Castle of Black Iron

When Zhang Tie recovered his awareness, he recalled the last scene in his mind—a formation of icy blue battle qi burst out before him. Soon after that, he was hit by people. His armor was broken to pieces. After spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood and almost losing his awareness, Zhang Tie faintly heard Reinhardt’s furious growls. After seeing mountain-like sabers and spears thrusting towards him, Zhang Tie was in pitch darkness...

’Am I dead?

How are my brothers of the Iron-Blood Camp?

In the following minutes after he killed that old guy of Black Feathers Regiment, Zhang Tie clearly felt that the undying monsters were becoming restless. Their attacks were not as sharp as before.

’My brothers should be safe!’

After he recovered his awareness for the first time, Zhang Tie only faintly recalled what had happened that night. He then felt very fatigued. His body seemed to disappear as he was dragged into a bottomless pitch-black mire. Zhang Tie gradually lost all his senses.

...

When he came to the second time, he felt that his body had been foisted into a can. It was heavy and squeezed tight, as if there was no space around him. His body also felt like it was inserted with numerous pipes. Many people were beside him while the sound of leather shoes landing against the floor constantly drifted into his ears.

Someone was talking nearby...

”Miracle? Don’t tell me miracle or not. Doc, I want him alive. He’s the most excellent military officer of the Norman Empire and the hero of the Iron-Blood Camp of No. 39 Division... Here’s an advanced recovery medicament that I collected personally. You have to make him survive this regardless of any price. This is my order. Am I clear...”

”Yes, sir, general...”

The sound of leather shoes on the floor gradually faded away. The deep darkness attacked him once again. Zhang Tie tried his best to get rid of the oncoming darkness, but after only several seconds, his awareness sunk into the mire once again.

...

When he floated up above the mire for the third time, Zhang Tie felt as if he was set free from the can. However, he still didn’t have any sense of his surroundings.

It was very quiet wherever he was. He wanted to open his eyes, but failed. After trying for quite a while, he didn’t see any light at all. Finally, after endless effort, a part of his hand moved, and soon after that, he heard a scream of a woman with a great pair of lungs...

”His finger moved, his finger moved!”

Her scream was filled with great surprise. As she repeated the words, the woman ran off.

Only after ten seconds, many sounds of leather boots on the floor poured in to the room once again.

”Blood pressure is starting to rise again...”

”Pulse has already recovered to about 40 times a minute and is becoming more and more powerful...”

”Battle God bless, Second Lieutenant Javelin finally lives!”

”Thank god...”

Someone started to weep from delight. Everybody in the room suddenly let out relief filled breaths, immediately turning the room into a huge bellows. The huge bellows seemed have been pulled by someone as the entire room sounded ”Hu”...

”Hurry up, go report to General Schwartz. We can’t wait to announce this. The bravest military officer of the Iron-Horn Army has been saved by us...”

This voice rang with faint relief.

This time, Zhang Tie didn’t sink into the mire any more, instead, he floated above like duckweed. After a while, he felt a strong desire to sleep as weakness took over him. Therefore, he fell asleep.

...

Zhang Tie didn’t know for how long he’d slept, but when he woke up again, the body that had disappeared for many days returned to him once again along with the pain that had sunk into his marrow.

Sometimes, pain was also a gift as it could at least tell you that you were still alive.

Previously, Zhang Tie had experienced this pain many times in the trouble-reappearance situations. It was similar to the feeling of being torn to pieces by numerous wild wolves after you failed during the fight.

Now, Zhang Tie felt like he once again was torn to shreds.

Because of this extreme pain, he couldn’t help but groan.

Then, more sounds of leather boots hitting the floor poured in.

In other words, even more people came.

”He recovered his senses, that’s a good sign...”

”All indicators of his body begun to rise...”

”I suggest to inject micro SPC medicament in him...”

”I agree!”

Some seconds later, Zhang Tie’s arm became cold, as if inserted with a needle. After that, he felt a cold sense gradually spread all through his body. His all-consuming pain was immediately relieved.

So Zhang Tie opened his eyes and saw a great many people in white coats in the room with solemn expressions. Almost everybody was staring at him with concerned eyes.

To tell the truth, it was Zhang Tie’s first time being watched by so many stranger’s concerned eyes ever since he was born.

A doctor was giving Zhang Tie’s arm an injection. When he raised his head and saw Zhang Tie’s opening eyes, his hand quivered, almost dropping the needle to the ground.

It was a bit disordered in the ward. All the doctors became excited. However, nobody talked. They only exchanged excitement filed glances.

Only a fifty-odd man standing in front of Zhang Tie’s bed took a deep breath before carefully lowering his body. He then asked in a quiet voice, ”Can you talk, how do you feel?”

