The pink military insignia on Yang Qingbai's chest sparked the hidden girl's heart beneath the cold, hard iron armor. For all these years, Rusty Sister had been surrounded by a pack of big brothers, along with sabers and armor, but she had never had anything like this.
If anything came close, it was only that red cloak. She had always loved it and treasured it deeply.
Moreover, Rusty Sister was truly cherished; against the current, she had reclaimed that slice of girlhood she had once lost.
Despite the boys constantly calling her "Iron Chick" or "Bucket Girl," teasing her and tossing her around, in truth she had never once been disappointed over the things she wanted or wished to do over the past few years.
Take those two previous occasions, for instance: purely because she wanted to see it, and just for her simple happiness, Han Qingyu and the others overcame their embarrassment and put on suits to watch fireworks, to cut down enemies, and to welcome people back.
Or whenever a sudden whim struck her to cook a dish, everyone would tease and grumble on the outside while wolfing it down and fighting over every last bite.
"Qingzi, Brother Wu Xu, don't you think it actually looks really nice?" In the hospital room, Rusty Sister pointed at Yang Qingbai, then turned around. "Isn't it fun? Brother Plague Chicken, Little Prince, Tangtang..."
"I can't wear it myself, so I really, really want to see how you look in it," she added, putting on a pouting, aggrieved tone.
"I'll wear it." Wen Jifei couldn't hold out and surrendered first.
Then He Tangtang nodded as well. "Fine. Isn't it just a pink flittering moth? I can take it."
"Then count me in too." The Little Prince signaled that he could manage it.
That left only Han Qingyu and Wu Xu.
Lying on their hospital beds, the two painfully rigid men tilted their heads to exchange a look, engaged in an agonizing internal struggle. But seeing the iron lump beside them—radiating excitement one second and feigning misery the next—neither of them could bring themselves to utter the word "no"... even though telling Rusty Sister to "get lost" was normally second nature to Han Qingyu.
"What's with the faces? Looking down on it? I think it looks pretty nice myself—the color is pleasant, and the pattern is good too." Zhe Qiuhong walked in, glanced at Yang Qingbai, and said, "Put it on. Wearing it might even serve as a constant reminder not to keep flying into fire like moths."
That was, in fact, the exact reason Zhe Qiuhong had deliberately altered the design into a moth. She had wanted to hint to Han Qingyu and the others about their near-certain doom.
Even so, she knew full well it probably wouldn't make the slightest difference.
Half an hour later.
Yang Qingbai stepped out and returned, tossing a woven bag stamped with the Azure emblem onto the floor with a swish.
"Delivered along with the medical supplies. Three sets per person. They must've checked everyone's measurements beforehand, so the sizing shouldn't be far off." As he spoke, Yang Qingbai produced a small pouch and handed it to Rusty Sister. "Plus three extra... for you, Rusty Sister. They even sent the glue along with them."
"Mm!" Rusty Sister took it excitedly, cradling it in her iron palms and lowering her metallic head to examine it closely.
At the sight of this, Han Qingyu and Wu Xu exchanged another glance.
They knew there was no escaping it now. Rusty Sister hadn't just called it pretty; she had also used another word: fun.
And when it came to fun, nothing could beat the awkward sight of two notoriously rigid men dressed like that.
Besides, ever since that last brush with death, Rusty Sister's spirits had actually been weighed down by worry and gloom. None of them had voiced it aloud, because talking about it wouldn't solve anything—it would only send her spiraling deeper into her thoughts.
In short, making her genuinely, completely happy was no easy feat.
"Also, the people at the fixed exploration site just checked in to say that everyone over there has finished swapping uniforms," Yang Qingbai added.
"Huh? That eager? Those brutes!" He Tangtang was flabbergasted, wondering inwardly whether those guys had secretly harbored pink hearts all along.
"Uh, didn't they feel disgusted?" Han Qingyu blurted out from the side.
