The sky had cleared once more into an immaculate azure, and the ice and snow gleamed with a dazzling brilliance.
Down the snowy slopes of Xilang Peak, Azure squads that had just concluded the battle were making their way down the mountain.
Along the trail, soldiers chatted with one another, gesturing through their recent maneuvers or their two-and-three-man coordination. Ice and snow crunched beneath their boots, splashing across the ground, and a relaxed expression rested on everyone's face.
In truth, they hadn't climbed all that high to begin with. Any shuttle craft that had touched down even slightly higher up had been swiftly eliminated by the tiered echelons of garrisoned elite squads.
With his greatsword strapped to his back, He Tangtang dragged his feet as he walked, scuffing the soles of his boots against the ground.
Passing a snowdrift, he halted, bent over, and thrust his freshly used standard-issue tactical blade into the snow. He gave it a stir, pulled it out, wiped both sides across the snow a few more times, and latched it back onto his back.
Azure tactical blades had no scabbards, held in place purely by hooks and studs on the back of the combat uniform. That way, the foul reddish-blue blood of Great Spikes on the blade wouldn't stain their clothes.
Squad 1777 had run fast earlier and managed to snatch a single Great Spike. Just one, rather than the standard two or more carried by a shuttle craft—and they had to snatch it at that.
That made this Great Spike feel exceptionally precious. Captain Lao had ordered them to use it for formation drills, tormenting it to death over more than twenty minutes.
During this drill, He Tangtang took the primary vanguard position for the first time.
All told, this sudden battle had unfolded with total ease. Only about fifty shuttle craft had actually touched down within the main expanse of Xilang Peak, while the defending Azure forces here still numbered at least thirty thousand, among whom supers and elites were not in short supply.
In He Tangtang's earlier words, this batch of Great Spikes was practically serving themselves on a silver platter.
"If Qingzi knew about this, he'd definitely be heartbroken," Liu Shiheng joked offhandedly, sliding his tactical blade back onto his back. There was no blood on his blade, so it needed no cleaning.
Afterward, Young Master Liu cheerfully whistled a tune. Nobody had kept count of those craft earlier, and it probably wasn't possible to tally them accurately in the heat of the moment anyway. What a glorious opportunity this would have been for Qingzi!
Everyone laughed and chimed in, "Yeah, if that guy were here, he'd probably have snatched a few more."
As the squad reached the foot of the mountain, hurried footsteps suddenly crunched through the snow, approaching rapidly from afar. A soldier dressed in Azure uniform sprinted over from the side, glanced at the roster in his hands, and said in halting Huaxian, "Squad 1777, is Captain Lao Jian here?... Ad hoc emergency meeting. Follow me."
Lao Jian hurriedly followed the soldier away. The rest of the squad pressed on, returning to camp to sit down and rest.
Roughly twenty minutes later, Lao Jian came sprinting back at full tilt.
"Quick, Guowen, distribute all our reserve source energy blocks. Everyone pack your bags, take rations... Put on your gear, inspect each other, and assemble in formation in front of the camp!"
He spoke rapidly and with urgent intensity.
Liu Shiheng, who had been laughing and chatting with his teammates beside the tent, looked blank for an instant before rising to his feet in alarm. "Wh-what's going on?"
"Prepare to move out," Lao Jian replied tersely, turning to dispatch people to a nearby supply depot to draw more source energy blocks and food.
"Move out? Wait, where are we going, Captain Lao?!" Liu Shiheng's voice tightened considerably as he pressed after him with another question.
This time, Lao Jian didn't have a moment to spare to answer him.
Right up until the assembly was finished, the soldiers ate early-distributed lunches from their hands as they mobilized. Squad 1777 was folded into a massive, mixed-formation column and began marching northward.
Across the northern plateau, shuttle craft that had landed or were currently touching down dotted the terrain everywhere.
"This time, the Great Spikes' landing sites are scattered all over, and many of those areas still have civilians," Lao Jian said. "In short, they're everywhere on all four sides of Xilang Peak... High command is frantic. We have to go mop them up immediately."
***
Frontline Command.
The frontline commanders of every nation were present, each flanked by one or two interpreters. Smoke drifted heavily through the room.
Hurried, chaotic footsteps echoed ceaselessly outside the doorway.
"Report! The first mopping-up force of fifteen thousand men has mobilized in four directions. The combat engineers have been ordered to deploy alongside them to establish field relay stations along the route. The Rejecters have stated they will do their utmost..."
"Report! The contraction of defense lines for the garrison force is underway. If all elite squads are kept behind to hold the perimeter, we estimate we can free up another eight thousand personnel for the second wave of search and mopping-up operations."
"Report! Organizations like Snow Lotus and Pure Purgatory have in all probability discovered the abnormal situation at Xilang Peak. Over the past hour, their probing activities have grown exceptionally dense."
"In the southwestern quadrant of our defense zone alone, four skirmishes broke out within the last half hour. There are possible signs of enemy super combat power appearing."
"Based on current intelligence, it is confirmed that organizations belonging to the Self-Preservation Faction are also involved. At the very least, they have sent personnel attempting to approach Xilang Peak."
"Report, emergency! To the north, a border defense unit of the Huaxiya Republic regular army spotted Great Spikes and reported up the chain of command... The Huaxian military is currently in communication with Azure to assess the situation."
"Report! Border defense forces of the Bastan Republic regular army have opened fire on the Great Spikes..."
