Reich Marshal of the Belkan Reich

RM Vol 3: For a World without Boundary – Chapter 48-1: Gaia Shrugged (Part 1)

One day after the world has gone insane. Inside a crumbling and burning, low-cost apartment complex.

Corporal Ning Arianna Wen, a female combat lifesaver in service of the Long Dynasty Army, toils to bridal carry a young girl, clearly unconscious, out of the danger zone. Ning works to navigate through the ash-filled haze in the shabby room she found the girl in, being mindful to stay clear of the furniture that has been set ablaze. It takes some hot seconds for Ning to lay her eyes on the doorway despite having memorized the escape road. Before Ning can move through the doorway, a part of the roof collapses, sending fiery wooden struts down to block her path forward. Ning frowns, but she is undeterred. Fixing the wet blanket wrapped around the little girl in her hands, Ning braces herself... And then she runs.

With a starting dash powering her leap, Ning leaps over the burning pile with the girl safely tucked in her hands. Landing just over the pile, Ning takes a few steps to halt her momentum before she rams into the wall of the opposite apartment room. With an inquisitive glance, the Coporal surveys the escape route ahead of her, a clearly unsafe stairwell due to the failing structural integrity of the building they're in. But that's the only escape passage in this cheap housing area for dozens of families. The windows in this building are just for ventilation, not for a human to fit through. At the very least, the stair isn't set on fire, being made of inexpensive metal. Ning can see the silver lining in this situation, and she won't let go of it.

Just before Ning can brave the path forward and downward to safety, the combat lifesaver hears the banging and shouting in the room to her left.

"Help! Door's stuck! Door's stuck!" The bangings grow louder, clearly trying to attract Ning's attention. At this moment, the whole building shakes as bits and pieces start falling from the ceiling. Ning dares a glance at the door where the shoutings have been coming from, only to see it's a steel gate. The gate has been modified to improve the security of the people crying for help, but with its being bent and jammed due to the building collapsing, their security method turns out to be a death trap. "Please! I beg you!"

In the amount of time Ning has taken to dwell in indecisiveness, the building's integrity has fallen low enough for the floor under her to start cracking. Time is running out for not just Ning but also the injured girl in her hands. Ning steels her resolve while adjusting her facemask before ignoring the continuing cries for rescue, rushing to the stairs and using it to evacuate to the ground floor. All the while during her run, more and more cracks start appearing behind her, on the walls, and on the roof, with large pieces of roofing collapsing into fiery messes. The smoke has grown thicker, obscuring her vision. A single misstep here guarantees dire consequences for not just Ning but also the girl in her arms. Fortunately for them both, Ning's time back in the Belkan-supervised boot camp has ingrained into her a set of impressive skills and instincts for a combat lifesaver. Responsible for keeping everyone under their watch alive, a combat lifesaver can't be hampered by any obstacle on their way. And Ning is banking on her training to fulfill her self-imposed task.

Suddenly, the last flight of stairs falls apart in front of Ning. Rather than stopping, Ning judges the distance and uses what's left of the stairs as a launch platform, jumping over the sharply shaped metallic pile beneath her. Nailing the landing with nothing but a pained ankle, Ning swiftly pushes the discomfort away before running through the opened doorway and into the street. Her figure, marred in smoke and ash, is immediately welcomed by members of the Dynasty Army.

"Corporal!" The Lieutenant in charge of the Combat Search and Rescue effort in the region called out her rank. "Quickly you fools! Aid her!" The man directs two subordinates to help Ning lay the girl down on a relatively flat and clean surface.

Unwrapping the blanket that's now dried of moisture, the group heaves a sigh in relief when they find the girl's chest still weakly raises up and down. "Get her an oxygen pump, just to be safe." Ning instructed her helpers while she worked on bandaging the girl's head injury.

Per request, one of the helpers runs off to get an oxygen pump. The soldier soon returned with the requested item and even a stretcher. Ning receives the pump after bandaging the girl's head before helping the girl inhale fresh oxygen in an effort to filter out the toxic matter she ingested. As the girl's breathing goes back to a safe enough level, the Corporal nods at the helpers, getting them to put the girl on the stretcher before carrying her off to a medevac half-track.

Ning then stands up, only to turn around to see the burning apartment crumbling down into an unrecognizable ruin behind her. As a searing cloud of smoke and ashes washes over her, Ning can only watch with a helpless expression and feel regret seeping into her bones. As the weight of crushing claustrophobia starts settling in, the Corporal unstraps her helmet and removes it, letting it hang limply on her hand. The removal of her helmet reveals her shoulder-length hair in all of its glory. Though her hair has a thin layer of ashes over it, one can still see that her hair is silky black with strands of white interwoven. When coupled with her sapphire blue eyes, these features are what Ning inherited from her mixed heritage of both Eastern and Western. Her father has been a long-serving military member of the Dynasty before passing away during the Manchurian crisis. Her mother was a wandering doctor of Belkan origin before settling down with her father. The woman deals with her grief by teaching Ning her medical arts before signing herself to be a military doctor for the Long Dynasty.

Ning is thankful for her mother's teaching, it has been what made her the woman she is today. However, she would have been glad if her mother had chosen to move back to Belka altogether. It would have been safer there than here. But she could guess why she sticks around with the army, much like herself. With the military reforms conducted by their wise Emperor Cao Long, women like them have been allowed to sign up in the armed forces. This military life has been their choice, partly to help the wider populace out there, partly so that they can join the growing resistance spirit against the Japanese. One couldn't just murder the man of their family and expect to get away with it. Even if they're doctors by heart, doctors can still retaliate in their own ways.

A hand is laid on Ning's slumped shoulder, waking her from her mulling. It's the Lieutenant in charge who approaches her. "You did what you could, Corporal, and you did great." Giving her a few pats on the shoulder, the man adds. "Come on, we need to clear this sector before a stray demon or zombie could spring a surprise on us. The day is yet to be over."

Ning nods before fastening her helmet back on, following the Lieutenant's group of soldiers to try and find more survivors. The earthquakes have hit pretty much everywhere hard, and Ning will soon find herself coming across enough deaths to last a lifetime.

Ning will come to say this in the future, once things have settled down. "It's an occupational hazard."