That launch ceremony—Han Qingyu decided to go.
First, at this stage, anything Plague Chicken did not directly oppose, he considered something worth doing.
This was trust. If an endeavor did more harm than good or carried considerable danger, Han Qingyu believed Wen Jifei would definitely oppose it before he even had to.
Second, although he was still in a phase where he felt utterly at a loss, he was genuinely curious about the outside world and knew he would have to face it sooner or later.
"The strongest person in this world was in failing health. The consequences of swinging his blade would determine the future of humanity. So I went in his place. Since my enemy was the strongest Great Spike, there was naturally no certainty of survival."
To the current Han Qingyu, he could not fathom at all why he had made such a choice back then.
He had always considered himself someone devoid of any hero complex—not cold toward the world, but lacking great enthusiasm as well, confident that there were never many things he truly cared about.
"So, it was probably experience that drove and shaped everything. And my problem right now is that I've lost those experiences."
At five in the morning on this "turbulent" dawn, Han Qingyu's mind was in some disarray, but he still went back to his room to catch up on sleep.
Seeing that he could still fall asleep under these circumstances, Wen Jifei, the Little Prince, and the others felt a bit more reassured, thinking that Han Qingyu was Han Qingyu after all.
"Actually, it'd be better to let a few people loose right now for him to hack up."
The Little Prince didn't yet know when he said this that he had already lost his name; he only remembered Wen Jifei mentioning that before Han Qingyu formally joined Azure, he had already cut down two people from Pure Purgatory with his own hands. Besides, he was a beast.
So he figured a cold-blooded beast would sober up once he saw blood.
The logic itself was probably not wrong, but several people objected on the spot, and even Wu Xu spoke up, saying, "Better not."
Looking closely at their psychological and emotional reactions, it felt awkward, and definitely something too embarrassing to voice aloud. If said, they'd probably find it too strange and mortifying. They had met the nineteen-year-old Qingzi—a special reunion—and subconsciously cared for and protected him like a younger brother.
Han Qingyu slept until about eight-thirty. When he woke up in a daze, he heard banging and clattering outside his door.
Getting out of bed, he walked out the door with his head down groggily, vaguely sensing he had just walked past someone. He turned back, retreated a few steps, and raised his hand to high-five Master Longchi.
In the main hall of the Han family home stood two large wooden chests, the kind with sheet iron nailed over the eight corners, both handcrafted by Han Youshan during this period.
One was long and wide, but somewhat shallow. Divided inside with wooden inlays, it held Han Qingyu's two standard combat knives, along with the two blue light column swords, large and small.
The chest was closed right before his eyes. Han Qingyu stood watching, knowing all four were his weapons, that he had carried them through countless brushes with death, many times not knowing if he would ever return.
Yet they felt completely alien to him now. Han Qingyu hesitated, watching the chest shut without reaching out to touch them. It was almost as if he feared they might object.
The other chest had a more ordinary shape—shorter and deeper, meant for packing clothes.
Zhang Jiexia had finished packing it for her son early that morning. Knowing he was only leaving for a few days rather than heading off to battle, and accompanied by Wen Jifei, Wu Xu, and the others, she wasn't particularly worried.
"Qingzi."
"Yeah?"
"Remember what Mom told you?"
"Which part? You've said a lot."
"The most important line. You're just a brain-damaged retired soldier now, Qingzi. So if there's still a girl who doesn't look down on you, she must be a truly wonderful person." Zhang Jiexia finished and arched her brows.
Han Qingyu smiled helplessly and nodded. Wen Jifei had just told him last night that the news of his blind dates back home had already spread across nearly the entire world.
Starting several years ago, people had come to view Major Qing as extraordinarily special, even standing high and far above them. That reached its peak over three months ago, both in degree and scope.
Then, out of nowhere, Major Qing suddenly came back down to earth—he was going on blind dates! Could anyone believe it? People began to buzz with thrill and excitement.
Stream Vanguard would take roughly a hundred people this time. The half staying behind included all high-tier combat power outside the core group. Combined with the Huaxia Front troops who had always maintained tight perimeter defenses, Fenglong'ao should be entirely safe.
