Qingzi, What If I Come Out One Day?

A bonfire had burned down. Even the embers were growing cold, leaving only a final spark still burning, struggling and refusing to die. A pair of hands reached over, cupping it carefully, doing everything possible to keep it from going out. Roughly speaking, this was the state of a super combat power at the brink of death, locking in vitality with life source energy. In ninety-nine percent of cases, that spark could not last long, and before long it would sputter out. That year, Chen Buer had gone to meet his death above the vault of heaven. Yet there, in the end, he had witnessed only the energy of a slash, never seeing the unimaginably formidable enemy he had anticipated. And so he could not die. He refused to die. Plunging rapidly through the boundless dark while slowly fading away, he looked down with deep concern at the azure planet below—like an old man worrying over a child, like a man worrying over his homeland. The spark between his hands was gradually dimming... Then a bundle of heavy, sodden wood crashed down. Perhaps "that bundle of wood" possessed no will of its own, or perhaps it did, intending to snuff out the spark once and for all. But in the end... with fierce, wild tenacity, the spark set it ablaze. And so, on that day thirteen years ago, Huaxia's Chen Buer, Azure's Legion Commander, returned. *** Azure Alliance Headquarters, the Council, supreme executive meeting. Slaying that Daie was regarded as a critical prerequisite for the Oceania decisive campaign plan. Azure had discussed its options, and currently there were three main approaches on the table: First: Chen Buer. In all beliefs and conjectures, he was the sole being in Azure capable of pulling off a one-on-one solo kill. However, his physical condition was poor. Second: A joint assault led by Bochen and Christine, supported by a few resilient super combat powers who could take a beating, such as Pegmont, to surround and kill it. They had the means to fight, and they could fight; this had already been proven. The question was whether they could smoothly encircle the Daie a second time. Even if they managed to trap it, could they deliver the final kill? If they failed and let it escape, everything would amount to wasted effort. Furthermore, what would be the cost of that final kill? How catastrophic would it be? What if red-shoulders entered the fray when the time came? While debating this second proposal, nearly everyone present thought of certain individuals in their minds. For example: If Butcher Ivan hadn't gone mad. If Pegmont and that child from the African savanna, Wolfe, had had enough time to grow and become more seasoned. If Ye Jian, once Huaxia's "hope of the future," hadn't betrayed them and left Azure back then. If General Jiang Longchi's mind and body hadn't deteriorated that year. Yet the people they actually thought of most were currently with Stream Vanguard—and not just one of them. If those events had never happened to Major The Qing and Lieutenant Wu Xu... If Azure had made the right choice when those events occurred... Then perhaps today, they would still be those two young soldiers on Xilang Peak. Azure could still issue orders, and without hesitation, they would raise their hands in a salute and say, "Yes, sir! For all that breathe..." "The latest reports say that Major The Qing was gravely injured after his last clash with the Daie, leaving behind severe hidden traumas, and Lieutenant Wu Xu's condition isn't good either..." General Marshall spoke in a somber tone. "Yes, I've heard," Kemore replied with a nod, making an effort to rally his spirits. "In that case, the most viable option right now is the third proposal." The so-called third proposal was essentially a combination of the first two: Bochen, Christine, and the others would first form a formation to encircle and attack, striving to inflict heavy wounds on the Daie; afterward, Legion Commander Chen could deliver the finishing strike while conserving his strength. It was not a flawless plan. Too many aspects were forced, with far too many unforeseen variables, but it was already the best approach they could conceive under the circumstances. "Let's leave it at that. We'll proceed with this proposal. Draft a detailed dispatch first and consult Legion Commander Chen for his opinion." Kemore stood up, bringing the supreme executive meeting to a close. *** Huaxia, southeastern mountains of Yuejiang Province, Field