The Grim Reaper’s Reluctant Aid

Perched on a wooden box, Lin Yu cradled the novel she had retrieved from her tent, silently retreating into a corner to immerse herself in its pages.

The large-scale breakthrough unfolding dozens of kilometers away held no bearing on the tranquility before her, just as the grunts gossiping about her mere meters away were of no concern to her.

Her sole connection to reality lay within the captivating narrative of her book.

Inevitably, her peripheral vision caught sight of the figure to her right, a man as seemingly isolated as herself, whom the other soldiers shunned as if he carried a plague.

Yet, he remained steadfast, rifle at the ready, his gaze fixed forward, utterly indifferent to the opinions of those around him—a stance Lin Yu herself had adopted.

‘How admirable…’

Suddenly, a figure loomed before her. “Lin Yu, that’s your name, isn’t it?”

Lifting her head from the protagonist’s heroic saga, she met the man’s gaze. “Yes, sir.”

The man who had sought her out was none other than the Staff Sergeant, recently appointed temporary commander, though Lin Yu remained puzzled as to the reason for his approach.

‘Oh, there’s no such thing as a “door” in a trench.’

“What can I do for you…?”

The officer standing before her wore a troubled expression. “Someone on the front line has been wounded, but he adamantly refuses your treatment.”

“That’s hardly his decision. I’m going over there now.” A mission at last, after such a long period of idleness, spurred Lin Yu to immediately set aside her book, snatch her medical kit from her side, and rise to her feet. “Where was he hit?”

“Not a bullet wound,” the Staff Sergeant clarified, shaking his head. “He was accidentally stabbed by a bayonet. It looks quite severe, and no one else knows how to properly bandage it, so it’s imperative that…”

The front line was remarkably quiet at the moment, with neither side engaging in gunfire.

So long as one remained safely concealed within the trench, refraining from foolishly poking their head out, they were unlikely to be struck by bullets or stray rounds.

Most casualties for those holding the trench typically stemmed from the attacking side’s artillery bombardment.

With the Lanfoss artillery batteries currently silent, a state of zero casualties represented the truest reality.

Regrettably, the “wounded” soldier’s predicament was far from ordinary: he had stumbled while playfully jostling with a comrade, and by an unfortunate twist of fate, a bayonet being cleaned nearby had plunged directly into his leg, now gushing blood.

Others had frantically attempted to bandage the wound, only to find the bleeding would not staunch, prompting them in their panic to recall the presence of a “field medic” within their trench.

It was then that the Staff Sergeant had rushed over, imploring Lin Yu to assist with the bandaging, despite the wounded soldier’s vehement protests.

As he explained the situation en route, Lin Yu was led directly to the wounded soldier.

“Don’t let her bandage me! I’ll die! I’ll absolutely die!”

Several more individuals were still fussing around the injured soldier.

This time, Lin Yu decisively pushed her way through, shooing away all the irrelevant onlookers before unzipping the medical kit she held.

“If you don’t immediately stop the bleeding, you *will* truly die. A blood loss of eight hundred milliliters can easily induce hemorrhagic shock…”

Lin Yu gazed at the meager bandages and tourniquets, the sole contents of her woefully under-equipped medical kit, silently cursing the designer as utterly inhumane.

“Then again, why am I even bothering to impart this knowledge to you?”

Disregarding all objections, Lin Yu proceeded without hesitation, pressing the stark white bandage into the wound.

Despite her efforts to be as gentle as possible, the sensation of a foreign object being inserted into the laceration caused the wounded soldier to tremble uncontrollably.

It could also, of course, be a precursor to shock; his face was already alarmingly pale, and a small pool of blood had begun to collect beneath him.

Given that the ground would absorb some of it, the amount of blood lost was undeniably perilous.

“To die instantly from blood loss, or to be killed by my curse *after* a full recovery—any sane person would choose the latter, wouldn’t they?”

