The last leader of the world starts with an elite infantry squad!

Chapter 1370 Brother, take care...

5:45 AM

Night Province, top floor of the Central Plains War Zone headquarters building.

In the war zone commander's office, a large mahogany desk was piled high with documents.

An old-fashioned green-shaded desk lamp is the main light source in the room, casting a warm yellow but lonely halo around Gu Chengyuan's figure bent over his desk, making the other corners of the room even darker.

At this moment, Gu Chengyuan was frowning as he looked at a logistics supply list, his pen nib hovering over the paper, not falling for a long time.

The exhaustion from days of sleepless nights and the immense pressure from Gucheng Lake, thousands of miles away, felt like two invisible hands gripping his temples.

Thump, thump, thump.

The knocking was soft, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet of the night.

Gu Chengyuan didn't even raise his head, his voice hoarse from staying up all night: "Go in."

The door was gently pushed open and then gently closed.

Tread-tap-

The footsteps stopped in front of the desk.

Gu Chengyuan's pen finally touched the ground, drawing a line, before he subconsciously looked up—

Upon seeing this, he froze as if struck by a high-voltage current!

A person stands at the edge of the lamp's halo.

The newcomer was dressed in a crisp, clean, dark green casual suit without any wrinkles or stains. The stars on his epaulets gleamed softly under the light. His hat rested on his left arm, while his right hand hung naturally at his side.

That face... that young, handsome face with a touch of the sharpness unique to military academy students, was looking at him now, a bright and incredibly familiar smile on its lips, a smile that even carried a hint of childhood dependence.

“Brother.” Gu Chengyun spoke, his voice clear and bright, with a hint of amusement, yet also a subtle sense of distance.

"Carrier?!"

Gu Chengyuan practically sprang up from the large leather chair with a "whoosh." His movement was so sudden that he knocked over the pen beside him, and the ink dripped onto the document, spreading out without him even noticing.

The overwhelming joy instantly washed away the fatigue and heaviness that had accumulated over the past few days. He walked around the desk, took a few steps to his younger brother, and grabbed his arms with such force that Gu Chengyun swayed slightly.

"Why are you back?! When did you arrive?! What's the situation on the front lines? Have all the hundreds of thousands of survivors been evacuated to safety?!"

A barrage of questions came out of his mouth, his eyes scanning his younger brother's face and body with eager anticipation. The authority and composure befitting a theater commander were instantly replaced by the pure, joyful feeling of a brother who had lost something and then regained it.

Gu Chengyun let him hold him, his smile still bright, but he slightly tilted his head to avoid his brother's first and most crucial question:

"I miss you, and I miss Mom and Dad. I'm coming back to visit."

Upon hearing this, Gu Chengyuan surprisingly didn't press the matter further. Instead, he patted his younger brother's strong arm even harder, then quickly searched his shoulders, chest, and back with both hands, his tone revealing undisguised concern:

"Are you alright? Have you been checked? I'll arrange a full-body checkup for you right away!"

"You really worried me to death this time. If anything had happened, Mom and Dad, Wanying, would probably have cut ties with me!"

"You know, it was I who went against everyone's wishes to arrange for you to train in the army. Although Mom didn't openly object, I know she still blames me a little. Thank goodness, you're safe and sound!"

After checking, Gu Chengyuan released his grip, a rare, completely relaxed smile spreading across his face. He turned and walked towards the door, his voice unconsciously rising, his tone more playful than ever before:

"Xiao Pu! Pu Pu! Guang Qiang! Qiang Bao! Make two cups of tea! And that best box of Long... no, my brother doesn't like tea, make two cups of honey water, with extra honey in each cup!"

"This kid's really in for a world of hurt this time!"

However, as Gu Chengyuan finished speaking, there was complete silence inside and outside the door. No one responded, and the only sound was the faint hum of the air conditioner.

?

Gu Chengyuan's brows furrowed unconsciously.

Pu Guangqiang was his most trusted bodyguard, always vigilant, and would never fail to hear his call at this distance.

This isn't right.

A subtle sense of unease suddenly amplified, and Gu Chengyuan's smile instantly faded. He reached out to pull open the heavy solid wood door of the office, intending to go out and take a look himself.

"elder brother!"

A hand reached out from the side and grabbed his wrist.

The hand had a steady grip, long, slender fingers, but the temperature... was a little cool.

Gu Chengyuan turned his head.

Gu Chengyun stood beside him, holding his wrist. The bright smile on his face had faded somewhat, replaced by an indescribable urgency.

That urgency was hidden in his still bright eyes and in the slightly pursed corners of his mouth, casting a thin, lingering shadow over his brow.

“No need to call anyone,” Gu Chengyun’s voice softened, his speech quickening slightly, “I just… want to see you, I’m not thirsty…”

"That won't do! My younger brother is here, how can I not make proper arrangements? Alright, I'll make it for you myself!"

After saying that, Gu Chengyuan broke free from Gu Chengyun's hand, humming a light tune as he walked towards the tea bar machine, and somewhat awkwardly began rummaging through the cabinet next to it.

"Hey—where's the honey Lu Chong gave me last time? He said he got it in the mountains of Chongqing, from mutated bees, it's really good, I was just saying when I'd give it to you!"

"You've loved honey since you were little. Do you remember when I took you to dig for wild beehives at school when we were kids? Tsk tsk, we didn't find any honey that time, and you got stung all over your head and face, looking like Buddha, hahaha—"

Recalling the past, Gu Chengyuan revealed a genuine smile that he hadn't seen in a long time.

"When I got home, my mom was so heartbroken that she cried. That night, we each held a stool and knelt down all night!"

