Where the Ships Head

The old chief of staff had originally been squatting on the ground throwing a tantrum. For one, he was using the fuss to vent and catch his breath; for another, if he had the Dome's tenth-ranked Han Qingyu and another super like Wu Xu in his hands right now, he wouldn't be this stressed and conflicted. After hearing Chen Buer's words, the old man froze on the spot. In a rather straining posture, he craned his neck and looked up at him. He thought to himself, *That's right. Squad 1777's deputy captain, Milla Joe, seemed to have returned to Xiongzhanli three years ago. And as things stand, the turmoil in Xiongzhanli is ready to erupt at the touch of a spark...* Because the Front Army's Rejecters unit had suddenly defected to the Splinter Faction, the situation in Xiongzhanli had deteriorated to the point where even effective communication had been cut off recently. "As long as he pays any attention to outside news, it really is extremely likely he'll head to Xiongzhanli first." The old chief of staff agreed with Chen Buer's deduction, because he had personally witnessed the Xilang Peak incident—Han Qingyu paving his way with military merit, slaying enemies right before the battle lines—and the ones he had killed were three generations of a First-Generation Star of Azure family. Therefore, he knew just how much that insolent brat cherished and cared about his teammates. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, incredible, Legion Commander Chen. Even I didn't think of that," the old chief of staff said with a smile as he stood up. "Right? Haha!" Comrade Legion Commander laughed smugly on the spot. No one knew why, but whenever it came to that bunch of brats, his brain turned exceptionally sharp and full of ideas. "Actually, even if we can't find him like this, I have another trick." His spirits high and his inspiration flowing, Chen Buer continued. "Oh? Let's hear it." The old chief of staff played along eagerly. "It's simple, really." Chen Buer grinned mischievously and pointed at himself. "I play dead. If I'm dead, they'll have to show up, won't they? We just spread the news and make sure they hear it." "..." "Hey, hey, you're not listening anymore? I haven't finished! Chief of Staff Xu! Xu Xiaohong!" As Chen Buer rambled on, he suddenly noticed Comrade Xu Xiaohong turning his back, walking straight out the door, and leaving. Old Chief of Staff Xu was in no mood to indulge him. *Play dead? And make enough noise that even people out at sea hear about it? Heh, only he could come up with that.* *If Chen Buer died, it wouldn't be a question of whether Han Qingyu and the others would return—it would be a guaranteed catastrophe, chaos both within and without.* *** Two days later, at Squad 1777's station. Because of the hierarchy of information dissemination and the fact that Lao Jian, Yang Qingbai, and the others were staying deep in the mountains, they didn't yet know that a new name had appeared on the Dome Leaderboard—and that it happened to be the name they knew best. All they currently knew was that Han Qingyu and his companions had left the City of Iniquity, only to lose contact on the sea, their whereabouts unknown. "Hey, Teacher... Captain Lao!" Shang Nianhua had slipped on a loose jacket. Looking down at her lower abdomen, she asked with anxious hesitation, "You can't tell, can you?" She still occasionally called Lao Jian "Teacher"; whenever she was angry or irritated, she would call him "Captain Lao." Their wedding had yet to take place, but sparks had already flown, things had gone further than planned, and an unexpected situation had arisen. Lao Jian looked closely, shook his head, and whispered, "It's fine. You can't tell at all." "Mm." Shang Nianhua nodded, but her brow remained furrowed as she grumbled softly, "Those boys haven't said a word about coming back, and there's been no news whatsoever... If we wait any longer, I'm afraid people will start laughing at us." "It's fine, it won't be long," Lao Jian said reassuringly. "Besides, I've already submitted the paperwork for our marriage. The regiment said approval should come through very soon." "Ah? But if they can't make it in time, won't you have huge regrets? I hear you going on about them every single day," Shang Nianhua said. "And I want them to be there too... especially Wen Jifei. Strictly speaking, we still owe him thanks as our matchmaker." "They'll make it. Others might not know, but how could I not? Once they pick up Milla in Xiongzhanli, they'll all come back together. Even if they really won't return to Azure... they'll definitely make a trip back before going to seek revenge on Alphonse." Lao Jian spoke with conviction, then cracked open the door like a thief. It was time to head downstairs for dinner. As usual, he prepared to walk ahead a bit so no one would see which room he had come out of. But after taking only a few paces, Captain Lao couldn't help himself. He turned back with concern and said, "Be careful going down the stairs." "Mm." Shang Nianhua nodded. In truth, she knew Lao Jian had many worries in his heart; he just kept quiet