As the rumors of “Death” were uttered directly from Lin Yu’s own lips, not only did the wounded soldier’s expression shift dramatically, but the surrounding soldiers could no longer suppress their murmurs.

Lin Yu silently bore the weight of their stares and criticisms, her focus unwavering on the soldier before her as she wound the bandage tightly for another turn.

“This is only a temporary measure. Find someone to help you to the medical post behind us to get a few stitches…” She exhaled slowly, tucking the remaining, unused tourniquet back into her cloth bag, then helped the wounded soldier to his feet.

Unfortunately, her strength proved insufficient; halfway to standing, he slumped back to the ground, nearly dragging Lin Yu down with him into the small pool of blood.

“And you lot!” Realizing she couldn’t lift him alone, Lin Yu pivoted, directing her attention to the soldiers idly standing nearby. “Do you only know how to stand there and gossip? If you have something to say, say it to my face, won’t you? Doubts, criticisms, whatever it may be—just don’t whisper behind my back like cowards!”

With their clandestine topic so bluntly exposed by her, every soldier instinctively recoiled, none daring to continue the discussion.

Naturally, no one moved to help.

“Is there truly no one willing to lend a hand?”

She asked again, and after a brief, tense silence, a lone figure stepped forward from the throng. “He was injured because I wasn’t paying attention while cleaning my bayonet. Let me help.”

“Remember to be gentle; don’t aggravate the wound.” Observing the soldier carefully help the injured man to his feet and confirming their path towards the communication trench leading to the rear, Lin Yu finally allowed herself to relax.

On her way back, she casually discarded the empty packaging of the used tourniquet, then rolled the last remaining one into a tight ball and tucked it into her pocket.

Her once pristine medic uniform was now marred by streaks of blood and the ubiquitous dust and grime of the trench, leaving her looking thoroughly disheveled.

Her attire, she mused, had perhaps begun to blend with the very essence of the trench itself.

Her interpersonal relationships, however, remained entirely estranged.

As long as the moniker of “Death” clung to her, she would never truly be their comrade.

She could only be a “compatriot,” merely sharing military service, never forging bonds of life-and-death camaraderie…

‘Besides, who would *want* to share life and death with these men? They’re nothing more than grunts living day to day, mere cannon fodder for a ragtag unit. Any extra second of life they gain is purely a mercy from the Lanfoss artillery.’

Settling back onto the wooden box where she had spent the entire morning, Lin Yu once more picked up her novel, flipping to the page she had left off to resume reading.

With a casual gesture, she pulled her steel helmet down a little further, obscuring most of her face, preventing anyone nearby from discerning her expression.

Thanks to her earlier confrontation, the surrounding soldiers had ceased their gossip, which was a welcome change.

Lin Yu knew well that even if their lips remained sealed, their hearts would still harbor discomfort, much as she now felt a similar aversion toward them.

Yet, so long as she remained deaf to their unspoken thoughts, she could continue to read in peace, content to sit within this trench, awaiting the day her true purpose would be called upon.

What specific role she was meant to fulfill remained obscure, just as she remained baffled by what merit or ability had led the General Staff to specifically assign her to this “assault team.”

Something would always come of it, just as this war, too, would eventually conclude.

With this quiet resolve, she leaned against the trench’s breastwork and calmly turned to the next page.

‘Like… no, not “like.” I’m simply a field medic, passing the days.’

It wasn’t long before a figure appeared before her once more.

“Hello.”

A voice, faintly familiar, suggested an acquaintance.

Bearing this thought, she pushed up her steel helmet and lifted her gaze.

Lin Yu’s eyes met those of the newcomer, and she instantly understood the familiarity of the voice—it was he.

Lin Yu immediately pursed her lips, responding with a hint of annoyance, “What do you want?”

As he rolled up his sleeve, revealing a freshly bleeding wound, Lin Yu felt her vision dim.

‘What kind of divine idiot is this?!’