Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 312: Chapter 38 Passing by

The bowl-shaped electric light swayed in the air.

Liang Zhengyong faced the black-cased magneto phone, silent.

In today’s era of explosive military technological development, the communication devices Liang Zhengyong usually used could even achieve half-body projections, making such outdated magneto phones relics of the past. Besides a few “undying oldies” who survived from before the Age of Winter, hardly anyone used them anymore.

“General Liang, hello.”

A sweet female voice came through.

“Connect me to the exchange.”

“Certainly, please hold.”

The woman replied respectfully.

Since being ordered to advance into Area B, it had not been more than two hundred hours for Liang Zhengyong, but the significant victories he had achieved were enough to turn the heads of all the Tank Committee members. The original commander of The Fourteenth Army stationed in Area B, holding the rank of lieutenant general, Qiao Yuan’an, didn’t say a word before offering his resignation to the committee, keeping only his title of “Tank Committee Member” and indicating he would no longer take up any military duties.

The Southwest Fierce Tiger was unrivaled at the moment.

After a while, an old man’s deep and resonant voice came from the other end of the phone, “Zhengyong?”

“Teacher, it’s me,” Liang Zhengyong answered.

“You did well.”

The old man’s tone conveyed a touch of satisfaction.

Liang Zhengyong said, “You’re just mocking me. I believe the actions of the Sixth Army these past days have added quite a bit of trouble for you, Teacher.”

“The statement was crafted jointly by a few of us old brothers. Everyone in Black Star Tank is aware of your style—you should understand that if the committee were merely considering combat effectiveness, we would have sent the First or Third Army to Area B.”

Liang Zhengyong, however, remained silent in response.

“Zhengyong, you’re only forty-five, still young, with a long road ahead. When this matter is settled, let Liang Wei have his turn for some experience, and you, come back to headquarters.”

“Teacher, I will comply with all commands.”

Liang Zhengyong’s voice remained steady, but his fists clenched.

“Right, there’s one thing I need to instruct you on. It’s okay if Ramu Jue is not caught immediately, and peace in Area B can wait, but this matter needs to be handled swiftly, well, and with care.”

“Please speak, Teacher,” said Liang Zhengyong, sounding formal.

…

“This Li Yan sure is not a simple character…”

Liang Wei sat back in his chair, arms resting behind his head, legs crossed on the table, an unruly look on his face.

“I can’t find any information on this man. Either there’s an organization as large as the Black Star Tank behind him erasing his data, or he really is just an insignificant rioter.”

“Fourth-order.”

Liang Wei uttered just two words.

His deputy was taken aback: “What did you say?”

“I mean, the first thing that crossed my mind when I entered the interrogation room and saw him was that I should execute the security officer who assessed his danger level. He made me, a brigadier general, step right into the tiger’s mouth.”

As he said this, Liang Wei stretched out his hand, covered in unerasable sweat; his face briefly twisted into a malevolent expression.

The deputy sprang to his feet: “I’ll go right away…”

“Enough, don’t play the fool; you know how I feel.”

Liang Wei waved his hand irritably.

The deputy gave an awkward smile. Knowing full well Liang Wei’s assessment of Li Yan’s rank, thanks to Liang Wei’s genetic abilities, the deputy had no doubt about it. Liang Wei talking to him about this matter, instead of immediately organizing Li Yan’s capture, had its reasons. As a subordinate, there were certain pretenses he must maintain. When Liang Wei told him there was no need to play the fool, it meant he was treated as an insider, but the deputy knew he had to maintain a sense of propriety.

Reaching his position, he surely understood that fourth-order abilities were only supposed to belong to the powerful elite, essentially a bluff meant to intimidate. Oil, water, mineral veins, military technology—as long as the price was right, were there any secrets in the world that couldn’t be traded?

And yet, the man’s origins remained a mystery.

“Just a minor episode. Have someone keep an eye on it.”

Liang Wei’s smile at that moment was no different from Dr. Yakov’s in the depths of Great Demon Lake.

“This is no longer the age of cold steel, of unmatched swords and horses, of a lone rider a thousand miles out,” said Liang Wei as he wiped his hands vigorously: “No matter how formidable the lone wolf may be, it won’t become our opponent.”

…

“Are you… are you okay?”

Afafu sized up Li Yan. She wore a gray pencil skirt with legs perfectly together, a black sweater over her, and a white lab coat draped around. A teardrop-shaped collar wrapped around her neck, making her appear vibrant and bright.

“Very well, Miss Afafu,” Li Yan said with a smile, extending his hand.

Afafu let out a sigh, slapping away Li Yan’s hand irritably. She looked him over for a while with her watery eyes, her fists tight then loose, until finally, her lips pursed and she bowed deeply.

“Thank you.”

“I know better than to bother you again in the future.”

Li Yan didn’t beat around the bush.

Afafu was initially surprised, but then a rush of anger filled her chest. She glared at him with wide eyes and asked indignantly, “Do you think I came here to talk to you about that?”

Li Yan shook his head. “It doesn’t matter why you came to see me, one must know their place. Not troubling you is also not troubling myself.”

