Chapter 689: Survivors from the Third Defense Zone (3)

After receiving instructions from Yingzhou, Angron and Sanguinius arrived at the Fourth Defense Zone, tasked with comforting the survivors and having Sanguinius handle the affairs of the Fourth Defense Zone Military District.

"Brother, do you see? These are the survivors rescued after being ravaged by the Alien; their fates have changed because of Father. Father did not abandon them, allowing them to be reborn."

Angron swept his gaze across the entire New Life Square: survivors who were overcrowded, gaunt, and whose eyes held lingering terror and numbness.

He pressed his lips together tightly, the muscles of his jaw twitching slightly, and spoke to Sanguinius in a heavy tone.

Sanguinius followed Angron out of the Transport Aircraft cabin.

The morning light seemed to favor him, flowing and dancing upon his pair of flawless white wings, making his entire being seem to radiate a soft and holy halo.

His handsome, transcendent face was currently veiled in deep compassion.

His azure eyes took in everything in the square.

Sanguinius's voice was like celestial music, gentle and clear, carrying a strange power of penetration that made the nearby survivors, who were pricking up their ears, feel an inexplicable calm in their hearts.

"Yes, Angron. But look, life is still tenaciously taking root here. The spark of hope, even under the deepest Ashes, has not been extinguished."

Xiumini was carefully supporting that trembling middle-aged man toward the temporary medical point; Xiaoya's excited voice made her look up abruptly.

"Lord Angron!"

Xiaoya's voice carried irrepressible excitement and reverence; it was not loud, yet it sounded exceptionally clear in the environment that had suddenly fallen silent due to the arrival of the two Primarchs.

Many staff members and survivors stopped what they were doing, their gazes cast in unison toward the two figures in the center of the square, and awe permeated the air like a physical substance.

The Modian Iron Guard soldiers straightened their backs, performing a silent salute.

Angron strode in front of these survivors, and the Modian Iron Guard automatically parted to create a path.

"Our enemy is the Alien! They are the monsters that drag Humans into the ground to gnaw on them!"

"Look around!"

Angron's voice lowered, yet it became more penetrating.

"High walls! Weapons! Food! And... freedom! There is no carapace here to bind you, no Juntan to make you rot! The banner of the Emperor flies here! You are no longer prey! You are the ones who survived! You are the ones who can pick up weapons and grind those bugs that harmed you into dust!"

His words carried a certain magic, striking at the heart of every survivor, and the tense, chaotic emotions dissipated along with Angron's words.

At the same time, the young Sanguinius looked at the current appearance of the Fourth Defense Zone, recalling the data on the Fourth Defense Zone he had reviewed earlier; the changes here were too great.

"The pain is still there, the wounds are deep... but Father's light has truly grown here. It is in these stones, in the hearts of these people... in every life willing to pick up tools for tomorrow instead of claws and fangs."

He turned around, his white wings stretching slightly in the sunlight, scattering bits of soft halo.

Under Angron's comforting, the suffocating chaos and despair in New Life Square finally dissipated quite a bit.

Although the survivors still had sallow complexions and weary eyes, their entire beings revealed a sense of bewilderment at having survived a catastrophe and a reserve toward the new environment.

The staff of the Fourth Defense Zone were highly efficient, quickly beginning to guide the crowd for initial registration, medical examinations, and temporary placement.

"Afudao, Dekashi, and you few."

A middle-aged man with a "Foreman" armband on his arm and a hoarse voice walked over quickly, pointing at Afudao, Dekashi, and several other survivors who looked relatively calm and in slightly better physical condition.

"You are in decent shape, lend a hand! Go to the supply point over there and help distribute blankets and food! Be quick, there are more people coming behind!"

The few who had just passed their mental examination and were confirmed to be in good condition immediately got up and headed to the location pointed out by the Foreman.

They knew this was the first step to integrating into the new environment, and an opportunity to prove they still had value.

The supply point was set up under a temporarily erected shed on the edge of the square.

Bundles of gray blankets and the brown mush cooked from the canteen were all under the shed.

Xiumini and Xiaoya were also busy here.

Xiaoya was struggling to drag a large bundle of blankets; seeing Afudao and the others come over, her eyes lit up.

"Hey! New helpers? That's great!"

Xiaoya's voice carried the vitality unique to young people, which was out of place in the oppressive environment around her; she pointed to the side.

"Blankets are one per person, one each! The mush is the same, one portion per person; once you've received it, register your name and check your mental state over there!"

She quickly gave instructions for the Task, her hands and feet nimble as she ladled the mush from the pot into the bowls of the survivors in line.

Xiumini sat behind a simple table, a thick register spread out in front of her, holding a pen somewhat clumsily with her few severed fingers.

She looked up at the survivors queuing in front of her, her gaze calm, without any probing, simply asking.

"Line up, one by one, report your names."

Afudao immediately began organizing his companions to maintain order, while Dekashi took the initiative to move heavy boxes.

The distribution work proceeded in an orderly manner.

The survivors stood in line, silently receiving the necessities for survival.

When the blanket was stuffed into their hands, and when that bowl of warm mush with the strange smell of grain was held in their palms, a trace of real fluctuation finally appeared in the numb eyes of many—this was a tangible gift, the foundation for staying alive.

"Thank you... thank you..."

A woman holding an infant had a choked voice, clutching the blanket tightly, bowing repeatedly to Afudao and Dekashi who were distributing the supplies.

Afudao waved his hand somewhat awkwardly: "Take it, sister, it's... safe here."

He was not quite used to this feeling; in the Third Defense Zone, women of this age group were already on the list of those captured by the Zerg; perhaps it was because she was pregnant that she had persisted until the rescue.

When Dekashi passed by Xiumini while carrying a bundle of blankets, he noticed Xiumini's special way of holding the pen while registering and the hideous scar on the corner of her mouth.

As Dekashi passed by Xiumini, he couldn't help but ask in a low voice, with a hint of probing born of shared suffering: "Miss... your hand...?"

Xiumini's pen tip paused; she did not look up, answering in a flat voice.

"Seventh Defense Zone, left behind in an Orc cage. It's all in the past."

After she finished writing down a survivor's name and the note "Third Defense Zone survivor," she handed a small identity tag with a number on it to the survivor in front of her.

"Keep this safe; future supply collections and work assignments all depend on it. Next."

Dekashi looked at Xiumini's calm, waveless face and her missing fingers, his heart shaken.

Seventh Defense Zone... Orcs... that existence rumored to be more brutal than the bugs? She actually survived from such a place? And she looks... so "normal"?

If she could survive from the hands of the Orcs, and even work here, then could he and these people... really survive here too, and even... start over?