BXBX NOVEL Chapter 176 - 136: The Return of the Soul!
A loud shout woke Zheng Cheng.
He looked at surprise at the figure in front of him: a man in a khaki uniform, a straw hat on his head, and puttees wrapped around his calves.
In his hand, he held an old rifle.
The bayonet was already fixed to the muzzle.
“Kid! Don’t worry, with me here, no scum will harm you!”
“Uncle, are you…?”
Zheng Cheng asked in surprise, but the man had already charged at one of the degenerates, piercing his chest.
“Hahaha, little scum! Come at me!”
“Son of a…!”
“Die!”
“Thump!”
With each shot, the uncle killed one degenerate after another – more than a dozen in total.
However, their numbers far exceeded his. He was knocked to the ground by one of them.
A large mouth bore down on his arm.
The rest of the degenerates swarmed him, biting and clawing.
“Uncle!”
Zheng Cheng shouted desperately, wanting to help, but for some reason, he couldn’t move.
It felt as though a multitude of strong hands were holding him back.
“Kid! Keep away!”
The uncle in the khaki uniform shouted: “Fellow men! Slay the scum!”
“Slay them!”
Amidst the furious roars, Zheng Cheng realized that he was surrounded by burly men.
Some held rifles, some handled mortars, and others gripped spears with red tassels!
“Kill them!”
“Ready the bayonets!”
Without any hesitation, the men charged at the degenerates!
“Boom!”
“Slash with your swords right at the scums’ heads!”
“Sound the horn! Charge!”
“Honk, honk, honk, honk~”
As the piercing and upbeat sound of the trumpet rang out, Zheng Cheng forced himself to turn around.
Behind him were soldiers, burly men with big swords.
Their ghost-faces swords shimmered in the air, the gleaming blades slashing into the degenerates.
Heads rolled down!
“If Blue Star perishes, the Chu Army shall die first!”
Raging roars resonated again, and a myriad of soldiers appeared behind Zheng Cheng.
The soldiers’ faces were calm yet their eyes seethed with a killing intent.
Staring at the incoming tide of degenerates, they executed a countercharge without hesitation!
“Kill!”
“Forward, forward, forward!”
“Exterminate the scum and return home!”
The scene before him flashed, and a silver-haired old man with black-framed glasses appeared, speaking gravely to a young boy.
His eyes were filled with hope and encouragement.
“Father! Rest assured, I will drive the degenerates out of our homeland!”
“Kill!”
The boy abandoned his studies to join the army, vowing to die in battle!
“Son, your older brother and second brother have gone to fight the scum. Why haven’t they come back yet…”
The scene flashed again, revealing two hunchbacked elderly people with white hair, supporting each other and standing before a child covered in patches.
“Dad, mom, I will go find big brother and second brother. You both stay safe at home,” the child said with gritted teeth.
“I will definitely bring both big brother and second brother home!”
“Boom!”
“Regardless of one’s place of origin or age, everyone shares the responsibility of defending our land and resisting the enemy. Everyone must be prepared to sacrifice everything.”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
The scene changed again, with countless soldiers standing beneath a high platform, shouting loudly.
A single spark can start a prairie fire!
Rank after rank of soldiers charged past Zheng Cheng. Among them were young men in their twenties, middle-aged men in their thirties or forties, and even children as young as twelve or thirteen.
Everyone was filled with rage, and the desire to kill reflected in their eyes.
They swung their weapons at the degenerates without the slightest hesitation!
Behind them were people dressed modestly, some even in shabby attire: the common folk.
The elderly, children, men, women, pregnant women, teenagers, students, soldiers, laborers…
“Young man, are you okay?”
“Quick, hide behind uncle. Uncle will protect you!”
“Don’t be afraid, hahaha…”
“Fellows! Slay the scum!”
“Kill!”
Zheng Cheng’s arm was yanked – someone had pulled him behind the crowd.
In front of him was a man who appeared thin and middle-aged.
He gave a sly smirk and said: “Kid, you’re young. It’s not worth dying here, go home.”
“If anyone has to die, it should be us old-timers first!”
“Men to the front. Women, the elderly, and children to the back. Kill the scum!”
“Three of my sons were killed by these scum. Today, I’m fighting till the end!”
“I lost my wife and the child in her womb. Killing one of them is a payback, killing two is a profit!”
“Revenge must be sought in blood!”
A figure after figure moved in front of Zheng Cheng.
His figure was dragged back by one person after another.
An old man in his twilight years, a farmer with hands covered in calluses, a laborer covered in coal and oil paint, a vibrant student, a peasant woman in linen clothes…
These people positioned themselves protectively around Zheng Cheng and met the muzzles of the scum with their flesh and blood bodies!
“Kill!”
“Thump!”
“Slay the scum!”
“Drive them out!”
“Father!”
“I offer my blood as a tribute to Xuanyuan!”
The chorus of shouts and screams echoed from the figures surrounding Zheng Cheng.
With their bodies of flesh and blood, they stood in front of the scum’s bluff, resisting the bombardment of artillery fire.
