Chapter 70

"Which team is this now?" Kan Tu asked, his face weary, as he watched an armed helicopter fly overhead toward a location one kilometer away, the coordinates reported by the system just ten minutes ago. The sky was beginning to lighten, signaling the arrival of another morning.

"The nineteenth or twentieth team, I can't remember. I just know that the enemies following us have already exceeded 200. This damned instance is so difficult, how can we possibly get through it?" Tao Hua Yan, equally exhausted, said angrily.

Two days and one night had already passed in the game, and most of the second night had gone by, with a new morning approaching. The three cleaners had been in the game for nearly 24 hours. For a hardcore gamer, playing for 24 hours straight was nothing.

But "Fate" was different. "Fate" wasn't a game where you just clicked a mouse or pressed a few keys. This was a 100% virtual game, and nearly 24 hours of intense combat had left Tao Hua Yan and Kan Tu struggling to keep up.

The enemies' AI wasn't low, and although the encirclement was constantly being torn apart by the cleaners, the sheer number of enemies and the system's periodic reporting of coordinates made it difficult to maintain any advantage. Often, just when a gap appeared in the encirclement, it was quickly sealed, forcing the cleaners to keep moving.

"We're about an hour from the border. This is our only chance. If we push through, we'll win," Tao Hua Yan said, having intercepted enemy command information. Despite the increasing number of enemies, which had cost the cleaners several opportunities, this time they finally broke through the encirclement, and victory was within sight.

"Let's push through and fight the boss outside. This instance is a nightmare; I'd rather die than do it again." Kan Tu, dragging his tired legs, stood up. He had always heard that clearing a new area in a game was exhausting, but now he truly understood just how exhausting it could be. His initial excitement had been completely drained by the fatigue.

Rat-tat-tat, rat-tat-tat... The sound of submachine guns came from behind them again as the system reported the cleaners' exact coordinates.

"Is this ever going to end? I curse the designer of this instance to never get it up again," Tao Hua Yan said angrily, but he had no choice but to lift his heavy legs and run forward.

"Hurry, while it's still not fully light. Let's get across the border quickly. You don't want to be chased by armed helicopters again. I'll lead the way, and you two follow closely." The cleaner jumped into the already battered werewolf mech and called out to the others, heading forward.

Thinking of the helicopter's gunfire and bombs from the previous day, Kan Tu and Tao Hua Yan's faces changed. They had been chased like rabbits for almost 24 hours in real time, and 48 hours in the game, leaving them both pale and exhausted.

When the two saw the werewolf mech, which was barely holding together and seemed on the verge of falling apart, they couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. The mech was in such a state because it had been protecting them. If not for the mech, they would have been eliminated long ago, with enemies chasing from behind, blocking from the front, and helicopters bombing from above.

Kan Tu and Tao Hua Yan had more than once wanted to give up and log out to get some sleep, letting the cleaner complete the mission and return to the border on his own. Perhaps the mission would have been easier without them. Or, if not for their burden, the cleaner might have already caught up with the rescue helicopter, and the mission would have been over.

So, throughout the journey, Kan Tu and Tao Hua Yan felt they were a burden to the cleaner. But every time they wanted to quit, the cleaner's encouraging words and the genuine look in his eyes, which never showed frustration but treated them as true comrades, made them swallow their words and push through, no matter how tired they were.

"Hurry, run over." The damaged werewolf mech tore through the enemy's line, and the cleaner, with the mech almost falling apart, took up the rear with a submachine gun. He had been both the vanguard and the rearguard, and he had never thought of abandoning his teammates.

Rat-tat-tat, rat-tat-tat... The bullets from the pursuing enemies became more intense, and the gap in the encirclement began to close. Kan Tu suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Run!" Tao Hua Yan, still running, tried to pull Kan Tu, but Kan Tu dodged.

"Did... did you step on a mine again?" Tao Hua Yan knew Kan Tu had hit the jackpot again. This was the umpteenth time Kan Tu had stepped on a mine.

