Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Combat Training Ground
The sound of two people's feet rubbing against the ground on the soft mat, followed by a shout from An Xiaotian, who was then thrown over Qin Weishan's shoulder onto the mat. Struggling to stand up again, the mat was pressed down by An Xiaotian's weight, with the boxing gloves scraping against it.
"Take a break, Xiaotian. I've already knocked you down 43 times," Qin Weishan said, approaching to help him up. However, An Xiaotian completely ignored his outstretched hand, got up with a carp stand, and threw a punch at Qin Weishan's face. This time, Qin Weishan did not defend himself, knowing he could easily handle it, and allowed An Xiaotian's fist to hit his shoulder. The distance after An Xiaotian got up was not enough, and the long-term sparring training had exhausted most of his energy, so Qin Weishan knew exactly how much force An Xiaotian could muster with that punch.
"It's not over yet." An Xiaotian rubbed his nose, his eyes sharp as he stared straight at Qin Weishan, "Not being knocked down by you 100 times, I really owe a lot to General Wang."
Qin Weishan looked down at An Xiaotian's fist on his shoulder, smiled slightly, and reached out to put his fist down, "When we first met, Jiao An and I were still doubting if you were qualified. Now thinking about it, it was really foolish."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me; I'm just a companion on your journey of growth. The one who truly led you to this path and gave you the opportunity is General Wang Yangchen. Don't let his efforts go to waste."
An Xiaotian released his fist, and the glow of the setting sun reflected off the training mat. In the distance, the sun was hidden behind the rooftop, perfectly positioned between the two as they locked eyes.
"Actually, Brother Weishan, I never thought I would be the one to succeed Fierce Eagle," An Xiaotian confided in Qin Weishan. "The modifications to my body and the new identity I've been given... I still can't fully accept them."
"Fate never allows the future to appear like a trailer." Qin Weishan solemnly patted him on the back while handing him the water bottle. "In the year I first stepped onto the boxing ring, the only future I could envision was becoming a professional boxer. I never imagined that one day I would serve as a member of the Superhero Alliance, equipped with my own custom weapon, at a Military base. We must admit that when we feel powerless, we often say to let things take their course. The beauty we cannot grasp will ultimately become the facade we put on to appear as if everything is going smoothly. Sometimes, when facing fate, we are indeed powerless; perhaps accepting it with grace can lead us to discover more unexpected beauties."
An Xiaotian savored Qin Weishan's words, his thoughts rushing into his heart with every gulp of water he swallowed. However, it was not An Xiaotian's contemplation that broke their silence, but rather a faint sound coming from not far away. Both of them reacted simultaneously and turned their gaze toward the source of the sound, approximately two hundred meters away from the training ground. As soldiers, they knew all too well what that sound was: gunfire.
"WeishanBro, is the shooting range in that direction?" An Xiaotian remembers that the shooting range is on the edge of the base.
"That's not right," Qin Weishan frowned, "Follow me, I have access to the Vanguard Tower!"
As soon as the two ran out of the closed training ground, the base started a full-coverage broadcast. It was the first Time someone at the scene saw in the Vanguard Tower broadcast room:
"All personnel attention! General Wang Yangchen has been shot and requires medical assistance. Relevant units please dispatch personnel to the first-level quarantine area, Laboratory 818, which will be opened within a short Time! Please hurry! Please hurry!"
"What happened to General Wang?!" Two people ran on the road, and upon hearing this news, An Xiaotian felt as if thunder had struck on a sunny day.
The general broadcasting room is only used when extremely urgent internal base matters occur, so Qin Weishan realized the seriousness of General Wang's situation. He was the first to arrive at Laboratory 818 with An Xiaotian, followed closely by the swiftly arriving medical personnel. General Wang had been shot in the abdomen, bleeding heavily and lying in a pool of blood. On-site personnel had temporarily bandaged the wound with cloth.
"General! We've arrived, hold on!" Qin Weishan pushed aside others and crouched down to check General Wang's injuries. An Xiaotian stood nearby, his pupils trembling; the sudden change left him momentarily dazed—he had once again witnessed someone he trusted fall under gunfire, and this time, it was his mentor.
