Bug

In the City of Iniquity, there were still contact stations left behind by the Huaxia Front. After keeping an eye on one for a while previously, they had determined that it was not affiliated with Marshal Hua or the legion side, but rather with the Council faction. So, they had never gone to contact it, no matter how difficult or perilous things had gotten. Truth be told, there was a certain amount of pride and stubborn spite involved in that decision. But now, Wen Jifei could not afford to nurse that grudge anymore. The transformation Qingzi had brought to Elegy of the Square, along with the prospects it offered, would—as the foreigners put it—turn him into a bug. Once he possessed enough source energy dead iron bullets, he would be an exploit within all existing rules of combat in this world. Below the level of super combat power, even against top combat power, his threat would be immense. As for facing a super, he would eventually be able to provide Qingzi and the others with ample tactical support. "Bullets aren't guns. They don't cost as much, and the manufacturing process isn't that complicated. The Coalition's research labs surely have surplus bullets left over from before. Even if we can't get them from there, the labs on Huaxia's side can definitely obtain the relevant specs and make them..." His head buzzing with these thoughts, Wen Jifei ran straight out into the courtyard and dragged Wu Xu along to accompany him outside. "What's with him?" Seeing the sudden shift in Wen Jifei's mood, Zhu Jiaming asked in bewilderment as he helped Han Qingyu to his feet. "Maybe he's excited because the New Year is almost here," Han Qingyu said. *If the Little Prince ever found out that I can actually absorb the Bones of Eternal Life, that I've been absorbing them all this time, and that I've even used some... he'd probably go crazy,* Han Qingyu thought. Over the past year of living together, although they still harbored mutual wariness and plotted against each other from time to time, actually crossing blades with the Little Prince again seemed to have become rather difficult. Who knew whether the Little Prince would also find it difficult when the day came for him to make his move? The Little Prince cooked lunch that day. It was not until after four in the afternoon that Wen Jifei and Wu Xu finally returned home alongside Rusty Sister and Zhe Qiuhong. When asked, they said they had run into each other at the intersection. "Look, we bought so much stuff! These two bags are clothes—some for you guys, and some for Ao Yong and Qian Daofeng. Not letting you see them yet! These are melon seeds and pastries for snacks, super expensive," Rusty Sister said as she unloaded bags and packages. "We even saw an elderly Huaxian man running a stall writing spring festival couplets, so we bought a few pairs..." "And there's something else really amazing. Guess what... Actually, forget it, you definitely won't guess. They said that on New Year's Eve, over on the east side of the city facing the sea, there's going to be a fireworks show! Doctor Zhe and I both want to go. Let's all go, okay?" "Huh? Where's Han Green Snake?!" Rusty Sister shook out a large white cloth in front of her, turning around to ask. Inside the room, Wen Jifei was genuinely as thrilled as a kid who had gotten new clothes and was waiting for the New Year... He said: "Qingzi, guess who I got in touch with?" "Who?!" Han Qingyu asked. "Tu Zi! The contact station routed the call through layer after layer, and when it finally reached the Huaxia Rejecters headquarters, he just happened to be there!" *Oh, that kid still owes me money,* Han Qingyu recalled. "That kid is really loyal. When he asked about you, his voice was trembling when he called out 'Brother Qingzi.'" "...Yeah." Han Qingyu was somewhat touched. Over the past year, those who genuinely cared about him probably had not had an easy time... He thought to himself that he would waive the interest. He said, "So what happened in the end? Did just that take this whole time?!" "No, Wu Xu and I were waiting over there for a reply, right up until just now." Wen Jifei stepped a little closer, his expression full of excitement as he said, "They agreed to help me secure bullets! They asked how many I wanted, and I said as many as they could manage, telling them I'd met a scientist here doing experiments. And guess what? It turns out the Council was already planning to send people to the City of Iniquity. They said if they hurry, they should arrive before the New Year at the earliest, and they'll bring the bullets over to me!" "That's great." Han Qingyu smiled, feeling pleased. "There's more! Tu Zi tapped out a cipher code at the end to tell me that among the people coming, there'll most likely be a super!" Wen Jifei whispered, his expression exaggerated. ...A super is coming?! Han Qingyu was momentarily stunned. Ruling out Chen Buer, Marshal Hua, and Old Man Jiang, "Then it's either God Lü or Captain Shao!" Whichever of the two it was, he knew them well. For once, Han Qingyu caught the excitement too. Because once this super combat power arrived, the balance of power between them and that faction lurking in the shadows would flip completely. After all, the Azure Dragon Gang already possessed a lineup of eight top-tiers; all they lacked was a super to anchor the very peak of the pyramid. *No, if Plague Chicken gets enough bullets, he should count as one too, and an especially troublesome one at that. He's just lacking in personal defense, so I'll have to convince Tangtang to team up with him...* Han Qingyu was pondering. The clatter of iron armor echoed. "Qingzi, Plague Chicken, what are you doing?" Rusty Sister poked her head in at the doorway and asked. "Just chatting," Wen Jifei said. "Then stop chatting for now and come out," Rusty Sister said, turning around. As Han Qingyu stepped through the doorway, *whoosh!