If the aftermath of the unexpected crisis on Xilang Peak was considered the second half of the Flag War, its actual martial threat to Azure was far smaller than the first half.
The assault on the mountain during the first half had faced an enemy anchored by a mothership fortress under unified command—vastly stronger, more concentrated, and fraught with unknown factors.
The Great Spikes landing in the second half, by contrast, were scattered and disorganized. They were even somewhat fewer in number, and there were likely no formidable foes like the Red Shoulders among them.
The true problem lay in the complexity and uncertainty they caused.
In a region like this, chaotic landings on such a scale were already far beyond the capacity of the Rejecters to monitor with any accuracy. Tu Zi explained that for a very long time, that sector had relied almost entirely on the super-station embedded inside the massif of Xilang Peak to directly intercept and prevent shuttle craft from landing. Over decades, only a handful of accidental breaches had ever occurred.
Every super-station Azure built and maintained cost an astronomical fortune. Aside from the surface of the moon, very few had ever been constructed on the ground, and the handful that existed were almost all situated in places where human garrisoning was most grueling, such as Antarctica.
And now, the situation seemed to have exceeded their tolerance. Those super-stations were steadily losing their intended efficacy.
"Maybe one of these days, Brother Qingzi, you'll have to go fight in Antarctica," Tu Zi remarked as the thought struck him. "Though down there, as long as the Great Spikes don't stick close to their craft, they aren't much of a threat anyway. You could always consider just blasting a thousand li of glaciers to bits..."
"Blast your head!"
Han Qingyu's mind was somewhere else entirely, so Wen Jifei chimed in from the side. "That ice has got to be over a thousand meters thick... Besides, when the time comes, wouldn't he have to run all over the place looking for Wu Xu first?"
Without having uttered a single word, Wu Xu found himself caught in the crossfire again for no reason. Though this was already an everyday routine, he still turned his head with an innocent gaze and looked at Wen Jifei. "..."
His sole method of navigating was memorizing massive, recognizable landmarks. Places like Antarctica or vast deserts would likely remain insurmountable hurdles for the rest of his life.
It was Tu Zi's first time meeting Wu Xu, so he blinked in utter bewilderment. "What's wrong with Brother Wu Xu? Why would Brother Qingzi have to search for him first?"
"Oh, because your Brother Wu Xu isn't an ordinary human being. He's a monster... a headless fly turned spirit,"
Wen Jifei said with a grin.
Wu Xu's mouth twitched. "..." Hopelessly tongue-tied, he couldn't find a comeback.
Sitting to the side, Shen Yixiu—who was likewise ribbed by Wen Jifei on a daily basis, but who never failed to strike back—could bear it no longer. She muttered softly, "You're the dice spirit yourself... Here stands an Azure second lieutenant: surname Wen, given name Jifei, courtesy name Roll."
"Then you're an iron bucket turned spirit. Courtesy name... Clang."
To an outsider, the banter would have sounded downright harsh, but inside a close-knit band of comrades who trusted each other with their lives, they had long grown accustomed to it. Moreover, given Rusty Sister's personality, she always felt far more uncomfortable when others walked on eggshells around her.
Besides, her physical condition was changing now. A sliver of hope had emerged that she might step out of the armor in the future... just like legends of spirits finally taking human form.
She took no offense whatsoever. She only thought of her courtesy name—Clang! How hilariously fitting... Halfway between laughing and crying, Shen Yixiu raised a clenched fist, only to lower it helplessly. "Fine, I'll remember this. Just wait until we step outside, I'll beat you to death."
Wen Jifei chuckled. "Heh, like this second lieutenant is afraid of a beating."
Thanks to his sharp tongue, Wen Jifei had indeed taken his fair share of beatings. Yet he never learned fear, and after taking a blow, he would come back for more next time. He treated this as combat training, conditioning himself to dodge with the tumbling agility of a rolling die, especially if an enemy closed in on him.
Now that he had resolved to take to the battlefield and use a firearm there, this was vital to him.
*So this is what these kids are like? This childish?* Regimental Commander Li watched them with mixed feelings, recalling how disciplined and upright the Red Eraser of his day had been.
Still, Han Qingyu seemed somewhat steadier. No matter how the others bantered, he never joined in, maintaining his focus.
Inside Star Hall, people continued to debate the various possibilities. On the rostrum, Chen Buer unhurriedly finished swapping the shoulder boards for the last major general in line, patted his shoulder, and said, "Your era has arrived."
Then, the old man turned around and cast his gaze down toward the assembly.
Over the years, his frame had grown increasingly gaunt, so much so that his uniform hung somewhat loose. With that slight movement, creases folded along his trousers.
The hall swiftly fell quiet.
"The situation you are discussing is indeed true. I just received a phone call inviting me to go take a look, and I agreed," the old man began in an entirely even tone. "Frankly speaking, I don't know whether they want me to take command, but the orders have already been given by me."
At that, he offered a calm, slightly sheepish smile.
"Things really aren't that complicated. All mop-up forces are to march with the primary objective of rescuing civilians who might be trapped in the combat zones."
"If you're afraid some will complete a tethering process, then let them tether. Whatever those small craft can haul over, we just fought a round against them at Xilang Peak—it's not as if we can't fight them."
"If you're afraid the world's public will find out, well, if there truly is no way to hide it, then if they know, they know. Times are different now. We already know they are indeed coming, and in force... so going public might not be a bad thing after all."
Calm and unruffled, Chen Buer finished speaking.
The newly promoted flag officers stepped down from the stage amidst thunderous applause.
