Mosorijin had previously relied on layer upon layer of logic to conclude that The King couldn't possibly appear here.
In the worst, most extreme case, he thought a few top experts might have caught wind of the situation and rushed over. But the rumored ten thousand men from the City of Iniquity? That was flat-out impossible.
And yet, here they were. Standing right there.
It was as if they had sprung out of nowhere.
In an instant, both the delicate balance of high-end combat power Mosorijin had envisioned and the option of swarming them with human-wave tactics were utterly erased.
What do I do now?
Mosorijin was in a panic, all the more so because he still had no idea what Butcher Ivan would think... That man was another lunatic entirely.
Wait. Setting everything else aside, at the very least, The King's fallout with Azure has to be real. The whole source energy world knows that story... So does that mean he really just came here to pick up a girl?
Maybe that really is all this is!
Compared to Han Qingyu's very public break with Azure, his group's personal ties to Chen Buer were far less defined, less visible, and barely understood by outsiders. After all, strictly speaking, back when everything went down, the Huaxia Front hadn't fully protected them either.
Mosorijin comforted himself with that thought.
So... should I use that Milla to threaten him?
Or just compromise and offer an olive branch?
Mosorijin glanced toward the captives. Over there lay what could be a trump card, a bomb, or even a favor to be traded...
God grant she isn't injured.
Endless calculations churned in Mosorijin's head, leaving him paralyzed with indecision.
At the same time, Chen Buer's fingers on his hilt slowly eased. After more than two years, those rascals who had broken out of prison and fled on his advice were finally back.
Come back if you're coming back, did you really have to make such a grand spectacle of it?!
In truth, what the old man loved best was Han Qingyu's fiery temperament and personality. Feeling warmth and relief swell in his chest, he looked up at them, a smile ready on his face.
Yet the people on the grassy slope didn't even look at him.
Not even a glance, let alone a salute or a greeting.
"Don't look. Ignore him," Wen Jifei whispered, stopping He Tangtang and Rusty Sister just as their heads were about to turn.
Reason number one: spite.
Reason number two: Chen Buer's position carried too many constraints. If they showed closeness to him now, Azure would inevitably come squawking and badgering him later when they went off to chop Alphonse to pieces.
Reason number three: fear that Chen Buer would ask them to stay.
Reason number four: simple enough—it just felt damn good to do it.
Did they not see me standing here?
No way they could miss me.
So... Fine! Then this old man will pretend he doesn't see you either.
His warm, grandfatherly affection completely ignored, Legion Commander Chen turned his head away in a huff.
This little display left the Huaxia soldiers present totally bewildered.
It filled Mosorijin with excitement, however. It really did look like The King had severed ties with Azure! And here he was.
Leaving the ten-thousand-man formation on the slope, leaving all the other top experts behind, Han Qingyu and his core group didn't say a single word. They walked straight down the grassy hill, stepped onto the battlefield, and strode toward the captives.
What should I do? Block them or let them through? If we block them, a fight might erupt right away. If we don't... Totally disregarded and seized by panic, Mosorijin remained frozen in indecision.
"Whoa!" As the figures drew closer, Yelena stared blankly, then let out a sudden gasp.
Her gasp wasn't merely because The King was just as good-looking as the rumors made him out to be, but also because they had come to a fight wearing suits.
"So handsome!"
Maybe they put them on specifically to pick her up? Makes sense, it's so formal, so grand! Even if it is on a battlefield... the young girl thought with envy, turning excitedly to look at Milla.
In truth, it was somewhat awkward. Only because Rusty Sister and Zhe Qiuhong had adamantly insisted—arguing that it would look formal, show respect to Milla, and make her happy—had the boys pulled brand-new suits on over their combat uniforms.
Deep down, Rusty Sister and Zhe Qiuhong had probably just done it for fun. Ever since the group had dressed up in suits once last year and looked sharp, the two girls had bought new ones, constantly plotting to get the men into them again.
Regardless, they were already here. With such a massive scene, all they could do was brace themselves and carry on. Besides, in this moment, the emotion of seeing Captain Milla again outweighed everything else. And so, between the two opposing battle lines, they walked forward.
Milla naturally saw them too, saw them in their suits.
