Together with little Zhuoma's father and mother, Han Qingyu, Iqbal, and Wen Jifei all did their utmost to preserve the world in the naive little girl's eyes beneath that Azure uniform.
Even if such effort and concealment might seem pale and fragile to adult eyes.
Then, returning the child to her mother... with the very hands that had just gently held her, Han Qingyu picked up the bloodstained dead iron war blade from the grass.
The warm, gentle smile vanished from his lips, his gaze sank, and his expression returned to that somewhat numb demeanor from before.
At the same time,
Iqbal turned his back to wipe away the blood from his mouth and chin, using his teeth to tighten a strip of cloth around the bleeding wound on his arm.
Carrying the Milla 9 sniper rifle in one hand and rubbing his rear with the other, Wen Jifei grinned wryly as he walked out from the dark shadows of the grassland.
This was probably what Azure was at its core. Its earliest, plainest, and simplest form.
Naiwichai's corpse finally slumped slowly to the ground.
The dozen or so survivors of Pure Purgatory were fleeing in utter panic.
Then, urgent and dense footsteps suddenly resounded across the wilderness.
Wu Xu and Rusty Sister had returned at a run, leading the Pakistani squad.
Iqbal rushed forward to meet them, tears streaming down his face as he spoke excitedly.
Soon, having just lost more than ten comrades, the Pakistani Azure soldiers channeled their grief and fury into pursuing the remnants of the enemy. Those were enemies, this was war, and there was no mercy.
With Rusty Sister and Wu Xu there, Han Qingyu did not join the mop-up.
Acting in unspoken coordination with Wen Jifei, he hurried to scavenge the source energy blocks from the war boxes and bodies of the fallen Pure Purgatory fighters.
Little Zhuoma's father watched from afar. After observing for a moment, he noticed how anxious the two seemed, so he walked over in silence to help. Though his eyes were filled with confusion, he asked nothing.
He simply followed Han Qingyu's and Wen Jifei's motions step by step, opening metal cases, searching bodies... and then, cradling each retrieved blue crystal source energy block carefully in both palms, he placed it gently beside Han Qingyu.
Whenever their eyes met, he would nod with an earnest look and offer an honest, simple smile.
It was a plateau father's somewhat nervous, clumsy, and awkward display of gratitude.
Just like when he had chosen to retrieve Han Qingyu's war blade earlier.
Only after setting down the very last source energy block beside Han Qingyu did Zhuoma's father stand there and say to him in hesitant Chinese,
"Zhuoma's forehead and nose were just touched by the blood on your chest. That is the greatest blessing and protection. She will live in peace and auspiciousness, to a ripe old age of a hundred."
"May you, all of you, our soldiers... also be safe and blessed."
"When she grows a little older, we will tell her your name, Major Qing."
The final count came to sixty-four blocks. Wen Jifei collected them all, stashing them securely in the jeep before the Pakistani squad could think of or notice them.
Han Qingyu found a small creek concealed beneath the grass, washed his war blade, and sheathed it on his back.
He retrieved the starlight column sword, rinsed it twice, then picked up the curtain fabric, wrapped the weapon inside, put it back into the black wooden box, and slung the box over his back.
Guiding the movement of the starlight column sword within a certain range was a new ability that had emerged after he devoured the bone source, and it was now one of his trump cards. Using it for the first time today, he had assassinated a top combat power of Pure Purgatory, and the results seemed fairly promising.
Yet this kind of manipulation was nothing like the legendary 'flying swords' of myth. It lacked that nimble versatility, moving largely between wielder and blade along a straight line or a simple arc. He could throw it, or use the bone source's pull to summon it across the air, commanding it to come or return.
Just now, Han Qingyu had simply called it toward him, impaling Naiwichai through the back.
As for other possibilities and applications for this attribute of the starlight column sword, Han Qingyu had not thought of them yet, but he was certain in his heart that there remained vast room for exploration, both for the weapon itself and in practical combat.
***
Two or three kilometers in the opposite direction of the battlefield.
"Catch, catch..." Little Zhuoma had searched for quite a while. Finally guided by the beam of Wen Jifei's flashlight, she ran over and found Han Qingyu lying inside a grassy ditch.
"Jianpu, I caught you! Hehehe."
Zhuoma's small hands clung tightly to the Azure autumn coat she had worn earlier. Once Jianpu stood up, she took hold of the corner of his jacket, looking up with a cheerful smile.
Everyone present—including her father, her mother... Wu Xu, Rusty Sister, Wen Jifei, Iqbal, and all the members of the Pakistani Azure squad—stood not far away, watching the scene with quiet, gentle eyes.
"That's right, little Zhuoma is amazing." Han Qingyu reached out, ruffled her hair, and gave her an Azure-issue tin of bubble gum.
