"So you really have the nerve to dream, don't you? In that kind of situation, your own little life isn't even guaranteed, and you're actually thinking about rescuing Ne's secretary."
Ye Jian gave a wry smile and tossed the stainless-steel flask back to Liu Shiheng.
They made no attempt to conceal or hide this conversation. From a subjective perspective, this was probably also a way to test Ne's attitude—whether, if the situation became critical, he would allow Alice to be led away from danger.
In any case, Ne had always been well aware that Ye Jian would not necessarily fight to the death for Snow Lotus.
Liu Shiheng raised a hand to catch the flask, made an air-toasting gesture across the distance, took a sip, and said, "Isn't that only because I have you here, Brother Ye? So how about it, Brother Ye—does this mean you've agreed?"
"I'll... see how things go when the time comes." Ye Jian pondered for a moment before adding, "Hey, I'm suddenly curious about something."
"Don't ask. I know what you're curious about. Don't ask, Brother Ye." Smart as Liu Shiheng was, he already knew Ye Jian was going to ask: *If the time comes and I can only take one person with me, will it be you, or Alice?*
Liu Shiheng couldn't answer that question right now, nor did he want to think about it.
He did not consider himself the sort of man who was noble and devoted enough to answer resolutely, "If that happens, please take Alice," yet neither could he bring himself to give the opposite answer.
The room fell silent for a brief moment.
Liu Shiheng tossed the flask back again.
"By the way, Brother Ye, do you worry about sister-in-law... Miss Courtney? Even though you're always avoiding her. She's out there right now, and outside, Azure is very likely going all out to purge the forces of organizations like Snow Lotus and Clean Purgatory. Even if Courtney is a super... a super combat power might actually be in even greater danger."
Ye Jian lowered the flask in his hand and swallowed the liquor. "It's fine. She should know enough to hide. She shouldn't be that stupid, right? All right, fine, I am a little worried, because she really is quite stupid sometimes."
"So you actually like her a little, don't you, Brother Ye?"
"Huh? What's this about liking or not liking?" Ye Jian chuckled. "It's just that when a woman has been to bed with you and didn't charge any money, I figure that as a man, you ought to show some concern for her."
"Makes sense. I need to write that down and say it to Alice next time." Liu Shiheng laughed.
The Subglacial City was currently unaware of the situation in the outside world.
Out in the world, after Han Qingyu and his group left Switzerland, they first returned to the Third Fixed Exploration Site. Afterward, they began accepting invitations from major front armies across the globe, traveling to many places.
Because they did not dare make large-scale mobilizations or conduct an open search, they used this approach to secretly disperse the members of Stream Cutting Edge, discreetly gathering intelligence related to Snow Lotus in hopes of finding clues concerning Ye Jian and Liu Shiheng.
They landed from above cities in airships.
They rode in vehicles passing street after street.
In almost every major city around the world, open source energy fields had now been established to test recruits' degree of source energy fusion. After registering their information, those enlisting formed long lines outside the source energy fields—men, women, middle-aged people, youths, teenagers...
The tall buildings lining both sides of the streets were plastered with gigantic recruitment advertisements.
A city bus drove past outside the window. On its side was painted a familiar figure from behind, bearing twin blades and a blue-light column sword on his back, alongside a grim suit of iron armor carrying a greatsword over its shoulder.
Azure had selected roughly eight or nine promotional figures for this recruitment drive, choosing different individuals as the primary representative figures according to different nations and regions.
For instance, in Africa, the main face of the recruitment drive was Wolf; in North America, it was Pegmont...
In addition to warriors, there were also representatives from the scientific research sector, such as Marlos, the genius scientist engaged in source energy dynamics research, and Baboisa, who researched airship control systems—while recruiting warriors, Azure was also going all out to gather scientific talent across the globe, expressing the value placed upon them through this manner.
Among all these differences, one thing remained constant: on the recruitment advertisements of every single city across the globe, Major Qing and Second Lieutenant Shen's iron armor appeared without exception.
"That's me." Han Qingyu was gradually growing used to seeing his own image on tall buildings and vehicles. At the very least, it no longer felt too awkward, since it wasn't showing his face anyway.
"And what's that robot?" He pointed at Rusty Sister's iron armor, asking knowingly, "Is that my pet?"