Seeing An Xiaotian and Qin Weishan arrive, the half-closed eyes of General Wang Yangchen used his last breath to say to them, "Liang... has betrayed us, he ran away, someone is coming to pick him up..."
These words triggered a dull explosion in the chests of both Qin Weishan and An Xiaotian. An Xiaotian leaned back and was steadied by someone nearby. Qin Weishan turned to him and shouted, "Xiaotian, go after him, use your Fierce Eagle Armor!"
"Me?" An Xiaotian almost forgot that he was now the controller of the Fierce Eagle Armor.
"Hurry up!"
An Xiaotian pushed past others, leaning forward at nearly a ninety-degree angle as he dashed out. After joining the Superhero Alliance, the Fierce Eagle Armor had been moved to a shared equipment storage with Jiao An and Qin Weishan. This was the first time he personally activated the energy core on his chest, racing down the stairs. In the distance, the equipment storage's launch window opened, and the searchlights on the Fierce Eagle Armor immediately lit up, igniting in the dark Curry and flying straight toward his designated exit. The Fierce Eagle Armor responded to his call, appearing behind An Xiaotian in the high sky under the setting sun, arcing down toward him as he ran on the ground.
At the same time, a Hovercraft appeared above the military base, hovering over the roof of the command center ahead. An Xiaotian saw with his own eyes that two military vehicles had arrived downstairs, but Liang Muqi was already preparing to board the retractable ladder under the protection of Viper's personnel.
"Quick, quick, quick!" An Xiaotian shouted as he sprinted on the ground, glancing back at the armor flying in from above. Sensing that An Xiaotian was right in front of it, the Fierce Eagle Armor slowed down and landed behind him, rapidly disassembling and transforming to create a humanoid shape. An Xiaotian immediately stepped into the armor, spreading its mechanical wings and soaring into the sky.
The soldiers rushing downstairs would definitely not catch up to Liang Muqi, who was about to board the departing Hovercraft. An Xiaotian flew at full speed, heading straight for Liang Muqi, who had already stepped into the body of the Hovercraft. "Don't go!" Seeing his target so close, An Xiaotian reached out and shouted, his voice muffled and metallic due to the armor's coverage.
The moment he appeared before Liang Muqi, a laser beam descended from the higher sky! An Xiaotian felt a heavy blow on his shoulder, and unable to control the direction, he crashed the Fierce Eagle Armor onto the rooftop of the command center. Once he steadied himself, he saw a scene he could never have imagined: an armor even larger than his own hovered above a hovercraft, covered in black and beige. The cannons on either side of its armpits retracted, and a pair of green eyes looked down at him.
"I knew you would come, Xiaotian. You are a good child; perhaps one day, you will understand," came Liang Muqi's voice from within the black armor, while his silhouette was obscured by the retracted boarding stairs—this was the second-generation armor that combined remote control with intelligent autonomous combat, codenamed "Blackhawk."
An Xiaotian let out a furious roar, wanting to charge forward, but his outstretched fist was once again blocked by the Blackhawk that had landed before him.
"In the face of a common crisis for the world, there is no distinction between good and evil among humanity. Wherever there are good resources, there is a need for talented individuals—"
Furious, An Xiaotian punched Blackhawk on the head, then raised his left arm to launch a shell that exploded against Blackhawk's chest. However, Blackhawk did not resist; even after such a close-range explosion, he remained steadily floating in the air. Instead, An Xiaotian was blown away, half-kneeling on the ground as he looked up at the seemingly unscathed Black Hawk Armor.
"We must temporarily set aside our grievances and serve the greater good in order for humanity to survive better!"
With the cover of Black Hawk Armor, An Xiaotian was unable to reach Liang Muqi and could only watch helplessly as he walked into the Hovercraft with Viper's people. An Xiaotian wanted to take off again, this time choosing to directly ignore Blackhawk's obstruction. The wheeled cannon in his arm rose once more, ready to shoot down the Hovercraft. However, Blackhawk seemed to have anticipated his attack; at the moment An Xiaotian raised his arm, a grappling hook shot out from Blackhawk's hand, locking onto the ankle of Fierce Eagle Armor. With a strong pull, An Xiaotian lost his balance and fell to the ground again.
