One More Mission

No one went to disturb Wu Xu and Bu Mang, nor did anyone intrude upon Rusty Sister, her grandfather, and the cat. The well-meaning enthusiasm of those who were less familiar was handled by Wen Jifei, He Tangtang, and the Little Prince, who fielded everyone gracefully and with even greater warmth. Because it was easy to feel awkward amidst such fervor, Han Qingyu mainly chatted with familiar acquaintances. Planning to leave today, he hadn't drunk much liquor either. After catching up for a while with old squadmates, including Captain Lao, and getting to know the newcomers in the squad, he returned to the table just as the banquet was drawing to a close. The girls from the Second Research Institute's propaganda troupe had left the table early to prepare for their upcoming performance, and none of them mentioned driving Han Qingyu away anymore. Even Qi Rourou took the initiative to prepare her departure. Milla had returned to the table a few steps before Han Qingyu. When he got back, he saw her holding a chopstick in each hand, working them together to shred a piece of fish in her bowl. It looked like black carp. "What's wrong, Milla?" Han Qingyu asked. "Angry. And sad," Milla said, looking up at him with aggrieved eyes. "Why?" Han Qingyu asked. "Because of those three shots Plague Chicken took earlier... Qingzi, please agree to the surgery, will you? I want to use a gun," Milla said, her eyes rimmed with red. Once the excitement of seeing her old teammates had calmed down, the dejection Milla had felt atop the command platform returned. Back then, right beside her, Wen Jifei had drawn his gun, fired, and holstered it... Three gunshots, and one of the enemy's top combatants had perished on the spot. Though she knew that had required coordination—that Wu Xu had created the opening by forcing the opponent to dodge explosively until their source energy surge hit a low ebb, giving Wen Jifei the window for an easy snipe—it was still a bona fide top combatant! Cut down by a gun! That was something Milla had never dared to even imagine in the past. At the time, that top-tier fighter had kept shifting positions midair... Wen Jifei fired. The three shots weren't from the same point, along the same line, or even at the same angle, yet they struck the exact same spot with pinpoint accuracy—the heart—breaking defenses, piercing through, and delivering the kill. Milla had never tried shooting like that. She didn't even know if she could do it. "Let me think about it for a few days," Han Qingyu said. "Really?!" Just hearing Han Qingyu say he was willing to consider it made Milla leap up in excitement. Han Qingyu looked at her with a smile and nodded. *Wooo—wooo—* A long, piercing siren suddenly wailed through the air. Yet no panic broke out at the scene. Almost everyone in Azure was intimately familiar with this situation. Whenever a Great Spike craft was about to land, the Rejecters would contact the squad stationed in that area; if a brief hail went unanswered, the communication equipment would sound this alarm. It meant a Great Spike craft would soon touch down within Squad 1777's defense sector. However, because today was Lao Jian's wedding day, the higher-ups had already coordinated arrangements in advance. Squad 1777 was not required to carry out this mission. "It's fine, everyone keep eating!" Qin Guowen stood up and called out loudly. "It's just a routine notification! Coverage from neighboring squads was arranged long ago!" As his voice fell, the guests took their seats once more. Yet Lao Jian remained standing there... His gaze swept through the crowd, found Han Qingyu, and watching him, Captain Lao smiled faintly. The squad members caught on immediately and rose to their feet one after another, their eyes searching through the crowd to find Han Qingyu, Wen Jifei, Rusty Sister, Wu Xu, He Tangtang... They were no longer in Azure. "How about one more mission?" Lao Jian asked tentatively. The eyes of the entire room turned, landing upon Han Qingyu. "...Sure!" Han Qingyu said. Then Wen Jifei, He Tangtang, and the Little Prince stepped out from the crowding guests. Wu Xu rubbed Bu Mang's head and stood up, while Rusty Sister handed Mangmang Mangmang over to her grandfather. "Xiao Tu, could you help coordinate with the Rejecters?" Lao Jian said. "Have them notify the neighboring squads that there's no need for them to scramble and cover for us." "No problem." Tu Zi didn't run off to the communications room. Instead, right then and there, he pulled a specialized communicator from his backpack, tapped into the channel with his super-tier clearance, and briskly wrapped up the conversation. Afterward, Captain Lao took the communicator. Turning around, Lao Jian found his two deputy captains, past and present—Milla and Qin Guowen—already standing beside him in full combat gear. Milla carried only a single blade on her back without a gun, her long hair bound securely behind her head. "Squad 1777 acknowledges the alert and is ready to deploy. Squad 1777 acknowledges the alert and is ready to deploy," Lao Jian transmitted according to standard protocol, responding to the Rejecters' bulletin. "Then thank you for your service. Wishing Captain Lao a happy marriage, and wishing you all a triumphant return," the Rejecter on the other end replied. "Thank you." The call ended. Captain Lao looked up. "Deployment mission received! Raise the warning markers, seal all depots and access routes, and all logistics personnel proceed to the underground safe room... Actually, skip those last two today. You guys..." "Can we go watch?" Lao Fang, the head chef, raised his hand and called out. He had been in Azure for over twenty years, going from kitchen hand to cook to head chef. Every time the squad had a mission, he retreated into the underground safe room; he had never once watched the squad members hack down a Great Spike. "Yeah, Captain, let us go watch too!" the other logistics personnel chimed in to request. Lao Jian hesitated, looked at Han Qingyu and the others, and said, "All right." Then he continued according to protocol: "All personnel assemble! All personnel assemble! Don equipment, conduct mutual checks, and prepare to deploy!" This time, the squad members didn't head down to the underground pre-combat prep room. They formed ranks right on the training ground, checking one another's devices and inspecting their source energy block reserves... Today, every single one of them had an immense reserve. There was no time for the groom to change clothes either; he had combat fatigues underneath anyway. Dressed in his suit, with the captain's star insignia pinned to his chest and a long sword strapped to his back, his expression hardened and his gaze turned stern as he led his two deputy captains before the squad. "Reporting! First Formation, twenty-two personnel assembled, devices inspected, source energy blocks inspected, ready to deploy!" Qi Rourou stepped forward and saluted. "Await orders," Lao Jian returned the salute and stepped to the side. "Reporting! Second Formation, twenty personnel assembled, devices inspected, source energy blocks inspected, ready to deploy!" Three years ago, Xiao Lin had been merely a somewhat reckless ordinary squad member; now he was the core commander of the Second Formation. "Await orders," Lao Jian returned the salute, turned, and took another step to the side. It had been a very long time since Squad 1777 had a Third Formation. "Reporting." Han Qingyu took a step forward, paused, and said, "Third Formation, six personnel assembled, devices inspected, source energy blocks inspected, ready to deploy." "Good." Lao Jian lowered his head and took a deep breath, fighting back his emotions before looking up, letting a deliberately fierce gaze sweep across the ranks. "Today is my wedding day! I want a clean, decisive battle, just like our corps' motto: I see, I destroy... I want every single one of you to return safe and sound, but I don't want to see an ounce of cowardice or retreat... Obey commands! I will stand before you!" "Yes, sir!" All of Squad 1777 snapped to attention in response, saluting together. "For all that breathes, no retreat in battle, our bodies barring the sky!" "For all that—" Having had some liquor, He Tangtang shouted along with the opening words, only to cut himself off abruptly, standing there with eyes rimmed in red.