Tianguanzhi

Chapter 150 A Second Move, The New Celestial, The Crooked Nail
Just over ten seconds before the explosion, Gu Jianqiu had already jumped straight down from the jet's exhaust port.

Firstly, the conventional flight altitude of rocket pilots does not exceed 5,000 meters. Once this distance is exceeded, speed and agility will be greatly reduced, and the damage caused to the pilot by air pressure and gravitational acceleration will also increase significantly. Regardless of whether this strike can cut off the last bit of structural value of the modified land-based aircraft, Gu Jianqiu must escape.

Secondly, the Phantom Thulium Blade's attack was exposed to everyone's view. Although the situation was chaotic and various heartbeats were rising and falling, it might not be able to hide it from Jiao En, who had extensive combat experience.

As expected, Jiao En's reaction was even more decisive than Gu Jianqiu had anticipated.

Almost simultaneously with the explosion, Gu Jianqiu's array vision began to flash red, indicating that a high-threat target was attempting to lock onto him, with only a few dozen seconds left on the countdown.

A barrage of radio signals followed.

"I am a member of the Suanni Legion of the Haitang Empire. Whoever you are, immediately stop your engine, identify yourself, and state your mecha registration number. If you refuse to obey, I will @%￥&"

The radio burst abruptly ended.

Above the sky, the invincible white deer-slaying knife suddenly emitted a heart-pounding tremor, causing the space around the Wu-type machine that carried it to tremble as well. The entire Wu-type Sky Soldier machine seemed to be frozen in place.

"The deer-slaying knife isn't something you can just use whenever you want. Even the current Deer Head himself can't use it."

Gu Jianqiu activated the rocket backpack to its maximum power, plummeting downwards like a meteorite. Using cover, he quickly escaped the lock-on range of the Tianbingwu machine.

Before Gu Jianqiu could even breathe a sigh of relief, he caught a glimpse of a black dot shooting out from the bottom of the explosion, falling parallel to him, only two or three hundred meters away.

That was an ejection survival pod.

Could it be Gao Liuhun?!
Gu Jianqiu was suddenly filled with murderous intent, but he did not rush to confirm who the person in the survival pod was. With the little oxygen left in the helmet, he steadily reached a safe flight altitude—about a thousand meters above the surface of the satellite fortress—before attempting to search for the trace of the black dot.

Not long after, Gu Jianqiu found the survival pod amidst a pile of rubble. It left a black scorch mark more than ten meters long on the ground, its outer shell was somewhat deformed, and there were traces of explosions around it, indicating that it had experienced some twists and turns when it landed.

Several exploration probes swirled toward the survival pod. Soon, Gu Jianqiu realized that the electrocardiogram signal inside the pod was not Gao Liuhun's, so he stepped forward and ripped open the damaged pod door.

A tall man covered in blood was crammed into a cabin that could barely accommodate one person. He was on the verge of death, and his heartbeat was like a candle flickering in the wind, as if it could be extinguished at any moment.

"Help, help..."

Who are you?

Gu Jianqiu could tell that this person's electrocardiogram was very different from that of the deserters led by Gao Liuhun, but there was no mistake that he had been ejected from the modified Land-based aircraft.

"My name is Yuan Seng..."

The man's voice gradually faded into silence, and before he could finish saying his name, he went into shock due to excessive blood loss.
-
Forty-eight hours later.

"Inhale, inhale deeply, very good."

"..."

"It should be fine now, but I still recommend that you get an X-ray to prevent any unknown harmful cardiac damage."

"Um... how much does the checkup cost?"

Upon hearing this, the brown-haired female doctor with dark circles under her eyes and a hooked nose removed her stethoscope and looked at the girl in front of her with suspicion: "Don't you have insurance?"

Fu Lemei shook her head blankly.

The female doctor couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Sweetheart, how can you be a Heavenly Official if you don't even pay for a single insurance policy?"

Fu Lemei shyly interlaced her fingers and stammered, "Actually, I don't have a license yet."

The female doctor's eyes widened: "You don't even have a license? Then who brought you here? Do you...do you have any money on you?"

