Hayes zipped up his bag silently, then turned to look at Hachet, who just smiled and waved to him.
He also waved to the other party, then picked up his bag and put it on his shoulder, walking through the crowd without saying a word. Suddenly he saw his group leader.
Arni's armor has long since lost its original luster and brand-new appearance. It is covered with traces of battle. The left shoulder, right leg knee, and left rib are all damaged, and dried blood has formed black deposits on the joints.
He seemed to be inspecting the military camp, and even the Crusader guards following him had reduced from the past twenty to only three or four, all of whom were injured. This shows how brutal the previous battle was.
Then Arney noticed Hayes and waved to him.
Hayes trotted over, raised his chest and raised his head in salute.
"Captain!"
A smile appeared on Arni's pale and tired face, and he seemed to feel much better after seeing the "lucky thing" in the group.
"Hayes, it's great that you are still alive."
Then he noticed the bag on Hayes' shoulder, thought of something, and nodded.
"That's fine. You've already given a lot, but I'm just a little sorry. Originally, I wanted to win a soldier's medal for you."
Hayes put down his hand, and after a moment of silence, he boldly faced his leader for the first time.
"Captain, why are you all still here? Why are you waiting here to die?"
Arni showed a bitter smile and reached out to touch Hayes' head.
"Because this is an order. We are required to hold on to our position. Before we get the order to retreat, even if we hit a single soldier, we have to be nailed here."
Hayes wanted to say something else, but in the end he swallowed it back in his throat.
Arnie then patted him on the shoulder.
"Hayes, you have been allowed to leave the battlefield, but I hope you can remember those brave people and the glorious moments you served in the future."
After that, he turned and left.
Hayes stood in a daze for a while, then turned around, but after taking a few steps he saw Hubley. The big man's left hand had disappeared from the elbow, and he was wrapped in a bandage and leaning weakly against the box.
He seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep. Hayes knew that Habri was most afraid of pain, and such an injury must be very bad for him.
He felt something was reproaching his conscience.
After taking another two steps, he saw Winter. The boy was lowering his head to sort out ammunition. His waist and head were wrapped with bandages, and he seemed to be sobbing softly.
Hayes walked over and patted the other party's shoulder gently. Winter raised his head and then said in surprise:
"Brother Hayes! You...you wake up!"
Hayes nodded.
"Ah, I'm lucky that I didn't die."
“That’s good but everyone”
Winter turned to look at the helmets piled randomly aside. Horrible injuries could be seen on many helmets, including lacerations and penetrating injuries.
"There are not many people left in the company. Brother Peak was also killed in action, and political commissar Ayi was also killed in action. Are we all going to die here?"
Hayes looked at the helmets, was silent for a long time, and then stretched out his hand.
"Winter, please give me your expedition manual and give me a ride."
Winter didn't know what happened, but he still handed the expedition manual to Hayes, and then followed him to the almost empty rail transport station, where a railcar full of wounded soldiers and railcars were parked.
Winter talked a lot with Hayes on the way, and also mentioned the last meal he had with his family when they were leaving. He didn't know what it was that evening. When he returned home after feeding the animals, he found his parents and sisters.
were sitting in the kitchen waiting for him, and it was obvious that everyone had cried, their eyes red and swollen with sadness.
At first, he was still wondering why they were crying, until he saw the enlistment notice with black borders lying quietly on the table between them. The Imperial Eagle on the surface said everything.
The meal was extraordinarily sumptuous, the pan simmering on the stove emitting the smoke of the meat and the delicious aroma of his favorite food.
But Winter admitted that he couldn't taste it at all, because at that time he suddenly thought that no matter how many years were left in his life, those same aromas would now forever be associated with a desperate sadness.
He then talked about his mother's anxiety when he was ill as a child, but she had no choice but to hold him and pray to the Emperor until his father found a doctor.
There is also the effort he and his father put in to move and build a new water pump. He even broke his head because of this, leaving a shallow scar. His mother complained about his father for a long time.
Their life patterns seem to repeat themselves day after day, only changing with the seasons. However, there are always unforgettable details. This is the meaning of family, which gives life to a seemingly boring life.
Some real meanings are also things that Hayes has never understood or will never understand in the future.
But he suddenly realized the goal of all the wars he had experienced, just like the fog cleared before his eyes. It had nothing to do with faith or honor, it was just fighting for those who could not fight.
A smoking officer waited impatiently at the front of the car. When he saw the two people, he immediately shouted:
"Hurry up! It's just you! Otherwise I'm leaving! The heretics are coming soon!"
"Brother Hayes, are you leaving?"
Winter looked at the cart with a slightly envious tone, and then his tone became lower. In fact, he had already guessed that Hayes would not come to this place for no reason.
"Then can you help me bring some words to my family?"
Before he could finish speaking, Hayes directly thrust the voucher into Winter's hand, and then pushed him forward.
"Go back and talk to them yourself."
Winter was stunned on the spot, his mind barely reacting. Hayes just opened his expedition manual, then poked a hole in the last page, and then threw it at the opponent.
"Winter, you don't belong to the war, you belong to the farmland, family and relatives. Just let these memories of the war stay on paper."
Winter took the expedition manual and asked blankly:
"What about you, Brother Hayes?"
Hayes answered with a smile, his tone was particularly relaxed, as if he was talking about a trivial matter.
"I want to be with my father, my comrades, my commander, and my regiment."
"Hurry up!!! Or I'm leaving!!!"
Hearing the whistle, Winter hesitated for a moment, then finally turned around and ran towards the officer, and handed the officer the voucher tremblingly. The officer let him get on the car without even looking at it, and then the truck started running slowly.
Winter ran to the parking space and shook his arms vigorously.
"Brother Hayes! You must survive!!!!!"
Hayes smiled and waved goodbye to the other party, then turned around. He had already heard the crazy roar in the wind, and the sound of gunfire that seemed far away, but he was used to all the loneliness, struggle, and despair.
, all disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented sense of transcendent tranquility.
He has his own relatives, his own family, and an "identity" in the true sense.
War can never hurt him again.
War will no longer scare him.
The young soldier held the red little angel statue in his hand and walked firmly towards the battlefield, disappearing into the endless noise.