Hello, Super

A colossal peak propped up the sky, its magnificent snow-covered slopes sweeping downward like a miracle unfolding. At the summit, a bizarrely shaped black dreadnought was cloaked in dazzling blue light, tinged with a streak of scarlet, looking from a distance like the palace of a demon god. *Wuuu—wuuung—* The deep, prolonged blare of the alarm continued, as though it had just run into a tremendous crisis. The blue light of the dreadnought joined the cold, white moonlight cast across the ice and snow, while the night traced out the contours of the light, shadows, and peaks. Amidst that strangely eerie atmosphere, a lone figure was sprinting midway up the mountain. His explosive speed kicked up the accumulated snow and surface ice along his path, making it look as though a rogue tornado were sweeping past. Behind him, a blizzard of ice and snow sprayed into the air... Swarms of enemies surged across the mountain slopes in a savage hunt. Among more than five hundred Great Spikes, at least several dozen gave off a blue sheen. The scene was like ten thousand horses stampeding, the spray of ice and snow practically shaking the entire snowy peak. Below Xilang Peak, on the Azure battlefield, more than thirty thousand soldiers from across the Coalition nations watched this breathtaking scene from near and far, their hearts clenched tight. And yet... "The Great Spikes don't seem to be catching up." "So fast..." "Yeah, and he's even shouldering a shuttle craft." "To a super combat power, that kind of weight probably doesn't affect speed much." "The question is, is he a super combat power?" "He shouldn't be." The exact number and deployment of super combat powers participating in this battle were already known. After a brief discussion, the soldiers down below could only conclude that this person possessed an absolute specialty and talent in speed, stacked atop his foundation of strength. In the world of source energy, this was common knowledge. Even individuals at the same tier could have vastly different specialties, such as strength, speed, endurance, and so on. The same held true in 1777, where Shen Yixiu, a young woman, was actually the strongest of all. With that reasoning, the clenched hearts of the thirty-thousand-odd soldiers relaxed slightly. "Only, why does he still refuse to drop that shuttle craft? Quick, someone tell him! Tell him he's already succeeded... hurry and drop the craft and come back!" Mérida and White Eraser had already vanished over the lateral ridge, safely making their way down the far side. No one knew how that figure had pulled it off. All they knew was that he had indeed acted alone, desperately drawing away all the Great Spikes on the battlefield and allowing two elite squads—who had been all but doomed—to survive. A profound sense of shock and moving gratitude spread through the crowd. Probably only a small handful of people in 1777 knew the truth. Far from being moved, they practically wanted to curse up a storm and scold a certain someone to tears... after turning it over in their heads, they ended up not knowing whether to laugh or cry. *** That same night, around the same time, in Fenglong'ao, at the Han family's small roadside shop near the highway bend. After a long day's work, everything had been tidied away. Father and Mother Han took a breather, sitting in the dining area of the shop to watch television alongside several workers who routinely stayed overnight to mind the place. Between the tables, two or three truck drivers who had missed the usual mealtime were slurping down noodles. On the television news, the anchor had just delivered a report about Xilang Peak, saying that the world's tallest mountain had recently been temporarily sealed off following earthquakes that could trigger large-scale natural disasters, and that nearby residents had been evacuated. "It wouldn't collapse, would it? Such a tall mountain... how many thousands of meters did they say it was?" A trucker finished his bowl of broth, set down the bowl, and stood up while asking the question. Looking at the TV, he called out, "Check, please!" "Why worry about that? Even if it collapses, it won't hit us... No matter how high it is, can it really tumble all the way down onto Fenglong'ao?!" Aunt Liu, who helped out around the shop, chimed in. Feeling quite proud of her broad perspective, she said, "Am I right, folks?" Everyone laughed, agreeing that there was no way it could reach them; it was far too distant. Mountain folk cared about daily life: their fields, their granaries, their winter padded coats, and their summer shirts. They had no leeway to worry about the world's highest peak, nor did they understand such matters. Hearing that nobody was hurt, they took an optimistic view. At that moment, the broadcast showed footage of Xilang Peak's snowy slopes, intercut