The Source Energy Field

No one told them where they were going, nor did anyone say how much longer the trucks would be on the road. Inside the truck beds, the atmosphere gradually shifted from initial anticipation and nervousness to dullness and gloom. Had they not been able to catch occasional glimpses of the vast, starry sky, this oppressive gloom might have deepened even further. The regimental chief of staff climbed into the truck bed to check on them. "Pitch-black, isn't it? Uncomfortable? I understand, but there's no other way... Why don't we put it like this: think of this truck bed as a chrysalis before breaking out of its cocoon. How's that sound?" He was an educated man, his voice warm and engaging. "Truth be told, you haven't really seen the Azure Coalition yet. Think about it," he continued with a smile. "Did you ever see the Coalition's flag back at your residential base?" The recruits thought about it, and the answer was truly no. "Only after you pass this assessment and reach the day you put on the armor will you see the true Azure Coalition. And by then, you'll already be one of us..." The chief of staff tried to dispel the gloomy mood with anticipation... Right as he was speaking, the convoy suddenly ground to a halt, one vehicle after another. Outside seemed to be a concealed checkpoint. The chief of staff hopped down to handle it. Over the remainder of the journey, temporary checkpoints like that began appearing more and more frequently. That likely meant they were drawing closer to their destination—and that the security level of that place was exceptionally high. "Hey, Qingzi, let me ask you something," Wen Jifei said, sliding over. The two of them enjoyed an advantage none of the others had: they could converse in their dialect. The dialect of a remote southern county town was obscure and difficult to understand; even if they talked about inappropriate things, no one would know what they were saying. Han Qingyu said, "Go ahead." "Well, you were tricked by Lao Jian back then, but now that you know there are other ways out, if you were given a choice... would you still be willing to go to the sighting frontline to chop Great Spikes?" Surprisingly, it was a serious topic this time... Probably because they had already exhausted all the unserious ones. "Yeah." Han Qingyu nodded without hesitation. "Why? Back then you..." Wen Jifei was puzzled. "Here's how I see it." He could naturally be open with Wen Jifei. Han Qingyu looked left and right, then lowered his voice. "We clearly know what kind of threat the Great Spikes pose now, right?" "Yeah." "And we know they're strong—far stronger than us... It's just that their numbers for now can still be held back with human lives," Han Qingyu said. "And you're still willing to go in anyway?" Wen Jifei asked in exaggerated bafflement. "Right. Exactly because of that, I want to go to the front lines even more... I want to become strong." Han Qingyu's expression was resolute. "My thinking is: if we can fight and hold the line, we'll give it everything we've got alongside everyone else to hold it... But if we really can't, at least Azure won't collapse all at once, right? And if we're strong, we'll have a better chance when fleeing for our lives with our families." At this moment, Han Qingyu's thoughts were those of an ordinary commoner—plain, simple, and not at all noble. Just as he had constantly been dwelling on whether he could somehow get ten thousand yuan or so to send home before entering battle, thinking that then he wouldn't have to be quite so afraid... afraid that he might suddenly die on the battlefield one day. "Makes sense. So you'd take your parents. As for me..." Wen Jifei gave it serious thought, reached out to pat Han Qingyu's shoulder, and fell silent. He was probably thinking: his parents, his parents' new families—could he really take such huge families, all those people, with him? That wouldn't be easy to manage. "Hey, do you think I should take Yao Yue with us?" he suddenly turned and asked. "Just one more person—you won't find her a burden, will you?... Wait, no, she'd definitely want to bring her family too, so that's a whole bunch more people..." Wen Jifei started counting on his fingers, muttering to himself. Yao Yue was the girl with whom he had promised back in middle school to go to university together, the one now attending Yueda. Han Qingyu smirked cunningly in the dark and teased, "Still thinking about her that much, huh? Didn't you say earlier that you planned on having one girl here and one outside?... Would she ever agree to that?" Wen Jifei said, "Quit fooling around, I'm being serious... You know me. Throughout high school, I never gave another girl a second glance, right? I was just joking before." "Well, I wouldn't know," Han Qingyu said with a smile. "I've never liked anyone." "Right, you don't understand love." After teasing him, Wen Jifei fell quiet for a moment, then suddenly sighed. "Sigh. Before coming here, I even called her and said I'd work hard in the army, get into a military academy, become a general, and be a hero... She said that would be perfect, because she wanted to be a reporter and could come interview me when the time came. I even mentioned that in my last letter." As if something had just hit him, he paused, then looked frantic. "No, hearing you say that, I've got to find a way to write her another letter quickly to let her know in advance..." "Tell her what?" Han Qingyu said. "You can't talk about