The northern fortress was teeming with people.
Almost all the members of the battle groups gathered here had no idea what was about to happen.
They had received orders.
To gather here.
They knew absolutely nothing about what they needed to do or why.
The only surprising thing was…
The Golden Army and the Vanguard were gathered together.
A sight rarely seen in a century.
Ever since the Vanguard and the Golden Army split, the two sides had not overlapped in their missions.
Now, these two military corps were gathered together.
Even without knowing what had happened, they could vaguely sense the extraordinary nature of the situation.
When the half-hour mark arrived,
Kuka, who had been meditating on the ground, also awoke from his contemplation.
Looking at the army stretching for miles before him,
A hint of surprise flickered in his eyes, which glowed like will-o'-the-wisps.
"Commander, you're awake from your meditation."
Noticing Kuka's awakening, Deputy General Kashi stepped forward.
Kuka nodded silently, as usual.
"It seems there are more than just the Golden Army here." Kuka whispered, looking at the numerous members gathered before him.
"That is correct."
Kashi nodded and said softly.
"There are also many members of the Vanguard here. Many of them are new recruits who have just joined the corps, and they are all very young."
"I see."
"Commander, is this not permissible?"
"Just bring them along."
Kuka whispered hoarsely, gazing at the oblivious members of the corps before him.
They gathered, murmuring to each other.
Much like unwitting insects.
Kuka did not know whether to call them pitiable or fortunate. He only knew that these people standing here, even if he were to lead them into the abyss, would likely never know why they died, even in death.
This, was the nature of insects.
Crawling at the very bottom of this world, receiving the least information the world had to offer.
They did not know where they were going,
Nor did they know where they came from.
"The Vanguard has also appeared. It seems you have informed some matters to the Vanguard's commander." Kuka's low voice came from beneath his hood.
Kashi nodded slightly and said softly.
"I believe they deserve to know."
"They do deserve to know, but sometimes knowing too much is a sin." Kuka's eyes held a hint of pity. "Do you think that if you let insects know too much, they would be happy? They lack the ability to solve problems, and it would only make them more anxious, ultimately affecting more."
As he spoke, Kuka raised his hand and pointed towards Moya in the command tent.
"He is the one who knows."
"One can feel it from his eyes. Do you think that if he knows something he shouldn't, he can truly conceal his inner turmoil?"
"You have done something foolish."
"While it seems like you are informing him, you are actually just hastening his death, or perhaps you have extinguished his last hope of survival."
Kuka's voice was very soft,
But for Kashi, it was like a thunderclap, exploding in his ears.
"I..."
"Forget it, this is my fault after all, for saying too much." Kuka sighed and shook his head. "I thought that by being by Rousi's side, you would understand some of these principles. It seems now that Rousi is too gentle a person, always protecting you like you were in a cradle."
Muttering to himself, Kuka walked out.
"Take the men and depart."
"Commander, I have something..."
"Yes, if you wish to stay, then stay." Kuka blurted out Kashi's unspoken thought without hesitation. "The right to choose has always been yours. My appearance was only to offer you a path. As for the rest... it is up to you to decide. If you have truly made up your mind to stay here, to be a crushed insect, I respect your choice."
Kuka consistently referred to them as insects.
For some reason, hearing this, Kashi felt an inexplicable irritation.
"Insects?"
"Commander, I don't know what you know, or what kind of world you've seen. In your eyes, we are insects, and you are also an insect. But in my eyes, we are all living people."
"We possess personality, we have intelligence."
"We are not insects."
"Even if we truly are insects, we should live like humans. I don't think those insects saw themselves as lowly from the beginning; in their eyes, they were also proud."
"Your insect theory, please stop talking about it."
"At least we don't need it anymore."
Kashi resolutely returned to the command tent where Moya was. Seeing Kashi's return, Moya and several other generals were quite surprised.
"Why have you returned?"
"Those who needed to be sent away have been sent. I am the deputy general, so what would it mean if I left?" Kashi said with a slight huff, crossing his arms. "What, are you afraid I'll compete with you for the position of Commander?"
"At this point..."
Moya moved his lips but said nothing.
In his opinion, at this stage, who was the commander was no longer important.
However, when he saw the look in Kashi's eyes,
He knew Kashi was just joking with him.
"Are you also preparing to stay and await death?"
"Never thought of it." Kashi shook his head slightly. "I never thought I would die, nor do I believe we are destined to die. Moya... from now on, you are the overall负责人 of the fortress. I will assist you just as I assisted the Commander. What you need to do is very simple: stand firm in the position of Commander, even if Commander Rousi returns to the fortress in the future, or if Commander Kuka appears, you are the commander here."
"What do you mean by this?"
Moya frowned, somewhat confused by Kashi's thoughts.
"Someone said we are insects. Do you think you are?"
"Of course not!"
"I don't think so either." Kashi whispered, narrowing his eyes. "Even if I am truly an insect, I want to live like a human."
"Kashi, you..."
"From now on, those of us who remain will not be called the Golden Army or the Vanguard; we are the Northern Battle Group. Everyone who stays here are brothers of one battle group, and what you and I need to do is ensure that more people can survive under desperate circumstances, what do you say?"
"Interesting, is it a competition to see who saves more people?"
"You dare not?"
"Hahaha, do you think I'm afraid of you!" Moya laughed heartily. "Let's do as you say, let's compete on this."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
Loud laughter echoed endlessly in front of the command tent. Kuka watched the scene unfold before the tent, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
"Rousi, I retract my previous assessment of your battle group. Your battle group..."
"Is actually quite interesting."