In the ten-odd minutes that had just passed, Han Qingyu, having already endured two failures on the college entrance exams, had stood at the third major crossroads of his life and delivered what was perhaps his best response—his finest answer sheet—to date.
As a result, he had successfully escaped death and secured an alternative.
Yet the outcome still brought disappointment and dread. What he was about to do had already unfolded right before his eyes.
Corpses, wounded men, battle, an enemy formidable and unfathomable... All of it cast a dark, despairing shadow over his heart.
"Still, most of the people here are alive."
Han Qingyu forced himself to shift his thoughts and his gaze, watching the figures moving about. They were busy swiftly packing their "spoils of battle" into bags made of an unusual material.
*It's possible to survive. As long as there's a chance, I have to fight to live.*
*That way, I can take leave in the future to visit family and see Mom and Dad again.*
*Now that things have come to this, what else can I... fight for?*
Han Qingyu muttered silently to himself, deep in thought.
"What? Never wrote an essay as a kid, dreaming about growing up to carry a rifle in the army, defend the nation, protect world peace, and die a hero?"
Lao Jian sat on the ground, coughing now and then while continuing to smoke. Smiling, he called out to the youth who was clearly still wrestling with fear.
He seemed already to be treating Han Qingyu like one of his soldiers.
"Ah... I thought about it, and wrote essays about it too. But I was young back then and didn't know any better. Once I grew up, I realized I'm just not cut out for that sort of thing," Han Qingyu said earnestly.
His instinctive, futile resistance drew good-natured chuckles from several people present.
"Right now I'm preparing to retake the college entrance exams next year. I'd rather become a scientist. I think that would make a big contribution to the country and the world. Um, my grades are actually really good." Han Qingyu kept struggling, not above lying through his teeth.
He dared to do this because he had already gotten a rough read on Lao Jian's temperament and knew it wouldn't pose any danger.
"Want to go to college? That's great." Lao Jian nodded with a smile, a teasing glint in his expression. "Then you've come to the right place. I used to be a university lecturer. I can teach you later."
Han Qingyu froze. He had wondered whether presenting himself as a future college student and scientist might give him a tenth-of-a-percent chance to change the man's mind, or land him a better option.
Instead, the man before him—someone who wielded a blade to hack apart metal—claimed he used to be a university teacher.
"What, you don't believe me? I taught physics." Lao Jian gestured toward the people around them. "Right in front of you are some of my former students... There are quite a few college graduates here."
"..." Han Qingyu believed him.
Even though Lao Jian unmistakably possessed the face of an old soldier weathered by battle, steeped in hardship and gunpowder smoke, Han Qingyu believed him naturally all the same.
"Almost ten years now." At this moment, Lao Jian seemed slightly nostalgic himself. He pointed to himself, then looked up at the night sky.
Han Qingyu asked, "Then did you just... suddenly disappear? What did other people think?"
Lao Jian said, "It wasn't sudden. Everyone... thought I resigned and went abroad."
Han Qingyu hesitated. "Were you..."
"Voluntary." As if knowing what Han Qingyu wanted to ask, Lao Jian answered of his own accord. "The vast majority of people here are volunteers."
Lifting a hand, he pointed toward the remains of the "alien robots" that were almost finished being packed away, and explained, "These things aren't seen very often. They usually don't appear directly in places where people live or go about their lives. Normally we have ways to cover it up, too. This time was an accident... You were just unlucky."
Unlucky—this final verdict felt somewhat perfunctory, considering it concerned a total turning point in someone's life. But on second thought, how many things in life were just like that?
With no time to ponder what kind of process "volunteering" entailed, nor time to wallow in self-pity, Han Qingyu asked, "Then what exactly are they?"
Lao Jian's gaze instantly turned sharp. "You'll naturally find out once you get to the unit."
"Oh. All right."
A squad member walked over and said beside Lao Jian, "Captain Lao, the scene has been cleared."
Less than forty minutes had passed since the shuttle-shaped craft had touched down.
"Good. Call back all the scouts keeping watch outside. Prepare to move out." Lao Jian stood up and gave the order, then turned to look at Han Qingyu once more.
Han Qingyu was distracted, looking away as he thought: *People keeping watch outside. So if I had really tried to strangle him earlier and escape... no matter what, I wouldn't have gotten away. And the result...* Thinking this, he felt a wave of relief.
