Do You Think The King Is Dead?

"Are you ready?" "Ready." "Here it comes!" Out at sea, over twenty ships were lined up in a row. On the foredeck of each vessel sat an A-frame made of dead iron, fitted with chains and an iron board... and sitting on that iron board was a person. It was a damn swing. Yet it wasn't being used for gentle swinging back and forth. Instead, the rider was swung hard outward and launched straight into the sea to see which ship's passenger flew the farthest. "Whose idea of a game was this?" Han Qingyu asked as he emerged from the cabin, strapping on his device. "Rusty Sister, of course. I thought lightening the mood would do some good, so I agreed," Wen Jifei said, walking out beside him. Pointing toward the deck, he added, "Look, she couldn't resist getting on it herself." The iron suit was seated on the swing. *Boom!* He Tangtang had been the one calling out, but Wu Xu was the one taking action. Accompanied by a surging burst of source energy, Wu Xu dashed forward and shoved with both hands. *Snap!* The iron chains snapped. With an "Aiya!" of surprise, the iron suit slammed flat onto the dead iron deck... Wu Xu stood there with a wooden expression, looking utterly innocent. Peals of laughter erupted across the sea. "Flagship, zero meters! Next!" Theodore gestured from an adjacent ship, shouting into a communicator. "Cancel next," Wen Jifei's voice cut through the communicator. "Everyone, get ready. Pack your supplies and cloaking devices. We're disembarking." "...Yes, sir!" After a brief hesitation, excited, energized replies crackled back from ship after ship. If their suspicions were correct, this would be the first time they followed Major The Qing into battle under the banner of Stream Vanguard—moving as a true army. Yet this was not South Asia... "Wait, aren't we going after Alphonse?" confusion rippled through the ranks. "Uh, can I ask? What are we actually heading out to do this time?" Old Hugh's voice chimed in through the comms, speaking on behalf of everyone. "We're going to pick up a girl," Wen Jifei said. "Ten thousand men?!" Deploying ten thousand people just to pick up one girl? Across every vessel, the listeners were left stunned and bewildered. "Yes, because we're already a little late," Wen Jifei said, glancing at the intelligence dispatch sent by Tu Zi in his hands. *** Siberia. Ten thousand men laid siege to the city. Across the frozen wasteland, ten thousand Huaxia Front soldiers stood in formation facing the city walls, blades strapped to their backs. "The Azure Huaxia Front has arrived. We request that our allies of the Xiongzhanli Front receive us." Tu Zi stood entirely alone before the army's vanguard, calling across the open ground in a tone of routine diplomatic exchange. Behind him stood ten thousand troops; ahead of him were perhaps even more... Tu Zi was not in the least bit nervous. On the contrary, he was exhilarated. The battlefield he had always dreamed of was finally before him. He had arrived in glory as the dedicated interpreter for Legion Commander Chen Buer. It was only a pity that this battle might pit allies against allies. This was already his third call, yet there was still no response from the opposing side. Tu Zi had no choice but to glance back at the military truck parked before the battle line. The legion commander gave no instructions. Tu Zi turned back once more. "We request that the Azure Xiongzhanli Front receive their allies!" This time, his tone was laced with open anger and threat. "Not bad, this little interpreter," Chen Buer remarked with satisfaction inside the truck cab, turning his head as he saw Tu Zi take the initiative to bare his teeth. Beside him sat Hua Bixuan, wrapped in bandages, leaning weakly against the seat back. Marshal Hua glanced at the legion commander, his gaze still filled with irritation... If not for this damned old man, he never would have come to Xiongzhanli to swallow such humiliating treatment. "Mosolygin is a cunning politician. He's biding his time, wanting to gauge our true strength before deciding how to respond," Hua Bixuan said. The only two super combatants here were the two of them, and Hua Bixuan himself was severely wounded. "Oh, so that's how it is." Chen Buer opened the door and stepped out of the truck. Then he simply strode forward. The opposing army of ten thousand erupted into a brief clamor, instinctively falling back a step... Until their commanders barked them to a halt. They had known Chen Buer would likely come and had mentally prepared themselves for it, yet seeing the man arrive in the flesh still stirred unavoidable dread and helplessness. Had they encountered him at any other time or place, the soldiers would have cheered with boundless fervor. "Greetings, Legion Commander." Mosolygin finally spoke, forcing a thin smile. Tu Zi translated the words across. Chen Buer gave a slight nod, saying nothing. "We always suspected you would come, Legion Commander, and sure enough, here you are. Thinking about it, it's truly laughable. Azure has always guarded against you with the utmost suspicion, yet time and again, they rely on you..." Mosolygin continued: "Can an Azure like this truly lead this world to survive and achieve victory? ...I don't believe so. I believe a military junta is the right choice. I urge you to consider my proposal, Legion Commander. We could forge an alliance." Having said his piece, he waited for Tu Zi to translate. He waited for the response. "The legion commander says your words make a lot of sense, and hearing them felt quite gratifying," Tu Zi shouted back toward the other side. Expectation stirred in Mosolygin's chest... "However," Tu Zi continued, "the legion commander says that Azure's past vigilance toward him... was justified." Chen Buer offered no further explanation for that statement, but Tu Zi understood it reasonably well. Without such vigilance, Azure might have fallen under Alphonse's military dictatorship long ago. In politics, one could not simply rely on a person's character. Unless forced by absolute necessity. *If one day Brother Qingzi were in that position... with Brother Qingzi's character...