Several of them, while kissing him, couldn’t help but burst into tears. Tears flowed freely on the faces of the Corporal and the warriors, yet each person’s face was filled with uncontrollable joy.

"I’m sorry...." In another crowd, a surviving POW held the face of a young warrior, crying, "It was too chaotic then, we all could only desperately run forward, running nonstop. Your brother was originally by my side, but a shell separated us. I couldn’t see him, and couldn’t find him...."

The young warrior, clutching his gun, sobbed uncontrollably. Big teardrops fell into the muddy pit.

The surrounding warriors turned their faces away. No one wanted to see the desperate and sorrowful eyes of this warrior, who had been full of hope from the beginning, hoping his captured brother would return.

A robust warrior stepped out from the crowd at the pit’s entrance. He stood there, looking at the young warrior, calling in a trembling voice: "Manuqi......"

The young warrior suddenly lifted his head. In his tear-filled eyes was an indescribable ecstasy and shock.

"Come over...." Despite his tattered clothes and injury-ridden body, the robust warrior stood there firmly: "Come over, my dear brother."

The two brothers embraced tightly.

The surrounding warriors all stood up. This time, they no longer needed to hold back their tears, which flowed freely. Some cried, while others laughed, and as they laughed, tears rolled down as well.

Li Cunxin and Pei Litong stood quietly at the tunnel’s end. They did not disturb the reuniting brothers.

Li Cunxin wiped his eyes fiercely, cursing: "I’m really getting old.... Can’t even control my tears anymore! A lifetime of battles, only to make a fool of myself here!" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Beside him, Pei Litong’s eyes were filled with tears. "These are my soldiers!" The gentle general’s lips trembled, his voice choked: "I’m not afraid of crying, I’m happy!"

The crowd in the tunnel parted in front of the officers.

Looking at these tired yet extremely joyful warriors, a sour emotion suddenly surged into their noses. Everyone’s throat felt a bit choked. They could only nod all the way, patting the shoulders of the subordinates who narrowly escaped death.

Behind them, Milan was already sobbing uncontrollably. She clung tightly to Boswell’s arm, thinking of that person, of the Leray Warriors who died in the Leray National Defense War, thinking of scenes of life and death partings in this war, only desperately lowering her head, not daring to look again at these warriors who narrowly escaped death, not daring to see the unhidden strength and vulnerability between these men.

"You all don’t know...."

The officers had just walked into the 3rd District, only to see a Mechanical Warrior with an IV bottle, in the midst of the bright-eyed crowd, speaking with great excitement: "It was such a thrill then, I thought I was done for, but who knew I only heard a whoosh.... and the Jiepeng Mecha opposite had its head gone! Seeing it still didn’t fall, I had no reservations!"

The listeners lowered their voices, laughing heartily, while a Captain hugged the neck of this Mechanical Warrior, rubbing his hair vigorously.

The atmosphere in the 3rd District was noticeably quieter than the other districts they had passed.

More than forty Mechas quietly parked in the Mecha storage area. The thick explosion-proof shed blocked the daylight, and the dim lights cast on these Mechas made every scar on the body appear shocking.

"Marshal...."

"Division commander....."

"Officer....."

Seeing the officers arrive, the warriors all stood at attention and saluted.

Of more than two thousand POWs, less than fourteen hundred managed to break through the encirclement and reach position 415. Several hundred were left on that short yet incredibly long breakthrough path. And the Mechas that could return to the position were less than forty; nearly all of them were here.

These scarred Mechas sat quietly in a halt mode in the large explosion-proof pit of the 3rd District.

Except for one or two Mechanical Warriors bragging, the others, either in the open Mecha cockpits or on the side’s camp beds, were asleep, unconscious. Several military doctors were holding instruments, examining their bodies one by one. Whether instrument checks or nutrient needle infusions, these warriors, like the dead, didn’t move at all.

"How is it?" Li Cunxin slowly walked to a medic’s side, asking in a low voice. Everyone watched as the medic inserted the syringe in his hand into a Mechanical Warrior’s vein. The warrior’s face was pale, and his lips were blue.

"They’re too tired." The medic’s voice trembled a bit: "They fought continuously for over forty hours, maneuvered over five hundred kilometers in one night, annihilated three armored camps and a special armored company, and then covered infantry breaking through, defeating the armored camp in front of us..... I really don’t know what strength was supporting them."

Annihilating three armored camps....... the officers stared dumbfoundedly at the medic. This news, they didn’t know yet. Before this, they only saw the drone’s returned footage.

Li Cunxin and Pei Litong exchanged glances.

The Old Marshal turned around, looking at the two still somewhat spirited Mechanical Warriors, and incredulously asked: "Is this true?"

The warriors nodded, supplementing each other as they recounted everything that happened after being captured. They were part of the more than two hundred POWs rescued by a little kid. When they mentioned the incredible little boy, Milan and Boswell exchanged glances, both surprised and delighted. What was once just a guess was now indisputable!