Days in Azure

It was just past seven, nearing eight in the evening, when they returned to the dormitories from the equipment ground. Street lamps and floodlights illuminated the residential area. In the center of the ring formed by more than a dozen buildings lay a massive, rectangular communal laundry area—essentially rows of faucets set above concrete slabs—which was bustling with activity. Water splashed, scrub brushes rasped against fabric, and iron washbasins clattered, mingled with the chatter and laughter of male and female soldiers alike. In truth, the men in the Coalition washed their clothes far more frequently than one might imagine. Part of it was likely because the combat uniforms looked so sharp; another reason was the presence of female soldiers, who made up nearly a quarter of the ranks. Standing side by side with them at every roll call, no one dared let themselves smell sour. By this point, however, a portion of the men had already found female soldiers willing to do their laundry for them—whether through budding romance, genuine intimacy, or outright shameless begging. In one way or another, they each had their methods. Here and there, couples stood in pairs: the woman washed while the man kept her company, chatting, helping roll up her sleeves, and wringing out the wet clothes. Some playfully tossed their uniforms into the washbasins of girls they knew and dashed off, shouting over their shoulders, "Please! Please! I'll buy you good food and a dress next time!" Others tossed their clothes down from the balconies above, watching as a girl caught them below, calling out with a grin, "Thanks for your hard work..." Scenes like this were perhaps the very epitome of what Azure meant by striving to cultivate a sense of everyday life for its soldiers, as well as the simpler, more direct romance unique to Azure. "Look at that," Liu Shiheng said, suddenly turning to Han Qingyu amid the noisy, sweet chatter as they walked past the laundry area. "Look at that," He Tangtang echoed offhandedly, not really sure what the point was. "Say, Qingzi, what if one day Miss Milla stood down there with her sleeves rolled up, and you tossed your clothes down from upstairs for her to wash... wouldn't this place just blow up?!" Wen Jifei retorted, "You dumb ass." "Except starting from the rank of lieutenant, soldiers have staff from the logistical service base to wash their clothes for them," Han Qingyu said in all seriousness. "Team Leader Milla doesn't even have to wash her own." Leaving the rest of them staring in disbelief—their expressions practically screaming, *there really is a screw loose in your head*—Han Qingyu went upstairs and washed his clothes himself. The living conditions at the Ninth Army War Training Base were noticeably better than those at the regimental base. For one thing, doing laundry was much more convenient. Aside from the communal washing area downstairs, both sides of every dormitory balcony were equipped with rough concrete washstands. Only after scrubbing against such surfaces did everyone truly appreciate how exceptional the material and durability of the Coalition combat uniforms were. Furthermore, perhaps because academic classes had begun, each soldier now had their own desk inside the dormitory. Night fell, and the lights were permitted to stay on until nine at the latest. Han Qingyu sat at his desk with a small hardcover notebook and a pen. He paused to think, then wrote, then thought some more, looking as absorbed as he had back in his final year of high school. [Money: 6,000 + 10,000 + ?] The 6,000 was what he had left behind before enlisting. The 10,000 was the reward for receiving the Silver Medal. He had sent it back home a while ago, and his parents' reply confirmed they had received it. That letter was currently tucked inside the leather cover of his notebook. Though brief, and written with the few characters his parents knew, he still took it out often to read. Then there was that question mark. From what Han Qingyu had gathered from the Legion Commander and Tu Zi, he was guaranteed at least another Silver Azure Guard this time, which meant 10,000 yuan. If the corps submitted the report and the World Azure Alliance Council approved it, it might even be a Gold, which would be 100,000. One hundred thousand. The difference between a Gold Azure Guard and a Silver was staggering. Just thinking about it felt surreal to Han Qingyu; if he really received that much and sent it home, he wasn't even sure what excuse he could give. Summary: [Money: 26,000 or 116,000] Even 26,000 was already a great deal—more than enough. With his money tallied, Han Qingyu set that concern aside and began calculating source energy blocks. He did not write down the two refined metal blocks he had absorbed. After all, that was a secret, and once absorbed, they had merged directly into his body to build his foundation, leaving no concrete numeric value to measure. [Source Energy Blocks, Current: 4 - 1 + 3 = 6 blocks] This was the number of blue crystal blocks Han Qingyu currently possessed. They came from his previous Silver Azure Guard reward and what he had earned today from "making friends." He had given one to Wen Jifei a while back, but since Wen Jifei rarely wore his apparatus, he hadn't finished using it yet. [7?] These were the seven blocks Tu Zi owed him. Han Qingyu placed a question mark beside the number, doing his best to convince himself not to take it to heart—telling himself that getting them would be great, but missing out wouldn't matter either... Being owed a debt truly felt awful. [4 or 10?] If he received a Silver this time, the one-time reward would be four blocks, just like last time. But if it was Gold, the one-time reward would be ten blocks. That alone made Han Qingyu crave the Gold Azure Guard. Aside from the lump-sum reward, a Gold Azure Guard entitled its recipient to three source energy blocks per quarter over the next five years... whereas a Silver only gave one. [Annually for the Next Five Years: 4 x 1 (Confirmed) + 4 x 1 or 4 x 3?] This meant that if he received Silver again, his fixed annual allowance outside of combat supplies would be eight blocks. But if it was Gold, that number would double to sixteen. "Still, even with Gold, it's so few." Because he felt his parents' livelihood was already well secured, Han Qingyu's thirst for personal strength at this stage completely surpassed his desire for money. Having finished calculating his source energy blocks, he felt a twinge of disappointment. An urge began to stir within him—a growing eagerness to go to the front lines, earn combat rewards, and advance through the ranks. *It would be even better if I could hunt the Cleansing Faction freely... but right now, I'm probably not strong enough. I could easily lose my life.* After pondering for a while, Han Qingyu took out his parents' letter and read it through once more. He slipped it back into place, put away his notebook and pen, stood up, and placed them in his metal locker, hidden beneath his clothes. Then he washed up and climbed into bed. The others in the dormitory were still engrossed in their discussions, covering everything from female soldiers to the apparatus, to whether one could truly leap and glide in combat. Every so often, when the thought crossed their minds, they would chide Han Qingyu again, saying that even if he didn't want the money, he shouldn't have refused so bluntly—he should have at least accepted the gesture. Han Qingyu didn't respond, nor did he dwell on it. He lay quietly with his hands cradling the back of his head, turning thoughts over in his mind: *My advantages... setting aside the unresolved question of my degree of fusion, the rest boils down to being able to absorb metal blocks directly... It improves my body's innate foundation, and I can store some liquid source energy.* *Yet metal blocks are exceedingly rare, and there's no way to predict the exact extent or amount of physical enhancement. I have no idea when it will show a tangible effect or produce a truly massive leap.* *Besides, everyone has a three-dimensional apparatus now. When everyone is equipped with one, the value of the physical enhancement from metal blocks isn't obvious at this stage... Those stronger than me are still stronger than me. There are plenty of people who could carve through me like slicing vegetables.* *At Qi Shantong's level, how long would it take him to kill me? I don't know. But that S-grade who was so fast you couldn't even see him? It probably wouldn't take him even a second.* *...* In the darkness, the peasant's son calculated and deliberated in meticulous detail, just as his forebears had calculated grain and livelihoods year after year. "Qingzi, you asleep yet?" Wen Jifei asked abruptly. "No," Han Qingyu answered, snapping back to reality. "Then get up and talk! What're you playing dead for? We're holding a joint session to condemn you right now." "Not talking. I need to sleep early. Lao Jian told me to spar with him in the simulated combat ground after breakfast tomorrow." "Woah..."