"Goodbye, Jianpu. Two, three Jianpus, four... huh?"
"Goodbye, little Zhuoma."
"Goodbye, Second Lieutenant Wen, Second Lieutenant Shen, First Lieutenant Wu... Major Qing."
"Goodbye, Iqbal... and everyone else."
Hands waved in farewell. The Pakistani squad and little Zhuoma's family would pull out of the battlefield to settle in at an Azure-established assembly point. Meanwhile, Han Qingyu and his companions had to continue toward Nganglaring Tso, hunting for metal blocks while looking for the main force where Squad 1777 was stationed.
The off-road jeep roared to life, heading deep into the plateau.
"By the way, wasn't there a blue-sheened Great Spike this time? You two chopped it down pretty fast," Wen Jifei asked while driving.
Rusty Sister glanced at Wu Xu. "The black-armored one died right away. Then he ran over to snatch my blue-sheened one," she grumbled.
"I was... helping," Wu Xu said solemnly.
"I didn't even ask you to help! I wanted to fight it a little longer." Rusty Sister looked down and patted the small black wooden box resting across her knees.
With the small blue column sword, Rusty Sister's combat prowess had improved drastically. Though she could not yet take down a blue-sheened Great Spike solo, she at least had the strength to hold her own.
Because of that, Wu Xu felt a bit of pressure.
Han Qingyu did not care about any of that, shamelessly asking, "By the way, after chopping down the Great Spike, did you two pick up the metal block? It didn't get taken by the Pakistani squad, did it?"
Rusty Sister and Wu Xu both turned to look at him, neither saying a word.
"Wait, did they really take it?! Great... you two wasteful prodigals."
Scolding them mournfully, Han Qingyu's tone grew sullen. He had just burned through two metal blocks and only recovered sixty-four blue crystal blocks in return; by his calculations, this battle was a net loss of at least twenty-six blue crystal blocks.
"We agreed to come make a fortune, but instead of finding a single metal block, we lost two off the bat... Now I only have twenty-four left."
"Damn it, ever since I ran into that Ye Jian, I've started losing money every time I fight. Fucking jinx."
Muttering curses and pinning the blame squarely on Ye Jian, Han Qingyu pulled the little ledger from his inner pocket, flipped it open, and thrust it in front of Wu Xu and Rusty Sister. "Look at this," he said gravely. "Look at how many source energy blocks you two owe me."
Wu Xu and Rusty Sister each leaned forward to look.
Wen Jifei also stopped the car and looked over. Seeing the new strings of numbers on the page, he said in exasperation, "Damn it, he really hasn't said a peep and just kept tracking it all along!"
"Yeah! And I was the one who bound this ledger for him. If I'd known, I wouldn't have!" As she spoke, Rusty Sister looked up, brought a hand out from behind her back, held it before Han Qingyu, and opened it.
A metal block noticeably larger than standard lay nestled in her palm.
"Oh, wow, you picked it up?!" Han Qingyu's expression flipped instantly into a beaming smile. "I'm sorry, I misjudged you both, my fault, I apologize..."
Even as he spoke, he reached out to grab it.
"Man, I really wish every female soldier in the entire Azure Army could see this side of Major The Qing... That way their illusions would shatter early, saving them from getting hurt in the future," Wen Jifei remarked mournfully from the side.
Han Qingyu had no time to retort.
Because right before his eyes, Rusty Sister suddenly clenched her fist, pulling the metal block back.
"What's this?" Han Qingyu asked, bewildered. "I already apologized."
"Not giving it to you," Rusty Sister said, shaking her head.
"Come on, stop messing around."
"I'm not messing around."
"Yeah. We earned it. We scavenged it," Wu Xu chimed in beside them, expressionless yet sounding entirely earnest.
Even Wu Xu had turned out like this?! Han Qingyu was speechless: "..."
"We can give it to you, but only if you deduct what we owe from that ledger," Rusty Sister said, lifting her chin proudly, her iron armor clattering.
"No problem at all! That's completely reasonable; I would've deducted it even if you hadn't mentioned it." Han Qingyu instantly revived, gripping the ballpoint pen clipped to the notebook as he wrote. "Twenty blocks off for each of you, and twenty off for Plague Chicken too..."
"No, it has to be thirty blocks each," Rusty Sister countered.
Han Qingyu jerked his head up. "Why?!"
"Because this one is bigger," Wu Xu said.
"Mm-hmm," Rusty Sister agreed, nodding.
"Big? It's only slightly bigger! Besides, refining it costs processing fees, doesn't it?"
"You don't need to refine it anyway," Rusty Sister said. Then, without warning, she clamped both arms around Han Qingyu's left arm and yelled, "Wu Xu, quick!"
Wu Xu hurriedly pinned down Han Qingyu's right arm.