The Hovercraft had already taken off, preparing to leave. "You’re forcing my hand!" An Xiaotian gritted his teeth as the great sword on the back of Fierce Eagle Armor was unlocked. He drew his battle sword, ready to fight Blackhawk—destroying this armor would ensure that his efforts wouldn’t fall into the hands of the Viper organization, even if it meant letting Liang Muqi go.
An Xiaotian's challenge aligned perfectly with Liang Muqi's expectations. He did not want to leave a hidden danger at the Military Base. He understood very well that An Xiaotian and Fierce Eagle Armor were the only forces capable of matching him. If he could eliminate him today, future tasks would be much easier, allowing him to avoid living in constant fear at Viper Base.
Fierce Eagle stood up, bent over, and grabbed the hilt of the battle sword behind him. With the support of the Thruster on his back, he took a step forward and thrust the sword towards Blackhawk!
Blackhawk dodged to the side, and two crescent war blades jumped out from his arms. The blades spun around and were then grabbed by Blackhawk, who then swung them towards Fierce Eagle's back.
After all, the young man was still young, especially as the chosen second-generation pilot. An Xiaotian reacted very quickly. Before the inertia had ended, he had already turned around with the "Fierce Eagle" armor and blocked this horizontal slash.
One person and one machine exerted force at the same time, both taking a step back.
"An Xiaotian……"
"Shut up! You idiot!" Fierce Eagle roared, the missile clip in his arm rolling, and the new missile once again aimed at Blackhawk.
Blackhawk immediately lowered into a bow stance and activated the Particle Shield for defense. With a loud bang, smoke filled the air. Fierce Eagle tried to use his visual tracker to locate the target, but he felt a chill run down his spine as a shadow flashed past the corner of his eye. A blade struck fiercely against Fierce Eagle's back.
Stumbling, just as he regained his footing, two cannon barrels unexpectedly extended from Blackhawk's waist, and laser beams illuminated Fierce Eagle! An Xiaotian, still unfamiliar with the armor, couldn't withstand the assault and could only raise his arm to retreat.
As Blackhawk fired lasers while ascending into the sky, it landed with a stomp, pinning An Xiaotian beneath its foot. Inside, Liang Muqi's voice echoed: "General Wang has high hopes for you, but unfortunately, this is just the prototype. Blackhawk is my true invention; you have little value now."
Blackhawk raised his blade, preparing to stab at Fierce Eagle's energy core. Just as the blade was about to strike, a grenade exploded in front of Black Hawk Armor, knocking him to the ground. As he stood up, he found himself facing the dark muzzle of Jiao An's gun, which was aimed directly at him.
Moments later, a group of fully armed soldiers appeared on the rooftop, surrounding Black Hawk Armor in the corner.
"Good evening, Miss Jiao An," Blackhawk steadied himself and began to slowly ascend into the air, spreading his wings. "Today, I do not wish for us to fight to the death. In the future, I hope we can avoid such conflicts because, at least in the face of the universe, we are united. Please forgive my current transgressions; you will understand in years to come."
Blackhawk turned around and left with a parting phrase as he took off.
"If you really want to kill me, you wouldn't be my match either. Xiaotian, we'll meet again someday."
An Xiaotian unlocked his head armor, took a deep breath, and began contacting Qin Weishan: " Weishan, how is the general doing?"
"He... he no longer has any vital signs."
Jiao An put down the gun and gently placed his hand on the shoulder of An Xiaotian who was half kneeling on the ground. An Xiaotian gripped the battle sword and fiercely plunged the sword into the ground, closing his eyes in an avalanche of pain.
Three days later, City S Tianming Martyrs Square, south side Martyrs Cemetery
"Ready—"
On the stone-paved road, people gathered to mourn, dressed in black, silently waiting for the final command of the funeral procession. Those attending General Wang Yangchen's funeral were mostly national dignitaries and international friends who had come to pay their respects. Among them, An Xiaotian was inconspicuous, as this was an occasion he could not normally attend. Today, however, he stood among the sea of mourners in his capacity as Wang Yangchen's successor, although no one knew his true identity at that moment.
