The vibrant Baiyue Province, the picturesque Mantou Harbor, Parry was sitting one meter above the ground on a steel framework, immersively welding under the scorching sun and wearing a safety helmet.
There was no war or plague here, nor any foolishness like Teil, only a blistering sun and bothersome mosquitoes and flies, making it feel as if Bartoya Province in the mortal purgatory was separated not by an Earth, but by several light-years of stars.
In fact, setting aside the myriad species of insects, this place was quite livable.
The only flaw was that the fertile land inevitably made people become lazy and slack.
Just two months was enough to make him forget the half-year military career completely, and he no longer thought about "for His Excellency the Marshal" or "fighting for the land under the sun."
After all, the impression left by that shipping container in his mind was too profound...
"Have some water."
A pleasant voice came from the side, like the wind blowing over the lawns of Bartoya Province in spring.
Seeing the water bottle handed to him, Parry wiped the sweat from his forehead and gave a bright and cheerful smile to the girl who handed him the water.
"Thank you."
The girl blushed, nodded slightly, mumbled something, then quickly placed a lunch box in his arms before hurrying away.
Parry continued to watch her retreating figure, saw her stop at the street corner to look back, and watched her shyly run away when their eyes met. Then he smiled and twisted open the bottle cap to take a sip.
The girl was not exactly a top-notch beauty, but she was petite and lovely, especially with those rosy cheeks he never tired of seeing, completely different from the girls back home.
Moreover, the most crucial thing was that he could feel she was a kind-hearted person.
From her face, he couldn't see any stubbornness or hatred, and such simplicity was rare among his peers from his hometown.
Her name was Kuna, and it was a coincidence how they met.
Her family owned a grocery store, and he happened to go over to that household to weld an air conditioner bracket, then used the leftover steel to weld a step ladder.
They were around the same age, both in the prime of youth, and after a few encounters, they became familiar with each other.
When she was not too busy, she would often come to the construction site to bring him water, and sometimes she would bring the lunch she accidentally made too much of, which her family couldn't finish.
Parry wasn't picky with food, given that the food in the POW camps was cooked in big pots, the chef didn't even bother to make it decent, naturally it couldn't compare to home-cooked meals.
Moreover, her cooking skills were top-notch.
Later, Parry learned from casual conversations that she was a Bird tribe, from the Poluo Province where they originally intended to go. After learning about her identity, he couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt.
After all, she seemed to be the first Poluo person he had encountered since joining the army.
Thinking back, it really seemed foolish.
Two months ago, he was eagerly shouting slogans with his officers, impatiently clamoring to go to a place he had never been, to kill a group of people he had never met.
What exactly turned a young, upright, and handsome guy into a beast with bared fangs and claws?
He had considered this question many times, but the answers were always vague.
Sometimes it was Teil, sometimes it was himself, and sometimes it was other people.'
However, even though he couldn't figure out what exactly went wrong, he did understand another thing.
A collective's destiny is always determined by each and every one within that collective.
Teil wasn't special.
Nor were those who followed him without question blameless.
Most work positions in Mantou Harbor had lunchtime starting from 11:30 in the morning, continuing until 1:00 in the afternoon, then work resumed until 5:30.
If the work was labor-intensive under the sun, break time extended by an hour, until 2:30, while the closing time only extended half an hour.
Parry would usually go to the port by the shore, find a shady spot under the shed in the storage area where he could feel the sea breeze, and quietly enjoy the lunch Kuna brought him.
When he arrived at the spot, coincidentally, the foreman of their construction team was also sitting there.
That man's name was Ding Ning, in his early thirties, a dozen years older than him, reportedly from a small place called Mafu Town in Jing Chuan Province.
Unlike the officers in the POW camp, these contractors were individual businessmen, and they didn't have a superior-subordinate relationship with these POWs, but rather an employer-employee one, so they got along quite well.
Seeing the lunchbox in Parry's hand, Ding Ning jokingly remarked.
"Is that young girl bringing you lunch again?"
Parry sat down next to him, smiled and said.
"Don't say it like I'm eating for free."
Ding Ning laughed and said.
"Oh, did you actually pay her?"
Being teased, Parry didn't blush at all, and he confidently replied.