Hospital No. 15. After the swarm of Great Spikes over the Shenghai theater temporarily shifted into a defensive posture, this place had privately become recognized as one of the safest locations in all of Huaxia. Although it was still very close to the battlefield, several "patients" staying here possessed highly unusual identities. A large number of Azure wounded were being transported here. In a small town about two hundred kilometers from the hospital, a lone shuttle craft was embedded in the ground. One of the two black-armored Great Spikes was already dead. Townspeople who hadn't managed to flee in time stopped in their tracks, peering out from inside houses to watch. "Stop slashing! Stop slashing, that's enough, hold up!" He Tangtang shouted loudly, directing the fight. "Xu'er, disarm it!" *Clang!* The black spear slashed down and flicked upward, knocking the Great Spike's column sword flying. Wu Xu pulled back his spear and turned around, glaring at He Tangtang. His combat power remained stuck at the top tier. Today was his first time deploying on an operation with the squad. "Call me that again, and I'll..." Wu Xu spoke with a slight hesitation. "Take it alive, charge!" Completely ignoring him, He Tangtang sheathed his blade and lunged forward at the Great Spike. Immediately after, the Little Prince pounced, followed by one elite warrior of Stream Vanguard after another... "It's dead... Fuck, dead again." He Tangtang twisted his head to look at the pile of bodies stacked on top of him. "Get the hell off me." He had lost count of how many times this had happened. The outcome was always the same, leaving He Tangtang rather frustrated. While this batch of Great Spikes no longer self-destructed as they used to, they seemed remarkably prone to killing themselves. Once everyone scrambled up and began cleaning up the battlefield, He Tangtang rose to his feet. He stood beside the Great Spike's corpse, hesitating alone for a moment before gritting his teeth and reversing his grip on his blade... *Chrr-shnk!* The blade He Tangtang wielded now was made of the same material as Han Qingyu's twin sabers; the top-tier combat blade pierced effortlessly into the dead Great Spike's lower back. Sickening reddish-blue blood surged out. With a fierce glint in his eye, He Tangtang squatted down, reached right in, and scooped out a handful... When he pulled his hand back, his palm was covered in a mashed, gooey paste of flesh. "How... how the hell do you eat this?" "Fry it into a pancake? Or boil it in soup? *Ugh!*" "Take a taste?" Under the bright morning sun of the Jiangnan town, Stream Vanguard's glorious kidney-striker, a Yanxiu, and a future super powerhouse stubbornly stared down at his own hand. At last, the hand slowly rose toward his face as his head leaned down... The townspeople looked on in sheer horror. Up in the sky, a shuttle craft wobbled slightly before fleeing in panic. "*Ptui! Ptui, ptui! Blehh!*" *** Around the same time, on the lawn below Field Hospital No. 15, Han Qingyu lay alone on his back, chewing on a blade of grass while soaking up the sun. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed such leisure, and he felt somewhat unaccustomed to it. *Clank, clank.* The footsteps of iron armor approached, deliberately unmuted so he would hear. Then she lay down on the lawn beside him. "What are you lying down for? You're crushing the grass to death," Han Qingyu remarked. Iron armor: "..." Staying silent, she obediently shifted over to the sandy patch of dirt nearby. "That's more like it. But watch out—if you fall asleep, someone might haul you off to sell as scrap metal," Han Qingyu teased, finding her unusually easy to pick on today. Having said that, he braced himself to defend. Under normal circumstances, Rusty Sister would have lashed out with a kick by now. Yet she didn't. "...Humph!" Under the iron armor, Rusty Sister let out an indignant, muffled huff, then fell silent... Perhaps seven or eight minutes passed before she called out, "Qingzi." She didn't lose her temper? Han Qingyu responded, "Yeah?" "Tell me, what if I come out one day?" "Uh, wouldn't that be a good thing? Everyone would definitely be thrilled, especially the old Army Commander. What do you mean, 'what if'?" "Well... what if I'm not pretty? What if I'm really ugly, really weird-looking?" "What does that have to do with me?" "..." The sound of grinding teeth persisted for a few moments. "Then... what if I'm really pretty?"