Civilization: Beyond Two Worlds

The gale roared in the gloomy night, and it had just rained, and the air was damp and cold.

In the dark and deep night, the vast and bleak earth is dotted with rugged and long ravines, and every other period, there will be firelight beating, and a few stars will be noisy and noisy from time to time.

In this filthy, stinking, rotten land, there are thousands of sentient creatures, muddy all over, their hair disheveled, and hunched over.

These people guarded the vigorous fire, leaned against the bodies of their companions, took out a piece of old beef full of tendons from the stew pot, and desperately bit and swallowed the gravy in it. The juice was scalding hot, and although it was mixed with the peculiar smell of sour stew, it was already the best in the world... second only to the sausages sent from home.

From time to time, they put their hands into their clothes and scratched hard, sometimes pinching out a bulging louse, squeezing the two nails hard, and making a crisp sound.

Then he let out a satisfied sigh.

"It's like killing a Far Harbor guy!"

The soldiers who harvested the war fruit grinded the louse's body with their fingers, so that the blood in the louse belly was evenly smeared on the belly of the finger, and then showed it to the companions who were also grinning and scratching, showing a proud look.

But then the sudden itching made him frown, so he continued to scratch his hands covered in lice blood, mud and broth into his clothes and scratching hard. No soldier could avoid the bites of lice, flies and mosquitoes. , from day to night, take turns flying to torture people.

The number of all kinds of pests is huge, like mice, too many to say.

An orderly got up and hung the eighth rat killed on the edge of the shack. The biting wind made him shiver. The wind swayed the corpses of the eight death row prisoners to and fro, attracted by the scraps of food and torn flesh, all ate fat and bold.

The orderly looked at the dead and cold night sky, his nose was flushed red from the cold, he rubbed his palms, spit out a thin white steam, and expressed his heartfelt emotion.

"—what a wonderful night."

The eight soldiers who took shelter in this shack had finished the stew, and the last piece of hard bread in their hands was soaked in the broth until soft and rotten, and was finally chewed and swallowed by two rows of rotten teeth.

The pipe-dipping captain poured the boiled wine into everyone’s lunch box, and the soldiers couldn’t wait to sip. The mixture of sugar, alcohol and potion completely numbs the souls of the walking dead, soothing the spirit of these days. and physical torture.

"Come on, Satri!"

So, the fire dissipated the chill, the soldiers sat around, and the musician played his dulcimer.

He sang a song written the other day in a light and comical tone.

"Bullets buzzed like bees, cannonballs whizzed, dirt flew all over the sky, and Kant threw bombs like mad, as if all the iron and fire that fell from the sky were free—"

The bearded bard swept the strings a few times, sighed, and sang, "Oh, he can throw mines, and he can throw mines."

The slightly drunk soldiers slapped the ground and let out lazy laughter.

"The bombing started, like the battle of the gods. I was waiting for mortals, and I was in a hurry. The earth was shaking, the sky was burning, and the trenches were shaking so much.

"We're like boats in a raging sea, hiding in trenches that don't see the sun, dark caves, moldy and rotting garbage, and fleas and mice running around. It's been a tough time."

The tune turns from sadness to gentleness, and the singer murmurs.

"Oh mother, don't get me wrong, don't worry about me, this is the safest place in the world, the Far Harbor never attack, they only defend passively, they only defend passively."

"Oh, mother, don't be afraid, don't worry about me, this is the hottest cemetery in the world, if I die today, the bomb will bury me in the ground, and the bomb will bury me in the ground."

With the crashing of wine glasses, lowered cheers and the accompaniment of clapping, the song moved to the latter part.

"Oh Mom, don't cry, and I don't know why I'm here. They say it's for honor and revenge, I'm just for those fifty-four silver coins, and they say it's a holy battle, a holy battle."

"I don't know when I will win, and I don't know when I will be able to go home. I don't know the answer. The answer is with your Excellencies. Oh, mother, mother, you must ask and find the answer on your own. "

"Just, don't ask, don't ask, there are some people you don't ask."

"Don't ask the recruiter, he counts gold coins in the back with his arms around the woman."

"Don't ask the generals, they're busy awarding fake heroes."

"Don't ask the mages, they rest in the arcane fortifications."

"The quartermaster was drinking hard liquor, the commander was eating a big meal, and we were hiding in the bunkers."

"Oh mom, mom, don't ask these people, they don't know why they're here, and no one knows when they'll be able to go home. Only one person knows, only one person knows..."