”Than...thanks!” Zhang Tie forcefully poured out one word.

He knew that if it was not for these doctors, he would’ve been dead by now. Therefore, the first word he wanted to say when he woke up was a sincere thanks to everybody in the ward.

After straightening, the doctor took a deep breath and turned back, telling the other colleagues in the ward, ”Thanks, he said thanks to all of us!”

All the doctors and nurses in the ward revealed smiles.

Zhang Tie continued to move his lips and poured out the second sentence. ”How... how about the bro... brothers of the Iron-Blood Camp... how... how many of them survived?”

As Zhang Tie had recovered a bit, his words were heard by everybody in the ward.

”562 people of the Iron-Blood Camp of No. 39 Division came back. They are in recuperation now...”

Hearing this reply, Zhang Tie’s eyes immediately became wet. Another meaning of this data was that 657 people of the Iron-Blood Camp had died that night. Most of the soldiers who came back would probably also be wounded. Such an iron-like troop was almost disabled in that night’s bloody fight. Numerous young lives were torn to pieces and fell to the ground along with iron filings. This was the cruelty of war.

Because he did not know how many familiar faces he would no longer be able to see again, Zhang Tie’s eyes became wet. He just cried to himself, without making any sound.

Hero’s tears could move people most. Sincere emotion could move one’s heart most. Therefore, at this moment, many pairs of eyes of the doctors and nurses became red too.

...

On the first afternoon after waking up, Zhang Tie learned a lot of what had happened during the period of his unconsciousness. Many things were very unexpected to him.

The first was that since he was carried back from the battlefield, he was in a coma for two weeks. Today, he had opened his eyes for the first time.

The second unexpected thing was that during the period, Second Lieutenant Javelin Zhang Tie became well known in the Seventh Regiment of the Iron-Horn Army under the affiliation of Thirty Ninth Division. Even Shwartz, the regimental commander and major general knew of what had happened to him.

During the period Zhang Tie was in a coma, Major General Shwartz had even come here to visit him. In order to cure his wound, Major General Shwartz had also brought a private advanced recovery medicament for him.

The third unexpected thing was that he didn’t even have a chance to visit Kalur City before he was forced to leave the frontier battle zone. The hospital he lied in was situated in Blapei, a small city over 120 km behind the battle zone of Kalur. Blapei was previously one of the seventeen cities of the Andaman Alliance, known for its grains and black beer.

The Iron-Blood Camp of No. 39 Division was resting and reorganizing in a battle castle in the frontier. Due to his heavy wounds, there was little chance for him to return to the Iron-Blood Camp any more.

As to his wounds, although the doctors didn’t tell Zhang Tie anything about them, he could feel that he was in a very poor condition. Although he had woken up, he still could not move. With a catheter on his p*nis, he felt very uncomfortable. Especially since his hand was still injected with some medical fluid coming down from bottles hanging on a rack. The fluid just entered his body and left through his p*nis, making Zhang Tie feel like a rusted and abandoned part that was being cleaned by engine oil.

Everyday, a young nurse who was responsible for taking care of Zhang Tie would help him turn onto one side so as to massage him. She said this could help dredge up the blood veins in Zhang Tie’s back.

It was Zhang Tie’s first time enjoying a massage since he was born. However, Zhang Tie didn’t feel happy at all, instead, the premonition that there was a big problem with his health became stronger than before.

Zhang Tie was very dejected. The people who could bounce and jump wildly everywhere and could run even faster than wild wolves were most afraid of being sick and just lying on the bed.

The only thing that made Zhang Tie comfortable was that although he was wounded, he could still access that marvelous arched door of the Castle of Black Iron in his mind. Additionally, that golden swirl of spiritual energy in his mind was gradually recovering to its original appearance.

Five days after Zhang Tie woke up, the catheter on his p*nis was finally taken off. At this time, although he still had no strength, he could already support himself against the wall with his hands and get off the bed to take a walk.

On the same day, Zhang Tie finally learn about his condition. It was not a doctor who told him, but a major adjutant of Major General Shwartz who had come here specifically to visit him.

The major adjutant of Major General Shwartz brought an Iron-Blood medal for Zhang Tie, an order of commendation promoting him to the rank of first lieutenant, and news that Zhang Tie was most afraid of hearing.

”I’m sorry, First Lieutenant Zhang Tie, by the diagnosis of the best doctors in our army, you will most likely be unable to return to the Iron-Blood Camp of No. 39 Division anymore. General Shwartz appreciates your dauntless performance on the battlefield very much. As you cannot go to the battlefield anymore due to your health problems, major general has dispatched you to the logistics department of our army and arranged an easy clerical work for you. After your wounds recover, you can go report to the logistics department of the Iron-Horn Army in Blapei.”

Zhang Tie’s face turned totally pale.