But even so, they did not have the slightest intention of retreating.
One by one, they moved forward, risking their lives and sacrificing themselves to protect Zheng Cheng.
“Big brother, come over here!”
His right hand was caught by a small, frosty hand. Looking down, it was a little girl of about seven or eight years old with ponytails.
The little girl dragged Zheng Cheng along for a while before finally gasping and saying, “Big brother, it’s safe here. What’s your name? Remember to call me Little Grass!”
“Little Grass…”
Zheng Cheng trembled, “I…My name is Zheng Cheng…”
“Brother Zheng Cheng!”
Little Grass smiled sweetly, “Quickly hide, there are many bad people in the village. My mom hid me and said she was going to find my younger brother. He hasn’t come back till now!”
“Gurgle…”
A strange noise suddenly came from Little Grass’s stomach.
She shyly smiled and pulled a dark piece of cornbread from behind and handed it to Zheng Cheng.
“Brother Zheng Cheng, you must be hungry. Little Grass still has a piece of bread, you eat it quickly!”
“Little Grass…”
“Little Grass isn’t hungry, big brother, you should eat…”
“Gurgle…”
Little Grass vigorously covered her own stomach, swallowing her saliva.
Zheng Cheng finally returned to his senses at this point.
His eyes were already filled with tears.
The images before his eyes–all illusions!
No, not illusions.
They should be…memories!
Blood Guanyin was made from human flesh and mud. This statue of Blood Guanyin also contained the memories of the three million souls on the Blue Star.
“Everyone…”
Zheng Cheng’s voice trembled, “We won! We won…You can rest now…”
“Slap!”
Zheng Cheng’s shoulder was once again patted by a sturdy and warm hand.
He turned around in astonishment to find a determined middle-aged man standing in front of him.
The man once again patted Zheng Cheng’s shoulder and asked with a smile, “Young man, don’t be nervous. What did you just say?”
“I…I said…” Zheng Cheng deeply inhaled, “We won.”
“We won.”
“Really?” The middle-aged man laughed loudly, “Hahaha, that’s great!”
“We didn’t even leave during the final battle. I did not expect that we would actually win!”
“Hahahaha…”
Next to him were a group of young men, their faces covered in fresh blood and black smoke.
“Commander! Did we really win?”
“Can I go home now?”
“My old mother is still waiting for me!”
“And my wife, she sent a letter last time saying she gave birth to a chubby boy for me!”
“Hehe, my daughter should be getting married by now…”
“Old Zhang! You promised me, your daughter is to marry my son!”
“No problem! Once we get back, we brothers need to have a good drink!”
“Hahaha…”
A group of men, young and old, laughed heartily, continually patting each other’s shoulders.
The laughter and joy before him suddenly disappeared.
Only the middle-aged commander was left.
He smiled kindly, “Young man, how is our country now?”
Zheng Cheng’s voice trembled, “The country is safe and the people live in peace.”
“The country is safe and the people live in peace…The country is safe and the people live in peace…”
The middle-aged commander laughed heartily, “Hahaha, good!”
“The debt has been repaid in white!”
The scene before him changed again. Flames soared to the sky, and the battlefield was filled with smoky haze.
Countless soldiers, accompanied by the roar of the war trumpet, unhesitatingly rushed towards the battlefield.
Zheng Cheng blankly watched them, those who had originally surged from Blood Guanyin, were ultimately swallowed by countless peasants and soldiers!
And before his eyes, once again appeared the towering Blood Guanyin!
But now, Blood Guanyin had long lost its previously bloody, mutilated look.
Its figure had returned to about four meters.
Standing quietly in front of Zheng Cheng.
Its brow and eyes were kind, its gaze calm, and its face peaceful. There was no trace of its earlier ferocity and allure.
“Crack…”
Suddenly, to Zheng Cheng’s surprise, a clear crack appeared on the skull of Blood Guanyin.
“Crack… crack…”
The crack gradually widened, visibly spreading to Blood Guanyin’s face, chest, stomach, legs…
In the end, Blood Guanyin actually cracked into pieces and fell to the ground.
On the ground, pools of fresh blood had formed a large bloody lake, covering several kilometers around!
Zheng Cheng subconsciously knelt down, reached out to hold a piece of bloody earth, feeling its warmth.
“Uncle, Old Mant, Little Grass…”
“Melon boy!”
“Young man~”
“Broken coward!”
“Big Brother~”
Zheng Cheng’s eyes were vacant as several figures emerged before him once again.
Behind them, there were countless more figures waving at him.
They all wore smiles, their eyes full of happiness, excitedly waving at him.
“Melon boy, go home quickly!”
“Young man, thank you!”
“Broken coward! Stop crying, it’s embarrassing!”
“Big Brother, next time I will invite you to my house for something delicious!”
As the figures of the people gradually dispersed,
Only the middle-aged man remained, once again he patted Zheng Cheng’s shoulder, saying, “Young man, thank you.”
“Without you, we old folks would still be trapped in there.”
“Now, it’s easy!”
“We have to go back now…”
“Goodbye”