Chapter 17: Evacuating Xitai District

"Cough, cough... Yingzhou, that big Zerg has been dealt with, right? Sorry, this should have been our duty." Ye Fan coughed, wanting to prop himself up, but found his body no longer obeyed him. He sighed helplessly and gave up the struggle.

Yingzhou hurriedly crouched down to carefully examine Ye Fan's injuries. The situation was even worse than imagined; he couldn't help but frown: "Captain Ye, your injuries are very severe; you must receive treatment as soon as possible!"

Ye Fan opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something more, but in the end, he couldn't make a sound. His vision went black, and he fainted directly.

Seeing this, Yingzhou was startled. He hurriedly reached out to check his breathing and pulse, and only after confirming there was no immediate danger to his life did he breathe a slight sigh of relief.

"I'm going to check the situation in the basement. You two lift the Captain; we need to leave here immediately," one Thorn member instructed the other two. After speaking, he quickly turned and walked out toward the basement.

Not long after, this team member returned, reporting with a grave expression: "Everything in the basement has been blown to ruins. It seems that big Zerg is indeed dead."

Hearing this news, everyone felt a little more at ease. They immediately took action, carefully lifting the unconscious Ye Fan, and then began to return along the original path. Along the way, everyone's mood was exceptionally heavy; no one knew whether Ye Fan could actually pull through this.

Outside Xitai District, at the command post.

More than 5 hours had passed since the Thorn squad lost contact, and there had been no communication until now.

Colonel Li stood outside the command post smoking cigarette after cigarette, the expression on his face growing increasingly grave.

Xun Zhe sat inside the command post, his brows locked tight, his eyes fixed on the communications officers.

Just then, a communications officer spoke up, breaking the oppressive atmosphere.

"Colonel! We have restored contact with the Ye Fan squad!"

Upon hearing this news, Xun Zhe and Colonel Li walked quickly behind the communications officer.

"What did they say? What happened inside!"

"How are Yingzhou and the others? Are they still safe?"

The communications officer played the transmission.

"This is the Ye Fan squad. We have destroyed the cult's lair. The members of the other three squads have all perished. Our Captain is now severely injured and needs treatment! The five students are all safe!"

Upon hearing this news, the heart Xun Zhe had been holding finally dropped, but Colonel Li did not relax in the slightest. His brows were tightly furrowed, and a strong sense of unease surged in his heart. One had to know that although the Thorn squad was not the strongest in combat, they were veterans at handling various situations. They possessed rich experience and response strategies; how could they be so easily wiped out by a cult organization? That three squads were annihilated and the only remaining squad leader was severely injured made Colonel Li realize that this cult organization was likely more powerful than imagined.

"Evacuate as quickly as possible. I will arrange for a medical team to meet you outside," Colonel Li said, picking up the communication microphone with a serious tone.

"Understood!" The communication on the other end cut off.

Colonel Li walked quickly out of the command post. "The medical team is to arrive outside the Xitai District cordon immediately to prepare to receive the retreating Ye Fan squad! They have a severely injured casualty!"

The medical team quickly assembled, bringing various instruments to the outside of the cordon, looking toward the street in the distance.

After about half an hour, silhouettes appeared on the street. Upon seeing the medical team, their pace clearly quickened. The medical team also crossed the cordon, placed the severely injured Ye Fan on a stretcher, and ran quickly outward.

A medical team member summoned their Back Spirit and began to check Ye Fan's physical condition. But their expression quickly turned grave.

The surrounding Thorn team members saw this scene and asked anxiously, "How is it? What is the Captain's condition?"

The medical team member retracted their Back Spirit and slowly shook their head. "He lost his vital signs two minutes ago. Please accept my condolences."

The Thorn team members who had walked out of Xitai District were struck as if by lightning; their faces were filled with expressions of disbelief.

"Impossible! How could our Captain not hold on when we were about to leave Xitai District! Did you make a mistake!"

The medical team member said in a gentle tone, "I understand your feelings, but we would not make a mistake about this matter."

Yingzhou and the others also heard this heartbreaking news nearby. They hadn't expected that this Captain Ye Fan would die just as they were about to leave Xitai District, just like that... quietly dead?

In a camp outside Xitai District, the atmosphere was heavy and solemn. The members of the Thorn squad gathered together, their faces written with grief and anger. They had just learned heartbreaking news—Captain Ye Fan had sacrificed himself in the fierce battle against the cult forces, and the other three squads had been completely wiped out.

Upon receiving this news, Colonel Li arrived at the first opportunity. Looking at Ye Fan covered by a white sheet and seeing the shocking wounds, he said in a low voice.

"Ye Fan, you did well. You are the pride of the Thorn squad." Colonel Li slowly covered the white sheet with both hands and saluted the sheet.

Everyone else around also saluted one after another, their eyes filled with anger.

After sending Ye Fan's body away, Colonel Li called the other Thorn members away, saying he wanted to understand the specific situation that occurred inside.

Xun Zhe found Yingzhou and the others. Seeing that the five were not seriously harmed, he breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What exactly did you encounter inside?"

The gazes of the few turned toward Yingzhou, and Yingzhou had no choice but to stand up and tell Xun Zhe everything that happened in Xitai District.

"I didn't expect this cult to be so dangerous. It seems the Zerg put a lot of effort into infiltrating the Human Alliance this time," Xun Zhe said, nodding thoughtfully after hearing Yingzhou's account.

"Hmm, were the invasions of the Alien Race not this serious in the past?" Yingzhou asked curiously.

"Yes, the Human Alliance border defenses were extremely tight in the past. Those who could infiltrate were all small fry with little strength. This cult incident is the biggest loss the Thorn has ever suffered. It seems there is a problem at the Human Alliance border; Colonel Li should have noticed this as well. I will discuss this with him in a moment and report it up." Xun Zhe looked at the Xitai District not far away and spoke slowly, but then his tone shifted.

"However, this experience will also be helpful to you. On the battlefield, Alien Races stronger than this are everywhere; it is good for you to get used to it early. The Human Alliance has already paid a lot of blood in resisting the Alien Race. I believe you must be very tired after staying inside for so long. I have already found a place for you to rest. You should rest there first and recover your Spiritual Power."

After Xun Zhe finished speaking, he led the five to a tent. "You rest first; I will notify you when it's time to eat."

After Xun Zhe left, Yingzhou found a cot, sat cross-legged on it, and began to recover his Spiritual Power.