I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

"I'm right here, aren't I?"

"I won't charge forward alone anymore, I promised you."

"You must also promise me that you will heal your own injuries first."

"You can only come to the beach to help me after your injuries have healed."

"Otherwise, even if I'm on the front lines, I'll still be thinking about you two, which would be even more dangerous for me."

Lin Jinyu opened her mouth, wanting to refute.

But when she saw the dark circles under Gu Yan's eyes and the IV tube still attached to his arm, she swallowed back all her words.

She took off her boots and threw them aside, then sullenly lay back down on the bed and pulled the blanket over her head.

"Then you have to come back every day."

No matter how late, you have to come back.

Gu Yan reached out and pulled the blanket covering her face down a little, looking into her eyes.

There were no tears in those golden eyes, but they were reddened.

"it is good."

"Come back every day."

He stood up and walked to Pei Yuran's bedside.

Yu Ran closed her eyes and breathed steadily, as if she were asleep.

But he knew she was awake.

Her fingers lightly caressed the sword tassel, a small gesture she only made when she was struggling with something.

Her lips were pressed into a thin line, and her face was so pale it was almost transparent.

"Yu Ran".

Gu Yan sat by her bedside, gently removed her hand from the sword tassel, and held it in her own palm.

Her hands were cold, like the surface of a frozen lake in winter.

"You must also obey."

"Focus on healing your injuries first."

"Once your hands can hold a sword again, I promise I won't stop you."

"Whether you want to come to the beachhead with me or go back to the Middle East war zone, I'll go with you."

"But not now."

"If you go now, I'll be distracted."

"You don't want to distract me, right?"

Pei Yuran's eyelashes trembled slightly.

After a long while, she gave a very soft "hmm".

The sound was so faint it was almost inaudible, but Gu Yan heard it.

Gu Yan put her hand under the blanket and tucked the blanket in for her.

He sat by her bedside, looking at her pale profile.

The sea breeze slipped in through the gaps in the curtains, ruffling the stray hairs on her forehead.

He reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Her earlobes felt cool, like a small piece of ice.

"I know you want to protect me."

His voice was very soft, so soft that only the three of them could hear it.

"I want to protect you too."

"So you need to get better soon."

"Once you're all better, let's go to the beach together."

"The three of them together."

"I'll stand in the middle, and you'll be on either side."

"That way I won't have to worry about you."

Is that okay?

Lin Jinyu peeked out from under the covers, her golden eyes looking at him, and after a while she spoke in a muffled voice.

"OK."

"But I'm stating this in advance: I'm standing to your left."

Pei Yuran opened her eyes, her icy blue pupils sweeping over Lin Jinyu.

"I'll stand on the left."

"You're too noisy, you're distracting him."

"Am I being noisy?"

"I was just concerned about him."

"You always have a cold face, how can he be happy with you?"

"At least he won't have tinnitus when he's with me."

"What did you say?"

Gu Yan quickly stood up and pressed one down with each hand.

"Alright, alright."

"Left or right is fine, you guys focus on recovering first."

"Once you're healed, the left side is yours, and I'll stand in the middle."

"Go to sleep now."

Lin Jinyu snorted and pulled the blanket back over her head.

Pei Yuran closed her eyes, but the corners of her mouth curved up very slightly.

Gu Yan stood between the two beds, looking at the bulging blanket on the left and the sleeping girl on the right.

The sea breeze blew in from outside the curtains, carrying the salty smell and the sound of distant waves.

He suddenly felt that it would be wonderful if time could stop at this moment.

......

When Gu Yan came out of the tent, it was already completely dark.

The sea breeze carried the white light of searchlights from the distant defense line, casting shimmering shadows on the sandy ground of the camp.

He glanced back at the tent.

Lin Jinyu's breathing had become long and even, and Pei Yuran had turned over and fallen asleep.

Neither of them mentioned going to the beach again.

He quietly lowered the curtain and walked towards the command post.

The command post for the defense line at Shanglu Beach was located in a semi-underground bunker on the north side of the camp, with two rows of fully armed sentries standing at the entrance.

Gu Yan verified her identity at the access control, walked through a corridor paved with anti-slip steel plates, and pushed open the heavy alloy door at the end.

The command post was brightly lit.

The walls were covered with defense zone maps of the hundreds of miles of coastline along the Shanglu River, and a dozen staff officers were busy working on both sides of the long table.

But Gu Yan immediately spotted the man standing next to the main seat.

Chen Sinian.

Chen Sinian has lost a lot of weight.

When we met in Shanghai before, he was always dressed in a smart Zhongshan suit, his hair was neatly combed, and he looked like a respectable businessman when he smiled.

He was now wearing a drab military overcoat, his temples were half white, his eyes were sunken, and there was stubble on his chin.

Only those eyes remained the same as Gu Yan remembered.

Clever and sharp, like two knives hidden in their sheaths.

Chen Sinian also saw him.

He stared at Gu Yan for a long time, so long that the staff officers in the command post stopped what they were doing.

Then he slowly walked over and stood in front of Gu Yan.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just reached out and squeezed Gu Yan's hand tightly.

"The Chen family will take full responsibility for the military supplies in Shanglu."

"Whatever you want, the Chen family will give you."

"This is the Chen family's promise."

His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken such a long sentence in a long time.

Gu Yan looked at him, a feeling she couldn't quite describe welling up inside her.

Three years ago, when he left Shanglu, Chen Sinian was still the powerful and influential head of the Chen family in the business world, full of vigor and spending money like water.

Now he stands in the front-line command post, his clothes covered in dust, his eyes bruised and dark, yet he still speaks with an unquestionable tone, saying that the Chen family will fully support him.

Gu Yan nodded slightly without saying anything more.

Both of them knew that some things didn't need to be said.

An elderly soldier with gray hair stepped forward.

He was wearing a faded old-fashioned military uniform with two gold stars on his epaulets, and he stood ramrod straight.

Wei Changfeng, the former commander of the Shanglu Coastal Command, is 62 years old this year and had already retired before the outbreak of the Kuroshio War.

After the war began, he was urgently recalled to take charge of the defense of the Shanglu beachhead.

His right leg was injured during the Battle of the Fifth Line, and he walked with a limp, but every step he took was extremely steady.

"Deputy Commander."

Wei Changfeng saluted him, his voice booming like a tolling bell.

"There are currently eight corps on the Shanglu front, all of which are now under your command."

"The Seventh Army Corps, the Eleventh Army Corps, the Twenty-Third Independent Coastal Defense Army, the East China Sea Garrison Army Corps, the River and Sea Joint Logistics Support Army, and the Shanglu City Garrison Army Corps."

"The full strength is nearly one million, but only about seven hundred thousand are actually available for deployment."

"I have had the staff compile a detailed list of all personnel, equipment, ammunition, and rune arrays, which will be handed over to you later."