When Yang Qingbai came to pick them up, he was dressed in a full, immaculate frontline pilot's uniform, wearing sunglasses and holding his flight cap at his side.
This made him look quite different from usual, lending him an air of formality.
In fact, before coming, he had even gone out of his way to get a haircut and bought mousse to slick back the longer hair in front. He had slicked it back so thoroughly that even taking off his cap wouldn't disturb its neatness in the slightest.
That way, he probably looked a bit like an elite pilot in the movies.
He had to, of course. Even as a pilot, he had to be of the most elite caliber now. Otherwise, how could he match today's Squad 1777? How could he be worthy of the banners fluttering atop Xilang Peak and that streak of light soaring into the sky?!
Lowering his head, he recalled their days as recruits fighting over meat: Qingzi running while stuffing stewed beef into his mouth, the rest of them chasing behind, wanting to lick his fingers... Yang Qingbai couldn't help but chuckle.
He had thought that choosing to return from Fledgling Eagle was merely about reuniting with his brothers, never imagining that what unfolded next would be such an epic story.
Soon, Han Qingyu and the others, dressed in standard military service uniforms, emerged from the woods. After exchanging brief greetings, they boarded the craft directly.
Not many people had been informed of their early departure.
The helicopter spiraled upward from a concealed position behind the mountain, climbing as high as it could. Below, the thousands of sprawling military tents gradually shrank into clusters of wildly growing mushrooms, while the towering snow peaks faded away behind and to the side.
From the southern face of Xilang Peak to the northern face, returning to the borders of Huaxia... The white ice and snow receded, and plateaus and green grass gradually unfurled before their eyes.
"Qingbai, take a look at this. Turn around once we're near the coordinates—we'll make a stop here first."
Han Qingyu handed Yang Qingbai the slip of paper Lao Jian had given him, which bore the address of Fatty Tian's hometown.
Excluding those relocated for this operation, the Tian family was probably among the closest remaining residents to the Xilang Peak battlefield.
"Oh, got it." Yang Qingbai tactfully refrained from asking why. He took the simplified military-drawn map, examined it carefully, and immediately altered their course to fly toward the flank.
***
At the same time, on the other side of the snowy mountain battlefield: Nepal, a nation both mysterious and easily inspiring a sense of warmth.
For the ordinary people here, their most avid topic over the past two days was that eerie, magnificent burst of light that had appeared on Xilang Peak earlier that night.
Quite a few people had witnessed the sight at the time, many kneeling in prayer from afar. Eminent monks from nearby temples had also promptly begun conducting related rituals and explanations afterward.
During the ceremony, a mountain villager ran in from outside, excitedly recounting to the monks that he had seen a yeti and massive footprints left behind by the beast, as well as a vision of snow turning red...
Concealed within the crowd, intelligence personnel from the Azure Nepal Front listened quietly, letting the man gesticulate wildly as he described what he had seen to those around him, and letting the monks offer their usual mystical interpretations.
"If possible, I really wish they would hold a ceremony for General Upadhyaya. Before joining Azure, the general lived as a monk in a temple," one intelligence officer whispered to another.
The other thought for a moment. "Then let us do it. May the general's heroic spirit rest in peace."
Amid the crowd, the two pressed their palms together.
Azure's Nepal Front was gripped by complicated emotions. News from the front line had already traveled back... On the summit of the snow-capped peak, General Upadhyaya had used his own sacrifice to wash away the Nepal Front's fault, winning them respect across the entire alliance. Yet that beloved, diminutive general would never return.
Perhaps he would remain there forever, facing south, eternally watching over and guarding the nation he loved so dearly, along with his young soldiers.
***
At the same time, in an independent territory within Nepal's borders—Azure's Third Fixed Exploration Site. Stretching from that secluded French estate toward Annapurna Peak...
The unbroken chain of peaks along the way had once been the trial grounds trodden by many of Azure's talented youths.
And concealed beneath the mountain peaks,
a long, finely constructed tunnel unfurled, deep and wide.
At the end of this tunnel lay a room decorated in resplendent luxury, its Rococo-style interior made extraordinarily eerie by several peculiar arrangements.
A mural of Jehovah had been painted upon the ceiling with extraordinary skill, dripping with blood and flesh.
Many of the legendary lost masterpieces of famous artists were hung here on the walls; taking any single one outside could shock the entire art world and auction circuit.
At the same time, inside cabinets along the walls sat over a hundred metal blocks.
*Clack... clack...* The crisp sound of leather shoes striking the smooth floor echoed through the tunnel.
The man walking along appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with shoulder-length curly hair. While not conventionally handsome, he carried the air of a Europa aristocrat and the temperament of an artist.
If Han Qingyu, his companions, or anyone else who had taken part in the trials were present to witness this scene and see him, they would recognize him immediately:
This man was named Charles Alphonse. He had once appeared as the sole visible representative of the Alphonse family, delivering a welcome speech to the young people who arrived to participate in the trials.
By Huaxia reckoning, Charles would be the great-great-grandson of that renowned historical figure, Mr. Alphonse.
"News has come back from the front line."
