Boom!
As the sound of the last person hitting the ground faded into the silent corner, I was also completely out of bullets.
But according to the intel I gathered earlier, I should have dealt with all the Saint Assembly members setting up the explosives.
However, the detonator seems to be in the hands of a commander outside the city.
“After dealing with these people, I still have to disarm the explosives? … Haaah … I’m so tired.”
‘Of course I can’t let a frail guy like me do such hard work. I’ll have the Commander-in-Chief send someone to disarm it.’
Having found a way to slack off, I swaggered out of the alley feeling light as a feather.
I had only taken two steps when a short figure crashed into my arms.
“Oh wow, careful. There’s gunfire everywhere right now. You can’t just run around like that.”
I held the shoulders of the little boy who had crashed into me and kindly warned him, but he didn’t seem to be listening.
He twisted from side to side, trying to break free.
‘I can’t just let him run off like that.’
‘He looks panicked. Is someone chasing him? But when I look at the path he came from, there’s no sign of anyone. So is he looking for something?’
Just as I was wildly guessing, the little boy shook his head and happened to glance at the Saint Assembly members lying scattered behind me.
He froze on the spot like a wooden dummy.
‘Oh dear, it’s irresponsible to let a child see such a bloody scene. I’d better cover his eyes quickly.’
“Can’t see, can’t see. That was just an illusion, okay?”
While I was distracting the boy, I pushed him away from the scene to get as far as possible.
After all, we might be seen.
“Bro…”
“Hm?”
I led the boy back to the street.
Now the street was empty.
The usual hustle and bustle contrasted with the current silence, giving me the illusion of being in a dream.
“Big brother!”
Hearing the boy’s sudden loud shout, I snapped back to reality and looked at him in confusion.
The boy fidgeted shyly, but soon made up his mind and said to me, “Big brother, are you really strong?”
“Uh… I guess I’m okay…”
‘Even though I wanted to boast in front of a child, facing such clear eyes, I couldn’t bring myself to say it. The truth is, my hand-to-hand combat skills are actually a bit below the army average. The only thing I’m decent at in a fight is shooting, and even that’s just slightly above average.’
‘But I can’t back down! This is the pride I must have as a man.’
“Then, then! Big brother, can you come with me to save my little sister?”
“Your little sister?”
“Yeah! The explosion just now separated us. I’m worried she’ll run around, so can you help me, big brother?”
“Of course, no problem. Let’s go.”
“Okay!”
The boy excitedly grabbed my sleeve and started running, catching me off guard.
How could he run so fast?
He almost made me trip.
“Do you know where your sister might have run to?”
We ran through the alleys.
I had to admit, he knew this terrain really well.
He navigated all the holes, beams, and narrow paths as if they were his own home.
“Hmm… She’s very timid, so she probably ran home. Because that’s a warm place… at least, it used to be…”
The boy’s eyes dimmed.
I wondered if I had touched a nerve and quickly tried to change the subject, but he looked up and gripped the pendant around his neck.
“But we know that as long as we’re together, my sister and I, everywhere is a warm place.”
“I see. That’s true.”
Such sibling affection was truly moving.
“Then we need to find your sister quickly.”
“Yeah!”
“That’s what happened.”
“I told him not to run around, but he still did… Sigh.”
“He was desperate to save his sister. Every brother is like that.”
“What if he ran into danger? From the path you described, he crossed several firefights to get here. What if he got shot?”
“Alright, alright, calm down. Why worry about something that didn’t happen? Now the siblings are reunited. That’s the best outcome.”
“Hmmmph…”
Leng Qiongling pouted angrily, tore off a piece of flatbread, and stuffed it into her already puffed-up mouth.
Now we sat beside the collapsed house of the siblings, thinking about our next move.
The best course would be to report to the Commander-in-Chief right away about Mora being captured.
After all, all our intel from outside the city came from Mora.
If she gets caught, the consequences could be serious.
‘But why do the Saint Assembly people want a photo? I really can’t figure that out. Hmm… If I can’t figure it out, I’ll have to ask the relevant person. That food truck owner. But I don’t have his contact info. How can I find him?’
‘Hmm… Probably I can just go to the same place tomorrow, right?’
“Alright, let’s go.”
Seeing that Leng Qiongling had finished her piece of flatbread, I patted my butt and stood up, calling out to the siblings playing nearby.
“Where are we going?”
The little sister bounced over to me.
‘Aw, so cute.’
I patted her head.
“Heheh…”
“We’re going to a completely safe place. Then you won’t have to sleep in a tent outside anymore.”
“Are there warm, soft beds?”
“Of course!”
“Yay! Then let’s hurry up and go!”
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
The two children held hands and walked ahead, while Leng Qiongling and I kept checking the positions of nearby enemies and watching out for any possible hiding spots, just in case.
“Such young kids…”
“What’s wrong?”
“No… it’s nothing. I’m just… maybe doubting my own abilities a little.”
“Hmm…”
I kept walking on my own, pretending not to notice Leng Qiongling’s dejected expression.
“What does that have to do with you?”
“Huh?”
“Since their situation wasn’t caused by you, you don’t need to blame yourself for it. You couldn’t do it, but that’s just because you’re not good at this area. Humans aren’t omnipotent, so we learned to divide labor. That way everyone’s abilities can be fully utilized. So…”
I turned around and took Leng Qiongling’s hand, just like the two children—playful and joyful.
“Can you rely on others more? The things you can’t do, others can. You just need to fulfill the mission heaven has given you. That alone is enough to be remembered by the world.”
“My… mission…”
“Don’t overthink it. Just follow what your heart tells you.”
“…Alright, alright!”
Leng Qiongling shook her head and showed her usual smiling face.
“Captain, thank you.”
“Ah, no thanks needed. It’s nothing. Of course, if you insist on thanking me, that’s okay too.”
“But, that’s sleazy.”
“Hey, hey, hey!”
“Only a sleazy person would think of using this way to hold hands.”
“How can you say that about me!”
“Hehe, but let me hold on a little longer. I might need a bit more time.”
Leng Qiongling’s cold fingers intertwined with mine.
Her heartfelt smile made me momentarily dazed.
‘What is this? This familiar feeling.’
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