Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 215 Welcome
"Xiao Wu, congratulations!"

Many soldiers came to Wu Qiwen's side to congratulate him.

This is a train traveling from Haiqu to Xinfu. The train is relatively empty. Wu Qiwen, who is sitting among the crowd receiving congratulations, is a young man with a missing arm.

But this young man just defeated opponents from all over the Corps and won the final championship of the third level of the competition.

"It was just a clever trick." Wu Qiwen shook his head, his expression showing humility mixed with a hint of dejection.

"My superpower is better suited for the arena, where I have a great advantage when I can't use weapons."

This is the truth. Wu Qiwen possesses a fire-based magical ability, commonly known as "fireball making," which is incredibly powerful. On a battlefield where weapons cannot be used, this ability, which has its own powerful destructive force, can be said to have a significant advantage.

"That's not entirely true. You're not the only one with similar abilities. You stood out because of your own hard work." A comrade who knew him well said to him, "You were so badly injured in the secret realm, and you even lost an arm. Others may not know how much effort you put in to achieve this result, but don't we know?"

"In the end, I benefited. My special ability isn't usually that useful; it just happens to be more suitable for this stage." Wu Qiwen insisted. He paused and said in a low voice, "Besides, many comrades couldn't participate in the finals. If it were Brother Liu... the champion probably wouldn't be me."

His words silenced the soldiers in the carriage, and some sighed softly.

The Brother Liu that Wu Qiwen mentioned was a very strong seed player among the third-tier players. He had already secured a spot in the finals, but he disappeared during a surprise attack by a sea monster.

Despite everyone's hope for his safe return, the chances of him disappearing under these circumstances are extremely slim.

Besides him, there were several other extraordinary individuals who were unable to participate in the finals due to various reasons, some of whom were injured and others who had accepted important missions. Wu Qiwen was well aware that winning this championship did not mean that he was the number one person in the third tier.

He saw the advantages that the tournament brought him from the very first day of the competition.

After a moment of silence, someone patted him on the shoulder: "A win is a win, and it's always worth celebrating. Don't act like you've lost."

"Old Liu and those comrades who couldn't come are probably watching us from somewhere! Cheer up, this championship doesn't just belong to you, it belongs to everyone. Just think of it as accepting this award on our behalf, on behalf of Old Liu and the others!"

This refers to a third-tier transcendent who participated in the competition with them. He was also a company-level cadre under the Xinfu Division. After the competition in Haiqu ended, he returned to Xinfu with Wu Qiwen and was about to head to the front line of Daizong.

In fact, everyone present was like that. The grand competition was a relatively easy task for them. Including Wu Qiwen, almost everyone had come down from the battlefield and took the time to complete this competition. After the competition, they still had to rush to their respective battlefields.

Contestants from other regions were also on their way back. Some were going to the coastal city to fight the sea monsters that had invaded the bay, while others were going to Dengzhou to organize the people to migrate to the base city closer to the inland. Those with strong personal abilities were often assigned more important tasks by the organization.

Upon hearing his words, Wu Qiwen paused for a moment, then finally nodded.

The soldiers participating in this competition are rivals, but they are more like comrades-in-arms. They are simply using this competition to showcase the strength of the extraordinary soldiers in the military to the public.

Off the stage, in their spare time, they often train together, live together, and study combat techniques together.

This is why Wu Qiwen felt extremely sorry that several of his comrades were unable to participate in the competition.

As they drew closer to Xinfu, the atmosphere inside the carriage became lively once again.

"The third-tier champion will be awarded by the commander-in-chief himself, right? Don't be nervous then, don't embarrass our Haiqu Master!"

"Xiao Wu has met the commander-in-chief before, why would he be as excited as you guys!" someone said.

"The commander-in-chief must be very busy lately, so we might not even see him this time." Wu Qiwen shook his head: "The selections for the fourth-tier competition have all been changed."

"It should be fine. It was agreed upon long ago. Besides, the commander-in-chief will be the referee for the fourth-tier competition!"

"The fourth tier is just an exhibition match!" Someone else seemed to know some inside information: "I heard that the thousand spirit crystals are predetermined who gets them." "It's definitely an exhibition match. There's no exhibition match at the third tier? Everyone's holding back! They can't really fight to the death. If they really start fighting at the fourth tier, where will they have a place to fight? I heard from a comrade that he once saw Chairman Han fight. He could throw a two-story-high mutated beast around like it was nothing!"

Wu Qiwen himself had benefited from his superpowers, so he quite agreed with this statement. If it were a life-or-death struggle, how could he possibly survive until the end?

However, when it came to how strong the fourth-tier superhumans were, the topic immediately veered off course. The third-tier superhumans, just like ordinary citizens, counted on their fingers the prowess of the few outstanding fourth-tier powerhouses.

"The fourth tier is indeed powerful," many people said with longing. "I've seen Commander Xue Hui kill mutated beasts before. The opponent's blood was frozen while fighting him. This kind of method definitely can't be used in the competition."

"Our Sister Xiao is the most amazing! She was a human cannon when she was at Tier 3. I saw it with my own eyes in Haizhou. If she could use weapons, the championship would definitely be hers!"

"If you're talking about the most powerful, it has to be the Commander-in-Chief. A while ago, the Commander-in-Chief was fighting those mutated beasts in Haiqu. Many comrades saw it. The scene was... wow."

"Forget about the commander-in-chief; he's not a reliable source of information..."

As the crowd argued, the train slowly pulled into the platform of Xinfu Station. When it was time to disembark, things became more serious, as many people spontaneously came to the train station to welcome them.

As people lined up to get off the train and tidied their clothes, they heard singing drifting into the station before they even left the platform.

The extraordinary individuals exchanged glances, then fell silent, listening intently to the song.

……

I don't know who you are

But I know who you're doing this for.
For whom? For the autumn harvest?

For the return of spring and the migrating geese

Singing with passion, a youth without regrets
Forgotten across the ends of the earth, unaware when comrades will return.

……

I've heard this song many times during this period, and many songs have been played on the radio repeatedly, but listening to it now evokes a particularly different feeling.

Stepping out of the station, the sounds became clearer, and a large crowd gathered not far away. The soldiers walked into the crowd and headed towards the distant square along the cleared road. Some people dared not turn their heads, afraid that others would see the tears in their eyes. Only the songs from all sides enveloped them like a tide.

……

who are you

For whom?

My comrade, when will you return?
Who are you, and for whom?
My brothers and sisters do not shed tears.

Who is the most beautiful and who is the most tired?

My fellow villagers, my comrades-in-arms
My brothers and sisters
……

They sing that they won't shed tears, but little do they know how many people are shedding tears.

(End of this chapter)