Chapter 621 - 370: The Great Banner (Part 2)

"Time for the shift change. Take the men back to rest," Cheng Border said.

"Yes."

The man’s gaze, however, fell upon Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao.

"Oh, right. My apologies, I forgot. These are our new team members, Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei," Cheng Border introduced them.

"Han Yang," the dark-skinned man said, extending his hand to Rong Taotao.

"A pleasure." Rong Taotao shook his hand amicably. When they let go, Han Yang looked at Gao Lingwei, and for a moment, his expression was surprisingly complex.

Gao Lingwei spoke. "What is it?"

Han Yang paused, then said softly, "You don’t look much like the old commander."

"I take after my mother," Gao Lingwei said quietly, patting Han Yang’s shoulder. "You’ve worked hard. Go back and get some rest."

Han Yang’s expression froze. Obviously, this wasn’t something a rookie should say to a veteran. However...

...However, Han Yang just smiled and readily accepted Gao Lingwei’s concern. He knew exactly what a significant impact these two "Paratroopers" would have on the Cyan Mountain Army!

They were a unit on its last legs, shattered and broken, numbly awaiting the arrival of "death" in despair.

And Gao Lingwei’s action just now, the attitude it conveyed, was a pleasant surprise to Han Yang.

If... if she truly intended to carry on her father’s legacy, every single one of the six remaining members of the Cyan Mountain Army would support her, even willing to lay down their lives for her.

Don’t think for a moment that this is an exaggeration. Most of the surviving members of the Cyan Mountain Army had already left for other teams.

Without a doubt, this was a "filtering" process.

The soldiers who still stubbornly guarded this unit to this day, who never abandoned it, were all people who had faith in the Cyan Mountain Army.

If someone with the qualifications, ability, and potential to raise the banner of the Cyan Mountain Army truly appeared, everyone would support them. More importantly, this person wasn’t an outsider, but the daughter of the old commander, Gao Qingchen!

"Xie Zhi," a tall soldier beside him said, pulling down his mask.

Next to him, a woman also pulled down her mask. The two bore a slight resemblance to each other. She introduced herself as well, "Xie Ru."

These two were the youngest people Rong Taotao had seen in the Cyan Mountain Army so far.

They looked somewhat alike, but their heights were drastically different. Xie Zhi had the powerful build of a fighter—long arms and a narrow waist—and stood over 1.9 meters tall, while Xie Ru was just a little over 1.6 meters and had a rather cute face.

Instantly, Rong Taotao sensed how terrifying Xie Ru was.

If she were just an ordinary person, it would be fine. But the key was, Xie Ru was a soldier of the Cyan Mountain Army! Without a doubt, her hands were stained with blood!

But she didn’t exude the slightest bit of imposing aura or pressure. How was this any different from the gentle and capable Auntie She from the Twelfth Squad?

’A master among masters!’

’The ones who look harmless are scarier than the ones who flaunt their strength!’

’So here’s the question: she’s so young, twenty-seven or twenty-eight at most. How can she hide her edge so well? It doesn’t make sense!’

"I know of you," Gao Lingwei said suddenly.

"Oh? You do?" The tall and handsome Xie Zhi’s eyes lit up, a flicker of excitement in his heart. Of course he knew who Gao Lingwei was, so...

"My father once spoke of you. He said you and your sister each possess a rare Soul Skill." Gao Lingwei looked up at Xie Zhi and said, "You’re the Snow Realm Artist, right? The one who excels at turning enemies into ice sculptures."

"The old commander remembered me." Xie Zhi clenched his fists, murmuring softly, "Back then, I was just a reckless kid..."

Gao Lingwei looked down at Xie Ru beside him. "So, you’re the Snow Giant."

Xie Ru smiled and nodded lightly.

Gao Lingwei continued, "My father felt guilty about you two. You are both geniuses among geniuses, and you had your own dreams back then."

"But right after you joined the Cyan Mountain Army and had only entered the Snow Realm Vortex for a single mission, the unit announced it would no longer explore the Vortexes and was incorporated into the City Wall Guard Army."

