Chapter 62: A Firm Choice

Chapter 62: A Firm Choice

Leaving the Dawn Empire and parting on good terms, living their own lives, seemed like the best choice for both of them given their identities.

Landis wouldn't have to be caught between the duties of the empire and his emotions, and Xiao Sa could focus on leading his clan to build their home.

But could he really accept it?

This parting could mean never seeing each other again, and Xiao Sa's breath caught in his throat, as if some kind of power was draining from his body.

Ironically, he had often planned to leave, but it was always Landis who stubbornly refused to let go. Now that Landis had finally given up, it was Xiao Sa who couldn't let go.

Xiao Sa looked up to meet Landis' gaze, the complex emotions in his eyes gradually settling into a gentle calm.

It seemed that it had always been Landis expressing his love, while Xiao Sa had never said a single sincere word of affection to him.

Landis was his first love, and he would never forget the bittersweet moments of the past.

If not for their reunion today, he might never have reconsidered this relationship and his own feelings.

Xiao Sa took a deep breath, and once he made up his mind, the lingering hesitation and sense of loss seemed trivial now.

Even if the breakup was irreversible, and even if Landis had another family, he still needed to make everything clear. If Landis chose to continue with his own life, Xiao Sa would respect his choice and they would never see each other again.

Xiao Sa walked slowly to Landis' front, gazing intently at him. "Landis..."

Landis silently looked back at him, each syllable from Xiao Sa's mouth like a bullet loaded into a gun, ready to hit him between the eyes.

"Little Star! Get down—!!" A sharp shout abruptly cut off their conversation.

Both Xiao Sa and Landis turned, their expressions changing as a series of gunshots rang out, sweeping towards the small garden. The sounds of metal clanging and glass shattering filled the air in a chaotic symphony.

A dozen armed armored vehicles sped over, surrounding the small garden, and over a hundred heavily armed mercenaries, clad in exoskeleton suits, blocked the security personnel brought by Landis.

Three mechs charged aggressively towards Little Star, who was playing in the garden!

The child was completely stunned, tightly held by Caro as they rolled to hide behind a flower bed.

"Little Star!" Both Xiao Sa and Landis sprang into action at once.

At this critical moment, neither of them had their mechs nearby.

Xiao Sa's speed was clearly superior to Landis'. His figure moved like a flash of lightning, leaving a nearly invisible afterimage in the air as he dashed straight towards the three mechs.

Landis drew his gun; his bullets were specially designed. "Bang bang!" Two shots hit the particle beam rifle in the hands of the mech in front, precisely striking the energy cartridge, which exploded on the spot.

Xiao Sa's movements were even more agile than when he had fought mechs bare-handed in the Heavenly Ascension Arena. Although he no longer had the combat gauntlets from the arena, he now possessed stronger mental energy.

After awakening his mental form, his mental energy needle had fully taken shape. The silvery-white light stretched and sharpened in his hands, forming a deadly scythe at the tip.

He gripped the long handle with both hands, and the sharp scythe deeply pierced the chest of a mech, blue-purple electric currents crackling.

Taking advantage of the moment, Landis dodged the barrage of bullets with rapid rolls and rushed into the garden.

Landis spoke firmly to Caro, "Give me Little Star, and cover me!"

"Yes, sir," Caro handed the frightened child over without hesitation.

Landis fully protected the baby in his arms.

Outside the small garden, Landis's security personnel were locked in combat with over a hundred armed gang members. The gang members outnumbered the security team by three to five times, yet they couldn't gain any advantage.

Gunfire and laser beams crisscrossed the air, sending nearby pedestrians into a frenzy of screams as they scattered in every direction.

"Sir," Caro said anxiously, "these are the largest smuggling armed groups on Customs Star, and the most insane one too. They might have found out about the ultimatum we issued. After failing to track us, they resorted to this desperate attempt to either kidnap Little Star or snipe you, sir."

"Overestimating themselves. Do they think I'm that easy to kill?" Landis sneered, holding Little Star in one arm while gently patting his back. With the other hand, he steadily held his gun, his extremely precise marksmanship allowing him to hit a gang member's forehead between the gaps of the gunfire.

The gang members, fully encased in exoskeletons, were still vulnerable to standard ammunition. However, bullets were ultimately finite.