so she wouldn't worry with him. He worried that Han Qingyu and the others would clash with Azure, worried they were no match for Alphonse, worried something would happen to Milla in Xiongzhanli, worried about so much... Yet the "world" Han Qingyu and the others now stood in was already very, very far from a Grade C Azure squad captain like him. No matter how much he worried or fretted, it was of no use. *** Around the time Squad 1777 was having dinner, somewhere out at sea it was night—late at night, with flashing lightning, rolling thunder, and howling wind and rain. Stream Vanguard's vanished fleet was forging ahead through the wind and waves in a certain direction. Earlier, they had taken a long, roundabout course and even stopped at a deserted island, on the one hand to reorganize their ranks and popularize the Huaxia language, and on the other hand to give Han Qingyu time to fully digest and fuse the energy of the bone source... Tenth place on the Dome Leaderboard might have been too high before, but now, that was no longer certain. "By the way, this shielding device Tu Zi had Old Pang bring along is seriously impressive. Aside from the first few days, nobody's been able to tail us." Wen Jifei sat at the bow and tugged on his fishing rod. He had no idea if anyone could actually catch fish in weather like this, and precisely because he didn't know, he decided to give it a try. Dragged along by him were Rusty Sister, Han Qingyu, and He Tangtang. Life at sea was simply too boring. Rain and waves lashed against iron armor with a steady clatter. "Yeah, that kid is a genius. Except for me, everyone in the Sub-Sequence is a scientist—they all use their brains. Even that damn blacksmith." Han Qingyu tested his line with a tug. No fish. "Say, he wouldn't sell out our movements, would he?" He Tangtang turned his head and voiced his concern. During this period, Tu Zi was their only contact with the outside world. Once a day, Tu Zi would borrow the Rejecters' facilities to transmit all sorts of intelligence over a special frequency. Han Qingyu: "He won't." "Not even to those Council people or the Legion Commander?" He Tangtang pressed. "He won't. He still remembers he owes me money, and owing money is usually the truest test of character," Han Qingyu said. "Besides, you have no idea how much passion he has for doing sneaky, mischievous things." And so, fishing and chatting, the sky gradually began to lighten, and the storm subsided. *** Antarctica, the Azure battlefield. Daylight was breaking here as well. A young Caucasian man woke up on a hospital bed in the military barracks. He had been unconscious for three days. His name was Pegmont, and he currently ranked first on the Cloud Piercer Leaderboard. Pegmont had a very distinctive hairstyle: the sides and back were shaved down nearly bare, but the front and top were kept quite long and dyed an eerie shade of pink. This made him look like he was begging for a beating at first glance. However, whenever people who had heard of his reputation finally met him in person, they often found that the legendary "reckless Pegmont" actually had an honest, straightforward face, and his smile was downright goofy. "You're awake," a comrade sitting beside the bed said upon seeing his eyes open. "Mm." Pegmont tried moving his body... it moved. He said, "I think I've recovered." "Recovered my ass. You're wrapped up like a mummy right now." His comrade cursed, and with a rustle, pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket, unfurling it right above his face. "Here, check out this intel." "What..." "Fuck! This is way too much!" Pegmont stared at that name once on the Cloud Piercer Leaderboard, which, after vanishing for a period, had suddenly appeared on the Dome Leaderboard. "They clearly said I was the bigger genius!" He was Pegmont, whose source energy degree of fusion was second to none under heaven. "No, I must be suffering from a severe lack of combat." Saying this, Pegmont struggled to his feet, stood firm, and began ripping off the bandages on his body. Wounds were exposed all over his body, some starting to bleed afresh. Anxious nurses rushed in to stop him. Pegmont stood stark naked right in front of them... He slipped into his combat uniform, strapped on his device, and shouldered his two-meter-long broadsword. "First, I have to go hack that Red Shoulder to death." "And then I'll go beat that 'The' kid." Talking as he went, Pegmont strode out the door. "Give me a break! You were hacked into this state by that Red Shoulder in the first place! You almost died!" His comrade chased after him, but didn't stop him. Because no one could stop him—and because he really wouldn't die. Half a year ago on the glacier, Pegmont had been cut down once by Butcher Ivan, suspected to be fifth on the Dome Leaderboard. Back then, the allied forces had spotted the man and cautiously avoided him, discussing how he might be the legendary general from Xiongzhanli who had gone missing—Butcher Ivan... When Pegmont heard that, he had leaped right out and shouted, "So you're that old deserter!" Even after that, he hadn't died.