"Disgusting," came Rusty Sister's contemptuous spat from the backseat.
"Just like a hunter taking a hunting hound when going out to hunt." Han Qingyu stifled a laugh as he finished his sentence.
An iron arm reached around from behind and locked around his neck. "I'm going to kill you, Han Qingyu!"
After constantly rushing about for more than half a month, the two of them had finally become familiar with each other once again. Aside from laughing, the rest of the people in the vehicle paid no mind to their fooling around.
"Speaking of which, if it were according to the current recruitment standards, the three of us wouldn't even be able to get into Azure at all." Yang Qingbai pulled his gaze back from the source energy field outside the car window and looked at Wen Jifei and Milla.
Azure's testing base had become enormous now, and the minimum fusion degree standard for recruitment had been raised to Grade C+; they wouldn't even accept a Grade C. Meanwhile, the three of them were Grade F, Dice, and Grade E, respectively.
"Yeah," Wen Jifei agreed with some emotion, turning his head to look at Han Qingyu, who had just broken free from the iron arm.
If the timing had been different, they most likely wouldn't have been able to walk through those past five years side by side. In that case, Qingzi would have had to embark on his Azure career all on his own...
*No, wait.* Wen Jifei quickly caught a logical flaw in that hypothetical. Calling out, he said, "Qingzi."
Han Qingyu turned his head. "Yeah?"
"Let me ask you: if you hadn't been forced by Lao Jian back then, and it had been an open recruitment like this instead, do you think you would have signed up for the test?"
When Wen Jifei asked this, everyone in the car sat up straighter without realizing it, waiting for the answer. Right at that moment, the crowd outside the window erupted into cheers and wild excitement—Grade S! After more than ten consecutive days of testing in this city, a Grade S had finally appeared...
"I don't know." Han Qingyu thought about it seriously and said, "I really don't know."
When Han Qingyu realized that he—this Major Qing plastered all over recruitment advertisements—possessed a true resolve that couldn't even match that of so many people outside the window, he was suddenly seized by panic and fear.
*If my memories never come back, will I really still be able to take to the battlefield?*
"Aiya, Plague Chicken, why are you asking such a pointless question? Hypotheticals don't exist anyway." Rusty Sister spoke up kindly to help break the awkwardness, then changed the subject: "I heard that some veterans are going to be stepped down soon, right? Those with physical disabilities, and those with a fusion degree below Grade D+—most of them will be discharged in batches."
"Yeah." Wen Jifei nodded, his eyes tinged with melancholy.
Veterans were precious, and battlefield seasoning and experience were vital as well, but this was a world of source energy after all. With source energy and weapons still limited, some of them had to gradually step down to make way and free up resources for recruits with higher degrees of fusion.
The retirement process had already begun in several front armies, including Huaxia.
Wen Jifei had heard a bit about it as well.
Against the backdrop of the global alliance, leaving Azure might not have felt so difficult for veterans, as Azure was something abstract; but asking them to leave their own squads and comrades-in-arms was far too hard.
When a veteran with only one arm left clutched an iron gate stubbornly, refusing to leave...
When a Grade D veteran repeatedly pleaded and argued with his captain: *I can clearly still fight! Captain, you know I can, I can clearly still take the field...*
"Then what do they do after stepping down? Do they just go home?" Han Qingyu asked at a loss.
"No, they can choose to go to logistics bases, or they can return to society to take up other jobs," Wen Jifei said. "In fact, after their jobs are confirmed, some of them will even be permitted to take an old-model device and a small amount of source energy blocks..."
Part of Azure's discharged veterans would remain in Azure, while part would enter the ordinary society they had left many years ago.
Some of them would become trump cards in the police force—since criminals in this world were occasionally no longer ordinary people now—while others would become firefighters... There were also those taking on hazardous high-altitude work, underground and underwater exploration, blasting operations, and so forth.
From this point forward, source energy would gradually begin to permeate human society and daily life.
For instance, just yesterday, two super combat powers over in Mitli had stepped in together to blast away an F4 tornado.
"Some might even become teachers," Wen Jifei said with a smile. "Many universities have already begun offering related elective courses. It's something to look forward to—maybe someday, someone will suddenly come up with some stroke of genius."
Chapter 731