On the outskirts of the small garden, despite being fewer in number, Landis's security team displayed formidable combat strength, steadily holding back the tide-like onslaught of the gang members.

The smuggling armed group, though numerous, continued to suffer losses against the impregnable defense of the opposing side.

Initially planning to assassinate Landis, they suddenly discovered a one or two-year-old infant by his side. This vulnerable target led their leader to change plans and attempt to kidnap Little Star to force Landis into submission.

If they were let go, it could mean peace, and even handing over more than half of their wealth to Landis would be a fair deal.

However, the leader hadn't expected Landis's security team, barely numbering in the dozens, to be so formidable. Moreover, there was a mysterious stranger who could single-handedly fend off mechs, which was simply unbelievable.

Not to mention the regular army of the Third Legion stationed at the spaceport.

"Blocking our path to wealth is like cutting off our lifeline! If they won't let us live, we'll drag them down with us!" The leader in the armed vehicle began a reckless retaliation, wildly firing a laser gun in all directions.

Amidst the intense battle, Landis's security team began to suffer casualties.

In the small garden, Landis, along with Caro and Little Star, maneuvered through the deafening gunfire and explosions, finally reaching an allied armored vehicle.

He placed Little Star into an emergency evacuation pod and handed him to Caro and O'Hare. Donning a portable exoskeleton, Landis charged towards Xiao Sa and the three mechs.

In Xiao Sa's mental domain, countless mental threads tightly bound the three mechs.

Xiao Sa's scythe sliced onto the cockpit door of one mech, the fierce force cutting it in half, causing the terrified gang member inside to fall out.

Xiao Sa and Landis each took on one of the remaining mechs, quickly bringing the battle to an end.

The dozens of armored vehicles on the outskirts, seeing the situation turn unfavorable, immediately fled.

Suppressing his anger, Landis's expression turned icy. "Go after them immediately! Don't let them escape! Notify the ground mechs to come over right away; we must capture them all without leaving anyone out!"

The pursuit was swift, and soon they tracked the enemy to their warehouse.

The armed group was frantically transporting supplies inside the warehouse, which was filled with counterfeit inhibitors made to resemble those of Star Power Group.

The leader hadn't expected Landis to pursue so decisively, his expression turning completely vicious.

"If I can't live, I won't let you have it!" The leader, driven to despair, immediately activated the pre-installed detonation device.

A deafening explosion erupted, and a roaring fire engulfed the warehouse, incinerating the counterfeit inhibitors that represented their wealth.

The overpowering scent of pheromones spread rapidly in all directions, like a cloud of volcanic ash after an eruption.

None of the people present could smell this overwhelmingly pungent scent, except Xiao Sa.

This rich scent was torture for an Alpha.

Xiao Sa pinched his nose tightly, almost to the point of bleeding, his sense of smell nearly failing him.

Suddenly, he remembered something, his expression changing drastically. "Not good, mech beasts!"

Murphy's Law in action—no sooner had he spoken than a series of monstrous roars echoed from the distant sky. A squad of five mech beasts, lured by the intense pheromone scent, were now closing in.

Xiao Sa's face darkened as the situation spiraled into chaos.

"Xiao Sa!" Landis' voice rang out from behind him, urgently calling, "Leave now!"

"It's too late..." Xiao Sa looked up at the mech beast that had broken away from the group and was heading straight for him.

Xiao Sa's black pupils were as deep as ink. He had to kill all five of these mech beasts here. If even one was left, his identity would be exposed, and many would be implicated.

He gave Landis a deep look. The worst situation had arisen, and he didn't want to put Landis in a difficult position.

Xiao Sa stared at the mech beast charging towards him, its ferocious eyes, sharp claws, serrated teeth, and the drool dripping from them, along with the foul stench, nearly reaching Xiao Sa's face.

With a cold expression, Xiao Sa raised his silver scythe. His vast mental field and powerful offensive pheromones erupted at once. At this point, he could no longer care about exposing his pheromones.

A whirlwind of pheromones, sharp as blades, enveloped the mech beast, centered on Xiao Sa. Xiao Sa moved with the grace of a black panther, leaping high and landing heavily on the mech beast's back.

His mental energy scythe slashed down fiercely, the blade's edge grinding against the mech beast's hard scales, producing a harsh metallic sound. The blade's tip buried itself deep into the mech beast's neck.

The beast let out a deafening roar, thrashing wildly and calling to its companions.

