Spanning the River

Down the slope, the fallen Great Spike gradually shattered into pieces. Old Man Tian's vengeance was fulfilled; he had promised his son before that killing even one would count as revenge. And he had killed one. "What a shame. We're out of grenades," Han Qingyu remarked with regret, reaching out to grasp Uncle Tian's arm, intending to escort him down to the riverbank to stay with the plateau residents. Alerted by the commotion just now, more Great Spikes across the battlefield were turning around to charge toward the tank. Yet the straight-line distance to the riverbank was also closing steadily, and a clash was imminent. Han Qingyu knew that an arduous battle awaited him. At this moment, he was the only one here capable of breaking into the enemy ranks. He tried moving his left arm, but it wouldn't budge. Had it not been for his ever-advancing, formidable defense and stamina, he would have collapsed long ago. Replenishing his liquid source energy, Han Qingyu shook his head to clear it. Standing on the dirt knoll, Uncle Tian nodded woodenly. "Yeah." His aged hands clenched tight into trembling fists from the surge of emotion, and for the first time, tears welled in his wrinkle-creased eyes. This was something neither Han Qingyu nor any of the others had seen, not even on the day they had escorted Brother Tian up the mountain. Uncle Tian turned around and gave a tearful smile, looking at Han Qingyu... looking at the blood on his body and at the corner of his mouth, his left arm bound to his torso with bandages, the blue starlight column sword in his right hand, and the twin blades strapped to his back. "Young officer, you..." Swallowing the words of concern on the tip of his tongue, Old Man Tian said, "Could you give me one of your blades? Even the broken one will do. Then you go on ahead to help everyone over there, and look out for yourself, too." The old man probably understood that the weapons of this special unit differed from ordinary swords, even though he had no knowledge of source energy or the exact connection between the two. Back at his home, he had once pleaded with Wen Jifei to let him keep his son's equipment and weapons, though Wen Jifei had been unable to agree. So, Uncle Tian still wants to fight?! Han Qingyu looked at him helplessly. "I'll stay and give it a try." Old Man Tian's tone suddenly grew flustered as he said, "Well, truth be told, I never planned on leaving today in the first place... If I go back alive, I won't know how to face the army!" At that moment, the veteran's eyes were filled with profound guilt as he pointed toward the battered tank below, currently being torn apart by the swarm of Great Spikes. Han Qingyu understood. Grabbing Uncle Tian, he broke into a burst of speed toward the riverbank, speaking as he ran: "Don't worry. We'll help submit a report to explain and clear things up with the military. They'll understand. Uncle Tian, you've done us an immense service today." By sheer coincidence, the old man had temporarily lured away nearly half of the Great Spikes from the front line. Even though they would soon double back, the initial impact endured by the riverbank was significantly reduced because of it. Furthermore, if they could make it back today, Old Man Tian and Little Zhifan would most likely be relocated to live at an Azure base. Perhaps Azure would establish a dedicated large living base specifically for this Perimeter Xilang Peak Campaign, and then gradually begin disclosing the truth as the situation warranted. *** The clash was at hand. As the swarm of Great Spikes pounced toward the riverbank, Han Qingyu set Old Man Tian down behind a grassy slope along the water, letting him descend on his own. Then, turning back to stand his ground, Han Qingyu reached out to grip the blue starlight column sword flying in from behind, swiftly adjusting his condition. Directly below was the horde of Great Spikes. He had to crash down upon them! He had to try and shatter the formation to open a breach for the battle lines on the bank. *Song!* Abruptly, a majestic burst of source energy erupted from the dirt slope across the battlefield. A second burst followed immediately after. Hearing the sound, Han Qingyu exhaled deeply. He knew who had arrived. With such a massive riot of Great Spikes in the same sector, Wu Xu and Rusty Sister had naturally noticed as well. Chasing all the way, they had finally caught up. Arriving alongside them were over two hundred Azure squad fighters who had come from surrounding areas for reconnaissance and rescue, as well as over thirty elite members from various squads who had come looking for Han Qingyu at Lao Jian's private request. The combat personnel now exceeded three hundred. More than three hundred Azure fighters against a swarm of over two hundred Great Spikes was still a severe disadvantage overall. However, it was now an entirely viable fight, because they also had nearly forty elite squad members, including top-tier and above top-tier combatants who could break apart the Great Spike cluster for the soldiers. "Kill!" Rousing roars echoed along the riverbank. The five battle formations spanning the river simultaneously raised their blades to meet the enemy. *Song, song, song, song...