books44 Chapter 391 [Empire] Eternal Flame
Chapter 391 [Empire] Eternal Flame
"It's just right. The school recently received a donation of several brand-new combat simulators. In the next physical education class, you can experience this history firsthand." The teacher's voice echoed through the classroom, carrying an elusive chill. As soon as she finished speaking, she tossed a thick stack of historical materials onto the podium and walked away, leaving us stunned as she vanished.
This sudden task instantly made the atmosphere in the classroom solemn. The originally relaxed atmosphere was broken, replaced by a tense and silent waiting.
The students in the class exchanged uneasy glances. Some lowered their heads and quickly flipped through the materials, trying to find some guidance from the thick documents. More people just stared at the table mechanically, with a slightly confused look on their faces.
I was no exception, and upon opening the data, I was filled with questions. The protracted civil war, the betrayal of one's tribe, the rise of a mechanical empire—all of which I had once thought were distant stories—were now experiencing them firsthand. This experiment seemed chilling—were the simulations meant to relive the bloodshed and division, or to make us feel the horror of betrayal? Were these battle simulations truly just simulations? What, exactly, were they simulating?
Questions kept popping up in my mind.
As I opened the first page, a series of historical scenes emerged before my eyes. The mechanical empire's rebuilt soldiers, cold yet powerful, their bodies fused with machinery, their eyes filled with only war, desire, and destruction. Those former imperial warriors were no longer human, but ruthless machines transformed by iron, blood, and technology.
The historical records describe this event in a brief paragraph: "The leader of the Mechanical Empire was once a hero of our interstellar empire. However, faced with the allure of technology and the power of cold reality, he chose to rebel. Their army, over time, relied more and more on mechanical transformations, and eventually became unmatched."
Traitors in history, once heroes, have now become enemies. This transformation is difficult to understand. And as we stand at this crossroads of history, can we avoid repeating the same mistakes? I can't help but have doubts about the upcoming battle simulation.
Soon, the bell rang, signaling the official start of physical training. We were led to a newly constructed training hall, where several massive combat simulators, emitting a cold metallic sheen, were displayed. Each simulator looked incredibly advanced, resembling a gigantic humanoid robot, its bases brimming with complex mechanical devices, creating a sense of technology. Standing before these machines, I felt a sense of oppression, as if I were about to enter an unknown battlefield.
Isn’t this just going to the battlefield?
"Students, today we will experience the treacherous war of betrayal through a simulated battle." The teacher's voice boomed from the nearby console. Her expression remained serious, her tone bordering on apathy. "Each of you will be randomly assigned to either the Interstellar Empire or the Mechanical Empire. You will simulate participating in that fateful civil war. I hope you won't just be spectators, but will feel the weight of that history as participants."
I took a deep breath, my heartbeat quickening slightly. The battle simulator's screen flashed with various commands, ready to begin. History, technology, betrayal, war—all would converge in a few short minutes, transforming into a seemingly inescapable test. A hint of unease crept through me, yet also a strange anticipation. After all, this was a chance to confront history directly. Perhaps, in this simulated battle, I could find my own answers.
As the countdown on the screen began, we entered the simulator one by one, our bodies securely strapped into our seats. I felt a sense of immersion unlike any in the real world, as if I had already stepped into that distant interstellar battlefield. What followed would no longer be a simple history lesson, but a life-or-death experience—experiencing the ruthlessness of the Machine Empire or the desperate resistance of the Interstellar Empire.
The battle began. The startup sound of the simulation instrument was as deafening as a war drum. My heart skipped a beat and I was plunged into the unknown battlefield.
The character I played was an ordinary soldier of an interstellar empire, of humble origin. But the legion commander standing behind me was the greatest man I had ever met in my life—an immortal hero on the battlefield and the savior of my destiny.
It was an extremely brutal battle.
Our unit was surrounded by the elite troops of the Mechanical Empire, attacked from all sides by cold-blooded machines. Mechanically modified soldiers surged in like a tide, their bodies so modified that they were almost indistinguishable from humans. Only their cold, mechanical eyes and ruthless movements revealed their inhuman nature.
Our legion commander, that brave man, was like a beacon, leading us into battle amidst the chaos of the battlefield. As his follower, I received almost no special training, relying solely on his command and decision-making to survive.
We had experienced countless small-scale conflicts before, but this battle was beyond the expectations of any of us. The Mechanical Empire's unexpected attack quickly tore through our defenses, and we were shattered in the face of the enemy's powerful firepower.
Amidst the flames and smoke of explosions, the Legion Commander stood before me. His eyes looked at me through the chaotic battlefield.
I'll never forget the look in his eyes at that moment, filled with determination and resolve, yet also tinged with a hint of hidden pain. "Move!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice drowning out the sounds of explosions and gunfire. "Take the rest of the team and retreat. I'll stay and hold them off!"
At that moment, my mind went blank. Although he never showed any weakness, I knew he was determined to make this choice voluntarily. In that life-or-death moment, he didn't do it for glory or mission, but to protect us soldiers with no background.
His life has transcended personal significance - he chose to use his life to fight for a chance for us to live.
His life was so heavy. It shouldn't be like this!
I hurriedly shook my head, wanting to protest, wanting to hold him back, but he turned and walked towards the center of the explosion.
At that moment, the entire battlefield shook violently, the flames like countless raging demons devouring everything. The soldiers of the Mechanical Empire refused to stop, giving us no respite. No matter how we resisted, their firepower continued to rage against us. The entire world seemed to be engulfed in flames, instantly becoming blurred and unfamiliar.
The commander didn't look back. He took off, his back gradually disappearing into the smoke. I ran desperately, trying to catch up, but the chaos of the battlefield and the force of the explosion pushed me away from him. Finally, a team member beside me shouted, "Leave him alone! We're out of time!"
What happened next was like a never-ending nightmare.
I turned and saw the Legion Commander standing in a sea of flames, his mech radiating a blazing glow. His mech had been struck by enemy fire, its face armor severely damaged, but he remained upright, like an indestructible rock. Then, with his last remaining strength, he activated the mech's self-destruct sequence.
I saw that moment his eyes became incredibly firm, no longer wavering. Then, everything happened so quickly, as if time had frozen in that moment.
The light from the mecha's explosion illuminated the entire battlefield, and the subsequent blast wave threw me out fiercely. I was thrown far away by the shock wave, as if every inch of my skin was burned.
"Captain!"
I struggled to my feet amidst the smoke of the explosion, my vision blurring. All that remained was a brilliant flame in the distance. I tried desperately to call out, but no sound came out. The legion commander who had once led us forward, that living man, vanished before my eyes—his body and mech reduced to ash, vanished in the flames of battle.
Time seemed to stop, the sounds around me faded, and I stood there, frozen in the flames. My comrades fell around me, but I remained alive. A hollowness lingered within me, as if the explosion had consumed all my emotions and reason. I was no longer just another soldier, but a survivor, a man who had lost his leader and his faith.
Damn lucky...
As I slowly stood up, the world around me was still in chaos. The soldiers of the Mechanical Empire continued to surge towards us, but I could no longer see clearly ahead. I knew I couldn't stop. I could only continue to live, becoming the person the Legion Commander had hoped I would be—a warrior who never gave up and bravely pressed forward.
However, I will never forget the moment when the legion commander's last figure disappeared in the flames during the explosion.
I thought, that flame has burned into my heart and will never go out.