In the world of source energy, the Azure Huaxia Front was universally acknowledged to be immensely powerful.
The lobby fell temporarily silent after the young man upstairs issued that welcome. Naturally, anyone who harbored actual intentions of doing something would not be foolish enough to expose themselves now.
Baudouin was only too glad to see this.
At this stage, the Self-Preservation Faction and the Azure Alliance maintained a relatively harmonious surface. With this information broadcast, only to be so aggressively suppressed on the spot by Huaxia soldiers, there was no telling if some genius from the Self-Preservation Faction might be tempted or indignant enough to make a move.
If he could use this to spark a large-scale conflict between the Self-Preservation Faction and the Huaxia Front, it would undoubtedly be a tremendous achievement for him.
Of course, he needed to be alive to claim credit; he had to escape from here first.
By now, the people in the ground-floor lobby had all backed away, clearing a battlefield for both sides to face each other directly.
Tightening his grip on his blade, Baudouin took a deep breath. He glanced vigilantly left and right, then focused his gaze squarely on Han Qingyu.
"Thank you," Han Qingyu spoke, tilting his head up. "I really appreciate it, but there's no need... If there's a chance when it comes time to cut down the Great Spikes at the end, I'll come find you all."
He had actually refused—refusing the invitation and assistance from the two Huaxia squads to travel together.
This caught many people off guard.
As his words were translated into various languages and spread, the room erupted into murmurs of disbelief.
Was this guy looking to die?
Did he want to serve himself up on a chopping block?
"Are you worried about dragging us down? Or..." the Huaxia comrade upstairs continued.
Han Qingyu smiled, shook his head, and cut him off.
Then he lowered his head and drew his swords.
"Han Qingyu and his squad will be waiting... See you inside."
With twin blades in hand, he said, "Let me deal with things here first."
With that, Han Qingyu took a step forward.
He looked toward Yin Caixin and Baudouin and the others behind her.
"Can you translate this for me too?" he asked Yin Caixin.
"Huh?" Yin Caixin blinked, startled.
"The part about waiting and seeing them inside."
"...Mm."
Yin Caixin nodded.
Yet this time, Baudouin, who had been forcing her to translate all along, stopped her from speaking. He did not even care that he still had no idea what Han Qingyu had just said.
Because he was terrified and on edge. At this moment, Baudouin noticed that Han Qingyu was walking toward him. The distance between them was down to barely twenty-odd meters. "Gigi... blah blah..."
"He's telling you to stop... and asking what you want to do."
This time, it was Shen Yixiu who translated.
Han Qingyu halted and gestured with the blade in his hand. "Kill him."
Shen Yixiu paused.
"Help me trans—never mind, I happen to know this one myself." Han Qingyu looked up and answered Baudouin, "Kill you."
"..."
That was a phrase everyone present knew and understood.
Thus, almost everyone was left dumbfounded. Was he really planning to just walk over and slaughter that Cleansing Faction operative? So the hostage translator was genuinely just a translator to him—now that there was another one and she wasn't needed to translate, she was just abandoned?
As the man in question, Baudouin was even more baffled. *I have a hostage!* he thought. *A hostage! Can't you see her?! Look at her, damn it!*
Agitated, Baudouin shoved Yin Caixin a step forward. He jabbered while waving his combat knife, urging Yin Caixin to translate for him.
"..." It really did make Yin Caixin feel like she was nothing more than a captured interpreter. "He says... if you dare take another step forward, he'll kill me."
"Oh. In that case, if I accidentally get you killed, would you mind?" Han Qingyu asked.
He didn't continue forward, but his arms swung idly as if out of sheer boredom. In each hand, a dead iron straight sword spun rapidly beneath his palms.
In less than ten seconds, the crowd was in an uproar.
The hostage can die?! Then why bother with all this fuss for so long?!
So is he showing off his power now? Or showing off his skills?
As the other party involved, Yin Caixin stood there, gazing intently into Han Qingyu's eyes... She was certain now: he wasn't joking.
At this moment, aggrieved hurt and fear were inevitable.
Tears slipped with a soft pitter-patter from her pale blue eyes.
Rolling down, they hung suspended before her face, forming a glistening trail.
"N-No problem," Little Caixin choked back a sob, coughing and sniffling, her lips trembling. "B-But you have to promise me... kill them all. Don't let a single one escape."