* The continuous resonance of source energy apparatuses drowned out the roar of the rushing river. Yet in the very next instant, almost all of them reflexively looked up, their eyes fixed on midair, right above the horde of Great Spikes ahead. There— On the left, a figure had already vaulted from the hillside and was now airborne. The brilliant blue light of his source energy apparatus trailed behind him like streaming shadows. Arching his torso in midair, he raised the black spear—over 2.4 meters long—high behind his head with both hands, pointing slantwise toward the sky. *Song!* Source energy erupted once more in midair. Wu Xu made his move! *Whoosh!* The initial wind-shearing sound was brief, like a detonation, before transforming into the howling fury of a great banner whipping in a gale: *Flap-flap-flap-flap-flap...* Wielding the spear like a staff, Wu Xu slammed it downward from the sky into the horde of Great Spikes. The air tore and crackled under the tremendous force. And on the right was that blue starlight column sword, gradually becoming a legend and a symbol, along with the rising star of the Huaxia Front—the young warrior known as Major The Qing. Drenched in blood, with one arm bound to his body with bandages, he leapt through the air. The moment he twisted in midair and swung his arm to exert force—*Song!* The air, condensed almost into a solid mass, blasted apart. "What kind of source energy eruption is that?!" Guiding the sword as his body followed in midair, Han Qingyu and the massive blue starlight column sword in his hand drove diagonally toward the ground, crashing straight into the center of the horde. In a flash, two streaks of light descended. *Boom!* The staff strike struck. *Boom!* The sword crashed down. Amid the massive roar that erupted almost simultaneously, the ground shook, and dirt and stone went flying... On the spot, over thirty Great Spikes were launched straight into the air, tumbling askew. The Great Spike cluster blew wide open just like that. All five battle formations froze for an instant. Then, a collective roar erupted! "Where's Tangtang?!" Amid the Great Spikes, Han Qingyu reverse-gripped his starlight column sword, dragging and slashing it through the fray. "...Not here." As his black Binggu spear swept past diagonally, Wu Xu glanced at Han Qingyu, taking in the blood and wounds covering his body. "Kill!" Roused with fierce morale, the soldiers along the riverbank surged forward. *Bang!* A gunshot rang out nearby. Wen Jifei raised his firearm with his left arm, fired a single shot into the sky, and rallied his source energy to shout at the top of his lungs, "Riverbank formations, do not move!" The five formations halted their steps and looked back at him. "Protect the people behind you!" Wen Jifei said. Bearing the rank of second lieutenant, no one knew what gave him the right to command, yet command he did. What followed would inevitably be a chaotic, fractured melee. Even if the battle was winnable, and even if Han Qingyu, Wu Xu, Rusty Sister, and the elites from various squads were formidable, the battlefield was bound to devolve into absolute mayhem. In such circumstances, no one could keep watch over every single individual. The formations on the riverbank had to hold their ground right there, for as long as possible. At the same time, the more than two hundred fighters from the hillside had already charged down. Among them, a figure in severe, gleaming metal armor spearheaded the entire vanguard. Shen Yixiu knew that what Han Qingyu had told her a while ago was true: under normal circumstances, she had no fear of getting hurt; taking damage actually aided her recovery... But right now, it was Qingzi who was wounded. Seriously wounded. *Song!* The iron armor charged with the momentum of a heavy truck barreling at full speed. Mid-charge, Shen Yixiu flipped her hand behind her back. *Whir, whir, whir...* The black wooden case flipped end over end, leveling out horizontally beside her. She flicked it again with her hand. The wooden case spun rapidly on its side as its latches snapped open. With a clatter, a slightly smaller blue starlight column sword dropped out. Shen Yixiu gripped the sword. The wooden case tumbled to the ground. *Boom!