78: Chapter 78 The Relay of Hope

"First batch!"

"Wounded and female students!"

"Begin the retreat!"

Xie Jinyuan's voice carried a hint of uncontrollable trembling, yet it was filled with steel-like strength.

The order was given.

The Soldiers, who had long since been ready, immediately sprang into action.

The first to be sent onto the Zipline were those brothers who had been severely wounded in the previous battles and were completely unable to move on their own.

They were carefully carried to the third-floor platform on stretchers by four Soldiers.

Two Soldiers were responsible for firmly securing the stretchers to the pulley system.

Two other Soldiers would act as escorts, sliding toward the opposite bank along with the stretchers.

"Click."

A crisp clicking sound of a latch echoed.

The stretcher carrying a life was hung onto the Steel cable that connected life and death.

"Go!"

With a low shout, the stretcher and the escorting Soldiers slid together into the endless darkness.

Everyone held their breath.

In the warehouse, a suffocating silence fell once again.

A minute later.

In the darkness on the opposite bank, the signal light representing "safe arrival" flashed on time.

"Good!"

Someone, suppressing their voice, shouted.

In the warehouse, the oppressive atmosphere was instantly ignited.

Morale soared.

"Quick! Next group!"

Shangguan Zhibiao urged them on in a raspy voice.

One stretcher after another was sent out smoothly.

Following closely behind were the few female students who had been helping care for the wounded in the warehouse.

Their faces still bore traces of terror, but their eyes were filled with a longing for life and gratitude for these Soldiers.

Before getting on the Zipline, they bowed deeply to the surrounding Soldiers in unison.

The Soldiers said nothing, only silently straightening their chests as they accepted this heavy mark of respect.

Then, it was the lightly wounded.

And then, the main force that still had combat capability.

The retreat proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Departure platform, sliding Zipline, receiving platform.

The three areas formed an efficient yet silent assembly line of life.

One Soldier after another disappeared into the night amidst the sound of pulleys grinding.

And one by one, with the help of their comrades on the other side, they set foot on solid ground again.

No one spoke.

No one cheered.

Only orders.

And the sound of pulleys turning.

And those burning gazes crossing in the darkness.

This was a silent relay race against the Grim Reaper.

Each leg of the race carried a vibrant life.

Each leg passed on the hope of going home.

[37th person, female student, arrived safely!]

[89th person, severely wounded, received! The Green Gang brothers are very reliable!]

[152nd person! Keep going, brothers!]

[215th person! More than half! It's more than half, brothers!]

In the Livestream room, the hearts of hundreds of millions of viewers were all clenched together.

They stopped sending meaningless Bullet comments.

Instead, they spontaneously began to count for these heroes sliding toward a new life.

Every ticking number represented the continuation of a life.

Those weren't just numbers.

They were achievements.

They were miracles.

They were the most dazzling light bursting forth from this suffering nation in its direst straits.

The entire retreat process was incredibly smooth.

The Japanese Army seemed completely unaware that a monumental retreat, worthy of the history books, was taking place right above their heads.

Their Patrol boats were still leisurely cruising on the river surface.

Their Searchlights were still aimlessly scanning the meaningless ruins.

Everything felt like a dream.

A beautiful dream so real that it felt surreal to everyone.

Time passed minute by minute.

The number of evacuees continued to increase.

Three hundred.

Three hundred and fifty.

Four hundred.

Victory seemed to be right before their eyes.

However, in Chen Xi's heart, there was always a faint, lingering sense of unease.

It was too smooth.

So smooth that even an old Soldier like him, who had struggled on the line between life and death for over a decade, felt a hint of eeriness.

His King of Soldiers intuition was frantically warning him.

He looked up at the night sky.

The moon, at some unknown point, had been obscured by a thick mass of dark clouds.

The air seemed to grow thick.

The night wind had stopped.

The whole world was terrifyingly quiet.

Just then.

The Steel cable hanging mid-air suddenly shook violently without any warning.