Lao Jian, ready to depart, stood there and asked, "Do you have any more questions?"
Han Qingyu turned to him and asked, "Can... can I go home first?"
"Of course. You're a smart kid, and clearheaded and calm enough. Otherwise I wouldn't take you." To Han Qingyu's surprise, Lao Jian answered with hardly a moment's hesitation.
Then he added:
"Tomorrow... forget it, let's make it the day after tomorrow. At noon the day after tomorrow, people from the relevant departments around here will deliver the notice to your home, and I'll come pick you up. By the way, they don't know the specifics. They'll just assume you have connections up top. Make sure you don't let anything slip.
"Special recruitment for the military, with all the proper paperwork and procedures. As long as you don't say anything, nobody will suspect a thing.
"Keep this firmly in mind: you can't tell a soul. If even a whisper gets out, you won't be the only one who dies... Think of your family. Don't bring disaster on them.
"And don't try anything clever. Think carefully—do you really think any of you could run?"
Lao Jian finished speaking, his sharp gaze fixed on Han Qingyu.
Han Qingyu nodded.
By now, he had thoroughly abandoned the very last shred of struggle in his heart. Not only was this group terrifyingly powerful, they could even arrange his enlistment through regular channels without breaking a sweat... What lay behind all that was far beyond what Han Qingyu, a rural kid and high school graduate, could fully comprehend, but he knew enough to be afraid.
After asking for Han Qingyu's name, address, and basic details, the squad prepared to head out toward the mountains.
"Go on. You can head home now," Lao Jian called back after walking a short distance, noticing Han Qingyu still standing there.
Han Qingyu didn't move, looking as though he hadn't heard, still rooted in place, hesitating and pondering.
Still not finished? Lao Jian gave a wry smile and stopped to wait. He wondered what kind of question this kid could possibly have left, or whether he still planned to struggle a bit more.
"Um... do we get paid?" Han Qingyu finally spoke up.
For a moment, almost everyone couldn't help but crack a grin.
"...Yes, and it's not low." The approval in Lao Jian's eyes grew a fraction warmer as he replied gently, "You can wire it home to your parents."
"Okay." Han Qingyu nodded. "What if I die after I go?"
"Standard martyrdom. Commendations, pensions," Lao Jian answered calmly.
"Then... how much would that be?"
"...It depends on the circumstances."
"Could some of it be paid in advance? My family is having a very hard time, and they took on quite a bit of debt to put me through school," Han Qingyu explained. "I was supposed to go to college. Besides, I'm an only child... and I just saved your life."
"..." Lao Jian paused. "How much do you want?"
"Two... five... ten thousand."
"You sure don't hold back. Planning to turn into a ten-thousand-yuan household in one go, are you? Do you even know how much ten thousand yuan is, kid?" Lao Jian muttered, hesitating in thought. "Even if I gave it to you, how would you explain it to your family? And how would your family explain it to outsiders?"
Han Qingyu said, "Village folks don't show off their wealth. Whenever they get a little money, they hoard it away and keep quiet about it. As for an excuse... exceptional talent, special enlistment, family subsidy."
"Give you an inch and you take a mile," Lao Jian cursed with a wry laugh. "Fine, I'll ask around for you when I get back. No guarantees on how much, though."
Light gleamed in Han Qingyu's eyes. "Thank you, Captain Lao."
This was what he had been turning over in his mind just now: *What else should I, can I... fight for?*
He was trying to secure a sum of money for his parents.
***
That night, in the quiet depths of the early morning hours, the little mountain cove that had bathed beneath half a night of bright moonlight was suddenly struck by a violent gale and rainstorm.
Across Fenglong'ao, several ridges of the undulating mountains—said to resemble crouching dragons—collapsed in succession.
Fortunately, separated from the village by dense tiers of forest, the landslides did not turn into mudflows or cause any major loss of life or property to the village.
The villagers, young and old, were startled and dashed out of their houses into the pouring rain. After shouting a few curses at the mountain, they returned to bed with their minds at ease.
Han Qingyu hardly had room in his thoughts to be frightened by that, and naturally had no way to sleep peacefully.
For him, something far vaster and far more terrifying than a landslide had already taken place a few hours earlier. His perception of reality, his destiny, his path forward into the future—suddenly, everything had changed.
Chapter 4