The officer serving as the master of ceremonies stood up and announced, "The earlier agenda made no mention of Xilang Peak. Since the topic has been broached, we happen to have a piece of footage here for everyone to see."
***
The lights in the hall dimmed, and a projection with the crisp texture of cinema illuminated the massive wall.
The music swelled—the melody of the Azure military anthem—followed by human voices rising from across the vast earth. Voices from every corner, some singing the lyrics and others humming along, converged into the night sky of the footage, echoing over mountain summits and deep valleys.
The war correspondent Ian had risked his life to capture every piece of footage of the Flag War on his camera. After editing, copies had been distributed to the various national fronts just yesterday.
The Huaxia Front was likely the very first to screen it today.
The image unfolded across the wall:
Snow-covered peaks beneath the night sky, and atop the highest peak, the black mothership glowing with blue light like an impenetrable fortress... Azure's vast, surging charge commenced. The camera swept from near to far, gliding past skirmish after skirmish locked in desperate, bloody struggles.
At the highest point, a forest of Azure flags stood along the circular defensive perimeter amid the clash of dead iron and the roars of soldiers, ringing the summit entirely.
The entire assembly was shaken to the core.
Most of the people gathered here today—whether soldiers of the Huaxia Front, members of the Council, personnel from the scientific and medical corps, or representatives from foreign nations—had not participated in the Flag War in person.
Thus, even those who were battle-hardened veterans were seeing combat footage on such a grand scale for the very first time... Mankind was charging straight into dense swarms of Great Spikes.
"Look at that man—did he... did he just one-shot a Great Spike?!" an officer of the Huaxia Front exclaimed in sudden awe as the footage shifted.
"Yes, but he's too fast, sweeping across the battlefield like a tempest. I can only make out that his combat uniform is the same as yours." The foreigner beside him refused to look away, keeping his eyes glued to the screen as he spoke: "A salute to the glory of the Huaxia Front."
"Qingzi, that's you!" At the same time, Rusty Sister bumped Han Qingyu's arm, whispering in delight.
Han Qingyu replied, "Mm. Not important."
At this moment, he was the only person in the entire hall whose attention was elsewhere. His mind had drifted back in a reverie to Xilang Peak, where it was raining metal blocks in his dreams.
"Look, what is that?! Could that be..." Li Wangqiang gasped in sudden shock from the side.
At that moment, countless people throughout the hall cried out in astonishment alongside him at the sight of a particular Great Spike suddenly appearing on screen.
Everyone knew Azure had slain three Red Shoulders on the Xilang Peak battlefield, but they had not witnessed it with their own eyes... Seeing a Red Shoulder materialize so abruptly, the dread and terror etched into their minds by history remained as sharp as ever.
"It's... it's a Red Shoulder!"
"Look at its arm... It leaped down and fled! God Lü and the others are chasing it!"
"So that was the first Red Shoulder killed on Xilang Peak?!"
"Yes, it must be! But wait... look up at the ice cliff first!"
After that exclamation, all discussion died. Every murmur in the hall ceased.
For on the very ice cliff where the Red Shoulder had just severed its arm and fled, a silhouette had appeared at the outer edge... captured in grainy footage shot from below by the cameraman.
They watched him stumble forward with agonizing effort, pick up a fallen Azure flag from the snow, and thrust it firmly into the frozen ground.
Then, he stood there.
Amidst the howling wind and snow, the bloodstained Azure flag fluttered above his shoulder.
The scene held for over ten seconds, and for those ten seconds, the entire hall remained deathly silent. Not until the footage cut to the slaying of the Red Shoulder did the atmosphere shift from shock to sheer exhilaration and joy.
Only then did someone think to remark, "I think he... looks like someone."
"Mm. It's him."
Xin Yaoqiao stared fixedly at the projection, the palms of her clenched hands slick with sweat. She had listened to the frontline battle reports and imagined the hardship, danger, and shock, but when the scene truly played before her eyes, that familiar figure suddenly felt unfamiliar yet breathtakingly moving.
The footage rolled on. The correspondent had been unable to film many close-up combat scenes, so Azure's final assault on the mothership—those fearless charges and sacrifices—could only be grasped through the sound.
Until, from behind the sea of clouds, the blue-light craft returned. The final Red Shoulder wheeled back, blazing like a sphere of red fire, and plummeted straight toward the mothership.
The upward-tilted camera captured the scene almost flawlessly.
At this sight, the soldiers in the hall cried out in shock for the first time.
Against the backdrop of the starry night, an awe-inspiring tableau unfolded: dozens of figures surged skyward to meet the Red Shoulder, throwing their bodies into the air to bar its descent, tugging at the heartstrings of everyone present.
Most of the people gathered here had no idea how the mothership had ultimately been saved.
And then, a brilliant blue light shot forth. That light surged into the sky, bypassing everyone... and in the glittering night sky, it collided head-on with the descending Red Shoulder with earth-shattering force.
The projection came to an end.
Amidst the absolute silence of the hall, the master of ceremonies on the rostrum waited for about five seconds... then asked, "You all want to know who this person is, don't you? By which I mean—the person you have been watching all along is one and the same."
The lights came back on. The officer had already risen to his feet, standing ramrod-straight.
"He is: Azure, Huaxia Front, Sole Witness Legion, Ninth Army, Regiment 425, Squad 1777, Private Han Qingyu."
He delivered the introduction with distinct clarity, paused for a beat, and then proclaimed:
"Please welcome: Azure Huaxia Front, Sole Witness Legion, Major Han Qingyu."
Chapter 301