Bai Liu instinctively wanted to push Spades away, but the instant his peripheral vision caught Guy watching them with an amused chuckle and Alex turning his face aside in embarrassment, his head cleared at once.

As if shy, he took the chance to lower his head, avoiding Spades’s lips, and leaned into him instead, pressing his forehead against Spades’s collarbone and burying himself in his embrace.

Bai Liu’s breathing was a little unsteady. His fingers curled into fists, and he pressed his lips together twice. By the time he spoke, his voice had already regained its calm.

“...Next time you do something like this, tell me first.”

Spades’s hands tightened on Bai Liu’s shoulders. He gave a very soft “Mm,” then, as though belatedly sensing Bai Liu’s mood, asked, “Should I have asked you first this time too?”

“I’m sorry,” he apologized sincerely. “Are you angry?”

Bai Liu suddenly laughed. He lifted his head to look at Spades, and that look made Spades pause.

The warm mist blurred his pitch-black eyes, making them bright yet indistinct. That gaze clearly held Spades’s reflection, vague and wavering, and yet it also seemed to hold someone Bai Liu was remembering.

Bai Liu pressed his head against Spades’s chest. He could still smell the lingering scent of blood there.

He had just emptied two magazines into Spades and dug out his heart.

The surging emotions slowly settled again.

Bai Liu closed his eyes and exhaled at length. A faint, careless smile remained on his face. “In this respect, you really haven’t changed at all—apologizing first no matter what you’ve done.”

When Xie Ta had been with him, the words he had said most often were “I’m sorry.”

That person had a strange instinct for survival. Every time, he could keenly detect the warning signs before Bai Liu’s anger rose and apologize in time—

—And then dare to do the exact same thing again next time.

“I’ll let it go this time.” Bai Liu straightened from Spades’s embrace and smiled as he nodded in greeting to Guy and Alex. Then he cast a light, feather-soft glance at Spades beside him, smiling very amiably. “But I hope there won’t be a next time.”

Spades: “...”

He felt as though he had done something wrong again.

The two followed Guy toward the rear base. To get there, they had to take a train.

However, it was a very strange railway. It was only a few dozen miles long and ran solely back and forth between the front line and the rear town.

Sitting in the carriage, Guy explained helplessly to Bai Liu and the others, “Strange, isn’t it? Railways are almost never built like this. But because this war has dragged on for a year and a half, stuck in this one place with no way to advance, the rear eventually built this odd little railway to make it easier to transport soldiers and supplies.”

Bai Liu withdrew his gaze from the dense jungle outside the window—building a railway in this damp terrain was no easy task.

To spend so much effort constructing such a line could only mean that the commander of this battle had extraordinary ambitions.

Bai Liu looked at Guy. “Why has it been stuck here for a year and a half?”

Guy let out a long, heavy sigh. “Because about twenty kilometers ahead, there is an extremely important strategic location—Pluto Lake.”

Bai Liu raised an eyebrow. “Pluto, the god of the underworld in Roman mythology? Why is the lake called that?”

Guy explained, “This area gets a lot of rain in summer. At its peak, the average annual rainfall can exceed ten thousand millimeters.”

“In summer, because of the massive rainfall, the water level of this lake, which sits at the lowest point in the entire region, rises rapidly and triggers flash floods. Every year, many residents who live nearby are drowned. So the people here call this lake the ‘Angry Death of Summer’ and named it Pluto.”

“Not only that,” Alex added with a grave expression. “Once Pluto’s water level rises and the lake overflows, it automatically fills many of the surrounding channels. In this dense rainforest, it forms a crisscrossing network of waterways with Pluto at its center.”

Guy took a deep breath. “In a rainforest where transport routes are difficult to build, waterways are natural railways. Whoever occupies Pluto before the rainy season can use those waterways and boats to move vast amounts of supplies, weapons, and soldiers into the surrounding areas, gaining a powerful advantage in the war.”

Bai Liu understood. “In other words, whoever occupies Pluto before the rainy season might win this war.”

“But if that’s the case, you’ve been here for a year and a half, which means you’ve gone through at least two rainy seasons.” Bai Liu asked thoughtfully, “Did neither of those rainy seasons decide the outcome?”

Guy shook his head with a bitter smile. “The year before last, we occupied Pluto. But that rainy season didn’t bring much rain, and the transport range created by the rivers was quite narrow.”

“We lost our battlefield advantage during that rainy season, and the people on the other side occupied Pluto instead. To be safe, our side expanded conscription that year.”

Guy looked at Alex, his gaze complicated. “...That was when Alex came to the front line.”

