After the crowd dispersed, the old man reboarded the train. Lightning approached and flew into the driver's compartment from the rear window, landing silently in the car.

The old man stood before the console, staring at the object in his hands without moving, his figure like a silent statue.

Looking at his back, she wanted to offer some comfort, but didn't know how to start.

It wasn't until she hesitantly touched the half-open window leaf that he noticed her presence.

"Ah, you're that little girl from that day..." The old man blinked in surprise.

"I'm Lightning." Lightning took a step back. "Sorry, I..."

"I understand, you're here to comfort me, right?" He suddenly grinned. "Ah, really, I'm not so old that I need a little girl to comfort me. You must be laughing at me. But the witches' abilities are really convenient, being able to go wherever they want to go."

His expression wasn't as sad as Lightning had imagined, which made her feel slightly more relaxed. "I-I'll knock next time."

"I'm not blaming you, child." The old man lowered the wall's folding table and wiped it with his sleeve. "Come, sit over here, I'll pour you a cup of tea—it's all I have to offer a guest."

"Th-thank you." Lightning slowly walked to the table and sat down. As she got closer, she noticed that what was on the console was a Neverwinter ID card.

"I'm Bu Luche, or you can just call me by my nickname: Loudmouth. That's what the little devils on the train often call me." The old man placed a steaming cup of tea on the table. "Were you at the funeral just now too?"

Lightning first nodded, then shook her head. "I just happened to be flying overhead and watched for a while..."

"That proves you haven't lost any comrades. That's good news."

She gripped the teacup tightly. "Your son..."

"Ah, he's called Robert, the third in the family, sacrificed in the battle for the artillery position." Bu Luche said calmly. "The battalion commander said he behaved bravely."

"He was indeed very brave." Lightning said softly. From Sylvie, she had heard the whole process of the battle. In the absence of fire support and God's Punishment Witches, he charged towards the demons' javelins. Without enough courage, it would have been impossible to take that step.

"Actually, the third child was the most timid one before. When he was mining in the mines, no matter how the foreman bullied him, he didn't dare to fight back, he would only come back and cry to me." Bu Luche said with emotion. "Do you think it's strange that I don't seem so sad?"

The little girl was momentarily speechless. "No, I—"

"It's okay," the old man comforted her. "Because I knew this day would come sooner or later... Whether it was the third or the other two sons, they all said the same thing to me."

"They... what did they say?"

"They said they wanted to protect Neverwinter City, they wanted to protect everything they had worked so hard to gain in their hometown." The old man took a sip of tea. "To be honest, I didn't understand at the time, and asked why it was them, not others."

Lightning was also wondering why.

Bu Luche seemed to see her thoughts. "Their answer was, others have already sacrificed."

"From the militia's fight against the evil beasts, people have been constantly falling on the front lines. This was the case when resisting Duke Ryan, and it's the same when resisting the Church's invasion. If everyone thought, 'Why me and not someone else?' we should still be in the mines, living like livestock." The old man said, "As long as there's fighting, sacrifices are inevitable. It's just a matter of whose turn it is. If no one is willing to go, there's no need to fight this battle. In the end, we'll still be at the mercy of the enemy—this is what they told me."

"I don't know if my three sons' thoughts are correct, but at least one thing is certain, it was their own choice." He took a deep breath. "The children have grown up and are able to walk on the path they believe is right. That's enough for me. The eldest, who recovered from a cold, and the third's name will be forever remembered by the army. What reason do I have to be sad?"

Lightning's mind couldn't help but recall what he had said that evening: "They used to live like mice, skinny and cowardly. But since joining the army, it's like they've changed inside and out. This is also why I have so much confidence in the First Army—a team composed of such people cannot be easily defeated."

So that's how it is...

"Oh right, I also have to thank you."

"Thank... me?" Lightning was stunned.

"Of course," the old man smiled. "Without your timely notification, the camp would have suffered greater losses. In a sense, you also protected the First Army, and my other son. I was wondering when I would meet you next. I thought I might never see you again, but I didn't expect you to appear directly behind me—it's great to be able to express my gratitude in person."

After finishing her tea, Lightning waved goodbye to Bu Luche.

She flew out the way she came. As she passed the front of the car, she saw through the car window that the old man had returned to the console, grabbed the ID card, and covered his face with his hand.

...

Back in the residential area, Maggie was circling in the air. As soon as she saw Lightning, she swooped down. "Where have you been wandering, goo! Why are you only back now, goo! Have you forgotten about today's big event?"

"Uh, what is it?"

"Today is Rogge's release from the infirmary!" Maggie folded her wings and landed on her head. "Hurry to the infirmary, goo!"

"Ah... okay, I know, stop shaking around." Lightning straightened the pigeon and flew towards the center of the camp. After the Night Raid, the layout of Tower One Station had undergone a tremendous change. From the air, apart from the platform, the storage yard and the sentry tower, the rest of the area was flat. Functional buildings such as barracks and infirmaries had all sunk underground. The fire points could not only cover the outer ring of the defense line, but also take into account the interior. Even if the demons used the same trick again, it would be difficult to cause as much damage as last time.

Before long, they saw the familiar figure of the wolf girl.

"Yo," Rogge twitched her ears. "Long time no see."

"It's only been a week." Seeing her energetic appearance, Lightning finally breathed a sigh of relief. After all, listening to Maggie's description of the state in which the wolf girl was carried into the infirmary, it was as if she was about to breathe her last.

"Maybe it's because I've been sleeping every day that it feels like time has passed so slowly." Rogge stretched. "Nana Wa is really something, she insisted on taking a week to heal the wound. I think if it had been another week, the wound would have healed on its own."

Because the side effects of witches resisting sleep fern are much higher than ordinary people, sleep treatment can usually effectively save the healer's magic power in non-life-threatening situations. This is also the experience accumulated during the Union's operations.

"As expected of a monster-like recovery ability, almost on par with Ashes, goo!" Maggie flapped her wings.

"Uh... since talking with Andrea xiaojie, I don't think this is a compliment." Rogge muttered softly.

"Goo?"

"No, it's nothing." She walked to Lightning's side, grabbed the little girl's arms with both hands, and lifted her up.

"Hey, hey... what are you doing, put me down." Lightning became a little embarrassed. "People are watching!"

"I heard from Sylvie what you did."

"I—"

"So, if you work hard, you can still do it." Rogge hugged Lightning. "This is the commander I know."

Lightning stopped struggling. She felt a warm current in her heart. After a long silence, she whispered, "But I'm still a coward."

"The fact that you can say these words to me means you've already taken that step." Rogge put Lightning down. "You're not thinking about leaving alone now, are you?"

Lightning looked at the wolf girl, then at Maggie, and nodded lightly. "Yeah."

The moment she answered, it felt like something was pressing on her shoulders.

But she didn't reject that feeling.

Instead, she felt a strange sense of peace.

"Goo?" Maggie tilted her head. "What are you talking about, goo?"

"We're talking about celebrating," Rogge stood up straight. "Since I'm safe and sound, shouldn't we have a good drink?"

"Celebrate, goo! Celebrate, goo!" Maggie echoed happily.

"Hey, wait..." Lightning protested. "I have to patrol tonight."

"It doesn't matter, as long as you bring out the drinks, we'll drink your share for you." Rogge raised her tail. "This is also the commander's duty, isn't it?"