At the South Pole, the gigantic Great Spike tractor field blazed with dazzling brilliance, in the midst of a full activation. Based on past experience, it would require a considerable amount of time to complete this super traction.
Thus, on the surface, it appeared there was still a chance to stop it.
Yet in reality, there was none. Both Wen Jifei and Pegament understood this clearly. Therefore, as the human force closest to the tractor field, the three thousand surviving remnants of Stream Blades did not turn back this time; they did not even cast another glance behind them.
In the contrasting picture:
On one side stood a towering, majestic alien demonic palace, radiant with tens of thousands of blinding beams; on the other side was a tiny, indistinct throng clad in black.
That force named Stream Blades, those battle-scarred warriors, were walking away with their backs turned.
Know that today, with their own hands, they had just forged what was perhaps the fiercest, most iron-blooded long-distance raid in the history of human source energy warfare.
Know that what they had originally accomplished was a redemption so magnificent, sufficient to endure through eternity.
...Yet in the end, they gave up.
Because of their formidable combat strength, and through the sheer misfortune of happening to be on the eastern front back then, Stream Blades had been saddled with high hopes—and for a time, even the sole hope—of all humanity in the latter half of the Antarctic campaign. Too much had been expected of them for too long... until now, when they were finally powerless.
Admitting defeat was both difficult and simple.
Stream Blades gave up on attacking the tractor field. Even if the ending would be death and destruction all the same, they chose to "let down" and "rebel against" this world just once—after having gone so very long without doing so.
In truth, whether it was the unique nature of the City of Injustice, Han Qingyu's past, or the original intent behind founding Stream Blades, they had always been rebellious at heart.
This was something bred into the bones of these outlaws, and so it felt immensely satisfying.
Refusing to care for once felt great.
Walking away with their backs turned felt great.
Not sparing a single glance back felt great.
What felt best of all was that they walked. Turning their backs on the densest, most terrifying swarm of Great Spikes on the planet, turning their backs on that super tractor field powering up to summon a massive alien army—and walking.
No more running. Sheathing their weapons, they tucked away every stir of agitation, fear, joy, and grief. The three thousand soldiers of Stream Blades strode leisurely across the ice plain.
Perhaps before long, they would run headlong into the Great Spike units sweeping back around.
Or perhaps, with a bit of luck and a little more time, some fresh Great Spike legion newly summoned by the tractor field behind them would catch up first—and from Stream Blades, they would begin their acquaintance with humanity and human arms.
Either way was fine; it wouldn't make much difference. They just weren't going back. The soldiers walked and pondered. For the first time, they had both the time and the mood to leisurely take in the scenery of the South Pole.
"She fainted?!" Wen Jifei asked anxiously as he walked.
This was the first time he had made direct contact with the Doomsday Great Wall on the peninsula. Given Wen Jifei's communications clearance, it presented no difficulty at all; he simply hadn't done so until now.
Lin Ya had just told him that Yao Yue had passed out.
Wen Jifei felt tense, but only mildly so. Given how the situation was unfolding, there was a high probability that the airships on the peninsula would never get the chance to lift off anyway.
"Yeah, but she's all right. She's resting against my legs, and she's breathing," Lin Ya continued. "She was just worried sick about you. She kept listening to the updates, and the news kept swinging back and forth. The emotional whiplash was too intense, you know?"
"I understand." Wen Jifei thought for a moment. "Then don't disturb her. Let her have a good sleep."
If what was to follow was inevitable, Wen Jifei felt that having Yao Yue remain unconscious like this was actually quite a mercy.
"All right," Lin Ya readily replied. The young girl seemed exceptionally carefree by nature; having answered, she still had the mood to play reporter, asking, "Second Lieutenant Wen, what are you doing in the pole region right now? I know you broke out, and then the tractor field activated. You guys..."
"Walking. Just walking," Wen Jifei gave a brief laugh. "Aren't I talking to you on the march right now?"
"Oh, so that's it! I was wondering how you had the time, and why you sounded so relaxed." Lin Ya had been following the battlefield reports and listening to the discussions around her. As an Azure war correspondent, she quickly deduced the full picture, even picturing the scene at the pole...
"Ha!" As the girl thought it through, she suddenly laughed out loud.
What sort of reaction was that? Startled, Wen Jifei asked, "What is it?"
