Chapter 10: My Great Commander, Are You All Right!?
Suddenly, a series of cold, emotionless system notifications sounded in his ears:
[Ding! Lieutenant Uesugi Jin of the enemy forces has suffered a psychological fear increase of 50 due to the “Human-Shaped Butterfly,” and has become terrified!]
[Ding! Soldier Takeshita has suffered a psychological fear increase of 100 due to the “Human-Shaped Butterfly,” and has suffered a mental breakdown!]
[Ding! Sergeant Omamori has suffered a psychological fear increase of 100 due to the “Human-Shaped Butterfly,” and has fallen into madness, completely losing combat ability!]
…
Listening to the incessant system alerts, Jiang Bai felt a touch of astonishment.
He hadn’t expected the “Human-Shaped Butterfly” to have such a devastating impact on the enemy’s psyche!
In the earlier battle, he had spent nearly an hour laboriously defeating twenty enemy soldiers, barely denting their morale.
Yet, with the appearance of the “Human-Shaped Butterfly,” seven or eight enemy soldiers collapsed psychologically, losing all will to fight.
A dozen more were affected, unlikely to recover anytime soon, and might even be scarred for life!
“Could it really be so serious?” Jiang Bai turned to ask a soldier from the Fengtian faction, who had been observing his “artistic creation,” “Do you think my actions just now were excessive?”
The soldier immediately shuddered, forcing a smile as he replied, “No, not at all…”
Before he finished speaking, the soldier rolled his eyes and fainted right there.
Had Jiang Bai not reacted quickly to catch him, at their current speed, the soldier would surely have been gravely injured!
Watching the frantic efforts to revive him, Jiang Bai could only smile bitterly.
He then began to tally the day’s achievements.
With his own strength alone, Jiang Bai had nearly halved the enemy’s vanguard.
Such an astonishing feat was unrivaled not only in the Eastern Four Provinces, but even nationwide it was rare for anyone to match it.
Yet, all of this was owed to the influence of that raging aura.
Without its effect, with his usual temperament, he would never have acted so extremely.
Clearly, he had underestimated the power of the raging aura.
As Jiang Bai pondered how to harness it in the future, the convoy drew near to Fengtian, just a few miles away, when a distant rumbling echoed through the air.
With clouds of dust rising, rows of troop transports swept closer, engines roaring.
Upon seeing the rapidly approaching troop transports, the elite guards’ expressions changed drastically. They shouted,
“Get ready! Hold formation, prepare to face the enemy!”
With the urgent pounding of hooves, the guards swiftly surrounded Zhang Zuolin and Jiang Bai, placing them in the center.
After the brutal combat earlier, from the original twenty-odd men, only seven or eight remained, two of them wounded and covered in blood.
Yet their eyes still burned with resolute fighting spirit!
Seeing everyone united, prepared to face death together, Jiang Bai felt not excitement, but sorrow.
Fengtian was not only the administrative heart of the Eastern Four Provinces, but also the foremost front in the warlords’ resistance against the invading army.
If Fengtian was lost, the fate of the Begonia Leaf was at constant risk of being trampled by enemy forces!
The importance of this place was beyond measure.
Yet such a vital location had been infiltrated by enemy spies like a sieve, with strategic points like railways and docks heavily garrisoned.
So much so that, faced with the advancing army, it was impossible to discern whether they were friend or foe.
If they were allies, all would be well.
But if they were enemies,
Then Jiang Bai would not only be unable to protect Zhang Zuolin,
Even his own escape would be in grave doubt!
Though Jiang Bai was physically formidable,
Before artillery, he was as fragile as paper, unable to withstand it.
He suddenly realized that in this chaotic era,
No matter how powerful an individual may be,
He cannot stand against the tide of steel.
He must possess a military force of his own!
Jiang Bai clenched his fists. Only then could he seize his own destiny!
In the distance, dust billowed, the hum of engines growing louder.
Screech!
With the sound of brakes, the haze thickened.
“Cough, cough. Stay alert! If anything seems off, open fire immediately.”
“Yes, sir.” The guard soldiers, unable to discern if those approaching were friend or foe, frowned deeply and formed a protective ring around Jiang Bai and Commander Zhang.
From the midst of the dust appeared a lone figure. The guards’ fingers tightened around their triggers, ready to fire at a moment’s notice.
Just as tension reached its peak, a voice boomed through the haze, resonant as a great bell:
“Commander!”
Running through the dust was a middle-aged man, slender and graying, none other than Wu Junsheng, Governor of Heilongjiang Province. As he ran, he wiped away tears:
“My dear Commander, are you all right?!”
Governor Wu’s arrival meant the crisis was over; everyone’s anxieties could finally ease.
Hearing his old comrade had arrived, Zhang Zuolin exhaled a deep sigh of relief.
“My arm and body are in good shape—no need for tears, don’t embarrass yourself.”
At once, Zhang Zuolin drew Jiang Bai over to Wu Junsheng’s side, saying, “Brother, it’s by Heaven’s favor that old Zhang Yuting’s life has been spared today, and I owe it all to this young man, Jiang Bai!”
“If not for him, I would have met disaster long ago and been sent to the underworld!”
Jiang Bai, still covered in dust, wiped his face clean, revealing his handsome, commanding features.
Having just vanquished a group of enemies, Jiang Bai’s aura was still murderous and intense.
This made him appear formidable, enough to deter ordinary men.
Yet to Wu Junsheng, a man seasoned in the ways of the martial underworld, it was precisely to his liking.
But for some reason, the more Wu Junsheng looked at Jiang Bai, the more familiar he seemed.
Suddenly, he slapped his thigh and exclaimed,
“You—you’re the assassin who hijacked the Commander on the train, aren’t you?!”
“If you hadn’t dragged the Commander off the train and provoked me, I’d have gone up with that locomotive when it exploded!”
“What, Brother—you were kicked off the train by Jiang Bai too?”
“Haha, no, not me!” Wu Junsheng, in front of Zhang Zuolin, proudly scratched the back of his head.
Amid hearty laughter, Wu Junsheng recounted the events of that day.
After hearing Wu Junsheng’s vivid account, Zhang Zuolin’s respect for Jiang Bai deepened even further!
He never imagined that, in such a critical moment,
Jiang Bai would bait the soldiers aboard the train with his own life, taunting them fiercely!
Moreover, Jiang Bai’s reckless actions provided Zhang Zuolin with a test of his own men’s character.
The train wasn’t moving fast, but jumping off recklessly could still cause serious harm.
Under such circumstances, those who instinctively leapt off without regard for their own safety were surely loyal beyond measure.
Those who hesitated, who clung to life, even a few seconds’ delay sealed their tragic fates.