Who Could He Be?

The next morning. "Who! Who ambushed me?!" Because the back of his head had been smashed, he had been placed facedown while unconscious. He Tangtang drew his legs in like a frog, then sprang up from the bed. The dignity of a newborn Yanxiu had been provoked. Bandages wrapped around his head, the great Kidney Striker hopped off the bed and spun in furious circles, roaring: "Who was it! I'm gonna slaughter you... Believe it or not, I'll eat you alive!" A circle of people sat around him, watching. The Little Prince: "Look at that, he's already threatening to eat people. I say we'd better hurry up and put him out of his misery, don't you think?" Wen Jifei: "Yeah, he has gotten a bit swollen with pride. But seriously, it's pretty humiliating. I've never seen such an embarrassing Yanxiu." Wu Xu: "Mm." "I'll... I'll eat all of you!" He Tangtang said weakly, feeling aggrieved. "Go right ahead and eat, haha! Still, our Tangtang's luck lately really seems amazing. He takes a tiny loss and picks up a huge treasure," Rusty Sister remarked with a chuckle. She sprang to her feet, brimming with excitement. "Tangtang, do you know what you picked up last night?" "Picked up?! You're the one picking things up! You're the one who picks stuff up with the back of your head! You..." "It's true, Tangtang. You might have picked up a tenth-generation device," Wen Jifei said. He Tangtang: "Tenth... huh?" He couldn't help feeling the miraculous back of his head. "Whether it's actually the tenth generation or not, we don't know for sure, but it really is a new type of device, something never seen before. Someone just tried it on and tested it. Its efficiency is much higher than the ninth-generation ones we're currently using." Wen Jifei used the word "much" because, in terms of combat power, a 1.2 to 1.3-fold increase was already a terrifying figure. Once Stream Vanguard's ten thousand-plus troops were fully equipped with it, their combat strength would rise dramatically. And once humanity's source energy forces were fully equipped... The question was where on earth this thing had come from. They had been discussing it for a long time, yet still had no clear answer. The first suspect was naturally Azure. However, if Azure was truly trying to curry favor, there was no reason whatsoever for them to deliver it this way. Waiting until mass production began and then presenting a batch would undoubtedly be the best, most elegant gesture, and the one most likely to move Han Qingyu. Then again, one couldn't rule out the possibility of some small organization suddenly making a breakthrough. After all, when it came to this technology, all of humanity was in the same boat, feeling their way forward. For instance, the fourth-generation device in history had been developed first by a small organization that had since died out. Yet if that was the case, why would they do this? It made no sense! That left guessing toward Snow Lotus. Thanks to Ne's existence, Snow Lotus's lead in certain technological fields was undeniable. In recent decades especially, almost every iteration of source energy apparatuses had Snow Lotus's shadow behind it. For example, the fact that Azure's ninth-generation device was a copycat design had always been an open secret within scientific research institutions. "Could Snow Lotus be trying to win us over?" the Little Prince muttered. "Yeah, we can't rule that out for now..." Before Wen Jifei could finish— "Report!" a soldier shouted outside the door. "Come in," Wen Jifei said. The one who entered was a soldier stationed in Stream Vanguard by Shu You. Glancing around the tent, he said, "Reporting! Boss Shu You sent word: that device was brought by Ye Jian..." "Ye Jian?!" Ye Jian again! Killing my demented Great Spike, stealing my greatsword, smashing the back of my head... "I'll eat him alive sooner or later!" He Tangtang didn't know that Ye Jian had actually saved his life as well. "Ye Jian?" Wen Jifei stood up with suspicion. "Yes. He passed through here last night, and Boss Shu You chased him all the way. The message says Ye Jian stated it himself—someone inside Snow Lotus stole Ne's latest achievement, which is this tenth-generation device, and entrusted him to secretly toss it to Major Qing..." "Who?! Who stole it?" Rusty Sister asked urgently. "No idea. Boss Shu You said Ye Jian didn't say, and he specifically mentioned 'secretly'..." the soldier reminded them. The Little Prince looked up at Wen Jifei. "Could it be him himself?" "No. A bastard like Ye Jian wouldn't deign to tell a petty lie like that." Wen Jifei frowned in deep thought, unable to fathom who that person could possibly be. Because