with scenes from historical expeditions of humans laboriously trudging toward the summit. A voiceover was introducing the extreme hardships and perils of scaling Xilang Peak. "If you ask me, those people are out of their minds. What's the point of running off to climb that thing?" Father Han got up to collect the money, grumbling resentfully, "Wasting all that energy. If it were me, I'd rather spend the time hoeing the field a couple more times." After counting out the change, Han Youshan handed over a cigarette, helped light it, and turned back to watch the barren, gigantic snowy mountain on the screen. "A place where you can't even gather a scrap of firewood, yet they risk their lives as if they could pick up money there." Mother Han echoed her husband's sentiment. Chuckling, she said, "I really don't get it... If it were me, I wouldn't go even if you paid me." Their son was currently sprinting across that very mountain. *** Han Qingyu ran and ran. After dragging a swarm of Great Spikes across the slopes for a while, a strange impulse surged in his heart. An English phrase popped into his head uncontrollably, and he felt a sudden urge to find someone and say it... "Give..." He had pulled that stunt back in Nepal with two Great Spikes in tow, and it had been immensely satisfying—he still looked back on it fondly. But right now, the number of Great Spikes trailing behind him was well over five hundred... Who could possibly withstand that?! Still, who was he supposed to rob? As he ran, he glanced down toward the base of the mountain. Over thirty thousand Azure personnel were standing there. Thirty thousand people—how many source energy blocks would that be?! *If I didn't distinguish friend from foe, that would be terribly tempting...* *Ahem. Thinking like that probably isn't very appropriate, is it?* *Forget it.* Fearing he might steer the Great Spikes toward the battle formation, Han Qingyu executed a physics-defying turn, veering at a sharp right angle across to the other side of the slope. Swarms of Great Spikes wheeled around after him with a loud rush. Down below, a collective gasp swept through the crowd like a tidal wave. *Wait, why is there someone else over there? Did they get wounded and fail to pull out in time? Or were they hiding like Liu Shiheng?!* Han Qingyu spotted a figure through the veil of ice and snow, directly in the path of his sprint. *I can't lead the Great Spikes to him.* *Skrrrt!* Afraid of bringing doom upon an ally, Han Qingyu pulled another physics-defying turn, cutting upward at a right angle. After running a short distance, he turned again, heading back in his original direction. Though much of the situation remained unclear to him, one thing was certain: he could not go near that dreadnought, or disaster would strike. Down below, two more waves of gasps echoed. Too selfless! Too heroic! Has he lost his mind?! As the only super combat power from the Huaxia Front taking part in this operation, Lü Moyi was also on the verge of losing his mind. He had just managed to flank around to the front with great difficulty and get a clear view of who the runner was. The two of them had crossed paths during the giant python incident at Research Institute 2, and God Lü had felt a touch of pride at Han Qingyu's rapid growth. He had been just about to call out to the kid, tell him to ditch the craft, and carry him away. Yet that little bastard turned the moment he caught sight of him! That turn was like a speeding train suddenly making an abrupt hard hook. The trailing tail of hundreds of Great Spikes whipped sideways, swinging straight toward Lü Moyi. Even as a super combat power, Lü Moyi did not dare let himself get swallowed by that many Great Spikes. Unable to follow directly, he had no choice but to fall back, take a wide detour, and sprint back around toward the path ahead. And then... goddammit, he turned again! *Boom, boom, boom, boom...* *Boom, boom, boom, boom...* Finally, he intercepted him. Lü Moyi had not unsheathed the long blade on his back, having no intention of fighting. Standing in Han Qingyu's path, he raised a hand and bellowed, "Over here! Here! Drop the damn thing and run! Follow me!" In truth, Han Qingyu was indeed running low on steam by this point. He was not lacking in liquid source energy, was unwilling to waste his metal blocks, and had no need to use them, but the source energy blocks in his device were nearly spent, and he needed a chance to swap them out. "God Lü!" One of their own—a super combat power! The moment Han Qingyu recognized him, he felt a wave of relief and gratitude, shouting in return. *He finally recognized me.* Watching Han Qingyu shout and run toward him, Lü Moyi felt gratified and reassured. Then he saw the kid forcefully heave the shuttle craft straight toward him... "God Lü, carry this for me for a bit!"