Chapter 112 - Dinner at Iron Maiden’s

It wasn’t entirely accurate to say that Han Qingyu had the ambition to revive the Color Erasers of Regiment 425. In reality, he hadn’t given it that much thought, let alone planned that far ahead.

His recent psychological shift was akin to that of a small farmer leveling up to a small-scale landowner.

In the past, he focused solely on the modest harvest from his land, managing his daily finances with meticulous care. The most important things were that he wasn’t hungry or cold, and that he remained in good health. Beyond that, watching his granary gradually fill up and eventually overflow brought him great satisfaction and joy.

As he gradually gained more time to spare from farming, and his lands expanded, he started to dream of having a little corner of the world all his own.

That place would need to have an environment where he could feel at ease, with people he could trust, where they could all slowly grow and prosper together. Eventually, they would reach a point where their lives expanded beyond simple farming, growing to include activities like hunting.

As the saying went, no horse grew fat without night feed; no man became rich without a windfall.[1]

The equivalent of farming in the Coalition was steadily accumulating battle necessities, receiving benefits, and receiving rewards for meritorious service. Situations like the Wiper base incident, on the other hand, were like hunting and striking rich.

Basically, personal and emotional factors aside, there was another very important reason Han Qingyu chose not to join the Gold Erasers: He didn’t just want to receive energy cores from the hands of others; he also wanted to run his own operation.

This was, of course, not something he could tell Platoon Leader Lao about. Blood Gourd Boy had promised Mira earlier that they would both have the authority of platoon leader, ?but in truth, neither of them did.

At least not in certain respects.

Han Qingyu glanced over at the mutual selection line. Platoon Leader Lao was putting on airs as he picked and chose recruits.

Platoon Leader Lao is such a muddle-headed guy. Things would be really different if I joined the Gold Erasers. It would’ve been difficult to run my little side hustle there.

Take the assassins from the City of Sin, for instance. Would they still come if I joined the Gold Erasers? Even if some still came, Shao Xuan and his men would just charge in wildly, hacking away, and happily picking up the energy cores for themselves.

I’d probably have to sit there and watch them do it too. Like, hey, that's meant to be my source energy, people.

Han Qingyu couldn’t remember exactly when this idea of running his own operation had first taken root, but he had only become certain of its viability fairly recently. In fact, it was actually Iron Maiden’s arrival that had allowed him to make up his mind on this.

Iron Maiden is very strong, far stronger than she’s shown so far. It’s just that she never considered combat before this. I’m also really strong. We both have huge potential for growth too.

As long as their Platoon 1777 had some time to develop, they were essentially guaranteed two standout combatants.

Lao Jian was a ten-year veteran and an experienced platoon leader; Mira, though weak, also had her tactical strengths and was beautiful to boot; meanwhile, He Tangtang was a B+ with great prospects...

It wasn’t enough.

This mentality was the root of Han Qingyu’s uncharacteristic behavior. As Shao Xuan himself would’ve put it, this kid was trying to single-handedly turn a new platoon into an aspirational place for people to join.

“Consider joining our Platoon 1777,” Han Qingyu promoted. “That’s right, we have ten spots allocated for the entire army... There are still empty spots. We haven’t started reaching out to people yet, so please give it some thought.”

This amiable Han Qingyu was like a stranger to those who actually knew him.

Despite his welcoming words, there were naturally certain requirements to join. That was a given that everyone implicitly understood. It was precisely for this reason that people seriously considered joining Platoon 1777. Those with a certain degree of strength and confidence were exactly the type of people to be interested in the idea of creating an elite platoon from scratch.

Most were simply greeting Han Qingyu and making small talk with him, all while inwardly wondering, Hmm, he’s supposed to be the strongest in a decade... How strong is he, really?

These past two days, many of them had also thought Bai Ji incredibly strong—perhaps even stronger than Han Qingyu. After all, his A+ integration level was higher than Han Qingyu’s own A.

But in the end, it had only taken a single strike. Han Qingyu had struck Bai Ji down in a single blow.

One remained standing tall while the other lay in the dirt.

They thought they had finally found another mountain that could compete with the original, only to discover that the peak of the original had simply been shrouded in clouds and mist all along.

No longer willing to make his own judgments on the matter, Qin Guowen asked Platoon Leader Shao, “Do you think that strike pushed his current limits?”

Shao Xuan had run out to make a call and had just returned. After mulling this question over, he replied, “Probably not.”

“Why?”