"She said she wants to open a restaurant in the future, but she's only ever cooked for her family and isn't sure what outside people like, so I'm helping her decide."
"That's a laugh to call it helping decide," Ding Ning laughed and scolded, patting him on the shoulder, suddenly taking on a serious tone, "I think that girl's a good lass, don't let her down."
Parry cleared his throat, also using a serious tone.
"You can doubt my working skills, but not my loyalty in relationships."
That indeed was beyond reproach.
Ding Ning recalled carefully, all the Weilante couples he knew lived harmoniously, whether on the Legion's turf or the Alliance's turf.
It was the apparently conservative Poluo people who often experienced major life and family upheavals after leaving Poluo Province.
Of course, he wasn't quite sure what their state was like in Poluo Province, as Baiyue Strait was the farthest he'd ever been away from home.
"I saw on the news that this war might not last long, have you thought about your life after leaving the POW camp?"
Listening to that concerned voice, Parry smiled and said.
"I've thought it over. I plan to save money to open a restaurant, and maybe one day bring my father over from Batoya Province. He used to always complain that the neighbors were a bunch of old men, and staying with them only made him grow old faster. I remember him saying more than once that he wanted to leave Yavente City and enjoy beer on a sunny beach. He devoted his entire life to the Army, it's time for him to enjoy life..."
He paused for a moment and then continued.
"But the old man can't let go of his retirement benefits and the admiration of his neighbors. Although I don't like Teil, he sure knows how to keep those old men happy."
Ding Ning looked at him in surprise.
"Your family is from Yavente City? How come I've never heard you mention it?"
Parry smiled and said,
"Never mentioned it, huh? Okay, now you know. My family is not only in Yavente City but also on Rongjun Road... Thanks to my two brothers who died on the battlefield, I moved there when I was very young and then got recommended to the best military academy in Yavente City. After graduating, I joined the camp as a reserve officer."
Speaking of which, the time he spent in the military academy should be the highlight of his life.
With his handsome looks and bright future, many girls from the same batch cast amorous glances at him.
However, at that time, he had not yet experienced the hardships of society; he only thought about achieving great things and did not consider matters of romance.
Later, after spending half a year in a recruit camp, he hadn't managed to become a Centurion before he found himself muddled into the most frustrating 100th Ten Thousand Troops of the Southern Legion's history—
A group of people was packed into a container by officers, shipped thousands of kilometers, and got wiped out the moment they landed.
This joke would last for hundreds of years.
Ding Ning looked up and down at the young man, feeling that his temperament and appearance were indeed different from other soldiers, but she didn't expect him to be a top student from a military academy.
No wonder that even though he was working in the POW Camp, others got calluses while he even found himself a wife.
But this guy's hometown was actually in Yavente City...
Ding Ning was silent for a while, before speaking.
"...I heard something bad happened in Yavente City recently."
"I heard about it too." Parry replied absently while eating, not wanting to continue the topic.
That was half a month ago.
Not only he heard about it, but everyone here knew about it.
When they learned from the TV news about what was happening in Batoya Province and the confessions from the 117th Ten Thousand Troops as well as the refugees stuck in the Southern Quarantine Zone of Wilant Province, almost all soldiers who had put down their hatred felt a surge of impulse to take up arms again.
They desperately wanted to march back to Yavente City, drag Teil out of his bunker, and demand why he did such an outrageous thing.
Most of those civilians driven into the sea were their compatriots, possibly even their own parents, wives, and children...
Some soldiers hailing from Batoya Province even broke down and cried.
Though Parry wasn't as emotional, it didn't mean he wasn't touched.
He was just comforting himself, trying not to think of the worst possibilities.
After all, his family lived on Rongjun Road, where many senior military officers' families also resided.
No matter how crazy Teil was, he wouldn't start from that street...
Seeing Parry suddenly fall silent, Ding Ning realized she brought up something she shouldn't have.
She awkwardly touched her nose, about to change the subject, when she suddenly recalled something she heard earlier from the bidding party.
A month ago, the Ba Yue Corporation undertook a project in the new development zone which includes a resettlement area covering about 30 acres, said to be used for accepting refugees evacuated from the Southern Quarantine Zone of Wilant Province.
