Spiderweb-like streaks of blue light crisscrossed erratically across the sky above the entire training ground, forming a spectacle of sublime intensity.
"So damn badass! Cough—such righteous, loyal kids. How on earth were they hounded into leaving Azure?" Yang Wudong murmured, his head tilted back. Then he glanced at Li Wangqiang. "It's on you guys for failing to protect your people."
It was a jab—more accurately, an accusation. Regimental Commander Li, who normally fired right back, opened his mouth but found himself lost for words. In the end, he could only lower his head with a helpless, bitter smile.
That was far beyond the scope of a minor army group's regimental commander. That was a First-Generation Star of Azure, a hero of all Europa, tied for fifth on the Dome Leaderboard...
And yet Han Qingyu was going to cut him down. He had announced it to the entire world—he was going to cut him down.
Just thinking about it felt damn satisfying.
"Righteous and loyal?" At an adjacent table, several girls from the Second Research Institute's propaganda team caught those words and exchanged glances.
That was hard to deny, but Nie Xiaozhen shook her head with conviction.
"It depends on who you're talking about. When it comes to girls... You guys know what? Once, I dreamed I was kissing him..."
The table instantly erupted with gasps and excited squeals.
"Don't make a fuss, wait till I finish," Nie Xiaozhen said.
"All right, kissing! And then? What happened next...?"
"And then, right in the middle of the kiss, wasn't his hand resting on my back? He used the chance to secretly pop open the metal compartment of my apparatus and swiped my source energy blocks!"
"...Pfft! Hahaha!"
The girls clapped hands over their mouths, struggling to keep from laughing so hard they lost all composure.
On the other side of the grounds, today's groom, Captain Lao Jian of Squad 1777, finally pulled his gaze away from the sky above.
After standing in silence for a few seconds, Captain Lao turned around, lifted a full cup of liquor from the table, and poured it slowly onto the ground.
This cup of liquor was an offering to the brothers who had fallen three years ago on the plateau around Xilang Peak.
That autumn, Squad 1777 had been ordered deep into the plateau, only to be ambushed and trapped by Alphonse's men... During their desperate breakout, seven members of the squad were killed in action. Nearly everyone was critically wounded, and four more succumbed to their injuries soon after.
Afterward, to seek justice, the genius of their squad used his battlefield merits to pave a path, cutting down generals before the battle lines... and had been on the run ever since.
"Brothers, today your captain is getting married and throwing a wedding feast. Qingzi and the others are all back too... Look at them, cutting down enemies—Alphonse's men, sliced like melons and vegetables. Did you all see it? Are you satisfied?"
"It's been three years."
Three years later, today, it was Alphonse once again sending men to attack the wedding of Squad 1777's captain.
Only now, the story was completely different.
A magnificent slaughter and a crimson wedding were unfolding before their eyes.
"Once this wedding is over, they're going to kill Alphonse."
***
It was over. The last of the mentally shattered enemies fled, though they were doomed never to break through the outer perimeter's encirclement. The sounds of battle died down, and the banquet resumed.
Soon, however, the guests noticed something bizarre: led by Vice Captain Qin Guowen, members of Squad 1777 were vanishing from the tables one by one without a sound.
"What are they running off to do?" someone asked Lao Jian.
"Loot—cleaning up the battlefield," Lao Jian whispered.
"Is there any need to rush? We're in the middle of a feast!"
"There is." As Lao Jian replied, he quietly turned his head to glance at Han Qingyu, thinking to himself: *With this guy around, how could they not rush?!*
Squad 1777's current shameless habit had been left behind from back then, hadn't it?
"You're crossing the line, Captain Lao," Han Qingyu said, catching his gaze.
"What line? What did I do?" Captain Lao feigned ignorance with a grin, pointing to the liquor in his cup. "Real liquor, not plain water."
"..." Helpless, Han Qingyu gave up. "Fine, consider it our wedding gift money."
Which meant they wouldn't have to pay actual gift money.
With that, Han Qingyu sat down alongside Wen Jifei, He Tangtang, and the others.
Head Chef Old Fang personally brought out their dishes.
Wu Xu took a bowl of rice piled high with meat and vegetables and walked off alone to the edge of the training ground. Sitting down on a low rock, he ate while keeping Bu Mang company, occasionally tossing the dog a piece of meat.
No one went over to disturb him.
A few who didn't know him well tried to approach with drinks, but Wen Jifei, He Tangtang, or veteran squadmates from 1777 intercepted them.
Just as no one went over to disturb Rusty Sister.
*Clack.*
As the iron armor sheathed its broadsword and turned, Mangmang Mangmang sprang into the air in fright, limbs and body splayed wide like a flying squirrel.
After landing, however, the cat summoned its courage, tilting its head up and tentatively approaching until it was certain, then letting the iron armor pick it up.
"Meow."
Holding the cat, Rusty Sister stood there, softly sobbing beneath her iron armor as she looked at the old man standing dazed across from her.
"Grandpa."
"Ah... my Xiuxiu... look how imposing you are."
Shen Fengting choked up the moment he opened his mouth.
The grandfather stepped forward, wanting to embrace his granddaughter, but when he opened his arms, he realized he could no longer truly hold her. In the end, he could only reach out and gently touch the dead iron on Rusty Sister's cheek.
"Grandpa, why did you come? I told Tu Zi it was too far and that you didn't need to come... but I really wanted you to," Rusty Sister wept softly.
"Grandpa knows. Grandpa missed you too. Day and night, all I thought about was whether my Xiuxiu was doing well out there, whether you'd grown, whether you were happy..."
"Mm. Most of the time, I'm actually pretty happy."
"Is that so?" Hearing that, Shen Fengting smiled.
He knew she wasn't lying. This was his own granddaughter; he could tell from the slightest gesture or tone of voice.
The iron armor nodded. "Mm."
"That's good. Come, let's go sit over there."
The old man took his granddaughter's hand—though his grip couldn't close completely around the metal gauntlet—and led her aside, saying, "By the way, have they bullied you out there these past few years? If they have, tell Grandpa. Grandpa will beat them up."
Bullied? Rusty Sister turned to look at Han Qingyu and Wen Jifei, thought about it, and said, "Well, there was some of that, but honestly, it felt more like I bullied them."
"Really?" Shen Fengting wondered. His granddaughter had always been the type to hold herself back because she was too considerate.
"Mm. For a while back then, Han Qingchong and Wu Xu's combat power..."
"Han Qingchong?"
"Yeah, Han Qingyu. Calling him Han Qing-anything works. For a while, his and Wu Xu's combat power dropped, so I was the strongest in Stream Vanguard. Whenever I had nothing to do, I'd bully them—smashing Han Qingyu all over the place, picking up Wu Xu, Plague Chicken, and Tangtang and hauling them around..."
"Hahaha! And then?"
"Then... both of them reached super, and I haven't yet," Rusty Sister said, a little deflated.
"I see. Did they try to get revenge on you?"
"No, they didn't dare," Rusty Sister said. "Tangtang taught me what to say." She composed herself and reenacted it vividly: "'Look, if you hit me, I'll be really mad, and I might just run away from home.'"
Shen Fengting froze for two seconds, then burst into hearty laughter.
He was genuinely happy, and profoundly reassured. Hearing this gave him far more peace of mind than being told how carefully Han Qingyu and the others looked after her.
Chapter 559