Chapter 5

"That route is almost entirely exposed—open ground from start to finish, without a single piece of cover. Leading over a hundred slow-moving civilians through it... is the same as marching everyone onto an execution field."

I snatched up the radio and roared with the last of my strength, "Noah! That's not a withdrawal route—you've designated a slaughter route! What the hell are you trying to do?!"

"What am I trying to do?" He gave a light chuckle, his tone as casual as if he were talking about the weather.

"I've already issued the order and the route, haven't I? Captain Lewis—you're the famous Night Owl King. Pulling a few people out across open ground should be basic training for you, shouldn't it?"

"Whether you can bring them back alive... well, that's your problem now."

He paused, then added the final line—each word cutting straight to the bone. "After all, when you abandoned me back then, you didn't hesitate like this."

Charlie was shaking with rage.

At this point, only two dead ends remained before us: stay and bleed dry in this position, or step onto Route Three—an undisguised death trap.

"Captain... what do we do?" Charlie's voice was stretched to its breaking point.

I didn't answer immediately. Instead, I silently reached into the deepest layer of my pack and took out a black terminal—reserved for last-resort communications.

My fingers flew across the cold keys.

A string of blood-red code flashed on the screen, then jumped to Confirmed: Sent.

The instant Charlie caught sight of that code, her face drained of all colors. Her voice nearly shattered.

"T-that's... Night Owl 313—the highest-level 'all personnel lost' pre-code..."

"That's right." My voice was unnervingly calm.

I dropped the terminal to the ground, spun around sharply, and faced the terrified, bewildered civilians—along with the battered yet unbowed teammates standing behind me.

I took a deep breath and forced every ounce of strength from my lungs, my voice rising above the artillery fire and reaching every ear. "Fellow citizens! Please listen to me!"

"The statement I was forced to make earlier was not the truth—nor was it made of my own free will!"

"My ex-husband abused his authority, maliciously vetoed all legitimate evacuation plans, cut off every channel of support, and forced us to accept a retreat route that guarantees death!"

"Just now, I transmitted the Night Owl 'immediate death' code to high command. This is the final report of our unit before total annihilation!"

"I, Ysabelle Lewis, will lead my team. We will use our bodies as your final shield—drawing all enemy fire to tear open a path for you to live!"

"If, in the end, none of us survive—remember this name."

"Noah Flores."

"He is the one who killed us all."

The signal for the final charge rang out.

"All units!"

"Prepare to advance! Clear a path for the civilians behind us!"