* Clad in iron armor, she drove the column sword horizontally into the flank of the Great Spike horde... She sheared clean across the front row of the entire cluster... Cutting straight through from one end... And bursting out the other. Simultaneously, the force of over two hundred fighters split into ten streams, striking into the Great Spike horde from the flanks. From the front, the five battle formations engaged the enemy. The fractured battlefield descended into utter chaos... The clamor of lethal combat rang out incessantly, every Azure warrior fighting with everything they had. However, there were simply too many Great Spikes. Once dispersed, they lunged in all directions, quickly cutting off the path of retreat for the residents below. To wipe them out right where they stood... with the combat strength currently on the riverbank, they might fight all the way until nightfall without finishing them off. At the same time, the vast majority of the fighters here could not sustain combat for that long. *Even I might not hold out. In that case... we have to run!* Thinking this, Han Qingyu glanced back. "We've got to find a way to run, Qingzi!" Coincidentally, Wen Jifei shouted to him from a distance. He spoke in dialect, likely afraid that shouting it openly would panic the others. Han Qingyu nodded. By now, the residents had all gathered in a corner along the river... and their safe perimeter was shrinking steadily. "Wu Xu, cover me!" A black spear swept across in front of him. Han Qingyu turned and fought his way out of the Great Spike horde, rushing to the iron mooring post on the riverbank, where he stopped and looked down. The suspension bridge's several iron chains were still there, but one end had fallen, leaving most of their length submerged in the raging river below. It had been cut right from this side of the battlefield. How the hell are we supposed to connect this?! Climb down to fish them out and then climb back up?! "Qingzi!" Anxious over Han Qingyu's injuries and seeing him suddenly pull back from the battlefield, Shen Yixiu called out in distress as she rushed over. Han Qingyu glanced back at her, pondered for a moment, then turned and pointed toward the river, saying, "Help me blast the iron chains up!" Rusty Sister ran to the edge, looked down twice, and understood immediately. "Got it!" With no time for further questions, Shen Yixiu unslung the massive custom dead iron war blade from her back, gripped it with both hands, and surged her entire reserve of source energy... Pouring everything into the basic technique of the Rusty Sister Dimple Slash, she hurled the war blade horizontally downward, crashing it toward the rushing waters below. The wind-shearing whistle of the blade echoed between both banks. With a resounding *smack*, the surface of the entire stretch of rushing water dipped for a fleeting instant. Then, with a deafening *boom*— A massive column of water erupted, shooting straight into the air from the riverbed. White waves churned: *Splash... whoosh!* A total of four iron chains whipped into midair, their swinging clatter fierce and powerful. At that exact moment, an edgeless war blade curved upward at an angle, slicing through the curtain of water. *Clack... clack, clack.* Out of the four iron chains, the edgeless war blade threaded through three, its remaining momentum carrying it back up. *Pfft!* Han Qingyu's frame swayed, and he hung his head to cough up a mouthful of blood. The sheer difficulty of exerting force and maintaining control had aggravated his injuries once again... Looking up, Han Qingyu reached out to catch the returning war blade, pulling back with all his might. *Rattle, clatter...* The three iron chains pulled taut and level across the river. "Hold these!" Han Qingyu had Rusty Sister help hold the other two iron chains while he drove the edgeless war blade, along with the remaining chain, forcefully into an iron post on the bank to secure it. Next, he drew the second blade from his back, threaded it through the link on another chain, and drove it into another iron post, securing the second iron chain. "Give me another blade!" "Here." Wen Jifei handed his own war blade over. All three iron chains were now firmly anchored. Stretched taut and level, the chains reconnected both shores. However, not a single one of the bridge's original wooden planks remained. Under these conditions, expecting the residents to crawl across on their own was clearly unrealistic. Even able-bodied adults would struggle, let alone the many elderly folk, women, and children among them. "Ten D-ranks from the front line, get down here!" Wen Jifei turned and bellowed. After waiting several seconds, not a single person came down... Wen Jifei instantly flew into a rage. "Stop fucking dawdling! This is part of the battle, too!" Finally, ten fighters broke away from the chaotic battle formations and ran down. Handing them the ropes he had gathered from the herdsmen, Wen Jifei gestured toward the civilians by the riverbank and ordered: "Tie them to yourselves, one by one, and ferry them across!"