Fu Dahai, the Sole Witness Legion sergeant, had not initially realized that he could use the camera to say hello to his parents, greet them, and admit that over all these years, he had actually been on a battlefield like this.
The reporter made no move to guide him—perhaps the interview simply hadn't reached that stage yet.
Yet the moment arrived abruptly.
Just like that, Fu Dahai stared silently into the lens, frozen there for a dozen seconds, before finally raising a hand to wipe at his tears. The grime on his face, dampened by tears, smeared across his cheeks until it covered his whole face.
Then he broke into uncontrollable sobs, weeping in low whines. Feeling humiliated, he buried his head again, took a fierce bite out of the unfinished bread in his hand, and tried to choke back his whimpering.
"Hahaha! Dahai, why are you crying?"
"Haha, cough, cough..."
Off-camera, Fu Dahai's comrades were laughing loudly, but as they laughed, they suddenly began to cough. As they laughed, their laughter gradually subsided... The sound of cleared throats and sniffling noses drifted in.
The camera never panned over to them.
Perhaps it had been stopped.
...Perhaps two or three minutes passed before the reporter finally spoke from off-screen, her voice thick with emotion. "Sergeant Fu, you... does anyone else..."
She wanted to ask: *Does anyone else have anything they want to say? Or do any of you want to say hello through the camera?*
*Boom!*
A sudden, colossal roar came from off-camera.
Far away, yet not that far.
It was a sound that viewers in front of television sets had already grown familiar with over the past two days—the sound of a Great Spike craft slamming into the ground.
"Understood. We'll be on-site immediately." Off-screen, a steady voice answered a call calmly, then raised in volume to shout, "Move out!"
Move out.
There was not a single trace of rousing passion, let alone an inspiring pre-battle speech like in the movies. It was just that, as if it were nothing more than an ordinary battle.
"Dad, Mom, uh, I'm fine. I'm really strong now, and I'm not scared anymore, so don't worry." Fu Dahai wiped his tears and looked up.
He spoke quickly, his voice hoarse, and at the end, cracked a grin.
Then, without another word to the reporter, the sergeant set down the bread, picked up the battleblade beside him, turned, and disappeared from the frame.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...*
City, long street. The camera slowly pulled back from the retreating silhouettes of that squad sprinting into the distance, settling on the foot of a nearby wall, on the unfinished bread and water bottles left behind.
The young reporter never reappeared on screen. She gave no concluding thoughts; she said nothing at all.
She had bungled this interview, having asked almost nothing of real value.
In truth, the purpose of organizing this interview, beyond showcasing the heroic spirit of humanity's source energy soldiers and inspiring confidence, was primarily to lay the groundwork for the upcoming nationwide conscription...
Yet Sergeant Fu had never once offered the answers she had envisioned. He had not uttered a single grandiose word or inspiring slogan.
He had even, as a soldier, admitted to being afraid.
And yet, in the end, the reporter submitted the footage completely unedited, and the interview aired on television screens just like that.
Perhaps those responsible for selecting the footage understood that at this stage, glossing things over and putting on a show was pointless. Only an authentic portrayal could truly touch people's hearts.
Standing before the perils of doomsday, one could not expect any method to touch everyone or inspire everyone... One could only believe that some people would inevitably be stirred, inspired, and filled with courage and fiery resolve.
These people were the ones who would ultimately uphold this world.
Han Qingyu left the conference room amidst words of care and concern.
Over the next few days, they stayed at the hospital.
Wu Xu stabilized at the top-tier this time, his combat power declining no further. Han Qingyu underwent examinations every couple of days while awaiting surgery.
Rusty Sister, the Little Prince, and He Tangtang led Stream Vanguard's hundred-man detachment out into surrounding areas from time to time to assist in battles.
That Daie had not reappeared for the time being.
Word regarding Yao Yue had been found; she was currently stationed at an Azure logistics base.