Most of these residents were from Yavente City, having stayed in the quarantine zone for a month and drifted at sea for nearly half a month, now finally about to land.
Half a month ago, Survivor's Daily in Potato Harbor seemingly offhandedly mentioned this, but due to too many trending events, it didn't receive much coverage.
His impression was that the news mentioned the time that ship was supposed to dock, and it seemed to be today!
Those survivors from Yavente City should know something about the local situation.
Thinking of this, Ding Ning got excited and looked at Parry with renewed spirit.
"I have good news, do you want to hear it?"
Parry glanced at him.
"You said it's good news, why wouldn't I want to hear it?"
Ding Ning smiled mysteriously but didn't explain.
"Later this evening, after you've finished work, don't rush home to rest, take a walk to the pier."
Parry looked at him, puzzled.
"Why go to the pier?"
This guy really didn't know!
Ding Ning gave him a mysterious smile, but didn't explain.
"Don't ask, you'll find out when you get there."
Parry rolled his eyes, not wanting to indulge his teasing yet he made a mental note of it.
After finishing his meal, he took a nap, and after waking up he cleaned the lunch box.
On the way back, he intentionally took a detour to Kuna's house, placed the lunch box next to her mail box at the door, and slipped a note inside with today's compliment.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't a compliment; for him, it was indeed a rare delicious taste in this world.
Humming a little tune back to the construction site, he swiftly finished the remaining work and clocked off on time when the six o'clock bell rang.
After returning the tools to the warehouse, Parry recalled what the foreman had said and decided not to go back to the barracks to rest, but headed towards the pier instead.
As he walked along, he admired the street views on both sides of the road.
Thanks to the hard work of these prisoners of war, this desolate land has recently started to flourish, no longer just a bare port.
Under the guidance of Alliance engineers, they used a type of cement said to have added biomass to build self-repairing roads, then opened various sizes of lumber mills, and built rows of tropical-style detached houses along the streets.
Once those houses were finished, they were quickly inhabited by a group of survivors from Haiya Province and the South Sea Union.
Some of these people sold clothes, others shoes, or hardware tools and bicycles, or opened bars and restaurants, and the silver coins they previously received from the Alliance finally found a use.
Yes, the Alliance was not joking and really paid them wages according to the Alliance's minimum wage standard, and it has been a full two months since they landed, plus the salary increased when he signed on with the privately contracted engineering team!
This was the most unbelievable part for Parry, who thought it was simply crazy!
But that was not the only madness.
The Baiyu Corporation, which managed the POW Camp, not only encouraged them to take up jobs but also to start businesses, providing loans with limited liability and guarantees for their business plans!
Aside from not being allowed to leave Mantou Harbor and not being allowed to carry guns, they were almost no different from the survivors living nearby, renting or buying houses and even applying to change from centralized dormitories to "reporting once a week monitored residence," moving outside the POW Camp.
The Alliance was not worried about them running away, for where could they possibly run on just two legs?
As long as the value they created was greater than staying in the POW Camp, the Alliance did not even care if they did intellectual or manual labor, nor did they care where they worked.
From what Parry understood, the captain of their engineering team opened a construction company called "Build Fast," and one-third of the sites in the newly developed areas were handled by them, which they managed quickly and well.
These guys probably used their experience in trench and bunker construction, living up to their name, erecting one house after another, two- or three-story high, seemingly sprouting from the ground.
It wasn't just the engineering team brothers; the captain of the neighboring Centurion's team wasn't to be outdone either. He led his brothers to start a "Jungle Destroyer" lumber mill, and I heard the business was so booming that they worked overtime every day.
As for why they called it that name, it probably had something to do with the Jungle Corps that had previously beaten them.
However, the Alliance people weren't that petty and didn't take the name seriously, some even ran over with a grin to take pictures under the factory's sign as a keepsake.
Based on Parry's observations, the officers at the rank of Centurion seemed to be doing well after going into business.
As frontline combat officers, they were highly executive and had prestige among the grassroots, and their dare-to-fight-and-win spirit was needed not only on the battlefield but also in starting a business.
The only thing that needed overcoming was the mental imprint left by Teil in their minds.
