Will You Marry Major Qing?

"Forget it, none of you need to blame yourselves anymore," Wen Jifei's calm voice echoed through the dead-silent communications channel, carrying a faint smile. "Considering it's Pegmont on the other end, even if we had stayed dead serious and urgent, we probably wouldn't have gotten much out of him anyway. And even if we agreed on a rendezvous point, do you really think he could find it? The mountains and rivers over there don't have signs, and the ground doesn't have coordinates. In any case, I doubt Peg would wander too far from Great Spike activity zones. He still has to hunt, after all." Everyone who heard this thought, *Fair point.* Otherwise, if they actually took Pegmont at his word that there might be five hundred thousand Great Spikes on Mars, the expedition would probably have to be called off right then and there. After all, there was no way humanity could currently transport five million source energy warriors out there to fight. "The fact that he's still alive is already the best news. I believe we'll definitely find him," Wen Jifei added at the end, concluding the call. Indeed. For this world right now, what news could possibly be better than knowing Pegmont was still alive on Mars? The Azure leadership's subsequent decision was not difficult in the slightest. Barely half an hour later, The Refusers publicly broadcast the news to the entire world, even playing a snippet of the audio recording. Excited, overjoyed, tearful citizens across the globe, whether in broad daylight or the dead of night, temporarily paused their celebrations to quietly listen to his voice: "I'm living over here. There's a blue sun, rocks, and dirt. Other than that, it's all Great Spikes... I want to see a human being." "Yeah, I want to see a human being. Even the person I hate most would do. If that's really not possible, a dog or an ant would be fine, too." Pegmont's distant voice flowed forth at an unhurried pace, broadcast simultaneously from countless televisions, radios, and public loudspeakers in streets and plazas, looping a second time, a third... It was a peculiar, indescribable tone and cadence. Considering the speaker was Pegmont—a miraculous fellow who already had two personal joke collections and a chronicle of near-suicidal antics to his name, and who had spent eleven months utterly alone on Mars... nearly every soul on the surface of Blue Star was involuntarily, silently moved. It was an experience ordinary humans could not usually comprehend, for the masses on Blue Star had not yet lost everything. Thus, no one could imagine it out of thin air, nor could anyone grasp what a precious thing the existence of another human being truly was when absolute solitude descended. Pegmont had lost it. On Mars, he had spent eleven months experiencing an endless loneliness that could roughly be described as "species extinction." From his words, people saw the picture of him surviving alone on Mars. And within that picture, they saw the potential tragic future of the entire human race... A shattered world, invaded, occupied, and ruthlessly slaughtered by Great Spikes, where the last remaining humans hid and gasped for breath like insects upon the barren wasteland... Months later, crawling out from underground, searching heedless of danger, yearning to meet another human being, only to die alone in the end. In that vision, the last human collapsed. And from that moment on, everything belonging to this species across the cosmos and time would cease to exist forever. "No! We can never let that happen." "Bring Pegmont back!" "Yes! We should all fight for this!" "Let me and my child take the screening test! Let us give everything to defend humanity!" "..." Such voices, laden with a heavy sense of gravity, echoed ceaselessly across the globe, making this day another turning point in the collective character of humanity. Humans, creatures once known for being driven by emotions and selfishness, began to grow more united and fearless. Because, as a collective whole, their visible future left them with absolutely no way out. For this reason, Azure's historians would later characterize and define this turning point of emotion as: "courage born of shivering fear" and "passion forged in grief and despair." ... Stream Blades base. Han Youshan and Han Qingyu, father and son, walked out of the training grounds, each carrying a combat blade. "Hey, Qingzi." Drenched in sweat, Han Youshan wore a hesitant, uneasy expression as he asked, "Well? Now that we're done practicing, do you think your