Captain of the Golden Eraser

"At least today, you have no right to force instruction on me. Even for a combat assessment, if I say no, it's no. The first half was of my own free will, but unfortunately, you failed to seize the chance. "...Want to win it back in the second half? "Sorry, there is no second half." There was too much meaning packed into that clashing gaze. With the Silver Azure Guard pinned to his chest, Han Qingyu stood there, smiling politely... leaving one thoroughly helpless. Naturally, he could have used it to refuse the match the moment he stepped onto the stage, but he hadn't done that, which made the outcome all the more convincing. Liang Ge finally came to his senses from his daze, immediately verging on an explosion. Yet this was a tradition Azure had upheld for decades, and right now in the spectator stands sat hundreds of veterans who wore the medals on their chests with pride... If he dared to act rashly, the White Eraser would face something far worse than mere embarrassment today. Frustration and fury flushed Liang Ge's face crimson, but he still had no choice but to power down his apparatus, snap to attention, and salute with a sharp snap. "Then... very well." "Thank you for understanding." Han Qingyu returned the salute, his words and conduct utterly beyond reproach from start to finish. Only at this moment did the atmosphere across the stands finally relax. Some veterans who had been deployed on the front lines for a long time and were unaware of the situation began asking around: "How can someone still in his recruit period already have a Silver Azure Guard?!" Recruits and instructors in the know immediately explained it to them, sharing the story behind Han Qingyu's Silver Azure Guard: On the eve of his enlistment, he had slain two members of Pure Purgatory, saving an entire reserve station along with nearly a hundred Azure soldiers and staff. "..." As frontline soldiers, what these veterans admired, respected, and recognized most had always been the merit of killing enemies in battle and risking one's life to save Azure comrades. At once, shouts of "Well done!" and thunderous applause—which had been held back earlier out of courtesy to the White Eraser—erupted across the stands. As for the veterans who had known all along, like Regimental Commander Li and Lao Jian: "If that kid walks over right now, wouldn't we have to stand up and salute him first?" Between the squad leader and regimental commander, the former had two Black Iron medals pinned to his chest, while the latter had one Bronze and three Iron. On Medal-Wearing Day, if they met him, they would indeed have to salute first. "Then... should we leave first?" "Leave? Not yet. It's not like the White Eraser doesn't have Silver Guards. In case they completely throw away all shame and another one jumps out... useful or not, I have to keep watch." Regimental Commander Li was still uneasy. At roughly the same time, inside the second-floor viewing room, matters unfolded just as he suspected. The White Eraser member beside Qi Shantong was utterly beside himself with rage. "How about I go down? I have a Silver Guard too... Let me handle it," he said. Qi Shantong turned his head to glare at him. "Have you lost your mind too?! Or do you think our White squad hasn't lost enough face today?!" "I..." The man made a bitter face, speaking with frantic agitation. "Then what else can we do? Pride or reputation, we have to salvage at least one, don't we? Didn't you say it before, Captain Qi? A fearsome reputation is still a reputation." For the prestigious White Eraser to be pushed into such an embarrassing predicament by a mere recruit, losing both face and dignity, was something they never could have imagined. Qi Shantong shook his head on the spot. "Someone in the viewing room across from us just stood up and headed down... If I didn't misjudge the silhouette... it's likely Shao Xuan, Captain of the Golden Eraser, coming down in person." Shao Xuan, Captain of the Golden Eraser, holding the rank of senior colonel, was universally recognized by the officers and soldiers of the Ninth Army as their foremost combatant. He was also the Ninth Army's last recipient of a Gold Azure Guard medal... calculating back, that was probably six or seven years ago. In Azure, medals above Black Iron had always been exceptionally difficult to attain. Strength alone was not enough; one also needed the right "opportunity." The Huaxia Front's highest independent approval authority was the Silver Guard. Anything above that had to be submitted to the Azure Alliance's international headquarters council, with the corresponding rewards funded by headquarters... The difficulty of obtaining a Gold Azure Guard could easily be imagined. As for the Starlight Azure Medal, in the nearly century-long history of Azure, only five had ever been awarded. The single medal held within the Huaxia Front belonged to Chen Buer, the current legion commander of the Sole Witness Legion. What one had to achieve to receive the Starlight