"Use mine."

The speaker was a tall, muscular monk with six ordination scars on his head, his body wrapped in thick bandages. He was none other than the welding monk Zhen Ding.

He ducked into the medical room, first chanting a Buddhist prayer to the two of them, then handing a card with the image of Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva to the female doctor.

"No, no, no, there's no need for you to spend money, Master. I'm actually fine now, there's no need for any further examination."

Fu Lemei waved her hands repeatedly.

“Not necessarily,” the female doctor suddenly interjected. “We have detected at least six types of infectious spirituality in the corpses of those cultists. X-ray examination is necessary; this is the advice of professional doctors.”

Fu Lemei's face stiffened upon hearing this.

Zhen Ding saw Fu Lemei's dilemma and smiled faintly: "The Lingjiao sect has always distorted Buddhist teachings and bewitched people, and is diametrically opposed to our Chan sect. Moreover, the Jin Moli royal family has revered the Three Jewels for generations, and every household burns incense and makes offerings, donating tens of millions every year. As a Buddhist disciple, I have no reason to stand idly by when I see believers suffering such a calamity. You are merely passing through this place and have no connection with the local people, yet you still extend your help. This shows that you have great compassion and sincerity, even surpassing that of me. This small amount of money is Shaolin's way of repaying your life-saving grace on behalf of those believers. Please do not refuse."

"Are all the families here Buddhist?"

Fu Lemei recalled the ubiquitous Buddha statues and shrines at McDonald's and couldn't help but question, "They've even printed Buddha images on tincture boxes. Is this what you call paying homage to the Three Jewels?"

These words startled Zhen Ding.

As soon as Fu Lemei spoke, she realized her mistake and quickly apologized, "I didn't mean it, please don't be offended, Master."

Zhen Ding smiled wryly and said, "It's alright."

He coughed lightly and changed the subject: "Are you a candidate for this year's Heavenly Official Examination? To have such skill at such a young age is truly remarkable. May I ask which prestigious school you studied under?"

Upon hearing Zhen Ding mention the Heavenly Official Examination, a shadow crossed Fu Lemei's mind, but she still mustered her spirits and spoke solemnly to Zhen Ding.

“Disciple of Xuanyuan, Fu Lemei.”

Zhen Ding accepted Fu Lemei's fist salute without hesitation, but upon hearing the name Xuanyuan, he couldn't help but frown. Just as he was about to say something, he was interrupted by a slightly languid voice.

"The Haitang Martial Arts Association can reimburse the examination fee, but you should keep the money for your own donation, Master. The final of the Fanqi Cup is at 10 pm tonight, so I think you should start preparing early."

After Master Shouhe finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Fu Lemei, gesturing for her to come out and speak.

Fu Lemei apologized to Zhen Ding in a low voice, and Zhen Ding immediately shook his head to indicate that he did not mind. So the girl went straight to Shouhe, and the two found a secluded place. Shouhe took out a document from his sleeve and handed it to her.

"Take a look at this."

Fu Lemei read ten lines at a glance, her heart sinking lower and lower.

"This candidate was arrogant and self-reliant. Despite repeated dissuasion from the guides, he persisted in his own way, deliberately violating international law and putting the entire group of candidates in unnecessary danger..."

The girl's gaze finally settled on the last line of text.

"It is recommended that the candidate be disqualified from all subjects of this license examination."

Fu Lemei bit her lip lightly and looked at Shouhe, who had a cold face: "I'm sorry, Daoist Shouhe, for causing you trouble."

Upon hearing this, Shouhe raised his eyebrows and met Fu Lemei's gaze.

The girl's face was pale, her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her clear black and white eyes revealed no emotion as she calmly met Shukaku's gaze.

"I thought you were going to argue with me."

"The Taoist priest did nothing wrong."

“I will definitely submit my opinion, so don’t take any chances.”

"Yes, I'm mentally prepared."

"How do you plan to explain this to Jiang Ning's elders and fellow disciples? Chairman Tong has high hopes for you, as does your father."

“They will understand me, especially my father.”

"...Don't you have anything to say to me?"

