The sergeant came out of the barracks tent, and Alberta looked at the sergeant, who said to Alberta, "This is war...... Come in with me, kid! ”

As Alberta walked into the barracks, he glanced back at the camp of the defenders of Port Epalai...... He saw some of the soldiers lying on the ground, in the charcoal-black ruins of the wooden houses that had been burned and burned in the daytime, and the soldiers were leaning against the ruins, already asleep as if they were dead.

Alberta looked closely, and the soldier was two years younger than him...... Probably nineteen years old......

As Alberta entered the tent, a man in a colonel's uniform was looking at a military map of Port Epale and saying, "Who's defending our south side?" ”

Alberta saw the captain next to the colonel and hurriedly replied, "Third Company ......"

Young Alberta stood beside the colonel and captain, and he listened to their conversation: "You only sent a company to defend the south side?" If the Opperon Empire were to attack our south, we would lose our southern position, lose our southern position, and the whole position would be in danger. The colonel's voice was a little screeching, revealing steadiness and decisiveness: "Send the Seventh Company to garrison in the south." I believe that tomorrow this will be the focus of the Empire's preparations for an attack. ”

"But Your Excellency ......the Colonel," said the captain puzzled, "the Seventh Company suffered heavy losses in the day's fighting...... We make the seven ......"

"This is an order, no questioning!" The colonel was very decisive.

"Your Excellency!" The captain responded.

"We don't have enough troops, the Seventh Company is the only one that is resting, and I'm not thinking about casualties, but about whether we can hold Epale ......" The colonel was saying, and the sergeant came to the side of the second lieutenant and saluted sharply: "Report to Your Excellency the Colonel!" That fisherman gentleman has been brought! ”

The Colonel turned his head and turned to look at Alberta, and he said to the Staff Major and the Captain, "You guys will lay out the defensive line in detail and wait for the Empire's attack tomorrow!" After the colonel finished speaking, he waved at Alberta: "You! Come to my side. ”

Alberta came to the Colonel, who said to Alberta, "I heard my soldiers say, you killed an Imperial soldier?" And you did not leave the port, from the daytime battles to the present? ”

Alberta nodded, ash and soot on his face, blood soaked from his body, especially his shoulders, which were still covered in bandages. His cheeks were stained with blood......

"You're a fisherman?" The colonel asked.

"Yes sir, I make a living from fishing."

"You should call me Your Excellency Colonel."

"Who are we fighting against, Colonel?" Alberta's voice seemed to be a little anxious.

"Empire...... Opperon Empire. Damn it...... Damn the Opperon Empire, according to intelligence, the Opperon Empire uses the same rifles as us, and their warships are the same as ours, but why do they suddenly have advanced rifles? Where did the advanced ironclad warships come from......" the colonel said to himself.

"Your Excellency Colonel......" Alberta asked tentatively, "Who is the Opperon Empire?" And why are they attacking us? ”

The colonel looked at Alberta: "You didn't go to school?" Didn't take geography and history classes? ”

"Your Excellency Colonel, I didn't even go to elementary school, I'm just a fisherman, I don't know how to read......"

The Colonel looked at Alberta seriously again: "I have a task for you!" ”

"Task? Your Excellency, I am not your soldiers...... I don't even know who attacked us, I ......"

The colonel stopped him with a wave of his hand: "You have no room for bargaining...... It's war, the citizens have all retreated, and there are only soldiers here, and I, Colonel Comandi, as the Supreme Commander of the Port of Epalai, the Supreme Commander of the Seventh Guard Brigade, have the right to mobilize all my forces to guard the port of Epalai. Do you understand what I mean by this, and what I really mean in my whole life? My Mr. Fisherman? ”

Alberta swallowed hard: "What kind of mission?" ”

The colonel said to Alberta, "Over there! The colonel pointed to the distance: "I need you to cross half of the town, send a letter to the defenders on the other side of the town, one of my battalions is divided on the opposite side of the harbor town, I need to contact them and let them break through to my side." The task is simple. ”

"I ...... I'm not your soldier, I'm not even a soldier! Your Excellency, you can ask your soldiers to do this...... I...... I'm just a fisherman! It's just a citizen......" Alberta argued.

"No...... You are wrong, when your letter arrives, you are a corporal in the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Brigade. I will put the letter of appointment and the letter of command in one envelope at the same time. The colonel informed Alberta.