The hundred people preparing to depart were also packing their gear. Old Red and Big Red were already undergoing pre-launch procedures. Because Little Red had suffered severe damage last time, it was still undergoing comprehensive repairs and modifications at an Azure air combat base.
To some extent, this reflected the current relationship between Stream Vanguard and Azure: independent from each other, yet needing each other.
When Milla walked over, she was wearing a black combat uniform with a pink moth badge, carrying a sniper rifle bag on her back along with a combat knife. As she walked, she tied back her slightly wavy long hair.
A foreigner. A foreign woman—and quite good-looking, too.
When Han Qingyu looked at her, it felt like being back in his recruit days when they first saw Milla in the dorms. In the years that followed, he had become so dense as dead iron that he hardly even noticed whether a woman was pretty or not.
So this was probably a good thing.
Milla noticed, turned around, and glared at him. "What are you looking at?!"
This was the first sentence she had spoken to Han Qingyu since he woke up.
Han Qingyu: "..." Weak, and helpless.
"Didn't you say you don't like foreigners? Stare again and I'll beat you up." With that, Milla clenched her fist and turned away, puffed up with annoyance.
Captain Milla could act like this without the slightest worry of retaliation. Deeply envious, He Tangtang sidled up and asked, "What do you think? That foreign babe."
Han Qingyu thought about it. "Seems a bit fierce."
"A bit? Heh, far more than a bit." Having overheard, Milla turned her head to look at him again, simultaneously puffing out her chest.
Far more than a bit indeed. Han Qingyu inadvertently glanced at her, then turned away in a panic.
Just then, Zhe Qiuhong walked toward him.
*This curvier one... also seems a bit fierce. Who is she?* Han Qingyu wondered.
"Never mind whether I have a chest or not, and I'm not here to go on a blind date with you either," Zhe Qiuhong said with a straight face. "I'm your doctor. Let's go—one more comprehensive examination before we set off."
The reactions of the people around confirmed she was indeed his doctor. In that case, she was the one who had saved him. Han Qingyu nodded meekly and followed her into his room.
Entering the room and closing the door, Zhe Qiuhong turned to prepare her instruments and tools. "Strip down."
Han Qingyu froze for a second. "Strip what down?"
"Completely naked. I've seen it dozens of times," Zhe Qiuhong said impassively.
By the time the examination was over, all departure preparations were complete. Part of the group had already boarded the vessel, and the rest waited outside the room door. Seeing it open, they immediately swarmed forward around Zhe Qiuhong.
"How is he?"
"How is he?"
"Quite healthy," Zhe Qiuhong said, a faint smile hidden in her eyes.
A nineteen-year-old Han Qingyu could actually blush. How amusing.
When boarding the airship, Han Qingyu stepped into the cabin. First, he looked at Yang Qingbai in the pilot's seat, bundled up like an astronaut. He subconsciously steered clear of the seats beside Zhe Qiuhong and Milla, glanced over at Wen Jifei and "Zhu Jiaming," and finally sat down next to the iron armor.
He had never even ridden a train before, let alone an airplane, yet here he was, directly boarding the most advanced source energy airship.
"Are you nervous?" Rusty Sister turned her head to look at him and asked.
"No." *Gulp.* Han Qingyu swallowed hard, gripping the armrests and pressing his back firmly against the seat.
*Whoosh!* The violent weightlessness of the launch and climb made his heart plummet. Subconsciously reaching out, he grabbed Rusty Sister's iron arm, nearly screaming aloud.
……
The airship ultimately touched down in Geneva, Switzerland.
A second before disembarking, Han Qingyu put on a stern face. Knowing he definitely wouldn't be able to handle all the upcoming situations, he had mentally prepared himself: might as well act cool, keep expressions minimal, and speak as little as possible.
Zhe Qiuhong walked ahead with a travel bag on her back. Standing on the gangway stairs, she looked back and said quite calmly, "Right, there's something I forgot to tell you all. I have to go."
Chapter 714