Chapter 3

Twilight

The setting sun's afterglow dyed the clouds on the horizon a fiery red.

A large flock of copper-beaked crows flew over the camp from the distant sky, heading for the dense forest at the foot of the mountain, where a vast area of bird nests was built.

The warriors registered their fallen comrades one by one, leaving only their nameplates and valuable personal items. The bodies were wrapped in linen, doused with oil, and stacked high, surrounded by red pine branches. A priest in a long robe, holding a slightly worn prayer book, stood in front of the pile and softly recited the hymn of the soul.

The commander of the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment, Monty Goss, personally lit the pine branches. Thick smoke billowed, and the linen soaked in oil quickly caught fire, spreading rapidly to the entire pile.

The wood crackled, and sharp 'squeaking' sounds came from the pile, the sound of the fat on the bodies being rapidly rendered by the high heat.

Ten night guards would stay here until dawn to prevent the fire from spreading.

The four battalion commanders of the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment stood behind Commander Monty Goss, expressionless, waiting for the ceremony to end before leading their respective units back to the camp.

...

After each battlefield cleanup, Baron Sidney, the commander of the 4th Battalion, had a hint of satisfaction on his face.

Even in the camp, he paid great attention to his appearance, always keeping his uniform neatly pressed and clean. He wore a pair of highly polished long boots, and his sword scabbard was inlaid with three fingernail-sized sapphires. Two copper noble medals near his chest were also highly polished.

Before returning to his tent, he would, as usual, patrol the 4th Battalion's camp, starting with the animal pens, where twelve thunder rhinos were kept. These thunder rhinos were not his personal property but belonged to his brother-in-law, Commander Monty Goss of the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment. These large land beasts were mainly responsible for transporting valuable supplies in the camp.

The thunder rhinos' favorite food was starch-filled sweet potato cakes. By mashing the sweet potatoes and steaming them in a steamer, large, wheel-sized sweet potato cakes were made. A thunder rhino could eat at least fifty of these wheel-sized cakes in one meal. Fortunately, they didn't eat all the time, only needing to be fed twice a day, in the morning and evening.

After that, Baron Sidney would also visit the five squad camps, checking the night watch posts. He wouldn't return to his tent until it was completely dark.

However, tonight he wanted to return to his tent early. An hour ago, his adjutant had secretly reported that the representatives of the merchant caravans following the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment were waiting outside his tent. Although the battlefield cleanup this time didn't bring much profit, the harvest was still quite good. They could always get some black-patterned demon skin from these demons, which was highly sought after by magic merchants.

Baron Sidney was very clear about what he could take (like small pieces of black-patterned demon skin) and what he absolutely couldn't take (like valuable items and standard-issue weapons and equipment from the fallen soldiers).

However, Baron Sidney was somewhat dissatisfied. Just as he finished patrolling the watch posts, he was stopped by a few soldiers. He recognized the veteran Sam, the squad leader of the 5th Squad, who was standing at the front.

Baron Sidney's most profound impression of veteran Sam was that this old Sam had been a seasoned veteran since his father led this battalion. This guy was like a slippery old eel, always managing to survive no matter how dangerous the situation. However, it was impossible for such a veteran to achieve any significant accomplishments or promotions.

At this moment, veteran Sam and Suldak, along with the other ten soldiers of the 2nd Squad, stood in front of Baron Sidney.

"What do you want?" Baron Sidney asked with a frown, his dissatisfaction evident on his face.

Veteran Sam hesitated, but at this moment, Suldak stepped forward and reported to Commander Sidney, "Sir, the situation is like this..."

Sam had no choice but to stand beside Suldak, waiting for him to explain everything.

Baron Sidney had 300 warriors under his command. Although he might not know all their names, he had a certain impression of each one. His most profound impression of Suldak was that this young man had excellent skinning skills and was considered a technical talent in the battalion.

Because of this, Baron Sidney patiently let Suldak finish his story.

After listening to Suldak's account, Baron Sidney frowned and said unhappily, "Why are you coming to me with this?"

Veteran Sam glanced at Suldak, his eyes saying, "See, I told you so. If the Baron gets angry, what will you do?"

Suldak looked at Baron Sidney nervously.

Perhaps moved by Suldak's sincere gaze, or perhaps eager to get rid of the matter, Baron Sidney instructed Suldak, "Hand him over to the logistics department. We're not a field hospital."

Suldak replied honestly, "We went to the regiment's logistics department, but the man has no identity plate, so they refused to accept him."

Baron Sidney, of course, knew that the departments in the infantry regiment would shirk responsibility when there was no benefit.

He thought for a moment, and his adjutant whispered a few words in his ear.

Baron Sidney's eyes lit up, and he immediately said to Suldak, "Is that so! Then ask him where he's from and hand him over to the merchants outside the camp. I'm sure the merchants won't mind taking a wounded soldier back to Green when they transport supplies, but his family will have to pay a fee."

Thinking about how the man, though not a fool, hadn't said a word since he woke up, Suldak explained again, "Sir..."

These words seemed to exhaust Baron Sidney's last bit of patience. His expression became indifferent, and he said casually, "Is that so! Normally, the camp can't accommodate someone without an identity, but I can pretend I don't know. If he doesn't survive the next few days... just bury him somewhere in the forest outside the camp. If he survives and can walk, let him leave as soon as possible. Remember, don't cause me any trouble!"

With that, he walked past Suldak and Sam with his adjutant...

"Yes, Sir." Suldak shuddered and hurriedly saluted.

...

He Boqiang lay in a tent filled with the stench of sweat and feet, feeling for the first time that he was just an extra.

After Suldak rescued him from the battlefield, he racked his brain to find a place that could take care of him, such as the logistics department of the infantry regiment or the merchant caravans following the regiment, but none of them were willing to take in a severely injured, immobile He Boqiang.

In the end, Suldak didn't leave He Boqiang in the forest outside the camp to fend for himself.

He convinced veteran Sam and the entire 2nd Squad, and with their agreement, they carried He Boqiang into the camp and placed him in a quiet corner of a tent. Without a medic or any treatment, they could only bring him some porridge from the mess hall and force-feed it to him.

Despite the harsh conditions, He Boqiang found that his body was as resilient as a weed.

In such adversity, his injuries gradually improved.

Every day, he closed his eyes to accept the fragments of memories floating in the void, and opened his eyes to see a world full of wonders, where a group of low-ranking soldiers struggled to survive. He finally realized that this was not a dream; he had indeed crossed over.