Walking into the room, Charles spoke toward the space ahead, but without using any form of address.
This was likely because there were rather too many family members lying before him all at once.
There stood four bed-like recliners.
Upon the central chair lay Alphonse, recorded in history to be at least 120 years old, a first-generation recipient of the Starlight Azure Medal. Yet he appeared to be only about sixty.
Flanking him were his son, Gilles, ninety-two years old, who looked to be in his fifties; and his grandson, Denis, seventy years old, who also looked around fifty.
Next was his great-grandson, Eric Alphonse, forty-nine years old, yet looking no older than thirty-four or thirty-five. As a biological father, he looked hardly any older than his son Charles.
"Is that so? In a war like that, the soldiers' casualties must have been dreadful, I fear?" Alphonse spoke, his expression and tone unexpectedly benevolent and aching with sorrow.
Yet before the four of them, a towering black apparatus was actively running.
The core of the apparatus was a metal vat holding over a hundred corpses made into Iron Armor Source Nourishment. The faces were all very young—talented Azure youths who had died in the trial grounds in years past.
Visible to the naked eye, corpse after corpse was gradually deteriorating within the metal vat... A tube of bizarre material extended from the apparatus, connected to an interface over Alphonse's heart.
A fluid of blue threaded with faint wisps of crimson flowed slowly toward him, and from him, a portion branched off to infuse into the other three beside him.
"Yes, over five thousand casualties at least," Charles answered. "General Upadhyaya, as the supreme frontline commander of the Nepal Front, also fell in battle."
"He was a good man," Alphonse remarked with a sigh. "Still, victory was achieved at last. God bless Azure."
"Yes. However, there is another matter I must tell you." Charles's expression and gaze darkened, his voice rising. "That young Huaxian named Han Qingyu performed great deeds this time..."
As Charles recounted the details, the expressions of the Alphonse family elders shifted. One after another, they sat up from their recliners and detached the tubes connected to their bodies.
Then they stepped down and shut down the apparatus.
Afterward, the four stood in a line and made a gesture of prayer.
"Jehovah bade his disciples eat his flesh and drink his blood... Give us this day flesh and blood as our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors... May their souls rest in peace... In the Lord's name, forever and ever. Amen."
A bastardized prayer was recited by them in reverent tones.
A scantily clad maid hiding in a small corner room saw them finish praying and take their seats. Doing her best to master her trembling in the presence of devils, she brought forward Ceylon black tea and exquisite pastries, kneeling beside the chairs, raising the tray high, and keeping her head bowed low.
"Are we certain it is him? That young Huaxian?" Taking an elegant sip of black tea, Alphonse asked.
"Yes," Charles said. "His growth has been faster than we imagined. His current combat strength has definitely surpassed top-tier. What is more, that night, almost everyone on the entire Xilang Peak battlefield was repeating the same words: Star of Azure... He will receive the Starlight Azure Medal... very soon!"
*Clatter!*
To the side, the black tea in Eric's hand spilled over, the liquid and cup tumbling down onto the kneeling maid's chest.
Her fair skin scalded red in an instant. Gritting her teeth, the maid dared not make a sound.
"You're panicking, Eric," Denis Alphonse said, turning to his son. Yet in truth, his own eyes concealed panic and terror, tinged with vicious ferocity.
The family was almost certain that the young Huaxian named Han Qingyu had seen through their secrets. And this man was now on the verge of receiving the Starlight Azure Medal.
This was a development completely beyond their expectations.
And then? What would he do?!
"Yes. But I don't think my panic is laughable—not in the least. A fatal mistake was made back then when we failed to kill him decisively. Too long an ease has made the Alphonse family far too cowardly, Father, Grandfather..." Eric retorted bluntly.
No one responded.
Eric thought for a moment, then pressed on with a suggestion: "Since the front line has not withdrawn its forces yet, and he is heavily wounded, I believe we should not let this chance slip by again... This may well be our last opportunity."
He looked around, seeking approval with his gaze.
As head of the family, Alphonse turned his head to look at his great-grandson. "I believe you are right, Eric."
"Then..."
"Go, then. You, Denis, and Charles—go do something for the family. Now that crisis is upon us, the Alphonse family truly ought to take a greater part in Azure's affairs... So let us begin by joining and assisting the Nepal Front. Denis, you will promptly take Upadhyaya's place and head to the front line. Eric, Charles, and our family's elite fighters joining the Nepal Front tomorrow will go with you."
"But his combat strength has already surpassed top-tier, Grandfather..." Denis stood up and said.
"Sean also stands above top-tier. He will accompany you." Alphonse gave his grandson a piercing look.
"Understood, Grandfather." Reassured, Denis gave a crisp nod of assent.
"Furthermore," Alphonse stood up, gesturing toward the apparatus before them with his gaze as he spoke to his son Gilles, "you will oversee the destruction of everything here, Gilles... Do not mourn it... We must prepare for both possibilities. For instance, if the other scenario comes to pass, we may find ourselves in an Azure court-martial, entering a protracted confrontation between two recipients of the Starlight Azure Medal."
Chapter 286