Xiao Sa exerted all his strength, preparing to sever its neck completely, when an unexpected mutation occurred!

Surrounded by various Alpha pheromones, Xiao Sa's was the strongest. These mech beasts, highly sensitive to pheromone scents, were like they had ingested an overdose of potent toxins, causing all five to howl miserably.

Within the mental field, the sudden change in them could be clearly perceived. The mech beasts' bluish-gray scales began to peel off, revealing melting skin, and eventually exposing their writhing greenish flesh. Their muscles continued to swell, and their tails and limbs grew thicker, even breaking open the metal armor on their bodies.

Landis and everyone else watched in disbelief.

Xiao Sa was equally shocked—the mech beasts were transforming into humanoid mutants before their very eyes!

Xiao Sa was thrown off by the mutating humanoid mutant, which vomited various dark red flesh chunks from its mouth until a rusty, dark golden badge clattered to the ground, the faint inscription 'Fourth Legion' barely visible on its surface.

A noxious, thick black fog began to seep from their bodies, spreading like a living entity.

Everything happened so quickly that no one could react as the situation took a drastic turn for the worse.

Xiao Sa's face turned ashen. With five humanoid mutants appearing simultaneously, the terrifying source of contamination would infect the mental fields of everyone nearby.

"Xiao Sa!" Landis, not caring that he didn't have a mech, quickly rushed to his side, his face extremely grave, and shouted sternly, "Come with me now—"

Before he finished speaking, the nearest humanoid mutant, now completely enraged, swung its thick tail at them!

The two barely dodged the strike, which slammed into the ground, creating a deep crack tens of meters long.

The surging black fog, like a living entity, blotted out the sky and descended upon them, followed by the horrifying open jaws of the humanoid mutant.

This moment seemed to stretch endlessly.

Xiao Sa's mind went blank. He couldn't think of anything, but his body's instincts moved faster than his brain, stepping in front of Landis.

Xiao Sa's pheromones and mental field surged forth uncontrollably.

The massive air currents continued to expand and swirl, the icy pheromones emitting a signal akin to a royal decree: Get out of the way!

He was in the same state as when he controlled the leader and lower-level humanoid mutants on the Star Alliance planet.

At this moment, Xiao Sa's dark eyes were like an abyss, devoid of any human warmth.

—Is Xiao Sa controlling these humanoid mutants?

—He can actually control these humanoid mutants!

Standing closest to Xiao Sa, Landis was stunned by the scene before him, a tsunami of shock welling up in his heart.

Humanoid mutants.

His pupils trembled violently, his body drained of all strength, almost unable to stand steadily, his fists clenched tightly, the color drained from his lips.

How could this be possible? It’s impossible!

Landis had suspected the connection between Xiao Sa, his clan, and the humanoid mutants before.

But he had always deliberately avoided confronting this issue, unwilling to delve too deep or entertain any doubts.

Xiao Sa was clearly a man of flesh and blood, with emotions—how could he possibly be connected to those monstrous creatures?

Landis had never had a good impression of humanoid mutants, and he firmly believed that they were the dark source of disaster.

For the past decade, these humanoid mutants had been ruthless enemies on the battlefield, the most terrifying adversaries, responsible for countless medals and war trophies.

They were also the enemies he hated most, having taken his parents, comrades, and friends.

But how could Xiao Sa be one of them? How could the person he loved most become his enemy?

He had thought that Xiao Sa's insistence on breaking up and choosing someone else was already the most unbearable nightmare, but fate evidently found him too lucky and had to plunge him into despair.

Landis stood frozen like a statue, his mind in turmoil, his thoughts paralyzed, barely able to think, and completely forgetting about the imminent threat of the pollutant magnetic field nearby.

The two stood in the field, one after the other. Xiao Sa could no longer afford to worry about being exposed in front of Landis; his sole focus was to stop this unprecedented pollutant disaster with all his might.

To protect Landis, who was standing behind him.

"Back off, bite, die, dissipate!" Xiao Sa's dominant pheromone signal forcibly entered the minds of the five humanoid mutants within the mental sea.

It was as if two forces were tearing at each other in their mental seas, one side the strong will to survive, the other an irresistible royal command.

"Roar—!!!"

The surging black fog rapidly contracted, the piercing roar sending chills down one's scalp, and finally, a lower-level mutant began attacking its companion.