The cleaner, who was covering the rear, glanced back and understood what had happened. He shot the leading mutant and released the werewolf mech, which seemed on the verge of falling apart, to jump back in.

"Fatso, keep running. I'll handle it."

"No... this time it's a tank mine. You can't avoid it. The werewolf mech is already at its maximum wear. This time it will definitely be destroyed, and you will die. Don't come over. If you do, I'll detonate the mine now. There's still a long way to go. Take Fatso and run."

Kan Tu, with tears in his eyes, refused the cleaner's order for the first time. Since he had decided to learn from the cleaner, he had always followed his orders without question, but this time he disobeyed.

"Take Fatso and run, please. The werewolf mech can't withstand another explosion. The enemies are close. If you get hurt again, you'll be eliminated, and we'll both die. It's better for one to die than for all three. Take Fatso and run, or I'll detonate the mine now."

Seeing the cleaner's hand still reaching towards his foot, Kan Tu's tears finally fell, and he shouted at the cleaner. He even moved his foot, causing the cleaner to pause.

The cleaner looked up and met Kan Tu's eyes. After three seconds, he retracted the damaged werewolf mech, pushed the stunned Tao Hua Yan, and left without looking back. A mutant was already within 20 meters.

"This is just a game; you can respawn. This is just a game; you can respawn..." Tao Hua Yan, being dragged by the cleaner, kept muttering. The cleaner remained silent, his face calm, and he didn't look back.

Boom! After running a dozen meters, a massive explosion sounded behind them. Tao Hua Yan, who had been muttering, trembled, and the cleaner's grip on his shoulder tightened. Kan Tu, who had stepped on the mine, was instantly engulfed by the explosion, along with a mutant.

The gunfire continued, and the sound of the helicopter's rotors grew louder as the night faded. Tao Hua Yan's world was filled with his own muttering, while the cleaner's mind replayed the explosion and Kan Tu's tearful, determined eyes.

"Run, don't look back." The cleaner pushed Tao Hua Yan and took up the rear again. Tao Hua Yan didn't look back, or perhaps he didn't dare to see the deep crater left by the mine. He focused all his strength on his legs, running as if he had the strength of two people.

Ding! Congratulations, you have entered the border. You can use a return scroll to go back to the safe base.

Tao Hua Yan, who had been muttering and running blindly, was snapped out of his daze by the system's notification. He turned to look at the cleaner, who was only five meters from the border but had no intention of crossing.

"I'll go back for Kan Tu's body. Dying in a foreign land is no good. Without even his ashes, he'll miss home." Sensing Tao Hua Yan's gaze, the cleaner looked at him and made a gesture.

He placed his index and middle fingers together, kissed them, and then placed them next to his right eye, making a salute that wasn't quite a military salute. He then moved his hand forward and away.

After making the gesture, the cleaner ran along the border and disappeared into the forest. Tao Hua Yan clenched his fists and, with bloodshot eyes, turned and left. He knew that following the cleaner now would only be a burden, and the best thing he could do was wait quietly for the cleaner to return.

Do bodies exist in the game after death? Of course, but they disappear when the player chooses to respawn, leaving only the items they dropped. The cleaner, returning to the forest, smiled. It was a smile like that of a tiger escaping its cage.

He quickly reached the place where Kan Tu had died. However, Kan Tu's body was gone, leaving only a deep crater from the mine explosion, the remains of a mutant, and a sniper rifle and some bullets. The sniper rifle belonged to the cleaner, who had given it to Kan Tu to store in his weapon space after getting an enemy's submachine gun.

"I will make them pay for your death." Picking up the sniper rifle and the items Kan Tu had dropped, the cleaner looked toward the distant forest. That was the third signal point. But since they had killed the target at the second signal point, they hadn't gone there.

The undestroyed signal point had become the command center for the encirclement after the cleaner and his team killed the target. Now, that point would be the cleaner's target.

Another week has passed. I hope for your support with votes and recommendations next week. This is my greatest wish. And next week, the book will be featured on the Three Rivers recommendation. I hope all my readers will recommend and collect the book.

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