Alex nodded, his expression dim. “Last year’s rainy season, the enemy occupied Pluto, and the rainfall was also considerable... Their battlefield advantage has lasted until this year. We’ve been retreating steadily, doing nothing more than stubbornly holding on. Every day, the number of corpses brought back from the battlefield is higher than the day before...”

“The higher-ups keep increasing the intensity of conscription to fill the front line with people, telling us we absolutely cannot lose, that we have to win...”

Guy patted Alex’s shoulder and sighed. “Things like that are never for us to decide.”

He gave a smile like someone making the best of a terrible situation. “On the battlefield, the only thing we can do is die.”

Alex lowered his head, his voice very low. “Sometimes I think that if we lost and the war ended because of it, that would be for the best...”

Guy’s expression froze. He looked around, then helplessly tapped Alex on the head. “Don’t say things like that on the train. If someone hears you, you’ll be punished.”

Alex kept his head lowered, his fists clenched tightly on his knees, saying nothing.

Guy held his shoulders firmly, resting his chin on Alex’s head. His tone was soft and gentle. “It’s all right. After this rainy season, the war will definitely be over.”

Alex silently gripped Guy’s hand.

“The war will definitely be over after this rainy season.” Bai Liu looked up at Guy. “Why do you say that?”

Guy was silent for a moment. “You’ll understand when we reach the conscription point.”

After saying that, Guy gazed blankly out the train window, his grip on Alex’s hand tightening. In his eyes were the swaying green shadows of the jungle and the flames of war.

“...There’s a saying from my hometown that time spent with a lover is more precious than gold,” Guy murmured to himself.

He turned back with a smile to look at Bai Liu and Spades. The flames of war and the greenery in his eyes faded away, leaving only a moving, moist light, like an old photograph. The smile on his face carried irrepressible happiness, mixed with envy and pride.

Guy laughed heartily. “Then with the four of us staying together like this, aren’t we the richest people in the world?”

After jumping off the train, Bai Liu’s group saw the bustling conscription point from afar.

Someone stood on a table, shouting passionately through a megaphone. Someone held up conscription posters, yelling as he handed them out. Someone else lay on the ground, using a dirty ballpoint pen found from who knew where to fill out an application form that had already been trampled underfoot.

The whole place was as chaotic as a pot of boiling porridge.

“Looks like quite a lot of new recruits are reporting today.” Guy clicked his tongue twice. “Getting two application forms in a scene like this won’t be easy.”

“It’s time to show some hospitality.” Before Alex could react, Guy grabbed his hand, gave a cheerful whistle, and charged into the crowd. “I’ll help you get the application forms!”

Ten minutes later, Alex, whose face had been squeezed out of shape, sat on the ground panting, his eyes blank. Guy excitedly waved the application forms at Bai Liu and the others. “Got them!”

Guy pulled two pens from his pocket, placed the application forms in front of Bai Liu and Spades, and smiled as he guided them through the application.

The moment Bai Liu received the application form, he noticed something was wrong—one of the options had already been marked with a cross.

It was obvious who had put that cross there.

Bai Liu looked at Guy and pointed at the mark with his pen. “What is this? I can’t choose it?”

The smile on Guy’s face faded a little. “That... that option asks whether you are willing to join the Commando Unit.”

“Commando Unit?” Alex’s confused voice came from behind Guy. “Are there commando operations being organized recently? Why wasn’t I notified?”

The man standing on the table with the megaphone suddenly raised his voice. “Everyone! Our General has assembled more than a thousand heavy cannons and transported them to this town. Beginning today, they will be sent to the front line one after another for deployment.”

The man was emotionally roused, waving his arms as spit flew from his mouth.

“I believe we all know that if we lose this rainy season, we will be buried in the hands of that god of death, Pluto! The heavy rain of the past two days has already signaled that the enemy is very likely to gain an enormous advantage this rainy season.”

The crowd below, previously noisy, fell silent. Everyone turned to look at the man standing on the table.

He continued in a grief-stricken voice, “Are we simply going to lose this glorious war like this? Are we going to hand our land of freedom over to those shameless, insatiable slaves across the lake?!”

“Have we not given them enough rights?!”

“We hired those people from poor and backward areas, paid them daily wages, and provided them with three meals a day—yet they actually demand the right to own property, demand to exchange their labor for land, and demand to become high-class people like us!”

“These people, who rely on us for food, actually dare to claim that this rich land, which was developed because of us, originally belonged to them, and now they want us to return it!”

“Shameless!” the man shouted sternly, his face filled with fury. “If they truly had any backbone, why didn’t they speak up and drive us out when we first started helping them develop?”

“After we signed agreements and obtained their consent to own these lands, making them incomparably wealthy, these greedy fellows now want to drive us out under the banner of ownership!”