old man has improved? Do I have a future?" Han Qingyu paused, turned around, and saw his father looking at him, his eyes filled with anticipation and nervousness. "How should I put it? There's definitely improvement. I can tell you've been training really hard, Dad," Han Qingyu praised first. Then, watching the corners of his father's mouth curl into a grin, he added coldly, "As for having a future... there really isn't much of one." Han Youshan: "..." That was far too blunt, giving him no face whatsoever. The father had half a mind to beat his son, but the difficulty of that task seemed no less daunting than becoming the true head of the household back home. "Why?" Han Youshan swallowed his temper for the moment, his eyes crestfallen as he asked stubbornly. "Age. Talent." Han Qingyu held up two fingers before him, indicating that these two factors alone were enough to declare Han Youshan's source energy combat prospects bleak. Han Youshan stared at those two fingers, deflating. *Actually, Dad should have had a great shot at reaching top combat power,* Han Qingyu thought to himself with a quiet smile, before continuing out loud: "Don't be too disappointed, though, Dad. In two years, beating that fraud Lao Jian shouldn't be a problem for you. And if the Great Spikes really launch a full-scale invasion in the future, I believe you'll have the ability to hold a combat blade in one hand and Mom's hand in the other, fighting to survive together." As he spoke that last sentence, a pang of guilt and sorrow gripped Han Qingyu's heart. In those words, he had subtly revealed a truth: *I'm sorry, Mom and Dad. If that day ever comes, your son probably won't be by your side.* By then, Han Qingyu would likely have already fallen in battle; otherwise, the Great Spikes could never run so rampant. Or perhaps he would still be alive, but even then, he wouldn't be able to return home to search for and protect his parents... As one of humanity's peak combat forces, he would have no choice but to face Puta'er, or even Miwang. Just like how, later today, he would have to leave the base to rendezvous with Azure's one hundred thousand veterans and prepare for the expedition to Mars. Fortunately, Han Youshan didn't pick up on that underlying meaning on the spot. He laughed heartily and said: "Well, that definitely won't be an issue. Your old man went through the Antarctic trial, don't you forget! And no matter what, your mom has been doing source energy conditioning at home these past two years. From time to time, she even straps on a device to practice running and jumping. Forget just keeping up with me—she could easily run while carrying another one in her arms!" "Huh?!" An expression of utter soul shock swept over Han Qingyu's face like a laser beam swinging through a ninety-degree arc. "Dad!" "Yeah?" "Are you and Mom seriously planning on having another baby?!" In truth, over the past few years, certain Azure officers—chief among them Lao Jian, who had zero respect for science—had constantly been coaxing Han Qingyu's parents to keep reproducing and strive to produce another genius. On top of that, the neighbors and villagers of Fenglong'ao frequently ganged up to urge them to expand production. Han Qingyu was well aware of all this. But Azure's scientific research department had stated long ago that source energy talent had nothing to do with genetics. Having another child wouldn't necessarily produce a genius, and besides... they were both in their fifties! "Wait, don't tell me you two have already..." Seeing his father remain silent, Han Qingyu thought he had guessed right. Instead, "Get lost!" Han Youshan roared in embarrassment and fury, the combat blade in his hand humming... Only after great effort did he remember he couldn't beat his son. Calming down slightly, he barked: "Your mother was talking about you, you brat! She said you spend all year fighting and taking risks outside, and we can't stop you. But if we could have a grandson or granddaughter left at home for us to raise, that would be best!" *So that was it...