this stuff. You know that." "I know. I'll just tell her that if I vanish before I ever get into a military academy or become a hero... I hope she won't laugh at me or blame me. And tell her that if I ever come to take her away one day... it won't be because I became a deserter, and she has to come with me." Han Qingyu thought about it. "Writing that will never pass censorship... Besides, don't worry too much. Because I... might be very strong." "Oh, they won't even let that pass?..." Wen Jifei paused, then snapped his head around. "Wait, what did you just say?" Han Qingyu said, "I said I might be very strong." "Yeah, me too, probably." As they were talking, the rest of their roommates from Dormitory 11 felt their way over in the dark and squeezed in beside them. "Hey, Qingzi... We're heading into the mid-training assessment, so we need to settle something quick." "Hm? What is it?" "Well, once we're on the frontline, if a Great Spike tries to hack me, remember to hack it for me." "Sure." "Me too... If a Great Spike chases after me to hack me, you chase after it and hack it." "Alright." "If I get smashed to pieces... you've got to piece me back together so I'm whole." "Then later you'd better strip naked and let Qingzi get a good, detailed look, haha," Wen Jifei chimed in. In truth, beneath all the banter lay terrifying imaginings of a brutal future, yet every word was uttered with a smile. As they talked on, the whole group burst into laughter. ... Once again, the convoy lurched to a halt. People curled up in their sleep or rolled over to keep snoozing. "Wake up, wake up..." The tarp at the back of the truck was pulled open, and an instructor stepped up to alert them. "We've arrived. Prepare to clear the checkpoint, get off, and undergo inspection." They were here? Dazed, Han Qingyu opened his eyes and glanced outside. The light was hazy; dawn seemed to be breaking. Six days and five nights. Next, the convoy as a whole underwent another rigorous inspection. Passing through the gate, they could see through the open tailgate continuous stretches of gray buildings and vast flat grounds—so vast that the edge could not be seen at a single glance. Columns of personnel carrying source energy three-dimensional maneuver gear stood guard and patrolled the area. "Dismount!" shouted the regimental chief of staff. Han Qingyu hopped down from the truck and found himself in a parking lot. "Whoa... look at that," someone shouted. Everyone turned to look, marveling at the sight: across the colossal parking lot, rows of military-green trucks and jeeps stood in neat formation, stretching beyond the horizon. "There must be thousands of them. How many people are getting tested?" Liu Shiheng stood on tiptoe, peering into the distance. "Those buildings in there—could they all be source energy fields?" "In your dreams. You think source energy fields grow on trees? There's only one, you know... But we really do have a lot of recruits this year," an instructor nearby remarked, also standing on tiptoe to look. "Then why not build a few smaller ones separately?" a recruit asked curiously. Without turning his head, the instructor retorted, "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?" "Look over there!" Wen Jifei suddenly pointed in a direction and yelled excitedly. Everyone turned at the sound of his voice. "Are those... airplanes... transport planes?!" Over on another large tarmac in the distance stood more than a dozen gargantuan aircraft. So, some people had flown in. "Pisses you off, doesn't it?" Regimental Commander Li walked over. After a few hearty chuckles, he became indignant himself. "That's how it is. Dammit, those nearby have an easy trip anyway, and those really far away get to fly... It's those of us in the middle, five or six days' drive out, who have it the absolute worst." As he spoke, the commander held his lower back, his bones cracking. A squad of Coalition soldiers wearing gear approached. The officer leading them exchanged a few words with the regimental chief of staff, then waved and called out, "Recruits, fall in and prepare for inspection!" The personal inspection was just as strict; each recruit went inside and first stripped buck naked... Entering the grounds, the guiding soldier led them to an open area. "Your regiment will pitch camp here and wait for notice... Good work, everyone." They didn't even have quarters to stay in. Regiment 425 pitched their tents. What followed was an aimless wait... Fortunately, meals and water were delivered to them. They ate and slept, slept and ate—peaceful enough. A full day and night passed. Not far from the tents, Regimental Commander Li, the regimental chief of staff, and several instructors gathered in a circle, smoking and chatting. "Dammit, by all rights they should've scheduled us first," Commander Li grumbled, blowing out a plume of smoke, spitting out his cigarette butt, and grinding it under his boot. "We've still got the return trip—another six days and five nights in those trucks... Hell, shouldn't the ones who flew in be pushed back?" "Exactly," the instructors chimed in. The regimental chief of staff gave a wry smile. "Nothing can be done about it. That's always been the rule. Aside from the closest regiments that arrived first... the rest are tiered by ranking, and then tested in mixed batches of several regiments at a time." That struck a sore spot for Commander Li. "Anyway, how are the kids holding up?" he asked, deliberately changing the subject. "Pretty well," most instructors replied. "Honestly, it doesn't matter even if you're not in top form," someone remarked. "It's not an exam where getting nervous ruins your score, where you need to relax and prep... It's all up to fate. Back in my year, there was this bastard who literally crapped his pants and had to be dragged across. Ran into him later... turns out he was Grade B. Where's the damn sense in that?" "Yeah, ain't that the truth." Aside from Commander Li, the highest among them was only Grade C. Thinking about how utterly unreasonable the degree of fusion was, most of them felt rather glum. "Regiment 425! 