This completely broke the tipping point of resistance. The five humanoid mutants went mad, biting each other fiercely, their grayish-green flesh torn apart by sharp teeth, attempting to heal in a writhing manner.

Countless black-red flesh chunks splattered, the intense stench still spreading.

Beads of sweat gradually appeared on Xiao Sa's forehead. These five humanoid mutants, though not fully evolved into leader-level, were far from the ordinary lower-level mutants on the desolate planet.

At that time, he had barely been able to control a single leader-level mutant, let alone five here.

His vast mental energy and pheromones were rapidly depleting, and the surging black fog was imminent, about to flood towards him.

If the black fog touched him, the pollution would instantly invade his mental sea, and Landis had no mech to protect him.

Not a single step back!

Xiao Sa's brow was set in a stern line, his face as cold as frost. A massive silver-white scythe was firmly held in his palm. A white tiger, towering to his knees, materialized from nowhere, its faint golden 'king' symbol glowing with dignity.

His awakened spiritual entity ability was control over others.

With the white tiger's appearance, Xiao Sa's power surged to the limits of his pheromone and mental energy output.

Rather than retreat, Xiao Sa pressed forward, scythe in hand, each step bringing him closer to the enemy. The thick, viscous black fog ahead seemed to have encountered a natural enemy or an undefiable presence, and, as if frightened, began to retreat bit by bit, contracting more violently.

The humanoid mutants bit more fiercely, and two of them were already weakening and collapsing. The black fog contracted to its extreme, resembling a deep, bottomless black hole.

And Xiao Sa had reached his limit as well.

"Roar!" A lion's roar suddenly came from behind him. A black lion, entirely engulfed in blazing black flames, leapt up from behind Xiao Sa and landed in front of him.

A rising wall of burning fire slowly emerged, and the black-red flames shot into the sky. Sparks scattered and fell into the black fog and the battling mutants, igniting rapidly as the intense heat rose.

Xiao Sa breathed heavily and turned around abruptly. Landis, in his sharp black and gold military uniform, was walking towards him, stopping about a meter away.

Landis looked at him expressionlessly, his lips pressed into a straight line, his icy blue eyes seemed unfamiliar, as if all the intense emotions had faded, leaving behind a sense of resignation and despair.

"Landis..." Xiao Sa's brow trembled slightly, his eyes blinking extremely slowly, his vision blurred by the intense heat, flames, and pungent pheromones, turning an unbearable dark red.

Under Landis's gaze, a similar despair began to rise in Xiao Sa's eyes.

Ah, a humanoid mutant with the same spiritual domain and pheromones. He could command them, but no explanation could clear this up now.

Landis would never believe him again.

He had thought that learning Landis had a child, and possibly another family, and no longer loved him, was the worst outcome.

He never expected to fall into an even more desperate situation now.

Broken trust, racial enmity, hatred, and disgust—everything indicated an irreparable rupture, with no possibility of any侥幸.

With Landis's strong offensive support, the last three mutants were also pushed to their doom.

Deafening roars echoed through the sky and ground. As the three mutants were about to bite off the last piece of flesh from each other, the one closest to them suddenly swallowed half of its companion's head!

With this sudden energy boost, it broke free from Xiao Sa's command and control.

Its writhing flesh healed and reformed rapidly, its body expanding and contracting violently, its surrounding polluted magnetic field beginning to surge in reverse like a black hole.

Xiao Sa's pupils suddenly contracted—it was going to self-destruct!

The series of crises unfolded too quickly, and the ground mecha units had only just arrived.

But it was too late for anything; the two of them were about to be consumed by the pollution source.

In the nick of time, the only thing Xiao Sa could do was tightly hold Landis, using his body to protect him, if only for an instant.

"Xiao Sa—" Landis trembled violently, his pupils shaking continuously.

At that moment, their eyes met, and Xiao Sa gazed at him with unwavering focus, his pupils reflecting Landis's pale, strained face.

Landis saw in Xiao Sa's eyes a calm that came from accepting the inevitable.

The viscous polluted black fog completely enveloped the two of them, and despair, anger, hatred—intense negative emotions surged around them, drilling into their pores and minds from all directions.

The anticipated pain and alienation did not arrive as expected.

Xiao Sa wrapped his arms tightly around Landis' waist, pulling him close, and whispered softly in his ear, "Don't be afraid, it will be over soon..."

