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墨書 Inktalez
As people gradually left, only distant silhouettes could be seen walking away. Freyr took a deep breath, feeling that he had narrowly avoided a confrontation. Just a little more, and he would have clashed with the others. However, given the sheer number of opponents, even if he managed to win by sheer luck, the reputation of the Crimson Dragon Army could still suffer.
Freyr first led a few people to the Logistics Department. In times of war, the Logistics Department was practically nonexistent, as they were new recruits tasked with transporting supplies. They soon discovered that communications were down; even the calling system and the underground network had completely failed. Huddled inside a metal communication vehicle, it felt as if this vehicle served no purpose other than to shuttle back and forth.
As all attempts to restore communication yielded no results, Freyr began to sense that something was seriously wrong. It must have been something significant that caused the entire military strength of the Crimson Dragon Army to be compromised. Just then, while Freyr and his companions were feeling increasingly frustrated, Nosty lifted her head and looked around with vacant eyes. She let out a soft hum, and among them, only Freyr caught her response. Surely, someone extraordinary would have an extraordinary role to play. Before long, traces of activity appeared.
Froth stood beside Nosty and shouted, "Who goes there? What do you want?"
A young man among them quickly intervened, "Hey, don’t shoot! It’s me! I heard you all were assigned here to help, so I brought my team over to check things out. It’s good to see you all; now we new recruits can come together and build some cohesion." The one who rushed out was a flustered young man named Duan Shuai.
Freyr turned his head and saw that Duan Shuai was followed by a group of people. Initially quiet, these individuals became visibly excited upon seeing their fellow trainees. Unable to hold back, Freyr asked, "So, what’s the situation outside? Our communication devices are completely useless; even the underground network is down. If this continues, I’m sure we’ll run out of water and power soon—it's like we're surrounded."
"The situation outside is very bad," Duan Shuai replied, his expression changing slightly. He glanced at Freyr's companions with some concern and added discreetly, "Things are worse than expected. I think authority has been transferred elsewhere; most of the legions have started going rogue. These are signs of impending collapse."
With a sigh from Duan Shuai, Freyr noticed that both his group and Duan Shuai's team wore ashen expressions. It was clear that they had lost any desire for victory. As the leader, Duan Shuai lacked any fighting spirit as well. After leading Freyr to a corner, Duan Shuai pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it up, and took a deep drag, his eyes filled with indifference and despair.
"Well," Freyr understood the look Duan Shuai had just given him. He took a cigarette for himself and accepted the lighter offered by Duan Shuai with ease before lighting up slowly. "Now that it's just us two after all those people left, what do you think about the current situation? Are we really going to give up?"
"The situation is dire for the army; what good does it do for us to pretend to be calm? Yes, I’ve thought about doing just that, but I still want to try my Ultimate," Duan Shuai replied after taking another deep breath, revealing an inner conflict.
Freyr turned to meet his gaze silently for a moment. Duan Shuai smiled faintly; it seemed he had an incredible lung capacity as he quickly finished one cigarette while still wanting another. However, Freyr snatched away the entire pack from him.
"Hey! That was my cigarette!" Duan Shuai exclaimed.
"Before this, it was like that, but you are already a dead man. What's the difference between having no ambition and being dead? Just let me keep this pack of cigarettes." Freyr said, placing the cigarette box into the inner pocket of his jacket, his gaze calm as he looked into the void.
Duan Shuai took a few puffs from the cigarette butt he had put back in his mouth, the taste quite harsh. It felt as if smoke was seeping from his nasal cavity into his lungs, and with a deep inhale, it seemed to envelop his entire skull. His nose resembled a chimney, continuously expelling smoke, creating a rather comical sight.
"Hmph, let's cooperate," Duan Shuai mumbled, his eyes vacant and unfocused.
As soon as he finished speaking, Freyr, who had been silent until then, suddenly looked at him with a strange expression, clearly surprised by his words. They had always been adversaries, locked in competition. Duan Shuai's statement was completely contrary to what one would expect from him; he seemed like the least likely person to change. Even if others changed, there would always be a group willing to follow him.
"I've thought it through. In terms of combat capability, your squad is elite. I, Duan Shuai, can easily boast about my strategic thinking. However, I have no suitable comrades around me to issue combat orders. That's when I thought of your Team." At that moment, Duan Shuai exuded an air of solitude—not something innate but rather a sentiment of a top-tier strategist lamenting his misfortune. Without suitable knights to assist him, even his statecraft would be rendered useless.
Freyr's mind echoed with Duan Shuai's earlier words.
"Cooperation is for this purpose. If there are any uneven distributions of benefits or if someone has grievances against you, they come looking for me."
Duan Shuai remained unfazed, staring straight into the distance. It was as if he were confronting someone devoid of cunning strategies; he felt he had no chance of winning because he believed Freyr's heart was fearless. Because of this fearlessness, he wouldn't care if someone plotted against him. However, once he sensed that someone was indeed scheming against him, the outcome would surely lead to his demise. He was not some foolish giant with a goatee; in comparison, he was far too clever.
"You think too much. What uneven distribution of benefits do those fools have? Cooperation?" Duan Shuai smiled without saying much more and returned to the main topic.
Before long, Freyr chuckled lightly: "What cooperation is there? We're all on the same side. As long as you don't act against your own people, I believe I won't take any action either. But if you truly plot behind my back, I will strike hard to eliminate you."
Duan Shuai felt slightly awkward but then brightened up: "So you're serious? We can cooperate. What do you think about the performance of the Crimson Dragon Army in this simulated battle?"
"Isn't it obvious? Surrounded on all sides, the Crimson Dragon Army is an elite force; too many units want to defeat us. But if each level within this unit has its own agenda and calculations, then even if you and I gather together with the entire new recruit squad, we won't be able to shake things up at all."
Duan Shuai took a deep breath after listening, and suddenly threw his head back in laughter. Being inherently wise, he was not swayed by external emotions. To him, those who could not control their feelings were fools. Yet, he had made a mistake that he could not allow himself to commit, and the amusement in his eyes intensified.
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