Hearing this, Afafu grew even angrier, but looking into Li Yan’s eyes, which were worldly and slightly cynical, the fiery anger within her vanished without a trace. She readjusted her hair curtain, trying to control her tone, “Li Yan, I know you just met with Liang Wei and there might have been some unpleasantness. That’s why you’re a bit agitated, I understand. It’s okay, after a while, you’ll see that not everyone in Black Star is like Liang Wei.”

Li Yan listened to Afafu without defending his own emotions, but he asked instead, “Speaking of which, how old is that man with the surname Liang this year?”

“Twenty-two or twenty-three, I think? I’m not too sure. Why do you ask?”

Afafu dropped the subject when Li Yan diverted the conversation, thinking that he might have been treated harshly by Liang Wei and that his earlier comment was said in anger.

In fact, Li Yan had been speaking the honest truth, and he believed it was right to be straightforward.

“A major general that young?”

“On the one hand, the Age of Winter, the peak of human physical and mental performance, is quite short, not lasting beyond fifty years old. After that, no one would serve on the front lines and the combat leadership is generally young. On the other hand, Liang Wei’s father, Liang Zhengyong, is a member of the Combat Committee. He may be rebellious and spoiled, but to be honest, he is quite talented. You should try not to provoke him.”

“I actually quite like him,”

Li Yan said with a smile.

“What?”

Afafu was taken aback. Though she agreed that Liang Wei was talented, she certainly didn’t think highly of his character.

“If I had met him when I was twenty-two or twenty-three, I would surely have been played by him.”

Li Yan seemed perfectly at ease with this admission.

Seeing Li Yan’s composure, Afafu relaxed too, and teased with her arms crossed, “How old are you this year, then?”

“Twenty-six.”

Afafu rolled her eyes attractively, “You sounded like a sixty-two-year-old just now. How could you mature that much in only three or four years?”

“Three or four years is not a short time,”

Li Yan remarked with a sigh.

The two of them walked out while talking. The sky was overcast and the dusty wind howled, as a deep black off-road combat vehicle powered by a gas turbine skidded to a halt not far from Li Yan and Afafu.

A handsome and cheerful military man sat in the vehicle, playing with a baby in his arms with a smile on his lips.

Suddenly, the driver whispered something in his ear, and the man looked up. In his arms, Luo Bu was babbling, trying to grab the man’s hat. After several attempts to push back the baby’s hand, the man resigned himself to removing his hat and letting Luo Bu hold it on his belly. The man roughly tousled Luo Bu’s tiny head with a big hand before ruefully opening the car door.

Seeing this, Afafu smiled brightly. She walked over quickly to take the baby and spoke endearingly with the man for a moment before the two approached Li Yan together.

Li Yan watched the two of them and, unexpectedly, a name he thought he had forgotten crossed his mind. He had no designs on Afafu, but the memory of the name still gave him a twinge of discomfort.

“This is my husband, Qiao Xing.”

Afafu’s expression was bright, her white teeth revealing her very happy mood.

“Qiao Xing, this is Li Yan. He’s the one who saved me and Luo Bu.”

The two men exchanged a glance before shaking hands.

Qiao Xing was almost as tall as Li Yan, a dazzling young man.

He was different from Li Yan, with his old, blood-stained coat and a rugged, weathered appearance, and even from the peculiar and eccentric Liang Wei. Qiao Xing had a pair of sharp eyes like those of a hawk, a chiseled, prominent nose, broad shoulders, and a calm demeanor that commanded a natural respect. When this air of authority was combined with his genuinely warm smile, it produced a feeling of sincerity and simplicity.

“I’m Qiao Xing, and I’m very pleased to meet you, Mr. Li. Afafu is everything to me. You saved her and our child, which means you also saved me. I won’t forget what you’ve done for us.”

“Afafu promised she’d use Black Star’s resources to look into some matters for me, or give me a substantial sum of money; that’s why I helped her. It was a business deal, nothing more than that,”

Li Yan’s demeanor was as straightforward with Qiao Xing as it had been with Afafu.

“No problem…” Qiao Xing was about to say something more when the driver hurried over. Qiao Xing frowned and turned his head just as Liang Wei was whistling by the door, making faces at the trio.

Qiao Xing looked away, “I’m sorry, I’ll just call you Li Yan. The war has reached a crucial point, and I can’t attend to other matters. For now, I want to get you, along with Afafu, to the nearest shelter. When the war is over, I’ll make sure to fulfill the promises Afafu made to you.”

“It’s a deal. But I have a companion who was captured with me. If possible, I’d like to take him with me.”

“I will arrange for someone to look into it,”

Qiao Xing nodded.

It was clear that Qiao Xing was a decisive man. He gave Afafu a hug and they whispered to each other briefly before he left.

Only after watching the off-road vehicle carrying Afafu and the others drive away toward the Great Demon Lake did he go over to Liang Wei.

“Colonel Qiao, on your return this time (referring to the retreat during the havoc of Medicine Buddha and the return after Sixth Army took over Area B), you must be bringing military orders,”

Liang Wei asked lazily.

Qiao Xing saluted, “The latest directive from the headquarters is to bring back all the supergene samples from the Great Demon Lake after the war, starting with ‘Spring’, ‘Summer’, ‘Autumn’, ‘Winter’, without missing a single one.”

“Achoo!”

Li Yan sneezed, and the desolate scenery of Serling Tsom receded behind him.