425!" An officer jogged over, shouting, "Where's the officer in charge?" "Right here!" Li Wangqiang and the regimental chief of staff went up to him in excitement, presented their credentials, and took the schedule sheet. "The schedule is classified, as you should know. Make sure your members are brought over on time." The officer saluted and departed. Once he was gone, Commander Li and the chief of staff looked over the schedule together. "Hey, Old Li, why do you think this schedule is classified? And why do the recruits from our regiment have to be staggered and tested mixed together with other regiments..." the chief of staff asked. "Don't know, don't care," Commander Li replied. ... That night, Han Qingyu was awakened from his sleep. The chief of staff nudged him, his voice very low. "Wake up... Up you get, it's your turn." Only then did Han Qingyu notice that quite a few people were already missing from the large tent. The chief of staff and Commander Li escorted him together to the entrance of a corridor. "Go on in yourself... Remember, don't be nervous." Even knowing that being nervous or relaxed had no meaning or impact whatsoever, Commander Li still craned his neck and offered that gentle reminder. Watching the boy disappear into the corridor, he turned around and looked up at the sky. "Heaven protect him." The chief of staff chuckled at the sight. "Let's go." "Where to?" "Don't you have a senior schoolmate from university doing research here? Come on, let's use your connection to sniff out the results." "Ah... Can't we just wait? It won't take that much longer..." "No waiting." Commander Li dragged the chief of staff away in a hurry. "I thought I was the only one being tested." Han Qingyu emerged from the corridor to find an open area the size of a basketball court, crowded with unfamiliar faces. "Then again, if they tested people one by one, who knows how long it would take?" "Quiet!" an officer barked, bringing silence to the room. He then stepped onto a small raised platform. Having likely repeated this countless times, his voice sounded somewhat tired and flat. "Next, you will enter the source energy field... There's nothing special to watch out for on that front; just stay in formation and walk inside... What I do need to remind you is that the source energy field may amplify certain emotions or pain from your life. Some of you might burst into tears inside, or start screaming and thrashing around like madmen... None of that matters. Just remember to keep walking forward." "Alright, fall in," the officer concluded. Han Qingyu stood toward the back of the unfamiliar line, keeping his head down as he followed the group for about five minutes... The column was silent and bewildered at first, but gradually, murmurs grew louder. What grew exaggerated wasn't just the gasps, but the looks in their eyes. "It's huge." "It's so gorgeous." "So this is what a source energy field looks like?!" "..." Han Qingyu thought about the structure before him and felt that if he had to find a comparable building, it would probably only be a massive air-raid shelter. Yet unlike the gloom and gray concrete walls of an air-raid shelter, this thing was breathtakingly beautiful. It was... somewhat like the ultra-fancy aquariums shown on television—the tunnel-style ones made of glass, where once inside, both sides and the ceiling above were clear and transparent, with water and fish swimming about. Only here, there were no fish or water. What filled the space was a faint, swirling mist, seeping out from ocean-blue walls. Even the ground beneath their feet was paved with ocean-blue source energy blocks. Han Qingyu knew those were source energy blocks, though they were slightly different from the ones he had encountered before... Perhaps the refining method was different; he didn't know the specifics. Outside the source energy field stood other personnel. "Do you all see this?" a young officer asked loudly, pointing to a set of devices hanging outside the source energy field. "Yes, sir!" the recruits responded. Han Qingyu silently counted: eight rows and five columns, forty devices in total. Their design was different from what Lao Jian and the others wore, and different from what the veterans had worn on the day of the combat assessment. "This is called a source energy stress device... Now, watch closely." As the officer spoke, a female officer beside him unhooked one of the devices and began demonstrating on the spot. First, she wrapped a metallic band around her chest like a belt and fastened it in front. Then she strapped on a seamless, rectangular iron box like a backpack. Finally, she drew a metallic strap out from the box and connected it to the buckle at her chest. "Did everyone see clearly? It's that simple. Shortly, you will come forward in groups of five, put this on... and walk through. Once you reach the