She Came to Save...

Cat Girl had feelings for Wu Xu. Those feelings were out in the open yet kept within proper bounds—she gave clear signals, but never made Wu Xu feel pressured or uncomfortable. Regarding that hint of flirtatious ambiguity between the two back then, there had actually been plenty of rumors within both the City of Sin and Stream Blades; many people knew of it. Once the young woman was sure of her feelings, she was never shy about expressing or showing them. Frank, unhidden, and graceful, her poise truly won people over. Logically speaking, given Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet's personal qualities combined with such an attitude, it shouldn't have been difficult at all. Unfortunately, the man she had set her sights on happened to be Wu Xu, and this happened to coincide with the beginning of the Great Spikes' large-scale invasion, keeping Stream Blades locked in ceaseless warfare year after year... In the blink of an eye, so many years had passed. Far from making any progress, the two hadn't even nudged a toe half an inch forward. On humanity's Mars expedition this time, the City of Sin deployed troops to fight, and Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet had come as well. However, apart from seeking him out before departure to greet him with a playful hello, they were on different ships throughout the voyage and had virtually no contact. As for the past few days following the end of the first battle on Mars, due to Qingzi's injuries, the two had merely exchanged a glance when the top figures of the City of Sin came to visit, sharing only a soft "Don't worry too much, Wu Xu" and an "Mm, thank you." By this point, anyone with eyes could see that there would likely be no further story or progress between them... Unless someone suddenly slew Miwang and its fleet, bringing this century-long war between civilizations to a swift victory and conclusion, Stream Blades could not stop—and correspondingly, Wu Xu could never stop. As the days wore on, many vague yearnings would be buried away; and then, after a few more years, even if touched by chance, they would be nothing more than dust dancing in the sunlight. On this point, Cat Girl herself was likely well aware deep down—perhaps understanding it earlier than anyone else. Yet even having realized it, she didn't mind much, felt little sorrow, and certainly wouldn't force anything. In times like these, with their status and destinies, to meet someone she truly liked, to have shared that subtle affection like ordinary men and women, and to have remained in touch was already a stroke of fortune. ... Wu Xu had never expected her to suddenly appear at such a critical moment of life and death and say to him, "I'll go in your place." In fact, likely no one could have anticipated this beforehand. Yet once it actually happened and people looked back with objective consideration, Cat Girl was undeniably well-suited—perhaps even the most suitable person on all of Mars—because her flame-decay property was exceptionally unique, embodying both ethereal lightness and swift agility. The property of Christine, the famous Azure general, was also renowned for speed and agility, but there was still a substantial difference between mere agility and lightness akin to drifting willow catkins. At this moment, within Wu Xu's line of sight, Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet's figure was skimming rapidly over the heads of the Great Spikes ahead, darting in a straight line, almost soundlessly, toward the giant crater where Han Qingyu lay. Without obstructions in the air, she was faster than the Great Spikes. Suddenly, "Crap!" He Tangtang snapped his head up and shouted mid-charge. After Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet joined the action, the three of them hadn't slowed their assault or push in the slightest. The swarm of Great Spikes ahead had finally noticed the human figure skimming overhead. In an instant, dozens of pillar swords thrust violently upward as successive bursts of source energy detonated in rapid succession. A forest of sword tips lunged up at her. Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet did not dodge. Her body was like a wisp of catkin, buoyed lightly up and down on the turbulent currents amidst the layered thrusts of the pillar swords, drifting up and falling, rising and dipping again, yet never wavering from her forward course... "Remember, force always arrives before the blade. As long as force precedes the blade, no weapon can harm a Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet determined to flee," Wu Xu remembered her once telling him with proud confidence. Just like that, she drifted dozens of meters further forward. Gauging the distance, Cat Girl finally unleashed an active burst of source energy, stepped onto the tip of a pillar sword to borrow its momentum, and traced a powerful parabolic arc over the final cluster of Great Spikes, dropping toward the giant crater. Soon, in their field of vision, her figure dropped low, completely obscured by the Great Spikes, and vanished. At the same time, Wu Xu and the other two continued to hack forward, pressing ahead with everything they had, desperately closing the distance between themselves and the crater. Almost all the remaining human supreme combatants had plunged into the ranks of the Great Spikes, clearing a path and preparing to provide backup. In the sky, CA117 approached from afar, pulling off extreme maneuvers to evade the intercepting pursuit of several Great Spike craft, still maintaining its full-throttle straight-line charge toward Puta'er. Puta'er finally grew impatient. "Roar!" The source energy surge emitted a bestial howl; under its full-power detonation, it sounded as though tens of thousands of prehistoric beasts were roaring at the sky in unison. The space across the entire area began to warp and vibrate. At the same time, a silvery-yellow energy shield began to materialize around Puta'er's massive frame. The appearance of an energy shield likely meant Puta'er had no intention of bothering with CA117. Sure enough, a second later, it broke into a sprint. As it charged, both hands raised a giant four-edged pillar sword, building momentum to cleave toward the crater. With its combat power, even if the sword itself failed to reach the pit, the energy erupting from it would strike home. "..." For a moment, no one made a sound. Until— "Catch him!" Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet's voice rang out. Then came Han Qingyu's silhouette flying through the air. He had been hurled across. Under circumstances like these, it was impossible for Cat Girl to bring him back with her, nor could anyone else have carried him out. Han Qingyu was thrown toward the trio of Wu Xu, Rusty Sister, and He Tangtang. In a split-second reaction, no coordination was needed. Rusty Sister used her iron armor to weather the hacking and thrusting of pillar swords, slamming forward to break the balance of several ranks of Great Spikes. Wu Xu charged laterally, knocking aside the Great Spikes flanking He Tangtang while offering his shoulder so He Tangtang could step off it, gather force, and leap into the air. Wu Xu immediately turned back, his spear lashing out like a dragon. A gravity field pressed out from the spearhead, instantly clearing an open space as he began blazing an escape path to the rear. The next moment, He Tangtang caught Qingzi and hit the ground, sprinting with all his might without pausing for a single beat. He ran. Ahead, Wu Xu cleared the way with his long spear. Behind, Rusty Sister brought up the rear with her iron armor and long blade. In the sky, the instant before its bow struck Puta'er's energy shield, CA117 confirmed it was being ignored. It pulled up violently, shooting vertically into the high sky, then flipped over immediately to dive toward the area behind the trio. A mere few breaths later— *Boom!* Puta'er's giant blade struck. The already massive crater on the ground shattered once more, sending dirt and rock flying into the sky. Amid the billowing dust, Wu Xu's heart shuddered. He wanted to look back, but he could not. He couldn't spare even a single glance back. Because Puta'er was right behind them. Having just executed an explosive cleave, the sound of its massive frame braking to a halt on the ground and then turning rang clearly in everyone's ears. They could only run. Carrying Qingzi, they ran. At this moment, no one knew whether Cat Girl was alive or dead. Just as moments ago, no one had known she would come. On a battlefield of despair, on the razor's edge of life and death, she had come to save Major Qing. Or perhaps, to save Wu Xu. The person she had risked her life to save was actually Wu Xu. Because she understood Wu Xu so deeply.