Han Qingyu stayed in Fenglong'ao by his parents' side for three days. Throughout those three days, he calmly helped his mother with household chores and accompanied his father in training.
After three days, there was no formal farewell. Han Qingyu simply got up early, finished breakfast, carried his bowl to the sink to wash it, and returned to say,
"Mom, Dad, I'm heading out now. I'll be back in a while."
"All right. Remember to consult Xiao Fei and the others when things come up. Don't push yourself too hard, and come back early once your business is done," both his parents said in unison, their words identical down to every syllable, as if they had rehearsed it countless times before.
Han Youshan and Zhang Jiexia had come to terms with this early on. They knew they could neither stop him nor hold him back, for even if he did not go this time, their son was destined for the battlefield in the future.
Rather than delaying the inevitable, it was better to let him go early to reacquaint himself with everything, especially now when Azure appeared to have the upper hand and morale was soaring.
And so, the Stream Vanguard group departed in the early morning aboard an airship, heading for South Asia—the site historically designated by Azure as the Third Fixed Exploration Site.
It was now Stream Vanguard's base of operations.
With an expedition looming, this was the first time Han Qingyu would meet his troops since waking up with amnesia.
However, several of his soldiers were not currently at the base, and those absent were individuals of considerable combat prowess and standing, such as Black Tooth, Gu Zhazha, Commander Storm, Xu Shiliang...
***
At the Azure Huaxia Second Research Institute, once a covert facility, a training base open to external personnel had been specially established six months earlier.
To accommodate the demand for "source energy scientific education" following the opening of the source energy world, a cluster of new structures had been built on the base's perimeter, all designed as academic lecture halls.
Building 1, Lecture Hall 301.
Not only were the enrolled officers sitting in neat rows, but the back of the lecture hall, doorways, and windows were crammed with people who had come to audit the class.
Among them were many scientists and instructors from various disciplines.
All of this was because the person lecturing at the front was Xin Yaoqiao.
It was known throughout the world that Xin Yaoqiao was the undisputed pioneer in human research on the language of the Great Spike civilization, yet no one had expected her to step up personally to teach such a foundational introductory course.
The course was titled *Fundamentals of Great Spike Civilization Language*.
Once the curriculum concluded, there would be a Level 1 Great Spike Civilization Language Listening Exam, the results of which were tied to military promotions.
About half a month ago, for the impending Antarctic expedition and longer-term combat requirements, Azure had decided to begin popularizing the basic language of the Great Spike civilization across the armed forces.
Classes were being conducted simultaneously in multiple locations worldwide.
The various field armies received directives divided by region to select outstanding officers with strong learning aptitudes and vital battlefield positions for the first wave of training.
The course for Huaxia was hosted at the Second Research Institute. However, in addition to the officers selected by the field army, a few non-regular trainees had been accepted here as well.
"..." A string of bizarre syllables rang out from the lectern.
This was the language of the Great Spikes. The officers present had heard it on the battlefield before; while not unfamiliar, most could not understand a word.
"Did everyone hear that clearly?" Xin Yaoqiao lowered her arm. In her hand, she held a square metal box, through which she was able to reproduce the vocalizations of the Great Spikes.
Major Xin was about to call on people to answer, and the uneasy students grew tense.
Although the instructor was gorgeous... precisely because of that, being looked upon with disdain by her felt agonizing.
With a simple ponytail, a white shirt embroidered with a moth tucked into a brown leather belt, black trousers, and leather shoes, Xin Yaoqiao was rarely seen out of uniform, wearing an approachable smile.
"Black Tooth."
"...Here," Black Tooth scrambled to his feet.
This was not the first day of class, nor was it the first time he had been called on, and it certainly would not be the last.
He was called on constantly, as were the rest of his companions... The instructor seemed to show unmistakable favoritism toward Stream Vanguard.
"Deduce the phrase I just produced," Xin Yaoqiao said.
"'You're amazing, Major Qing,'" Black Tooth guessed boldly on the spot, flashing Xin Yaoqiao a fawning grin afterward.
By this point, quite a few individuals called on by Xin Yaoqiao had failed to answer and were left standing. Gu Zhazha and Commander Storm, who had come along with him, were among them.
"...Get lost!" Xin Yaoqiao glared at him in exasperation. "Stay standing. Next, Uncle Shiliang."
When registering for the training, Xu Shiliang had not submitted his real name; he had used his nickname, Uncle Shiliang. Not only did Azure permit it, but Xin Yaoqiao also addressed him that way with natural ease.