"Oh, looking back now, those were truly wonderful times!"

...

Gu Chengyuan carried two cups of warm honey water, turned around and returned to the sofa. The golden honey syrup rippled slightly in the cups, emitting a sweet aroma with the scent of the mountains and forests.

He pushed the cup with extra honey in front of his younger brother, picked up the other cup himself, and sat down, his smile still lingering.

"Try it quickly, it's very rare and perfectly sweet." He urged, his eyes shining as he looked at his younger brother, as if eager to share some incredible treasure.

Gu Chengyun shifted his gaze from his brother's face to the cup of steaming honey water.

He didn't reach out to take it; he just watched quietly.

The rising steam distorted slightly before his eyes, making his face appear somewhat hazy under the light.

He stared at the water vapor, his eyes somewhat vacant, as if through the vapor he could see a very, very far place, so far that... he could never return.

Gu Chengyuan's smile slowly froze.

He watched his brother's absent-minded expression. The steam from the cup of honey water seemed to bring no warmth whatsoever. Instead, the chill that he had forcibly suppressed began to spread quietly in his heart again.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to break the sudden silence and continue the lighthearted conversation about childhood and honey.

"elder brother..."

Gu Chengyun suddenly spoke, his voice very soft, yet like a cold awl, unexpectedly piercing the warm facade that Gu Chengyuan was trying so hard to maintain.

He raised his eyes, finally shifting his gaze from the cup back to Gu Chengyuan's face.

The anxiety in his eyes had completely dissipated, leaving only a bottomless, intense reluctance and an almost cruel calm.

"I might have to leave."

Before he could finish speaking, Gu Chengyuan's incessant chatter came to an abrupt halt.

The muscles in his face seemed to freeze, maintaining a strange, half-smiling expression.

He blinked, as if he hadn't heard clearly, or as if his brain was refusing to process the information in the sentence.

The only sounds in the office were the faint hum of the air conditioner and his own suddenly heavy breathing.

"Walk……?"

Gu Chengyuan's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice terribly dry. He tried to force a knowing smile, but it only made him look extremely awkward.

"Where...where are you going? You just got back, to the front lines..."

His words stopped on their own.

Because he saw that Gu Chengyun had already stood up.

The movement was light and steady, yet it carried a sense of determination.

Gu Chengyun looked at him, his face displaying the most radiant yet also the saddest smile Gu Chengyuan had ever seen that night.

That smile was filled with dependence on her brother, gratitude, and endless longing.

“Brother,” Gu Chengyun called again, his voice as gentle as when he was a child trying to appease someone after doing something wrong:

“From childhood to adulthood, I have always been the most mischievous and troublesome one in the family. Fighting, skipping school, causing trouble... you always took the blame for me, got scolded for me, and even got beaten for me.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the few glaring white hairs that had appeared at his brother's temples and the deep lines of fatigue around his eyes.

"Thank goodness for you. Always have been."

"Brother," his voice was even softer, with a barely perceptible sob:

"You need to take care of yourself. Don't stay up so late anymore; your eyes are all red. There's always work to be done, but if you collapse from exhaustion, who will do it?"

He took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, before uttering the following words:

"Help me... take good care of my parents. Tell them... that their son is unfilial and can no longer fulfill his filial duties."

"In the next life... in the next life I will still be their son, and I will definitely be good and not make them angry."

"And Wanying and the others..." Gu Chengyun's voice finally trembled uncontrollably, and his eyes reddened visibly, but he held back his tears, his smile becoming utterly heartbroken.

“Tell them… I’m sorry. I broke my promise. I said I would protect them for life and give them a stable life… I’m sorry…”

"Consignment!"

Gu Chengyuan suddenly jumped up from the sofa, and the honey water glass in his hand fell to the carpet with a "clatter". The golden liquid gushed out and quickly soaked a small dark patch.

But he didn't care at all; he only felt a chilling fear instantly grip his heart, almost suffocating him.

He stepped forward, wanting to grab his troublesome younger brother as he had done countless times before.

"What nonsense are you spouting! Don't say such things! You're not allowed to leave! Do you hear me?! You're not going anywhere!"

Gu Chengyuan's voice suddenly rose, filled with a panic and hoarseness that he himself was unaware of. It was not an order from a war zone commander, but the most instinctive and desperate cry of an older brother facing the imminent loss of his loved one.

"Mom and Dad are still waiting for you at home! Wanying and the others are still waiting for you! I... I'm also waiting for you to come back! The battle at Gucheng Lake... the battle at Gucheng Lake isn't over yet, how could you..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

Gu Chengyun's figure began to blur before he could reach out and touch it.

It doesn't disappear, but rather, like a reflection in water, it ripples in the wind, its edges beginning to sway and fade.

Gu Chengyuan's hand passed through the gradually fading light and shadow, only grasping a handful of cold air, carrying the scent of night dew.

"Brother..." Gu Chengyun's last words came, as if from a distant horizon, so soft they were almost inaudible, yet each word struck Gu Chengyuan's heart like a heavy blow:

"Don't be sad. I just... went to a place where I was needed."

"Drink less tea at night, drink more honey water...it's very sweet..."

The voice completely disappeared.

In the office, only Gu Chengyuan remained, stiffly standing beside the spilled honey water stain with his hand outstretched.

The lamp's glow remained warm and yellow, but it could no longer illuminate the young man in his neat military uniform with his bright smile.

A huge, cold, all-consuming void instantly engulfed him.

"Consignment—!!!"

A heart-wrenching roar erupted from his chest, echoing and crashing through the empty office.

The next second, he staggered forward, and the world spun around him.

"Commander! Commander! Wake up!!"