Luo’er and Tangmo took a long time to recover from their shock. Luo’er could hardly believe that the frontline corps would resort to artillery to clear out the enemy in the enemy-occupied areas, even planning to kill them along with it. Rodney really didn’t intend to let them go, bent on their demise.
Tangmo couldn’t believe her own eyes, either. What they summoned wasn’t the frontline corps, but shells, killing both the rebels and innocent villagers alike. If Luo’er had listened to her earlier and carried out a surprise attack to drive out the rebels, perhaps this tragedy wouldn’t have happened.
Thinking of this, Tangmo felt a profound hatred for Luo’er for the first time. She turned her head to look at Luo’er, suddenly reaching out her hand and slapping him across the face. Everyone was shocked by her audacity.
For, Tangmo used to be Luo’er’s most loyal admirer. During their time at the Sacred Heart Magic Academy, she would have given up her plans for Luo’er’s sake. Now, she had actually slapped Luo’er, something that was beyond belief.
"Sister Moumou!" Hu Daoke reached out to break the awkwardness, but obviously Tangmo ignored him, gave Luo’er a resentful look, and ran down the hill.
By that time, the gunfire had stopped. Cheng Ziang also took a count; after the frontline corps’ artillery had covered the village with a base number of shells, they continued to extend their coverage to the surrounding area. With five base numbers of shells, the whole village and surrounding areas had been blasted into craters.
Hu Daoke was about to go over and show some concern, but Luo’er stopped him. Touching his face, Luo’er shook his head gently, then said softly, "Go help Moumou, in case something happens to her."
"Ah!" Hu Daoke nodded, called Baiyue, and the two left. Before leaving, Baiyue glanced at Luo’er. His face had a bitter expression, which could be either regret or guilt for Tangmo.
Once they had gone, Cheng Ziang came over to Luo’er, looked at his slightly red face, shook his head, and sighed, "Your leadership..."
"It’s okay, I deserved it. If I had to do it again, I would still report to the frontline corps. It’s good to let her vent." Luo’er said, nonchalantly.
"You, you are spoiling her too much!" Cheng Ziang glared at him, expressing his displeasure, then no longer paid Luo’er any attention and headed directly down the hill.
At this point, the whole village had been blasted beyond recognition, the ground pockmarked with shell craters. The intense explosions had melted the snow, turning the whole village into a mire. But Tangmo didn’t care about that. She rushed into the village and started searching for survivors. She had clearly seen so many innocent women and children being dragged away, but now she couldn’t find any of them.
Hu Daoke and Baiyue also came down to the foot of the mountain and helped her search. But under the power of large-calibre shells, how could they find any survivors? What they found the most were charred fragments of corpses, of all sorts, unable to tell whether they belonged to rebels or villagers.
Cheng Ziang also came down the hill. When he saw Baiyue gagging because she had stepped on an eyeball, he came over to pat her, signalling her to go and guard the high ground while they continued to search. Baiyue glanced at Cheng Ziang, her face pallid. She gratefully hugged her rifle and left this hell of a mess.
The search at the scene was underway, although they knew they couldn’t stay here for long. This was rebel territory, and after being bombarded by the frontline corps, other rebels were bound to come and investigate. They had to evacuate before these people arrived, otherwise, given the poor road conditions, they wouldn’t be able to get away when discovered by the rebels.
Tangmo looked blankly at the chaotic scene in front of her. Shortly after slapping Luo’er, she had already regretted her decision. How could she not know that the advance team, being so few in number, could do anything significant? She just found it hard to forgive that the artillery, called by Luo’er, had caused such destruction. This round of shelling had almost wiped out everything. Even though it was the frontline corps’ doing, there was no choice but to place the blame on Luo’er.
From afar, she heard a cry of pain. Following the sound, she trudged through the muddy road to a pile of ruins. It was a rebel survivor, his legs broken by fallen debris, pinned beneath the rubble.
Seeing Tangmo approaching, the rebel extended his hand, begging for her help. Tangmo looked at the miserable man before her. Even though she pitied his predicament, thinking of the things the rebels had done, she found it hard to pardon him.
Just as she was in a dilemma, Cheng Ziang quietly came to the rebel and looked down at him. Then, he emotionlessly drew his blade and sliced through the man’s neck. The rebel writhed in agony, clutching his neck as warm, red blood leaked out, yet he received no help.
Cheng Ziang coldly watch him slowly die, then turned to give Tangmo a cold, ruthless glance. Not an ounce of warmth could be detected in his eyes. Tangmo shuddered; she didn’t dare to challenge Cheng Ziang’s actions, even though she knew he was justified.
It was evident that Cheng Ziang was displeased with her attitude towards Luo’er, so he decided to teach her a lesson. Once, he was willing to obey Tangmo. But the situation had subtly changed. Now, he would rather listen to brutal and emotionless reason.
