Chapter 1542: The Hider

From confirming their identity to boarding the airship, it didn't take a group of people too long. Anyway, take off your heavy winter clothes. As long as you are not a demon or an orc, you are one of your own.

Several half-grown children were stuffing biscuits into their mouths as dry food. This stuff isn’t delicious, but it’s filling. For children who are growing tall and haven't eaten enough for a long time, they want to fill every space in their stomachs.

The children who are most deeply touched by this scene are those children from primary schools. Once upon a time, they were like this when they were on the streets. As long as they had the chance to eat, they would eat as much as possible. Because I don’t know where my next meal will be.

Although it feels like it happened a lifetime ago. But in fact, they are not far away from such a life, and they are not much different from the children in front of them in age. Rather than saying that my current mood is one of pity, it is better to say that it is deep emotion.

But the oldest child didn't bother to eat. While spraying cookie crumbs, he begged: "Please, please go and save the others? They are not far from here. There are not many people, just a few people. If we just follow you and leave like this , they must not be able to survive on their own."

Ezio handed over a glass of water and said condolences: "Drink some water first, and then talk carefully. Where is the person, and what are the details?"

Only then did the big boy tell them their situation.

They can be called pioneers, reclaiming a piece of uncultivated wasteland. If they could hold their own, they would receive ten years of tax exemption from the lord. If there is no lord, you can claim ownership. This is the custom in Lost Land.

The number is five families. There are many capable people in these families. Without such a person as a backer, they would not dare to explore the natural world that can eat people.

But the war of demonic invasion shattered their expectations for the future. The evil camp army passing through the border like locusts caused all humans living on this land to lose the foundation for their livelihood and even their lives.

These five families were not spared. They fled from the land they had cultivated with their own hands. Some lost their lives in the process, while others hid in the mountains and forests. These children are the ones who escaped the war.

Originally, there were adults taking care of them. In this winter when supplies were scarce, they tried their best to collect things that could satisfy their hunger. But later, the adults didn't come back. I don’t know if he escaped or died.

The children were really hungry and couldn't bear it, so it was the older ones who ventured out. Then he was discovered by the orcs and fled; then he was discovered by the airship and rescued.

Of course they were willing to leave with the airship, but they had to take away the children who were still hiding. Because they are younger and do not live in a big city. In this freezing weather, it was impossible for those children to survive on their own.

Of course, Ezio would not refuse such a request. But he wouldn't just stupidly head in the direction these older kids were reporting. Instead, let someone scout the place first to confirm the situation.

The location of the mountain forest where this group of people was hiding was very clever. It happened to be a concave cave. It is also camouflaged and arranged so that it is difficult to see the clues from a distance. At first, during the Arcane Eyes' investigation, there was no reaction from any living body.

You must know that although the arcane eye will still be covered, the range of detecting the underground will be greatly reduced compared to areas without shelter.

But you have to go deep into the ground to see things that cannot be seen. So Ezio once thought that those children were lying.

It wasn't until the radar operator reminded him that he remembered that he had asked to shield a biological target that was too weak. After revising such restrictions downwards and still excluding bug-level creatures, we saw the physical reactions of those children.

As for the children who were left behind, as the older children who were rescued before said, there are those who cannot even speak a complete sentence, who stumble when walking, and some who are even in their infancy. They were not wary at all, and when someone came to pick them up, they followed them obediently.

Therefore, the statement that these few people will never be able to survive alone without a few sensible older children is very likely to happen.

As for nearby hiding places, the nearest demon or orc military camps and outposts are all quite far away. As long as the airship does not stay, there is no risk of being discovered or surrounded.

After confirming the situation, Ezio and others took away the remaining children as quickly as possible. The process was uneventful, and there were no routines like the appearance of the Virgin Mary or the birth of disaster.

In fact, everyone has a sense of compassion. This is a famous saying from a sage who traveled across time and space. The off-putting part is doing what seems like the right thing at the wrong time and in the wrong place. Moreover, the society of Lost Land has not educated people to the point of being indifferent.

Ezio dared to save people because the mission had been completed and it had nothing to do with the overall situation. The second is that their location belongs to the empty area on the north side of the mountain. Even if there are humans or enemies active, it is only a few or a dozen people on a very small scale.

The third is also to stimulate everyone. Perhaps after the mission is completed and we can go back safely, this reconnaissance mission will be considered a successful conclusion. But after all, they are not professional spies. They are warriors and soldiers who need to maintain their blood.