"Oh mom, mom, don't ask me the details of this person's name, I dare not tell you, I dare not tell you, anyway, this person is not the little Henry from the neighbor's house, because I just met this recruit the day before yesterday—"

"He was hanging on the barbed wire with his head just touching the ground."

The dulcimer played several times and sang slowly in the reverberation: "The head just hit the ground."

After a short silence, the dulcimer plucked the strings quickly and the singer hurriedly sang: "The bullets hummed like bees, the cannonballs swish, the earth flew all over the sky, and Kant threw bombs like crazy, like iron and fire falling from the sky. All for free, oh, he's still throwing mines, he's still throwing mines."

"Dear mother, don't cry for me. This is the hottest cemetery in the world. If I die today, the cannonball will bury me in the ground, the cannonball will bury me...in the ground."

The singing ceased, only a trace of the piano sound remained, and then slowly disappeared.

Soldiers clink glasses with laughter.

They snuggled up to each other and huddled in a shack with rammed floors covered with pebbles, shell fragments and soft garbage, and even pillows stuffed with advertising paper, snakeskin bags, plastic wrapping, and more. , covered in mud and blood. They live here, they suffer here, and this wet and cold night is indeed a rare good day.

Because the night sky will not be bright, because the steel will not burn.

They share everything and support each other.

Far away from home, life is placed in a turbulent sea of ​​wrath, and people who were previously strangers are more closely connected, fearing together, surviving together, complaining together, and…

-anger.

Every trench, every shack, every life approaching the front line, wandering between life and death, they established a small kingdom tacitly.

The song ended, but the rare rest did not end. Tonight, the night was calm, and there were firelights and singing everywhere in the position. A soldier drank the wine in the lunch box, burped, and said drunkenly: "Let me make a comment. It's a joke, I just heard it from the trumpeter today, it's called "The Great Speaker is on the Front Line"..."

At this moment, a cold hum came from not far away.

The expressions of the soldiers in the shack changed immediately, and they looked at each other and relaxed.

They turned their heads and looked outside the fire-lit shed, where several officers in riding boots and neatly dressed appeared like ghosts. They wear spellcaster badges, and the ceremonial staff hanging around their waists shone with the brilliance of illumination, their breaths turned white in the cold night, and their expressions were buried in shadows.

The leading officer said coldly, "What did you guys just sing and talk about?"

The bright and beautiful caster officer, the dirty and tired big-headed soldier, the disparity in status, the power gap is like a cloud and mud, belong to two worlds, the latter seems to have to bow down in front of the former.

But the eight soldiers in the shack didn't even get up, their expressions languid.

"Your Excellency." The captain said casually, "Just sang a common country tune and told a few vulgar jokes, kind-hearted adults, we are tired and cold, and we always have to have some fun."

The soldiers let out a burst of laughter. They were ragged like beggars, but in front of these officers who held power and strength, they were proud as kings.

They stared fearlessly at the stern, stern-looking mage officers.

I don't know when, the singing of several other shacks in this trench fell silent, and in the shadow of the fire, there were shadows shaking, and there were silent eyes peeping here.

The silent staring continued for a moment.

The officer's expression was cold and he said coldly: "Routine inspection - I ask you, your team, have you found and recovered weapons from the far port, such as unexploded alchemy bombs, complete shrapnel, or other distinctive features Characteristic, never-before-seen material structures?"

The captain replied lazily: "No, Your Excellency, if there was, I would have made a contribution and transferred back to the rear."

"Let me ask you again, did your team pick up and hide the supplies airdropped by Far Harbor, including all kinds of food, candy, desserts, drinks, etc.?"

"My Excellency, we never knew Kant was so generous."

"..." The officer's expression was stinky, and his tone was almost like a good read, "Once you pick up the materials dropped by the far port, you should turn them in immediately, and the Quartermaster Department will convert the materials you handed in into corresponding food, sleeping bags, drinks, blankets and other military items. Rewards to you. All the far port materials are prohibited from being used by themselves. Kant has mixed deadly toxins in it. For the sake of your little life, you must keep this in mind!"

Hearing this, the soldiers sneered in disdain.

They beeped deliberately in a voice the officers just happened to hear.

"Damn, I picked up a bag of big white rabbits last time, and the quartermaster threw a bag of fried soybeans to Lao Tzu!"

"It's amazing. Kant throws iron and fire on our heads every day, and he can kill us one by one. Why does he have to poison us?"