After Luo’er led the horses down the hill, he joined the search team. They searched for about an hour and a half. As the sun slowly set, Tangmo finally gave in to despair. She had accepted the truth—that there were no survivors left in the whole village.
Hu Daoke managed to push away some rubble, a round shape rolled onto the muddy ground. Upon closer inspection, he found that it was a little girl, not even five years old.
She was clad in tattered clothes, her face smeared with blood and mud, with her flaxen hair in a wild disarray. When she rolled onto the ground, she didn’t make a sound but stared dumbly at Hu Daoke with her sky-blue eyes. Suddenly, she seemed to convulse, and then she let out a heart-wrenching cry that startled everyone.
"You, don’t cry..." Hu Daoke held out his hands, at a loss as to what to do.
Upon hearing the girl’s cry, Tangmo sensitively rushed to her side. Seeing her pitiful appearance, he couldn’t help but hold her tightly in his arms.
"You’re safe, you’re safe. Your sister will protect you," Tangmo comforted the girl tenderly.
The crying girl drew the attention of everyone. Luo’er did not expect any survivors under the bombardment. Just as he was about to approach and examine the little girl for injuries, Tangmo sidestepped him warily and said harshly, "Don’t lay a finger on her, you murderer."
Luo’er was taken aback, and then wordlessly retracted his hand, a look of disappointment clouding his face. Seeing Luo’er reprimanded, Cheng Ziang evidently couldn’t stand aside any longer. He came in front of Tangmo and looked down at her, coldly ordering, "Make her shut up!"
"She’s only a child!" Tangmo lifted her head, retorting unwaveringly.
Because of the child, Tangmo felt a rush of maternal instincts, emboldening her to talk back to Cheng Ziang.
"I’ll say it again, make her shut up. Her noise could get us all killed!" Cheng Ziang said coldly.
Tangmo stubbornly confronted him, yet she couldn’t match Cheng Ziang. After a moment of silence, she began to quietly comfort the girl. The girl’s cries gradually ceased under her soothing.
Cheng Ziang snorted coldly, glanced at Luo’er, and then continued, "Listen carefully, if you want to keep her, then control her. If she jeopardizes all of us, even if she’s just a little girl, I won’t spare her."
Having said that, he once again glanced at Luo’er. Luo’er just bowed his head, offering no objections. Cheng Ziang heaved a deep sigh and walked away.
Upon finding the girl, there was no need to linger any longer. Tangmo found a cloak to wrap her up, and then held her as they mounted a horse. The group made their way toward the cave they once inhabited.
The little girl was a bit strange; after her crying stopped, she didn’t cry any more. Her eyes were somewhat dull, and she was quiet when with Tangmo. It was unclear whether the shell shocked her, causing brain damage, or she was unable to bear the sadness of losing her family.
Because of the disagreement between Luo’er and Tangmo, the command of the team fell, miraculously, into the hands of Cheng Ziang. From his perspective, Luoer was a stubborn man. Even though Luo’er was the true leader of the team, due to Moumou being the nominal leader, he could not command her. This amused Cheng Ziang.
Cheng Ziang thought that Luo’er, rather than not daring to command Tangmo due to his inferior rank, was simply henpecked. Sometimes, he even felt Luo’er’s indulgence toward Tangmo almost bordered on spoiling. Allowing her tantrums might render this team leaderless.
Luckily, the team had him, Cheng Ziang, who dared to dictate and boss everyone around. From the very beginning, he had always oscillated between the team and individuals. As a leader, Tangmo never managed to earn his full obedience. In contrast, it was Luo’er, the latecomer, who won his true respect and willingness to obey.
When they arrived at the cave, night had already fallen. Cheng Ziang and Baiyue had snatched a passing small animal on the road, which was now served as dinner.
By the warm bonfire, Tangmo carefully inspected the girl’s wounds. She appeared bloody all over, but she didn’t sustain any major injuries. Tangmo heated some water to clean her up, revealing her fair face.
The girl was a cute Masya little girl of about five or six years old. She had round cheeks and sky-blue eyes. Her slightly frightened eyes scanned each member of the Advance Team, but she remained silent, not saying a word no matter how they questioned her.
At dinner time, Luo’er cooked stewed meat and barbecued meat. When Hu Daoke handed the barbecued meat to the girl, she immediately reached out to grab it and stuffed it into her mouth, showing no signs of shyness.
Luo’er watched his team members surrounding the girl, and felt a little lonely. He tried to approach the girl, but was blocked by Tangmo who protected her like a mother hen. Hence, he dared not venture again.
He did not dare to look into the girl’s eyes. Deep down, guilt lurked within him, as he could see resentment in her eyes. He vividly remembered when they first arrived in the Otherworld. Back then, he wasn’t afraid of any monsters during the night watch, but now, he was strangely fearful of the night. He always felt that the spirits of the victims he had killed would gather outside the cave, seeking vengeance.