"A place where they stop directly is probably not their stronghold. Please continue observing to confirm before reporting again... lest an action alert the enemy."
This was the feedback returned over the communicator.
Considering that Qi Shantong was very likely behind the other end, Han Qingyu did not say much. That man was someone who would never show consideration or special favor to anyone; he considered himself a "pure Azurist," prioritizing the interests and strength of Azure above all else, when in reality it was a dangerous, extremist inclination.
Late November, deep in the dark night.
The beat-up van was parked behind roadside greenery and wild bushes, at least seventy to eighty meters from the dilapidated street.
The long observation and waiting made them drowsy.
"Hey," He Tangtang suddenly turned to look at S-19, speaking in a cautious, breathy whisper that looked completely out of character for him. "What does it sound like when it talks?... Didn't you guys say it could talk? How come it hasn't said a word?"
"Her talking? ...Just like the artificial intelligence in Hollywood movies."
After saying this, Wen Jifei gave a deadpan impression, his cadence and inflections bizarre and comical.
Teased once again, Shen Yixiu didn't seem angry; the sound of stifled laughter came from beside Han Qingyu once more.
"Well? Isn't coming out pretty fun?" Han Qingyu smiled and asked directly.
"Huh?" Shen Yixiu paused for a moment, and then, imitating Wen Jifei, deliberately put on the strange cadence of an AI in a movie. "I think, you, guys, are very fun."
Yet her impression was far more accurate than Wen Jifei's, and much cuter. She had probably watched plenty of movies during her days alone.
"Th-this is way too high-tech?!" Liu Shiheng gasped in exaggerated amazement.
He Tangtang looked dumbfounded, nodding repeatedly in agreement.
Shen Yixiu couldn't hold back her laughter at their reaction. She seemed to laugh easily, perhaps because she rarely had moments so lively, carefree, and playful before.
"Fun, right?" Han Qingyu looked at her and said with a smile, "Actually, it's only because you're here that we can feel so safe and relaxed."
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
As soon as Han Qingyu finished, the other three immediately voiced their sincere agreement.
Now Shen Yixiu stopped laughing. Her entire body stilled. She looked back at them with hesitant eyes, silent at first, and then nodded slowly yet firmly.
Underneath the metal casing, she smiled, genuinely happy.
"Since you're so advanced, let me ask you something," Liu Shiheng followed up with a question. "Does the Cleansing Faction really just want to die? If not, why on earth do they think the Great Spikes will take them in as dogs when they arrive?"
This guy truly treated Shen Yixiu like an artificial intelligence, and this question had probably puzzled him for a long time.
Han Qingyu didn't stop him, because he shared the same confusion, perhaps even deeper... Back then, Old Wu from Snow Lotus had claimed with absolute conviction that the Great Spikes would create a new world, granting them evolution and longer lifespans.
"Artificial intelligence cannot provide a definitive answer, but... Ne's believers and followers seem to be convinced of it... One theory suggests Ne likely discovered something while studying a certain scientist's notes, which led to everything that followed, including his sudden departure."
Shen Yixiu indeed knew a bit more, but her earnest answer still could not resolve the question.
"Is Pure Purgatory also followers of Ne?" Han Qingyu followed up. The unanimous consensus within Azure had always viewed Pure Purgatory as utter garbage.
"They're an offshoot of a faction within Snow Lotus, but they aren't recognized or accepted by most people in Snow Lotus... Shh."
Suddenly, a car drove past. Inside the van, everyone immediately grew alert... but after passing by, the car sped off into the distance.
Another long spell passed.
"How about we take turns sleeping?" He Tangtang yawned.
"No way," Wen Jifei, Han Qingyu, and Liu Shiheng—the three who shared a dorm with him—stopped him in unison. "Your snoring will alert the enemy."
"..." Shen Yixiu turned blankly to look at the street seventy or eighty meters away. Imagining the scene, she couldn't help laughing again.
Han Qingyu glanced over as well.
"How about I go check it out?" Unable to hold back any longer, he finally suggested.
...
In terms of combat strength, the best configuration for the five of them would have been for Han Qingyu and He Tangtang to scout ahead while Wen Jifei, Liu Shiheng, and Shen Yixiu stayed in the van, ready to drive in for backup or rescue at any moment.
However, Liu Shiheng had volunteered to come along. Whether his trust in Han Qingyu was genuinely higher than in S-19, or he simply wanted to take the opportunity to test his courage, was hard to say.
The dilapidated old street mostly consisted of aged mud-brick houses. Scaling the walls behind the street up to the eaves, the three squeezed in through the junction between the roof and the topmost floor.