And to achieve this level, what is more useful than a victory.

Perhaps with the strength of an airship, if you fight a small team of orcs, winning is nothing, but losing is quite embarrassing. But people's hearts are often not that complicated; a justifiable excuse can change a person's mood.

Anyway, Ezio needs a win. Maybe wiping out a whole squad of orcs was nothing, but they also rescued a handful of extra people. A large group of people responsible for rescue will definitely not take care of a small number of people.

This success also made Ezio face up to a minor flaw in the entire rescue plan. Those were the trapped people, like the group of children in front of them, whose numbers were so small that they were not worthy of being rescued by large forces.

Are there many such people? In fact, Ezio discovered many such people during today's investigation. Most of them hide in remote places where few people live, and because they were not on the route of the demon coalition's suppression from the beginning, they have survived to this day.

It's just that Ezio doesn't think that these people, like the children saved today, can all be directly classified as targets to be rescued. Maybe there really are some reclusive masters inside. Not only can they be self-sufficient, but they have not been discovered by the devil.

If you really take the risk to contact such people, you will risk exposing them.

As for those who really need rescue, Ezio believes there are many. How to identify the difference between the two, and how to safely rescue the most people in the shortest time? There are no standard procedures. If you follow everything, you will never make a mistake.

This is an action for which there is neither a standard answer nor time for proper planning. And like the entire rescue plan, everyone agreed that this was an operation with only one chance.

After this, the demon coalition will never let these people linger under their siege. Even if it can be saved, the chance of traps will definitely increase. Even if you still want to carry out rescue by then, the difficulty and risk may increase to an unacceptable level.

This kind of anxiety comes from a feeling that Ezio cannot express to others.

Ever since he crossed the Wind Emperor Mountains, Ezio had always felt that he was being targeted. Who was being targeted? have no idea. But he can be sure that as long as he neglects a certain detail, he will pay an unbearable price.

The calmness in front of me does not mean that it will always be so smooth. Ezio didn't want to be the first guinea pig selected by demons and orcs to find a way to deal with airships.

After having an idea in his mind, Ezio left the children under the care of the rough guys from the Marine Corps and called the heads of each group to discuss it.

Things like this are not something he can just do whatever he wants. First, the entire airship must reach a consensus before they can fight with the boss who directed the rescue mission.

If not, do it in private. Being treated as a missing person is fine, but being treated as a defector should make you cry.

And another concern is that although there was no battle during the whole day today, everyone's nerves were tense all day long for the mission. Although I still rescued a group of people in the end, I was more or less ready to call it a day, so I just let myself go.

If we turn around and have to go on a small rescue mission alone, whether everyone can endure it is also a question. If mental weakness brings risks to the operation and costs more lives, then it is better to retreat.

However, everyone's enthusiasm was far better than Ezio imagined. Being in a state of excitement and stimulated by the small victory of the Marine Corps, everyone's enthusiasm for continuing the rescue mission did not need to be stirred up by Ezio. There were still people who planned to make such suggestions.

But when the matter was reported to the commander-in-chief of the rescue mission, there were different changes.

The veteran of the Haider Empire still insisted on the requirement to assemble within a limited time. Unless there are special circumstances, the forward airship must choose to retreat and disengage from the mission.

The reason is also very simple. Even if a large force gathers, it may not be possible to rescue the trapped people at all gathering points. So what's the point of spreading our efforts to save those scattered humans?

Instead of wasting that energy and strength, it is better to identify those large gathering points and save every extra one.

Besides, if those small places could survive most of the winter, they would have a chance to hide until humans counterattack. There is no need to remind the devil that there is no hiding place.

Secondly, if such a thing is allowed, then most airships will choose to rescue these lonely birds, but no one will go to the gathering place with a large number of people waiting to be rescued. As a result, it took the same amount of time and risk, but saved fewer people. Isn't that putting the cart before the horse?

Although this reason slightly extinguished everyone's enthusiasm, it cannot be denied that there is truth in it.

But the veteran was not completely unkind.

He emphasized that only the airships required to go out for reconnaissance could be organized into the rescue force if they arrived before the time limit. If it is impossible to arrive, free movement will be allowed under special circumstances.

In fact, this implies that if you decide what you want to do, you are responsible for it. He didn't let go.

After Ezio received the reply, he made a decision immediately.