A Joke

In the southeastern waters of Asia, amidst a fleet concealed among the islands, cheers and jeers rose from time to time as people catapulted from a dead iron swing splashed into the sea one after another. At the insistence of a certain suit of iron armor, they were no longer competing over who could fly the farthest; the new rule was to see who could make the biggest splash. Late spring sunlight shone clear and bright through the spray of water, dappling the deck. Wrapped in bandages, Han Qingyu lay on the cabin roof basking in the sun. He no longer molted after getting injured, yet his body's recovery speed remained astonishing. His injuries were quite severe this time, however, so it would probably take another day or two. In his drowsy state, he suddenly felt the light being blocked. Han Qingyu slowly opened his eyes to find a face directly above his, leaning in very close. Had it been He Tangtang, Wen Jifei, the young prince, or someone like them, they would have been sent flying on the spot. But it was Milla. You had to know just how lovely her long golden-brown hair, snow-white skin, and blue eyes looked beneath the rays of the sun. Han Qingyu thought she was as pretty as the glass marbles he used to pick up as a kid. "What is it?" he asked in a cool tone. "Mm..." Milla let out a delicate, pleading hum from her nose. She looked at Han Qingyu with a pitiful, wheedling expression. She wanted to undergo that surgery. She had already petitioned Han Qingyu at least ten times for it, trying every approach imaginable, but had been rejected every single time without exception. Otherwise, the dignified Captain Milla would never have been reduced to such tactics. "No way. Don't even think about it. That... wastes too many source energy blocks," Han Qingyu said, turning onto his side to avoid looking at her. "Ah..." This time it was an anxious sob. Milla scooted closer and pleaded, "But even if I only have one arm left, I can still live a normal life, can't I? And if it succeeds, we'll have two endless guns... I believe the surgery will definitely succeed. Doctor Zhe is so capable." "Bullshit. She's never even performed that surgery before, you know that? If you'd asked closely, you'd know it's really just a theoretical possibility she cooked up on a whim." "But Doctor Zhe really is amazing. She's the best, isn't she? Let me try. I really want to raise Miss Captain again and stand by your side, Qingzi... Qingzi." Han Qingyu rolled away in reverse, sprang to his feet, and walked off. "Lord Qingzi!" Milla lunged forward to wrap her arms around his leg... *Whoosh...* *Smack!* A massive splash erupted in the water! "Who fell in?!" Wen Jifei and He Tangtang hurried over to the ship's railing to ask. "Seems to be Captain Milla," Wu Xu said calmly, watching the sea. He pointed over his shoulder toward the higher deck, indicating that Milla had flown down from above. There was no need to ask what had happened. Wen Jifei and He Tangtang exchanged a look. "Impressed?" "Completely. At least in this regard, Han Dragonfly has long been invincible in the human realm." "Yeah. Come to think of it, just a few days ago he went into the midst of ten thousand soldiers to take her by the wrist..." "..." Wen Jifei and He Tangtang chatted for a bit, watched Milla climb back aboard, and lingered a moment... before preparing to return to their old spot to enjoy the bikini diving on the other ships alongside the young prince. Stream Vanguard naturally had female warriors, and not a small number of them either. But precisely because of that, as "cadres," they could only peek in secret. Naturally, this rule was mainly to keep the young prince in check. "Wait," Wu Xu's voice came from behind. Usually, when someone called out to wait, there was a rise in pitch, but Wu Xu's dead-man tone made it sound as though he were saying: *Wait, come with me to the underworld.* Wen Jifei and He Tangtang turned around. "What's up?" "Missing your cat?" "Told you that you should have brought her." "Well, want to come watch with us?" Wu Xu shook his head. "I was wondering... now that we've gone public like this, will Alphonse run away? The world is so big." The world truly was too big for Wu Xu; after all, he couldn't even find his way out of the City of Iniquity. "He won't." Wen Jifei's eyes turned cold, a faint smirk touching his lips. "First, if he runs, the Third Fixed Exploration Site will definitely be turned inside out, and there's no way they won't find evidence. Once he's found after that, he'll be completely isolated and without support. "Second, logically speaking, with the growth rate of Stream Vanguard—especially you and Han Green Snake—the longer this drags on, the worse things will be for him. "So in all likelihood, he'll use his home turf to make a final stand against us. Of course, given his character and fear of death, he certainly won't sit quietly waiting for us to arrive; he'll definitely try to cook up something." "Oh." Wu Xu nodded, feeling relieved. "If that's the case, why don't we wait a few more years?" He Tangtang asked next. "Because it's already been over three years. We don't want to wait any longer. And even more so, because you can't give someone who knows he's doomed years to make desperate, cornered gambles—especially when that person is such a cold, terrifying demon. None of us can foresee or bear the consequences of that." Wen Jifei had just finished speaking. Just then, Han Qingyu appeared up above, leaning over to shout down, "Plague Chicken, come up for a second. Tu Zi just sent something over." What Tu Zi had sent was a brief circular memo. The Huaxia Front hadn't received it, but most of the other Fronts had. The document originated primarily from the French Front, which had joined forces with several small Europan nations to issue a statement. Its contents were almost identical to what their councilors had said in the Coalition Council. [We must remind everyone that the current situation is that an individual who is no longer part of Azure is threatening to kill our first-generation Starlight.] *** In the Coalition Council, the tide had gradually been turning to one side, but the French representative's statement triggered a fierce counterattack and reversed the momentum. "If Azure cannot even protect its own first-generation Starlight, then protecting this world is probably a joke." The councilor who had earlier been rebutted into discouragement stood up once more, feeling that he stood on completely unassailable ground. A clamor of voices voiced their agreement. They attempted to link this matter to Azure's honor and survival. "Isn't Azure already a joke?" Amid the chaotic chamber, a pot-bellied white councilor suddenly rose and spoke in a deep, steady voice. His name was Mayne, the deputy head of the Coalition News Department. The war correspondents under his command, Ashleia and Ian, were none other than the authors of the famous article from three years ago, *The Stars Are No More*. "You! Do you know what you are saying, Mayne?!" a councilor shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at him in fury. The chamber fell silent. Mayne's words were simply too cutting—they wounded every single person present. Even the figures on the podium furrowed their brows and turned their gazes toward Mayne, who remained standing. "Mayne, you just said..." the Council President began. "I said Azure is a joke, and has long been one, Mr. President." Mayne raised his head, not evading a single gaze. Then he continued. Having started as a news broadcaster, Mayne's voice was steady and resonant: "It was one three years ago. Back then, while we were tasting the joy of victory on the Xilang Peak battlefield, we forgot that the man drenched in blood atop the summit was beginning his exile. That was when we became a joke. "And later, even more so... "When our research departments were celebrating their tremendous achievements yielded by the Great Spike mothership left behind, yet the person who secured that mothership for us was missing without a trace, trapped in exile, we were a joke. "When our so-called investigation team made no progress for three years, and seeking the truth was never treated as an imperative mission, we were a joke. "... "While the war in Antarctica rages like wildfire and soldiers bleed and die, yet we sit here arguing over who truly belongs to Azure, we are a joke. "He should have been in Antarctica adding to his legend! He could have been an anchor of faith! He was once willing to bleed for this world—do you remember? "Fine, I have another great joke right here... "When we were powerless to swiftly put down the insurrection in Xiongzhanli, yet afterwards we sit here debating how to stop the very man who quelled the rebellion for us... we, Azure, are a colossal, colossal joke."