Chapter 987 The End of the World

In the evening, the sun was setting, and the temporary checkpoint west of Lanzhou was bathed in blood...

The shadow of the barbed wire stretched out like a rusty scar nailed to the ground. The hanging cloth strips rustled in the wind, and the shredded fabric was stained with dark red stains, it was hard to tell whether it was blood or rust...

A muffled explosion echoed in the distance, and the blast of air stirred up the smoke, which swirled in the air and slowly dissipated into a withered flower...

The iron fence, broken into three pieces, was inserted obliquely into the crater. The top piece was still wrapped with half a circle of barbed wire. The rust appeared purple-black in the afterglow, like a piece of shrapnel rotten in the flesh.

...

"Commander, this is the meeting place agreed upon with Commander Gao!"

Under the introduction of the accompanying staff, when Lieutenant General Zou Yuan, deputy commander of the Western Theater Command and commander of the Lanshi Corps, got out of the car, the creaking sound of his military boots rolling over the debris on the scorched earth sounded particularly crisp at the empty intersection.

Although Zou Yuan is now over 40 years old, he has maintained himself very well and looks very young, giving the impression that he is in his early s at most.

At this moment, he stood solemnly in the shadow of the mine-proof vehicle, wearing a neatly-dressed military uniform, his hair combed meticulously, and a pair of silver-rimmed glasses. His whole body exuded the calm temperament unique to a government compound.

Elegant and refined..

...

The platoon leader of the 76th Regiment of the 4th Mechanized Infantry Division, who had been waiting for a long time, was startled when he saw a lieutenant general getting off the car. He hurriedly tugged at the hem of his dusty and wrinkled uniform and trotted forward to meet him.

'Snap!' With a crisp, steadying movement, they stood at attention, raised their hands in salute, and uttered a barely perceptible nervousness, "Hello, Commander!"

"Thanks for your hard work!"

Facing this lieutenant platoon leader whose face was as dirty as a tabby cat, Zou Yuan was no longer as casual as he usually was in the office. His expression became serious, and he stood in the same solemn posture, raised his hand solemnly, and returned a very standard military salute.

The platoon lieutenant's heart instantly burned! This was a lieutenant general! A commander higher in rank than his own regiment commander! And he actually returned the greeting so solemnly!

'If I could make it back alive, I'd be able to brag about it for the rest of my life! Lieutenant General, stand at attention and salute!' This thought flashed through his mind, then was immediately drowned out by a deeper sorrow—assuming he could make it back alive.

"Come on, take me to your checkpoint!" Zou Yuan's voice was steady and powerful.

"Yes!" The platoon leader, the lieutenant, immediately stepped aside to lead the way.

The checkpoint was a makeshift structure made of discarded containers and sandbags, narrow and crude. As Zou Yuan's tall figure entered, the soldiers, who had been sitting or leaning against each other, taking a moment to rest in the dim light, suddenly sprang to attention as if springs had been pressed.

"Hello, Chief!"

"Hello, Chief!"

...

The greetings came one after another with tension and awe.

The young private standing at the edge was as panicked as a cat whose tail was stepped on. His mouth was stuffed with compressed biscuits that he had not yet swallowed. The white residue was stuck at the corners of his mouth. He was frantically trying to stuff the remaining half into the tight pocket of his training uniform.

Perhaps he was too nervous and his hands were shaking violently; perhaps the belt was too tight, and he couldn't fit the half piece of dry rations into his trembling hands. He was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead and his young face turned red.

At this moment, a steady and powerful hand pressed down his trembling wrist.

Zou Yuan had walked up to him without him knowing when.

"Is this what you usually eat?" Zou Yuan lowered his voice, as if afraid of disturbing something.

His sharp gaze was fixed on the face - the blood and smoke almost covered the facial features, and only a pair of eyes, clearly black and white, filled with panic could be seen.

This kid...is too young!

At most, he's fifteen or sixteen, almost the same age as his only son, who was born in his old age. I don't know how he's doing in the southern war zone now... or whether he's still alive...

"Yes... yes, Chief..." The private's mind went blank and he could only respond instinctively.

"How old are you?" Zou Yuan asked, his voice still very soft.

"Ten..." The private instinctively wanted to say eighteen, but facing the lieutenant general's uniform and the pair of eyes that seemed to see through everything, the courage to lie instantly collapsed, leaving only the honesty brought by fear:

"Ten...fifteen..." After saying that, the private lowered his head like a child who had done something wrong.

fifteen?

Hearing this, perhaps thinking of his own son, Zou Yuan couldn't help but shrink inwardly.

Fifteen years old! Even in the end times when order collapsed, this age was far below the conscription line stipulated by the Western Theater Command!

The war zone follows the iron rule of "preferring the old to the young" - this is not only out of the last bit of protection for young lives, but also a cruel human resources rule:

Minors are like unripe fruits on a tree, which can be "stored" and wait for maturity; while older ones are like fruits that are about to rot and need to be consumed first.

Children are the resource with the longest shelf life in theory. Never touch them unless absolutely necessary!

"Is the manpower supply of your legion so tight?" Zou Yuan couldn't help but frown and looked at the lieutenant platoon leader who was following him.

this....

The platoon leader's face instantly turned purple, and he mumbled, "Report to the commander! No...no!"

"No?" Zou Yuan's eyes suddenly became sharp behind his glasses. The light from the battle outside the tent reflected on them, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes: "Then was this uniform of his stolen?!"

"Because... because..." The platoon leader was speechless, cold sweat dripping down his face.

"Commander! It was my own request!" The private, who had been keeping his head down, suddenly raised it. Tears mixed with the black ash on his face, leaving two clear grooves. His voice was tearful but remarkably firm:

"In the end of the world... My parents are gone! It's just me and my 8-year-old sister! Only by joining the army can I get rations to support her! Only then... Only then will no one dare to bully us!"

In those red eyes, still filled with tears, there was now burning a perseverance and responsibility that transcended age and was tempered by survival.

The moment they locked eyes, Zou Yuan's heart felt like it had been scorched by a scorching iron! A surge of grief washed over him, nearly rendering him speechless.

A child from a military-controlled area had actually been reduced to having to carry a gun on his tender shoulders in exchange for the right to survive for himself and his younger sister?!

Outside the war zone, what kind of hell on earth is happening in the vast wasteland that has lost the protection of the army?

He didn't dare to think too deeply about it, as the imagination was enough to suffocate even the strongest mind.

After a few seconds of silence, as if he had exhausted all his strength, Zou Yuan patted the young private's thin shoulder heavily:

"Well done!" His voice was low and hoarse, with a heavy sense of affirmation: "This is what a real man should be like!"

He turned his head, his eyes fixed on the platoon leader's face, every word weighing heavily on his lips: "He's young. As the platoon leader, you must take good care of him! Do you understand?!"

"Yes! Chief! We will ensure that the mission is completed!" The platoon leader straightened his back and shouted loudly, with a heavy sense of responsibility in his eyes.

...