Under circumstances like these, Han Qingyu naturally refused to waste energy by activating a metal block. His desperate struggles proved useless, and he could only watch helplessly as Wen Jifei leaned over with a roguish grin, snatched the ledger, and scribbled away inside.
"You didn't deduct extra, did you?" When the ledger finally returned to his hands alongside the metal block, Han Qingyu scrutinized it from top to bottom as he asked.
"Am I that kind of person?" Wen Jifei chuckled and started the engine.
He had merely deducted an additional thirty blocks per person on top of the twenty Han Qingyu had already calculated, just as discussed.
Rusty Sister had seen it all, and she kept her head down, giggling happily.
Wu Xu remained expressionless, but he tilted his head and popped a piece of bubble gum into his mouth.
Bumping along under the night sky.
The jeep's progress grew increasingly difficult. Whenever it got stuck, Rusty Sister, Han Qingyu, and Wu Xu had to play rock-paper-scissors to decide who would get out to lift it.
"If we hit mountains up ahead and the car can't get through, are you three going to take turns carrying it over?" Looking at Rusty Sister, who had just finished hauling the jeep and climbed back inside, Wen Jifei cracked a joke.
In the darkness, the towering ridges in the distance had become faintly visible. At the same time, the rushing sound of turbulent water grew increasingly distinct.
There were rivers in this region, and more than just one or two.
Two hours later, they were ultimately forced to abandon the vehicle.
Carrying their gear and provisions, they crossed several high peaks through the night.
When dawn broke, they happened to be walking through a pass between two peaks, stopping to find water to wash up, rest, and eat breakfast.
Running water flowed past their feet. Here, it looked like nothing more than a humble stream.
The stream wound all the way down the valley, slipping past layers upon layers of peaks on either side, stretching into the distance.
Rising to their feet, they looked out.
From the mountains rolling down nearby to the vast, hazy wilderness beyond, streams joined into rivers, and the rivers wound like bolts of silk, extending without end.
*Clang!* Wen Jifei suddenly drew the war blade from his back, pointing it diagonally with one hand.
Everyone turned to look at him. He said, "Just a second ago, a word came to mind: magnificent." He did not mention that Ye Jian had once said this at Xilang Peak, only adding, "Suddenly, I really felt like drawing my blade. Why don't you guys give it a try too?"
In the silence, after a moment, *Clang!* Rusty Sister also turned toward the distant river and drew her war blade. "It really does feel a bit magnificent."
*Clang!... Clack!* Wu Xu angled his black spear downward with one hand and drew a heavy broadsword with the other... Feeling a bit awkward, he slid the sword back behind him and explained, "I'm already holding Binggu."
Han Qingyu had no choice but to draw a war blade as well, holding it in his hand as he stood facing the open wilderness ahead.
"Qingzi?" Wen Jifei said suddenly.
"Yeah?" Han Qingyu did not turn around.
"How about we call our little crew Stream Vanguard from now on?"
Han Qingyu was silent for a moment. "..."
"Oh, wonderful! I think that sounds great," Rusty Sister said after a pause. "It's way better than the three of us being called Iron Plate Fish Meat. Besides, that didn't include Plague Chicken, Tangtang, Shiheng, or Qingbai."
Wu Xu, naturally, had no objections to such things.
"Well, sure, that works," Han Qingyu said after thinking it over.
"Then it's settled! Let's do a live rehearsal right now," Wen Jifei said eagerly.
"Rehearse what?" Han Qingyu asked, bewildered once more.
"Rehearse... just follow my lead." Wen Jifei thought for a moment, slid his war blade back onto his back, and suddenly jumped, pretending he had just leaped onto a battlefield... Simultaneously, he drew his war blade with a metallic scrape, drew himself up straight, and with cold eyes and a chilling tone, spoke with Wu Xu's brand of numbness: "Azure, Stream Vanguard, Wen Jifei."
No response.
"Well? Isn't that cool?! Come on, don't be shy, there's nobody else here," he urged.
Rusty Sister gave a hop. *Clang!* "Azure, Stream Vanguard, Shen Yixiu. Ooh, this is actually pretty fun."
"Yeah, yours wasn't bad, just a bit too quiet, too gentle. Remember to sound colder next time to show some killer intent." Wen Jifei turned. "Qingzi?! Wu Xu!"
Helpless, Han Qingyu gave a little hop too. "Azure, Stream Vanguard, Han Qingyu."
"What was that? Completely lifeless! If only Tangtang and Young Master Shiheng were here—they would've nailed it with style... Qingbai wouldn't be half bad either." After complaining a bit, Wen Jifei turned around and yelled again, "Wu Xu! Just talk the way you normally talk to strangers. Hurry up!"
"I... okay." Wu Xu took a hop. "Azure, Stream Vanguard... I'm sorry."
"..."
"I'll say it next time."
Chapter 309