But then again, those who couldn't turn their minds around had already fled into the forest to become fertilizer and wouldn't bother starting a company and re-employment to contribute to the Alliance's construction.
Compared to those successful Centurions, the Thousands of leaders and Ten Thousand Leaders were somewhat inferior.
Although many of them had also climbed up from the grassroots, they had been away from it for too long.
The Alliance didn't give them any preferential treatment due to their status as Thousands of leaders or Ten Thousand Leaders, so adjusting to the disparity of such a "class fall" wasn't an easy task.
Moreover, the war hadn't ended yet, and although the war had reached Batoya Province, and although the persistent Teil was gradually becoming a world enemy, in their view, the outcome was still uncertain.
Furthermore, even if it ended in a draw, they could still be exchanged as prisoners of war to return to the Southern Legion to continue as senior officers, naturally disdaining the Alliance's monetary enticement.
However, Parry felt that things might be different this time.
The Eastern Legion did exchange prisoners with the Alliance, but the hatred and scope of the conflict back then were completely different levels, and the Alliance wasn't as united as it is now.
Moreover, that eastward expansion was not the Eastern Legion's collective will, just the remnants of the expansionist faction led by General Kras's old troops, so both sides declaring their victory met all parties' interest demands.
But this time is different.
This war is a collision of systems, in other words, a total war!
Not to mention the series of bottom-line-breaking actions taken by Teil in the war, no one would agree to let him go, not even the Vellante people themselves.
This reckoning might reach all the way to Yavente City...
Concerning this war and the outcome of the Southern Legion, Parry felt pessimistic, like that container filled with excrement and urine.
However, about the Vellante people's future, he was optimistic.
Although there was an element of coercion, being in Mantou Harbor allowed him to see another possibility.
If the industrial machinery and steel of Yavente City were not used to produce already excessive equipment, if the intelligence and physical strength of the Vellante people were not used to serve the will of their superiors but themselves and those around them, they did not have to endure so many lies and hardships.
He planned to write his reflections on the war into a memoir, perhaps providing some insight for future generations.
At the very least, he hoped they could avoid ending up in the same predicament as he did—
That is, being packed into a container filled with the smell of excrement and urine, thrown on some land never heard of before to rot away.
Parry knew very well, not everyone was as lucky as he was, not only safely getting ashore and completing a transformation of thought but also meeting so many kind people.
There were 99 Ten thousand troops before him, and he had no idea how many more there were after him, all inevitably being pushed into big or small quagmires.
The sound of a whistle in the distance pulled Parry's thoughts back from the memoir he had just started to conceive, and he saw a hundred-meter-long passenger ship slowly approaching the dock.
The passenger ship came from the west.
Parry didn't know what exactly Ding Ning intended to show him, but he waited patiently in the square by the dock.
It didn't take long before the gangway was lowered from the passenger ship, and several travel-worn passengers disembarked onto the port under the guidance of the crew.
Most of them were Vellante people, their distinctive noses proving their identity.
Not only that, they seemed to have traveled a long distance, carrying bulging luggage and each with a thick coat or leather jacket draped over their arms.
Evernight Harbor is in the Southern Hemisphere, so it should be summer now. Could they be from Silver Moon Bay?
Or West Sail Port?
No—
Suddenly, Parry saw two familiar figures in the crowd and stood there stunned.
Almost instinctively, he shouted loudly.
"Dad!? Mom!"
Hearing the shout from the shore, some passengers looked up, saw an unfamiliar face, and moved their gazes away again.
But there were two people who didn't.
Bazel, descending the gangway, stood dumbfounded, staring straight at his son standing at the port, his cloudy pupils gradually filling with tears.
"By Marshal Julius above..."
His parched lips moved, muttering tremulously, then he threw aside his luggage, excitedly wielding his cane, tapping it forward, quickening his pace as he walked up.
His wife beside him did the same, the elderly woman closely chased his steps, even quickening her pace more than him, striding hurriedly toward her running son, reaching out and tightly grabbing his shoulders, as if afraid he might run away.
She bit her lips, unable to utter a word, yet seemed to be saying many things in an instant.
Looking at his mother, much older than he remembered, Parry suddenly felt an impulse to cry.
