To say Han Qingyu possessed an ambition to restore a color Eraser probably wouldn't be accurate. Right now, he hadn't actually thought that far or that deep into specifics.
Lately, his mindset had undergone a shift much like that of a small peasant farmer turning into an independent landowner.
In the past, he kept his head down, tending his own little plot and its meager yields, pinching pennies to get by. So long as he didn't freeze or starve, stayed healthy and strong, and watched his granary slowly fill day by day until it formed a little peak at the top, he felt deeply satisfied and happy.
Gradually, with surplus energy to plow and his land expanding, he started thinking about having a little domain of his own.
It had to be an environment where his heart could rest easy, surrounded by people he could feel at ease with and trust. From there, they could slowly develop and grow together until one day they were no longer just farming—they could factor in hunting and the like as well.
After all, horses don't fatten without night grass, and men don't get rich without windfall gains.
Faithfully collecting combat supplies, drawing benefits, and earning merits and rewards in Azure was farming; ambushing and robbing the Cleansing Faction like last time was hunting and windfalls.
Therefore, aside from interpersonal and emotional factors, there was another crucial reason Han Qingyu chose not to go to the Golden Eraser:
He didn't want to just receive source energy blocks handed down from others; he wanted to run his own business.
Naturally, this idea couldn't be shared with Captain Lao. The Blood Calabash Baby had just been telling Milla that on the surface he was the captain and she was the vice-captain, but in reality they were both captains... Truth was, neither of them was.
At least not in certain areas.
"Captain Lao is such a muddled guy." Han Qingyu looked up and glanced over. In the mutual selection queue over there, Captain Lao was already acting like a big shot, picking and choosing with an air of self-importance.
"Going to the Golden Eraser would be totally different. In a place like that, trying to run a side business on the sly would definitely be hard. Take the City of Iniquity assassins, for instance—if I went to the Golden, would they still come?
"Even if some still showed up, when they arrived, all you'd see is Shao Xuan charging forward with his people, yelling and hacking them to pieces... and then gleefully scooping up the source energy blocks.
"I'd probably only be able to squat on the sidelines and watch, wouldn't I? Hey, those are clearly my destined source-energy donors!"
He couldn't remember exactly when this notion of independent operation had first sprouted, but as for when it was cemented, that was quite recent. Iron Chick's arrival had made up Han Qingyu's mind.
"Iron Chick is very strong. In fact, she's far stronger than what she's shown so far—it's just that she never thought about fighting before. I'm strong too, and both of us have immense room for growth."
That meant as long as the newly formed Regiment 425 Squad 1777 was given some time to develop, it was virtually guaranteed to have two banner champions in combat power.
Then there was Lao Jian, a ten-year veteran and a captain-grade figure; Milla, though weaker, possessed tactical traits and was pretty; B+ He Tangtang had a bright future...
Still not enough.
Not enough—that was the root of all Han Qingyu's actions today. In Shao Xuan's words, he was trying, by his own strength alone, to turn a newly founded squad into a place people yearned to join.
"Please consider our Squad 1777... Yes, open recruitment across the entire army, ten slots... No, not full, we haven't even started reaching out to people yet... Yes, please give it some thought."
At this moment, Han Qingyu felt somewhat unfamiliar, yet approachable and amusing.
Naturally, there was a bar to clear—everyone understood that without it needing to be said. So those who genuinely gave it serious thought on the spot possessed a degree of strength and confidence. And only people like that would take an active interest in the idea of forging a super squad from scratch together.
Most people simply greeted and chatted with Han Qingyu, while musing inwardly: Well, Han Qingyu, the strongest in a decade... just how strong is he, really?
Over the past two days, many among them had felt Bai Ji was exceptionally strong, quite possibly stronger than Han Qingyu, and his A+ degree of fusion was indeed superior to Han Qingyu's.
And the result? The result was settled with a single strike. Han Qingyu, with Grade A fusion, had just brought down an A+ with one blow.
Right now, of the two, one stood here while the other lay buried in the dirt.
