Chapter 113 - In and Out

Han Qingyu, Shen Yixiu, Plague Chicken, and the later-arriving Liu Shiheng stood chatting in a back corner of the training ground.

The recent exertion had given Han Qingyu a deeper appreciation of liquid source energy, and he figured he’d consume some to replenish what he’d lost. So, he casually picked up one of the source energy cores he’d taken from Bai Ji and fiddled with it in his hand, all the while actually absorbing it.

He wasn’t as stingy as he used to be. After all, the faster he grew, the better, and that required energy cores.

The more cores he consumed, the stronger he became, and the more cores he could snatch...

This was probably Han Qingyu’s logic at the moment. Tu Zi’s news about the assassins from the City of Sin was like learning about an enticing source energy bank that he wasn’t eligible to withdraw from because he was still underage.

Once I’m strong enough, if no one offers a bounty for my head, I’ll just save up and put one out myself! I’ll even throw in some intel... Wait, no. I’ll sell it. I’ll put the intel on the market! This is another business opportunity!

Less than a minute after He Tangtang regained consciousness, he hurried over to join the group.

“Little Qing, how strong are you, really??” he asked in lieu of a greeting.

His firsthand experience with Bai Ji’s strength meant Han Qingyu’s earlier strike had shaken him far more than the average onlooker.

“Very strong.” Han Qingyu chuckled.

“Could you beat Iron Maiden?” He Tangtang asked.

Han Qingyu hesitated briefly, then said, “No.”

Laughter broke out at his blunt response.

If both of us were to go all out, I’d probably only be able to hold out for three to five minutes at most, Han Qingyu estimated.

He didn’t know Iron Maiden’s exact integration level, but he suspected it was quite high. Not to mention, for the past six years, she had been nourished with source energy day in and day out.

Still, her enhanced physical constitution and armor were actually both secondary. The key point was actually that her familiarity with and control of source energy had become second nature. Source energy had become ingrained, a necessary extension of her body, one she could wield with incredible flexibility and diversity.

Basically, she was a hidden treasure trove.

Han Qingyu raised his hand to pat He Tangtang on the shoulder, then pointed to the other end of the track in the distance, changing the subject. “Tangtang[1], take a look over there. It’ll help you feel better.”

The only reason He Tangtang let the nickname slide this time was that Han Qingyu had just avenged him.

Glancing over, He Tangtang saw a White Eraser carefully lifting Bai Ji out of the dirt before placing him on a stretcher and carrying him away.

A shallow, human-shaped crater remained on the ground, but one of their men shortly ran back to kick some dirt into the hole and fill it in.

Wen Jifei smiled. “They probably had to do that. I heard that Hollywood has a Walk of Fame. If they didn’t fill it in, this running track would’ve had to be renamed ‘White Eraser Avenue.’”

Feeling a surge of schadenfreude, He Tangtang quipped, “Don’t say that. Let him go back and rest. After another half a year of growth, he might be a strong contender for the next batch’s strongest recruit.”

Meanwhile, at Regiment 425’s mutual selection area, a large crowd had gathered in front of Platoon 1777’s recruitment station. Most were fellow recruits from the same regiment, but there were also some veterans on leave at the base and personnel from other regiments.

A new platoon had the advantage of having ten slots reserved for veterans from the same regiment and ten more for the entire army. The combination of Han Qingyu’s reputation, that memorable strike, and his recruitment efforts earlier had attracted quite a few people to Platoon 1777.

As Lao Jian was busy dealing with these fortuitous worries, he thought to himself, I’m still a platoon leader, but even though my position hasn’t changed, things are completely different now. I’m now the leader of an elite platoon that’s likely to have two elite combatants—maybe even three—in the future. So... a future Color Eraser platoon?!

Haha! Of course, Red Erasers is naturally out. We can’t use that. What name should we go for then?!

A low murmur from the crowd snapped Lao Jian out of his daydreams. “Blood Gourd Boy...”

The nickname had already caught on.

Lao Jian nearly spat out a mouthful of blood when he heard this, and he immediately turned to glare daggers at Han Qingyu.

Mira stood nearby, chuckling to herself.