other side, take the device off and hand it to the staff over there. Understood?" the male officer shouted at the top of his lungs. "Understood!" came the reply. The male officer waved. "Good. Begin..." The first group stepped into the source energy field. They rounded a bend and disappeared from sight... Nothing happened. The second group: the same. The third group... "Officer, this thing won't break, will it? How come nobody gets any reaction when they go in... Don't mess up my test, okay?" an unfamiliar, cheeky recruit called out from the ranks. The female officer smiled and said, "It won't break even if you break." Her smile seemed like a form of encouragement. "Well, I'm just worried my degree of fusion might be too high and crash the whole thing," the recruit bantered on. The female officer didn't mind and explained patiently, "No matter how formidable you are, it would only drain a bit more from the source energy field. There's no such thing as a conflict or a crash, even if you're unprecedented in history... Next group." The line shuffled forward. Han Qingyu followed along at ease; there were still five or six groups ahead of him. "Buzz!" "Ssshhh..." Suddenly, with a strange noise akin to an engine stalling, the source energy field gradually dimmed. "Hit the deck!" Someone alert yelled it out. "Ah!" Recruits cried out and hit the floor en masse in a chaotic heap. Even the two officers on site dived to the ground in bewilderment. For everyone else, it was a knee-jerk reflex born of shock and surprise... Except for Han Qingyu. Because even if no one had shouted, he would have cried out and thrown himself down... Just now, completely without warning, it felt as though he had collided head-on with a heavy truck. He stood no chance against it. His internal organs throbbing in agony, Han Qingyu lay on the floor and endured it, quickly mobilizing the remnant liquid source energy within his body to circulate and soothe the pain. At the same time, in the source energy field's observation and control room, dozens of researchers froze in unison. "What's the situation?" the director in charge of operations asked anxiously. "It seems to be... a malfunction in the source energy field stress apparatus," a scientist answered. He tried to think of a better term—a short circuit? No, that wasn't right. The scientist gave up on searching for words. "Can it be fixed?" the director asked. After a brief diagnostic, the scientist replied, "Yes, no problem. A reboot should do it." The director breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "Then test it first." On-site, the source energy field lit up once more. "See, officer... I told you I was too formidable, but you wouldn't believe me, said it couldn't break... Crashed, didn't it?!" The thick-skinned recruit was already laughing and joking again while strapping on his gear. Laughter rippled through the hall, including from the two slightly embarrassed officers. Amid the laughter, Han Qingyu took a step forward with absolute caution. Nothing happened. It was fine now... This time, no heavy truck came barreling into him out of nowhere. Group after group disappeared into the corridor of the source energy field. This time, everything proceeded smoothly and quietly. "Next group!" the female officer called out. Han Qingyu stepped forward, strapped on the device, and walked into the source energy field alongside four others. He looked completely calm. Yet in truth... he was being cautious in the extreme. First step. *Hum.* The source energy field didn't crash. Instead, the box on Han Qingyu's back vibrated, and then—a blue light ignited. Of all the groups that had passed through before, not a single person had triggered a blue light within line of sight... Which was precisely why someone had wondered if the source energy field was broken. In truth, that was normal. What was happening now... was abnormal. On the spot, both officers stared with wide eyes and open mouths, looking at each other in utter shock. Inside the observation and control room: *Clatter...* *Clatter...* *Crash!* *Click.* *Smack...* Instantly, over a dozen people bolted upright from their seats, their chairs shoved backward, toppling and crashing onto the floor. "What is it now? What happened?!" The director ran over holding a cup of hot water. In his frantic rush, boiling water sloshed over the rim and splashed onto his hand, scalding him so badly he grimaced, hopped around, and frantically patted at his hand. At this moment, no one had the mind to assist the director. Even the staffers who were usually best at reading the room and flattering superiors forgot all about kissing up. "Source energy sensitivity..." A scientist pointed at the blue light at the field's entrance on the monitor, half-turning around and speaking numbly: "Source energy sensitivity... Super Grade S." The metric of "source energy sensitivity" was strictly for internal use within the research institute, typically serving as a reference value and never released to the outside. What would actually be announced was the more vital metric... the measured degree of fusion. However, the two were correlated, and a sensitivity like this... was simply astronomical. "You said... what?" The director froze, looking up while still clutching his cup, as if his hand didn't burn anymore. "Source energy sensitivity... Super Grade S," the staffer repeated. "Keep watching it, watch it... Ah! Hssss!" The director sloshed boiling water over his hand again.