"Fire!"
Thirty-six Guards of Honor soldiers rested their rifle butts against their chests, and as the white smoke filled the air, the mournful sound of gunfire began to echo in the drizzling sky.
All the political dignitaries and military personnel participating in the funeral took off their hats and bowed their heads with closed eyes. With no umbrella in sight, and a row of heads hanging down, An Xiaotian stared fixedly at General Wang's face as he was being buried, which seemed out of place. The rain suddenly poured down, falling on An Xiaotian's shoulder, on the golden military emblem, and shattering in An Xiaotian's bitterly resentful heart. He seemed to be in a trance, feeling that by staring at the slowly descending wooden coffin, his savior, the benefactor he should be most grateful for with his life, would reappear before him. An Xiaotian's eyes were unfocused, allowing the pouring rain to wash over the military uniform already clinging to his body.
"Please accept my condolences."
A strong male voice reached An Xiaotian's ears. He slightly turned his head to the sides, where Qin Weishan and Jiao An stood beside him. The umbrella in Jiao An's hand briefly shielded An Xiaotian from the heavy rain.
"We were all promoted by General Wang; your sorrow is our shared feeling," Jiao An said as the three of them watched the wooden coffin finally being lowered into the ground, disappearing from sight.
"......"
An Xiaotian inexplicably had several lines of tears on his face, perhaps taking advantage of the heavy rain to allow his emotions to run wild without restraint in his expression.
"I understand, two seniors." An Xiaotian struggled to control his voice, "What I can't accept is, as brothers, why would Liang Muqi dare to kill... Is it that in the face of interests, emotions are so vulnerable?"
Jiao An and Qin Weishan both looked at An Xiaotian's profile. They were unaware that An Xiaotian had a good brother, Liu Xuan, whom he had played with since childhood. He could not understand why Liang Muqi, who was also like a brother to him, could act so ruthlessly.
"I chose to protect rather than seek refuge. But why... do we protect the future only to be harmed by those who desire it?"
As the only three members of the special forces squad, they had no opportunity to mourn their greatest hero and leader on stage. An Xiaotian slipped his hands into his pockets, silently turned around, and walked back into the dark rain once again under the watchful eyes of Jiao An and Qin Weishan.
After General Wang Yangchen was murdered, the entire base fell into a state of low morale. The question of who would take over his leadership and how to restore the soldiers' spirits became a significant challenge. This emotional turmoil was most acutely felt by An Xiaotian. He could not accept that General Wang had left his world in such a manner, having suddenly entrusted him with an unparalleled mission, only to depart from his life in a moment of life and death. Every day, seeing the Fierce Eagle Armor, An Xiaotian just wanted to escape and become an ordinary person with no responsibilities. The weight of this mission became particularly burdensome after General Wang's passing, transforming him into a cowardly figure.
Every time he faced Qin Weishan, in the instant their fists collided, he could always see the shadow of General Wang. The last time this happened, he was exhausted, leaning against the railing and looking at Qin Weishan's face; he saw the same expression on General Wang's face when he first emerged from the Fierce Eagle Armor—an expression of kind satisfaction. In that old man's eyes, it seemed as if he could see the entire future.
"I need to use the restroom."
An Xiaotian did not wait for Qin Weishan's approval and walked straight out of the training ground. He had never thought about, nor did he want to become, the pilot of the Fierce Eagle Armor, let alone a towering super soldier. No matter how talented one is, losing a mentor in life is no different from a wealthy heir losing all their family fortune.
He quietly slipped back to the private living quarters that General Wang had chosen for him. This was a place reserved for those with honor and status within the base. In less than two years, An Xiaotian had accomplished what many high-ranking officials might not achieve in over twenty years, all thanks to General Wang's high hopes for him.
But now, even if An Xiaotian truly achieves great success, what meaning does it hold without his witness? How can he find peace within himself?
