Because of Wen Jifei's words, the surrounding onlookers and reporters turned their heads one after another to look toward the people of Stream Vanguard.
"Yeah, Stream Vanguard... Major The Qing... Would they really let themselves be threatened over an ordinary person?"
After all, in today's world, there had been far too much death. The passing of a single life had long ceased to be such a monumental matter.
What was more, all of humanity was awaiting the descent of an apocalyptic catastrophe.
Perhaps before long, everyone would be dead.
Even human civilization might cease to exist.
"By the way, who is that man?" someone in the watching crowd finally remembered to ask.
"He seems... he seems to be called Zhe Shouzhao. Yes, Azure issued a global warrant for him, and that Voyage organization also released a statement clarifying their ties with him. I saw it—it's him."
"This man once led people to hunt down Major Qing and the others."
"Yeah, we were this close to never seeing Stream Vanguard again. If that happened, naturally there wouldn't have been that slash in the Zenith War. Thank goodness for Commander Zhang..."
"Damn it, Commander Zhang was only laid to rest today, and this bastard jumps out."
Many matters in the world of source energy were no longer secrets by now, and many people from Azure and other corners of the source energy world had already rushed to the scene.
Zhe Shouzhao's identity was swiftly uncovered, and his enmity with Stream Vanguard was laid bare. The situation looked all the more lethal.
Hearing these discussions, Zhang Youqing panicked once more. "Please... I beg you, save my brother!"
She wept and pleaded timidly, terrified that Stream Vanguard might truly disregard her brother's life and death just to kill their mortal enemy.
The towering suit of iron armor turned its head to look at her, saying nothing.
Apart from that, no one paid her any mind at all.
Compared to the hesitation of Zhang Youqing and the crowd, Zhe Shouzhao was exceptionally resolute, entirely unmoved.
If the current Major Qing were still the one of old, he might not be so certain. But Zhe Shouzhao knew Han Qingyu's exact condition now. Thus, he was immensely confident—a nineteen-year-old Han Qingyu didn't even dare to kill someone, so how could he possibly make the decision to let a young boy die?
"Holster your gun!" he bellowed once more.
Wen Jifei did not move. Wisps of smoke from his cigarette butt drifted before his eyes.
Wu Xu prepared to move.
"Holster your gun! I'll count: three, two..." Zhe Shouzhao applied pressure with his blade, drawing it inward against Zhang Weiyu's throat with every number.
"Fine!" Wen Jifei wore a helpless expression... In the end, he had to admit his earlier words were mere bluffs that he couldn't actually carry out. He slung the rifle over his back and spread his hands to show them.
A single eye brimming with murderous malice slowly peered out from between Zhang Weiyu's frail neck and shoulder.
Zhe Shouzhao first glanced at Wen Jifei, confirming he no longer held a gun. Then, his venomous gaze shifted to Han Qingyu.
"If this person didn't exist in this world, I'd probably still be the Zhe Shouzhao of the past, wouldn't I? In command of Voyage's armed forces, an Azure major general, and I would even go to space..."
"Let him go, and you can leave," Han Qingyu suddenly spoke up, meeting his gaze.
The crowd on the scene was stunned for a moment.
Very few of them knew that this statement was actually genuine.
Han Qingyu didn't know how to handle this situation, but he knew clearly in his heart that he couldn't do anything right now, nor could he make the decision to let a young boy die.
This conflicting mindset and sense of powerlessness led him to choose to give up the pursuit and let Zhe Shouzhao leave first.
However,
"Leave? You think I can still leave?! Do you think I'm stupid enough to believe I could actually walk away?!" Zhe Shouzhao suddenly screamed at him with a touch of madness.
He could believe that Han Qingyu was genuinely willing to let him go right here, and he desperately wanted to live. But even so, Zhe Shouzhao still didn't believe he could truly walk away or survive.
Wen Jifei, Zhu Jiaming, Wu Xu, Yang Qingbai, and those ten thousand frenzied thugs... Stream Vanguard's might and their consistent style filled Zhe Shouzhao with despair.
Now that he had shown his face and met them eye-to-eye, there was no way he could ever hide again.
Therefore, Zhe Shouzhao dared not leave, nor would he release the hostage.
"Then what do you want?" Wen Jifei asked, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
"What do I want? Yeah, what do I want?" Zhe Shouzhao asked himself. Then he froze for a moment; it seemed there was really nothing he could do.
Wu Xu took the opportunity, preparing to move and blend into the crowd.
Right at that moment, Zhe Shouzhao snapped his head up. "Don't move! None of you move! Whoever moves..."
He had realized the danger, fearing Wu Xu and the others would melt into the crowd to find an angle to strike.
To intimidate them—*skrrr*—the blade in Zhe Shouzhao's hand let out a soft sound.
A panicked cry broke out from the crowd.
Zhang Weiyu was still alive.
