Chapter 1823 - 468: Choices, Honor and Shame (Part 3)

Chapter 1823: Chapter 468: Choices, Honor and Shame (Part 3)

"This is the true perseverance, this is the greatest respect you can offer to the sacrifice of our predecessors."

The command room was enveloped in a deathly silence.

Only the heavy breathing and the crisp sound of Lie Zhua’s knuckles cracking under immense pressure could be heard.

Tu Hu’s words, like a cruel bone knife, stripped away the garments of hot blood and glory, revealing the most raw and cruel truth beneath survival.

The choice: a meaningful obliteration or bearing eternal shame for a barely attainable revenge in the future?

This decision is weighty as a mountain.

"How you choose, it’s up to you." Tu Hu finished speaking and turned to leave the command room.

The heavy metal door slowly closed behind him, locking in a deathly silence.

Time seemed frozen.

The glaring red mark on the sand table advanced slowly, like a dagger pressed against the throat, forcing everyone to make a decision.

Lie Zhua maintained his stance of a tightly clenched fist, nails deeply embedded in the table, his body trembling with extreme emotion.

Rage, humiliation, and unwillingness surged in his chest like magma.

He was almost ready to roar the order, to gather all strength and face destruction with the enemy.

The conference room sank into a long deathly silence, every second feeling like a year.

At that moment, a voice from memory echoed in Lie Zhua’s mind.

It was from his teacher, Blue Star, who once shared a story with him while wearing a complicated, indescribable smile after drinking.

During their time wandering, Mr. Hu exhausted all food but gave his last bit to him, claiming he wasn’t hungry.

The young teacher believed it and devoured the food with the other children.

It wasn’t until much later that his teacher understood that even the seemingly strong Uncle Tiger felt hunger, pain, and bled.

He simply prioritized the opportunity to survive for them.

A surge of indescribable bitterness rushed to Lie Zhua’s nose, nearly breaking through his restrained tears.

All the anger and humiliation, at that moment, quietly dissolved with this distant memory.

Mr. Hu never taught them to kneel submissively; he taught them responsibility, guardianship, and sacrifice for greater matters, suppressing all personal honor and feelings.

Back then, it was to ensure the children survived, he endured hunger and said: Not hungry.

Today, to ensure the survival of the clan’s spark, he could face widespread misunderstanding and anger, proposing "surrender."

The past and the present, how similar they are.

Lie Zhua slowly unclenched his fist, leaving behind some bloodied indentations on the table.

He lifted his head, surveying every face around him — some filled with sorrow, some bewildered, some still indomitable.

His voice was extremely hoarse:

"Jingsi, preserve all research data, especially all data on the ’Path of Enlightenment’ and Dream Weaving Clan crystal stone, hide as much as you can."

Jingsi abruptly looked at him, eyes filled with shock and confusion.

Lie Zhua didn’t offer an explanation, he then looked towards the old general and all military leaders:

"Order all units to cease all futile resistance movements, pull back, avoid the enemy’s main forces... preserve strength."

"Lie Zhua, you..." the old general’s eyes were fierce.

"Carry out the order!" Lie Zhua roared, painted with undeniable painful resolution, then took a deep breath:

"My teacher Blue Star once said the biggest lie he heard in his life was shortly after escaping Star Valley, when the food was about to run out."

His gaze traversed over the crowd, seemingly seeing that era of trudging through barren wastelands:

"Mr. Hu pushed his last piece of dried meat to my teacher Blue Star, touched his head and said: Uncle Tiger isn’t hungry, you split it up and eat."

Lie Zhua surveyed the entire room, his voice low:

"We remember Mr. Hu teaching us to grip our weapons tight, teaching us collective honor, but what we should remember more is how Mr. Hu could selflessly abandon himself for our survival."

"As Mr. Hu said, dying standing is gratifying, but bearing the humiliation for those who sacrificed for us to live on... that is what Mr. Hu truly taught us."

He struck heavily at the edge of the sand table:

"Surrender isn’t for clinging to survival, but to leave hope, one day returning this shame a thousandfold."

Once more he inhaled deeply, as if with all his strength, barely extruding the humiliating words from his throat:

"In the name of the highest authority in New Star Valley... seek from the enemy..."

He paused for a long time, finally almost gritting his teeth, squeezing out the two words:

"...seek... negotiation."

When the final two words escaped his lips, Lie Zhua seemed drained of all strength, his body swayed, instinctively reaching for the cold control panel, barely maintaining his stance.

The command room was blanketed in a deathly silence.

They understood, from this moment on, the spine of the Downspirit Clan, was forced to bend in order to survive.

But they also understood, that what Lie Zhua bore with this decision, as well as what their ancestors with this suggestion endured, was far heavier than a glorious death.

Humiliation became the bitter fruit they had to swallow.

And hope was buried in the soil of disgrace, waiting for the bloom unknown when it will come.

And just then, the heavy metal door silently slid open.

Tu Hu’s silhouette reappeared at the command room entrance, still clutching the bottle.

Without looking at anyone, he walked straight to the sand table, his gaze landed on the advancing red marks.

Tilting his head, he drained all the remaining alcohol in the bottle.

The liquid rolled through his throat but couldn’t wash away the bitterness in his heart.

The empty bottle was heavily slammed on the sand table edge, uttering a dull thud:

"I will negotiate."

Lie Zhua abruptly raised his head, lips trembled, his throat clogged with unspoken words.

Tu Hu raised his hand, a simple gesture cutting off all unspoken words.

His gaze slowly swept through the room, passing over each pale, young, aggrieved face.

"I’ve lived long enough with my old bones, but your journey is still long, a bent spine can straighten again, but if the spark extinguishes... truly nothing remains."

He turned around, his silhouette under the light appeared particularly gaunt, yet to the Downspirit Clan, he bore the weight of an entire civilization like a mountain.

"I’m most suited to go, you are the future, the roots of revenge, the first taste of this bitter fruit of disgrace... I’ll take it with my old bones."

Tu Hu finished, a mournful emotion filled the meeting room.

All eyes focused on Tu Hu’s back, glistening with tears.

What they saw in their ancestor was no different; he always took on the heaviest shackles, alone shouldering the burden.