Chapter 782: The Survivor

The squad medic steps forward and examines the two bodies.

"The woman's lower left leg was broken. That's why she couldn't climb out of the cellar."

"The internal wound caused a fever, and she was already in poor health. She didn't last long."

"There was no food down there either. She died about three days ago..."

The medic pauses. "Before she died, she bit open her wrist and fed the girl her blood."

"It hastened her death, and the girl eventually died of dehydration. Judging by the condition of her body..."

He pauses again, his voice dropping. "She died within the past day."

No one speaks. Only the creak of steel gauntlets breaks the silence as several soldiers clench their fists.

Only days ago, the woman and girl had been alive. Now their bodies are cold.

The girl is still wearing the new clothes Berio had bought for her in town.

These soldiers may be elites, but they are not unfeeling machines.

This is not softness. It is respect for life.

Berio's voice is heavy. "What now?"

After a moment's thought, Akta decides they will rest for the night. Before dawn, they will pick up the enemy's trail and confirm whether the nest remains in its old location.

Despite their grim mood, the soldiers circulate their cultivation technique and force themselves to sleep.

They are awake and ready well before dawn.

The sky is at its darkest. A large force of calamity creatures had attacked the village and carried off many villagers, leaving an obvious trail.

Several days have passed, but without rain, the tracks remain clear.

Half an hour later, the familiar mound of the nest comes into view.

Until they see it, the soldiers still cling to the hope that a different group of Subterranean River Bandits attacked the village.

The evidence crushes that hope. Their failure to inspect the nest thoroughly had led directly to the massacre at Lanku Village.

The villagers were not citizens of Peace Haven, but the squad had lived among them for a month. The guilt is no less real.

This is a war for humanity's survival. At a time like this, borders and regions matter little.

They are all human. It is only natural to grieve for the suffering of their own kind.

The squad watches until sunrise, when the Subterranean River Bandits begin returning to the nest.

They prepare to leave and report the appearance of a medium-sized Subterranean River Bandit nest.

Just before they depart, Nadal swings down from his horse and studies the ground.

He motions the others over. "A human came through here from the nest. He was wounded, but alive. Judging by the dried blood, he escaped about a day ago."

Akta frowns. "Track him! We need whatever he knows about the nest."

A little over ten minutes later, the trail leads them to a flower field far from the village.

Akta recognizes it as the field belonging to Sambik's family.

The hardworking boy had cleared the squad's livestock manure every day and brought it here as fertilizer.

The overpowering smell may be why the calamity creatures stopped pursuing him.

Their eyesight is poor, but their hearing and sense of smell are exceptionally sharp.

That keen sense of smell makes the mixture of flowers and human and animal waste unbearable to them.

The soldiers spread out. They soon find the survivor.

By the time Akta reaches him, the medic has finished his examination and is waiting for orders.

Berio cannot help asking, "Little Pike, is there really nothing else you can do?"

Pike sighs. "You can see how bad it is. My medical skills are limited, and taking him to company base wouldn't change anything."

"With wounds like these, only the Peace Haven Military Hospital might save him."

Berio starts to speak again, but Akta raises a hand. "Prepare the injection."

Pike, the squad medic, nods, takes out a dose, and injects it into the survivor.

A short while later, Sambik slowly opens his eyes.

At first, it all feels like a nightmare. Terrifying humanoid creatures had attacked the village, killing many people as he desperately tried to lead his family away.

He had nowhere to run. All he could do was hide his family in the safest place he knew.

The monsters still caught him and his brother, but his mother and sister had escaped capture.

He and the other captured villagers were taken to the nest and reduced to food for the monsters.

Sambik had found a chance to escape. He wanted to find the elite Knights who had visited his village, but he had no idea where they had gone.

In the end, his strength had failed him, and he had collapsed in his family's flower field.

Now, as his eyes open, a tall figure blocks the harsh sunlight.

Someone familiar crouches beside him, asking him something.

It takes Sambik a long moment to shake off his daze.

When he finally recognizes the powerful Knights, he grabs Akta's hand. "My lord, please! You have to save us!"

His voice breaks. "My mother and sister are in the cellar beneath the courtyard where you stayed."

"They're still alive. Please get them out!"

Berio draws a deep breath, his expression tightening. "Kid, your mother and sister already..."

Akta cuts in. "They've been rescued and taken somewhere safe. We're here to wipe out the monsters in the nest."

"You escaped from there, so tell me everything. How many monsters are inside? How many villagers are alive, and what condition are they in?"

Sambik is still panicking. "My lord, please save my family. They took my brother. You have to save him..."

Akta's voice cracks like a whip. "Enough! Master your fear, kid. You're a soldier now. Report the enemy situation to your superior."

The command steadies Sambik. "There are several of those tall water demons inside, and two beautiful creatures that aren't human."

"I don't know exactly how many enemies there are, but at least a hundred."

"The villagers are all alive, but they're in terrible condition. The monsters are eating them."

"And the elf-like creatures are performing a sinister ritual."

"They turn humans into monsters like their servants. They can also turn some monsters into humans..."

The clearer Sambik's account becomes, the graver the soldiers' expressions grow. The situation is worse than they imagined.