Returning near the medical station, Lin Yu bid farewell to Yang Xi without delay.
“I should go back and help. Goodbye…”
He turned and walked away silently once more.
This time, however, Lin Yu lacked the presence of mind, or indeed the inclination, to correct him.
She needed to rush back and check if Nangong had been injured in the recent chaos.
****
Compared to when they had left, the number of wounded awaiting treatment had significantly increased.
Even individuals clad in medic uniforms now lay among them.
Approaching the familiar tent, Lin Yu lifted the canvas flap with a sense of apprehension.
Amidst the flurry of white-clad medics, she spotted a familiar face.
“Nangong, I’m so glad you’re alright…”
“Alright? What’s alright about this?” Nangong looked up, her expression turning exasperated upon seeing Lin Yu enter.
She gestured for Lin Yu to come over and help.
“A bunch of lunatics were firing their guns right outside the tent, bullets whizzing past our scalps…”
“Aren’t you going to hurry over and help?”
“Coming, coming. Let me just wash my hands.”
Hundreds of Lanforthians had descended upon the base of the mountain, firing indiscriminately, and the impact on the medical station was undeniably severe.
The tents, serving as their primary cover, offered absolutely no bulletproof protection; a single bullet could pierce through an entire row.
If someone had unfortunately been in the bullet’s path, those inside would naturally have been shot, injured, or even killed.
Lin Yu had witnessed many white tents riddled with bullet holes and bloodstains on her way here, a testament to this grim reality.
Carefully, Lin Yu washed her hands with disinfectant by the basin and dried them.
She then returned to the operating table, standing to the side, observing what she could do to assist.
The injured soldier had been shot in the leg, several blood vessels and nerves severed.
The lead medic was desperately trying to reattach them.
“Alright, alright, the bleeding’s stopped. Stitch him up over there, be careful not to touch this area…”
For an injury that, by conventional standards, could be “cured” with a single amputation, the lead medic was surprisingly opting for a full surgical procedure.
From Nangong’s expression, it was clear she strongly disapproved of this treatment plan.
However, there was little she could do, as the other medic was in charge.
“That’s enough, we’re done here. Clear all the instruments.”
A faint surge of magic rippled nearby, immediately drawing Lin Yu’s attention.
A familiar green mist emanated from the medic’s palm, and as points of light permeated the skin, the incision made by the scalpel swiftly healed, leaving almost no trace of the previous injury.
The medic wielding healing magic… it wasn’t Nangong.
“You there, the one in green, fetch me a bottle of magic potion.”
The unidentified medic seemed to be calling out to Lin Yu.
After all, the entire tent was filled with medics in white uniforms; she was the only one in ordinary military attire.
Beside the basin containing disinfectant, there was a stack of bottles and jars.
Recalling the shape of the bottle the military doctor had held earlier, Lin Yu selected a cork-sealed vial of liquid.
Only after gently shaking it to confirm its contents did Lin Yu hand the bottle to the magic-wielding medic, watching as she yanked out the cork and gulped down its contents.
She downed it in a single, hearty swig, not bothering to wipe her lips before directing the other medics to bring in the next casualty.
However, it wasn’t a wounded soldier who entered from outside, but a Black-armored guard (TL Note: ‘Xuan Yi Wei,’ literally ‘Black Clothes Guard,’ a term for a specialized guard or security force.).
“All medics! Immediately gather your supplies and retreat to the rear! Quickly! Wounded who can walk, walk! Those who can’t, be carried! Leave all critically wounded behind!”
The black-clad soldier lifted the canvas flap, shouted his orders into the tent, and then departed.
This left the tent full of wounded and medics staring at each other in stunned silence.
The silence lasted only a few seconds.
Moments later, everyone inside the tent erupted into chaos: some fled, others frantically gathered their belongings, and a few even collided and stumbled in their haste.
Seizing the moment, Lin Yu quickly moved closer to Nangong, who was wearing a mask.
“Nangong, what’s happening now?”
Nangong pulled down her mask with one hand.
“I don’t know, I’ve been busy with them… Weren’t you just wandering around? You should know more, did you see anything outside?”
“Not wandering,” Lin Yu corrected, pointing to her chest where the metallic medal protruded prominently from her flat chest.
“I was pulled in by some Major from the Military Propaganda Department for an interview, and they even gave me a medal.”
“Forget the medal for now. We’ve received orders to retreat, so hurry and pack up.”
“I…”
Nangong swiftly searched through the medical supplies piled high in the tent for an unopened wooden crate.
She hoisted one into her arms and began walking out of the tent.
The wounded who could get out of bed did so, while those with difficulty walking were assisted by medics, limping their way out.
Wounded soldiers who hadn’t yet undergone surgery gazed around with sorrowful eyes, or closed them in resigned acceptance.
Noticing their mournful gazes, Lin Yu too felt a pang of sadness.
