97: Chapter 97 The Mark of a Hero

"Great Wall" Project, Supreme Command Center.

There were no windows here.

Only a massive curved screen covering an entire wall.

On the screen, a series of news flashes that had shaken the entire Blue Star over the past month were playing in a silent, calm manner.

"The White Eagle Nation announced an emergency addition of one trillion in defense budget to the 'Quantum Ghost' project to counter the technological surprise attack from the East."

"The Supreme Commander of the Bear Nation delivered a televised speech, claiming they had long since achieved breakthroughs in related fields and displayed a highly blurred video of the so-called 'Siberian Military Exercise'."

"The EU Parliament erupted in a heated argument, ultimately passing the unprecedented 'Joint Technology Development Act' by a narrow margin."

...

One news flash after another scrolled silently.

Chen Xi stood before the screen, watching quietly.

He wore a well-fitting black training uniform, his figure tall and straight, yet he seemed like a deep ancient well, without a single ripple.

Old Long stood by his side, also silent.

A long time passed.

Only then did he slowly speak, his voice carrying a hint of irrepressible pride.

"Kid, do you see it?"

"This is what you traded your life for over there."

"Not only did you save four hundred brothers."

"You also secured a strategic buffer period of at least ten years for us."

"Now, the whole world thinks we possess 'God Technology' capable of subverting the form of war. No one dares to bare their teeth at us easily anymore."

"From this perspective, your achievements are no less than those founding fathers who grew mushroom clouds for us in the Gobi Desert back then."

This was the highest praise.

From an old general who had dedicated his entire life to this country.

Chen Xi did not speak.

He just slowly raised his hand and gently touched his chest.

Through a thin layer of fabric, he could feel the cold, hard outline of that copper button.

"Are you still wondering whether changing their history was right or wrong?"

Old Long saw through his thoughts.

Chen Xi was silent for a moment and finally nodded.

"I don't know."

His voice was somewhat raspy.

"I'm just a... passerby."

"What right do I have to decide their fate?"

Old Long turned around, his sharp eyes staring fixedly at Chen Xi.

"Then let me ask you, if you were a soldier on the battlefield and saw your compatriots, your comrades, about to be slaughtered by the enemy, would you save them?"

Chen Xi replied without hesitation: "I would."

"Why?"

"Because that is my responsibility."

"Exactly."

Old Long's tone became decisive.

"Your responsibility is to protect. No matter which land, no matter which time and space."

"You don't need to carry the heavy burden of 'changing history'."

"You only need to remember that you are a soldier."

"A soldier of the Dragon Nation."

"Your sacred duty is to protect those compatriots of ours who need your protection, within the scope of your ability."

"Leave the rest to history."

"Leave it to the people."

Every word of Old Long's was like a heavy hammer striking Chen Xi's heart.

It dispersed the last bit of bewildered mist in his heart.

Chen Xi slowly took out that blood-colored button from his chest, which had been warmed by his body temperature.

He placed it in his palm.

"Chief."

He used the title he was most accustomed to when he was in Dragon Fang.

"Before, I didn't understand."

"I thought this was a game, a mission."

"If I lost, I could start over."

"If I died, I could be resurrected."

He paused, his voice trembling slightly.

"Until Little Chen..."

He didn't go on.

But Old Long understood.

He looked at Chen Xi, then at that small button that carried endless weight; his eyes turned slightly red.

"This button is heavier than my life."

Chen Xi's voice returned to calmness.

A calmness that was cold to the extreme.

"It tells me that everything there is real."

"Those people aren't NPCs."

"They laugh, they cry, they bleed, and they die."

"They would share half a piece of flatbread with a complete stranger."

"They would go to their deaths with a smile for a future they would never see."

Chen Xi looked up at Old Long, his eyes filled with unprecedented determination.

"So, Chief."

"Before, I fought for the country."

"Now, I want to fight for them."

Old Long looked at him.

Looking at this man before him, his once most prized soldier, who seemed to have aged decades in just one month.

He knew that he no longer needed any verbal mobilization or preaching.

That baptism of blood and fire, that hero's blood-colored button, had already branded an indelible mark deep within his soul.

He stepped forward and heavily patted Chen Xi's shoulder.

The force was so great that Chen Xi's body swayed slightly.

"Go."

Old Long's voice was raspy but full of power.

"Do what you want to do."

"Go and seek justice for them, and for us."

"Remember."

"You are not fighting alone."

"The entire country is your solid backing."

Chen Xi didn't speak again.

He just nodded heavily.

Then, he put the button back into the pocket closest to his heart.

He turned and walked toward that door leading to hell.