Squad 1777

Some people only just came to their senses, realizing what had actually transpired before their eyes. The battle was over. So... three top combatants?! *Thump-thump-thump-thump...* The helicopter climbed into the air and pulled away. Seeing that the battle on the ground had ended and the Great Spikes and their craft were about to trigger self-destruction, Yang Qingbai hastily pulled away from the battlefield in accordance with Han Qingyu's prior instructions. In truth, Han Qingyu hadn't known whether the shower of dead iron fragments could threaten a helicopter in flight, but after running into several hiccups in succession, he had thought things through carefully and ultimately taken note of the danger. Yang Qingbai should have done so the moment the three of them jumped from the cabin. He had simply lingered to watch for a few extra moments. During his time in the Order Legion and Fledgling Eagle, he had heard countless reports about how terrifying Great Spikes were, and he had just witnessed firsthand the gruesome state of the battlefield... So even though he had heard that Han Qingyu and the other two were formidable, he still never imagined it would be over this fast. The fact was, Han Qingyu and his two companions hadn't expected the battle to conclude so swiftly either. Could this count as an instant kill?! Even if it was nowhere near the same concept as the Legion Commander's instant kills, it was close enough to a one-shot execution. Was it because our coordination was good and slashing like that caught them off guard? Most likely, it was mainly because these two black-armored Great Spikes were already crippled and battered from the prolonged, bitter fight. "Right, hit the dirt! Quick, take cover!" Snapping back to his senses, Han Qingyu noticed that the people from Squad 1655 were still standing dazed where they were, having not sought cover yet, and quickly shouted a warning. "Oh, right! Take cover, fast!" Liu Feng hurriedly barked orders. Everyone on the scene quickly dove for cover and hit the ground. The next moment, a dense burst of ear-grating disintegration sounds erupted, and a storm of shrapnel whistled through the woods. This would last for a short while. The communications soldier was lying right next to Captain Liu Feng. "Captain Liu... they're so strong," he said, turning toward his captain. *Smack.* The captain turned and slapped him upside the head. Liu Feng had nearly been scared to death by him earlier, genuinely believing most of Squad 1655 was going to die here today, and had even steeled himself to perish. Recalling that despair now... Captain Liu couldn't help feeling furious. After delivering the slap, he cursed, "Do you have any damn brains at all?! What squad was coming, who they were, what they said... couldn't you listen clearly first?! This is a frontline battlefield! No matter what happens, stay calm first! Calm! Do you understand?!" "...Y-yes, understood," the soldier stammered, putting on a placating smile as he raised his head. Though ashamed and embarrassed, he couldn't hold back the sheer joy of surviving a catastrophe dancing in his eyes and the corners of his mouth. "I... I'm sorry, Captain Liu." "Sorry? You think saying sorry makes it all right? Screw you..." As Liu Feng scolded, he suddenly couldn't resist a faint smile himself, so he snorted heavily through his nose to show he was still furious. "Give it here! Hand over the comms set! You won't be touching it ever again. When we get back, remember... remember to do some deep self-reflection!" "Yes, sir." The communications soldier dutifully handed the communicator over. He hesitated a moment, then added timidly, "Um, Captain Liu, there's one more thing I need to report." "Speak!" "When I was on the comms earlier, I chewed them out once... twice... It was, um... pretty harsh." "..." Speechless, Liu Feng turned his head to glare at him. "Fine, say no more. I'm going to sacrifice you to the heavens in a minute." Subdued chuckles rippled through the nearby squad members lying on the ground, mixed with a touch of sheepish embarrassment. The shrapnel storm subsided. The members of Squad 1655 picked themselves up from all around and stepped out onto the battlefield where they had just fought so bitterly. Looking at the fragments littering the ground, none of them were even in a hurry to search for the metal blocks. Although many had been wounded this time, no one had died. Frontline combatants were largely accustomed to injuries, and having just been pulled back from the brink of death, their prevailing emotion was overwhelmingly relief and joy. Looking across, Han Qingyu and the other two had risen from their cover. With Han Qingyu in the lead and the other two following close behind, they walked toward them. Recalling what the communications soldier had just confessed, Captain Liu opened his mouth... feeling awkward before he even spoke. In that brief hesitation, Han Qingyu and his squad approached, snapped to attention, and saluted in unison. "Greetings, Captain! Azure Sole Witness Legion, Ninth Army, Regiment 425, Squad 1777, Private Han Qingyu..." "Wu Xu." "Shen Yixiu." "Good, good. Greetings to all of you." Captain Liu returned the salute, and every member of Squad 1655 saluted as well. "My surname is Liu, Liu Feng. This time—" Before he could get out the words "thank you," "I'm sorry, Captain Liu. There were a lot of rough edges in our rescue... We nearly caused a disaster just now." Han Qingyu was actually feeling awkward too, along with a bit of guilt and lingering fear. Even as he apologized, he inwardly grumbled about Chen Buer. As a rule, equipping top Azure squads with helicopters was supposed to be evaluated and decided after the annual all-army conference. If a squad was newly elevated, they would first undergo relevant training and be assigned designated personnel before their combat rating was upgraded. Yet this time, simply because the Legion Commander had made an impulsive decision in good spirits, leaving a helicopter with Squad 1777, his subordinates had merely retroactively filed paperwork after returning... This had left everyone from top to bottom dizzy with excitement, jumping straight into field operations without knowing what they were doing. "Not at all, don't say that! It was our guy who failed to communicate properly. We had no idea you could slash like that..." "Regardless, the responsibility was ours... On behalf of all of Squad 1655, thank you so very much." Captain Liu grew