"Nothing. I just suddenly realized that Second Lieutenant Wen, leading a willfully rebellious Stream Blades, is seriously handsome—totally badass." Lin Ya laughed, using trendy, youthful slang.
"That..." Wen Jifei gave a wry, helpless laugh.
"Seriously!" Fearing he might misunderstand and think she was being insincere, Lin Ya hurriedly explained, "The way I see it, when Stream Blades resolved to launch that redemption offensive earlier, that sheer determination was drop-dead cool. Later, when Stream Blades assaulted the tractor field all alone, fighting to the death without giving up, that was drop-dead cool too... And now, worn out, finally deciding to say to hell with everyone else and slowly walking away from the pole—that Stream Blades is just as cool. Totally awesome!"
"..." Sure enough, this girl's mind was wired a bit differently—Yao Yue hadn't been wrong at all. Wen Jifei smiled and said, "Then I suppose I can only agree."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than—*Whoosh! Whoosh...*
A rolling succession of source energy detonations faintly carried over the distant wind.
Wen Jifei looked up, cutting off the transmission at the same moment.
Through the sniper scope, black specks appeared along the distant snowline...
They were people—Azure personnel.
The ten thousand elites from the western front who had resolved at Ellsworth Land to reinforce the tractor field had finally arrived.
...
The ice plain stretched wide and open. The ranks of Stream Blades stood in place.
Commander Hua had just been thinking that it would be best to lead his warriors around them, but as luck would have it, they were spotted.
By now, they were not far from the South Pole; the tractor field was within visual range.
Stream Blades had already decided not to go there. Having listened to the Rejectors' battlefield intelligence and analyses throughout their march, the reinforcement force could completely understand Wen Jifei's decision.
Yet they had to go. Since they were already here, even knowing the inevitable outcome, they had to give it a try.
Because although the earlier breakthrough on the western front had been brutal and tragic, compared to what Stream Blades had done today, these ten thousand had no right to say they were tired and wanted to go die somewhere else.
Because in the Lost Continent Expedition, over a million Azure troops were only now laying eyes on the tractor field at the pole for the very first time.
Stream Blades, however, had already charged it—more than once. They had already clashed back and forth across that hellish swarm of Great Spikes for several rounds.
"You've worked hard. It's our turn to go take a look," Commander Hua said. He naturally recognized Wen Jifei, just as Wen Jifei recognized him. As their eyes met, Commander Hua paused helplessly and found words to say.
At the same time, the ten thousand Azure elites slowed their pace, raised their hands in salute, and jogged steadily past the formation of Stream Blades.
They had originally come to reinforce this remnant force.
Almost no one on Stream Blades' side responded. In that moment, with emotions running tangled, the warriors had no idea how they ought to respond.
Only the Little Prince stood alone at the flank of the formation, waving and even high-fiving Azure commanders he barely knew, saying:
"Thanks for your service!" "We're counting on you!" "What a pity we really don't have the strength to head back with you." "..."
Uttered at a time like this, every single one of those words sounded vulgar and hypocritical, even coming across as somewhat awkward and selfish.
Because the Little Prince understood Stream Blades' character so thoroughly. In the face of this situation, whether to turn back or not, the soldiers, as well as Wen Jifei, Wu Xu, Rusty Sister, and the others, had to be agonizing inside.
So he would be the villain. He was well-practiced at this sort of work anyway.
"...It can't be breached."
These words were not spoken by Wen Jifei. Wen Jifei had not spoken; he knew there was no need, for Commander Hua surely knew it already.
The one who spoke was Pegament.
"Mm... We'll give it a try," Commander Hua said, keeping his tone as light as possible.
"Then I'll go with you," Pegament said, sounding rather gloomy. But there was no other way; he still hadn't forgotten that he belonged to Azure, not Stream Blades.
Having said that, he turned his head and pointed toward the distance off to the flank. "And that guy shouldn't go."
In the distance off to the side, atop a slab of glacial rock, someone was standing.
In the South Pole region, aside from the ten thousand western front elites of Azure, another reinforcement force had arrived.
Two people.
Pegament had been the first to spot those two figures. He had even watched as He Tangtang slung Han Qingyu off his back with one hand, set him onto the glacial rock, and steadied him upright.
Chapter 837