```
Departure is silent.
The troops from Mianzhu Hanwang left in batches, with no farewell ceremonies. They arrived amidst tears and clamor, yet left quietly, without a sound.
But it's not true that no one saw them off—at least in Mianyang, the local people gave them a heartfelt send-off.
"Board the bus!"
At the command, everyone grabbed their backpacks and got on the bus as if they were just returning to the squadron after answering a call.
It just felt a bit like another lifetime.
They were to return to the squad by the early hours of the 26th.
They had departed in the early hours of the 13th, making it exactly 13 days.
Everyone could still remember the unease and rush they felt on the day they arrived.
The urgency in their hearts gradually cooled in the face of the helplessness brought by the natural disaster.
One by one, the signals of life disappeared.
Hope turned to grief, and then to numbness.
