You Don't Understand the Huaxia Front

The only reason Zhe Shouzhao dared to stir up such trouble—the sole basis and reliance for all of it—boiled down to a single fact: Azure cared more. Voyage was an enclave of scientists and tycoons, inherently cautious and isolated ever since its founding. It was entirely possible that out of anger and fear, they would abandon this technological exchange, severing their ties with Azure and destroying what little friendship existed between them. Azure was too powerful. Voyage were survivors seeking self-preservation, yet at the same time possessors of coveted treasures; they could never help fearing the more immediate threat. Azure, however, could not afford to walk away. Azure bore the responsibility and mission for this world. That purpose made it mighty, but it also became Azure's greatest weakness. Just like that, half an hour passed. Captain Tan was no longer hysterical. Of course, he remained furious, because Voyage's own stance toward this technological exchange had been entirely in keeping with the scientific spirit, undertaken with genuine sincerity. Yet the Zhe family—or rather, Zhe Shouzhao's abrupt personal action—had turned a deal mutually agreed upon by both Voyage and Azure into blackmail and extortion. *He actually dares to blackmail the Huaxia Front?! Did being mixed-race scramble his brains as well?!* Having temporarily run out of energy to keep raging hysterically—shouting himself hoarse for half an hour without his apparatus activated had worn him out—Captain Tan sat somewhat exhausted beneath a tree. Tilting his head back, he watched Zhe Shouzhao putting on his apparatus. *What he's using is actually Snow Lotus's latest generation source energy apparatus?!* Captain Tan's nerves tightened instantly. "Snow Lotus's newest model. You can buy them in the City of Iniquity. It's better than Azure's ninth generation," Zhe Shouzhao said unprompted, as if anticipating his suspicion. "..." And so, this suspicious point was deftly brushed aside. Even if Captain Tan didn't believe him, there was nothing he could say. He opened his mouth, closed it, and looked over once more. So was Zhe Shouzhao's sister truly being held by Azure all this time? If so, adding that condition, while selfish, seemed somewhat understandable. He claimed he would kill all the technicians. But the only technician here was himself; the others had entered the country five months ago and dispersed to various locations. Was he merely bluffing Azure?! "Why are you demanding the syllables and bytes of the Great Spike civilization from Azure?!" Captain Tan gritted his teeth and said, "You should know that's what Cleansing Factions like Snow Lotus and Pure Purgatory covet most, and it's one of Azure's untouchable taboos. So you... you aren't..." "I'm not part of the Cleansing Faction, Captain Tan. Truly," Zhe Shouzhao said, his gaze sincere. "I might give you the impression right now of being some lunatic or pervert... but actually, there's quite a big difference." Zhe Shouzhao didn't continue. "You still haven't answered my question," Captain Tan reminded him. "What... question?" "Why are you asking Azure for the syllables and bytes of the Great Spike civilization?!" "Oh, right." Zhe Shouzhao offered an apologetic smile, walked over, and said, "Because of a very simple logic. Since the Great Spike craft could traverse the universe to reach Azure, then in the future our voyage ships... should venture into the sea of stars in the guise of Great Spike craft. For those of us ignorant of the cosmos, that is the best choice." As he spoke, he walked past Captain Tan and strode into the forest alone. "What are you going to do?!" Captain Tan asked, afraid this freak was about to pull something else. "To ask for Azure's answer in an unexpected, most primitive way," Zhe Shouzhao answered with a chuckle, disappearing into the depths of the forest. *** Azure, Huaxia Research Institute 1. An employee wearing glasses took back his pass from the security guard, walked down a long, empty corridor, and stopped outside a spacious medical laboratory. Inside, a twenty-four- or twenty-five-year-old woman in a white coat sat by the window reading a book. The employee knocked on the door. "Come in," she said, setting down the book, standing up, and turning toward the doorway. "Dr. Zhe, please pack your things. You might... be able to leave." "Oh, alright." Zhe Qiuhong turned and walked to the end of a row of bookshelves. There was a section where nearly a hundred experimental notebooks she had written over the past five years were kept. She sorted through them, pulled out five volumes, and stuffed them into a backpack. "Do you need me to prepare a larger bag for you?" the employee asked. "No need. I won't take these. If you find them useful, you can keep them and have a look. If they're useless, just throw them out for me." Saying so, Zhe Qiuhong slung the backpack onto her shoulders and smoothed out the twisted strap. She didn't even change out of the white coat she was wearing or the white rubber shoes