"No—" Landis suddenly realized what the other was about to do and began to struggle violently in resistance.

Xiao Sa's eyes darkened completely, his canines bared, as he sank them without hesitation into the side of Landis' neck, the spot he had bitten countless times before.

Landis' eyes widened dramatically as a surge of tequila-infused pheromones rushed into his bloodstream, rampaging through every cell and mental nerve ending in his body.

"Don't... please..."

This was the second time Landis had begged him, and Xiao Sa managed a faint smile. Once he had made up his mind, nothing could sway him.

As the pheromones were injected, the forced mental link reached its maximum capacity.

Landis' body, already deeply marked and familiar, could not resist. He was defenceless, opening himself completely to the overwhelming surge of Xiao Sa's mental energy.

At that moment, in Landis' mental sea, the once calm lake at the center of the oasis began to churn violently. The lake water was whipped into large waves by the fierce wind.

In the void, the intense and invasive pollution began to spread in all directions, condensing into clusters, spreading like a virus.

The desert, once purified by Xiao Sa, began to reclaim its territory, eroding the shade, as bony hands clawed their way out of the sand, reaching for the oasis.

Above the lake, the moonlight Xiao Sa had given him suddenly shone brightly.

Over the years, even when Xiao Sa was far away and Landis was alone, this moonlight had always been there for him, soothing his loneliness and bitterness every night.

Under the surge of Xiao Sa's mental energy, the silvery moonlight grew brighter and brighter, rising continuously until it was as if a silver-white sun was illuminating the night into day.

Where its light shone, all attempts by the pollution sources to invade were pushed back like mice seeing a cat.

By the lake, the small sapling that Xiao Sa had planted had gradually grown. Now, under the irrigation of mental energy, it grew rapidly, reaching the same height as the once-dead tree, standing side by side.

The rosebud at the foot of the tree began to bloom layer by layer, swaying in the fierce wind, yet never falling.

The confrontation between the pollution source and mental energy lasted an unknown amount of time, but eventually, the latter gained the upper hand completely.

Xiao Sa poured everything he had, giving all his remaining mental energy to Landis without reservation.

From beginning to end, he firmly protected Landis' mental sea until the last humanoid mutant exploded, and the polluted magnetic field enveloping them both slowly dissipated.

The ground was already a mess, with cracked earth, and fires still burning in the distance.

The red and black remnants of the explosion splattered and writhed on the ground, slowly corroding the earth before finally losing their vitality, drying up, and being blown away by the wind.

At the moment of the mutant's complete explosion, Xiao Sa let go of Landis.

Landis collapsed into a pile of ruins and soon woke up, surrounded by the remnants of disaster, with only broken walls around him. Where was Xiao Sa?

Ignoring the dust and dirt covering him, and his disheveled golden hair hanging down, he began to frantically search the area for the other.

The pile of rubble was as high as a mountain, and Black, the creature, anxiously sniffed the air, searching for a scent. Finally, it widened its eyes and howled, its two front paws beginning to quickly dig through the debris and sand.

Landis rushed over, throwing away all sense of decorum, almost kneeling on the ground to clear away the obstructing stones and dirt.

When the last piece of broken wall was moved, a hand reached out from within.

"Xiao Sa!" Landis's relief at seeing Xiao Sa was immediately replaced by fear.

Buried under the rubble, the figure struggled to his feet, half-squatting and using one hand to steady himself as he swayed unsteadily.

Xiao Sa, standing before Landis, seemed relatively unharmed, but his clothes were torn and caked with dirt.

Seeing Landis approach, Xiao Sa suddenly took a step back, one hand held out in front of him, and said in a low voice, “Don’t come closer!”

Landis abruptly halted, his eyes widening unnaturally as he stared at him in shock. “You…”

Xiao Sa gasped for breath, his lips twitching in a failed attempt to smile. Instead, he could only manage a pained, half-hearted grimace.

His back, where his clothes had been ripped to shreds, was on fire, the pain searing through him like molten metal.

Xiao Sa faced Landis, attempting to look calm as he met his gaze, but eventually looked away, his voice low, “Don’t look at me.”

Landis’ chest heaved with ragged breaths, his eyes wide with an unbearable mix of horror and grief. His face, once composed, now twisted in anguish, all color draining from it as his lips trembled uncontrollably.