“Because he threw his left blade for seemingly no reason at the beginning.”

“He—”

“He was using the blade to gauge the approximate depth and intensity of Bai Ji’s source energy surge.”

“Afraid Bai Ji was too strong for him?”

“Afraid that he was too weak—didn’t want to accidentally kill him with a single strike.”

Qin Guowen was momentarily speechless. Inwardly, he thought to himself, That can’t be right.

Out loud, he asked, “How did he get so strong, anyway? Sure, anyone with an integration level of B and above has a shot at becoming an elite combatant, and sure, he’s cheat—earned a fair number of energy cores. Still, isn’t this a bit too strong for an A-rank recruit?”

“Don’t bother asking. The only answer you’ll get is that he’s a combat genius.”

In truth, Shao Xuan actually had his own doubts. It was why he had left to make a call earlier. He had attempted to use his authority to not only confirm the accuracy of Han Qingyu’s integration level but also find out his source energy sensitivity level and other details of the like.

Despite his ranking, they said he didn’t have the authority to access that information.

That alone was an answer?. The higher-ups were undoubtedly paying the kid special attention. It was normal for things to be out of the ordinary in such cases. By convention, Han Qingyu was likely in the middle of a two-year probationary period.

This whole situation probably put the legion commander in a tough spot, Shao Xuan thought to himself. He had to ignore the kid despite him being someone the commander has actually taken a personal interest in.

Shao Xuan glanced at Qin Guowen. “Something’s up with you... You’re being so concerned and curious. You’re not thinking about joining his platoon, are you?”

Huh, I could... join him? Should I? Struck by the idea, Qin Guowen instinctively looked up at Platoon Leader Shao.

“Fuck!” Shao Xuan cursed with emotion. “You actually want to go. Your eyes have given you away... Qin Guowen, are you trying to piss me off?!”

Shao Xuan stepped forward, grabbed Qin Guowen by the collar, yanked him to his feet, and shoved him against the wall. “Snap out of it! Snap out of it right now! We’re the Gold Erasers, the Gold Erasers, you hear me!”

Qin Guowen nodded vigorously. “Sorry, Platoon Leader Shao. I just lost my head for a moment. I just thought what they were doing was quite interesting, that’s all.”

“Fair enough. I guess I’ll let you go then. Go on.” Shao Xuan let go of him.

“No, please don’t, Platoon Leader Shao! My life is gold, my death... I don’t want to die!” Qin Guowen cried, pretending to cling to Shao Xuan’s thigh.

Shao Xuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Not having the energy to deal with him, he walked back to the recruit selection.

Meanwhile, Han Qingyu had finally made it to Regiment 425’s stall, greeting and chatting with people the whole way.

“Platoon Leader Lao.”

“Mn.” That one utterance had Lao Jian realizing that he was actually a bit excited and nervous. That won’t do. I’m the platoon leader. To think he’d been so easy to bully and deceive in the beginning...

The very thought of it had Lao Jian deliberately changing the subject. “He Tangtang just coughed up blood and fainted, but don’t worry, the doctor said that he shouldn’t have any lasting effects as long as he gets some proper rest.”

Reassured, Han Qingyu nodded.

Shen Yixiu walked over, gestured for him to follow her to the side, and said, “Grandpa said he’d like to invite you over for dinner tonight. All of you. Is that okay?”

Han Qingyu had long since guessed that Shen Yixiu’s grandfather was Shen Fengting, and was hesitating in fear of an awkward meeting.

At that moment, Wen Jifei approached. “Sure, why not? Hey, if I’m going over to your place, can I see your photo albums? I want to see what you looked like before.”

Isn’t that kind of hurtful? Han Qingyu wondered.

Apparently not.

Shen Yixiu just nodded in agreement. “Sure.”

1. The original proverb 人无横财不富，马无夜草不肥 (rén wú hèng cái bù fù, mǎ wú yè cǎo bù féi) basically means that steady work only covers basic living costs. If you want to truly get rich or get ahead, people often need extra luck, a side-hustle, or an unexpected break.

Although only this line appears in the narration, it’s often also paired with a second line that warns against false hope or choosing quick fixes over long-term solutions: 横财不富穷人命，夜草不肥劳碌马 (hèng cái bù fù qióng rén mìng, yè cǎo bù féi láo lù mǎ). This translates to, “Just as extra night feed cannot fatten an overworked or sick horse, a windfall cannot save someone destined for poverty or unequipped to handle money.” ☜