if Azure spies had done it, the item ought to have gone to Azure. With so many front army bases and squad stations around the world, wouldn't any of them do? Besides, how could someone from Azure ever entrust Ye Jian? Then who could it be? Why would they steal it, how could they steal it, and why would they specifically name Qingzi to receive it? Throughout their speculations, Young Master Shiheng's figure never once crossed their minds—not even for a flicker of a second. For in their subconscious, or rather in their heartfelt hopes, Wen Jifei and the others were convinced the young master must be living carefree and happy in the mortal world. "By the way, where's Qingzi? How is he? Has he seen the device yet?" After the soldier left, He Tangtang asked. "He's seen it. He's... currently having surgery," Wen Jifei said. ... Medical military tent. A blue drape separated Han Qingyu's left arm from his body... The nurses had all been brought from the City of Iniquity as well. As Zhe Qiuhong began operating, she said: "I just went over to take a look. Our researchers don't seem able to dismantle that device, let alone replicate it." "Yeah." Gritting his teeth, Han Qingyu gave a slight nod on the other side of the blue drape. Because this was experimental and he needed to continually communicate his physical reactions to Zhe Qiuhong, he hadn't undergone general anesthesia. He merely kept life source energy circulating around his shoulder to buffer the pain. Stream Vanguard had no scientific research capability in any real sense. Their so-called research department was merely a group of technicians brought from the City of Iniquity who were normally responsible for refining metal blocks and modifying devices; they possessed no true R&D capability. "Then will you hand it over to Azure? To the Legion Commander, for instance?" Zhe Qiuhong asked probingly. "Of course." Han Qingyu's answer was unexpectedly calm and without hesitation. He said, "No matter who sent it or what their purpose is, I'll definitely give it to Azure, and to the City of Iniquity... After all, relying on just us, there's no way we could ever cut down all those Great Spikes or protect this world." This wasn't selfless nobility; it was simple pragmatism. Even more pragmatic was what Han Qingyu added next: "Though of course, I'll have to squeeze a handsome payout first." "...Expected." Zhe Qiuhong smiled beneath her surgical mask, her hands never stopping. "Actually, even without this, the Azure Alliance should be very anxious to get on your good side right now." "True." Han Qingyu didn't deny it. Setting down her scalpel and scissors for a moment, Zhe Qiuhong looked at him, hesitated, and said: "Can you spare Voyage? What I mean is, because of Gilles's exposure, Voyage has now become an accomplice in Alphonse's conspiracy to murder you. Azure is very likely to make a move against us to curry favor with you." Han Qingyu opened his eyes and looked at her... Even though one of his arms was currently under Zhe Qiuhong's knife, he still said: "I remember our agreement from before. I only spared your brother that one time. If I see him again, I will kill him... I will definitely kill him." "...I know. In the early hours of this morning, Voyage already took the initiative to announce Zhe Shouzhao's treason and defection. But he escaped." Having said that, Zhe Qiuhong lowered her head and resumed the surgery. Announcing Zhe Shouzhao's treason and letting him flee was actually saving his life. Because against the current Han Qingyu, no one could protect Zhe Shouzhao. Zhe Qiuhong knew this full well, and she knew Han Qingyu could easily figure it out as well. "Seems your Voyage cares quite a bit about this brother of yours," Han Qingyu closed his eyes and said somewhat weakly. "Mm." Zhe Qiuhong paused. "You still haven't answered me... Can you spare Voyage?" "Do you care about Voyage that much?" "Yes. I was raised and cultivated by many people in Voyage together. As I told you before, I was never very close to my family, nor did we spend much time together." Having spoken, Zhe Qiuhong kept her head down and continued the operation. She had never mentioned her mother. The previous leader of Voyage was Zhe Qiuhong's mother, while she and Zhe Shouzhao were probably... merely the necessity and product of passing down superior genetics. Their mother had harbored no affection for their father, nor much for the two siblings; her entire life had been consumed by a yearning for the cosmos. Between the two siblings, Zhe Qiuhong had inherited her mother's genius genes, and had thus been groomed with all Voyage's might from childhood as their future and hope.