Wasteland Echoer

"General Commander, I heard that when a human being who is great, mysterious, and extraordinary listens to the call of the Lord of the Underworld and goes to heaven or hell, it often represents the end of an ancient era. However, the world seems to be different from the human body. No different, it takes time to move from embryo to rebirth." Duck said:

"Therefore, only extremely subtle signs can be released for exploration by people with absolutely transcendent and extraordinary spirituality."

"If what you said about Ivan XXII... has indeed met the great lord, then the 'Restart Era' may have indeed arrived." Yaroslav said, frowning, not showing any concern for the new era. The joy of arrival turned into worry:

"I admire science and am not superstitious about magic. In my opinion, perhaps the 'Continental Explorer 5' driven by the Ptoyan people has always been in a state of 'Schrödinger's cat'. When we are not observing, it is The superimposed state of crashing and rough sailing.

"From Putoa to Crusted, even in the era of extreme prosperity of the navigation industry in the Third Age, during the period of Charles Putoa, known as the 'Empire on which the Sun Never Sets', it took at least three years and ten years. Several ports, huge expense.”

"Are you trying to say that the probability of those Putoyan people arriving at Crusted under such harsh conditions is actually very small, and that it was a great adventure created by the superposition of countless coincidences?" Dak asked.

"Of course." Yaroslav nodded and said:

"Perhaps, if Ivan XXII had not died, they would have died from any sea monster attack, wave of 'unintentional people', destruction by the lost, storm surprise, or shortage of food, medicine, and weapons. And "Saint There is a saying in "The Words": A great man collapses and perishes, just as the Lord creates the sun and replaces the moon. The old days collapse and the dawn of a new dynasty emerges.

"Human beings before the Steam Age firmly believed that the weak balance between the empire and human society was the temporary result of the game between the various gods. The fall of great people would inevitably lead to the beginning of a new era. This can also explain the success of those Ptoyan people. .

"but……"

"What you want to say is, but this is just an objective idealist statement, right? It forces the expansion of human empire to its limit due to the shortage of productivity, and forcibly interprets it as a balance created by gods. In fact, when Crusted's steam factory One after another rises from the ground, and when countless torrents of steel tilt down, the balance is naturally destroyed." Duck answered first.

"That's the truth." Yaroslav agreed, patted Duck on the shoulder and said:

"But when I reported to Commander Vasily, I still used this very poetic statement: 'The gears of fate have finally begun to turn under the design of God, and the morning light of a new era is slowly replacing the long, dark night.' .

"Thirty-five years ago, Chief Vasily gave me a book of poems by Gurji, "Morning Light". I thought about it again and again and used a few sentences."

Hearing this, Duck suddenly had a new understanding of the old general in front of him, and he felt a sense of respect. He raised his head and stared at Yaroslav's eyes wrapped in thick dark circles. expressed his inner thoughts:

"You're sending a message of hope, right?"

"Yes, I hope, this is the most precious thing in the wasteland world." Yaroslav smiled:

"Even though I have never seen the so-called sequential gods in any field, including reality, dreams, or even hallucinations, and I have never really listened to the teachings of the Lord through the pastors, I will not attack anyone. Belief.

"The more difficult it is to survive, the more people need to leave a place in their hearts to store the power that supports their survival, that is, a god with supreme power. Having faith, even if it is false, can help humans stabilize their hearts. Neither degenerate into conspiracy, selfishness, violent plunder, nor self-pity, mental breakdown, or despair.

"I know that it was the advantages slowly accumulated by human beings in every arduous battle against the 'unintentional' and the lost, coupled with the hard work of the tireless workers in the rear factories, that allowed the situation to slowly turn around, and finally change from quantity to quantity. Accumulation leads to qualitative change, bringing a glimmer of peace."

"You are really pragmatic." Dak smiled and praised, but after a few seconds, he said in a serious tone:

"However, I seemed to have personally heard Ivan XXII mention the contents of the 'Evolution Platform' in the 'Suffering Relics'. He said that Lord Vasily had met him and asked him for advice on how to open it.' Evolution Taiwan's general approach.

