After concluding their online meeting, Mu Ning, Commander-in-Chief of the Third Military Region, and Lei Deming, Commander-in-Chief of the Ninth Military Region, immediately issued a series of orders without a moment's rest.
Set up a quarantine zone on Planet Kashile. Transfer half of the military region's available scanners and protective suits over there...
Have everyone go through security checks every day, our soldiers included.
The wounded sent there must also pass through security! Isolate anyone immediately if anything seems off...
Planet Kashile was clearly one of the most unsuitable planets for human habitation, yet during wartime, it welcomed the largest number of people.
On the black sandy ground stood rows upon rows of large tents. Some were used to store supplies, materials, and ammunition; some were for mecha engineers to repair and manufacture mechas and weapons; the rest served as medical and quarantine tents.
Soldiers injured on the front lines were temporarily transported here. After detailed scans, those who could use the healing pods were placed in them. Those with injuries too severe needed to be stabilized first, waiting for specialized medical starships to transport them back to Planet Tianshu all at once.
Except for the students from the five military academies, almost everyone was quite familiar with this procedure.
This was the reality of the front lines during wartime. It wasn't just the star beasts that would get injured and die; their own people would, too.
However, this was the first time the twenty-something military academy students had faced such tragic casualties firsthand...
Since there were no more star beasts needing to be exterminated on Planet Kashile, they volunteered to help the soldiers carry supplies, scan personnel, and care for the wounded.
The seemingly massive amounts of ammunition were consumed much faster than they had imagined, which alone showed just how intense the battle on the front lines was.
Most of the wounded sent here were severely injured and had lost their mobility. Those with only minor injuries were still holding the line at the front.
Ye Yingxuan forced down her emotions. After changing the dressings for a soldier who had lost both his eyes and an arm, she stepped outside and couldn't stop dry heaving... After retching, she slapped herself across the face.
What the hell are you doing? How can you break down before they even do?
Injuries like these couldn't be fully healed even with advanced healing pods... But if they were on Planet Tianshu, he could at least get mechanical or bionic limbs and prosthetic eyes transplanted in the shortest possible time.
It would take only the span of a night's sleep. Perhaps the treatment would be finished before the soldier even needed to mentally prepare himself.
Instead of the current reality where, even after she had administered painkillers twice, the soldier was still rolling around on the bed in agony...
She wiped her mouth and put her protective mask back on.
Don't be so overly sensitive, Ye Yingxuan.
The day you chose to become a soldier, you knew anything could happen, and you wouldn't be an exception, right?
Just as she finished mentally fortifying herself, Xu Mo from the same squad walked out of another medical tent. He was covered in blood, his expression unfocused.
Captain...
He didn't even notice Ye Yingxuan's condition, because he had just witnessed a soldier's death with his own eyes...
The medical zone clearly had protective shields and cooling machines, keeping the average temperature at a comfortable 28 degrees, yet he felt weak in the limbs and a bit dizzy.
That soldier... he was only five years older than us...
Unable to stand any longer, Xu Mo squatted down, buried his head in his arms, and sobbed softly.
Wuwu...
Before he could cry for more than a few seconds, Ye Yingxuan grabbed him by the back of his collar and hauled him up.
No crying. Hold it in.
How could Xu Mo hold it back? But through his tears, he finally noticed that his captain's face was unnaturally pale.
He pressed his lips tightly together, but his painful whimpering couldn't be stopped right away. Ye Yingxuan's eyes soon turned red as well.
The soldiers are all here... We can't add to their emotional burden, understand?
...Yeah.
Xu Mo covered his eyes with his sleeve and nodded fiercely!
The two stood there and took several deep breaths before their emotions finally settled down a bit.
I'm sorry, Captain.
Ye Yingxuan looked up at the glaring sunlight outside the protective shield.
There's a first time for everything... To be honest, I didn't handle it very well either. Let's do our best together. They need us.
Yeah.
Where's Wang Kaiyu?
He went over to support the quarantine zone.
...Let's go back. Slap some color back into your face.
Alright.
Jian Jingyu and Wang Kaiyu wore quarantine suits, wrapping themselves up tightly from head to toe.
Students were originally not allowed in here, but because they were severely short-handed just now, Ling Yingzhe had them stand guard outside the quarantine line, fully armed.
They were absolutely forbidden from stepping inside the quarantine line!
Zeng Xin, put the toothbrush down!
Captain, I'm begging you. Don't let me turn into a monster...
The two outside trembled upon hearing this. Inside their quarantine masks, tears mixed with sweat rolled down. That was a soldier confirmed to have been parasitized by the Zerg...
Ling Yingzhe closed his eyes slightly.
Zeng Xin, the Federation will not give up on anyone... Maybe there will be a cure in the future?
Captain, my injuries mean I wouldn't live much longer anyway, right?
I beg you! Don't let me become a breeding ground for the Zerg... I'm already prepared to sacrifice myself!
Zeng Xin was completely breaking down.
His protective shield had been torn open by the Zerg on the front lines. When he woke up, he was covered in wounds, and the alarm bells rang the moment he went through security...
A cure for Zerg parasitism? As far as he knew, the Federation didn't have a single clue right now!
When would they be able to research one? Before that happened, he would probably have already become a Zerg incubator!
That was something he could absolutely never accept!
Seeing that he couldn't be persuaded, Ling Yingzhe snatched the toothbrush from his hand.
...Give him a sedative.
Captain!
Ling Yingzhe clenched a sharpened toothbrush handle in his palm... From now on, they should just distribute mouthwash.
The medical staff pushed the sedative into Zeng Xin's body. Zeng Xin slowly and unwillingly closed his eyes.
Captain! Captain...
If a person parasitized by the Zerg died before the process was complete, they would instinctively attack humans, just like star beasts.
But if they were not yet completely brain-dead, they had to constantly fight against the Zerg consciousness in their minds.
Perhaps one second they would act like a normal person, and the next, influenced by the Zerg consciousness, they would attack their own teammates...
At the same time, the Zerg would continuously lay eggs in their brains until the person was completely turned into its incubator.
The length of this period also depended on the individual's mental fortitude.
As far as they knew, some S-rank soldiers could hold on for a year or two and still maintain partial sanity after being parasitized by the Zerg, but the Federation truly had no complete cure at present.
For an ordinary A-rank soldier like Zeng Xin, they generally wouldn't last more than a year...
Ling Yingzhe walked out with a heavy heart and saw the two tall figures guarding the door.
...Go help out in the medical zone.
Sir, we can do this!
Ling Yingzhe shook his head.
Go to the medical zone. From now on, guards here will need to carry guns.
Sir, even with guns we...
Wang Kaiyu stopped mid-sentence as he finally realized what Ling Yingzhe meant. Armed guards... there were no more star beasts on Planet Kashile, so who were they guarding against?
Another parasitized victim inside the quarantine tent, wearing a full quarantine suit, stood at the door.
Go somewhere else!
Beneath the visor, those large eyes curved into a smile.
"If the worst comes to pass, I'm actually afraid you guys wouldn't have the guts to pull the trigger!
Besides, bringing in some familiar faces gives us something to chat about. What is there to say to a bunch of students like you!?"
The other parasitized hosts who could still move also began to chime in.
"Hahaha, exactly! Hurry up and get out of here! That guy on the left is obviously from the First Military Academy; he just stands there like a block of wood!"
"Ensign Ling, is Changle around? I haven't seen him in ages!"
