At that moment, standing on the high platform beside Han Qingyu and offering their salutes to the hundred thousand veterans, were Wen Jifei, Wu Xu, He Tangtang, and Rusty Sister.
They had followed him, pretending nothing was amiss as they walked with heads bowed toward the rostrum, had found themselves unable to do anything but stop midway just as he had, and ultimately ended up standing here alongside him.
Facing the formation of a hundred thousand people below.
For people like them, the feeling of facing a source energy battle array bristling with a forest of long sabers was something that always felt singular and profound. Even if the exact same scene played out countless times, that feeling would never diminish in the slightest.
And this time, it was particularly out of the ordinary. Because those hundred thousand source energy soldiers standing below...
Almost every single one of them had long since walked away from the battlefield. These were people who had arrived just days ago from secondary lines, from logistics departments, from civilian jobs after retirement, and from their homes.
Most of them were roughly of the same age as the parents of Han Qingyu and his friends—some of them were even older, more visibly weathered and aged.
Many of them bore old combat injuries, and some were even physically disabled.
Standing upon the dais, Han Qingyu could not help but wonder whether some among them came from the Ninth Army, or had perhaps served as instructors in the recruit boot camp, or as examiners during the graduation trial, having personally seen or heard of a recruit named Han Qingyu.
One hundred thousand people. The exact figure on the statistical roster was one hundred and two thousand, three hundred and twenty-one... The single name uniting them now was "veterans."
Now, standing here, these veterans were preparing to embark on humanity's first expedition beyond the Vault... heading to their deaths on a distant star as humanity's acceptable "cost."
They knew this themselves—perhaps better than anyone.
Yet they had still returned, voluntarily choosing to step back into the ranks without any compulsory conscription.
"Look to the right," Wen Jifei murmured behind him amidst the silence.
By the time he alerted Han Qingyu, Wu Xu's gaze had already settled over there.
It was a formation that was visibly somewhat disorderly. The fighters within sported bizarre hairstyles, strange ornaments, and quirky expressions, while their combat uniforms and weapons were completely mismatched...
Taking in the sight at a glance, the only thing uniform about them was probably the Azure military-issue Tenth-Generation source energy three-dimensional maneuver gear strapped to their backs.
They hailed from the City of Sin.
Since Azure had officially issued them Tenth-Generation gear across the board, it was obvious that their participation in the Martian expedition had received Azure's official endorsement.
Just like Azure's battle arrays, the thousand-man formation from the City of Sin consisted mostly of faces weathered by age... Perhaps they saw themselves as another portion of humanity's source energy armed forces that could serve as a "cost."
Then, there was a small fraction composed of relatively young figures.
Cat Girl Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet had cut her hair short and wore a black combat uniform. She looked like a remarkably striking, handsome tomboy—save for the curves outlined by the suit—standing at the front of the ranks with a short blade across her back. At that moment, she had her chin raised, head slightly tilted, fixing a certain person on the platform with a provocative, flirtatious stare.
Besides her, Shu You had come as well. As the boss of the City of Sin, he seemed not to have paid attention and had ended up standing right in the soldiers' ranks, so he deliberately wore a cold expression and tilted his head, standing toward the rear of the line.
And yet, that shock of white hair...
*If I remember right, isn't he still under forty? After not seeing him for a few years, does he really think rocking a head of white hair lets him pass as an old veteran?* Han Qingyu mused to himself, wondering whether Boss Shu You had crossed the threshold of the Above-Vault level over the past few years.
Up on the platform was no place for trading greetings or casual chatter, and Han Qingyu and his friends were just preparing to quietly step down when, from the adjoining rostrum, the supreme commander of this Martian expedition, veteran General Yergana, suddenly stood up.
"Major Qing, say a few words," the old general took the initiative to speak, extending a hand to gesture toward the veterans below as his sincere gaze rested on Han Qingyu.
This was an exceptional turn of events, because by protocol, the first person to speak at the expedition rally should obviously have been him, the commander-in-chief.
Yet the scene unfolding before their eyes was inherently unique: arrayed beneath the platform were one hundred thousand veterans from Azure, while facing them up on the dais was the core team of Stream Blades.
...In truth, roughly everyone in this world knew full well in their hearts that the ones who would truly lead these hundred thousand retired Azure veterans into peril and battle on Mars were Stream Blades' Major Qing and the companions at his side.
As Azure's top brass, Yergana and Kemore were naturally well aware of this as well. Out of pure rational necessity, they had made this choice and decision, believing it to be the correct path. But that did not mean they felt no guilt or remorse for it.
***
*Please.* Seeing Major Qing appear slightly caught off guard, old General Yergana smiled, bowing slightly and repeating the gesture with his hand.
In circumstances like these, declining or engaging in modest deflections would clearly only cause awkwardness—all the more so since everyone present was a soldier.
Han Qingyu, who had not originally planned to speak, gave a slight nod.
He was never one for pretension or false modesty. The things he cracked down on most strictly in Stream Blades were overthinking and useless fuss, whether on the battlefield or in everyday life. He simply disliked occasions like this, which occasionally made him feel awkward, and was more accustomed to expressing himself through action rather than words.