Field commanders and staff officers stopped one after another at the door to report, waiting on the spot for subsequent orders.
Time grew impossibly tight.
The frontline commanders of various nations conferred briefly and reached swift decisions.
"One: In light of the potential number of blue-sheened Great Spikes, deploy select elite squads for search and mop-up at a ratio of at least fifty to one. Concurrently, no matter what, free up another ten thousand personnel for the second wave to take part in the operation.
"Two: Dispatch urgent cables to the surrounding national fronts, requesting that they commit as many of their reserve garrison troops as possible to the mopping-up operation, conditions permitting.
"Three: Urgently contact Alliance Headquarters to request that the Supreme Council intervene and invite Legion Commander Chen Buer of the Huaxia Front's Sole Witness Legion to personally oversee Xilang Peak, in order to deter lurking hostile factions.
"Four: Request that the stationed regular army of the Huaxiya Republic cooperate with temporary evacuation procedures, taking along local residents wherever conditions permit.
"Five: Request that the Bastan military immediately issue evacuation orders.
"Six: Rapidly coordinate through Alliance Headquarters with representatives of all member states, requesting that television networks and print news outlets across all countries break news immediately, scientifically confirming the existence of a population of three-meter-tall yetis at Xilang Peak and stating that the size of their population exceeds expectations.
"..."
***
At the Huaxia Front All-Army Conference, Legion Commander Chen Buer hurried off the rostrum.
Yet the conference proceedings did not pause; a massive projection on stage was displaying the roster of officers and soldiers receiving exceptional rank promotions this year.
"Hey, Wu Xu! Wu Xu, did you guys see that?!" Regimental Commander Li Wangqiang, who had been staring intently at the projection screen, suddenly slapped his armrest in excitement and shouted, reading aloud: "Ninth Army, Regiment 425, Squad 1777, Wu Xu... rank of First Lieutenant."
Then: "Shen Yixiu, Second Lieutenant." "Wen Jifei, Second Lieutenant." "Major Lao Jian..."
The roster flipped to the next slide, and no more familiar names appeared for the moment. The group in their seats exchanged glances. Wen Jifei, newly minted Second Lieutenant of the Huaxia Front, wore a hesitant expression and took the initiative to say, "Is this... a bit exaggerated?!"
"It is exaggerated. Very exaggerated!" Commander Li nodded, turning to look at Wen Jifei. "Your promotion is probably mainly due to your performance in the Medical Station 101 incident.
"And Xiuxiu is a Second Lieutenant too... but Xiuxiu didn't even go that time at 101. And Wu Xu, how did he jump straight to First Lieutenant?!" Surrounding him were rookies, none of whom could answer the regimental commander. Li Wangqiang pondered for a moment and said, "I get it now. They factored in your performance at Xilang Peak for evaluation! Though the medal reviews from Alliance Headquarters probably won't come through this quickly, when it comes to rank promotions, our Huaxia Front can make the call ourselves."
So that was why. Knowing that, it no longer felt excessive. Several of them nodded, softly teasing each other with cries of "Lieutenant" and "Second Lieutenant," bantering excitedly.
Another two slides turned. "Why isn't Qingzi up there yet?" Rusty Sister couldn't help asking.
Li Wangqiang, his eyes glued equally tightly to the projection, shook his head. "The roster isn't finished yet."
Yet on stage, right up until the projected roster switched over to general officer promotions and played all the way through, Han Qingyu's name never appeared.
Li Wangqiang was beginning to grow anxious. That brat scavenged everything—did he get into trouble for pocketing something on the sly, canceling out his merits and demerits?! ...Cancel out my foot! With merit that colossal, how could it be wiped out?!
Han Qingyu himself remained fairly calm. He knew this promotion wasn't going anywhere. At the same time, at heart, he cared much more about the medals, because every single medal in Azure represented a certain allowance of source energy blocks—a steady quarterly stipend lasting at least five years.
And if he truly received the Star of Azure, that would mean one block a day, 365 days a year, for the rest of his life. Even more important was the single opportunity to invoke a special privilege, exclusive to holders of the Starlight Azure Medal.
Therefore, he desperately wanted the Star of Azure. He wanted it so badly he had dreamed about it multiple times, so badly that even if Azure offered him the rank of general on the spot, he wouldn't trade it.
Among the roster of general officers, Han Qingyu spotted several familiar names. For instance, White Eraser Captain Wei Jiang had been promoted to Major General; Golden Eraser Captain Shao Xuan had likewise been promoted to Major General... and Lü Moyi had been promoted to General.
Not a single one of these acquaintances was present.
Even so, nearly twenty general officers went onstage to have their shoulder boards replaced. It seemed that in an era of such grim tension, with all-out war looming on the horizon, earning merits and promotions had become considerably easier.
Chen Buer returned to the rostrum, personally replacing the shoulder boards for these general officers.
Amid the lively and inspiring atmosphere, a faint stir suddenly rippled through the hall. Starting from small knots of two and three murmuring in shock, it gradually spread until the entire assembly grew clamorous.
News from Xilang Peak had arrived.
Han Qingyu and the others asked around among the people nearby.
Once he finished listening and turned back, Han Qingyu, who had been completely calm just moments ago, could no longer sit still.
Across the boundless plateau and mountains, shuttle craft were crash-landing at random without pattern... That was an outright downpour of metal blocks!
Chapter 300