to go!"

"Nonsense!"

Xie Jinyuan cursed.

"I am the Regimental Commander, and I should live and die with the position. Let the brothers go first, and I go last, that is an order!"

"I don't care about any orders!"

Shangguan Zhibiao's stubbornness also flared up.

"If anyone goes, it's me! My life should have been given on the battlefield long ago! If it can save the brothers, it's worth it!"

"Dream on!"

"Regimental Commander!"

"Shut up!"

The command post fell into a heated argument.

Other officers also petitioned, asking to stay behind and bring up the rear themselves.

To them, this seemed not like a mission to die.

But a kind of honor.

A Soldier's final resting place.

"Stop arguing."

A weak, yet undeniably hoarse voice, suddenly spoke.

It was Chen Xi.

He had been carried to the conference table by two Soldiers, still on the door plank, at some unknown time.

He sat propped up, his face as pale as paper, but his eyes were surprisingly bright.

All arguments ceased instantly.

Everyone's gaze was focused on him.

Chen Xi's gaze slowly swept over everyone present.

Sweeping over the simple yet resolute officers whose faces were flushed with excitement.

He coughed softly twice, which tugged at the wound on his back, making the corner of his mouth twitch in pain.

"I'll take the rear-guard mission."

"Mr. Chen!"

Xie Jinyuan and Company Commander Shangguan spoke at the same time, their tones filled with disapproval.

"You're so badly injured, how can you..."

"Precisely because I'm so badly injured, I'm the most suitable."

Chen Xi interrupted them.

A long-lost, slightly roguish smile finally appeared on his face.

"Anyway, I can't walk fast, so staying behind is just right."

He paused, his eyes becoming sharp.

"And, you seem to have forgotten."

"I have some things you don't."

He didn't explicitly state what those things were.

But everyone present remembered the scythe that cut iron like mud, the Water Gun that melted tanks, and the elusive slingshot.

Chen Xi looked at them, saying word by word.

"For covering the retreat and creating chaos, no one is more professional than me."

"If I stay, your chances of survival are the greatest."

What he said was the truth.

Calm, cruel, yet irrefutable.

A former top special forces Soldier with weapons beyond his era, the role he could play in a rearguard mission was far beyond what an ordinary infantry company could compare to.

The command post fell silent once again.

Xie Jinyuan stared intently at Chen Xi.

He wanted to find a trace of wavering, a hint of reluctance, on that pale face.

But he didn't.

He only saw absolute, undeniable confidence.

And a calmness that disregarded life and death.

After a long time.

Xie Jinyuan slowly nodded.

"Good."

He took a deep breath and made the final decision.

"The rearguard team will consist of myself, Company Commander Shangguan, Mr. Chen, and the most elite squad from the Third Company."

"We will hold the path home for our brothers."

No one had any further objections.

The plan was thus finalized.

The officers dispersed, to carry out orders, to prepare for this final journey towards death and life.

Inside the warehouse, that brief joy was once again replaced by a solemn, grim atmosphere.

The Soldiers silently began checking their weapons.

Wiping down the gun barrels.

Loading bullets.

Every movement was meticulous.

As if what they were about to embark on was not a retreat with nine chances of death and one of life.

But the grandest of parades.