Vol 19 Chapter 8-2 (1/2)

Heng was not a hero. The fact was his cowardice and spinelessness were rare traits in team China. The former Heng was not a person worthy of being trusted despite the exceptional archery skills he possessed. The two mental flaws turned him into the most unstable person in the team if problems arose.

Heng had never stopped running away prior to A Nightmare On Elm Street. Even though he was training with his heart out, even though he was growing stronger, he never became someone worthy of being trusted. Strength was not the determining factor at this point.

In A Nightmare On Elm Street, Heng found the one thing he had long lost — courage. He found the courage that he used to have, the courage to bear, to challenge, to atone. This courage brought him in front of the lover he once abandoned and it allowed him to look straight at blood and deaths. Courage was not determined by strength nor the trump cards one have. It was the composure one would display in times of danger and despair. Only in truly desperate situations would one display true courage.

Northern China in 1940 — a land in hell.

Heng was the only member sent to a Japanese occupied area. A whole day and night of witnessing the events happening on this land brought him a new understanding of courage. Courage was the adjective of this era.

He hadn’t slept for the past day and night since killing the dozens of Japanese soldiers. He often fell into rumination.

In the cold and serene night, YanWei fell asleep until a deep and low voice woke her up. She opened her sleepy eyes and rubbed them. It took a while for her to realize she was in Heng’s arms, which she immediately broke free from.

Heng was talking with a silver plate in hand so he didn’t get to stop her. He finished up the conversation then folded the silver plate.

Once out of Heng’s arms, YanWei felt the chilly air enveloped her. Morning on this land was cold. If it wasn’t for Heng’s body temperature keeping her warm, she might stayed asleep forever due her physical fitness. Her body shivered.

Heng halted the impulse to embrace her again then sighed. He took out a shirt from the storage bag that Xuan gave him then placed it on YanWei’s back. She did not retort nor reject it as she would have usually done.

YanWei curiously asked, “Who contacted you? What did you say?”

The questions struck Heng’s heart. He immediately answered, “WangXia contacted me to say Xuan’s plan has begun. I have to defeat or destroy a Japanese army within twelve hours. It has to be a division or bigger… Have you gotten enough sleep? If you haven’t we can find a town or village. I was inconsiderate. You don’t have the same physical fitness as me.”

YanWei asked, “Do you know how many people are in a division during World War II? By the sound of it, WangXia wanted you to defeat a regular army and not a puppet army.”

Heng was surprised to hear such a question from her. He answered, “Yes. That’s what he meant. And since this is Xuan’s plan, I have to complete it without fail. I believe he has something grand in plan again.”

YanWei laughed coldly. “How shameless. Who do you think you are? A god or a hero? A weakling who fears blood is saying he will defeat a Japanese army division by himself. Either you are crazy or the person who gave the order is crazy. And only you will follow this kind of orders.”

Heng looked at her while her eyes were looking elsewhere. He smiled as he felt warmth spread throughout his body. He glanced at his watch, eight forty five. “Before we begin the mission, we should have a talk —“

YanWei said, “Talk? What is there for us to talk?”

“No. It’s not about us.” Heng said in a serious tone. “It’s about the realm and teams. I heard Zheng said that you died in the first movie so you do not have a clear idea of this realm, the dimension, team battles, and all the adventures we go through. I don’t have the time to explain them in details so I will give you a briefing.

“First of all, they will not assign me a mission that could only get myself killed. We are comrades whose lives are bound together. We fought side by side. We lived through despair. We failed and died… So I trust them. Even if this trust is to be proven with my life. I will not doubt them!”