Chapter 401: Stance

When Lin An sat back in the car again, a rich smell of blood surged in with the warm sunlight.

An hour of high-speed charge.

Twenty-seven humans died by his hand, three recon squads.

Sixteen men, nine women.

More than half of the Awakened Ones were Special Forces Soldiers who had undergone high-intensity training.

In a small force, each of them could stand alone, worthy of being called elite.

Until the moment of death, these recon teams never realized why they died.

From another angle, these soldiers indeed did nothing wrong.

They merely followed the superior's orders, even carrying a strong sense of dedication and honor.

They risked greatly, weaving through the corpse horde, dodging mutant attacks.

In a difficult situation, they cautiously completed their mission.

They felt they were holding up a sky for the Military Region's survivors, striving for hope in the apocalypse.

Lin An was wrong, and Long'an Base was also a mistake.

Someone jumped up in indignation before death, glaring at him with hatred and disgust, loudly questioning him:

"Why so cold-blooded? Why so selfish?"

"Butcher! Executioner! Selfish wretch! Cowardly deserter devoid of dedication and sacrifice!"

Their thinking was simple: all the Military Region's actions were due to Lin An's lack of cooperation.

They were the ones forced into desperation.

Clearly, if Lin An had stood up from the start, everyone would have hailed him as a hero.

At least in most people's eyes, that was indeed the case.

Lin An felt little about that.

It's simple, because he has seen too many past lives of what heroes end up as.

"Lord Lin An..."

Liang Shaoguang glanced worriedly at Lin An in the passenger seat.

As Yue Lang, his keen nose felt as if it had suffered.

In Liang Shaoguang's poor head, he still felt Lin An shouldn't have done that.

Tie them up, or drive them out?

Killing them isn't right, is it?

The soldiers were merely following orders.

As an ordinary civilian before the apocalypse, he couldn't be so ruthless.

Lin An casually glanced at the trembling Yue Lang driving, while the soldiers bound into a heap crowded the back seat.

To fit everyone in the car, he also cleared out a few more.

Anyway, as long as we bring the people back to hand over to Chu An, having fewer doesn't matter.

"Do you think I shouldn't have killed them?"

After satisfying a killing urge, the influence of the Fearful Body diminished considerably.

Just like when thirsty, one wants water.

Of course, this is merely an illusion after a full meal.

When the next mealtime comes, he will still be hungry.

The Fearful Body is actually nothing special.

It is more like letting Lin An revert to an instinctual state, returning to bestiality.

Whoever threatens me, I kill.

In this state, thought is disturbed, and likewise reason gradually fades amid repeated killings.

Until the end.

Replacing troublesome humanity with instinctual bestiality—that is the effect of the Fearful Body.

Like a Scaled Beast, after looking in the mirror he became a monster with a tail.

If a few more days pass, he will become a true Demonic Beast.

Liang Shaoguang pressed his lips together.

Although he said nothing, the expression in his eyes revealed his thoughts.

Ordinary people naturally feel affection for foot soldiers.

Somewhat relieved, Lin An bluntly began speaking, half answering, half talking to himself:

"These soldiers' purpose is to obtain the base coordinates."

"Whether expelled or otherwise, as long as they live a day, they will think every obstacle is merely a difficulty in completing the mission."

"Soldiers will find ways to overcome difficulties, trying again and again."

"In their eyes, they are righteous, like the fearless protagonists in movies."

"And we are evil, especially me."

After a pause, Lin An turned his head toward Yue Lang with a half-smile.

"Tell me, when missiles fall on our heads, what should we do?"

"You think they'd hold back, feeling our safe zone still has the weak, sick, and disabled, thus being lenient?"

"No, they won't."

"They will naturally press the button, then celebrate my death amid cheers."

"Liang Shaoguang, your wife and children. The other Survivors in the base, those weak ones we rescued, they will all die."

"In the eyes of the Military Region, this is merely a necessary sacrifice."

"Soldiers can die, and we certainly should die even more."

"After all, one of us dying can save many more."

"Old Liang listened and then fell silent, heavy-hearted."

"He had certainly thought of that before."

"But setting aside his identity as an Awakened One, he is just an ordinary person."

"It's like knowing that if you don't work hard when you're young, you'll regret it when you're old."

"Knowing and doing are two different things."

"He clearly knows what the consequences of not dealing with the soldiers would be, yet he instinctively resists."

"In the back seat, the bound Gao Yan swayed her body, and she couldn't help but speak up in defense:"

"No!"

"We're not like that!"

"Actually, many people in the High Level think highly of you!"

"Even if we knew nothing about you back then!"

"The Capital Military Region has been sending you notices; do you know how many Military Regions are looking for you?!"

"It's because you refuse to contact us that we can only plan for the worst!"

"The more she spoke, the more agitated Gao Yan became; thinking of those soldiers from the Wangjiang Military Region who died so miserably at their hands, her eyes reddened."

"We haven't even moved against you!"

"Yes, I admit we wanted to obtain the coordinates; that was merely a reluctant backup plan!"

"Who knows what kind of existence the Long'an Base is?!"

"Who knows what you'll do?!"

"For the Greater Good! We must prepare for the worst!"

"Her voice trembled."

"This female captain raised her head and, emotionally charged, spoke her final words:"

"We bear the hopes of countless Survivors; everything is done for the Greater Good!"

"The soldiers nearby were likewise stirred."

"They craned their necks, staring at Lin An with fearless resolve."

"Exactly! Captain Gao is right!"

"Holier-than-thou! You're just making excuses for yourself!"

"Lin An let out a soft laugh and, amidst the soldiers' incomprehension, spoke slowly:"

"The Greater Good?"

"Sorry, I am the Greater Good."

"Having said that, he turned his head away."

"Outside the carriage, the verdant scenery flashed by."

"I have lived again once, and I know what is right to do."

"If someone knew the Inside Information, they might want him to explain things clearly to the Military Region."

"There is no so-called loophole in the Safe Zone mission, nor any Safety Token to speak of."

"But when someone doubts you, all words are useless."

"Lin An has seen too many such examples in his Past Life."

"When someone suspects you of 'stealing food,' even cutting open your belly would be useless."