As she spoke, Gao Lingwei pressed her lips together. "With your unique skills, even among the forces at Wan’an Pass, your Soul Skills are exceedingly rare. Many teams must have requested to borrow you two over the years."

"Quite a few, hehe." Xie Zhi chuckled. In the pitch-black, blizzard-torn night, such a sunny smile was truly a rare sight.

This wasn’t just a matter of mental fortitude; Xie Zhi was clearly an optimist. Enduring such a bitter and arduous life for a day or two was one thing, but facing it with a smile year after year was something not everyone could do.

Gao Lingwei said, "But you both stayed."

"Ah, the captain is a good guy and takes great care of us. We couldn’t bear to leave," Xie Zhi said, slinging a long arm around Han Yang’s shoulder, acting familiarly with no regard for rank.

In private, Han Yang wouldn’t have minded, but this was on the walls of Wan’an Pass, in front of the gatehouse.

Han Yang shot Xie Zhi a stern look, and Xie Zhi quickly retracted his arm, snapping to attention.

"Let’s go. Back to rest," Han Yang said. "While we were on duty, the higher-ups reassigned our dorms. We have our own place now."

With that, Han Yang and the others nodded to Gao Lingwei and headed for the gatehouse.

Rong Taotao spoke up, "They’re not even thirty, are they? So young. How old could they have been when they first joined the Cyan Mountain Army? Early twenties?"

Gao Lingwei: "You’re only seventeen right now."

Rong Taotao blinked. "Uh, you can’t put it that way. Who can compare to me?"

Gao Lingwei: "..."

"Da Wei."

"Hm?"

Rong Taotao: "I feel like something’s changed about you."

Gao Lingwei watched the three figures disappear into the stairwell. "What?"

Rong Taotao: "After I tried to pull the Little Souls into the Cyan Mountain Army, your attitude shifted a little. Mmm... or maybe it didn’t shift, it just became more obvious."

Gao Lingwei turned to look at Rong Taotao and said softly, "Isn’t exploring the Snow Realm Vortexes one of your goals?"

"So we need an elite team, a powerful team that is united and highly cohesive."

Hearing this, Rong Taotao’s heart stirred. ’She’s actually...’

Gao Lingwei said softly, "My identity is special, and the higher-ups have signaled they want to rebuild the Cyan Mountain Army. While helping you achieve your goal, I can also fulfill some of my father’s wishes. It’s killing several birds with one stone."

"Mhm... mhm." Rong Taotao nodded lightly.

"We both experienced that skirmish in the Outer Region of Wan’an Pass," Gao Lingwei said in a low voice. "One day, when we truly enter a Vortex to explore, we might encounter even trickier, more powerful opponents."

"So, we need a truly strong team, one that is tightly-knit around you and me. Disciplined, united, and loyal."

"Even though I’m just a rookie, you saw it. None of these Cyan Mountain Army soldiers treat me like a newcomer. When some of them look at me, there’s a light in their eyes. I know they’re hoping for something, too."

As she spoke, Gao Lingwei suddenly leaned forward, her thin lips behind the mask close to Rong Taotao’s ear, and whispered, "I will build such a team for you, for my father, and for everyone in the Cyan Mountain Army."

"Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. You’ve still got me, right? We’ll do it together," Rong Taotao said, patting Gao Lingwei’s arm.

"Mhm, okay."

Since the time, place, and people were all aligned, there was no reason for Gao Lingwei to back down.

She needed a unit, a unit with power that reached the heavens, and the foundation left behind by the Cyan Mountain Army was excellent!

Gao Lingwei was even confident that once she truly organized this team, reached a new level of personal strength, and raised the banner of the Cyan Mountain Army once more...

She could even Summon back the old members of the Cyan Mountain Army scattered throughout the various units of the Snow Burning Army!

She had many goals to accomplish, and many scores to settle.

Most importantly, Rong Taotao’s goal was too grand, and too difficult.

Gao Lingwei knew he needed her support.

...