In one of the more notable buildings in Jingling city, a middle aged man in military uniform stood near the window. His hands were crossed behind his back as he looked out into the distance through the window.
"Colonel, the survivors have just escaped," a soldier who hastily ran in reported.
"I see…" the middle aged man calmly replied. There was no anger or disappointment in his voice.
"Should we give chase? If we use the choppers, we should be able to catch up to them," the soldier asked.
"Not necessary, tell the soldiers to return to their stations," the colonel said with a stern voice.
"But…" the soldier stood where he was, seemingly unsatisfied with his order.
Seeing the soldier not moving, the colonel sighed, "Lieutenant Wu, what do you think is the purpose of us recapturing Jingling city?"
"Purpose? Isn't it to establish a safe zone to protect survivors?" the soldier replied with confusion. He did not understand why the colonel would suddenly ask him such question.
"Correct. Then, do you think Captain Wang and his men's actions are fitting for such purpose?" the colonel turned around and looked at the soldier in the eyes. Lieutenant Wu's eyes faltered as he met the colonel's stare. Captain Wang who he was referring to, was the muscular ability user who tried to form his rock armour, but was slapped unconscious by Long Yu.
"Don't even think about defending their actions, Lieutenant Wu. I am aware of the things that they have done in the past. Abusing their positions to take advantage of other survivors, robbing them of their possession, use of unjustified violence…" the colonel shook his head, disappointment clearly showing in his eyes. He then continued, "The only reason their previous actions had been pardoned was because the higher ups valued Captain Wang's ability."
"But even if that was true, that doesn't mean we should let those survivors off. They not only hurt our men but also destroyed our veh-"
"Lieutenant Wu, give me a report of the casualties caused by the incident," the colonel interrupted him before he could finish.
Hearing this, the lieutenant slowly reiterated the report he received, "One soldier's hand was crippled from the earlier confrontation, Captain Wang fell unconscious but have awakened, three soldiers suffered heavy injuries from the falling vehicles, and a total of five military trucks destroyed. Overall, no fa-"
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"No fatalities…" the colonel finished the lieutenant's sentence for him.
"Yes…" Lieutenant Wu nodded as his eyes widened in realisation. He understood what the colonel was implying.
"Lieutenant Wu, while some may see this as luck, I believe that young man had intentionally spared our men," the colonel nodded as he looked out the window once more, as if staring at something. He touched his chin and said, "From the footage I had just seen, that young man clearly had the ability and opportunity to kill Captain Wang and his soldiers."
"Maybe he was afraid we might chase him down?" Lieutenant Wu voiced his opinion as he wasn't fully convinced.
"Hai… Lieutenant Wu, you still can't see the truth…" the colonel sighed as he shook his head. His eyes flashed with a hint of unwillingness as he slowly said, "You may not like the sound of this, but our military will very soon cease to be the strongest force in this country… Do you remember the female ability user that was reported in Yueyang military camp?"
"Ah yes, you mean the military camp that was attacked by the mutated insects? That person… they started calling her Ice Queen Lan if I'm not wrong. Apparently, she's searching for someone," Lieutenant Wu tried to recall from the reports.
"Hoho, a fitting name indeed…" the colonel unexpectedly chuckled. However, his expression turned serious the next moment, "Then, are you aware that almost 50 percent of those mutated insects were wiped out by her alone?"
"Half?! Isn't that too ridiculous?" Lieutenant Wu was shocked at the revelation.
"As ridiculous as it sounds, it's true. This means that her efficiency in killing those things rivalled that of our military. I believe there are many of such cases happening across the country. Humans with special abilities so strong that they could threaten our military…" the colonel nodded.
"I...understand…" Lieutenant Wu closed his eyes and said. Although he was unwilling to admit, he understood what the colonel was implying. In this new world where mutated monsters are increasing in numbers and strength, the military will eventually have to seek help from these ability users.
….
While this conversation was happening, Long Yu's group had long left the Jingling city.
"It seems they have decided not to pursue us," Long Yu said as he looked at the rear view mirror.
As speculated by the colonel, Long Yu did not intend to cause much casualty to the military of Jingling city. Although they were the ones who started the conflict, he had mostly stayed his hand.
With his current means and power, Long Yu could have caused serious damages to the military if he wanted. However, he understood the consequences of such actions.
While he could vent his anger on the culprits, this would also indirectly affect the refugees dwelling in the military camp.
Those survivors rely on the military to protect them. If the military might of the camp was to be reduced, their chances of survival would also decrease. After all, who could say that this place would not become the second Yueyang camp in the future?