Erasers and Female Soldiers

The military truck draped in a dark green canvas canopy departed from the empty little station at four in the morning. The truck was large, with ample room in the cargo bed for all five of them to stretch out and lie down—which, for people who had spent several days and nights curled up on a train, was undoubtedly a great blessing. Thus, even those who had initially been too tense to sleep drifted off unnoticed amidst the rocking of the long journey. As for why the others hadn't gotten off the train with them, that was presumably not something they were allowed to ask. "Wake up. Time to wake up." In a daze, Han Qingyu felt a hand shaking his shoulder. When he opened his eyes, the truck was traveling across what looked like a boundless wasteland. There was a road through the wilderness, flanked by sparse vegetation and exposed rocks. A withered old tree stood beside a puddle, and a black-winged bird took flight from its branches, alighting on a low mound nearby before turning around to fix its gaze upon them once more. On the horizon, the crimson sun was gradually sinking from sight. The sunset over the wilderness possessed a desolation akin to a panoramic camera panning across a battlefield of yesterday. It was already evening. Lao Jian woke the rest of the recruits, then said, "We're almost there. In accordance with Azure Coalition custom, there are a few basic things I need to tell you at this point." He cleared his throat. Perhaps because the former university physics lecturer had spent too many years away from the podium, his delivery felt rather stiff and recited, somewhat clumsy. He began his tale in 1908, with a famous incident that took place near the Tunguska River in Siberia, in what was now the Xiong-Zhan-Li Union Republic. "...That is, the mysterious incident you might have read about later in cheap magazines or extracurricular books, known as the Tunguska Explosion," Lao Jian said. "In truth, the explosion itself had nothing to do with the Zenith invasion. They simply landed there, upon a vast and uninhabited expanse of land, and began exploring, slaughtering, capturing, and expanding... The truth behind the explosion was that we, mankind, dropped virtually every gunpowder explosive weapon we believed might stand a chance of harming those creatures." He skipped over the part about "how the crisis was ultimately resolved"—which was actually what Han Qingyu cared about most, as it likely involved numerous details, such as the scale of that shuttle ship landing and the discovery process of source energy. Without giving them a chance to ask questions, Lao Jian continued: "From that point on, with a singular purpose, the Azure Alliance gradually took shape as an entity that transcended national boundaries and existed largely independent of direct governance by individual nations." "We, the Huaxia Front of the Azure Alliance, were initially founded in 1912. Back then, there was only one army—the First Army, which marked the beginning of our military structure, an active combat force." "Today, over more than seventy years of development and combat, we have a total of eleven armies. They are numbered in order of establishment, from the First Army founded in 1912 to the Eleventh Army established twenty years ago." "Among these, six armies—the First, Third, Fourth, Sixth, Ninth, and Eleventh—are active combat forces. Bound together as one, these six armies are collectively known by an early jest: the Sole Witness Legion." "Why call it the Sole Witness Legion? Very simple: because of our mission. Every time a Great Spike lands, we must be the sole witnesses... I see, I destroy." When he said this, a distinct sense of purpose and pride genuinely showed on his face. "Besides the six armies of the Sole Witness Legion, there are five others. The Second Army is an exception; you don't need to know about them, and if you're really curious, guess for yourselves. They have a nickname: the Refusers." Lao Jian smiled for the first time during his explanation. Then, he continued, "The remaining Fifth Army is a detection and early warning unit, though most of the time we're more accustomed to calling them 'the Crows.' That's because every time we receive a transmission from them, it signifies a crisis and a battle. Every piece of news is bad news. In the Azure Coalition, there's a common saying among the soldiers—whether in high spirits or low, we always say... 