For twenty years he'd lived without shedding a tear since he could remember, but now he couldn't help but break down.
Panting heavily, Bazel finally walked up, using his cane for support, his joy-made mouth grinning widely.
"Haha... you little rascal! I knew your fate was great! Surely you wouldn't die!"
"You old fool, what are you saying!" The elderly woman glared fiercely at her husband, then turned her tender gaze back to her child, reached out and touched his face, "Those Teil people said you encountered a maritime disaster, told us to mourn and accept, your father and I never expected to see you again... Anyway, as long as you're alright..."
Looking at his two haggard parents, Parry sniffled, chokingly said.
"Mom, Dad... I'm sorry for the hardship you've been through."
The elderly woman smiled, softly said.
"Your mother and father haven't suffered any grievances, we're doing just fine, except your father had his misfortune, the boat he was on capsized, fell into the sea, fortunately Captain Maloc rescued him, yet caught a cold upon landing, causing the benefactor to be quarantined too."
Parry had seen reports about that cold on TV, seemingly called "Mortal Serum".
Initially, news said it targeted the Weilante people, but later discovered even aliens could be infected.
Even some Awakening people were affected.
"Is Dad alright then..."
The woman smiled and said.
"This old man once planned where he'd be buried, but thanks to the biological institute and academy folks from the Alliance, your father pulled through."
Although the specific remedy hasn't been developed yet, as long as treatment is timely and immunity strong enough, there's a certain chance of recovery.
With Old Bazel's age of 79, his recovery could only be deemed as Marshal Julius's blessing...
"That's such relief..." Parry, joyful beyond words, momentarily lost for expressions.
Seeing his lost-but-found son not even losing a hair, and even growing up healthier, Bazel's face similarly bore a tremendously comforting smile.
"How have you been here? I heard you guys..."
Facing his father's gaze, Parry hurriedly explained.
"I've been doing well, the Alliance hasn't troubled us, instead arranged jobs for us, let us build our own homes... though we are restricted to activities only around the POW camp, they haven't treated us too strictly."
Old Bazel occasionally looked surprised at him, then glanced at the neat street behind him and rows of detached houses, couldn't help but ask incredulously.
"These... were all built by you?"
Seeing his father's astonished expression, Parry couldn't help but reveal a touch of pride on his face.
"Yes! Starting with the road section connected to the port, and those houses, they were all built by ourselves!"
The woman's face wore worry, her index finger repeatedly rubbing her son's face, speaking pitifully.
"You must have suffered a lot... all tanned."
"Hey, what's so tough about it," Parry laughed and said, "as it's busy anyhow, at least the Alliance doesn't want our lives, but working for Teil may not be the same..."
Speaking of Teil, a fire arose in his heart, wishing to shred that guy into a thousand pieces.
Yet, now wasn't the time to dwell on him.
Looking at his long-time-no-see parents, Parry deeply inhaled, earnestly spoke.
"...Dad, Mom, don't talk about me first, I've worried like crazy about you for days, tomorrow I'll ask for leave to take you around here."
Afraid to trouble his son, Old Bazel quickly said.
"No need for such hassle, you focus on your tasks, perform well in the POW camp, strive to get out early... the future is long, your mother and I have planned to leave Batoya Province, and stay here later."
Parry smiled and said.
"What's so troublesome about it, I haven't used my leave this month."
Bazel looked at him dumbfounded.
"You even get leave?!"
Is this still a POW camp?!
Parry laughed and said, "Indeed... by the way, do you have a place to stay? I'll help take your luggage over, let's chat slowly over dinner later..."
It seems the times really have changed.
Seeing his son, who unconsciously included himself as part of the Alliance, Bazel couldn't help but sigh with such realization in his heart.
Perhaps the future wasn't as bad as he'd thought.
Even if the Southern Legion was thoroughly defeated, and the legion's last orthodox was buried with Teil, the Weilante people wouldn't vanish from this world, at most they'd change to a more normalized lifestyle.
In that moment of enlightenment, he suddenly felt the whole world brighten up.
Unable to participate in Marshal Julius's funeral in person, the regrets, along with the hardships of this journey and uncertainty, now became trivial.
Here was his harbor...