These thoughts finally broke through the last defenses of An Xiaotian's tear ducts. He slumped beside the floor-to-ceiling window in his bedroom, in a lonely and quiet room. Only the light reflecting through the window was willing to bend down and embrace this child who buried his sorrow in his arms. The tears sliding down An Xiaotian's profile sparkled under today's sunlight.
Military Base in City S
Administrative Office
After the incident, Instructor Zhang, who had just come out of confinement, took over the new barracks again. However, aside from daily training, the rest of the time was spent worrying about An Xiaotian's situation.
Instructor Zhang even thought that An Xiaotian was living in the dormitory. After going there several times, the roommates all said that An Xiaotian had moved out for no reason a few days ago. According to the superiors, he was transferred to another unit. Instructor Zhang inquired about An Xiaotian's whereabouts everywhere, until one day, while chatting with other instructors in the instructor's office, he suddenly received an internal message on his phone.
"Administrative center, sixth floor, innermost..."
Instructor Zhang followed the information and walked over. As he looked up, he was greatly surprised—
This is clearly the command center of the base.
"Come in," a man's voice came from inside as Instructor Zhang pondered how to knock politely.
"Hello," Instructor Zhang pushed the door open and saw an elderly man with dark skin sitting in front of a computer in the office. Just by the width of his shoulders, Instructor Zhang could tell that this man weighed at least 180 pounds.
"Nice to meet you, Instructor Zhang." He stood up, directly blocking Instructor Zhang's line of sight, but his gentle expression seemed quite approachable.
After the initial handshake, the man spoke:
"My name is Jiang Yan, and I am currently the temporary head of the special forces squad program. I prefer to be straightforward, and the reason I called you here is to discuss An Xiaotian."
"Jiang Yan?!" Instructor Zhang felt a sudden jolt in his heart. The person before him was actually one of the few Generalissimos in the country, General Jiang! When General Jiang spoke, Instructor Zhang dared not disobey. He immediately followed General Jiang's gesture and walked to his side.
"That's right." General Jiang kept pressing the button on the automatic pen. "An Xiaotian has been selected for the special forces squad, so don't go asking around. The emotions within the base are already quite fragile. If another rumor spreads about a Special Forces Soldier going missing or something similar, it will be hard to maintain morale."
"Ah!" If General Jiang hadn't pointed it out, Instructor Zhang really wouldn't have realized that his current actions were adding fuel to the fire. He quickly bowed and apologized, "I'm truly sorry, General! I am willing to accept—"
"Hey— that's not what I meant." General Jiang waved his hand. "We both know that An Xiaotian is a good candidate. As his superior and elder, it's only natural to care about him. I'm just giving you a reminder to avoid making too many assumptions. What I hope now is that you can help An Xiaotian recover as soon as possible, and also..."
General Jiang suddenly stopped and signaled Instructor Zhang to come closer. When Instructor Zhang approached the office computer in front of General Jiang, he understood his intention—General Jiang had been reviewing various VR training room simulation combat test videos of An Xiaotian from the past several months.
"Viper has become so bold as to poach our people right under our noses. As soldiers, we cannot tolerate this! Therefore, I will soon hold a meeting to establish an elite task force to combat Viper. Your mission is to ensure that An Xiaotian takes over this task, no matter what. He may be young, but in terms of physical fitness, he has already met the standards for an Olympic representative team across the board; and in terms of mental strength, his abilities have amazed me, a veteran nearing seventy. There is a reason he can take over Wang Yangchen's Fierce Eagle Armor. I even believe that his mental age is second only to mine."
"Xiaotian? He is the second-generation heir of the Fierce Eagle Armor?" Instructor Zhang asked in disbelief, reconfirming with General Jiang.
"Yes. From now on, you are also in the know. Please keep it confidential," Upon hearing General Jiang's words, Instructor Zhang sighed with relief and said, "This kid, I knew he had potential." "His matters, I'll leave them to you."