'Shoot that crow dead.'" He was likely trying to liven things up, but the students in the truck bed remained silent. "Next, the Seventh and Eighth Armies are collectively called the Order Legion, nicknamed 'Security Guards.'" Lao Jian could only make his introduction more concise, continuing, "The Tenth Army, nicknamed 'Fledglings,' is an aerial combat reserve unit, established over thirty years ago... However, I can let you in on what is practically an open secret: to this day, we don't have even a single source energy sky-vessel capable of taking to the skies and engaging in direct combat with shuttle craft." Han Qingyu only made a rough mental note of this part of Lao Jian's explanation without taking it too much to heart, as anything Lao Jian could openly tell new recruits certainly wasn't a secret. He was waiting for him to talk about source energy and dead iron. Yet that did not come. As the truck passed through a tunnel, Lao Jian stood up beneath the canvas canopy. He brought his right hand across his chest, fist pressed over his heart, and directed his gaze toward the sprawling buildings and encampment gradually unfolding behind the truck. "Now, on behalf of the unit commanders, I welcome the four of you to the Azure Coalition, Huaxia Front, Sole Witness Legion, Ninth Army. "From this moment forth, the only path before you is to become qualified soldiers—to become a proper eraser of the Ninth Army." This was likely just a brief ritualistic gesture, not particularly formal. "There is no official enlistment ceremony. The formal ceremony won't happen until the day you don your armor." After finishing, Lao Jian sat back down and reverted to his usual tone, explaining, "And the 'eraser' I just mentioned is a nickname for our Ninth Army. The meaning isn't hard to grasp, is it? The soldiers quite like it themselves." "Also, per tradition, I will be your recommender from now on... I am Captain Lao Jian of the Azure Coalition, current leader of Squad 752. I look forward to being proud of you." With that, he repeated the brief salute with his fist against his heart, his eyes earnest. At this point, someone finally responded for the first time. Wen Jifei asked, "Aren't you a squad leader? How'd you become a captain?" Having read plenty of random books, he understood a little bit about military organization. "..." Lao Jian paused before answering, "Because in the organizational structure of the Azure Coalition, there are no companies or platoons. We have always strived to avoid having too many tiers in communications and command. Directly above regional squads are regiments, followed by divisions and armies." Wen Jifei nodded. "Oh. So that means a squad leader could be a captain, or a first lieutenant, second lieutenant, or maybe even a major... Do you all get the same pay and benefits?" "...No." Lao Jian turned his head away, avoiding his gaze. "So, do you have any slightly more meaningful questions? We'll be getting off soon." By now, the truck was driving through the encampment of the Ninth Army base. Han Qingyu habitually raised his hand, just about to take the opportunity to ask a question or two about source energy. "Why are there female soldiers here? And quite a lot of them, it looks like," Wen Jifei asked with a mischievous grin, his curiosity piqued as he watched figures moving back and forth in view beyond the truck's rear. As though this was something genuinely worth taking pride in and talking about would cheer people up, Lao Jian smiled and said, "Indeed. Counting medical personnel, female soldiers make up nearly a quarter of the Azure Coalition. That's because with the help of source energy three-dimensional maneuver gear, the innate physical gap between men and women becomes very small..." "Then why not just make it one-to-one?" "It ought to be one-to-one," Plague-Chicken Fei chimed in. Lao Jian cast a somewhat pitying glance at Han Qingyu. One couldn't tell whether he still felt pleased with himself for recruiting Plague-Chicken Fei on the train. "Probably because fewer girls go running around getting into trouble," Lao Jian offered with a reluctant explanation, rolling his eyes as he looked down. "And mentally speaking, most girls are comparatively more timid." Wen Jifei started again, "Then—" Lao Jian cut him off in the nick of time. "Time is short. Let's give the other students a chance to ask questions." In his disarray, the former university physics lecturer even said "students." Another recruit among the four asked, "Captain, are you married?" Lao Jian: "...No." "Can people in our unit get married and have kids? Since we'll probably never be able to leave for the rest of our lives," the recruit asked bluntly. Wen Jifei chimed in, "I wanted to ask that too! And Captain Lao, do our female soldiers also like being called erasers? That can't be, right?" Directly ignoring Wen Jifei's interjection, Lao Jian answered, "Non-commissioned officers and above may date freely. If both parties are willing, yes, it is permitted." "Then—" "However," Lao Jian beat him to the punch, pausing before continuing, "however, your children must also stay here forever. Aside from the occasional permission to accompany you on home visits, they will grow up here, be educated here, and serve Azure for life—until they shed their last drop of blood for every breathing soul on this planet..." The atmosphere instantly grew heavy. "Then getting married here doesn't require registering at the Civil Affairs Bureau, right?" Wen Jifei said. "If someone marries one woman here and another outside, does that count as bigamy? It wouldn't, would it?" While eyeing the female soldiers, he had likely still fondly remembered the girl attending Yueda. Lao Jian: "..." He looked at Han Qingyu. Under his gaze, Han Qingyu offered a brilliant smile.