Well now... they really have grown into men.
In that instant, Milla's eyes flushed red. Joy and excitement surged through her, followed immediately by the memory of how she had once teased them by offering to let them watch her shower in the dorms—a thought that made her both nervous and bashful... and suddenly flustered.
I'm so dirty, and my hair is a mess... I must look awful right now. As a captive, Milla had several scrapes on her face, and her lips were pale.
Anxiously, she reached up to smooth her hair.
In that very moment, whir-whir-whir-whir... a continuous series of device surges erupted around the perimeter of the captives.
How could the soldiers know what was going through Mosorijin's head? Seeing those men advancing toward the prisoners, one acted rashly, and a whole crowd followed suit.
Devices roaring, they raised their sabers.
Some attempted to charge toward Milla's position.
Screams broke out among the captives...
Yet they had no idea what the surrounding soldiers were experiencing: all at once, the soldiers felt their sabers grow unimaginably heavy, nearly impossible to lift.
"Aaargh!"
A handful of stronger officers roared, forcing another burst of source energy through their devices.
Yet—Bang!
Bang, bang, bang, bang...
After a volley of gunfire, every single one of those officers crashed to the ground, writhing and groaning in agony.
And thus, not a soul managed to breach the perimeter of the captives.
Flanking Han Qingyu, Wen Jifei held the Elegy of the Square in both hands. Having struck his cool pose, he flashed a distinctly boyish grin toward the crowd of prisoners before stowing his gun away.
Every man on the ground had taken a bullet to the right chest, in almost the exact same spot. Wen Jifei was deliberately showing off his skill for his teacher to see.
Stunned by this exaggerated spectacle, the captives froze in dazed disbelief.
Only then did they come to their senses.
The crowd parted on its own to either side.
At the end of the newly opened passage, Milla snapped her head up.
Caught unprepared, a faint fluster lingered in her eyes as she offered them a timid smile.
They walked over and halted before her.
Falling into neat formation, they saluted.
"Reporting to Captain Milla! Huaxia Sole Witness Legion, Ninth Army, Regiment 425, Squad 1777: Han Qingyu..."
"Wen Jifei."
"He Tangtang."
"Shen Yixiu."
"Wu Xu."
"As promised, here to take you home."
"...Mm." Milla nodded, straightening her posture and returning a crisp military salute.
In that instant, had her mind not been distracted by something else, she would have almost reached out to touch Han Qingyu's face.
"Am I not pretty anymore?"
That was the distraction. Milla asked hesitantly.
Back in the day, Miss Milla had recruited team members based entirely on her looks, and that was how she had met them in the first place.
Instantaneously: "Pretty!"
The group responded in unison, as if answering a drill command.
Naturally, Wen Jifei and Rusty Sister led the charge, while Han Qingyu and Wu Xu were visibly a beat behind.
Still the same old boys, it seems! But they did manage to keep up, which wasn't easy.
Tears welling in her eyes, Milla broke into a radiant smile.
With familiarity restored, she completely relaxed.
Of course, looking pretty was still very important. "Wait for me a second," she said in a rush.
With that, Milla turned around and lowered her head, fishing a tube of lipstick from her pocket. She had felt it in there during the chaos earlier. When the turmoil broke out, Milla had been getting ready for a meeting; she had trimmed her hair and bought new cosmetics to try... and later, in the rush, she had slipped the lipstick into her pocket.
Delicately applying a bit to her lips, she pressed them together, then turned back around. "Does this look a little better?"
"Mm."
Han Qingyu had learned his lesson. Having answered, he took a step forward, reaching out to take Milla's wrist.
Better get her out of here first. If a chaotic battle breaks out, Milla might get hurt, he thought.
"Is The King planning on completely ignoring us?" Behind them, Mosorijin's voice finally rang out.
He had no other choice.
Had they held a dialogue first before he compromised, he might have barely saved face and weathered the situation.
Under the current circumstances, however, they had been utterly ignored, and an armed clash had already occurred. With the wounded still groaning on the ground, if Mosorijin failed to find an appropriate way to reclaim control of the situation, the officers and soldiers behind him would likely collapse into outright mutiny or despair.
Chapter 540