* Han Qingyu let out an awkward chuckle. "Oh my, that's no easy task, Uncle, Auntie. By my rough estimate, it's probably not much easier than humanity completely defeating the Great Spikes." A teasing voice drifted from a distance. Around here, only one person dared to speak to Han's parents like that, poking fun at Han Qingyu while dampening the elders' spirits: Wen Jifei. In front of Han Qingyu's parents, Xiao Fei's face and favored standing had always far surpassed Han Qingyu's. He approached, accompanied by Han Ma, as well as Wu Xu, Little Prince, Rusty Sister, and Yang Qingbai. "Auntie, what do you think we should do about this?" Wen Jifei turned and cracked another joke with Han Ma. "Exactly! Since you know what's going on, why aren't you helping him find someone? I only ever hear about you having a girlfriend, but you never keep an eye out for Qingzi. Fine, fine, if all else fails, the two of us will look after yours first," Han Ma complained with a laugh. Taking advantage of her booming voice and distracted attention, Wen Jifei brushed past Han Qingyu and whispered, "Better think of how you're going to break the news to them. Hurry up and explain. The starships are on standby over there, and we're departing any minute." "..." Han Qingyu stared blankly. *Aren't you going to help me bluff? If you don't help me bluff, what can I do except come clean?* "What? What departure? Where are you going?!" Overhearing, Han Ma asked with sudden suspicion and unease. Han Qingyu thought for a moment, turned around, and said meekly, "Just... taking a trip out of town." Han Ma asked, "Out of town where?" Han Qingyu: "...Mars." "Oh, Mars... WHAT?! MARS!" Han Ma froze stiff on the spot. She knew about this—the veteran mobilization, the Mars expedition, the whole world knew about it. It was just that in the entire world, she and her husband were the only two left who didn't know that the one marching to war on Mars alongside those one hundred thousand Azure veterans was their own son. "B-but, you're not a retired veteran," the mother protested in a small, aggrieved murmur, as if arguing with someone. Han Qingyu had his status, his strength, and his mission. Over the years, no matter how hard he fought and risked his life on Blue Star, Han Ma had long since been powerless to stop him. But now, where her son was heading was Mars! As a rural woman, that concept was simply too distant, too unknown, filled with too much worry, fear, and bewilderment. "That's true, but when it comes to fighting a war, we can't just send the retired veterans, right, Mom?" Han Qingyu offered a placating smile and said in a gentle voice, "Besides, isn't Little Pink Hair doing just fine over there? Don't worry, we're just going over to pick him up. Nothing's going to happen." "Oh." Han Ma lowered her head, seemingly agonizing over it for a while, before suddenly looking up and asking, "Then when are you leaving? How about... Qingzi, you take a wife first?" "Huh?!" *Is she trying to ensure the family bloodline first?* Surprised by his mother's sudden decisiveness and cold pragmatism, Han Qingyu was stunned. "Th-there's no time for that, right?" "How is there no time?" Annoyed, Han Ma looked left and right, and quickly spotted a young woman—that liaison officer from Azure, Major General Yang Tieyu. "Young lady, Miss Yang?!" Han Ma called out, walking right over to her. "Huh?" Liaison Officer Yang had just been hesitating over whether she should reveal her true identity before the expedition when she looked up, somewhat dazed. "Auntie wants to ask you something. Would you marry Major Qing?" Han Ma asked with complete sincerity in her eyes. Rusty Sister: "..." "Think about it. Even though he's a bit dull in some ways, he is Major Qing, you know!" When Han Ma said the words "Major Qing," pride still radiated from her eyes and expression. With that, she pointed at Han Qingyu. Rusty Sister froze, standing there completely rigid. Back when she was trapped inside a suit of iron armor, she had watched with her own eyes as Qingzi went on blind dates. Although she had felt somewhat displeased and unhappy back then, her unique condition meant she had never truly, realistically considered this question. Later, she finally got out. In the mere three months since, there had been far too many novel and interesting things to do, too much fun to fool around with, and on top of that, she was playing the role of another person. She simply hadn't had the time to ponder the matter. Who could have imagined that this would happen so suddenly... *What the—HOLY SHIT!* At this moment, Wen Jifei, He Tangtang, Little Prince, Yang Qingbai, and even Wu Xu all silently exclaimed that universal expletive in their minds. Because while Han Ma didn't know that the Yang Tieyu before her was the little Rusty Sister from beneath the armor, the rest of them certainly did. *A fluke strike of fate—Rusty Sister marrying Qingzi?!* For a time, none of them even knew what kind of emotions or thoughts they were supposed to feel facing the scene before them.