on her feet. "Should I wait outside?" "Yes." The employee turned to wait for her. "Okay." Zhe Qiuhong took two steps toward the door, then turned back, took a few brisk steps, picked up the book she had set down earlier by the window, and said, "I haven't finished reading this one yet." Holding the book in her hand, she followed the employee down the long corridor. *** Azure, Huaxia Research Institute 2. Living quarters, the Xin residence. Mother Xin sat on the sofa with a furrowed brow, looking somewhat worried. Her daughter bustled back and forth in front of her several times, swapping out the clothes packed in her backpack. "Qiaoqiao." "Hm?" "Azure is being blackmailed right now, you know. Can you not look so happy?! You're only going to the Southwestern Region; that doesn't mean you'll definitely see him." "Mm." *Still, with something this big, how could he not be mobilized?! Maybe he'll even be my personal escort!* Xin Yaoqiao secretly thought to herself, not daring to say it out loud. Taking her mother's arm, she comforted her, "Don't worry, Mom, this is within Huaxia's borders—nothing will happen... Besides, as for those bytes and syllables, it's not like they understand them anyway. Can't I just write and say whatever I want?" Mother Xin shook her head. "Don't underestimate that Zhe Shouzhao too much. Since he raised this condition, he's bound to have his own way of verifying it. I had people gather some information on him..." Mother Xin handed over a single-page document. There wasn't even a photo on it. The document's descriptions were also very perfunctory... "'What does 'allegedly handsome' even mean? Has whoever wrote this ever seen my Qingzi? How dare they write that?!'" Xin Yaoqiao picked a bone with the document. "'What does 'exceptionally intelligent' mean? The person who wrote this... my Qingzi, at certain times—like when he's scheming for source energy blocks—is super smart too!'" "'What does 'eccentric behavior, perverted' mean... Well, okay, my Qingzi doesn't have that.'" *** Azure, Southwestern Region. Inside a certain tent at the camp set up specifically for this technological exchange. Chen Buer and the old staff officer were playing chess. The Legion Commander had just jumped a horse. A lieutenant colonel ran in out of breath. "Reporting, Legion Commander..." Although he guessed the Legion Commander had certainly heard by now, he still recounted all the relevant matters before asking, "Legion Commander, what do you think?" In truth, Chen Buer was not the commander in charge of this technological exchange. He knew nothing about these technical details; he was only here to oversee and hold down the fort. Yet since he was present, any decision made by command had to seek his opinion, even if only as a formality. *Clack.* Chen Buer took back the horse he had just moved and pressed the piece back into its original position. "Refuse him." "Ah?" The lieutenant colonel was clearly unprepared for this. He had assumed Chen Buer would at least consult the research division and Coalition leadership for their views. The final opinion from that side had been: return the person, and withhold as much of the Great Spike linguistic syllables and bytes as possible. "Refuse him. The Huaxia Front does not accept threats," Chen Buer repeated. Seeing the lieutenant colonel still standing there, he said with slight displeasure, "Since the exchange location was chosen in Huaxia, the decision should be made by the Huaxia Front. And since the battles are fought by my Sole Witness Legion, the decision naturally falls to me." "...Yes, sir!" With cold sweat drenching his forehead and back, the lieutenant colonel snapped a salute, turned, and ran out of the tent. Only two people remained inside the tent once more. Fingering a chess piece, the old staff officer looked at the board and said, "With that horse jumped back, quite a few follow-up moves I prepared have come to nothing." Chen Buer let out a bitter chuckle. He didn't know military strategy, nor did Azure's current battles call for art-of-war maneuvering. He only believed that when it came to sheer ruthlessness, nobody could outdo him and the soldiers under him. That ruthless edge could never be lost. "Then... what if that man named Zhe really does what he said? And the technological exchange falls through?" the old staff officer asked at last. He knew how much the Legion Commander looked forward to and valued that technology deep down. "Then let it fail." Chen Buer stood up, tossed the piece in his hand onto the board, scattering the game, and said, "What we carved out with our blades, we will not lose at the negotiating table." *** Zhe Shouzhao appeared outside the rendezvous point. Not as Zhe Shouzhao, of course. For now, he was merely an ordinary Voyage warrior. He found it amusing and thrilling. "Has Azure reached a decision?" Zhe Shouzhao asked elegantly. "Yes. Help yourself," the officer at the rendezvous point replied. "Huh?" Zhe Shouzhao froze for a moment. "It means: do whatever the hell you want," the officer explained in plain terms.