* Tu Zi even took a stray moment to ponder the thought, suddenly shivering with a cold dread. "And then?" Mosolygin asked across the divide with a cold sneer. In truth, he had never harbored much hope of swaying the invincible warrior of the mortal realm so easily. "And then, disband," Tu Zi said. "The legion commander says being angry over grievances is fine, but turning blades against your own people crosses the line. Once you've vented, that's enough. Soldiers should return to their posts, not stand here brandishing weapons at their allies." "Oh? Is the legion commander truly so loyal to Azure?" A mocking smirk played at the corner of Mosolygin's mouth. "No, what the legion commander is loyal to is this world," Tu Zi replied solemnly without hesitation. "Because regardless of its flaws, Azure remains humanity's final hope." Tu Zi was well aware of the systemic flaws within Azure; many people were. Yet if Azure were replaced by fractured, secularized military juntas, would they do any better? No! In the face of disaster, they would lack the power to resist... The ruling elite would hoard resources and plot their own escape. That was an entirely foreseeable reality—in fact, it was the very plan of secular politicians like Mosolygin, requiring no guesswork at all. "Whereas Azure might still change when the ultimate crisis arrives. Humanity still has a chance." Only after finishing did Tu Zi realize he hadn't consulted Chen Buer first. He glanced back, a flicker of panic in his eyes. "Couldn't reach an agreement, could you?" Chen Buer asked calmly. "...No," Tu Zi nodded. He didn't even bother asking Mosolygin. Because at that very moment, another contingent of Splinter Faction officers and soldiers emerged from the city gates... and marching alongside them were nearly a thousand captured Azure officers and soldiers. It was an utterly shameless tactic, yet the Splinter Faction had carried it out without hesitation. *Sigh.* Seeing this unfold, Chen Buer let out a helpless sigh in his heart. If the situation could be resolved through pure deterrence, he had no wish to shed blood. Otherwise, given his temperament, why would he waste so many words on a politician? The vast majority of the people here belonged on the battlegrounds of Azure's final stand beneath the dome, not here. "I believe, Legion Commander, that you perhaps should not, and cannot, afford to die here... General Ivan has expressed that he would be deeply honored to duel you, even fully expecting to perish in the attempt. Two other super combatants share his resolve." The threat posed by the hostages was plain to see. Mosolygin spoke once more, attempting to save some face by glossing over the captives and laying down another threat instead. It was another threat laid completely bare... They were willing to throw the fifth-ranked combatant on the Dome Leaderboard along with two super combatants just to drag Chen Buer down with them. Could Huaxia accept that? Could Azure accept that? Could this world accept that? If not, withdraw your troops. Having spoken, Mosolygin's gaze darkened as he stared at Chen Buer from afar, forcing himself not to look away. In truth, doing so would spell their doom as well. But the Splinter Faction was wagering that the world did not dare lose Chen Buer. And Chen Buer knew that truth all too well. Tu Zi translated Mosolygin's words. At the same time, his mind raced furiously... Unfortunately, this appeared to be an inescapable deadlock. Unless... *Clang!* The sound of a blade being drawn rang out from behind him. One sound became ten thousand. "Anyone bearing Azure equipment who is not of the Azure military and offers armed resistance shall be deemed an enemy force and eradicated." Behind him rose a forest of drawn blades, source energy churning in waves. Mosolygin's expression faltered in panic as Tu Zi boomed Chen Buer's words across the frozen ground. The legion commander of Huaxia's Sole Witness Legion accepted no threats whatsoever. Save for the surging thrum of source energy, the battlefield plunged into absolute silence. Combat was on the verge of erupting at any second. "By the way, is there a Miss Milla Joe among those people over there?" Tu Zi suddenly asked, glancing toward the crowd of captives. His tone sounded nothing like someone trading insults or declaring war. "What is he doing?" Unable to understand the foreign language, Chen Buer blinked in confusion. *What is wrong with this useless interpreter?!* Across the way, Mosolygin was equally bewildered. A moment later, an aide leaned in to inform him that such a person was indeed present. It was thanks to her that they had obtained a source energy firearm; though they were unsure how many shots it had left, it might prove useful shortly. "She is," Mosolygin answered. Though he had no idea what this was about, having an important person belonging to the other side in their custody was certainly advantageous, Mosolygin reasoned. "I'll be f..." Tu Zi hopped in place, rattling off a string of rapid curses. "You bastards actually dare detain Miss Milla?!" "The deputy squad leader of Squad 1777?!" "Do you truly think The King is dead?!" In that single instant, Tu Zi seemed beside himself with agitation. He shouted at the top of his lungs, especially emphasizing the words *The King*. In truth, Tu Zi had just set Han Qingyu up. Those cloaking devices could keep everyone else from detecting their location, but Tu Zi knew where they were. They were almost here.