She averted her eyes from theirs and began searching for useful supplies to prepare for the retreat.
‘Hoo-hoo, an entire crate of painkillers. As expected of a regular army; not only do they have healing mages, but their medical supplies are also incredibly comprehensive.’
Quietly, she slipped two doses into her pocket.
Lin Yu then picked up the heavy wooden crate, swaying with each step as she made her way out of the tent.
In just a few minutes, the logistics area, which had previously maintained a semblance of order, was now utter pandemonium, teeming with surging figures.
Further back, Black-armored guards, acting as a disciplinary squad, had also appeared.
They patrolled between the tents, rifles clutched, attempting to maintain order, diligently preventing soldiers from fleeing, and urging them to pick up their weapons and return to the front lines.
It seemed that if verbal persuasion failed, bullets would provide the ultimate argument.
Lin Yu felt a flicker of confusion.
The wave of Lanforthians that had charged down had already been annihilated, so why were the medics being ordered to retreat with the wounded?
‘Could it be that when they charged down, they also managed to shoot the commander of the Reserve 104th Regiment?’
Lin Yu carefully recalled everything she had seen through the binoculars…
‘No, if I just glance over there, I’ll know.’
She immediately set down the wooden crate, searching for a vantage point.
Soon, she was climbing atop stacked boxes, reaching a height comparable to the tent’s roof.
Picking up the binoculars the Flying Kick Major had left her, she meticulously observed the location of the command post.
‘Hmm…’
Adjusting to the appropriate magnification, Lin Yu saw the civilian house that had been requisitioned as the command post.
People were active both inside and outside, making it unlikely that the commander had been killed.
Indeed, a man stood at the entrance, gesticulating wildly as he issued commands to those around him.
He was undoubtedly the commander of this unit.
‘So the question remains—why retreat? Only three targets in the rear would be affected: the medical station, the supply and casualty collection point, the command post—the brain of the entire force—and the artillery… pos… ition…’
Upon reaching this conclusion, Lin Yu suddenly understood the reason: the artillery positions.
The artillery positions were situated on the reverse slope halfway up the mountain, directly in the path of the Lanforthians’ descent.
The artillerymen on those positions… had most likely been slaughtered or stabbed en masse.
There was no sound of artillery shells exploding on the mountain, suggesting the Lanforthians hadn’t had time to tamper with the ordnance.
Thus, the artillery positions still held intact cannons and ready-to-fire shells.
But there were no artillerymen left.
Lin Yu increased the magnification, slowly scanning the artillery positions through the binoculars.
Sure enough, she discovered Diacla soldiers lying scattered around the heavy cannons.
Artillerymen, like medics, were specialized personnel; they couldn’t simply be replaced by two random individuals pulled from the ranks to fill a gap.
After such a sudden assault, the Diacla military’s artillery would undoubtedly fall silent until the next wave of reinforcements arrived.
If a defensive operation lacked artillery cover, and the attacking side happened to possess precise and fierce artillery support, the battle would unfold exactly as Lin Yu had witnessed three days prior.
‘Foreseeing this scenario, they’re ordering the supplies and wounded to evacuate first, while they stay behind to hold the line?’
‘It seems this commander is quite responsible, unlike that Major who retreats like the wind.’
Hanging the binoculars back at her waist, Lin Yu nimbly leaped from the stack of empty crates to the ground.
She then picked up a crate of painkillers and continued her swaying journey towards the rear.
‘Having lost Tuo City, then Mang River, then the plains, there’s nothing left to lose.’
‘What began as a proper overseas expedition to repel the Lanforthian intervention force and restore peace to the foreign mountains has now devolved into a defensive war on our own border.’
‘It’s utterly disgraceful.’
‘Sigh… When will they finally get their act together? The Lanforthians have long-range artillery and rolling barrages, yet the Diacla side shows no innovation, only blowing whistles to send thousands upon thousands charging into barbed wire, only conscripting able-bodied men and pocketing their pay.’
‘The General Staff Department truly is full of incompetent fools.’
Struggling to carry the crate, Lin Yu was about to exit the medical tent’s perimeter when she was suddenly confronted by the muzzle of a rifle.
“Step back! The order is that no one except medics and the wounded are allowed to evacuate!”
She glanced left and right, but saw no one else attempting to flee…
‘Huh?’
The crate hit the ground with a thud.
She stumbled back two steps, nervously clutching the front of her clothing.
‘Is that Black-armored guard yelling at me?’
Lin Yu attempted to explain, “Um… I’m a medic, I just…”
“Last warning, step back! Or I’ll open fire!”
‘Oh no, this is bad. Because I’m not wearing a medic uniform, I’ve been mistaken for a common soldier trying to sneak away in the confusion.’
‘What’s wrong with this disciplinary squad?! The position is about to be lost, yet they’re still so diligently blocking the rear!’