slightly emotional and snapped off another salute. He held the rank of captain! Han Qingyu and the other two hurriedly stood at attention and returned the salute. Then... everyone began laughing. "Han Qingyu, Wu Xu... and this fully armored soldier—judging by your voice, you're just a young girl? Thank you, young lady." Captain Liu smiled, stepping forward to shake their hands. "The last time I heard about you two was over the radio during the 101 incident. I never expected to meet you so soon. You're truly young. How on earth are all of you top combat power already?!" "Well, maybe not quite," Han Qingyu replied. In his twin-turbine state, he truly wasn't at the top tier yet; there was still a substantial gap. "How could you possibly not be?!" Captain Liu and the members of Squad 1655 all assumed Han Qingyu was being modest. They glanced up at the sky, then motioned toward the fragments on the ground, as if to say: *You dropped from the heavens and one-shot Great Spikes, and you're still not top combat power?!* They also wanted to ask in passing if this was a new rescue squad tactic developed after Squad 1777's upgrade. "That was only because Captain Liu and the brothers here had already worn them down," Han Qingyu explained with a smile. "Right, go ahead and pick on our squad for having no top combat power. But as a veteran, seeing people like you makes me genuinely glad... Azure will prevail. We definitely will." With that, Captain Liu broke into hearty, booming laughter, then teased, "Brothers, remember this: Squad 1777, three top combatants!" "No, no, we really might not be!" Shen Yixiu waved both hands in flustered protest. Everyone burst out laughing. The soldiers began gathering the spoils. Watching them, Han Qingyu felt his eyes burning and his fingers itching, but there was nothing he could do. He could only sit down, pick up a couple of dry twigs, and snap them in his hands. Not far off, Captain Liu was having medical personnel tend to his wounds while speaking with the Rejecters on the radio to report the battlefield situation. When the call ended, he walked over with a smile, pulled out some cigarettes, and asked, "Smoke?" Han Qingyu shook his head. "I don't." On second thought, he realized that the best people for these social situations were actually Wen Jifei and Liu Shiheng... Maybe bring Wen Jifei along next time? Right, having him serve as a comms operator would be great. If he had been here, the earlier communication over the radio could probably have been smoothed out, remaining far calmer and clearer. "What about this brother?" Captain Liu gestured toward Wu Xu. With his black spear resting against his shoulder, Wu Xu looked up at him and shook his head. "You've got to learn! People will be offering you cigarettes wherever you go from now on... Haha." Captain Liu sat down chuckling, lit one for himself, took a few drags, and once again brought up the shouting match over the comms to offer his apologies. However, he did not make the communications soldier apologize directly to Han Qingyu and the others, taking all the blame upon himself instead. A soldier came over and handed the metal blocks to Liu Feng. Liu Feng looked at them with a tinge of heartache, then said with a smile, "By regulation, these count as your spoils. I'll have them noted in the mission report." Since it was standard regulation, Han Qingyu didn't stand on ceremony and nodded. Because this was a relief mission, in addition to the standard one-fifth return reward after refinement, they would receive a certain bonus reward based on the mission evaluation. This was one of the reasons why top frontline squads in every Azure army possessed so many source energy blocks—a form of disguised resource favoritism within the rules. Thinking about it this way, Chen Buer's sudden decision to leave a helicopter behind had likely been made with this very consideration in mind: a quiet way to skew resources and cultivate talent. Once the spoils were gathered, Han Qingyu and his two teammates accompanied Squad 1655 down the mountain, helping carry the wounded. Yang Qingbai had already landed the helicopter at Squad 1655's station. ... Meanwhile, back at Squad 1777's station, Lao Jian was pacing anxiously with his communicator in hand, waiting for feedback from the Rejecters. Even though he knew a mission couldn't possibly be completed this fast. He Tangtang came running in from outside. "Captain Lao, people from the regional branch are here!" "Huh? Who?" "Two maintenance technicians to service and inspect the aircraft, and an instructor to teach skydiving and rappelling." "..." Lao Jian froze, completely dumbfounded. Skydiving! Rappelling! *We're doomed...* *Beep, beep-beep.* Right at that moment, the communicator in his hand suddenly chirped. Lao Jian felt a tremor of dread, yet he answered immediately. "Congratulations, Captain Lao. The relief mission was completed successfully," the Rejecters' voice came through from the other end. "Huh?... Completed?" "Yes. We've already received the battlefield report from Squad 1655... It was an instant kill. Two Great Spikes, both wiped out instantly." Captain Lao was stunned once again. The channel switched, but he didn't notice. Across the entire sector, the Rejecters began broadcasting a one-way announcement to all squads: "Azure Huaxia Front, Sole Witness Legion, Ninth Army, Regiment 425, Squad 1777: first relief mission successfully completed... Azure Huaxia Front, Sole Witness Legion, Ninth Army, Regiment 425, Squad 1777: first relief mission successfully completed... Zero casualties." The announcement was repeated three times. Such broadcasts were a standard fixture, serving as part of official commendations. The fame and prestige of all renowned Azure squads were largely accumulated through broadcasts like these, time after time. At this moment, throughout the sector, every squad not currently engaged in a mission heard the broadcast. "1777? Sounds familiar," someone muttered, furrowing their brow in thought. "Of course it sounds familiar! It's that squad from last time, the one at Medical Station 101," someone beside him answered. "Oh, right... Han Qingyu, Wu Xu, the Legion Commander's Sabre Medal." "Yeah, them." Elsewhere: "1777, it's 1777 again! A newly formed squad producing geniuses like that, and more than one! What kind of goddamn luck is this?!" "That bastard Lao Jian is probably grinning ear to ear right now." Meanwhile, Lao Jian was pondering: *Just how on earth did they slash them down?!*