"Take it down, we've all heard that, now all the northern territories are green skins from Condé, who are attacking the baggage units everywhere. Today's beef is worse than last week's..."

"Fuck us for fools, a bunch of donkeys..."

The voice gradually became presumptuous, and the slander was in the ears. The noble officer couldn't bear it. An adjutant couldn't help but hold down his staff and said sharply: "Rude!"

The soldiers jumped up like lightning strikes, their eyes widened, their shaggy hair couldn't hide their wolf-like eyes, their eyes trembled, both fear and...excited.

The shadow of the shack peeping not far away swayed, and a turbulent whisper came from the overcast wind.

- There are eight soldiers in front of them, with poor mental state, poor physical condition, and emotional instability.

A cold light flashed in the eyes of the officers who came to inspect.

There are three battlefield self-defense spells sealed in the standard bracer on the left hand, which can be released with mana stimulation. The first flash spell can deprive them of their sight. It works extremely well in a small environment such as a shack. The second major energy shield It can stop them from desperately attacking, push them back, and the third touch of thunder and lightning can disintegrate their resistance at the fastest speed... but they are eight ordinary soldiers, not worth mentioning.

But the next moment, his pupils shrank.

These beggar-like soldiers were leaning against each other, their eyes fearful and excited, and he saw that these people almost invariably grabbed something from their clothes, and then clenched it tightly.

The caster's astonishing dynamic vision made him notice a spot in the fist... Zimang.

The officer held down his deputy almost instinctively, then stared at the captain in front of him.

The opponent also clenched his right fist.

"You..." he said bitterly, "you..."

"We don't want that either," the captain replied. "Please don't make up your mind for us."

"This is... betrayal," the officer said with difficulty. "It's a stupid act that will not only bring down the family, but also put yourself in danger - you don't really think Kant is a kind and kind person? You don't really He thought that if you surrender to the Far Harbor, you will have a good life! He will let you dig in the mines, repair the broken Broken Isles, and work to your death in the dark workshops..."

"I don't know, I haven't seen it with my own eyes." The captain said coldly, "But I have seen it with my own eyes. Because I was a deserter, I was tied to a post and let the soldiers of the entire company stab each one. Stab alive... Your Excellency, which of these two good days is better?"

"...That was the lynching of the company commander. He has been executed by military law! Since then, similar incidents have never happened again!"

"That beast was obviously killed by the commandos in Far Harbor!"

The captain said loudly, "I saw it with my own eyes! They appeared out of nowhere and disappeared out of nowhere, and the person leading the team was even the second company commander of the Ice Thunder Infantry Regiment who disappeared a month ago! You said that he ate an airdrop from the Far Harbor. He was poisoned after his fried chicken! But the soldiers of the second company said that he just disappeared out of thin air!"

"It's a **** rumor!"

"Whatever you say, Your Excellency." Facing the excited officer, the humble captain became calm, he said slowly, "I just want to say, if I am forced to leave tonight, then you'd better Pray that His Royal Highness Kant will be as bad as you describe and throw me to the Broken Isles to do hard labor, otherwise..."

He took two steps forward, lowered his voice, and said indifferently: "I will also come to you like the second company commander."

The officer's face can no longer be described as "ugly".

After saying this, the captain took two steps back, bowed respectfully and saluted, then he straightened his back, looked at the noble masters in front of him, smiled, and then began to hum.

"I don't know when I will win, I don't know when I can go home, I don't know the answer, the answer lies with your Excellencies..."

"They don't know why they're here, and no one knows when they'll be able to go home. Only one person knows, only one person knows..."

The singing was very ugly and the tune was weird. The captain sang and sang with a weird smile.

"Actually." He stopped singing, his expression meaningful, "Actually, we all know, only one person doesn't know... Is that right, Your Excellency."

The officers did not speak.

"So, this is my humble suggestion."

The captain sat back in his seat, raised his chin, in rags, but proud as a king.

"You always have to plan for yourself."

The night wind howled, the trenches were silent, and there was a long silence.

The officer's words broke the silence.

"Routine inspection, I ask you." The mage said coldly, "Have you seized any propaganda airdropped by the Far Harbor, including but not limited to posters, picture albums, books and even radios? The command has ordered that such items should be Collected and destroyed in a centralized manner, all ministries are not allowed to hide them privately, and violators will be severely punished!”

The soldiers didn't answer, they all looked at the officer with a bright smile.

"That is no more."

The officer's eyes swept to the dilapidated shack, his eyes stopped for a while, and he turned to leave.