Azure was just as the name implied—you had to shine like the stars and illuminate the entirety of Azure. In the viewing room, the White Eraser member still hadn't caught on, or rather his thoughts had drifted in the wrong direction. "Captain Qi, you mean Shao Xuan will stand up for Han Qingyu? In that case... that's indeed..." His meaning was that nobody could truly counter Shao Xuan's Gold Azure Guard. "Indeed, my ass," Qi Shantong snapped in exasperation. "Do you think a recruit leaving camp for mutual selection could possibly make Shao Xuan come in person?" "Then why is he..." "He's here to award a medal." "..." "That kid is about to receive the Gold Azure Guard." Qi Shantong felt a pang of regret. His judgment had been all too accurate. With that kid's luck, strength, and connections, he was practically guaranteed to become the backbone among Azure's young officers in the near future, if not even more. What if they had recruited him in a different way from the very start? Probably still hopeless. He simply wasn't one of them, nor could he be taught to become one... He was just a peasant boy who only cared about keeping his head down and calculating his livelihood, someone who would never ponder things like "thoroughly transforming Azure and uniting the world." "A Gold medal? What right does he have to get a Gold?!" The White Eraser member's bewilderment was laced with far more resentment and indignance. Qi Shantong offered a faint smile. Far from sharing the man's agitation, he spoke quite objectively: "On the grounds that the battle of Squad 1123 was the Huaxia Front's most tragic battle in the last five or six years. And in that battle, he first practically fought a Great Spike alone... then, with the assistance of Zhang Dao'an, the other fallen instructors, and the surviving members of Squad 1123, personally destroyed the Great Spike's transmission device... and finally dragged away the blue-sheened Great Spike all by himself, effectively saving countless recruits." When Qi Shantong finished speaking, he raised his hand in a respectful salute as he mentioned Instructor Zhang Dao'an and Squad 1123. The man beside him shut his mouth completely... Thank goodness. He had almost gone down there just to get humiliated himself. *** Meanwhile, down in the spectator stands. "Regimental Commander Li is worrying over nothing, haha." A cheerful voice drifted from behind as a figure of average height and build walked along the aisle behind them. Li Wangqiang, who was still worrying about Han Qingyu, turned his head, looked up, and froze. The man who had just spoken looked to be around thirty-five or thirty-six, wearing senior colonel epaulets on his shoulders, with a Golden Eraser badge and a Gold Azure Guard pinned to his chest... Shao Xuan had just come down from the upstairs viewing room and entered through the side door, happening to pass right by. "Captain Shao." A whole row of people immediately rose and saluted. Before Shao Xuan could stop and chat, more and more people turned their heads and stood up. "Captain Shao." "Why did Captain Shao come?" "..." Such was the influence of the Golden Eraser's captain. His status as captain could not be measured merely by post or rank; it stemmed from the closest, most genuine admiration and reverence in the hearts of the soldiers. "Indeed," Shao Xuan's voice was surprisingly warm and friendly. "The legion assigned me a last-minute task, so I rushed over... "Captain Liu, you came all this way? Spot any promising talent this term? Fine, keep it hidden... You're always so stingy, it's not like I'm going to steal them from you. "Hey, Captain Guan, that source energy block you owe me—are you going to return it or not? "It's fine if you don't, haha... Just down three bowls first when we drink tonight." "..." Shao Xuan returned salutes as he went, greeting people along the way. "This guy is way too good at socializing. What's more, he has an incredible memory—he remembers everyone," Li Wangqiang said with a smile, bearing no malice whatsoever. "Indeed. Back in the day, our Squad Leader Wang was famously taciturn... If you forced him into an occasion like this, he'd probably rather take on a Great Spike one-on-one," the regimental chief of staff chimed in. "Haha..." Around them, the men of Regiment 425 and other regiments all burst out laughing. Amid the laughter, Shao Xuan stepped onto the arena floor and walked up to Han Qingyu. Han Qingyu had been listening for quite a while and naturally knew who stood before him. He quickly saluted. "Greetings, Captain Shao." "Greetings... Han Qingyu, the Eraser's once-in-a-decade talent." Shao Xuan returned the salute solemnly, then leaned in close, whispering with a grin, "Making such a huge scene... feeling a little nervous inside?" Han Qingyu smiled wryly. "Actually, a little." "Haha, honest!" As they spoke, an attendant soldier carrying an exquisite wooden box stepped forward from behind Shao Xuan, snapped to attention, switched to holding the box with one hand, and saluted Han Qingyu first.