The midday sun hung as usual on the blue sky, and the beams of light piercing the clouds tied their bodies like golden threads to the speeding train.

With a loud whistle, the train slowed down and drove past the towering city walls and slowly entered the city of Noda.

The soldiers standing guard on the city wall stood up and saluted, looking solemnly at the train carrying heroes, and the main road of the city was full of people on both sides, everyone's faces were full of joy, looking forward to the end of the road, looking forward to countless heroes stepping on the mighty military posture to announce the arrival of victory.

With the sound of a horn, all the soldiers of the First Army on the military column stood in four columns, Liu Qiang stood at the head of the platoon, Wang Ping and Tian Yu wrapped in bandages stood behind them, and the three of them slowly walked out of the station carrying a platoon.

Originally, according to the original procedure, this tablet representing the sacrifice would appear behind all the soldiers, and this time, at the request of all the soldiers, they would give this honor to all the sacrificed soldiers.

The people who were eager to see the advance of the army immediately cheered, but the cheer came to an abrupt end after only a few seconds, for the first thing that appeared before them was not a mighty army, but a tablet carried by three soldiers dressed in officer attire.

Everyone was puzzled, how did the tablet come out first, shouldn't it be placed last?

Gradually, when the 1,273 soldiers of the 1st Regiment walked out of the station in four columns, the people looked at the empty station with wide eyes, and suddenly understood something, and the joy in the eyes of all the people faded in an instant, and all that was left was anxiety and fear.

"What about the others! Didn't you come out in the back?"

"It's not that there are several batches this time, it's just part of it. ”

"Whether the others are still on the front line or not, they are just coming back to report the good news. ”

"It's impossible, aren't we two legions?

................

All the people were upset and discussed, maybe they had an answer in their hearts, but they still didn't want to believe it.

At this time, a voice sounded in the crowd: "Will it be ..... Only so many people survived this war, after all... After all, this is a bloody alarm!"

Everyone was silent, a depressing aura permeated the crowd, and some people desperately covered their mouths to suppress their cries, but let the tears slowly flow from the corners of their eyes.

However, this had nothing to do with the soldiers of the First Legion, who still puffed up their chests, strutted with their heads held high, stared ahead, and followed the tablets in front of them step by step towards the Tomb of Heroes in the center of the city.

It was a huge cemetery, which buried all the soldiers who had died since the founding of Guhua City, and there were no less than 100,000 tombstones inside, but no one could have imagined that the number of casualties this time would multiply the tombstones of this hero's tomb several times.

Those who knew the truth did not have the cheers of the victory of the past, and everyone stood still with tears in their eyes.

At this moment, a white-haired old lady broke into the middle of the road, looked at Liu Qiang, who was walking in front, knelt down, and looked at him with hopeful eyes: "You still have troops behind you who haven't come, right? My grandson, I didn't see him inside, I looked for a long time." His name is Lin Yi, and his nickname is Dumb. Have you seen it?"

Liu Qiang's lips trembled and he didn't speak, because he knew that there was no one named Lin Yi among the survivors. But he couldn't get this kind of words out of his mouth, and the hopeful look in the old man's eyes made him feel uncomfortable.

In the end, he said in a trembling voice: "I'm sorry, he is not on the list of survivors!"

The hope in the old man's eyes gradually dissipated, and tears kept rolling in his cloudy eyes: "You lied to me, right, sir, you lied to me, right!"

However, the old man did not get an affirmative answer from Liu Qiang's mouth, the hope in his eyes completely disappeared, and he stood up and looked at him: "Then has he contributed to the protection of mankind!"

Wang Ping already knew who it was when the old man said the name 'Dumb', because Shuangxi told him about his deeds on the way back.

"I've fought alongside him! He's a hero!"

Hearing Wang Ping's answer, the old man was stunned and looked at him who was very immature in front of him, and his tone trembled a little: "Child.... You.... How old are you!"

"Grandma, I'm 16 years old. ”

The old man's pupils shrank, and the tears in Wang Ping's eyes filled again: "Did you go to the battlefield at such a young age?"

Wang Ping nodded, and suddenly remembered the old man's grandson's eyes: "Lin Yi personally killed three thousand six hundred and seventy-two demonic beasts, saved more than four hundred comrades-in-arms, and finally exhausted himself and died with the demonic beasts fighting against him, I'm sorry, I didn't save him when I was late, I'm sorry!"

The old man nodded and retreated to the side of the road, looking at the soldiers who continued to walk, and could no longer hold back his crying.

At this time, there was a whisper from behind the crowd: "I know this old lady, it's really pitiful!"