"No...... No, you ......" Alberta pushed back, and he said, "You...... You don't have the right to do that...... I...... I am a citizen, and I have the right not to obey your orders. I don't even know who attacked us! I see, you have at least a thousand soldiers under your command, and if you look for any person, they are all more experienced than me! ”

"On the contrary," the colonel told Alberta, "not a single soldier under my command survived three hours under enemy attack...... But you lived from day to night. And I can tell you: you have to take on this task. Otherwise...... I can tell you: now in Epalai there are no citizens, only two kinds of people, the dead and the warriors...... Which one do you choose to be? ”

Alberta choked up: "I just came from the opposite side, where you asked me to go to the mission, and ran over!" There's about a kilometer left before I can run out of town...... Now, I'm going to listen to you and travel through the city again? I could have taken your letter and escaped from here! Also, do you know what kind of weapons the enemy holds? Their weapons are much more advanced than ours! I can disobey your commands. ”

The Principal sighed, "Why did I choose you?" Because I can tell you clearly: my soldiers have their mission, and their mission is to stop the enemy here...... And you, more than any of my soldiers, have more experience. You survive the longest in the ruined city. Moreover, I am a commander, and my task and duty are to give each soldier exactly what they need! "Therefore I must be ruthless, we must fight against death, and to defeat it will be more ruthless than he is!"...... Every one of my soldiers is going to die where they should! Therefore...... I want you to complete this task! ”

The colonel looked into the distance and said, "As for you wanting to escape?" I'm sure you won't. For in your eyes I do not see the cunning and simplicity of a fisherman, but I can see a great soul, a great soul waiting for a cry ready to roar...... Even you know that the enemy's weapons are stronger than ours, and I, as a professional soldier, know this even more. And I'm sure you'll do it. Also, how many of us do you think will survive this war? I can tell you that no one ...... Do you think I'll survive this war alive? No...... I tell you, like the soldiers, you may have seen the charge of our Epale army. When all my soldiers are dead, it's my turn! Sole! ”

The colonel paused: "The only person who can survive is to be able to cross there!" The colonel pointed to the sea of fire and the ruins in the distance and said, "The only person who can live is the one who can cross there...... Whoever crosses the past will survive. ”

The colonel added: "I don't see in your eyes that it is a fisherman, but on the contrary...... I saw something else, maybe ......" the colonel paused, he was about to say, "Maybe only one person will make it out alive......" but he swallowed the phrase.

Alberta's tears flowed silently: "Why? ”

The colonel paused and said, "Because ...... You've been swept in, you've seen the Grim Reaper, with its scythe, harvesting everyone here...... A kilometer away, do you think you can escape out of town? Unfortunately for you, after the last citizens evacuated during the day, the Imperial army had blockaded the entire city......"

Alberta's tears ran down the side of the tip of his nose, down his chin and fell to the ground...... He said slowly, "Someone has to do it, right?" ”

……

Alberta received a military uniform with no rank and a breech-loading rifle with a breech-loading one-child bolt-action rifle at the Quartermaster's Office. He also received thirty rounds of ammunition, compressed dry rations, three synthetic biscuits, and a military kettle filled with water.

This was the limit of what could be done to him, and several veterans followed Alberta, constantly laughing at him. They even made whistle-blowing noises to describe that he would soon die...... Someone else said: "Of course, the task of sending people to death has to be done by others!" ”

Alberta gritted his teeth hard to keep his mouth from shaking too much, but his jaw and teeth chattered all the time. He walked through the trenches and arrived at the makeshift infirmary, where the field doctor gave medicine to the wounds on his neck and shoulder. Then Alberta went outside. The veterans were still laughing at him......

Alberta turned around sharply and howled loudly at them, and he didn't say anything, just howled......

The veterans froze in place, and after a short while, Alberta walked away, and they lost their intention to mock Alberta.

The sergeant, who had taken Alberta to the colonel's tent, was waiting for Alberta near the exit from the trench: "Be careful on the road. ”

Alberta glared at the sergeant, "I thought I would find you to help me get out of the city...... But you have sent me to the feet of death! ”

The sergeant replied with confidence: "I'm saving your life!" Kid ......"

Alberta was far away, and the chief of staff, the major, asked the colonel: "Your Excellency...... Why did you have to order him to do this? ”

The colonel said slowly: "Because I have seen so many people, only he has the temperament of a king in his eyes, he is not a fisherman...... Fishermen can't have the temperament of a king. When he finds out one day, he'll be grateful to me for letting him cross that line! The Colonel said, "That line," pointing to the ruins in the distance and the seemingly nonexistent flames of war......

The colonel concluded, "Perhaps...... Of all our defenders in Epale, he is the only one who can get out of here alive......"

……