91: Chapter 91 Parting Ways

The tide of rapturous joy would eventually recede.

By the time the first indigo glimmer of pre-dawn light fell through the wooden window of the secret warehouse's attic, the clamor and celebration had long since settled.

The air held only the exhaustion of survival, mingled with the scents of medicinal ointment, sweat, and a faint, elusive trace of blood.

Most of the Soldiers, curled up against walls or sacks of grain, had sunk into deep sleep.

Their faces still bore faint smiles, as if in their dreams, they had returned to the hometown they could never go back to.

Chen Xi was not asleep.

He leaned in a corner, the wound on his back throbbing dully.

This tangible pain acted like a coordinate, firmly anchoring him to this era.

Xie Jinyuan was not asleep either.

He stood by the window, watching the distant horizon gradually pale, unmoving through the night like a silent statue.

He knew they could not hide here forever.

The Concession was not a paradise, merely a larger, more complex cage.

They were Soldiers.

Their battlefield was not here.

"Fall in."

Xie Jinyuan's voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of every Soldier feigning sleep or lightly dozing.

Without the slightest delay.

The Soldiers immediately rose, straightening their tattered uniforms, the weariness in their eyes replaced by a tempered resolve.

Within minutes, a complete, solemn formation stood neatly assembled in the center of the warehouse.

Xie Jinyuan stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over each young yet weathered face.

"Brothers."

His voice was steady and firm.

"We have completed our mission of holding the line."

"Now, the orders from High Command are: return to our unit."

Return to our unit.

Those two words stirred a barely perceptible ripple through the ranks.

They were to leave this place, return to where they belonged, and continue the fight.

"Brothers from the Green Gang will cover our withdrawal from Shanghai in batches, detouring to the rear to rejoin the main forces."

Xie Jinyuan continued.

"From now on, we will disperse, melting into the sea of humanity."

"Remember your mission."

"Remember what we are fighting for."

"And remember..."

He paused, his gaze shifting to the corner where Chen Xi struggled to stand.

"...remember everything Mr. Chen has done for us."

All eyes followed Xie Jinyuan's, focusing on Chen Xi.

Those gazes held gratitude, admiration, awe, and reluctance.

Parting was inevitable.

A veteran with a stubbled face was the first to step out of the ranks.

He walked up to Chen Xi, said nothing, and simply pulled from his chest a crude, meticulously polished lighter made from a bullet casing.

He pressed the lighter into Chen Xi's hand.

"Sir, this thing's been with me for years. I'm giving it to you. A keepsake."

The veteran's voice was rough and hoarse.

"I'm not good with words. Can't say anything fancy. I just wish you a long life."

Finished, he took a step back, stood at attention, and saluted with impeccable form.

Chen Xi clutched the bullet casing, still warm from body heat, his fingertips trembling slightly.

He wanted to say something, but his throat felt blocked.

(Buddy, it's not that serious, really, it's not...)

This flippant thought swirling in his mind was impossible to voice now.

One by one.

The Soldiers silently queued, walking up to Chen Xi.

Some among them, like the veteran, would leave behind a small object they treasured most.

A button polished to a shine.

A family portrait, kept close to the heart, its image long faded.

Even a piece of shrapnel extracted from their own body during the fighting days before.

Most left nothing.

They simply walked up to Chen Xi, stood at attention, saluted.

Then, with red-rimmed eyes and without a word, returned to the ranks.

The Soldier Chen Xi had once saved with [Mosquito Repellent Spray] walked up, his legs suddenly giving way as if he intended to kneel right there.

"Sir, you gave me back my life..."

"Don't!"

Chen Xi reacted swiftly, grabbing his arm to stop him.

Looking at that flushed, deeply grateful face, he felt a heavy weight in his heart.

Finally, it was Shangguan Zhibiao.

This iron-willed, bristly hard man now also had red-rimmed eyes.

He walked up to Chen Xi, his lips moving as if to speak, yet unsure where to begin.

In the end, he simply extended his arms and gave Chen Xi a fierce, almost suffocating hug.

"Mr. Chen!"

He thumped Chen Xi's chest forcefully, his voice raspy.

"I, Shangguan Zhibiao, have never bowed to anyone in my life!"

"You are the first!"

He released Chen Xi, stepped back, his eyes holding an unprecedented seriousness.

"If we both live to see the day of victory in the War of Resistance, I, Shangguan Zhibiao, would still serve under your command, holding your whip and stirrup!"

With that, he lingered no longer, turned sharply, and returned to his position.

Only his slightly trembling shoulders betrayed his inner turmoil.

Before the formation, only Xie Jinyuan and Chen Xi remained.

Someone from the Green Gang produced two coarse porcelain bowls filled with murky, potent liquor.

Xie Jinyuan picked up one bowl and handed it to Chen Xi.

"Sir."

Chen Xi took the bowl; it was cold to the touch.

Xie Jinyuan lifted his own bowl, gazing at Chen Xi with utmost solemnity.

"Parting today, we know not when we shall meet again."

"The battlefield is perilous. Neither of us may live to see the day of victory."

"Jinyuan here proposes only one pact with you, sir."

His voice echoed in the silent warehouse, possessing a metallic, resonant quality.

"If China endures, if our mountains and rivers are restored, let us meet again on the battlefield and share this cup!"

Chen Xi looked at him.

Looked into the eyes of this scholarly general, burning with a flame-like, profound love for this nation.

He nodded.

"Agreed."

The two men raised their bowls and clinked them together.

A clear *clink* rang out.

Then, they drained them in one go.

The liquor burned like fire, scalding a path from throat to stomach.

"Move out!"

Xie Jinyuan set down the bowl and issued the final order.

The first group of Soldiers, led by Green Gang members, swiftly and silently filed out through the warehouse's hidden door.

Their figures soon vanished into the maze-like alleyways of Shanghai before dawn.

Group after group.

Until finally, Xie Jinyuan too walked to the entrance.

He turned back, saluted Chen Xi once more.

Then, turned and left.

He did not look back again.

In a blink, the vast warehouse stood empty.

Only Chen Xi and the Green Gang contact responsible for receiving him remained.

Chen Xi paid him no heed.

Dragging his weary body, he climbed step by step up to the attic.

He stood at that window, watching the backs of the last squad of Soldiers disappear around a corner in the alleyways.

The entire city still slept.

In the distant streets, the occasional honk of a car horn sounded.

But he knew those brothers who had fought alongside him for days and nights were gone.

Gone to their own, unknown, perilous battlefields.

An unprecedented sense of loneliness washed over him like a tide.

He was like a game player.

Having cleared a dungeon, bid farewell to all his NPC teammates.

Left alone in this vast, silent map.

He looked down at this unfamiliar city belonging to the year 1937.

His eyes held only bewilderment.