102 A Love Without Time for Farewell (Unedited and Unproofed)

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High Court
Central Square

The last shred of reason evaporated instantly; the eyes of the tribesmen on both sides were filled only with hatred! All they could think about was how to kill the other!

At one corner of the battlefield, Wu Fan slashed down several rat-men in succession. Blood matted his hair together, dripping down the strands as he collapsed, his eyes barely able to open...

At that moment, he caught sight of a familiar figure! An older rat-man was fiercely slashing the throat of a human warrior with a bamboo sword.

It’s you!!!

This rat-man was none other than Old Shasarlidi, a cadre who at this moment stood as just an ordinary soldier.

His thighs and arms bore numerous grievous wounds.

Wu Fan clearly remembered the very first time he saw this rat-man; an unnamed hatred instantly surged within his chest!

Silently, Wu Fan crept up behind Shasarlidi and suddenly burst forward with force!

“Die!”

He raised his bamboo sword and stabbed toward Shasarlidi’s back. Though Old Sha was no exceptional warrior, his years of physical labor had given him decent reflexes.

Sensing the hostile wind behind him, Shasarlidi immediately twisted aside; the blade missed. Wu Fan then kicked Old Sha’s shoulder. The rat-man’s stature was much shorter than an ordinary human’s.

Wu Fan’s strength was immense; the kick sent a violent shock through Old Sha’s bones.

Staggering, Old Sha fell to the ground. As he tried to rise, Wu Fan kicked him again in the shoulder, flipping him over onto the earth.

Wu Fan then raised a blood-stained spear high above his head, aiming at the still prone Old Sha...

At that moment, a wild-haired rat-woman suddenly lunged from the side like a mad beast, leaping up to bite Wu Fan’s right hand that held the spear; her entire body dangled from it.

This wild-haired rat-woman was none other than Old Sha’s wife, Susan...

“Damn it!!!”

“You filthy rat!”

Wu Fan cried out in pain as the spear fell to the ground. His other hand, clutching the bamboo sword, plunged fiercely into Susan’s soft ribs.

“No!!!”

Watching the blade pierce Susan’s abdomen, Old Sha’s emotions shattered instantly! His bewildered eyes overflowed with tears.

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His left hand raised midair tried to grasp something but caught nothing.

“Die for me!”

This was the second time Wu Fan’s arm had been hung up by rat-men, and again at the same spot on the same arm, filling him with furious shame as he cursed relentlessly.

He swung the bamboo sword violently, stabbing repeatedly into Susan’s abdomen.

At that moment, another plump rat-man appeared suddenly, grabbing hold of Wu Fan’s sword-wielding arm. This rat was Old Sha’s son, Greyly, who had always followed his father. Though timid, he now summoned every ounce of courage to hold tightly onto Wu Fan’s right arm. By then, his face was streaked with tears, having witnessed his mother’s brutal death.

Wu Fan spat a mouthful of blood and saliva onto Greyly’s face.

“Dirty rat...!”

Suddenly, a chill swept his neck—the spear that had fallen from his hand was now lodged in his throat.

Wu Fan, eyes blazing with fury, struggled to turn his head and saw an old rat-man, tears streaming down his face, staring back with an expression of wrath unlike any he had ever seen.

It was a complex gaze filled with regret, sorrow, frustration, and most of all, fury—a tempest so fierce it defied description.

The spear was pulled out and driven in again and again, as if the rat-man was punishing himself for his recent actions...

Wu Fan could feel his blood pouring out, his strength ebbing away.

So cold! So cold!

He collapsed, face upward...

Old Sha cradled Susan’s blood-soaked body. Her abdomen was slashed open, beyond saving.

At that moment, Old Sha gazed tenderly at Susan in his arms, gently caressing her cheek as he cried hoarsely.

In that instant, he seemed to understand everything.

From the moment Susan appeared, he finally realized she had been quietly caring for him all along.

She had not changed; it was he who had changed.

Memories flooded back vividly—from their first meeting and falling in love, to fleeing together, joining the tribe, supporting each other through hardship, and finally—their love strained because he was always busy, never having time for her.

He had been consumed by obligations to the tribe, neglecting the woman he once loved dearly. His coldness and indifference had left her frustrated and irritable.

Every time she snapped at him without reason, she only wanted to talk. Now, Old Sha finally understood how cruel his earlier neglect had been.

But all these realizations came too late...

Susan’s bloodied face managed a faint smile. Summoning her last strength, she lifted her right hand and traced a semicircle in the air.

It was the only apple they found during their three days wandering the plains—a memory that pierced Old Sha’s emotional defenses instantly.

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At that moment, he truly understood...

Great love is silent!

But now, everything was irretrievably lost.

Old Sha choked on his sobs, trembling as he raised his blood-stained hands to intertwine fingers with Susan’s.

The moment they touched, Susan’s right hand went limp and fell.

With a faint smile, Susan departed forever. Her eyes closed, lips curled in a slight smile, feeling the warmth of Old Sha’s chest—at least in her final moments, she found happiness.

To others, Old Sha was a man of steel, but now he wept like a child, as if he had lost his dearest treasure.

Our lives hold no regrets, only the pain of not cherishing what we have before it’s lost...

Old Sha understood now that no matter what, he could not fall. His child and tribe still depended on him...

Beside him, Greyly could not comprehend why his quarreling parents now cherished each other so deeply. He was bewildered, as if the world had betrayed him.

All he could do was silently lament...

...

Below the lookout tower,

Shuke and the soldiers of the machine gun company fought fiercely on the front lines.

“Captain! My arrows are gone!”

“Mine too.”

Looking at the battered soldiers around him, Shuke’s eyes blazed with determination.

“Unstring your bows, fix bayonets!”

“Fight to the death!!!”

“Let’s give it our all!”

The rat warriors of the machine gun company snapped their bowstrings after running out of arrows, tied bamboo swords to their bows, and guarded the base of the tower with a resolute, fearless stance.

...