Of course, it was not that Yin Caixin didn't care enough about Han Qingyu. In truth, over the past few months, she had anxiously followed every scrap of news concerning Qingzi every single day, smiling or fretting with every turn.
After all, he was the person she had once foolishly, naively had a crush on. From Alphonse's trial to the battle of Xilang Peak, he had saved her life time and time again...
Just now, the sudden sight of Qingzi squatting on the icy crag with that innocent look had made Major General Yin's nose sting, tears nearly betraying her eyes.
*I’ve been so worried about you, Qingzi. My heart aches for you.*
Caixin had thought this, but she also knew very well in her heart that there was nothing she could actually do. Beyond going over as a "stranger" to offer a few words of comfort and concern that Qingzi had likely grown sick of hearing, or standing before him weeping out of heartache and leaving him flustered and at a loss, what could she do?
It would be pointless. Whether Qingzi could recover, whether he was well protected, what the final outcome would be—the scope of all those issues and the playing field involved were far too remote for Yin Caixin. A lowly major general in the Swiss Front Army could do nothing about it, and she had her own duties to perform.
*So, I just tried to bluff you out of your bracelet, trying my luck, haha... And to let you all know that I've truly grown up, and you don't need to worry about me anymore.*
With these thoughts, Major General Yin stopped and looked down at the newly minted map in her hands.
"Pivot right, Area B12. Prepare to engage in battle!" Her loud, steady command echoed back through the freezing wind.
Azure had partitioned the Antarctic Peninsula into several sectors, assigning them to different front armies for clearing. Area B12 was situated on the right side of the peninsula's midsection, near the coast.
Treading over the snow and ice, the entire Swiss Front Army began pivoting right.
As she rounded the mountain pass, Yin Caixin stood still for a moment. Turning her head, she saw them again. Seeing that they were all looking back at her, she suddenly burst into a radiant smile, tears shimmering in her eyes, while waving her hand vigorously.
It was as if she were saying: *I'm done pretending.*
This wave was very much that of a little girl, so reminiscent of that silly, naive girl from back then... Then, as her waving palm came down from the air, it gripped her hilt. Major General Yin drew her blade and strode forward.
Caixin and the Swiss Front Army vanished from view. No one followed out of concern.
However, not far along both sides of the route were battlefields belonging to other front armies. The rookies' battles against Great Spikes were unfolding right before their eyes.
"What are you afraid of? What the fuck are you scared of?! Hold the formation! Charge in and chop them to pieces!"
"Get back! Stop, get back! Why the fuck are you rushing in so fast? Don't you know how to check your teammates' positions? If you want to die, fine, but who the hell are you trying to drag down with you?!"
"Good, wear it down just like that. Carve into it, stroke by stroke... Second rank, step up! Keep going!"
"Retreat, quickly, full retreat... Rearguard, take out its legs! That's it! When making a sacrifice to save others, don't even dream of going for the kill! Cut its legs so your comrades have a chance to run—that's how your death has value!"
All kinds of commands in various languages, propelled by the surging tides of source energy, rose and fell across the icy plains.
The members of Stream Vanguard remained squatted on the icy crag, watching. From a veteran's perspective, watching greenhorns in their maiden battle was rather interesting, and at the same time, it stirred up many memories...
"Hold the formation! Don't lose focus, and don't look back!" a French-speaking officer shouted in reminder, though he couldn't resist glancing back himself.
They were fighting their very first battle against Great Spikes right in front of Stream Vanguard—before Major Qing, Lieutenant Wu Xu, Second Lieutenant Wen Jifei, and Second Lieutenant Shen Yixiu. It was an exceptionally unique and badass moment.
Even though rumors said Major Qing had lost his memories, that nervousness and excitement remained impossible to suppress. If the veterans felt this way, how much more so the newcomers?
Many of them had originally walked into the testing centers after seeing the recruitment advertisements featuring Major Qing and Second Lieutenant Shen Yixiu.
Others had chosen the spear because of Wu Xu.
Many had bounded and jumped around aimlessly during early training because of Major Qing's heaven-cleaving strike at the Zenith; after being disciplined, they had secretly practiced leaping in private, daydreaming of one day fighting atop the dome of heaven just like that legend.
"After expanding the recruitment pool, this generation of rookies really does have impressive fusion degrees and combat strength. Far better than back in our day," Wen Jifei remarked as he watched, his tone inadvertently carrying an old veteran's air.
