He Tangtang had made a mistake today, squandering his hopes for a first love, and perhaps also his very first heart-fluttering, passionate encounter. Fortunately, things weren't too terrible yet; he felt he could still pull himself back.
If he felt sad, he’d just be sad for a moment; if he felt reluctant, he’d grit his teeth; as for the gloom...
To hell with it. Once large-scale battle and slaughter began, this Nisha, along with this brief interlude in his life, could soon be buried away.
"Stream Vanguard should be setting out soon anyway. Wherever we head next, we definitely won't be mixed in with the recruits' sector."
That was what He Tangtang thought.
He neither wished for nor expected their paths to cross again.
And yet, that crossing came so quickly—Nisha actually came looking for him all by herself.
"What's wrong, Mr. Tangtang?" Standing amidst the boundless ice and snow like a pristine statue of a goddess, Nisha asked, blinking her eyes.
What a smart girl, deftly skirting the awkward fact that the "Great Kidney Striker" still didn't have an addressable military rank and remained a mere private.
"Mmm... do you dislike fish?" Nisha asked with a smile.
With her strength, holding up a fish naturally wouldn't tire her, no matter how long she held it. Yet Nisha still smiled playfully, putting on an expression that said: like it or not, if you don't take it soon, my arms are going to get sore.
"..." Looking at her, He Tangtang felt a flare of indignation. This! This coquettish, delightful demeanor—how the hell could this not be a woman?!
And a pretty, adorable woman at that!
Nisha truly was far too womanly—not just in body and appearance, but in her heart as well. She had lived as a girl ever since childhood, and because of that, feelings of inferiority, grievance, heartache, and helplessness had inevitably accompanied her growing up.
Then the world suddenly changed. An apocalyptic catastrophe loomed near, and humanity seemed poised for annihilation at any moment.
She decided to head for the battlefield. Unexpectedly, during the enlistment screening, she was told she was an S-grade prodigy... Nisha decided she would live with greater confidence, openness, and courage—which included fighting, and also embracing and looking forward to the wonderful things she had once yearned for yet feared.
On the scene, He Tangtang remained silent, and the atmosphere began to grow a little awkward.
"I really like this," Nisha said, still trying her best to find something to talk about. She gestured with her eyes toward the crimson moth darting into flame on He Tangtang's combat uniform. "Back then, we always used to say Stream Vanguard's combat uniforms were the most beautiful, far better than the Azure direct-command ones or any of the front armies'... By the way, I studied fashion design before, and later enlisted together with a friend..."
Nisha's English wasn't particularly good, making her stumble a bit over long sentences.
"So what if you're S-grade? S-grade or not, you're still a rookie," He Tangtang finally spoke, his tone somewhat harsh.
Those bastards are probably peeping right now, aren't they? I can't let them laugh at me, he thought to himself.
"Huh?" Nisha tilted her head, looking at him, seemingly not catching He Tangtang's meaning.
"I mean, don't go running around all by yourself when you've got nothing to do... Why are you bringing fish anyway?! This place isn't safe, you know? Whether you run into Great Spikes or lurking enemies, on your own, you'll die."
He Tangtang suddenly lashed out in rebuke.
"Oh, so you were worried about me?" Nisha beamed happily. Then, after a moment's thought, she suddenly looked down at her belly. "But I didn't come alone. There's another one in here."
"...Huh?!" He Tangtang was dumbfounded on the spot.
Another one in her belly!
Pregnant?!
She's a woman?!
Wait, but it's not mine! What the fuck is going on?!
"Before I came, I just ate a person, hee-hee," Nisha giggled proudly and said, "Doesn't Mr. Tangtang eat people too? Te-he."
She was joking with He Tangtang, thinking this might close the distance between them.
Rumors in this world regarding He Tangtang had always included terrifying aspects: that he could eat Great Spikes and ate people too—like that Red Shoulder in South America that was allegedly eaten raw, or that assassin drained dry in a Maple Leaf Nation hotel.