The ghostly figures gradually disappeared.

Inside the shack, the captain's strong figure immediately became shorter, patted his chest and said, "Fuck, you scared me to death."

The soldiers also breathed a sigh of relief, and gathered around the captain one after another, saying: "You are still amazing, you actually scared these **** away, good guy, this is the first time I saw the uncle of the mage deflated..."

"How can I come up with such a powerful word, I just memorized it all night."

The captain took out a crumpled piece of paper from his arms.

The title is very long.

"How to Protect Yourself from Rebellion and Persecution by the Griffin Falcon: Knowing Reasons, Inducing Fear, Establishing Deterrence, and Forming a Community of Interests That Advance and Retreat"

In stark contrast to the author's name.

— Kant.

Some soldiers were still worried: "Captain, are you alright? I heard that these mages have very little hearts, and now they have given in. Maybe they will come back and prepare for you."

The captain shook his head and said, "No, we will be very safe."

Someone smiled bitterly: "Safety..."

The captain's smile was also bitter, and he released his right fist, which was empty.

When the others saw this, they also let go of their right hands, and there was nothing in their dirty palms.

Only one of them had a magnificent purple prism in the palm of his hand, glowing with a strange light.

When the man clenched his fist earlier, he deliberately slowed down his movements so that the purple awns could be seen by the mage.

"Damn it...why is this thing so hard to find."

The captain instructed the man: "Keep it carefully, if there is a situation, run... go and bring the brochure."

In the night wind, several officers hurry along in silence.

After walking away, the adjutant said: "Your Excellency, it's just a few untouchable soldiers. I will arrange tonight to take them down before they can escape. This is a credit. They are rude to you and must be given to them. Punishment... what a vulgar and hateful guy."

The officer hadn't spoken yet, when suddenly there were footsteps in front of him, and in a shack not far away, a voice shouted, "Your Excellency? Your Excellency? Your Honorable Mage."

The three turned around, and a soldier stepped on the muddy water with one foot and one foot.

"Excuse me." He smiled humbly, showing resignation and flattery, "Did something happen just now?"

The officers' eyes converged on the opponent's right fist.

hold tight.

The trench was silent except for the flash of fire, and countless eyes peeping in the shadows.

"No, no." The officer replied to the soldier who took the initiative to speak up, as if reporting the results of the mission to the commander, "Everything is normal tonight, nothing happened."

"That's good, that's good." The soldier saluted respectfully and smiled, "A kind-hearted officer like you, you must think about yourself and bless you, kind sir."

He stepped back humbly, while the three officers stood in the silent trench, silent.

"You see, as we move on, there will also be many soldiers who will come to ask us if something is going on, and bless us, please think about it for ourselves."

The officer said coldly: "Everyone knows that we have been to that shack. Once those soldiers are arrested or killed, what do you think the soldiers in this trench will do?"

"Do you think it's just this trench?"

The adjutant didn't speak. His eyes looked through the night sky to the hazy outlines in the distance. Thousands of lives were lodged in these ugly scars of the earth.

On the bright side, during the months-long confrontation, the war remained deadlocked, and even the council won from time to time, but behind the bright and beautiful news, there were reports of tragic casualties, the military spirit that was getting tired day by day, and it was gradually floating. The human heart is a terrible corruption, as seen tonight.

Kant, the enemy of this war, the Aurora from an exotic land, is like the most terrifying beast, occupying the entire night sky, casting shadows, weaving nets, and infiltrating layer by layer.

He didn't just destroy the enemy's body.

Also corrupt the enemy's will, shake the enemy's spirit, destroy the enemy's honor.

The adjutant suddenly shuddered.

The night was dark, and shouts were heard in the distance.

“There are pork stewed vermicelli here...”

"You are welcome to lay down your weapons and eat..."

"Kant." The adjutant said blankly, "What does he want to do?"

"What I want to know more is..." the officer whispered, "What is the Great Speaker thinking?"

In the shack just now, under the firelight, the soldiers listened intently, listening to the literate captain struggling to read the words in the booklet: "The first thing to figure out is, who is our enemy? What is the purpose of becoming a soldier? to fight?"

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: It should be fine... Anyway, the doctor said during the examination that he is recovering well, and he can try to resume sports and work. So I started coding, and then I had to move house, have my teeth pulled, and many other things, and my mother still closed the post, absolutely. Anyway, back.

PS2: I've been thinking about writing this song for a long time, and I'm also free.