In this moment, Little Caixin faced death unflinchingly.
The sight of her forcing herself to be brave through tears was heartbreaking.
The surrounding chatter grew vehement and chaotic. Many people in the room shouted in outrage, condemning Han Qingyu and trying to stop this callous act.
"All right..." Han Qingyu reached out and beckoned to her. "Then come over here first."
The instant his words fell—
"Ugh-ah!"
The cry wasn't very loud.
The person in the entire hall who heard it most clearly was Yin Caixin.
Because it sounded right behind her ear.
Yet she didn't dare look back. The man behind her was Baudouin, and not far away were the other three undercover Cleansing Faction operatives watching three different directions on high alert.
In that instant, the entire hall fell dead silent!
Because many people upstairs could now see an eerie sight: behind Yin Caixin, Baudouin still held his posture of gripping a hostage, but a dead iron straight sword was embedded in his head, tilted slightly from upper right to lower left, piercing straight through and halting there.
That sword...
Finally, someone noticed: the hand Han Qingyu held in midair, the one beckoning to Yin Caixin... was empty.
What had he just said?
He seemed to have said, "Come over here first."
"!!!!!!"
Yin Caixin felt Baudouin's hands move. First, the left hand gripping the back of her collar suddenly loosened, followed by the right hand holding the blade.
*Clang.*
The dead iron straight sword hit the floor in front of her, almost striking her foot.
An instant later—*thud*.
Baudouin's corpse crumpled to the floor.
"Come over here!" Han Qingyu yelled anxiously, looking exasperated. "Forget it..."
Gripping the sword in his left hand, he charged forward at top speed.
Ignoring everything else, Yin Caixin shrieked and bolted toward him.
Within a few strides, Han Qingyu grabbed her with one hand and yanked her behind him.
Swinging his sword in the same motion—*shrrk*—Han Qingyu's left-hand blade cut down one of the pursuing Cleansing Faction members.
In that exact split second, the other two lunged at him, blades raised.
Yet only a streak of armored light flashed across the room.
Shen Yixiu came to a halt amid the gleaming light, holding her left-hand sword in a level reverse grip, blood dripping from the blade edge.
*Spurt, spurt.* Gaping wounds burst open.
Clutching their throats, the two Cleansing Faction operatives collapsed to the ground, struggling.
Was it over?
It was over.
"So that sword flew around from the side, tracing a counterclockwise arc while descending diagonally?"
"Yes, but the key was that massive pillar. The blade curved around the pillar supporting the building... and finally embedded itself in Baudouin's temple."
"When did he throw it?"
"Probably while he was fooling with his blades, swinging them back and forth—one of the times he swung it behind his back."
"Then... how did he do that?"
"No idea. And did you notice the other critical detail... there was no sound at all!"
"..."
Terrifying!
And that robot—the fully armored warrior? Wasn't she actually even more terrifying?!
...
"Rusty Sister Vortex Slash, silent edition. Pretty impressive, huh?" Han Qingyu said as he turned around, glancing at Yin Caixin, who stood dazed behind him with tears still streaming down her face.
Shen Yixiu stood nearby. Hearing this beneath her iron plating, she couldn't help snickering secretly.
"Hey, translate for me. You haven't translated what I said earlier," Han Qingyu said, waving a hand in front of Yin Caixin's face.
"Huh? Translate..." Yin Caixin snapped back to reality.
"Han Qingyu and his squad will be waiting; see you inside," Han Qingyu repeated helplessly.
"...Oh, okay!" Yin Caixin finally collected herself. Nodding vigorously, she hurriedly wiped away her tears, tilted her head up, and with a sob she still couldn't choke back, spoke the line in English and French.
A little girl, threatening every potential enemy in the room with tears in her voice!
The entire hall was silent.
Soon, however, some began to feel like laughing. Because they saw Han Qingyu had actually started looting the battlefield. Squatting down as if nobody else were there, he popped open Baudouin's war box, took out the source energy blocks, and slipped them into his pocket.
Then the next one.
And the one after that.
The fourth.
Done. Han Qingyu stood up, delighted.
"Isn't... isn't he in a bit too much of a hurry?"
Someone upstairs commented, then laughed.
This scene seemed amusing and funny... but to certain people, it was actually even more terrifying than what had just happened—terrifying enough to send a chill down their spines.
Chapter 124