And he himself always loved to say things like, "I'll eat you!"
"Let's eat people together in the future, okay? For now, let's eat fish together first."
Nisha spoke playfully, peeling open a small corner of the tin foil, allowing the lingering heat and savory aroma of the roasted fish to drift out.
"...How is she so good at this?! So adorable!"
Never in his life had He Tangtang encountered such enthusiasm and heart-fluttering charm. Had Nisha's situation not been so peculiar, he would have blossomed with joy long ago.
Then... just one bite?
Thinking this, He Tangtang grabbed a handful of snow to rub his hands clean and reached out to pluck a piece of fish meat.
Right at that moment—clack!
The sound of a shard of ice smacking against the hard ground echoed from not far behind him.
"Fuck! Those bastards really are peeping... They must be laughing their heads off right now!"
In reality, the chunk of ice had fallen naturally.
Wen Jifei had already issued private instructions regarding this matter: now that Little Prince had told Tangtang the truth, no matter how things developed afterward, no one was permitted to interfere or pry.
However, He Tangtang's pride and mental fortitude shattered completely.
The fish meat that had almost reached his lips was put back. Pulling his hand back, He Tangtang said somewhat stiffly and coldly, "I forgot—I actually don't like fish."
Nisha froze for a moment, looking at him, and asked hesitantly, "Is... is that so?"
"Yes. To be precise, I hate fish. And you should head back. I've got things to do here... Stay safe." As he spoke, He Tangtang turned his head away, not looking at Nisha.
...At this point, Nisha seemed to understand.
"All right, then... I'll head back. During the long battles ahead, please stay safe too, Mr. Tangtang."
The "girl" still forced a gentle smile, bowed slightly, and turned to walk out into the icefield... Her silhouette soon vanished behind a colossal slab of glacial rock.
He Tangtang took a look. Seeing her back disappear, his heart felt as though it had been pricked by a needle... He turned away.
"When the hell are we setting out? Dammit, did so many of us come all the way to Antarctica for a vacation?" Walking back, He Tangtang deliberately shouted loudly toward the Stream Vanguard camp.
It seemed the low-grade Great Spikes on the peninsula were all going to be left for the recruits to clear out; the battlefield for Stream Vanguard and Azure's elite veterans was not here.
Then let's hurry up and move out, hurry up and start fighting for our lives. Get out of here faster, start the fighting sooner, He Tangtang thought urgently to himself, looking for an escape.
…………
"So you really have amnesia?" God Lü asked, standing.
"Yeah." Han Qingyu sat, tilting his head up as he nodded.
"Haven't recovered?"
"Nope."
"...That's pretty amusing, actually." God Lü paused for a few seconds, then broke into a grin.
Major Qing had amnesia and hadn't recovered. The situation was genuine. This was certainly not good news, but it was immensely entertaining.
Present on the scene, God Lü and Hua Bixuan had both witnessed Han Qingyu in his growth, and then watched him all along the way become that special noun, the very pinnacle of humanity... Never would they have imagined they would get to see him in an even greener, more tender state once again.
"Then how did you catch Pegmont's slash so easily?" Hua Bixuan asked from the side.
"I don't know either. Maybe he held back... He seemed a bit afraid of me," Han Qingyu answered patiently and carefully.
He knew that the two before him were highly decorated super combat powers of the Huaxia Front as well as old friends; to a certain degree, they had both rescued and aided him in the past.
Therefore, Han Qingyu acted polite and respectful.
"Then what about the fifty metal blocks you owe me? Things were urgent at the time, so I didn't write down an IOU," God Lü said out of nowhere, speaking with utmost seriousness.
Han Qingyu looked at him, not even bothering to argue, only replying, "That's a pity, then. Since there's no proof, to avoid getting scammed, I think I won't pay it back."
"..." God Lü was taken aback for a second. He had no idea just how many times Han Qingyu had already suffered such deception—and even outright extortion—within Stream Vanguard alone.
