Flawless

After some persuasion, the rest of the squad left first. Only Han Qingyu and Wen Jifei remained, sitting at the entrance of the military tent, while Wu Xu and Rusty Sister stood on either flank, each guarding one side. "Major Qing, regarding your physical condition..." the interpreter relayed the inquiry of the Alliance major general. Han Qingyu was wrapped in bandages in multiple places, his left arm bound especially tight, looking entirely immobilized. Calmly, he said, "I'm fine. Just ask whatever you need to know." Through the two interpreters, the officers opposite exchanged a few words among themselves. "According to the intelligence Captain Lao brought back earlier, there was a blue-sheened Great Spike among the swarm gathered in that area. We were wondering if Major Qing encountered it later, or perhaps you already killed it? We need to know this in order to determine the size and composition of the subsequent combat units deploying into the field..." "I understand," Han Qingyu interrupted. "No, I didn't. I never saw it." The interpreter nodded conscientiously, turned to translate, and then turned back to ask, "What about the black-armored Great Spike swarm?" "They're still there. But because they lack a commander and have no blue-sheened Great Spike leading them, the swarm is in disarray. Our main objective at the time was to evacuate; the actual number killed was probably no more than forty." "Then they...?" "Most of them have crossed the river," Han Qingyu said. "It's just a river. At most it can delay them for a bit; it could never truly hold them back." The conversation paused there as another round of quiet discussion broke out across the table. Only after that did they continue: "We heard that Major Qing gifted severed Great Spike arms to other squads along the way... Is this true?" Han Qingyu nodded. "Yes." "Does this suggest that the Great Spikes that landed this time might be different from before?" "Yes, they are somewhat different," Han Qingyu nodded and said. "This batch of black-armored Great Spikes is comparatively much weaker, especially at the joints, which are quite brittle. Their overall endurance in sustained combat is poor. In addition, their intelligence seems even lower; they are easily baited, easily thrown into disorder, and scatter at a single charge." "If that weren't the case, we wouldn't have made it back alive against a siege like that," Wen Jifei added from the side. The interpreter relayed the words. The officers began conferring once again. All the questions they had asked so far genuinely appeared to be inquiries meant to prepare the follow-up troops entering the battlefield. Accordingly, Han Qingyu and Wen Jifei answered everything truthfully, devoid of any emotional display. This concerned the life and death of front-line Azure soldiers. At the same time, both of them still clung to a sliver of hope that He Tangtang might yet be found, hoping the follow-up main forces would deploy as soon as possible. After a brief and heated discussion, the interpreter's voice suddenly pitched higher. Leaning forward, he spoke with evident excitement and eagerness: "Thank you. The intelligence you brought is extraordinarily important... We were just discussing: could this indicate that if a problem occurs during the traction process and the traction is incomplete, the resulting Great Spikes that land will be weakened?!" Throughout the interpreter's translation, the Alliance major general opposite looked intensely agitated, his eyes fixed eagerly on Han Qingyu the entire time. If this point were truly verified, it could very well change the entire combat strategy of Azure. Han Qingyu shook his head. "I wouldn't know about that. I don't understand those things." "...Ah." "True enough." "That's something the scientific research division should evaluate." The officers seemed slightly deflated, murmuring quietly among themselves. Han Qingyu waited quietly for a moment. Once he was sure they had no further questions, he took the initiative to speak. "Since you have finished your questions, I have one of my own." "Please, Major Qing, go ahead." "I would like to know if higher-ups have made any investigative findings or reached any conclusions regarding what happened to Squad 1777." Han Qingyu looked directly at them. The interpreter relayed his words. The officers' expressions grew solemn at once... Gesticulating, they spoke at length with careful patience: "The major general says they feel profound grief and indignation over Squad 1777's ordeal, as well as deep remorse. Due to lapses in command, your squad was framed and trapped, forced to fight in isolation. They originally intended to address this with you at the end anyway. "As for the current situation: the night before last, our perimeter security personnel captured two enemy combatants coming from the direction of the battlefield in the southern plateau region... In fact, we have detained many people during this period, but these two were among the relatively stronger ones. They nearly escaped, and our soldiers made sacrifices to bring them in. "Through subsequent interrogation, they revealed their identities and confessed to their operational plan for this mission... Every step of their operational plan matched Squad 1777's experience perfectly." Hearing this, Han Qingyu felt a chill sweep over his entire body—a cold that cut straight to the bone... In a low voice, he asked, "And what are their identities?" Not noticing anything amiss, the interpreter replied with certainty, "Deep Cold, a branch of Snow Lotus." Wen Jifei took over the questioning. "Are you certain?" The interpreter relayed his question, waited as the officers chattered in reply, and then translated: "Certain. We have already verified this through intelligence operatives embedded inside Snow Lotus's Deep Cold branch. Those two are indeed familiar faces who have been at Deep Cold headquarters for more than six years, and their strength matches up completely." Han Qingyu's gaze hardened. "Where are they? Where are they now?!" The interpreter turned to listen to the officers' explanation, then turned naturally back toward Han Qingyu. The instant their eyes met, he flinched involuntarily... and said, "They were killed." "Killed by whom?" "By... one of the soldiers guarding them at the temporary holding cells." Even as a mere translator, the interpreter could not conceal the awkwardness and guilt in his eyes. "And the soldier?" Wen Jifei pressed. The interpreter listened, translated, listened... and said, "He committed suicide." At this, Han Qingyu and Wen Jifei turned their heads simultaneously and exchanged a look. Obviously, all three were covert deathsworn of the Alphonse family—chess pieces planted long ago. Perhaps when they were first positioned, there had been no specific purpose for them, but in the end, they were expended on this matter. After a brief silence, Han Qingyu lowered his head... and suddenly let out a bleak laugh. He remembered the phrase Sean had spoken before he died: Flawless. In truth, looking at the whole affair, it might not have been truly seamless. Yet with such meticulous scheming, the ruthless deployment of covert assets regardless of cost, combined with the Alphonse family's identity, status, and influence... it had essentially become a dead end that could never be broken. Without ironclad, incontrovertible evidence, Azure would never move against a Star of Azure. The ramifications were simply too vast. Even if the whistleblower were also a bearer of the Star of Azure, the matter would almost certainly stall at the stage of investigation and evidence-gathering—a stage that could drag on for an exceptionally long time, shrouded in secrecy.