Fighting at the Third Fixed Exploration Site was somewhat frequent, but the situation remained stable.
Shu You returned to the City of Iniquity.
The squad kept constant tabs on news from home and Squad 1777's situation on the Yuzhou front, occasionally dropping by the conference room to watch the latest reports and footage.
Europa, the Americas, Africa... News continued to pour in from every front.
***
*Knock, knock-knock.*
"Come in."
With a creak, the hospital room door was pushed inward.
Yang Qingbai stood in the doorway.
During this period, he was one of Azure's most important figures. He had previously been specially escorted to headquarters, where he received medical treatment while attending conferences with aerial warfare officers and the research divisions.
"Could someone please tell me what on earth is going on here?"
At the door of the hospital room, Yang Qingbai raised a hand and pointed at his chest.
He wore Stream Vanguard's black combat uniform, but on his chest was an additional pink badge. Granted, compared to girlish pink, the color was slightly darker, more reddish.
Aside from the line patterns unique to Azure, the badge's shape appeared deliberately designed.
"A butterfly?" Rusty Sister exclaimed in delight, clanking over to inspect the pink butterfly closely. "Wow, it's so pretty! Qingbai, where did you get it?"
"I want one too... Uh, I could use industrial adhesive to glue it on," she said enviously.
"A butterfly?" Wen Jifei muttered as he walked over.
"A moth, isn't it? Looks more like a moth to me," He Tangtang said, walking over to look. "Like a big moth with its wings folded, resting on the chest."
He was right. The badge's shape was not a butterfly, but a resting moth... the kind that flew into flames.
The emblem itself had been partially stylized, giving it quite a sense of design.
Azure naturally had designers of its own, but the concept for this design did not originate with them; it came from instructions from above and from within Stream Vanguard.
The initial suggestion the Azure designers received was indeed a butterfly.
The old chief of staff had wanted to utterly disgust Han Qingyu and the others.
Yet shortly after design work began, the designers received a phone call. Zhe Qiuhong had somehow caught wind of it and made a special call to inquire, subsequently changing the butterfly to a moth.
Her reasoning was that over the years, Major Qing had always appeared in the most dangerous places, fighting hopeless battles again and again.
He was a moth that never ceased flying toward the flame.
And the people around him—they all were.
Therefore, there was no need to dwell on the fable's negative connotations; so be it... she had insisted.
"Wait, you guys don't know yet?" Inside the room, caught off guard by Rusty Sister asking where the badge came from, Yang Qingbai looked surprised.
Rusty Sister shook her head blankly.
"..." Yang Qingbai paused, then looked up at Han Qingyu and Wu Xu, intentionally asking, "So what do you two think of this thing? Soft and pink—I think it looks alright."
"Disgusting," Han Qingyu said.
"Yeah," Wu Xu nodded beside him.
"Right?" The corner of Yang Qingbai's mouth twitched upward. "Looks like you really don't know... Well, not knowing is fine. Just wait until you put them on."
"What? What did you say?!" Han Qingyu asked in a panic.
"Didn't you guys talk with the Legion before about having Azure issue a comprehensive announcement stating that Stream Vanguard is an ally to avoid misunderstandings?" Yang Qingbai asked in return.
"Ah... yeah, that did happen." Wen Jifei nodded. This was something he had discussed with the old chief of staff, though at the time they hadn't gotten into details like badge patterns or colors.
"So there you have it. The badge—this exact one. Azure notified theater commands worldwide this morning that this will be Stream Vanguard's emblem from now on." Yang Qingbai raised his wrist to check his watch. "Right about now, the first batch of newly tailored combat uniforms should have arrived at the Third Fixed Exploration Site."
"..." Goosebumps broke out all over Han Qingyu. "No way. There's no way in hell I'm..."
"Wear it! I really like it, it's so pretty," Rusty Sister wheedled playfully. "Wear it, Qingzi. Wu Xu, please? Plague Chicken, Tangtang, Little Prince..."
Chapter 634