Looks Like We're Really Strong

Ever since he woke up, Han Qingyu had not yet seen a battle or demonstration under the effects of source energy. Earlier, when He Tangtang snapped the steel rod with his bare hands, he hadn't used an apparatus either, so this was truly his first time. "Source energy!" "What an outrageous thing. The world has gotten so ridiculous." "...Wait, my dad flew away." By the time Han Qingyu finally snapped out of his shock and realized what was happening, Han Youshan had already soared more than a hundred meters into the air. "My dad, he..." Han Qingyu turned in a panic toward Wu Xu. "It's fine. Uncle is just adjusting," Wu Xu said, looking up calmly without budging an inch. "Uncle is probably Grade A." Although Azure had proven through countless experiments that degree of fusion truly had nothing to do with genetics, by sheer coincidence, as the father of Major The Qing, Han Youshan's degree of fusion happened to be remarkably high as well. This was the only explanation for the spectacle before them. Though the reverse-channeled source energy block from Han Qingyu could keep him uninjured and wake him quickly, it probably didn't possess the power to make him go bounding skyward like this on its own. Grade A? Han Qingyu had no concept of what Grade A meant. "Is he really all right?" "Yes. He just needs to get used to it," Wu Xu said. Right then, "Sigh... that's too much." Wen Jifei sighed as he walked over, speaking up. It was hard to tell whether he meant Han's parents finding Wu Xu the most reliable was too much, or if he meant Han Youshan's degree of fusion was too absurd. "Still, we'd better not tell Uncle about this. Let's just tell him his degree of fusion is very low. And definitely don't spread word of it outside." Wen Jifei still understood Han Qingyu best; that single sentence struck right at the heart of what Qingyu wanted. Han Qingyu nodded hastily in agreement. "All right, let's do that." These few lines of conversation took about eighteen seconds. In eighteen seconds, Comrade Han Youshan was already about to clear the small hill where the orchard lay, bounding toward the taller mountains in the distance. Unlike this side, the woods over there were dense and the rock faces steep. Han Qingyu grew nervous once more, turning to look at Wu Xu. Wu Xu didn't look back at him, feeling an inward twinge of awkwardness. "It seems Uncle hasn't gotten used to it yet—or he's too excited and hasn't tried to control it at all." *Can't let Uncle keep flying like this, or by the time I catch him, the two of us might not find our way back.* Subconsciously forgetting that Han Youshan could actually lead the way back, Wu Xu prepared to engage his apparatus... *Boom!* Suddenly, a surging burst of source energy erupted beside him. Han Qingyu wasn't wearing an apparatus. Relying solely on the explosion of liquid source energy within his body, he shot forward at once. The soil beneath caved in, and whipping wind rushed past his ears. Han Qingyu himself didn't know what was happening, nor how many times his feet touched the ground, or how much time had passed... In short, the flailing silhouette of his dad paddling wildly in midair enlarged rapidly before his eyes. Soon, he reached a distance where he felt he could catch him. *Whoosh!* With a final stomp against the ground, Han Qingyu shot up like an arrow, ascending the cliff straight to the peak before rocketing into the sky... He checked his momentum in midair. A frozen tableau flashed and vanished in an instant. In that fleeting opening, afraid of gripping too hard, Han Qingyu didn't dare grab him directly. He reached out and caught the harness strap of the apparatus on Han Youshan's back with pinpoint precision, hauling him back in midair. Then, he pivoted in the air. ...Down at the foot of the hill, the figures of Plague Chicken and Wu Xu had shrunk tiny in his field of view. Han Qingyu blinked in a daze. *How long did it take me to get from there to here? Maybe two seconds? Three?* At the same time, Han Youshan was frozen in shock, dangling by one hand in midair. The descent afterward required no conscious effort to break the fall. Han Qingyu gently set his dad down, holding his arm to keep him from tumbling over from dizziness, and said gingerly, "Dad, you seem kind of weak." "Huh? What does that mean?" Han Youshan turned around, bewildered. "It means really weak," Han Qingyu explained in a low, earnest voice. Han Youshan: "..." He hadn't dreamed of becoming a hero like his son; he had only secretly thought that if there were ever a next time, as a father, it would be best if he didn't just have to sit in front of the television, watching his boy march off to a battle of life and death. ............ All the way back from the back mountain, Han Youshan didn't say another word to Han Qingyu. But he chatted very warmly with Wen Jifei and Wu Xu. Wen Jifei left the apparatus with him, saying it was for him to secretly exercise with, and then went straight off to fetch source energy blocks. He'd probably have to haul over an entire crate. In the Han family's back courtyard, only Wu Xu and Han Qingyu were left. Silence. Silence. Silence... "I... I'm sorry," Wu Xu finally spoke up. Ashamed and embarrassed over his error in judgment just now that had nearly sent Qingzi's dad flying off, he felt quite awkward. "It's fine," Han Qingyu quickly said. Then, hesitating for a moment, he looked at Wu Xu. "My dad seemed to say earlier that you're very strong. Are you?" Very strong? Tied for seventh on the Dome Leaderboard. Wu Xu thought for a moment and said, "I suppose I'm all right." "Then between the two of us..." "You were stronger before." Wu Xu paused and looked up. "Now, I don't know." Wu Xu was a man without ambition or ideals; if one pressed him to name one, surpassing Qingzi might count, and it was currently his only one. In the past, the two of them would have found a place to spar right then and there. But the current Han Qingyu saw nothing amiss at all. "Oh. Then what's your military rank?" He had checked; there seemed to be no epaulets or rank insignia on these people's combat uniforms. Why would he suddenly ask about rank? Wu Xu was puzzled for a moment, but without explaining, answered honestly, "First Lieutenant." *Only a lieutenant? Plague Chicken is already a major general!* Han Qingyu pondered silently for a moment, then asked, "Then compared to that big guy who snapped the steel rod barehanded the other day, who's stronger?" In that instant, Wu Xu felt thoroughly insulted... "Naturally, I'm stronger." The voice came from behind them. When Wu Xu looked up, He Tangtang quickly shot him a pleading look. In fact, he had arrived a while ago and had been watching the whole time. He Tangtang's core concern right now was self-preservation, but that was already immensely difficult—unless... there was some way to make Qingzi himself too embarrassed to bring these matters up later. This was fighting poison with poison. Throwing caution to the wind, He Tangtang walked over and looked at Han Qingyu. Good, his eyes looked a little panicked. Gathering his momentum, He Tangtang turned. "Han Qingyu, you used to be very strong, on the same level as me. Did you know that?" Of course Han Qingyu didn't know, but since an expert had said so himself, he nodded anyway. "Pity that you've lost your memory now and your combat power has dropped." He Tangtang lowered his head, pondered a moment, and looked up. "During this period, I will protect you." *He wants to protect me too?* Han Qingyu turned to look at Wu Xu. "He won't do," He Tangtang cut in first. "Right now, only I can ensure your safety. But this isn't free. You need to promise one thing in front of your parents and everyone else." "What is it?" "Swear that once you recover, you will never be my enemy." "..." Han Qingyu hesitated, confused. He had amnesia, yes, and was in a very bewildered state, but he hadn't turned completely stupid. Anyone could see something was off here. Yet what exactly was off? He couldn't put his finger on it right away. "What? You don't agree?" He Tangtang pulled out a section of rebar from his pocket. *Snap!* He broke it effortlessly with bare hands and tossed it onto the ground just like last time. The middle-finger-length piece of steel rod clattered against the bluestone pavement, humming with vibration... "What are you doing?" He Tangtang's voice suddenly turned panicked. Because in his line of sight, Han Qingyu was bending down and picking up the piece of steel rod. He picked it up, held it in his hand, and clenched his grip tight. *Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch...* The steel rod kept fracturing and shattering in his palm. Han Qingyu himself was startled. He had only noticed earlier that he could run very fast and jump very high, so he had just wanted to give it a try. He hadn't expected... Exerting force to knead it a few more times, Han Qingyu slowly opened his palm... In his hand, the steel rod had turned to powder. The entire back courtyard of the Han family went dead silent at that moment. After two seconds, Han Qingyu slowly looked up, his gaze earnest yet bewildered, and looked at He Tangtang. He Tangtang: "..." *If I'd known, I wouldn't have messed around with steel rebar. I should've swallowed a Great Spike whole right in front of him—let's see if he'd dare copy that!* "Our relationship must have been very good before, right?" Han Qingyu suddenly asked. "Yeah, exceptionally good. Especially between the two of us." "I knew it." A glimmer of happiness flashed in Han Qingyu's eyes. "By the way, what's your name?" "Zhu Jiaming." "Oh. Then among our group, roughly what rank is your strength?" "Second... third." He Tangtang turned to glance at Wu Xu, then turned back. "Probably fourth... fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth. But I've got huge potential. Really, not kidding you." "Yeah, I believe you. It seems we're really strong." Han Qingyu smiled. It was the kind of smile He Tangtang had seen many times in the past, carrying a chill that set one's heart pounding... He was recovering. His memories might not have returned, but the terrifying nature that belonged to Han Qingyu was steadily resurfacing.