Chapter 36: Bluebird
Although Yu Xian and Zhang Shou shared a deep friendship, their abilities were actually completely incompatible. Zhang Shou possessed extremely powerful healing abilities, yet paradoxically, his abilities were harmful to Yu Xian. Moreover, Yu Xian already had an exceptionally strong self-healing capability. Most injuries he incurred would recover in a very short time, making a doctor's treatment unnecessary. Therefore, Jin Sheng had assigned them to different areas for this operation.
Floating inside his bubble, Yu Xian occasionally reached out to check the coordinates on his phone. The participating squad's map app displayed two markers, one showing his current location and the other his destination.
The bubbles he created were not affected by gravity. The interior of the bubble was essentially a zero-gravity space, much like being in outer space. As a result, both he and his phone floated freely inside it.
Cruising past the perimeter of the military base, he soon crested into a sweeping expanse of mountain ranges. Inside his bubble, he gazed toward the distant horizon as the sun rose in the east. "So beautiful!"
The world stretched out before him in all its vastness. In the distance, the dimly lit sky met the earth, forming an uneven black line along the horizon. As the sunlight gradually dispelled the last traces of the night, the sky turned a pristine blue. A few white clouds lazily drifted overhead, while mountain ranges rose and fell in endless layers, their overlapping ridges and rugged contours showcasing nature's breathtaking artistry.
Yu Xian closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling as though he had become one with the world itself. He felt an unprecedented sense of peace and freedom, as though a soul that had been trapped within its mortal shell for seventeen years had finally been set free in this boundless world.
He had grown up in Silver City, and this was the first time he had ever left it. An indescribable emotion welled up within him, and before he knew it, tears streamed down his face.
For some reason, he found himself thinking of the latter half of the poem "On Ascending the Tower at Youzhou." Though it was fitting neither to the scene nor to his circumstances, he could nevertheless understand the poet's feelings at the time.
I think of the vastness of heaven and earth,
And alone, overcome with sorrow, my tears fall.
Chen Zi'ang had shed tears out of loneliness and melancholy. Yu Xian, however, wept because the sheer immensity of the world had moved him.[1]
With a flicker of his thought, Yu Xian shifted his position, landing atop the bubble and standing upright. He shouted into the distance, "Dad, I'm really happy right now! You were never a burden to me. Thank you... Thank you for bringing me into this world and raising me!"
He wiped his tears, a grin spreading across his face, and felt himself becoming lighter and more relaxed. The world was vast. One day, he would journey to even further, grander horizons, mapping every beautiful landscape with his own eyes.
Suddenly, a small, teal-colored bird swooped down and perched directly onto the top of his bubble. Opening its beak, it spoke in a clear, female voice, asking with a hint of embarrassment, "I'm Bluebird. Uh... did I happen to catch you at a bad time?"
"Not at all. You arrived exactly on time." Yu Xian readily admitted to himself that he had been acting a bit overly sentimental just a moment ago. He didn't particularly mind that his new teammate had witnessed the display.
If anything, he realized that he welcomed the company right now. He was genuinely happy and more than willing to share that joy with those around him.
The bubble quickly descended to the ground. Yu Xian jumped down from it and turned to look at Bluebird. "Hi, I'm Salted Fish, a vampire. Looking forward to working with you."
The small bird spread its wings as it landed on the ground, instantly morphing into a young woman clad in a crisp, green military uniform. "Hi. My codename is Bluebird, a supernatural being. Looking forward to working with you too!"
The two pulled out their phones to cross-verify their identities, and after a brief, formal handshake, they made their way forward together. They were already quite close to the coordinates flagged by Jin Sheng.
Along the way, Bluebird introduced herself. "My ability allows me to transform into a teal bird. My speed can reach ten times the speed of sound, roughly equivalent to a cruise missile. In my bird form, my defense also increases significantly, so you can probably imagine my combat style."
Yu Xian nodded. A mental image instinctively flashed through his mind of a bullet continuously punching straight through the enemies.
He informed Bluebird about his abilities. "Right now, I should be at the upper Sparrow rank or lower Serpent rank. My current strength is around ten tons, and my self-healing ability is extremely strong. Most of my injuries can heal within minutes. Aside from that, I can create silver threads, which I can weave into armor for defense or use offensively to cut targets. Lastly, there's my mutated Blood Energy, which allows me to create bubbles with spatial properties..."
Originally calm and indifferent, Bluebird's expression gradually turned more and more strange. In the end, she stared at Yu Xian in utter disbelief. "Salted Fish... you're pulling my leg, right?"
Yu Xian looked squarely at her. "We're deployed on an active mission. Do I look like the type to crack jokes right now?"
Bluebird conceded after a brief pause and nodded. "Fair enough. Keep going then."
By the time she had finished listening to the exhaustive breakdown of Yu Xian's abilities, she was left with a singular, glaring thought. Where on earth did they dig up this monster?
There had only ever been a handful of peers within Qilin whom she truly admired. As for members younger than her, the vast majority still needed her care and protection.
When Jin Sheng had paired her with Yu Xian for this operation, she had honestly braced herself to play the role of a glorified babysitter. Instead, she was now discovering that Yu Xian was almost absurdly overpowered. If anything, it was more likely that she would be the one needing protection instead.
The duo soon arrived at the coordinates marked by Jin Sheng. Confirming they had reached their destination, they immediately checked in with headquarters to report their status.
Jin Sheng acknowledged their message.
—Copy that. Stand by at your current positions.
Thus, the two of them stood blankly at the foot of a mountain. After a while, Yu Xian created a bubble and sat down on it. "Bluebird, do you need one?"
Bluebird shook her head. She took out a chair from her spatial ring and sat down. She even produced a table. Then she brought out a tea set and began brewing tea, leaving Yu Xian staring in stunned silence.
Seeing Yu Xian's reaction, Bluebird understood. "You didn’t read the operation plan, did you?"
Yu Xian shook his head and, a beat later, took out his phone. He opened the Wickedness Purging Squad's group chat, pulled up the operation plan, and carefully went through it.
The plan was, in essence, brutally simple. First, the entire Golden Nugget Mountain would be sealed off, and all personnel would move to their designated positions and await orders.
At noon, General Zhao Yi would launch a devastating strike at the center of the entire region, eliminating all high-level supernatural creatures. The various squads would then be responsible for clearing out the remaining low-level threats. Soldiers stationed at the military bases would maintain a secondary perimeter blockade, ensuring that not even a single insect could escape.
Bluebird smiled. "Does the operation plan feel a bit too simple?"
Yu Xian shook his head. "No. The simpler the plan, the more effective it is. As long as General Zhao Yi has the strength to back it up, this plan is actually our best option."
Sipping her tea, Bluebird praised him. "Not bad, pretty smart. You hit the nail on the head right away."
Yu Xian looked up at the rising sun. It was only a little past six. Are we really expected to wait idly until noon? If Zhou Tai senses the operation and decides to go all out now, won't that turn into an all-out fight?
If one had a question, it was only natural to ask a senior. So, Yu Xian voiced his concerns to Bluebird.
Bluebird chuckled. "And that's exactly why we're already waiting here, isn't it?"
Standing by did not mean staring blankly into space. If an Aberrant Parasite actually started running away right now, it would only prove that they had made the right move.
1. 登幽州台歌 (Dēng Yōuzhōu Tái Gē) is a famous ancient poem composed by Chen Zi'ang of the Tang dynasty. Written during his exile after political frustration and demotion, the poem reflects on the vastness of the world and the poet’s sense of loneliness and insignificance in history. It is widely regarded as one of the most iconic expressions of existential sorrow in classical Chinese poetry. ☜