Hello, Arknights

Chapter 381 Battle Damage

"Shall we make a bet?" Ling Duan burped as he sat by the pavilion, then smiled and used the tip of his ink-stained tail to draw small animals on the forehead of a certain Ling who was sleeping on the grass beside the steps under the pavilion.

"What are you betting on... I'm really tired this time... I don't know how many more battles I have to fight..." Ling Dengxian didn't open his eyes and lay on the soft green grass. He could only lie down in his dreams. In reality, he was afraid that he would not even dare to touch his back.

"What, are you scared?"

"Which one?" Ling Dengxian grabbed the tip of her evil tail. The latter struggled nimbly a few times, leaving only a trace of ink on him.

"Both, betting and fighting." Ling leaned against the pavilion pillar and looked at him. A gentle breeze blew across the grass, taking away the aroma of wine and leaving a cool breeze on the ground.

"...As for fighting, I won't leave until I have something more important to do. Any normal person would hate a life without security, right?" Ling Dengxian opened his eyes. "As for a bet... what do you want to bet on?"

"How long will you be lying down this time?" Ling's words forced him to think about this problem. Although he said it very powerfully, objectively speaking, due to his serious injuries, he would probably be unable to fight for a while, and he would not be able to fight even if he tried to be brave.

"Where's the bet?" Ling Dengxian only sighed. After all, he had no choice. "I'm sure to win."

"Oh? So imposing?" Ling asked in surprise.

"After all, you made a fatal mistake," Ling Dengxian said confidently, "I have a back injury, there's no way I can lie down."

"...I'm surprised you're still so optimistic." Ling smiled helplessly, but after thinking about some factors, he couldn't help but smile meaningfully. "But a gentleman's word is as good as a horse's back. I won't change my bet - do you still dare to bet?"

"...What will happen if we lose?" Ling Dengxian sensed something was wrong.

"If you lose..." Ling's expression suddenly calmed down, "Promise me that even if you go to Yan Country in the future, don't try to find me."

"...Hey, hey, that's a bit deliberate. Both deliberate and suspicious." Ling Dengxian sat up, puzzled. "Why are you suddenly bringing up meeting in person?"

"...How should I put it? My actual appearance is different from this image. Many friendships like this only make us cherish each other more when we keep a distance." Ling laughed, picked up the lantern, and walked away, swinging his long tail.

"What if I win?" Ling Dengxian asked.

"Win? It's up to you." Ling turned around, and white light began to appear everywhere in the dream world. "How about I agree to one of your requests? As long as I can do it."

"You choose first. Will you bet on it not lying down, or will it lie down?"

Ling was very confident and directly emphasized again that she knew about the loophole in the text that Ling Dengxian had found. Ling Dengxian thought about it carefully and felt that it was just a casual bet, so he made a bet in the opposite direction: "Then I'll bet that I'll be lying down when I wake up."

Ling raised an eyebrow, but smiled in relief at the result. He waved his hand and lay back down. "By the way, I put a lot of energy into helping you this time. You may not see me for a while. After all, my spirit incarnation is still on Rhodes Island... I also need to rest well."

"Wait, how long was I unconscious?"

"One day and one night—"

White light spread, Ling Dengxian opened his eyes, and what came into view was another unfamiliar ceiling, oh, not the tent roof.

Huh? Tent roof? Ling Dengxian suddenly sat up and looked back to see that he was indeed lying down.

"Where's the injury?" Ling Dengxian subconsciously touched his back and clearly felt bloodstains and bandages, but that level of serious injury could not be healed to this extent by medicine in such a short time.

He immediately realized something, clenched his fists, and warm power surged from his palms. White flames emerged like flowing water, surrounding his arms and burning quietly.

"Bai Yan can be used again..." Ling Dengxian finally understood what Ling meant before. It seemed that he would not be a burden anymore.

He looked around and found that he was the only one in the tent, so he tried to move his limbs. After finding that he was not seriously injured, he got off the folding bed. The movement caused severe pain in his back. It seemed that his injury was indeed very serious, and Bai Yan had not fully recovered.

But it didn't hinder Ling's movements. He moved around for a while and was about to leave the tent to look for his clothes when the blond Vayfan opened the tent and walked in. He was very surprised to find that he was awake: "Mr. White Dove..."

"Jane? Are you okay? What's the situation now? Has support arrived?"

"I'm fine, but you need to rest well! You've suffered so many injuries..." Jane Willow hurriedly motioned for him to sit back. He shook his head and turned around to show her his wounds, indicating that he was temporarily fine, and asked about the current situation again.

"...I know you might want to look for Bagpipe first, but...promise me you'll just watch from the side and don't disturb them yet, okay?" Jane's eyes showed sadness. Ling Dengxian's mind gradually cleared up and he remembered that the Storm Commandos and the remnants of the Deep Pool were fighting the blood-red monster in another direction, and they had lost all their advantage...

Accompanied by Jian, Ling Dengxian put on his coat and walked out of the tent. He vaguely realized something, but the scene of widespread grief in front of him made his chest suddenly stagnate. There was no need to remind him to remain silent.

The pervasive feeling of sorrow and the large number of neatly arranged white cloth covers in his field of vision made him feel a little breathless.

In the early morning, the surviving soldiers lined up silently in front of countless corpses. The pain, sadness, and difficulty in accepting all turned into silent solemnity that flowed freely in their salutes.

Ling Dengxian saw the Storm Commandos. He really didn't want to continue watching them with their sad and swollen eyes. He took a step back, but almost fell down. Jian helped him up and signaled that he should have a good rest.

"...Tell me the outcome of this battle."

There were more than 1,500 infected people in the regiment before the war, but after this battle, only three out of ten survived. The new Shenchi subordinates who came to support later suffered the most serious losses in the final battle against the enemy. The original nearly 1,200 people were killed in the attack and defense of fortifications and the battle against the blood-red monsters.

After estimation and statistics, it was roughly concluded that there were at least 15,000 bloody monsters attacking this time. In the direct combat in the second half of the battle, the previous loss rate of 1 to 10 was reduced to zero, and the infected group, which was already small in number, suffered a fatal blow.

Under the final attack of the Windermere army's naval guns, the remaining nearly 10,000 blood-red monsters finally collapsed, and at least half of them were killed in the pursuing artillery fire.

In the battle of Changquan Town, the human side won a tragic victory.

In this battle, the Stormtroopers and Companion Shield Guards were at the forefront. At critical moments, some even paid the price of their lives for the overall situation.

"Oboe...cello..." He was stunned when he heard the names that were not so unfamiliar to him. The bagpipes and they used to be inseparable, and he was not without social connections with them.

A vibrant life lay under the white cloth.

Half of Madeline's old comrades were also killed, and those who survived were as badly injured as they were. However, in this scene, even the Storm Commandos, as outstanding as the Horn, could not completely protect their members.

Bones are exposed in the wild, and no rooster crows for a thousand miles. If only one person out of a hundred survives, the thought breaks one's heart.

Ling Dengxian agreed with Jane's idea and did not act rashly, leaving them space for a sad farewell.