"It's finally over!"
Liu Xiaoxiao sighed.
Despite dealing with Zhao Wei, no one showed any signs of joy.
They had sacrificed too much in this battle.
Huang Yuhua, Zhao Wu, and dozens of elite soldiers had all perished in this fight...
Just then, two figures rapidly approached them from the dense forest. Those who had just experienced the fierce battle immediately became vigilant again.
As the two figures drew closer, everyone realized they were Han Kang and Tang Haoran.
Before Han Kang even arrived, his anxious question echoed through the air.
"Brother! How is it? Where is Zhao Wei?"
Han Lang replied calmly.
"Dead!"
Upon hearing this, Han Kang and Tang Haoran's faces immediately lit up with relief.
"That's great! If Grandpa Cao and Father are watching from above, they will be comforted!"
Tang Haoran, unable to contain himself, shed tears of joy.
"We've finally avenged them! Finally avenged them! With this, my heart can finally find some solace!"
Seeing her father so emotional, Tang Qin stepped forward and gave Tang Haoran a big hug.
"Alright, Dad. You're already this old, why are you still crying! It's all over now. With me, Han Lang, and Ma Long around, no one will ever bully us like this again!"
As Tang Qin spoke, tears welled up in her eyes as well.
She understood that since meeting Han Lang, Tang Haoran had formed a deep friendship with Old Master Cao and Han Zhongyi.
Moreover, their deaths were a wound that Tang Haoran could not overcome.
If he hadn't accompanied them to seek justice from Zhao Wei, perhaps none of this tragedy would have occurred.
This showed the depth of his guilt.
"Yes, Brother Tang! This is not your fault. Now that revenge has been served, the entire city of Le needs your leadership. You must not continue to live in this unfounded guilt!"
Han Lang's comfort made Tang Haoran even more overcome with emotion.
His guilt was not solely directed towards Old Master Cao and Han Zhongyi.
A significant portion of it was also his feeling of letting Han Lang down.
Thinking of this, he stepped forward and gave Han Lang a big bear hug, a gesture of mutual comfort.
After a long while, Han Lang asked Han Kang.
"Han Kang! Where is Xiao Ying? You've all come here, who is protecting her?"
Han Kang quickly replied.
"Brother, you don't need to worry. Before Officer Liu arrived, he specifically left a female soldier to stay with Xiao Ying. She is safe! Rest assured!"
Han Lang nodded.
"If that's the case, then let's head back. Commander Song, I will take full responsibility for the massacre of the innocent Zhao family. But please give me some time to reunite with my family. After this period, I will surrender myself to the Special Investigation Bureau. I also implore you to intercede on my behalf for a while."
Song Heguo nodded.
"No problem! The matter of killing innocents must be tried. However, you are a hero of the Special Task Force, and your past contributions will be taken into account. I will certainly fight for leniency for you!"
At this moment, Han Kang suddenly stepped forward.
"Um, Commander Song. Regarding the killing of the innocent Zhao family, I should be the mastermind. Shouldn't this punishment be borne by me? My brother was merely carrying out my wishes!"
Tang Haoran chimed in.
"Yes! Commander Song. We instigated Han Lang to do this. If there is punishment, please punish us instead?"
Their earnestness left Song Heguo somewhat at a loss. He looked at Han Lang.
"This..."
Han Lang also stepped forward, patted their shoulders, and replied.
"Alright! I know your intentions. But you are only cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage. To say you instigated me, a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, is a bit much. The court won't believe it!"
Song Heguo also said at this time.
"Yes! But you don't need to worry too much. Han Lang has performed exceptionally well in the Special Task Force. He has also made many contributions to the unit. While he cannot escape punishment, it will certainly not be too severe. So, there's no need for you to take the blame for him!"
Hearing Song Heguo's words, Han Kang and Tang Haoran finally felt a little relieved.
After all, the other party was the esteemed Commander of the Military Region.
His words naturally carried a high degree of credibility.
"In that case, we would trouble Commander Song to put in a good word for my brother with the higher authorities."
Song Heguo nodded.
"Rest assured! Han Lang is a remarkable talent. The Special Task Force still needs him. No matter what, I will do everything in my power to protect him!"
Han Lang, hearing this, looked gratefully at Song Heguo and nodded.
"Thank you, Commander Song. If that's the case, then we should head back."
Just as everyone turned to leave together, Liu Xiaoxiao's military communicator suddenly rang.
She took out the communicator and pressed the answer button.
"Hello!"
However, in less than a moment, her face turned ashen. She quickly replied a few sentences to the caller, hung up abruptly, and said anxiously to Song Heguo.
"Commander Song, something terrible has happened! We've received news from the border outpost that the mutant army is on the move, massing in large numbers. It seems they intend to launch a full-scale assault on us. We need to return immediately!"
Song Heguo's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and he quickly asked.
"Is that true? Approximately how many troops are they mobilizing this time?"
Liu Xiaoxiao replied with a worried look.
"It should be all of them. Approximately three million."
Three million?
Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in unison.
The Special Task Force had only about a hundred thousand soldiers.
In such a disproportionate confrontation, wouldn't each soldier have to face thirty mutants?
Although it was true that a large portion of these three million mutants were low-level individuals like C, B, and A class, posing less of a threat.
However, they still had a considerable number of high-level mutants.
Furthermore, the elite forces had already suffered so many casualties.
If a battle were to break out, it would be a great disadvantage for the Xia Kingdom.
Song Heguo pondered for a moment, then urgently said to Liu Xiaoxiao.
"Xiaoxiao, did you leave any planes in Star City when you came? We need to get back as soon as possible!"
Liu Xiaoxiao immediately replied.
"Yes! Unlike you all, your planes were parked at a nearby military base. In my haste, I flew my plane directly to the helipad on the hotel rooftop. We just need to get back to the hotel as quickly as possible!"
Song Heguo nodded with surprise.
Then he turned to look at Han Lang, Tang Geng, and the other two.
"My apologies, Han Lang! Your leave cannot continue. The border is in imminent danger and requires your assistance. Therefore, I order you to return to the base with me immediately!"
Han Lang, Tang Geng, and the others exchanged glances, then stood at attention and replied in unison.
"Yes! Han Lang reporting for duty!"
"Tang Geng reporting for duty!"
"Tang Qin reporting for duty!"
"Ma Long reporting for duty!"