"But in fact, when all the 'evolution platforms' are opened, it will only bring disaster and destruction. Humanity will not eliminate all the 'unintentional people' and expel all the 'lost people'. Instead, it will destroy the vast Crusted Federation. It will become the ultimate ruins and wasteland. At that time, after Ivan XXII successfully wakes up, he will be able to rely on the elites who slept with him to rebuild a new empire on the ruins."

"Absurd!" Yaroslav almost blurted out. He stood up and smashed the broken table hard.

Seeing a crack extending from the edge of his fist to the other side of the table, coupled with the severe pain, Yaroslav realized that he was a little impulsive and rude. He turned his back to Dark, and his tone softened:

"Dak, even if your description is true, it is a 'fact' that the Crusaders cannot accept emotionally. Even if the 'Evolution Platform Project' is a disaster, then we can only understand it as Vasily The officer has worked hard and tried his best to achieve the recovery of human civilization and experienced inevitable setbacks.

"Also, Dak, I hope this matter... No, I order you not to mention it to anyone, not even your comrade Wulfya. Once this matter spreads, the army's confidence will be shaken, Cruise The German Federation would immediately suffer disaster.

"The final result is likely to be to identify you as a traitor who destroys unity, deprive you of your identity as a superpower, and classify you as a spy of the Lost One lurking among humans. Your fate will not be better than that of the former order. How much better would it be to be a 'collaborator'?"

Seeing that Yaroslav's attitude was so resolute, and his tone was very stern and heavy, Dak realized that Ivan XXII had an almost god-like belief among the Krusted people, especially among the top brass of the army.

He speculated that it was an absolutely impossible task to prevent the disaster from within the federation. So he simply stood up, walked over a pile of debris, walked to Yaroslav, and said:

"I promise you, Commander-in-Chief. However, you should have received information about me from Wulfya. I once had contact with the evil god 'Echoer' in my dream, and 'Plamini' also It is also a force that Master Vasily pays close attention to that can compete with the Lost.

"Based on my contact with the 'Echoer', the instructions from the 'Old Radio' he gave me, and the fragmentary pages of the 'Manuscript of the Church of Hope' interpreted by supernatural beings, 'Plamini 'Should be trapped with the Echoers in the icy wasteland, under the icy stream."

"Do you want to leave here?" Yaroslav instantly guessed what Dak meant, turned around, looked at Dak with doubtful eyes, and asked.

"Yes, Ronie once told me that he got some information from Mr. Igor. Even though the Federation is still in the research and testing stage of the 'Core of Approximate Gods', through the interpretation of scientific data left over from the old empire, What is certain is that the location of the 'Evolution Platform' named after 'Tianshu' in the Big Dipper is inextricably linked to 'Pramini' and 'Echoer'." Dark responded:

"I accepted Chief Vasily's appointment and agreed to the Echoer's request to rescue him from his bondage. Then I accepted the mission. For the mission, there is no success or failure, only survival... and death. .”

Just as Dak said the word "death", the small door of the "Battle Command Center" and "Conversation Room" was pushed open with a "bang". The force was so strong that Dak jumped and almost made him almost Thinking that his words triggered some kind of taboo belonging to the ancient gods and attracted darkness and evil spirits.

Simply speaking, what came was neither an evil thing nor an enemy. It was exactly what Yaroslav mentioned repeatedly just now. The current deputy commander-in-chief of the "Man-made Lake" campaign, the person in charge of northern affairs of the Federal Strategic Group, and a member of the "Viking faction" Oleg Mayanov.

The handsome deputy commander in his thirties, whose face was covered with scars, was panting and appeared to be very anxious, but such rude behavior was obviously deliberate.

After seeing Yaroslav, he simply gave a military salute, leaned half against the wall, took a few big breaths, and after his breath calmed down, he took out two guns stained with hot and fresh blood from his arms, and fired them. In front of Yaroslav and Dak, with a little anger, unwillingness and anger, he looked at Yaroslav and reported:

"Commander-in-Chief, I have executed the two injured guard [soldiers] on your behalf. They violated the Federal Military Law, and this is the result they deserve."

"What?" Dak was extremely surprised and blurted out. He didn't understand that in this small conflict, he should be the one who was clearly at fault. After all, he had wounded two conscientious but somewhat arrogant [Fighters]. If he were to be punished, he should be punished.