Guy quietly explained to Bai Liu, “This rainforest contains a large amount of timber, mineral, and water resources, but the local residents were very poor. So the officials who originally discovered this land signed agreements with those residents, promising them jobs and property for the next hundred years so they could eat their fill every day, in exchange for permanent ownership of the land.”

Bai Liu paused almost imperceptibly.

He had thought his own dealings were dark enough, but he had not expected someone to be even darker—trading people the land that had originally belonged to them in exchange for even cheaper labor.

This was not merely a “one-capital, ten-thousand-profit” deal. It was a “zero-capital, ten-thousand-profit” deal.

Guy sighed. “You can see it too. It was just an empty promise. But those indigenous residents didn’t realize that at first, and they really couldn’t even fill their stomachs, so all of them agreed.”

“They built large numbers of factories here and gained enormous wealth through the land and this labor. But the wages the factories paid the residents grew lower and lower, while the working hours grew longer and longer. They cared less and less about these residents, even treating them like slaves to be trampled on, insulted, and mocked. Then conflict erupted.”

“During an argument, an indigenous resident killed a factory manager. The manager’s friends and relatives, in order to vent their anger, locked all the indigenous people involved in the dispute inside an abandoned factory and burned them to death in a huge fire.”

Guy was silent for a long time. “A week later, war broke out.”

“At the time, no one expected it to last this long. These indigenous residents know the local terrain very well, and many international figures are aiding them, saying this is a true war for liberation and freedom. Many volunteer armies from other countries joined them.”

Guy smiled desolately. “Hey, you might not believe it, but I originally wanted to become one of their volunteers. But before I could sign up, my family got ahead of me and sent me here.”

Bai Liu’s gaze remained on the man still standing on the table, giving his impassioned speech. “There’s another version of this story, isn’t there? The cause of the war I saw on the conscription posters wasn’t like this.”

“Yes.” Guy looked at Bai Liu appreciatively. “The version the domestic authorities use for propaganda is that they selflessly helped the residents here escape poverty and gain civilization, democracy, and freedom, only to be attacked first by this group of greedy, backward indigenous people, who even killed a factory manager who had once selflessly helped them during a dispute.”

Guy looked at the conscription posters scattered all over the ground and exhaled. “Do you know what the most complicated part is? That conscription advertisement didn’t lie. That factory manager really was innocent.”

“He was a very good man.” Reminiscence filled Guy’s eyes. “Although he was born into the nobility, after coming here and seeing the situation, he sincerely wanted to help these people build their own factories and break free from the control of the so-called ‘upper class.’”

“He mingled with the indigenous people, spent his entire fortune helping them, and didn’t stop even when his family and friends opposed him.”

“But some indigenous people didn’t believe him and believed, rather extremely, that his hypocritical actions were meant to exploit them even further. So during a dispute, this man was shot to death by an indigenous person who had always harbored resentment and suspicion toward him.”

“The country used this incident for large-scale propaganda. Many people came to this battlefield because of him. They were angry and indignant, believing that such a good person shouldn’t have died like that. Alex included.”

“Their hearts are good. They’re just a little naive. They thought they had come here only to demand an apology, but war is far crueler than they imagined.”

After saying this, Guy fell silent.

Bai Liu glanced at him. “This factory manager—you knew him, didn’t you?”

“I can tell you, but this has to stay a secret between us. You can’t let Alex know. He’ll get jealous.” Guy winked and laughed, but a layer of sadness clung to his smile, impossible to conceal. “He was my first lover.”

“My luck is pretty good, isn’t it? Both my boyfriends are so wonderful.”

The man on the table shouted, drowning out Guy’s voice. “In order to end this war that has lasted a year and a half, and to punish those greedy, lowly enemy forces before the rainy season fully arrives, we organized a raid two days ago. For this, we selected the best veterans and formed an elite Commando Unit.”

“They will bear the most dangerous charge during the shelling in two days. Now, let us cheer for the brave soldiers of this Commando Unit!”

He took out a long list. Every time he read a name, a soldier climbed onto the high platform amid the cheers of the crowd.

Guy looked at the list, waiting quietly.

Alex seemed to realize something. He looked at Guy in disbelief, then abruptly turned his head and stared at the list with a gaze that almost seemed ready to burn through it.

“Guy Davis!”

Alex instinctively seized Guy’s arm in a death grip. His eyes were red as he looked at Guy, his throat dry, unable to force out a single word.

Guy smiled and pried his fingers away one by one. Then he leaned close to Alex’s ear and whispered softly, “The war will be over soon, baby.” Amid deafening screams and whistles, Guy pushed through the bustling crowd and walked onto the Commando Unit’s platform.

Without thinking, Alex tried to chase after Guy, but the cheering crowd blocked his way, making it difficult for him to move.