As usual, Wu Xu did not join in such small talk.
Rusty Sister wanted to chime in, but she hadn't been in the same batch as Wen Jifei. Back when they were still recruits, Rusty Sister was already immensely strong. She had had no peers back then; aside from her grandfather's guidance, she had trained entirely alone, so she couldn't relate either.
And Han Qingyu didn't join in because he didn't remember.
"Yeah," He Tangtang said, nodding from the end of the icy crag. "Not only are the fusion degrees higher, but there seem to be more female soldiers than before too. Quite a few of them are pretty good-looking."
Though he had chimed in, Tangtang's gaze was not looking over here. He was intently watching the flank battlefield.
The rest of the group exchanged glances.
"Come to think of it, our Tangtang has reached the age where a young man's fancy turns to love, yet he's never dated, nor has he ever mentioned liking any girl, right?" Yang Qingbai muttered under his breath... then turned. "Where? Which pretty one caught your eye, Tangtang?"
"There are plenty of pretty ones." The Great Kidney Striker was naturally no shy little boy. Though inexperienced, He Tangtang put on a very worldly posture, pointing a finger. "That one's the prettiest."
With his point, everyone looked over.
"Holy crap, she really is gorgeous!" Yang Qingbai exclaimed on the spot.
"Yeah, both pure and alluring."
"Agreed."
"Good height too. What a great figure."
"Mm."
Four consecutive murmurs of agreement came from Wen Jifei, Rusty Sister, the Little Prince, and Han Qingyu.
In their field of vision, a slender young East Asian female soldier with delicate features was circling through the battle formation with blade in hand. She bit her lip nervously, intent on finding an opening to strike.
A few stray, sweat-drenched locks of hair fell, sticking to her cheek and the corner of her mouth.
"Looking at her movement speed, her fusion degree seems pretty solid too... Tangtang!" the Little Prince said.
"Yeah?" He Tangtang didn't turn his head.
"Do you dare go down in a bit, ask for her name, and give her some on-site pointers?"
"...It's not that I don't dare. What wouldn't I dare do? But... just ask straight out like that?" Lacking experience after all, He Tangtang hesitated, turning to look at the Little Prince.
"Of course you just ask directly! If not directly, how else do you plan to beat around the bush?" The Little Prince reached out and patted He Tangtang's shoulder. "Don't worry, you're Stream Vanguard's He Tangtang! If you go over and show some concern, that little female soldier's head will definitely spin on the spot. Then, you can ask her if she's interested in joining Stream Vanguard down the line. We can always requisition people from Azure."
"True enough. It can't hurt to try," He Tangtang pondered. "Then I..."
As he spoke, he prepared to stand up.
"Nisha!" Just then, the battle formation below had finished repeatedly breaking through a black-armored Great Spike. At the commander's shout—*whir*—the young female soldier's source energy erupted as she dashed forward on a diagonal line.
"Nice burst!"
"So fast!"
"She's actually taking the executioner's position!"
Amidst the formation, the female soldier's surging body leaned slightly to the side, though it did not hinder her speed in the least. Holding her battleblade in a reverse grip with her right hand, she didn't swing her arm, relying entirely on the momentum of her burst and dash. *Swish!* Merging with her blade into a gust of wind, she swept beneath the Great Spike's ribs.
The Azure battleblade trailing in her hand sliced with pinpoint precision into the wound already opened by the battle formation, cutting in, cutting through.
*Crack-crack-clatter... Crash!*
Half a second later, the black-armored Great Spike crashed heavily to the ground.
"Excellent!" the officer praised loudly.
The young warriors on the scene erupted in thrilled cheers.
Amidst the cheers, the female soldier braked swiftly, standing with her back turned. First, she secretly took a few deep breaths to rein in her nervousness and excitement, then calmly sheathed her blade and turned around.
...Keeping a cold face.
This recovery posture was largely an imitation; the trend was spreading virulently across the entire source energy world like an epidemic... The whole world was imitating Major Qing, whether intentionally or not.
She held it in, held it in, until she couldn't help but let the corners of her mouth curl up into a radiant smile.
"So cool... and cute," He Tangtang muttered in awe from the edge of the icy crag, his voice dripping with infatuation.
Yet at the very same moment, everyone else present had gone completely numb.
Thai.
Nisha.
An ultra-high degree of fusion.
"She" was the only S-grade recruit from Thailand mentioned in the recent global conscription news—the transgender beauty pageant champion.
Chapter 773