But in front of him, Oleg, who belonged to the "Viking faction", the deputy commander-in-chief, whose eyebrows revealed a very disturbing aura of murder that seemed to come from the violent deep sea, actually punished the two guard [soldiers], and... Take the most severe punishment of death.

This kind of decisiveness and cruelty made Dak feel a shudder coming from humans and belonging to the same kind.

After all, Yaroslav was an experienced general and the deputy commander-in-chief. He waved his hand towards Dak and stared at Oleg with his eyes. After a few seconds, he asked in a gloomy voice:

"What reasons did you use to execute them? If there is no explanation that convinces other [soldiers], it will not only be you who will be punished by Chief Vasily, but also me, the commander-in-chief of the battle."

Oleg first raised an imperceptible subtle smile at the corner of his mouth, then coughed a few times, and replied in a calm and terrifying tone:

"Article 67 and Paragraph 43 of the "Federal Military Law" stipulate that when encountered in controlled places such as military restricted areas, federal soldiers should actively identify themselves, and 'defenders' should prioritize implementation with a positive attitude. After obtaining accurate information, Lift the blockage in accordance with relevant regulations.

"If the 'guardian' who requests entry has not verified his identity, or deliberately refuses to let him in after verification, he should be arrested immediately and await the trial of the 'Military Tribunal' under the Strategic Regiment. If this paragraph is violated It is stipulated that if the incident occurs during an important battle period, the 'defenders' should be shot after their actions are investigated."

"Oleg..." Yaroslav patted Oleg hard on the back. Although he gritted his teeth, he suppressed his anger and said very restrainedly:

"If there are no mistakes in the laws you recited, your actions are correct and comply with all regulations. However, the [soldiers] who can guard the 'battle command center' are the elite among the elite. I hope you can Handle the funeral properly to prevent other [soldiers] from feeling panic, uneasy, or even resenting you and me, which will affect the final battle to exterminate the Lost Group."

"I understand, Commander-in-Chief." Oleg said:

"When we sent people to destroy the artillery reserves of the Lost, didn't we execute a group of 'Unionists' who were lurking among the [soldiers]? Some of them also felt uneasy and panicked, and some were still alive before they died. Cursing you and me. However, such behavior allowed us to successfully occupy the 'Cautious Lifting Area', 'Eastern Man-made Lake' and the 'Old Empire Experiment Station', and rely on the advantages of the Aerospace Forces to break into the camp of the 'Chaos Group'.

"If their leader and the reinforcing Lost Ones hadn't awakened the vast majority of the 'Heartless People' and moved them to a location further north of the 'Man-Made Lake' in time, I'm afraid our results would have been expanded. Therefore, killing sometimes means victory. necessary means."

After Oleg finished speaking, he looked at Dak aside, showed a smile that was very disproportionate and uncoordinated with his face, grabbed Dak's hand, and continued:

"You are Dark Tiris, you are indeed young and promising. I think, with your fighting strength and merciless chivalry, those two boys who dared to cause trouble for you must have been carried away by our recent victory. The mind has been lost and stupidity has taken over the heart.

"With your strength, I estimate that not to mention the entire strategic group, even the entire federation, you can rank in the top five percent. Don't worry, the weak have received their own sanctions, and the strong will receive eternity Your living space. The Commander-in-Chief and I have helped you make a new 'Access Certificate' and clothing. Things like today will never happen again."

Seeing Dak withdraw his hand uneasily, Yaroslav quickly looked at Oleg and said:

"If you have nothing else to do, go and inspect the battlefield in the front area. This child has just come out of the 'Suffering Relics'. I have to find someone to test his spirit to make sure that he is not contaminated with unclean things. You know , some contamination has almost no symptoms in the early stages of infection, and if it is not discovered in advance, the consequences will be disastrous."

After speaking, Yaroslav pulled Dak out of the "conversation room" and prepared to go to the second underground floor, ignoring Oleg who was smiling a little stiffly at the side.

However, just a few steps after the two of them walked out of the door, a melodious, low-pitched organ humming mixed with strange and weak air currents seemed to penetrate the solid ground made of cement and steel bars, passing through the realm of the underworld that seemed to be thousands of meters away. came out, accurately echoing in the narrow space on the underground floor and in the ears of those present.