Qingniao

Even though Yu Xian and Zhang Shou got along wonderfully, their abilities did not complement each other at all. Zhang Shou possessed extraordinarily powerful healing skills, but those very skills happened to be harmful to Yu Xian. At the same time, Yu Xian already had an incredible self-healing factor capable of recovering from almost any injury in moments, meaning he had no need for a doctor in the first place. Because of that, Jin Sheng had not paired them up for this operation. Drifting inside the bubble, Yu Xian occasionally reached out to grab the phone floating beside him and checked his coordinates. In the operation squad's mapping software, he could see markers for both his current position and his assigned destination. Notably, the bubble he generated was immune to gravity, and its interior was a zero-gravity environment. Being inside was akin to floating in space, which was why both he and his phone drifted freely. Leaving the barracks behind, he soon entered the mountainous region. "So beautiful!" The sun rose in the east. Suspended inside the bubble, Yu Xian gazed toward the distant horizon. The world stretched out boundlessly before him. Far away, the twilight sky and earth converged into an uneven, ragged black line. Sunlight gradually banished the last traces of darkness. The sky turned crystal blue, wiped clean, with a few wisps of white clouds drifting lazily by. Mountains rose and fell in unbroken waves, rugged and craggy, showcasing nature's breathtaking, uncanny craftsmanship. Yu Xian closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, feeling as though the entire world had dissolved into the rhythm of his breath. In that moment, he felt an unprecedented tranquility and freedom, as if a soul trapped in a fragile shell for seventeen years had finally been set loose beneath the boundless heavens. He had lived in Silver City his entire life. Come to think of it, this was his first time ever leaving it. An indescribable wave of emotion welled up in his chest, and tears began to stream down his face. For some inexplicable reason, he was reminded of the latter lines of the *Song of Ascending Youzhou Terrace*. While they did not strictly fit his current mood or scenery, he could nevertheless empathize with the poet's sentiments: *Reflecting on the vastness of heaven and earth, alone in sorrow, I cannot hold back my tears.* Chen Zi'ang had wept out of desolate sorrow, but Yu Xian wept because he was moved by the sheer magnificence of the world. "Dad, I'm really happy right now!" "You never dragged me down! Thank you! Thank you for giving me life and raising me!" With a single thought, Yu Xian lowered his feet to the surface of the bubble, stood tall, and shouted at the top of his lungs toward the distance. He then wiped his eyes, a radiant smile gracing his face, feeling as though a great weight had been lifted from his entire being. The world was vast. One day, he would journey into even farther, wider skies, taking in every marvelous wonder with his own eyes. Suddenly, a small cyan bird descended and landed on top of the bubble. A woman's voice issued from its beak, asking awkwardly, "I'm Qingniao. Um... did I come at a bad time?" "No, your timing is perfect." Yu Xian admitted he had been indulging in a bit of sentimental theatrics just now, but he did not mind being seen by a teammate. On the contrary, having company around felt rather nice. At least he was happy right now, and he was more than willing to share that joy with the people beside him. The bubble drifted down to the ground. Yu Xian stepped out, turned to face Qingniao, and introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Salty Fish, a vampire. Nice to meet you." "Hello, I'm Qingniao, an esper. Pleasure to work with you!" Qingniao spread her wings, landed, and swiftly transformed into a woman dressed in a green military uniform. The two verified each other's identities on their phones, shook hands, and continued forward. They were already close to the coordinates Jin Sheng had designated. "My ability allows me to transform into a cyan bird. In that form, my speed can reach Mach 10—about as fast as a cruise missile—and my defense increases dramatically. You can probably imagine my fighting style," Qingniao said by way of introduction. Yu Xian nodded. Naturally, the image of a bird piercing straight through enemies like an armor-piercing round sprang to mind. He then took his turn. "Right now, I should be around high Sparrow rank or low Snake rank. My physical strength is about ten tons, and my self-healing factor is very strong—most injuries heal in just a few minutes. "In addition, I can produce a kind of silver thread. "It can be used to slice targets or woven into armor to protect myself. "Then there's mutated Blood Energy, which allows me to create bubbles with spatial properties..." As she listened, Qingniao's composed expression gradually warped into sheer disbelief until she stared at him with wide eyes. "Salty Fish, you're not joking, are you?" she could not help but interrupt. Yu Xian looked at her earnestly and asked, "We're in the middle of a mission. Do you think I'd mess around?" "Alright, keep going," Qingniao said after a moment's thought, nodding. Yet by the time she finished listening to his full array of abilities, only one thought remained in her mind: *Where on earth did this monster come from?* Within Qilin, there had only ever been a handful of peers she genuinely admired, while younger squad members almost always needed her protection. When Jin Sheng assigned her to partner with Yu Xian, she had mentally prepared herself to act as a babysitter. But now, it turned out that Yu Xian was completely overpowered—if anyone was going to be babysat, it felt like it would be her. The two quickly arrived at Jin Sheng's designated coordinates. Once they confirmed their position, they reported in immediately. "Understood. Hold your positions and stand by," Jin Sheng replied. And so, the pair stood at the foot of a mountain with nothing to do. After a while, Yu Xian simply produced a bubble and plopped down on it. "Qingniao, do you want one?" he asked. Qingniao shook her head. Reaching into a storage ring, she pulled out a chair, sat down, and then set out a table. Next, she retrieved a tea set and actually began brewing tea, leaving Yu Xian dumbfounded. "Didn't you read the operational plan?" Qingniao asked, seeing his wide-eyed astonishment. Yu Xian shook his head. Belatedly, he pulled out his phone, navigated to the Evil Purging Squad section, tapped open the operational plan, and read it through carefully. The plan could only be described as brutally simple. First, seal off the entire zone, with all personnel deployed to designated positions on standby. At twelve noon, General Zhao Yi would unleash a devastating strike against the center of the zone, annihilating all high-ranking supernatural creatures. The remaining stragglers would then be intercepted by the squads. Finally, an outer perimeter would be held by soldiers from the various garrisons to ensure that not a single insect managed to escape the quarantine. "Does the plan seem a bit too simple to you?" Qingniao asked with a smile. Yu Xian shook his head. "No, simpler plans are often more effective. As long as General Zhao Yi is powerful enough, this is actually the best approach." "Not bad. Very sharp, grasping the core point right away," Qingniao said after taking a sip of tea. Yu Xian glanced up at the morning sun. It was barely past six o'clock. Were they really supposed to sit around like idiots until noon? What if Zhou Tai caught wind of their movement and decided to make a desperate, all-or-nothing move right now? When in doubt, it was best to consult a senior. Yu Xian voiced his concern, and Qingniao smiled. "Isn't that why we're already waiting here?" Standing by was not just idling around. If any aberrant worms actually made a break for it right now, it would only prove that this operation had hit the mark.