"Why is it meaningless?" the fisherman retorted. "If each of us can take down an enemy, if everyone on our side participating in the war can achieve this victory, wouldn't we win this war? At the very least, by taking down an enemy, it means that the enemy loses the chance to kill you, your comrades, your friends, or your family... Isn't that also a form of victory?"

"I've discovered something," said Wang Xiyi.

"What?"

"You're not cut out to be a Hunter; you're more suited to be a politician," said Wang Xiyi. "You seem to have quite a knack for speeches."

"Oh? Really?" The fisherman scratched the back of his head. "But... to be a politician, you have to learn a lot of things, right? Just being good at speeches isn't enough, right?"

"Enough, just focus on roasting your meat. I'm almost dying from craving this smell," Sun Hang urged, then glanced at Yan Yu'an standing a bit afar. "Mr. Yan, aren't you coming over to sit with us?"

"We're not in a safe camp right now; someone needs to stay on alert," Yan Yu'an replied in an emotionless voice.

"Isn't Zhong Ling's Ghost Remains enough for keeping watch?" Sun Hang pointed at Ghost Remains Number One standing atop a boulder.

"It's my duty," Yan Yu'an responded.

"Ah, can't do anything about you. Just do as you like," Sun Hang's fingertip flashed silver as he sliced the pork, releasing a rich aroma that gushed from the cut. He inhaled deeply and smacked his lips, saying, "Ah, so fragrant... it's a pity Ganna still has a lot of things to deal with and can't enjoy this late-night snack."

"Someone of Ganna's level can have roasted meat anytime," the fisherman mumbled. "But for someone like me, I can only see what's on the cafeteria menu for the day when I want to eat something. Sigh, so many tears when I speak about it."

"But Hunter has special rations, right? You're still eating at the cafeteria?" Sun Hang couldn't help but ask.

"That's when resources are abundant, but in the frontline camp, there's no such treatment," the fisherman sighed. "However, thanks to you, this tough life is finally coming to an end."

"Where will you go afterward?" Sun Hang asked. "Lake Baikal City has become Baikal Remains. The scale of the frontline camp will surely be reduced significantly. Your original unit is probably going to merge with other city-states, right?"

"Probably... if I could choose, I'd like to return to my hometown Magadan. It's a pity that city has been abandoned; if I go back now, I'd only see ruins," the fisherman said while rotating the roast. "Apart from Magadan, the best choice would be Chunming City, but whether Chunming City would want me is uncertain... After all, it's the capital of the federation, and so many people are scrambling to get in... Given my status, being assigned to an inland city would be a stroke of luck."

"Don't worry, you'll be assigned to Chunming City," Sun Hang said, patting the fisherman's shoulder. "I heard the roast duck in Chunming City is famous. If you get the chance later, you could try merging Siberian roast techniques with Chunming City's roast duck and see if you can create some new dishes."

"Really?" The fisherman eyed Sun Hang skeptically. "Are you planning to pull some strings for me? With your current skills, it's just a matter of saying the word... But I feel a bit uneasy about it."

"What? You don't like having strings pulled for you?" Sun Hang laughed. "You yourself said it, so many people are scrambling to get into these places."

Sun Hang suddenly thought of the refugees from the Yellow Road Layer Liuxu District.

They indeed "squeezed" into this city, but what happens after getting in? They still don't belong to this city, and the city doesn't belong to them. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"It's not that I don't like it... sigh." The fisherman sighed deeply. "Going to Chunming City would be the best... but owing you such a big favor, I'm afraid I won't be able to repay it."

"Here, consider this your repayment," Sun Hang pointed to the roast over the campfire. "Just make sure to give me the best piece."

"No need to say that!" The fisherman pulled out a small knife, poking at several spots on the meat. "Hmm... It's almost done..."

Just then, the roar of a car engine and the sound of tires scraping against the ground rapidly approached. A military vehicle from the frontline base sped to a stop beside the boulder. A young officer holding a communication terminal jumped out of the car and quickly ran to Sun Hang.

"Mr. Sun Hang! There's a call request for you." The young officer said.

"For me? Where's it coming from?"

"Shuzhou, Tianfu City," answered the young officer.

"Tianfu City?" Sun Hang took the communication terminal and saw the name "Yang Qi" displayed.

"Yang Qi? Why didn't she just call my phone?" Sun Hang pulled out his cell phone from his pocket, only to find it didn't even have a single bar of signal.

After the destruction of Lake Baikal City, the only communication channel available in the Lake Baikal region was the military's. Sun Hang's trip was so sudden that the military hadn't connected his phone to the military communication network of the Lake Baikal region.

Earlier, Sun Hang's communication with the rear was through Yan Yu'an as a "relay station," but half an hour ago, to avoid being disturbed during his night snack, Sun Hang ordered Yan Yu'an to shut off the communication device.

"What could Yang Qi want with me now? It can't be that the Eternal Night has returned, can it?"

Sun Hang thought for a moment, then decided to take the call.

"Hello? Mr. Yang? Is there something going on?"

"Sun Hang, Yang Lian is pregnant," Yang Qi stated straight away.

Upon hearing the news, Sun Hang instinctively wanted to ask, "Is it mine?" but immediately realized that asking would make him sound like a jerk, so he quickly changed his question to: "When?"

"Just today, she was detected with a mimetic reaction during security screening," Yang Qi said. "After detailed examination, we found an embryo with a mimetic reaction within her body. I spoke with her; she told me you were the only one she'd had that kind of relationship with."

"...And then?"

"A good news and a bad news. Which one do you want first?" Yang Qi's tone was quite calm.

"Good news." Sun Hang replied.

"Yang Lian herself hasn't been infected by the mimetic; the reaction is limited to the embryo inside her."

"And the bad news?"

"The mimetic of the embryo has a 99.827% similarity to Chimera 17."

"Chimera 17..." The sheer amount of information in those few sentences nearly caused Sun Hang's brain to freeze.

He remembers clearly his "transaction" with Chimera 17; as the cost of "relief," Chimera 17 helped him disperse the Eternal Night... Presumably, Chimera 17 no longer exists in this world... But if that's the case, then what's in Yang Lian's belly?

Offspring of Chimera 17? Or is it that Chimera 17 didn't completely die, but rather, with this method... "borrowed a body to return to life"?

Sun Hang really wanted to find Anna to clear things up, but unfortunately, Anna still ignored Sun Hang's calls.

"There's one more thing," Yang Qi continued, "We found the metal tag you guys picked up in the Surrendered Area at Yang Lian's place— the one with Elena Demoshena's name."

"Elena Demoshena?" Sun Hang suddenly froze... Could this be Chimera 17's real name?