Death. Ten thousand, twenty thousand, thirty thousand... Humans falling without end, blood washing across the planetary crust, airships shattering midair, fragments stamped with serial numbers flying through flashes of light and shadow...
The ragged, violent breathing of tens of thousands beneath their respirators rose like a tidal wave, filling everyone's ears.
Ian lay prone in a shallow dirt pit he had dug at the edge of the battlefield. It was slightly elevated ground, so even lying in the trench, raising his head gave him an unobstructed field of view.
His battleblade lay beside him. After shooting an upward clip of the aerial battle, he swiftly lowered the video camera, picked up his still camera, aimed the lens at the battlefield, and pressed the shutter repeatedly.
At this stage of the battle, Ian had no idea how many photos and video clips he had taken. He only knew that everything happening on Mars at this very moment had to be recorded, relayed back to Blue Star, and preserved for the future.
Regardless of whether humanity won or lost in that future, all of this had to be seen and remembered.
And as a war correspondent, Ian's duty was to ensure they were seen more clearly, and remembered more vividly.
"Ashilia?!" As he rewound another roll of film and placed it into a dead iron storage box, Ian glanced aside and caught sight of Ashilia sprinting along the edge of the battlefield, clutching her camera.
*Damn it, wasn't she supposed to have boarded the ship already? I told her she could film from another perspective aboard the airship...*
Fortunately, her current position was not too far from the Doomsday Great Wall mothership and its still-open hatch. Without a moment's hesitation, Ian snatched up his dead iron battleblade, leaped up, and charged in her direction.
He quickly caught up with his female partner. Giving her no chance to protest, he grabbed hold of her and dragged her toward the hatch of the Doomsday Great Wall.
"Hey, what are you doing, Ian?! What right do you have to push me around? By military rank, you're my subordinate!"
Ian displayed his formidable strength. Ashilia struggled frantically but could not break free, shouting in annoyance.
"Shut up!" Ian barked without looking back. This was probably the first time in all these years he had dared speak to Ashilia in such a tone. Catching himself, he immediately felt a pang of guilt. Without slowing his pace, he softened his tone and pleaded earnestly, "You have to leave, Ashilia."
"Why? Just like you, I'm a war correspondent—the best there is, Ian! We said before we came that we were willing to accept not going back! We both said it!" Ashilia kept turning her head toward the battlefield, crying out.
"Yes, but I'm here! I won't leave—I'll record everything. And you... trust me, Major Qing will make it out. When he does, there will be so many stories about them, about this fleet, this ship, the moon, and the remnant bone that will need you to record them." Ian finally found a plausible reason and said, "So go. As my partner, trust me. Leave this place to me, and you go do that other half of our job."
As they spoke, the two had already reached the underside of the Doomsday Great Wall. The airship hovered close to the ground, but its hatch was still elevated some distance up.
Ian did not slow down at all. Mid-sprint, he swung his arm and hurled Ashilia straight toward the mothership's hatch.
Ashilia flew inside, but reappeared at the hatchway almost immediately.
"Catch it!" Standing below, Ian swung his arm and tossed the dead iron box packed with film and videotapes up to her. Once she caught it, he said, "Take them back for me."
"Everything I shoot from here on, I'll store in this red box." Ian began backing away, holding up a dead iron box painted bright red. "When the final moment comes, I'll bury it right under the dirt here. When you guys come back, remember to dig it up."
Standing at the hatchway, Ashilia's eyes turned red. She said nothing; aside from accepting it, she had no idea what she could possibly say.
"All right, goodbye. Goodbye, my... Ashilia."
Ian looked up, waved farewell, then pivoted and sprinted swiftly back toward the battlefield.
Ashilia watched him, watched him go.
"Listen to me, Ashilia. You're never going to marry Major Qing. No matter how much time passes, no matter how much you admire and adore him, it's never going to happen." This time, Ian's voice unexpectedly crackled over Ashilia's communicator. Running toward the battlefield, he suddenly said this.
Ashilia: "..."
"I promise you, it's not going to happen. Not a chance of an accident or a miracle. Absolutely not," Ian added, a hint of laughter and smugness in his voice.
"Bullshit!" Ashilia watched his retreating figure rushing into the battle. She knew she should not react like this right now, but she finally could not hold it back.
"But I love you."
In a tone of dead seriousness Ashilia had never heard from him before, Ian said softly, "I have always loved you, and I will always love you."
With that, he cut the direct communication link. Sprinting at full tilt, his figure soon vanished beyond the fringes of that purgatorial battlefield.
. . . . . .
"Report! Ship B243 reports a City of Sin super combat power has made contact and is approaching, ready to board at any moment."
"Report! Ship A92 reports an Azure super combat power has made contact and is approaching, ready to board at any moment."
Reports regarding the evacuation of top-tier combatants began pouring in one after another. Wen Jifei listened. By now, reports on most of the super combat powers had been compiled, but there was still no word of Qingzi and the others.
"Report! Contact with Lieutenant General Pultzer was abruptly lost..."
"Reason?" Wen Jifei countered.
"His communicator is suspected to have been destroyed. Whether the lieutenant general is safe cannot be verified at this time."
"Understood. Step up aerial reconnaissance and try to locate him." Wen Jifei gave brief instructions without making further demands. In truth, this report alone signified that Lieutenant General Pultzer was very likely killed in action; all they could pray for was a miracle.
"Report! Colonel Negro has fallen."
"Report! Major General Ingulat is heavily wounded and unable to break through. He has requested to remain behind and fight to the very end, and has already bid us farewell."
"Report! Lieutenant General Christine's situation currently..."
"This is Christine." Before the report could finish, one of Azure's renowned generals from the era of the Secret War—Pegmont's "old auntie," Lieutenant General Christine—cut into the command channel herself. She said calmly, "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can leave."
"..."
For a long moment, absolute silence gripped the entire frequency.
Because her name was Christine. In the Western world of Azure during Chen Buer's peak era, she and General Bochen, along with a mere handful of others, were the most shining names in everyone's hearts. Although Christine was no longer among the strongest ranks today, it was precisely people like them who had shouldered that fragile, unimaginably arduous era for humanity.
"Please tell Pegmont for me that his old auntie has always been proud of him, and has always firmly believed that he will become humanity's greatest warrior, leading us to ultimate victory."
"Goodbye, everyone. Please don't be too sad."
"As it happens, I'm an old soldier myself now. Let me fight to the very end alongside all the warriors from my era here. Have a safe journey home. Humanity will prevail."
Christine said this, and upon finishing, cut the transmission on her own initiative.
Soon, through the observation lenses of the Mechanical Cradle airship, people saw her figure vault into the air with her blade spinning, hurtling like a meteor straight into the swarm of enemies.
The command channel fell into silence—a lingering, heavy silence.
"Report! Major Qing has emerged."
"Report! Major Qing has emerged! His current position is nearing the Doomsday Great Wall!"
"Permission requested: should we call CA117 immediately? Do we call CA117?!"
Chapter 948