"No idea," Yang Qingbai said, shaking his head. "But think about it. Milla is bound to love this design, right? Caixin will probably love it too. That means Theodore and the various regiment commanders definitely won't object. And once the majority of the female soldiers in the legion are happy and love it, the men certainly aren't going to object either."
"Correct," Wen Jifei and the Little Prince agreed in unison.
This logic went right over Wu Xu's and Han Qingyu's heads, but the other two understood it perfectly.
And so,
"Heehee, then I'll go glue it on outside! Sister Zhe, help me glue it!" Rusty Sister waved the chest badge in her hand and pulled Zhe Qiuhong toward the door. "Make sure you guys change quickly!"
Then she shut the door.
Bang!
The men left in the hospital room looked at one another.
"Wear it."
Whoosh. Wen Jifei tossed the combat uniforms across the room, sending the pink flittering moths flying straight toward Han Qingyu and Wu Xu.
***
Azure's special-grade combat uniforms were actually far more sophisticated and precious than one might imagine. To put it another way, if they were sold in the ordinary world, every single piece would command an astronomical price.
Fine threads of dead iron alloy—the only type humanity had managed to produce to date—were woven into the specially treated fabric, making it virtually impossible for ordinary people wielding common blades or firearms to cause significant damage.
The hooks and studs on the back were anchored to the main alloy threading in the lining. They were neither numerous nor bulky, securing the gear primarily by latching onto key angles; once weapons were sheathed, the mounts were completely hidden from view.
The uniforms for Han Qingyu and the others were clearly custom-tailored, though where Azure Logistics had obtained their exact measurements and specs remained a mystery.
In addition to accommodating each person's current weapon loadout, this updated uniform featured a tailored slot on the outer left thigh specifically for carrying a short blade.
All in all, Han Qingyu was very pleased with this new combat suit... save for the pink badge sitting on the chest.
They quickly finished dressing and donned their apparatuses.
While improving performance, the Tenth-Generation apparatus featured an even more streamlined design, reduced to just a single vertical metal case resting against the upper back behind the left shoulder, along with two metal straps.
One strap ran along the metal case, its lower segment passing by the left kidney to connect to the belt, while its upper segment looped over the left shoulder toward the heart.
The other strap circled the chest.
Altogether, the apparatus featured three external connection points front and back, ensuring that it could continue functioning under most circumstances even if one suffered a fault or damage.
"Knock, knock. Are you done yet? Knock, knock, knock, knock..."
"Ready! Ready!" Wen Jifei ran over to open the door.
The others stood awkwardly in the room, waiting to be inspected.
The door swung open to reveal the cold, imposing suit of iron armor with a pink badge glued to its chest... From within came the girl's voice: "Wow, it looks so nice!"
"Nice, my foot," Han Qingyu muttered under his breath.
"It looks way better than before! It used to be so dull and lifeless, but with that splash of pink, the whole thing feels alive, doesn't it?" Rusty Sister giggled while trying to sound earnest.
"And girls will definitely love it. It'll do wonders for Tangtang when he looks for a wife, and for you when you go back for blind dates," Zhe Qiuhong said to Han Qingyu with a smile.
"Exactly!" Rusty Sister chimed in, laughing.
Blind dates? Only an idiot would wear this on a damn blind date, Han Qingyu grumbled inwardly. He said, "By the way, I was just thinking... I plan to dye this dark red."
Han Qingyu raised a finger toward his chest, though he refused to look at it.
"But dark red is hard to tell apart from black," Rusty Sister pointed out.
"Then a medium red." Han Qingyu paused, his stubborn tone softening. "All right? We really can't handle pink."
"Pfft... Hahahaha! All right, all right. It's just a shame we didn't take a photo."
Rusty Sister finally burst into hearty laughter.
Zhe Qiuhong couldn't hold back her laughter either.
...And then there was a third person laughing—a woman.
Just as Han Qingyu and the others noticed,
Xin Yaoqiao stepped out from behind the door, clad in the major's uniform of the Sole Witness Legion. Halting, she glanced at Han Qingyu and said, "Long time no see, Major Qing."
Chapter 635