The man on the table clapped as he said enthusiastically, “Next, let us welcome the General, who will commend this group of brave men!”

A middle-aged man in a more resplendent stand-collar military uniform, his appearance majestic, walked onto the platform while clapping and smiling kindly.

One by one, he rewarded the soldiers—placing medals worth less than five dollars around the necks of people who were about to die for him.

After hanging the medals, this seemingly human General turned around and said solemnly, “Please remember their faces. If they die, they will die for the most righteous cause in the world. They are martyrs worthy of being remembered by all humanity.”

“This raid was initiated at my command. I know that this raid will bring very painful consequences, but it is necessary in order to severely punish those lower-class people...”

Alex gritted his teeth as he looked at the long-winded General. “He suddenly initiated this raid for the sake of his military achievements.”

Bai Liu looked over, casting him an inquiring glance.

Alex took a deep breath, struggling to keep calm as he explained to Bai Liu, “This General was born a commoner. He only entered the military and political leadership through marrying the daughter of a high-ranking official. He has always been looked down upon by the upper class, who consider themselves nobles, but he has solidified his position through constant warfare.”

“But compared to war, I think he’s much better at politics.”

Alex looked up at Guy on the platform, his breathing heavy.

“Launching a raid at a time like this is just to make the report look better if he loses. After all, before losing, he can say he caused enemy casualties through a raid, and he can use the tragic sacrifice of these veterans for even more propaganda, attracting more angry people to join the army.”

Alex’s eyes were bloodshot. “They’ve already used this trick to fool a lot of people.”

The General on the stage continued his speech.

“They are the First Commando Squad, responsible for the most important mission. Only the most elite soldiers may enter...”

Someone below raised a hand and asked, “Can new recruits not enter?”

The General laughed. “No. But your enthusiasm is commendable. You may enter the Second and Third Commando Squads and handle cleanup. Soldiers entering the First Squad need to possess extremely high overall qualities.”

A person raised his arm. His voice was not loud, but it was steady and penetrating. “I believe I possess those qualities.”

Everyone’s gaze focused on him.

This person was very tall, a head taller even among the selected recruits. With his hand raised, he stood out quite clearly, especially because the silver revolver in his hand looked very expensive.

Tang Erda raised his hand helplessly. He had just received an order from that fellow Bai Liu, demanding that he join the First Commando Squad, so he had no choice but to step forward.

Bai Liu smiled at him from a distance and raised his hand, giving him a “Go on, I believe in you!” gesture.

Tang Erda: “...”

This person really did have an infuriating urge to watch the world burn.

The General seemed dissatisfied that a new recruit had challenged him. His voice and expression darkened. “War is not a nobleman’s shooting game. To join the First Commando Squad, you must undergo extensive training. At the very least, you must master high-precision shooting skills.”

His gaze swept over the silver revolver in Tang Erda’s hand with faint contempt and displeasure—only idle, wealthy children from great families would bring a weapon like that to the battlefield.

“With a gun like that...” the General mocked, dignified as he held up the medal in his hand. “Young man, I understand your yearning for glory, but I think you might be better suited to riding a mare and shooting at a fixed target ten centimeters away...”

Tang Erda spun the revolver to chamber a round, flipped down the dark goggles resting on his head, and then, eyes cold, raised his hand and fired at the General on the platform, precisely piercing the medal in his hand without the slightest deviation.

The General on the platform froze as though he had turned to stone. Only after a long while did he slowly loosen his trembling fingers and let the pierced medal fall.

The medal struck the ground. The people around them stared at this new recruit with extraordinary marksmanship, still stunned.

Tang Erda put away his gun with perfect nonchalance. “Do I have the qualifications to join the First Commando Squad now?”

“Of course you do!” Guy, standing on the platform, whistled as if cheering him on. He raised an eyebrow, his bright eyes sweeping Tang Erda from head to toe, and laughed loudly. “Good lad, your physique is just as striking as your marksmanship!”

Tang Erda froze for a moment, slightly at a loss, then replied steadily, “Thank you.” At the same time, he heard the system notification.

[System Notification: Main plot NPC Guy’s favorability toward you has increased.]

[System Notification: Main plot NPC Alex’s favorability toward you has dropped drastically. You have been excluded from the main storyline quest.]

Tang Erda: “???”

What happened?! Why had he been excluded from the main quest?!

Bewildered, Tang Erda turned to look at Bai Liu in the crowd, pointed at himself, then shook his head, indicating that he could no longer enter the main quest.

Bai Liu’s gaze slowly shifted to Alex, who was staring expressionlessly at Tang Erda.

He had been careless.

—

Author’s Note:

NPC Alex has a reactive response to [good lad]. Please take note, all players.