*Then get used to it—for the veterans,* Han Qingyu told himself internally, turning his gaze back toward the seniors standing below the platform.
Then, he suddenly smiled.
At that alone, a low murmur of stir ran through the ranks and the crowds surrounding the plaza.
Because, in truth, Major Qing had rarely ever smiled in public. To the wider world, his past image was mostly that of a formidable human warrior who seemed aloof, distant, and even cold-blooded on the surface. (People said "on the surface" because they desperately wanted to believe in the burning passion and kindness within him, despite the persistent legends surrounding his old moniker and certain miraculous tales of his interpersonal dealings, particularly with women.)
To rarely see Major Qing looking so gentle, approachable, and even slightly playful caught the populace by surprise, filling them with immense delight.
As for the veterans... they were smiling too, their eyes crinkling with grandfatherly affection.
"Uncles, brothers," Han Qingyu spoke at a measured, unhurried pace, the smile still gracing his face. Pausing briefly, he added, "I won't call anyone 'Grandpa.' Even though some seniors present might indeed be of the age, I'd hate to be taken advantage of in public."
Across the plaza, conveyed through simultaneous translation in at least three languages, waves of chuckles broke out among the veterans, one after another.
In fact, from the moment Han Qingyu began addressing them as uncles and elders, the Huaxian veterans in the ranks had already started mumbling back in agreement... and now, veterans from every nation were chiming in across various tongues, each voice louder than the last.
Even He Tangtang and Wen Jifei behind Han Qingyu were quietly muttering acknowledgments.
Sure enough, rascals all across the world were cut from the same cloth, and old bastards' fondness for taking advantage of seniority was universally shared.
"Not going to call out 'elder sisters' or 'aunties'? There aren't just men here, you know!" Liaison Officer Yang called out, not bothering to lower her voice.
And so, Han Qingyu amended, "And to all the elder sisters, and aunties."
When he called out "sisters," a massive chorus of responses echoed below.
When he called out "aunties," hardly anyone replied...
Evidently, women across the world were universally alike as well.
After that lighthearted bit of teasing, the atmosphere on the grounds became considerably brighter and livelier.
This suited the veterans' tastes perfectly.
These were old-timers who had spent long years fighting between life and death, constantly brushing shoulders with the Reaper. Having long looked past life and death, they had developed candid, freewheeling personalities, completely indifferent to pretense or dread.
Therefore, they did not want, nor would they appreciate, a somber, mournful, or tearful departure scene, as if making a spectacle out of their impending demise... even though their firm resolve for this battle was precisely to march to their deaths.
Dying in battle was just death. What of it?
Our old comrades from back in the day have already been waiting down there for us for a long, long time.
"I don't intend to promise that I'll bring you back," Han Qingyu spoke again, saying, "What I mean is, I cannot guarantee that."
The plaza fell silent below.
"All this time, I've just been a rash brute who relied on personal martial prowess. If anyone ought to make promises on this matter, it should be Speaker Kemore, Azure's Chief of Staff, and the two commanders-in-chief of this expedition... but I suspect that they, too, are unable to promise it."
"Haha, damn right!"
"No need for it!"
The veterans shouted back in succession. This was a sight and scene rarely ever witnessed at any Azure departure ceremony in history.
Han Qingyu waited patiently for the square to settle before continuing:
"Here and now, I can only guarantee you one single thing. Throughout this expedition, from start to finish, regardless of victory or defeat, as long as I draw breath and can still move... I, Han Qingyu, will stand before every one of you seniors, fighting to the very last moment."
His words concluded. Amidst the rising clamor of on-site translation, he offered a slight bow of respect, then turned and led Wen Jifei and the others toward a corner at the back of the rostrum. Seated there were several familiar acquaintances—such as a certain old monk who likely considered himself his grandfather, and a certain old corps commander whom he might actually have to call grandpa in the future.
As the core team of Stream Blades stepped down, old General Yergana remained standing on the rostrum, stepping forward from the inner platform.
Rising behind him were Speaker Kemore, Chief of Staff Fonseca, and the rest of Azure's senior leadership.
According to ordinary protocol and public expectation, what followed should have been a lengthy series of speeches, delivered one after another.
Yet there were none.
Together, these leaders walked forward to the edge of the rostrum.
"Thank you," old General Yergana said.
With that, he stood ramrod-straight in military posture, his saber slung across his back.
Then, "Thank you," Speaker Kemore said. Having spoken, he bent deeply at the waist toward the veterans, bowing low like a man burdened by guilt.
Moving in unison with him, Chief of Staff Fonseca, the Space Fleet commander, and the gathered Azure top brass all uttered words of thanks, bowing their heads and bending their torsos like men bearing heavy transgression...
"Thank you."
A voice spoke from within the crowd gathered at the edge of the plaza to see them off.
Then came, "Thank you," "Thank you"...
Around the perimeter of the plaza and before television screens across the globe, countless people in countless languages spoke with countless voices.
Chapter 898