As the deputy platoon leader, she had been diligently fulfilling her duties and helping out. In preparation for her anticipated-but-never-attained promotion to platoon leader, she had reached out to some of her old comrades-in-arms. Considering the platoon’s situation, though, it no longer seemed feasible to bring all those contacts in. It would only become a hassle.

“By the way, where’s Regiment Commander Li?” Han Qingyu asked.

The casualness of his tone took Lao Jian aback. Hey, I’m glaring at you! Your platoon leader is glaring at you! Shouldn’t you be a little scared? You little....

Aloud, Lao Jian said, “He-he’s probably still crying in the corner. Why don’t you go check on him?”

“Okay.”

Han Qingyu cut through the crowd and soon spotted Regiment Commander Li, sitting with his head down in a remote corner by the wall.

As he was about to approach, his footsteps faltered, and he peered down in bewilderment at the source energy core still grasped in his hand.

This whole time, he’d been absorbing it while also playing around with different methods of controlling the flow and circulation of the source energy, including Rust Girl’s vortex technique and more. It was during this absent-minded fiddling that something unexpected happened: he channeled the source energy back!

He’d managed to reverse the flow of the source energy that he’d already absorbed and pour it back into the energy core!

This was something he’d tried several times before, to no avail. Each time he’d only managed a one-way absorption. Something had changed.

Is it because I’ve gotten stronger? Han Qingyu wondered. What exactly am I? A source energy refueling station? A gas tank?!

“Kid, are you coming over or not?” shouted a gruff voice.

It was Regiment Commander Yang Wudong of Regiment 439.

Surprisingly, the person standing beside Regiment Commander Li, as he quietly hid and shed tears, was none other than his old love rival, Yang Wudong.

“Ah, coming!” Han Qingyu cursorily tried the reverse transfer once more to confirm he could have it flow in and out, then tucked the energy core into his pocket and walked over to stand before Li Wangqiang.

Regiment Commander Li peered up at Han Qingyu. His eyes were a little red and swollen, but his grin was broad as he remarked offhandedly, “Ah, you’re back?”

Han Qingyu nodded with a smile, standing at attention and saluting.

“Good.” After saying that one word, Regiment Commander Li paused, then turned his head to the side.

Yang Wudong stepped forward to give Han Qingyu a firm pat on the shoulder and asked in a slightly incredulous tone, “Silly boy, you’re really planning to go back to your lousy regiment?”

“Lousy, my ass! What’s so lousy about the 425th?! Don’t forget you came from the 425th yourself! You only went to the 439th because Xiao Nan didn’t want you.” Regiment Commander Li snapped, his voice a bit muffled as he refused to face them.

In the end, it always comes back to Miss Xiao Nan, he thought to himself. Though... she’s probably an auntie now.[2]

Yang Wudong wordlessly glanced back at him, then turned back to give Han Qingyu’s shoulder another firm pat, his eyes unexpectedly filled with an inexplicable gratitude.

“You... silly little brat, your decision is putting me in a real bind! How am I supposed to keep trading jabs with Old Li from now on?! How am I supposed to counter him when he brings you up, huh?!”

Han Qingyu stared at him, then whispered, “Just mention Auntie Xiao Nan?”

“Huh?” Yang Wudong burst into laughter. “Right, not like Xiao Nan wants him anyway—Miss. Miss Xiao Nan.”

“Mn, so Miss Xiao Nan is both...” Han Qingyu trailed off. “Why did our Regiment Commander Li stay while you, Regiment Commander Yang, left?”

“Because he’s shameless.” Yang Wudong let out another wild laugh, then stared at Han Qingyu and said, “Alright, well then, make sure to work hard. Remember when I sent you flying with a single kick? Do a good job; that way, I’ll have something to brag about when people talk about you in the future.”

With a smile, Yang Wudong turned to give Regiment Commander Li a pat on the shoulder and walked off. As he left, he called back to Han Qingyu, inviting him to visit Regiment 439 when he had time.

1. They don't usually refer to him like this because without the surname it sounds pretty cute, feminine even. ☜

2. Auntie can be used to refer to middle-aged women. ☜