This Is Azure

An entire sighting frontline squad being wiped out with zero survivors—this was the first time such a thing had happened since the descent of the Red Shoulder all those years ago. On the stage stood two men. Regiment 453's commander, Qiu Youchuan, standing tall as he accepted the Collective First-Class Merit on behalf of the squad as the former captain of Squad 1123, wept in silence. Showing his age, Legion Commander Chen stood facing away with his head raised, his shoulders trembling faintly. The thousands gathered across the auditorium were moved, muffled sobs audible throughout the hall. Han Qingyu was not used to such outpourings of emotion, and did his best to hold himself back. Yet when the legion commander finally spoke once more, calling out Squad 1123, unfurling the long list of first-class merits in his hands, and calling each name one by one, the entire auditorium answered in unison: "Present!" The recruits of Regiments 491 and 425 answered for their drill instructors. Those faces were still vivid in memory. People they had spent days and nights with, sharing laughter and resentment alike, who in the end had thrown themselves in the path of the Great Spikes to shield them—and never returned. The recruits of Regiment 453 answered for their seniors. They answered with sorrow and pride for that squad designation—one that, even when down to just six wounded soldiers, had still stubbornly charged in to rescue the recruits, swinging their blades to etch dignity with their very lives. And even more people answered for the Azure warriors they had never even had the chance to meet. Han Qingyu could not hold back either. He opened his mouth and said, "Present." At last, this first part of the recruitment briefing came to an end. A legion commander attending the briefing was a rare sight, so Lu Wuzheng coaxed him a bit, asking Chen Buer to give an address to the Eraser recruits soon to head for the battlefield. Though called an address, when the red-rimmed eyes of Legion Commander Chen turned toward them and he began to speak, his tone sounded far less like a commanding officer and much more like an ordinary peasant grandfather seeing off his grandchildren into the army. "Little Erasers," he said slowly as his opening words. "I'm sorry for making you my soldiers, Azure's soldiers. How has your training been going?" The recruits replied that it was going well. "Good, that's good." Chen Buer nodded. "Starting today, the three-dimensional apparatuses and dead iron straight swords you wear won't need to be returned to the equipment grounds anymore. They, and the numbers stamped on them, will be heading to the battlefield right alongside you. "If this were back home in my village, seeing you off like this, I'd have to say some auspicious blessing... But what would I even say?" The old man did not seem prepared for a speech. After a moment of silent thought, he spoke again. "I, you know, was just a farm boy who'd only had two winters of schooling. It wasn't until I joined Azure at seventeen that they held my head down and made me learn to read and write. My teachers taught me so many subjects back then, and I remember learning an idiom: an aging hero. "I didn't think much of it then; I thought it was a sad, desolate phrase... But looking back now, I finally understand it's actually a wonderful phrase. "To be a hero, yet also live to grow old and gray... what a great blessing that is. "I wish for all of you to one day grow old as heroes, sheathing your blades and laying down your armor." Having finished, the old man turned and walked away at an unhurried pace. For a few steps, completely unawares, he walked with his hands clasped behind his back and his head lowered, just like the most ordinary village grandfather. Then he stopped abruptly, turned around, and squinted down at the recruits below. A smile surfaced on his weathered face. Straightening up, snapping to attention, the old man swung his arms into a parade march, just like a grandfather doing silly physical pantomimes to amuse little children. Warm smiles broke through the tear-streaked faces across the hall. That was the Legion Commander of the Sole Witness Legion, the only recipient of the Starlight Azure Medal in the eighty-year history of the Huaxia Front, the man who had personally severed the head of the Red Shoulder all those years ago. This... was Azure. ...... For the recruits' mutual selection before leaving camp, only the squads ranked in the top twenty overall from the previous year were permitted to take the stage and introduce themselves at the recruitment briefing. These squads could recruit newcomers across different regiments. Without question, they were the best destinations for the thousands of recruits below. Joining them meant more source energy block rewards, greater safety, faster growth, and grander glory. However, spots in each squad were very few. Aside from replenishing casualties, they could only recruit newcomers when they transferred out seasoned veterans who were fully trained and qualified to serve as frontline squad captains or vice-captains to the army or regiments. Looking at it another way, this recruitment briefing also functioned somewhat like a commendation ceremony. Almost every squad representative who went on stage utilized the projection materials provided by the army to introduce their history, honors, combat strength, and notable deeds. Sitting among the crowd, Li Wangqiang unconsciously pushed aside his sorrow and began feeling a bout of pure envy and jealousy. Back in the day, the Red Eraser came every single year. Regiment 425 had once held great renown, and their Captain Wang Liuzheng had stood on this very stage. Though a man of few words, he had simply spoken a single sentence: "We are Regiment 425, the Red Eraser." Even then, it had drawn thunderous cheers and longing sighs from the entire hall. A man of few words? Yeah. And in the end, battered into a bloody mess... sigh. On stage, Captain Lei Guan of Regional Squad 869 stepped up. The projection behind him indicated that Squad 869 had ranked third army-wide in overall performance the previous year, possessed one top combatant, was equipped with a support helicopter, and was garrisoned in the southwestern region of Yuchuan. "Over by us, cough, the girls are real pretty, honest... If you come, I'll set you up with someone. Doesn't matter if you're not good with words, we guarantee you'll learn!" Lei Guan had ultimately done the exact thing he had just looked down on Shao Xuan for. Amid the laughter, the slightly uncomfortable tough guy's gaze scanned the crowd until he spotted his target, then spoke again: "In truth, our 869 is way better suited for developing newcomers than the color Erasers, seriously..." He rambled on like that, injecting plenty of humor and liveliness into the hall. In the end, he stayed well past his time limit and refused to leave until Army Commander Lu Wuzheng went up and dragged him off the stage himself. Next to take the stage was the White Eraser. The projection displayed: White Eraser had ranked first overall three years ago, first overall two years ago, and... second overall last year, though first in support rewards. Somewhat surprisingly, the Eraser member on stage did not deliver a recruitment pitch. Instead, he announced the decision to "reopen the recruit combat trial program" on the spot. The White Eraser would provide five source energy blocks and invite all Grade B and above recruits to participate; three blocks would cover sparring consumption, while two would serve as the reward for the final victor. Furthermore, the victor was not obligated to choose the White Eraser. "What if three blocks aren't enough for the consumption?" someone asked from the crowd. The White Eraser member seemed to have prepared for this. He gave a smile and said, "We believe that since Captain Shao Xuan of the Golden Eraser has come in person, he certainly won't be stingy." Shao Xuan: "..." At the same time, Wen Jifei turned to look at Han Qingyu and said coldly, "It's yours." By now, Han Qingyu had already received the lump-sum reward of ten source energy blocks from his Gold Azure Guard. He was clutching the box containing the blocks to his chest. Over the next five years, that medal entitled him to three more blocks per quarter, plus the one block per quarter from his earlier silver medal... After some thought, Han Qingyu gritted his teeth, suppressed his greed with great heartache, and said, "Forget it. I won't participate. There are so many recruits in the army—I can't take everything for myself."