“Xiao Sa…” His breath trembled violently, a lump stuck in his throat, his eyes red and scorching from the heat of the explosions and fires.

He took another step forward, the pain in his eyes suppressed to the extreme, his voice hoarse and dry, “Turn around…”

He tried to reach for Xiao Sa’s hand but was evaded at the last moment. “Don’t touch me!”

Xiao Sa tried to back away but realized too late that Hei Yan had already circled around behind him.

Landis’ breath caught in his throat, his face draining of color as his heart sank into a bottomless abyss.

Through Hei Yan’s eyes, he saw Xiao Sa’s back.

Where once his skin had been smooth and flawless, now foul-smelling, blackened mutant flesh clung to his back. Some of it still writhed, while other parts had withered and rotted, leaving behind festering, blackened wounds that oozed blood.

His back was drenched in blood, as if fused with the corrupted flesh, making it almost impossible to find a single patch of intact skin.

Pitted, ugly, and grotesque.

Through the agony, Xiao Sa forced out a hoarse whisper, “Don’t look.”

A suffocating silence stretched between them.

Each of Xiao Sa’s wounds, every piece of rotting flesh, felt like knives cutting into Landis’ heart.

Helplessness washed over Landis, shattering the calm and control he had always maintained. The emotions he had bottled up for so long finally broke free, overwhelming him.

Landis strode forward, stepping over the messy stones and scattered flesh, forcefully pushing away Xiao Sa’s hand that still tried to stop him.

In that moment, Landis caught the sickening stench of mutant flesh on Xiao Sa, mixed with the faint, almost nonexistent scent of tequila—his strength fading, his spirit weakening.

He moved through the howling wind, past the misunderstandings that were never resolved in time, past all the cruel jokes fate had placed before them.

Finally, Landis pulled Xiao Sa into a desperate embrace, holding him as tightly as he could, as if afraid to let go.

His hands, which had always been steady enough to hold a gun and aim true in the heat of battle, now shook uncontrollably, unable to find a place to rest on Xiao Sa’s ravaged back.

He didn’t dare to touch, afraid of causing pain.

Landis’ icy blue eyes, now bloodshot and burning, bore into Xiao Sa as he whispered hoarsely, “You’re lying to me again, aren’t you?”

“You promised me this wouldn’t happen!”

Xiao Sa widened his eyes in shock, and he could feel the man holding him trembling all over.

Even Xiao Sa's lips began to quiver slightly. "Landis... You don't care that I might..."

Landis's gaze shattered completely, revealing an intense love and hatred. "So what?"

"Even if you belong to another race, who cares? What if you really are one of them?"

"Even if you have another lover, even if you want to break up, or if you've never loved me..."

With each sentence, Landis's chest heaved violently, as if speaking these words required all his strength.

"Even if you turn into a monster, I still... love you like crazy!"

He had finally cut off all his escape routes, breaking his past principles and bottom line, laying his heart bare, a bloody mess, before Xiao Sa.

He gripped Xiao Sa's arms tightly, his eyes dark with resolve.

At that moment, he seemed to return to the domineering and ruthless general of the past. "I regret it. No matter what you say this time, I don't care anymore."

"I will take you away, to a place no one can find. If you are destined to transform in the future, to become a mutant, a monster..."

"When that time comes, I will kill you with my own hands!"

Just like I did before, I will stay with you forever.

Xiao Sa stared at him, his face twitching, his eyes filled with emotion, finally moved beyond words.

At this moment, everything that had once troubled him became unimportant. It didn't matter who the father of Landis's child was.

He fully understood Landis's heart.

Xiao Sa gently brushed his lips against the corner of Landis's mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. "Landis, I... love you too."

Landis's eyes widened suddenly, his five fingers on Xiao Sa's arm turning white from the force, his face buried deeply in his shoulder.

Xiao Sa rubbed his cheek against Landis's golden hair, until he felt a faint, almost imperceptible warmth seeping into his shoulder.

Xiao Sa said nothing, only silently raising his hand to press against the back of Landis's head.

As his tense nerves relaxed, the burning and decaying pain in his back intensified. He could no longer bear it. All the pent-up pain and heartache burst forth in that moment.

With a slightly trembling voice, he whispered, "Landis, I'm in pain..."

Landis's entire body shook, and panic flooded his face. "Get a doctor! Get a medic!"