Zhe Shouzhao knew that the moment he killed the hostage in his grip, he would die. So he didn't kill him; shifting the edge slightly, he cut a shallow wound across Zhang Weiyu's shoulder.
"Move, and I'll slice him to pieces stroke by stroke!" he snarled viciously.
Wu Xu had to halt the step he was just about to take.
The standoff was deadlocked once again.
Aside from the blood trickling from the thirteen-or-fourteen-year-old boy's shoulder, there was only the chattering sound of his tightly clenched teeth as he desperately bore the pain.
More and more people gathered to watch in the street...
"I'm sorry, Major Qing! I'm sorry, I was only..." The hostage boy suddenly yelled out with shame and guilt, likely roaring out the pain he was enduring at the same time.
Tears streamed down his thin, pale face. He was crying, whether from terror or agony.
Han Qingyu was taken aback, but quickly understood what Zhang Weiyu meant. He smiled and said, "It's all right. Don't speak for now. Just hang in there."
He feared Zhang Weiyu's words would provoke Zhe Shouzhao.
However, Zhang Weiyu did not listen.
"I'm not scared, Major Qing... Fuck his fucking mother!" Wrapped in pain, the boy's cracking voice cursed through trembling breaths.
Zhe Shouzhao applied force with his hand... Zhang Weiyu's body struggled slightly, and he continued cursing, "Fuck his mother, hiding behind me like a dog! Even after getting cursed out by your daddy, you still don't dare kill me!"
"*Skrrr!*" Another cut.
Yet it was not dealt heavily. Perhaps Zhe Shouzhao was also afraid this frail hostage would die just like that.
The crowd gasped in disarray once more. None of them could have imagined that a frail boy who looked barely thirteen or fourteen could be so tough and fearless.
Was this child an admirer of Major Qing, foolishly unwilling to lose face before him?
Or was he actually trying to provoke Zhe Shouzhao into killing him?
Standing at the edge of the crowd, Zhang Youqing burst into tears. "Stop talking, Weiyu, please stop talking!"
Zhang Weiyu turned his head slightly toward his sister, his clenched teeth parting once again through the pain.
"It's fine. One cut or several cuts hurt about the same anyway. Look, Sis, even with me cursing him like this, he still doesn't dare kill me. He really is a dog-fucking bitch..."
"*Skrrr.*" The third cut drew across.
Zhe Shouzhao didn't stop there, his elbow shifting again.
"Enough! Stop, stop it!" Across from him, Han Qingyu finally roared in desperation.
Zhe Shouzhao paused and looked at him. His eyes held panic and anger at first, then turned devoid of emotion, and after two seconds, twisted into a sinister sneer.
"Look how much he idolizes you, Major Qing. Why don't you tell him? Tell everyone here, tell the whole world... that you're actually a useless cripple now."
Zhe Shouzhao sneered coldly:
"You didn't die, but you're ruined. You can't do anything now, can you? Come on, tell them."
As Zhe Shouzhao's words fell, the crowd fell completely silent. Every gaze turned toward Han Qingyu.
The previous rumors were still fresh in their minds. So, Major Qing, he...
Han Qingyu did not speak.
"Say it!" Zhe Shouzhao roared savagely, his elbow making a motion to move once more.
He seemed to have finally figured out what he could do.
This was the only revenge he could take right now.
Zhe Shouzhao screamed hysterically, pressing the blade deeper into Zhang Weiyu's already opened wound...
At this moment, everyone's eyes darted between the blade edge and Major Qing's face.
"Yes. I'm ruined," Han Qingyu finally spoke.
The crowd fell into breathless silence.
Zhe Shouzhao's motion stopped, and a satisfied smile crossed his face.
"He lost his memory, and his strength plummeted. Understand now? What's even more laughable is that he doesn't even have his fighting will anymore! Your hero looks like this now! Do you all see it?"
"If you make the rest of them back away right now, I'll hack your useless hero to death right in front of your eyes!"
After shouting, Zhe Shouzhao paused, his gaze fixing onto Han Qingyu once more.
"What should we do? They don't seem to believe it. Haha! Why don't you prove it?"
Han Qingyu looked at him without speaking.
He could still endure.
Wu Xu remained expressionless.
Wen Jifei and the Little Prince did nothing; no one knew what was going through their minds.
But beside them, Rusty Sister and He Tangtang were on the verge of exploding.
"Come on, let me see the magma fire from the Zenith War! Show it to me just once, and I'll let him go!" Zhe Shouzhao pressed his blade down, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Come on! What, can't do it anymore?!"
"I... can't do it," Han Qingyu admitted.
A muted uproar and murmur rippled through the crowd. But even more people silently watched that singular figure. He was Major Qing.
"Then how about standing in midair? Couldn't you stand in the sky during the Zenith War? Didn't you always love leaping? Come on, show me standing in midair just once, and I'll let him go! Or else admit..."
"I can't do it," Han Qingyu admitted once again.