"'Besiege the human with four blades,'" Xu Shiliang answered.
"...Very good." Xin Yaoqiao smiled with delight, motioning for Xu Shiliang to sit down before turning her head to glare once more at Black Tooth, Gu Zhazha, and Commander Storm...
Under that look, neither the utterly shameless Gu Zhazha nor the consistently tough, uncompromising Commander Storm could suppress their inner trepidation, and both averted their eyes.
It was hard to explain, but these past few days, they felt like twelfth-graders facing their final exams, while the homeroom teacher happened to be their sister-in-law.
Xin Yaoqiao taught them with extreme diligence and showed them extraordinary favor... which subjected them to tremendous pressure, as though they were under constant threat.
"Remember, you are the representatives of Stream Vanguard. The battlefield will depend on you in the future, and when you return, you'll be responsible for teaching the others... Mark my words: if you don't learn this well, you're finished."
With that final sentence, the threat was made explicit. Xin Yaoqiao tossed the metal box in her hand across the room to Xu Shiliang.
"Your reward. It's yours."
"Those standing, stay standing. If you wet your pants, dry them with your own source energy."
"The rest of you, ten-minute break."
***
"Talk about blatant favoritism."
"No kidding!"
"What can you do? Family ties, after all..."
"Count your blessings. If not for Stream Vanguard, do you think we'd have Major Xin personally teaching us?"
During the break, trainees gathered to smoke and chat with chuckles, bearing no real malice.
As the only member of Stream Vanguard allowed out of his seat, Uncle Shiliang never mingled with Azure officers. After finishing a solitary cigarette at the stairwell, he walked down the corridor carrying the metal box.
*These gadgets are hard to come by, and Stream Vanguard already has four! Major Xin truly plays favorites when it comes to Qingzi—not hiding it in the slightest, completely unpretentious... What a great girl,*
Uncle Shiliang thought to himself.
"Xu... Xu Shiliang?!" by the side of the hallway, a lieutenant colonel in his forties who had come to audit the class called out hesitantly.
Xu Shiliang's steps paused briefly before he moved to walk away.
"It is you, isn't it?" The lieutenant colonel walked over. "Ah, it really is you! I almost didn't dare recognize you. How come you guys are back? Was the matter cleared up?!
"I remember back then, you were on an escort mission with that bastard Ye Jian, and he suddenly hijacked those Snow Lotus VIPs and defected to Ne. Afterward, word was that most of your squad died, and later Azure put out warrants for you and what's-his-name. I thought you had left with him..."
The lieutenant colonel talked on and on.
"..." A flicker of agony crossed Xu Shiliang's expression, but he held back and turned his head. "You have the wrong man. My nickname is Uncle Shiliang, but I'm no Xu Shiliang."
Leaving no chance for the lieutenant colonel to reply, Xu Shiliang strode away. He had thought he had changed enough, yet someone had still recognized him.
"...Ye Jian!" As he walked, his fists tightened involuntarily.
***
There had been no news of Ye Jian for a very long time.
Thousands of meters beneath the ice sheets of Antarctica, inside the Snow Lotus base, all news and external activities had been cut off for nearly a year ever since the Great Spikes retreated to Antarctica.
"Sigh, we won't end up starving to death here, will we?" In the library, which had practically become a dating lounge, Liu Shiheng looked at Alice, who wore a long lace dress, looking her up and down from feet to head. "If we really run out of food, how about you eat me?"
At first glance, the remark sounded both noble and terrifying... but Alice knew it was simply lewd, because the man saying it was currently striking an odd pose and eyeing her with a lecherous gaze.
"We won't!" Alice gave a helpless sigh, lifted her chin, and spoke with calm indifference, "Because very soon, your friends will be here."
"Yeah, yeah, you've said that more than once," Liu Shiheng scoffed, thoroughly unconvinced.
"This time, it's true." Alice turned to look at him. "Young Master."
"Hmm?" Young Master Shiheng raised an eyebrow.
"If one day I asked you to betray Han Qingyu and the others, would you be willing to stand by my side?" Alice asked.
"Impossible," Young Master Shiheng replied decisively. "Unless you use a honey trap on me."
"Are you... a man of your word?"
"Of course! You know what kind of guy I am." Playful teasing like this had occurred countless times between them, and Liu Shiheng laughed it off without a second thought.
"...Fine." Surprisingly, Alice answered in earnest this time.
Having answered, she turned away from him...
Yet the long dress upon her body slid silently to the floor.
Chapter 762