It felt as though they had looked upon a towering mountain, compared it back and forth, and finally found another peak they thought could vie with it for height. But when set side by side for real, they realized... the summit of this original mountain had always remained veiled in the clouds.
"So was that strike just now his true limit?" Qin Guowen was no longer willing to think and judge for himself; he asked Captain Shao.
Shao Xuan, who had just dashed out to make a phone call and returned, pondered for a moment. "Probably not."
"Why?"
"Because of that left-hand sword he threw out at the very start, which looked completely pointless."
"He..."
"He used that sword to probe the rough density of Bai Ji's source energy surge."
"Worried he'd be too strong?"
"Worried he'd be too weak, and he'd accidentally chop him to death in one stroke."
"..." Qin Guowen choked for a moment, thinking to himself that couldn't be true. "Then how can he be this strong? Granted, anyone with Grade B fusion or above has the potential to reach the ranks of top combat power, and granted, he earned, swin—earned quite a few source energy blocks... but he's still an A-grade rookie. Isn't this level of strength a bit excessive?"
"Don't ask. If you must ask, he's a combat genius."
Shao Xuan actually had his own doubts, which was why he had run off to make that call just now. Using his authority, he confirmed that Han Qingyu's Grade A fusion was indeed correct, and then tried to find out other information, such as his perception level.
As it turned out, the other end told him he lacked the security clearance.
That made it glaringly obvious, didn't it? The kid had to be under special scrutiny from high above. It was normal for him to be abnormal. Going by standard practice, he should currently be under the two-year observation period. Therefore, Shao Xuan thought to himself that today had truly been tough on the army commander—the boy was someone the commander personally paid attention to, yet when he came, he had managed to remain completely aloof and uninvolved.
Shao Xuan glanced at Qin Guowen. "Hey, you're acting weird... Showing this much concern and curiosity, you aren't thinking of going over to his side, are you?"
Wait, that's an option. Should I go? Qin Guowen was suddenly struck by the thought, and unconsciously looked up at Captain Shao.
"Ho... ly crap." Shao Xuan let out an emotional curse. "You really want to go... Your eyes have already betrayed you... Qin Guowen, are you trying to infuriate me to death?!"
Saying so, Shao Xuan stepped forward, seized Qin Guowen by the collar, lifted him up, and slammed him against the wall. "Snap out of it! Snap the hell out of it! We are the Golden Eraser! The Golden Eraser!"
Qin Guowen nodded vigorously at once. "Sorry, Captain Shao, I just had a momentary lapse. I just felt like things seemed pretty interesting over there."
"Makes sense. Then I'll fire you, and you can go." Shao Xuan let go.
"No, Captain Shao! In life, I belong to the Golden; in death... wait, I don't want to die!" Qin Guowen made a move to clasp his thighs and weepingly beg.
Amused and exasperated, Shao Xuan didn't bother with him further and walked back to select rookies.
At the same time, Han Qingyu finally finished chatting and exchanging greetings along the way and arrived at Regiment 425's area.
"Captain Lao."
"Yeah." Lao Jian found that he was actually a little agitated and nervous. This wouldn't do—I'm the captain! Thinking back to how easy he was to bully and fool in the beginning, Captain Lao took the initiative to change the subject, saying, "He Tangtang coughed up blood and passed out just now. But don't worry, the doctor examined him and said that with some good rest and recovery, there shouldn't be any lasting consequences..."
Han Qingyu felt relieved and nodded.
Shen Yixiu walked over, gestured for him to step aside with her, and said, "Grandpa said he wants to invite you home for dinner tonight. All of you can come... Is that all right?"
Han Qingyu had actually already guessed that Shen Yixiu's grandfather was Shen Fengting. Afraid that meeting him would be awkward, he hesitated.
Wen Jifei leaned in. "Sure! Why wouldn't it be fine? ...Hey, if we visit your house, can we look at your photo album? See what you looked like in the past?"
Was that hurtful?
No. Shen Yixiu nodded. "Sure."
Chapter 111