Han Qingyu was the only person left in the suite. Ever since he had awakened, he had rarely been this alone. He had been protected well, and they had always taken care of him with quiet, understated concern.
For a time, that had allowed him to take in this drastically changed world with nothing more than lighthearted ease and novelty... until yesterday, when things happened that they could not shoulder for him.
Changing into the custom combat uniform of Stream Vanguard, he felt the red flame-drawn moth on the chest was a bit gaudy, but he bore with it anyway. Next, he laced up his combat boots, his footsteps sounding clear and firm against the floor.
He carried out the large wooden chest his father had made for him before he left home, setting it down on the living room floor and opening it.
Inside lay the full set of iconic gear the entire world had already come to know so well—the gear of Major The Qing.
The upper tier of the chest was shallow, holding two dead iron straight sabers that looked little different from Azure standard models. Yet rumor had it both were forged from the highest grade of dead iron by the greatest weapon smiths alive.
Below them, pinned to a wooden board, were two harness belts hand-stitched by his mother, a row of twenty highly concentrated super-grade source energy blocks, and another row of twenty standard metal blocks.
The lower section of the chest was considerably deeper. Inside rested a large blue-light column sword alongside a smaller one. Both looked menacing, yet their color was crystalline and beautiful.
Finally, nestled neatly in a rectangular compartment in the bottom-left corner was a complete Tenth-Generation source energy mobility apparatus, the most advanced model available.
This very unit was the one that had once smacked He Tangtang on the back of the head. In terms of lineage, it was the father of every Tenth-Generation apparatus in Azure today.
Han Qingyu reached out and lifted the apparatus. For an instant, it felt somewhat unfamiliar. During this period, he had occasionally pulled out the sabers or the source energy blocks to look at them, but he had almost never fully geared up...
*How do you put this thing on again?*
Han Qingyu hesitated. He had watched He Tangtang, Wu Xu, and the others put their rigs on many times, and had even watched Wu Xu guide his father through it. But searching his memory now, he lacked complete confidence, worried that a single slip or misstep might trigger an accident.
After all, this was an immensely powerful piece of equipment carrying tremendous energy. What if it blew up...? Pondering this, Han Qingyu held the apparatus up against his body to gauge the fit...
Turning around, he began to waver over whether to call in the young soldier standing outside the door to give him some guidance. But if he did that...
*Clack!*
Like loading cartridges into a magazine, four concentrated source energy blocks, crystal-clear and azure-blue, snapped into the slots. Then the metal casing shut tight, the latch clicking home with a crisp snap.
...The apparatus was on.
The entire sequence took barely two to three seconds, performed completely on instinct.
Han Qingyu froze on the spot, then chuckled. The smile was a bit bitter and self-deprecating, yet carried a wealth of delight.
"See? I really am him. I only forgot, that's all."
Bending over, he picked up a saber.
As if by muscle memory, his right hand smoothly slid the weapon behind his back, latching it into the bracket...
Then the second saber.
***
Downstairs, parked beside a broken wall on the flank of the small courtyard, were four military trucks. Like standard military transports, they bore a dark olive-drab paint scheme, distinguished only by the Azure insignia and unit designation stenciled on their sides.
Pressed for time, there had been no chance to find white flowers, so the soldiers had tied strips of white cloth around each vehicle's side mirrors.
Naturally, they wanted to see their commander and fallen comrades off—more than anyone could imagine.
Besides, this was an order from Major The Qing. Would their superiors dare refuse? Even if they wanted to, it would likely have to be kicked up the chain of command, layer by layer, all the way to Legion Commander Chen.
And so, the moment the request was submitted, they quickly made ready without waiting for approval.
"Is he coming?"
By then, more than thirty veterans of the Fourth Army were waiting beside the trucks, while the men stationed inside the building had not yet withdrawn. A lieutenant colonel sat anxiously in the driver's seat, leaning his head out to call softly toward a second-floor window.
In truth, these soldiers had also heard the rumors spreading since yesterday. A few had even seen the reports and the photographs of the assassination scene in private.
Over the past day and night, the invincible Major Qing had been crumbling... not just in the civilian world, but in the source energy world and throughout the ranks of Azure's soldiers.
Perhaps influenced by the rumors, the soldiers who had seen Han Qingyu over the past two days felt that something was indeed off. For instance, he always appeared excessively gentle and polite, at times even somewhat timid, possessing none of the intimidating presence of his past.
Furthermore, his eyes were far too innocent. He looked like an unvarnished farm boy, not the notoriously petty God of Slaughter whom no one dared cross.
"Not yet. I'll go up and check," a lieutenant answered from the second-floor window. Turning back, he glanced upward and sprinted up the stairs.
Footsteps clattered against the steps.
It was only five floors in total. The lieutenant quickly reached the final landing. As he bounded up, head raised, he called out to the four comrades standing guard at the door: "What's the situation? Major Qing hasn't come out yet..."
*Click.*
Just then, the door swung outward.
A figure clad in combat uniform, sabers slung across his back, stepped into the doorway.
The lieutenant froze mid-stride at the foot of the landing.
Silence fell.
Five men, ten eyes, stared blankly at the silhouette.
An imposter?
The real thing?
Compared to yesterday—even compared to moments ago—the impression Major Qing gave off seemed to have transformed completely in an instant. He had become... like Major Qing.
The sudden standoff almost made Han Qingyu wonder if he had put his gear on wrong.
Three seconds passed, then perhaps five.
*Snap!*
All five men raised their hands in unison. "Major Qing!"
"Yeah." Han Qingyu gave a slight nod. "Let's go."
He was not deliberately trying to act tough; bearing the weight of his old weapons simply caused his expression to settle into an unconscious sternness. With those words, he took the lead and headed down the stairs.
Every few steps along the staircase down stood a Fourth Army soldier on duty.
*Snap, snap, snap...*
Arms rose crisply one after another in salute. "Major Qing!" "Major Qing!" "Major Qing!"
He had arrived. The lieutenant colonel jumped down from the cab, calling the soldiers into formation.
When Han Qingyu finally walked out the door, they saluted as one. "Major Qing!"
"Let's move." Han Qingyu returned the salute hastily and jumped into the passenger seat. He knew he had to recover. Whether he actually could, he did not know. But he would try, starting by facing the world, starting by escorting Commander Zhang to his final rest.
The four military trucks started up one after another, rumbling out of the war zone base.
Because they were already running late, the convoy sped forward at full throttle, racing to see their commander and fellow soldiers off on their final journey.
***
From the southern suburbs through downtown to the northern outskirts, strict traffic controls had been placed on sections of Shenghai's roads today. Along the route, the pavement lay clean and empty.
A gust of wind blew past, sweeping a few fallen leaves fluttering along the asphalt.
Yet on both sides of the thoroughfares, including the auxiliary lanes and cross intersections, crowds and vehicles were packed shoulder to shoulder.
Having learned the news in advance, countless citizens of Shenghai had taken to the streets at dawn, waiting to see Commander Zhang and his soldiers off on their final journey.
Some had set out from rural villages before dawn; others had traveled from other cities specifically for this day.
*Beeeep—*
The collective honking of thousands of vehicles rolled in from the distance, growing louder.
"They're here!" people cried.
Within their sight, the funeral procession slowly came into view.
At the head of the convoy, a traffic police motorcycle escort deployed by the local government rode in an arrow formation to clear the way.
Behind them came eleven consecutive hearses bearing the caskets of the heroes.
Fully armed soldiers stood flanking both sides of the vehicles. Draped over the caskets, divided in two, were the flag of Azure and the battle standard of the Huaxia Sole Witness Legion.
Chapter 741