Chapter 106: Behind Us Lies Our Home—We Have No Retreat!

Time rewound to half an hour earlier.

Alvin, upon reaching the front line, gazed at his comrades—nearly all under twenty years old—and his heart sank to the bottom.

On every youthful face was terror of war; even their grip on rifles trembled involuntarily amid the thundering artillery.

This won’t do…

Alvin knew clearly that if morale wasn’t corrected soon, they would collapse before the cultists even reached them.

The battle supervisor sent by the Fawu Force had no intention of boosting morale—that was the political officer’s job, not his.

His sole duty was one thing.

No one was to retreat a single step until every soul on the line was dead.

The supervisor’s complete inaction made Alvin realize he had to act himself—but the problem was… he had no idea how to boost morale!

Watching the young boys huddle like quails, trembling beneath the Jiaozhi of gunfire, explosions, and screams, Alvin stepped forward, his voice growing harsher as he shouted: “I know you’re afraid of dying—but it doesn’t matter, I’m afraid too! But does that mean those damned heretics will spare us?!”

The sudden shout left them momentarily stunned.

But thanks to that shout, the trembling boys no longer froze—they all lifted their heads and looked at Alvin.

That’s how people are.

In moments of chaos, if one person steps forward to lead, the panicked crowd quickly regains order—what’s that psychological effect called again?

Alvin didn’t care about names—he spoke firmly under the gaze of the boys: “No, those damned heretics won’t spare us. They’ll cut off our heads and pile them into a mountain!”

The boys, already frightened, imagined the horrific scene—and their fear intensified.

But that was exactly what Alvin wanted.

When facing utter despair, a man must be given time to realize there is no retreat—only then will his final courage ignite!

This tactic… is called “Back to the Water!”

Gazing at the rock-bottom morale, Alvin took a deep breath and roared: “Cowards, lift your heads! Look behind you—what do you see?”

“I… it’s the Hive City…”

“No, it’s… the officers!”

“Wahhh… we’re dead, I’m dead! Dad, Mom… I miss you!”

Instantly, the boys turned to look at the Hive City and the defense line—each conjured their own nightmare, and a chorus of sobs rose around them.

“No! That’s our family!”

Alvin roared like thunder: “Open your eyes! That’s our home! Our Hive City! That’s where our loved ones are!”

Though the Defense Force had conscripted countless civilians, they had placed the elderly, women, and children on the very last line.

The reason? Not out of “humanitarianism”—simply because they were weaker than able-bodied men and couldn’t boost combat power.

“Do you want to watch those damned heretics slaughter our families?!”

Gazing at the stunned boys, Alvin’s temples bulged with veins as he bellowed: “Answer me! Do you want to see your own kin’s heads cut off and piled like trash?!”

“No… no…”

“Too quiet! I can’t hear you!”

“NO!!!”

The roar shook the sky—fear vanished from every face, replaced by… rage!

“Then fight for the Divine Emperor! For our families! For our Hive City behind us—kill those heretics!”

Alvin drew his rifle, his aura surging like a mountain erupting—he shouted with fiery passion: “Our backs are to our home—we have no retreat! If we’re going to die, why not fight to the last?!”

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

“For the Divine Emperor! For our home!”

At that moment, the long-suppressed, uniquely human song of courage… rang out!

The rear supervisor stared in shock.

Seeing their broken morale, he’d already prepared to execute a few men—but now, this man had lifted it with just a few words!

“Good! Excellent spirit!”

Watching the restored morale, Alvin exhaled slightly—if morale had stayed this low, a single cultist charge would’ve shattered them.

“But courage alone isn’t enough—this is war!”

Alvin’s stern gaze swept over every face as he spoke in a low, firm tone: “You will obey orders. You will follow my commands.”

Youth always carries raw courage.

After being stirred, they all turned to the one now seen as their anchor: “We’ll follow you!”

Clearly, Alvin’s words had planted a seed in these boys’ hearts.

“I can’t promise… you’ll survive.”

Alvin, burdened by their trust, felt a tremor in his chest. He gritted his teeth, meeting their hopeful gazes, and said solemnly: “But I promise you this—what we do today has meaning. No one will die in vain. We will drive the heretics out—for the Divine Emperor, for our home, for our loved ones. The final victory… will be ours!”

Soon, under Alvin’s command,

the ten-man squad was split into three groups of roughly three each, hiding in the ruins of nearby homes to form crossfire cover.

The third group served as reserves—ready to rush to any position under threat.

“Hope this works…”

Alvin rubbed his throbbing temples, staring anxiously ahead as more heretic fanatics surged forward—he clenched his teeth: “In my last life, I only played strategy games. Real combat… this is my first time!”

The only silver lining:

The heretic fanatics had no heavy weapons—most carried rusted logging rifles or laser guns with worn-out barrels.

Many more wielded axes and similar crude weapons.

At least in firepower, they held the advantage—they had a real chance to suppress the cultists.

Of course, this all assumed:

The cultists weren’t planning some greater conspiracy!

Alvin felt uneasy—others might not know, but he knew perfectly well:

The cult possessed a demon engine—Hell Drake!

If they deployed Hell Drake, breaching the Hive City’s defenses would be effortless. There’s no reason they’d delay this long—or suffer such heavy losses.

Could it be… they’re summoning the Blood God’s legions?