"Not yet. I'm trying to think of one," Wen Jifei said.
A method that could induce Nikola and Yeke into a fight to the death was naturally not easy to devise. Even if one were conceived, carrying it out would be difficult beyond measure. Wen Jifei had only brought it up because he was talking to Qingzi, with whom he could speak freely and casually.
"All right. If there's anything you need me to do, just call on me anytime," Han Qingyu said.
Before the words had completely left his mouth, a voice suddenly joined the channel: "Actually, it doesn't necessarily have to be the skeletal remains. Maybe it could be me. If Puta'er attacks me—or even kills me—do you think Nikola would fight with everything it has?"
Without them realizing it, Rusty Sister had already dialed into the small squad's regular communication channel.
She asked the question in all seriousness.
"Of course not!" Han Qingyu and Wen Jifei replied in unison, firmly shutting down the idea.
Yet their flat denial seemed somewhat subjective and arbitrary.
It all stemmed from how close they had just come to losing Wu Xu and Rusty Sister. That visceral anguish still left them reeling with dread. Even though they had set foot on this battlefield with a resolve to die, right now they simply could not bring themselves to let Rusty Sister take another risk... let alone sacrifice herself.
"First of all, Puta'er might not even attack you," Wen Jifei said, feigning careful analysis. "As our earlier assessment concluded, it doesn't want to fight to the death against Nikola right now, and you can't influence the overall situation. Secondly, suppose it killed you by accident. Nikola would be even less likely to fight desperately. While you're alive, it will protect you, but once you're dead, you have no value or meaning to it whatsoever. Nikola doesn't have any deep affection for you."
"I understand what you mean, but I think we could at least give it a try," Rusty Sister persisted. "Let me take the initiative to attack Puta'er, ambushing its vitals—the kind of weak points common to all Great Pinnacles. I imagine that even for a Puta'er, those must be relatively fragile."
"Ambush what? You want to ambush Puta'er?"
"Since when could you ambush a Puta'er?"
"Hey, hey. Can't you hear me talking?"
The same voice spoke three sentences in succession. No one answered; not a single person in the channel even dared to breathe heavily.
"I can hear you," Rusty Sister finally replied, her voice choked with emotion. Then she said, "Greetings, Legion Commander."
"Aiya, little Yixiu, you silly girl, why are you trying so hard to act tough?"
It felt like a child who had suffered endless hardships out in the world, barely clinging to life, finally hearing words of warmth and concern from the most formidable elder in their family.
"Greetings, Legion Commander," Han Qingyu said.
"Greetings, Legion Commander," Wen Jifei followed.
Like Xu Xiaohong, Chen Buer had always had the communication codes to Stream Vanguard's core squad, but this was the first time he had ever dialed in. As for why—perhaps the time spent aboard the airship was simply too boring, or perhaps he was genuinely too worried.
"Mm. How come there are only three of you in the channel?"
"...Tangtang is on Mars. He was injured there and couldn't board the ship. Wu Xu was just attacked by Puta'er; he's gravely wounded and still in a coma," Rusty Sister said.
"How is Xu'er?" Han Qingyu chimed in to ask.
"Out of life-threatening danger," Wen Jifei answered.
"But still unconscious," Rusty Sister added.
"Oh. As long as he's alive, that's what matters. As long as he's alive," Chen Buer said with deep sincerity.
"Yes, as long as he's alive." Han Qingyu offered a slight smile. "On the other hand, Old Man, how come you suddenly woke up again?"
"I woke up because I felt like waking up! Who do you think I am? I'm Chen Buer."
"Then you should've told us you'd wake up sooner."
"I... put everything I had on the line."
"Guess what? Haha, I traded that blade strike for time!" Chen Buer said with a boisterous laugh.
After a brief moment of bewilderment, both Han Qingyu and Wen Jifei quickly grasped the meaning behind those words. Old Man Chen originally possessed one terrifyingly supreme strike: once he swung it, he would die; as long as he held it back, he could continue living. But now, he was no longer limited to just that single blow. The corresponding price was that whether he fought or not, what little time he had left was already running out.
"...Finally willing to tell the truth, are you?"
Suppressing his turmoil, Han Qingyu feigned a casual tone. "So, are you still up to it? You can't possibly have only that one strike left, right?"
Chen Buer could not help but indulge in a moment of self-doubt.
Met with their silence, Chen Buer had no choice but to break it himself, saying to Han Qingyu, "Watch your back after you go up there, you little rascal. Don't go dying before I even arrive. I heard you haven't been up to snuff lately."
"Me, not up to snuff?!" Han Qingyu felt an instant flash of indignation and stubbornly shot back, "You might not even be needed. Maybe I'll find and assimilate the skeletal remains before you even arrive, and slice both Yeke and Puta'er to pieces myself."
"That probably won't be enough," Chen Buer remarked. "Isn't there a saying that the Great Pinnacle Miwang was equivalent to the true form of an ancient Yanxiu, while Puta'er is an existence carrying intact Yanxiu remains and will? By that count, even if you succeed in assimilating them, at best your strength would only rival Puta'er."
"That..." Han Qingyu was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Don't forget the part of you that is human," Chen Buer said. "Human beings can be immensely powerful too. Look at me—I'm no Yanxiu, and I never have been."
"Mm."
"In any case, be careful. Remember how, years ago, so many people used to wonder how formidable it would be if Chen Buer and Han Qingyu truly fought side by side one day? ...To tell the truth, this Old Chen has been looking forward to it as well."
"I'm not finished talking about my idea yet." Over on Rusty Sister's end, she remained dead serious, dragging the topic right back. "While the situation isn't tense yet, can't we work out a plan for me to ambush Puta'er?"
Wen Jifei thought it over and had no choice but to say, "Let's keep that as a backup plan. If we truly need it, we'll look into it and figure out how to carry it out."
"Right," Han Qingyu said. "I've discovered that the resonance between the skeletal remains everyone theorized doesn't exist at all. Continuing to wander around the lunar surface seems completely useless now. I'm planning to call Qingbai over to take me and Pegmont up above to take a look."
"Sounds good," Wen Jifei agreed without hesitation.
Han Qingyu's words were essentially asking for Wen Jifei's approval, as Wen Jifei was the supreme commander of the lunar battlefield, the one directing the overall situation.
First, Han Qingyu running around aimlessly on the lunar surface was indeed achieving little, effectively squandering the impact he could have provided as the battlefield's sole human Dome-level combat asset.
Second, with matters having reached this stage, humanity was actually no longer in such a hurry to locate the skeletal remains. As long as things remained within control, having the remains surface only after Legion Commander Chen Buer arrived was undeniably the better outcome.
To that end, Wen Jifei had already ordered the ground search teams to abandon speed and conduct all search operations in a more meticulous, concealed manner.
Wen Jifei let out a laugh after speaking, steering the mood toward levity. Most likely, he too was unconsciously searching for a window to give his mind a momentary breather, because on this battlefield, he had been the person under the greatest pressure from the very beginning.
This was Chen Buer. He alone could alter the entire strategic approach of humanity's lunar forces—and, in all probability, redirect the course of the entire war.
Chapter 984