Using their three-dimensional apparatuses, they crept forward almost silently toward the light.
Before long, they halted.
Below them was light and people, but not the two they had been tailing.
Peering through the cracks between the floorboards, they could see three youths around twenty years old, dressed somewhat flamboyantly.
The reason to confirm they belonged to the Cleansing Faction was simple: one of the three wore a Generation 7 three-dimensional apparatus on his back, identifiable by its disc and triangle design.
Beside them, a girl lay on the ground with her hands and feet tied and a rag stuffed in her mouth. She looked about fifteen or sixteen and was crying. She seemed to know one or two of the three, and her eyes were filled with terror as she looked at them.
Her schoolbag lay dropped on the ground beside her; she was clearly still a student.
Liu Shiheng nudged Han Qingyu and pointed... There was another schoolbag on the floor right beside the bed, and blood was trickling out from underneath the bed.
It seemed that aside from the young girl before them, there was already another victim.
Voices drifted up:
"Brother Zeng, is it... really fine for us to do this?"
"The hell could go wrong? The world is ending anyway. Didn't you guys watch that video of the God Race coming down to fight the army? It's just a month or so away. Once they arrive, only we will be saved."
"I'm just worried that before they get here, the police..."
"The police? Ha, can the cops beat me?" The one called Brother Zeng turned his head and patted the apparatus on his back. "Even if they don't come looking for me, I'm planning to go kill that old bastard who threw me in detention back then."
With that, he walked over to the bound girl and crouched down in front of her.
"Tsk, tsk, crying now, are we? Back then, when I waited outside your school gates for you to get out and called to you, handing you love letters, you wouldn't even take them... Remember that?"
"It's the end of the world. Afraid you'd die without ever tasting a man, your brother here came especially to help you out... Are you going to be a good girl on your own, or do I have to force it?"
The situation was glaringly obvious.
These three were clearly not "valuable" leads, but there was bound to be a Pure Purgatory recruitment hub nearby.
"Cut them down?"
"Will that alert the enemy? What if they have a lot of people..."
"We can't just stand by and watch, can we?"
"True. If we could watch this, we'd be animals."
*Crack.*
Han Qingyu said nothing. The moment the punk began undoing the girl's belt, he had already smashed through the floorboards, dropping down like a meteor.
Immediately following were three sharp smacks: *thwack, thwack, thwack.*
In a flash, Han Qingyu slapped all three unconscious with the flat of his blade.
He might not be someone with a fierce hatred of evil, but neither had he learned to prioritize the "big picture." He had witnessed men clashing with Great Spikes, Great Spikes slaughtering humans, and had even killed people with his own hands, but... this was the first time he had encountered such brutal harm inflicted on ordinary civilians.
It was a sickening feeling.
He Tangtang and Liu Shiheng dropped down from the roof right after.
Han Qingyu crouched on the ground, took out the source energy block from the man's apparatus, and weighed it casually... It had less than a drop left.
"What now? Kill them or wake them up to interrogate?"
"And that girl saw everything. What do we do? Take her back?"
"No need. She hasn't seen any Great Spikes. She's in the prime of youth, doing fine in school."
With that, Han Qingyu turned and walked over to the terrified young girl. Crouching down, his eyes and tone gentle, he said, "They joined a terrorist organization and kidnapped you. They're bad guys... We just saved you. We're good guys... Can you understand that?"
Fearing the girl's mind was clouded with terror, Han Qingyu explained as if talking to a kindergartener.
The girl looked at him and nodded vigorously. Tears streaked her face, sticking strands of hair to her cheeks, making her look terrified and fragile.
"National classified department on official business, cracking down on terrorist organizations." Han Qingyu casually produced a badge, waved it in front of the girl, and said, "You cannot tell anyone about this, understand?"
As he spoke, he removed the rag from her mouth.
"I-I know... Thank you, thank you all," the girl replied in a small voice, nodding hard.
"Good girl." Han Qingyu smiled, then continued, "Now, we need to take you out... Would you mind fainting for a little bit?"
At this moment, he had already heard faint footsteps on the roof—more than one or two people.
"Huh?" The girl blinked in confusion.
*Shhk!*
The dead iron straight sword in Han Qingyu's hand suddenly snapped forward right before her eyes, the blade still bearing traces of blood from slapping the men earlier.
The girl's eyes went wide, she swayed unsteadily, and fainted.
"She's in your hands. Don't forget to grab her schoolbag," Han Qingyu turned and said to Liu Shiheng.
With a three-dimensional apparatus, carrying one person out would be an easy task for him.
Chapter 85