* A white cloth wrapped around him, draping over most of his body before winding around his neck... Rusty Sister slipped behind him to tie a knot. "What's this? What are you doing?" "A haircut! The New Year is coming. Just look at the hair on you guys, long and messy." As Rusty Sister spoke, she pulled Han Qingyu over to sit on a chair she had placed beforehand. "A haircut?!" Han Qingyu turned his head in disbelief. "You know how?" "I don't. Doctor Zhe said it shouldn't be hard and that she'd give it a shot. I'm on water duty." Rusty Sister chuckled, clearly finding the whole thing delightful. And so that day, in the winter afternoon sunshine, Zhe Qiuhong used scissors originally meant for surgery to cut the five men's hair one by one, and also trimmed her own bangs. The overall result looked decent enough. Afterward, when dinner was finished, she used a freshly bought length of bright red cloth and another of black cloth under the lamplight to sew two new cloaks for Rusty Sister. Female scientists truly were amazing; they could even figure out things like haircuts and cloak-making. "Time for bed!" It was already very late. The Little Prince, He Tangtang, and Wu Xu had already turned in, while Zhe Qiuhong was taking a bath. Rusty Sister folded the new cloak she had just tried on and spoke cheerfully. "Wait, hold on a moment. Come with me first," Han Qingyu said, standing up and heading into his room ahead of her. Holding the folded cloak, Rusty Sister followed him inside, looking bewildered. Han Qingyu shut the door. "Why did you call me in here, Qingzi?" Rusty Sister asked curiously. "To do an experiment," Han Qingyu looked at her and said. "How about this: lie down on the bed first." "Huh? Wh-what kind of experiment?" Rusty Sister seemed a little nervous, but she obediently lay down anyway, interlacing her fingers over her belly and nervously turning her head to look at Qingzi. "Give me your hand... Actually, your head works too." Han Qingyu pressed a hand to the forehead of the iron armor. Then he hesitated. If something went wrong, messing up her brain was out of the question. With that in mind... "Better stick to the hand," he said, taking one of Rusty Sister's arms and gripping her wrist. "If anything feels off, tell me immediately. Got it?" As soon as he spoke, a metal block silently dissolved against his body. "Got it," Rusty Sister said. "Are you sure?" Han Qingyu pressed. "Sure!" Rusty Sister said emphatically. Han Qingyu nodded. Since bone source permeation could reinforce Elegy of the Square, could it do the same for Rusty Sister? Han Qingyu had spent much of the afternoon pondering this question before finally deciding to give it a try. If this succeeded, Rusty Sister's defensive capability was bound to jump another notch. That way, she might become another bug, and he would not have to worry nearly as much about her safety going forward. Moreover, this was bone source; there were only a handful of people Han Qingyu would be willing to part with it for, even if it meant biting his tongue and swallowing blood. "Aahh!" Suddenly, a strange surge of source energy slowly seeped into the iron armor. Rusty Sister seemed about to cry out, but held it back, reducing it to a soft whimper. "Does it hurt?" Han Qingyu immediately halted the surge of bone source. "No. Just startled me a bit," Rusty Sister said weakly. "I see. Don't go yelling if it doesn't hurt." Han Qingyu drew a deep breath and relaxed slightly. He started over, carefully controlling the surge of bone source. Puzzled, Rusty Sister tilted her head to look at Qingzi... Beads of sweat were rolling down his forehead one after another. "What is this, Qingzi? Are you okay?" "Focus," Han Qingyu said. "Oh. So are we going to see the fireworks show on New Year's Eve?" *Whoa, nosebleed!* Rusty Sister felt a sudden wave of panic upon seeing it, but she did not dare move. "Focus... Pfft!" Han Qingyu sprayed a mouthful of blood. Repulsion. A repulsive force appeared on Rusty Sister—faint, but palpable. This was something that had not happened with Elegy of the Square. Han Qingyu carefully held back the bone source from surging any further while observing Rusty Sister's reaction with even greater caution and concentration. Under the iron armor, Rusty Sister's brow furrowed. Pain! The sensation brought by the bone source was like a warm hand touching her—an experience she had never felt before—yet the surge of source energy flowing from that hand suddenly felt like knives slashing her skin. The bone source had just breached directly to her skin. Remembering Qingzi's instructions, Rusty Sister blurted out, "Stop, stop... Qingzi." Han Qingyu quickly stopped. The portion of bone source that had already permeated was repelled and surged back automatically. He stared at Rusty Sister with tension in his eyes. "I feel like the dead iron on the inside is about to crack," Rusty Sister said uneasily. "Is that so?" Han Qingyu pondered. Picking up a fragment of ordinary dead iron within reach, he attempted to channel bone source into it... With just a tiny bit, *crack*, fissures spread across the dead iron fragment, and the bone source surged back. So ordinary dead iron could not withstand the permeation of bone source. And the innermost layer of Rusty Sister's armor—the internal source energy circulation system that genuinely sustained her life—had been constructed entirely of ordinary dead iron back then. The added coating was high-grade, but it had already fused into a single unified whole. *Good thing I was careful! No! How could I not have thought to test this first?!* Han Qingyu sat there dazed, gripped by a wave of self-reproach and lingering fear. Rusty Sister climbed off the bed, went outside to wring out a damp towel, and brought it back to hand to Han Qingyu. "Are you alright, Qingzi?" "I'm fine." Han Qingyu took the towel. Rusty Sister stood there, watching him wipe away the sweat and blood, gazing at that scar... The scar seemed to have faded a little. "By the way, Qingzi." "Yeah?" "Guess what kind of clothes Doctor Zhe and I bought for you guys?" "It doesn't matter what kind of clothes they are; they'll just get ruined in a fight... I'm more used to wearing those modified combat suits," Han Qingyu said. "They're suits! All black, with white dress shirts and neckties. Super expensive and super cool," Rusty Sister said. "Doctor Zhe said that once your injuries heal, if you wear one out for a stroll, every woman in the City of Iniquity will be falling over to support you. Wu Xu will definitely look great in one too. Doctor Zhe said, just imagine—Wu Xu in a suit, carrying his long spear slung across his back, with that deadpan face of his, heheh! And then Plague Chicken in a suit holding his sniper rifle, with the sleeves of his white shirt peeking out a bit..." "Plague Chicken wore a suit back in school, though it was red plaid and really flashy. I've never worn a suit before." "Then you can wear one for the New Year."