"All right, Generals, stop picking on Qingzi," Wen Jifei said with a helpless chuckle. "Rather, what I want to ask is, what is Azure's next plan? Over this whole day, we've brought in fewer than twenty metal blocks. We're just sitting here watching recruits grind monsters. It can't go on like this."
"That miserable?" Hua Bixuan asked, smiling faintly.
Wen Jifei nodded. "Yeah."
"With your usual style, I thought your quick hands would be snatching them up! What, couldn't bring yourselves to lose face in front of so many recruits?"
"Not at all." When it came to shamelessness, they could throw away face at any second. Theodore, standing nearby, had known Hua Bixuan since their days in the City of Sin, and he grumbled right away, "The thing is, someone seems to be watching us closely and snatching our loot. Wherever we go, the area's already been cleaned out ahead of us."
As he spoke, Wen Jifei, Little Prince, Rusty Sister, and the others all fixed their stares onto Hua Bixuan and God Lü. They didn't say a word, but the accusation in their eyes couldn't be clearer.
"Who? Who could be so disgusting, targeting you to steal your loot? Aren't they afraid of pushing Stream Vanguard too far?" God Lü asked with deliberate, shameless innocence.
"The Huaxia Front, of course. Lots of people, shameless to boot, and knowing full well we wouldn't clash with them... Besides the Huaxia Front, who else could it be?" Wen Jifei said, staring at him coolly.
"Is that so?!" God Lü continued to smirk mischievously. "How vile! That old bastard Chen Buer must have instructed them in advance. Nobody else could do something like this."
That was actually the truth... Wen Jifei nodded and said, "I know. That's why I'm not lodging a complaint with you two, just asking about Azure's next plan."
"The next step... should be within the next day or two." Hua Bixuan stood up and pointed at the map on the wall. "Right now, the front section of the Antarctic Peninsula has mostly been cleared. Azure will soon establish a forward operating base in this area, including field hospitals, supply depots..."
"They can build houses that fast in a place like this? What are they building them with? Carving out icebergs?" He Tangtang had just squeezed in from outside, and to show he had nothing on his mind, he chimed in right away.
"No need to build; we'll use airships directly as buildings," Hua Bixuan replied, glancing at him. "This time, including those six motherships, the vast majority of airships in Azure's hands will be brought over. That way, if any unexpected incident occurs, evacuation will also be convenient."
"Good plan," Wen Jifei nodded. "And then? When do we begin advancing toward the continent?"
"Tomorrow. Tomorrow, the vanguard elites will begin a probing offensive," Hua Bixuan said. "However, it won't be a direct assault."
Drawing a line to the left across the connection between the peninsula and the mainland on the map, he continued, "Judging by the current progress of the traction field, there is still enough time. Azure's operational plan is to nibble away gradually... Therefore, we will first push west, slicing inward layer by layer along the coastline, aiming to eliminate as many active Great Spike forces as possible before the general offensive."
The plan sounded sound. Wen Jifei nodded again as he pondered.
"So, coming with us? Speaking of which, it's been a long time since we fought side by side," God Lü asked with a roguish grin from the side.
Wen Jifei turned to look at him, then turned back and exchanged a glance with Little Prince.
"Don't worry, we won't steal from you this time. Besides, we couldn't snatch everything over there anyway, right?" God Lü added, still unable to suppress his chuckle.
You might not be able to snatch all the metal blocks, but what about the Great Spike motherships? Wen Jifei muttered to himself.
Stream Vanguard's biggest battlefield objective for this expedition was to bring back two Great Spike motherships. There weren't that many of those, and competing for them would be a massive headache.
"No thanks. We'll head east on our own first to see how it goes." Tracing a line in the opposite direction to the right on the map, Wen Jifei said, "If all goes smoothly, we'll wait in the Mount Erebus area for you to launch the general offensive. If it doesn't go smoothly, we'll run."
Chapter 781