After getting permission from General Jiang, Instructor Zhang invited Jiao An to come up with a solution. Jiao An knew that Qin Weishan and An Xiaotian had a close relationship, so she deliberately had him bring a box of food and quietly come to the door of An Xiaotian's living room. Qin Weishan found the door unlocked and simply pushed it open, calling out gently, "Xiaotian, have some food. You haven't eaten anything for days." An Xiaotian lay on the bed, unmoving. Qin Weishan, feeling helpless, placed the food on the nearby table and left.
After Qin Weishan slowly walked away, he carefully sat up, climbed down from the bed, and after a gust of wind swept away the remaining clouds, the box was so clean that not even a drop of soup was left. Just as An Xiaotian was about to stand up, his head felt like it was filled with lead, and his whole body felt like a cone. His head "thudded" into the pillow and he fell asleep in the indentation on the pillow.
He didn't know how long had passed, but when he woke up, the scene around him was no longer the indoor walls, but the wide blue rubber floor of the training ground. Jiao An was sitting next to him with a notebook on his lap, tapping away at it, while Qin Weishan was practicing boxing nearby. When he saw An Xiaotian wake up, he immediately came over to support him as he tried to get up, and said with a smile, "Awake? Come on, let me take you to eat something."
"No, I'm going back to sleep." An Xiaotian stumbled like a drunkard as he walked down the stage, as if he had been paralyzed or something.
Unable to endure any longer, Qin Weishan stormed over with heavy footsteps and punched An Xiaotian in the right cheek.
"Ugh!" An Xiaotian let out a muffled groan as he fell. Qin Weishan yanked him back up, his carefully crafted smile completely torn apart by rage. He shouted at him, "Are you trash, Xiaotian?! Do you think what you're doing can change anything? He's already left us, and the murderer still needs to be dealt with! If you don't bring the killer to justice yourself, who do you think you're living for? Are you a three-year-old playing this kind of game? Heaven is watching; General Wang has put his heart into bringing you into the special forces squad, but look at you! Do you know how many brothers Sister Jiao An and I have lost?! Do you think you're the only one who feels that the world is unfair and feels sorrowful and helpless? We have no choice; the only path is to face fate head-on with our heads held high! You shouldn't be a coward! Since you've chosen to protect others, if you can't even manage your own emotions, what right do you have?! This is not the time for you to wallow in despair; justice needs you!"
Qin Weishan's words pierced deep into An Xiaotian's heart, causing his tears to burst forth. With a choked voice, he retorted, "He was my savior, my mentor... That's precisely why I chose to accept the reality of body modification and being a pilot of the Fierce Eagle armor! If my teacher won't teach me anymore, what's the use of having textbooks?"
"Ridiculous!" Qin Weishan was even more infuriated when he heard this, and angrily reprimanded, "Look at me, Xiaotian, did you come in just to show off to General Wang? Fine, now get out of here! Get the hell out!" Jiao An stopped typing and looked at the two of them. An Xiaotian pursed his lips, turned decisively, and walked towards the exit.
"He... knows what will happen in this world."
An Xiaotian walked while listening to Jiao An's seemingly emotionless words.
"You have always said that soldiers exist to protect. The purpose of our Special Forces Squad was to respond to various disasters that pose national and even global threats. In simple terms, we are here to guard. But you are only entangled in personal feelings and completely fail to understand the original intention of the Special Forces Squad. General Wang foresaw the looming future, which is why he sought the next driver. You see it as a favor, but what he wants to see is the pillar defending the Earth, not a fool who is unable to extricate himself from the grief of life and death, crying and throwing a tantrum."
An Xiaotian's toes hung at the doorway, coming to a stop.
"Please don't let him down. Consider it my plea to you," Qin Weishan continued from Jiao An's words, then loosened his fist, turned, and went to drink water. His shouting just now had attracted many onlookers, who gathered at the edge of the training ground, watching the three of them. An Xiaotian felt utterly embarrassed and, not wanting to face so many eyes, quickly left the area.
That night, An Xiaotian couldn't close his eyes. He stared at the swaying shadows of the trees reflected on the ceiling from outside, his thoughts trembling violently like surging waves.
Comment 0 Comment Count