"What? You know? What's wrong with her?"

The person who spoke originally shook his head: "This old lady, the eldest son, the second son, and the third son all died on the battlefield, and now the only grandson is ...... Alas!"

Hearing this man's words, the people in the vicinity were silent, and everyone looked at the old man standing on the side of the road crying with respectful eyes, because their family is a hero, and this old man who personally sent his family to the battlefield is even more!

At this time, a mother with a child ran over to help the old man on the side of the road, looking at the old man's desperate eyes, this mother seemed to understand something, and immediately covered her mouth and tried her best not to cry, the child saw grandma and his mother looked a little puzzled: "Mom, grandma, why are you crying! Is Dad in those people?"

At this time, the mother could no longer hold the child and cry, as if she felt the mother's sadness, and the child's eyes were also full of tears: "Mom! Daddy will never come back, just like Uncle!"

The mother let go of the child and held his face with her hand and whispered: "Child, you have to remember that your father is a hero, he has never left, he will turn into a star in the sky and protect us all the time." ”

The child seemed to understand whether he understood or not, and looked at the soldier who was slowly passing by and clenched his fist: "I want to be a hero like my father when I grow up." ”

..............

For the first time, Wang Ping felt that the road to the Tomb of Heroes was so long, in this solemn atmosphere, he felt very tormented, as he got closer and closer to the destination, his heart became heavier and heavier, and the tablet he was carrying was like a thousand pounds.

But no matter how long the road is, there is always a time when it comes to the end, Wang Ping stopped, looking at this mausoleum that made him feel both familiar and unfamiliar, and his heart couldn't help but feel even heavier, because there were not only thousands of heroes who sacrificed to protect mankind, but also his own parents.

When their parents were still around, they often brought themselves and their sister here.

At that time, my sister and I didn't understand, they just liked to play here, but my parents would stand here motionless until I and my sister felt hungry and cried to eat, and then they would salute here and take themselves and my sister to go home for dinner.

Now he seemed to understand the feeling of his parents standing here, the feeling of sending his comrades in arms in person.

However, his parents did not die of the demon tide, but died in a mission assigned by the military, and he didn't know what that mission was, even if he sat in the position of the commander of the legion in another time and space, and then checked the mission of the year, he still got two words 'top secret'.

His parents had come to see him before they left, and he could still remember very well what had happened that day.

It was a very cool afternoon, and they walked up to them, crouched down and told him, "Mom and Dad are going on a long trip and will be back soon, you are already a big child, you have to learn to be sensible, and you have to take good care of your sister at home." ”

But they left forever, and there was not even a corpse left, only a pair of necklaces sent by others. And now the necklaces are worn on his own and sister's necks.

Maybe it's because of his parents, or maybe it's the mission of taking care of his sister, he joined the army without hesitation when he became an adult, and went through countless battles, but in the end he still ......

clenched his fists hard, this time history will never repeat itself, and everyone who hurts his sister must step over his own corpse.

At this time, the loud horn interrupted his thoughts, looked at the slowly opening tomb door, and solemnly handed the tablet to the tomb keeper in charge of the burial.

The sound of cannons echoed in the sky, and all the soldiers stood in front of them shouting the oath: "Black Gathering, trigger my nerves, night is my life."

I no longer cherish my wife and my children, my homeland.

I no longer want power and glory.

I will burn myself in this gathering darkness until I die.

I want to be the sword that guards the night

I would like to be on the walls forever, to be the eyes that stare into the black.

I want to be the flame that drives away the cold.

Watch the end of the night and the leap of dawn

Fulfill the last beautiful story of the man in your dreams

Leave an aftertaste and aftertaste

Always defend our peaceful homeland, our peaceful land,

Protect the peace, and the war will never be gone.

I promise my cause with my life and its glory.

The vows of this moment will be with you for thousands of days and nights to come. (Excerpt from the Night's Watch Oath)"

"Send the hero!"

"Send the hero!"

...............

All of them returned home with a heavy heart, and only the soldiers of the 1st Regiment stood in front of the grave and lingered until nightfall....

Wang Ping walked out of the cemetery and looked at the pretty figure standing on the side of the road at night, and the corners of his mouth cracked into a smile.

The girl also seemed to see Wang Ping standing in the middle of the road, exclaimed, ran over like crazy and threw herself into Wang Ping's arms.

Wang Ping hugged the crying girl in his arms tightly, smelled the fresh fragrance coming from her, and whispered in her ear: "Xiaoxue, my sister, I miss you so much......"

The Milky Way in the sky quietly sprinkled, draping the silver brilliance on the two of them, forever and ever.......

(End of volume)