CHAPTER 213: CHAPTER 212: UNDEFEATED HEROES

Chapter 212: Undefeated Heroes

After the two consecutive wonderful performances of Gu Yijin and Han Baiwei’s group, everyone inside the whole arena looked forward to the last group even more. What’s more was this group contains most of the powerful trainees inside the competition. They couldn’t wait and see how this group prepared this night.

Another thing to consider is their theme which is about soldiers. As everyone knows, the war outside is still ongoing and they don’t know the results, however one thing is clear to them and that is that many soldiers will sacrifice themselves again for the country.

Thus this topic is more sensitive than usual so the crowd didn’t know what to expect from Qin An’s group.

Fortunately their wait didn’t last long because the lights inside the venue went out again, signalling that it’s time for them to perform.

Afterwards the backdrop from their mental power also appeared. The whole place turned into a desolate land where they can’t seem to see anything other than the sand below them and the endless rough wind that passes through them.

It was only after a few seconds that they finally heard a loud sound behind them. The crowd saw a group of horses running towards their direction. Because of the strong wind, the sand keeps on going back and forth but that didn’t prevent them from seeing the seven young men riding horses.

"!!!" It’s just that when they saw their appearance, everyone was stunned.

With Qin An leading in the middle, the seven young men galloping with their black horses look majestic. Each of them is wearing ancient style war armor with a hint of golden cloth on their bodies and some weapons on their hands. Han Suwen and He Yan have a bow and arrow on their backs, Lu Nanxiao and Xing Ren have long spears on their hands, and for Qin An, he was holding a long sword on his hand that looks very sharp and has a strange coercion that everyone couldn’t understand. All they knew was that from the moment they saw them, especially the young man in the middle, he felt as if he was not part of this world... nor even with what he wore today.

As if the clothes he wore were not suitable for someone like him.

Anyway after seeing their costume and posture, they knew that this group would definitely perform something explosive.

But where are the others?

Just as they wondered, they heard another galloping from horses on the other side and saw the remaining eight members moving forward with their horses. Shen Lou is in the middle and just like from the previous group, they also wore armor with a hint of red color and various weapons on their hands. However their horses are white but sturdy like theirs too.

Looking at their posture, they looked like rivals who are going to war.

This concept definitely stunned everyone and they couldn’t help but catch their breath. What kind of performance is this? Where’s the usual setup?!

The two groups met at the center and stopped their horses facing each other.

There were no words that uttered and they just stayed at their positions silently and staring at each other.

"!!!" The audience felt an unknown anxiety inside their hearts as they felt that as each second passed by, their hearts might go out from their chest.

Fortunately, just as they felt that they could no longer breathe, these young men jumped off the horses and finally began their performance. With the slight humming that they could seem to hear just behind their ears and the sounds of gong and drums like how their hearts beat, Shen Lou opened his lips to sing.

"It was a matter of life and death

Fates unknown

Abyss may fall in front of me..."

Their song entitled Undefeated is about the soldiers who are born undefeated even if they face death. No matter how cruel their fate, they remained standing still to protect their country.

Actually this was not what they planned to do. As what they did in the meeting, they wanted to convey this time about the soldiers who also fear death in front of them. What they wanted to do is to let everyone see that soldiers are humans too so it was expected to be more emotional.

However one day, it was He Yan who talked about the sudden changes. At that time, he was very calm when telling them about his family and told them that they are never the soldiers who wanted to express this kind of thoughts. Not because they are incapable nor felt it was unnecessary but soldiers are someone who wanted everyone to see that they can stand still no matter what.

As long as everyone saw that they lived for the peace and died as a hero, it didn’t matter if they were not able to let everyone know that they felt scared too, rather they wanted to be stronger and braver.

Sometimes not expressing fragile emotions doesn’t mean that they don’t feel scared but they’d rather let the country remember their might than their hidden fears of death.

Thus the group decided to change the message of the song again and finally came up with this concept.

Now in front of many people, they are here to tell that the soldiers, no matter if they are still alive or dead, are the undefeated heroes that no one must forget.

"The scars on my back has shown

As I walk to this bloody path

But I am not defeated nor reconciled to fate..."

"What does being a hero mean?

Does one have to cost a life so it won’t be forgotten?"

Qin An remembered all the soldiers he guided. No matter the timeline— the past and present life, he has always remembered that they are the same.

Someone who has the courage to offer their heart and soul.

Maybe even until now he was still trying hard to empathize those feelings but he will work hard like everyone else. Even when he was still confused and his feet seemed to be glued on the path where he had to go, Qin An won’t turn his back and leave from the choice that he took and what fate gave him.

"May fate understand the truth

That no matter what, i’ll stand in this war

To be an undefeated warrior that never dies."

When the performance reached the climax, the whole team suddenly changed their costumes right in front of everyone. The ancient battle armor that they are wearing slowly changes to a familiar uniform that everyone knew.

Qin An’s team changed how the soldiers looked in this era. There were no horses nor weapons on their bodies and it’s not the desolate sand anymore but the familiar outer space that everyone knew. This was the place where most war occurred due to the zergs that wanted to enter their homes.

Some audience members had their eyes turn red because they seemed to see the soldiers that were now at war. Some of them have family members who went there and just went there to distract themselves. They are still feeling heavy from their family’s departure and fear has always been with them. But looking at the young men in front, they seem to see their family who didn’t even hesitate and joined the war to protect them.

It was telling them that there’s no need to feel sad or fear because no matter what happened, they are the soldiers who fought for them. As for the outcome, whether it will be happy or painful, what is important is that they will remember how they stood in front of them like an undefeated warrior that never yields.

"Remember me as someone who stood firm..."

This was the last line in their performance before it officially ended.

Qin An exhaled deep breath and stared blankly at everyone. There were loud cheers everywhere and it seems like what happened brought them to an unexpected experience.

He raised his hand and also felt his chest where his heart belongs. Such a strong heartbeat and the warmth inside him made Qin An know that he was clearly a human being now. He is also one of the people that these soldiers are protecting now. Not because he’s a grim reaper but he was just a human like them.

To protect and shielded because he is one of their own.

Just as he was still in deep thoughts, he felt someone standing next to him. Qin An came back to his senses and raised his head a bit to see who it was.

It was actually Nan Moyi.

The young man stared at him, which confused him. He was about to ask what’s going on when the latter suddenly went even more closer and actually embraced him right under the eyes of everyone.

"!!!"

"My parents died as soldiers too," the young man whispered to him. "... so thank you, Qin An."

Qin An was stunned but came back to his senses when he heard his words. His hand that was supposed to push the young man away paused and didn’t know why but placed it instead of the young man’s back as if he was hugging him back.

He could hear the cheers around and became louder and enthusiastic but Qin An didn’t care.

Because right when Nan Moyi thanked him, Qin An felt that it was not only because of this performance but he thought of his other identity.

The only grim reaper in this world who can send those soldiers back home and to the place where they belong.

Like how they protected him, he’ll also guide them.

*****