Some among the crowd began to believe it was true, while others still refused to accept it, stubbornly striving to convince themselves that Major Qing was merely playing along with Zhe Shouzhao to protect the young boy.
Their hearts began to ache, and fury began to swell.
Because even without anyone telling them, they could guess when Major Qing had sustained those wounds.
He had slain Daie for humanity... and ended up like this.
"Ha! Hahaha... A cripple! Major Qing? Just a useless cripple!" Zhe Shouzhao laughed maniacally. "So, do you get it now? He's finished!"
"The hope of so many of you is actually nothing but a cripple now!"
"Even if I die today, soon, all of you will die too!"
...No one was allowed to humiliate Qingzi like this. Beside Han Qingyu, He Tangtang and Rusty Sister could bear it no longer.
"Don't worry. In a moment, I'll make sure you beg for death and can't even get it," He Tangtang ground out through clenched teeth.
At the same time—*clank!*—the greatsword on the back of the iron armor was drawn from its scabbard, her boots shifting forward as if to charge.
"Rusty Sister, you..." Fearing she would act rashly, Wen Jifei quickly snapped his head around and shouted at her.
A very ordinary sight.
Watching it, Zhe Shouzhao even felt a twinge of mockery and smug triumph.
…………
Fenglong'ao.
Zhao Heshan and Han Youshan had finally managed to talk Jiang Longchi down, stopping him from putting on a display of his strength. In truth, after they coaxed him for a while, the old monk himself forgot what he had intended to prove in the first place.
The Azure forces on the scene had already arrived and begun taking custody of the prisoners.
Master Longchi happily mingled among them, scavenging shiny chunks, under the impression that no one was noticing him.
Zhao Heshan cupped a handful of soil to help Han Youshan wipe the blood from his saber, then covered the bloodstains on his clothes before draping an arm over his shoulder to walk back together.
"How was it? Frightened just now, weren't you? Actually, seeing it for the first time is terrifying for anyone. We were the same way at the start, so don't dwell on it. You're fine," Zhao Heshan said. "Take a breather in the back."
"Also, in the future, with blood on the blade, a quick surge of source energy will shake it right off," he continued as they walked.
"Yeah," Han Youshan answered, then turned his head. "By the way, are you really not supposed to jump in a fight?"
"Huh?"
"I glanced through that manual just now. The book says not to leap—said it three times. You also said you don't jump, and the old man just said the same thing. But when I look at my son, he seems to be jumping all the time..."
Han Qingyu had leapt exceedingly high time and time again, his father recalled.
"Oh, it's completely normal for him to jump. Because in reality, we're only forbidden from leaping before enemies stronger than ourselves. And Dajian are stronger than most people, which is why the majority of us can't go jumping around recklessly. But your son is Major Qing, understand? Very few people or Dajian in this world are stronger than him! Very, very few!"
"Oh." Han Youshan nodded, though he was still suspicious inside. According to those video recordings Azure had broadcast, that brat seemed to have been jumping all over the place since way back when.
Was he already that strong back then? Couldn't be, right?
"Besides, maybe he just likes to jump. Purely because he enjoys it," Zhao Heshan chuckled and went on. "Actually, he can kill people and Dajian without jumping. He could kill them standing completely still."
…………
Shenghai.
The crowd was silent. Zhang Youqing wept. Zhang Weiyu held his head high, the blade pressed against his throat, tears falling as he refused to make a sound.
Zhe Shouzhao was laughing and cursing.
Han Qingyu didn't move, nor did he speak again.
At that moment, Zhe Qiuhong, who had long lowered her head, unable to bear watching any longer, suddenly felt a strange sixth sense surge in her heart... She snapped her head up.
*Don't!*
Subconsciously, she still couldn't bear to see her brother die before her eyes. Before the words could leave her lips, she screamed inwardly, her eyes darting over.
First toward Han Qingyu, then sweeping toward Zhe Shouzhao...
Too late. Behind Zhe Shouzhao, a saber blurred into a phantom had already arrived, carving a silent arc through the air.
The saber spun on its axis.
Its edge wheeled sideways...
"*Chua!*" A bloodcurdling scream tore from Zhe Shouzhao. The arm holding his blade was cleaved clean off at the shoulder, hurtling into the sky.
"*Chua!*" With another crisp sound, the upward-angled blade sliced through the back of his neck.
A shower of blood sprayed like a fountain.
Yet Zhe Shouzhao was a peak top-tier; he wasn't completely dead yet.
Therefore—*bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!*—Wen Jifei unslung his rifle and fired, dead iron source energy bullets screaming through the air one after another, slamming into Zhe Shouzhao's still-intact right arm.
At the same time, Wu Xu had already charged forth, spear in hand.
Meanwhile, Han Qingyu stood where he was, slowly looking down in contemplation as he murmured softly under his breath:
"Rusty Sister... Dimple Slash."
Chapter 757