"When will I be sent back to Jiangning?" "Doumu Palace doesn't have a special ship to send you. McDonald's is in too much chaos right now, and I have an obligation to ensure your safety. You must first travel to the examination hall with the group of examinees on the ancient ship and be questioned by the chief examiner with me. The chief examiner will decide whether to officially disqualify you from the examination based on the content of the questioning. But let me be clear from the start, the chief examiner attaches great importance to the opinions of the examinees. You will most likely be disqualified from this Heavenly Official Examination and will not be able to take it again for two years."

Fu Lemei took a deep breath: "I understand, I have no problem."

“Those kids are really worried about you. They’ve been watching you in the lobby for seven or eight hours. Go see them.”

Fu Lemei bowed to Shouhe and then left without saying a word.

Shouhe watched her retreating figure until she disappeared around the corner, and finally couldn't help but sigh, "Fu Nanzhi, you've truly raised an extraordinary daughter."

……

"You're amazing, Le Mei!"

Xiaoqing crossed her arms in front of her chest, gave a thumbs-up, and stared into her eyes, just like those fervent fans who waited outside the theater troupe, desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of Huo Yanling but were denied.

Fu Lemei looked around somewhat helplessly, and seeing the admiration and excitement on their faces, she immediately realized that Shouhe had not told them about the cancellation of her exam qualification.

"You're incredibly powerful! I had no idea! You're a genuine Rank I Celestial Official, no, even more powerful than that! You're despicable, pretending to be weak while actually being strong."

When she got excited, Xiaoqing couldn't help but pinch Fu Lemei's cheek.

"Well, it's alright."

Fu Lemei didn't dodge, letting Xiaoqing do as she pleased. Her eyes narrowed, and her expression was as soft as a melting cotton candy.

"Stop fooling around, Xiaoqing. Junior Sister Lemei, are you alright? Has Daoist Shouhe......"

Gu Yiqiu hesitated, but swallowed her question.

"By the way, Le Mei, your old friend from Jiangning, the one surnamed Gu, he also came here."

Xiaoqing had just stopped when she suddenly seemed to remember something and spoke up.

"Jianqiu?"

"He left this and told you to contact him when you're free. He was originally going to give it to you personally when you woke up, but he was called away by radio."

Xiaoqing handed Fu Lemei a card with a panoramic view of Mars printed on it.

Fu Lemei picked it up and examined it for a while. It was a long-distance telegraph card from the giant company Mars Leap. With the ID number on the card, they could contact the other party even across most of the solar system.

Gu Yiqiu chimed in, "He said that he and his Mongolian commander withdrew from tonight's Fanqi Cup final, apparently due to sponsorship issues. Moreover, his unit is about to set off."

Fu Lemei smiled, put the card in her pocket, and took the initiative to ask, "By the way, Senior Brother Gu, I heard from people at the hospital that someone finally subdued those thugs from the Spirit Cult, even killing them with a single blow. Who exactly has such powerful abilities?"

Gu Yiqiu's expression was complicated: "The favorite to win the Fanqi Cup tonight, contestant number seventeen who had a bye in the semifinals, is a Celestial Being."

As he spoke, he pointed to the newly replaced promotional leaflet for the Brahma Cup on the wall. It featured a humanoid figure draped in a gray robe, with most of its body covered except for a face made of grayish-white mineral. Two red orbs of light shone in its empty eye sockets. Below an explosion effect, the words "Witness history! New Celestials discovered!" were printed.

"Unprecedented, celestial beings."
-
The tactical dreadnought space truck, tasked with recovering the aircraft, traversed the yellow and black warning tape, bouncing along the rubble, flanked by roaring patrol aircraft and scattered tents. The battered dreadnought was secured to the open cargo hold with grappling hooks and covered with a military green tarpaulin; though indistinct, its exaggerated silhouette still drew the attention of many passersby.

Old Jin hunched his shoulders, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. His hands rested on the steering wheel as he muttered something to himself while nervously glancing left and right with his eyes.

A garbage truck marked with an incineration symbol was traveling in the opposite direction from Lao Jin's heavy truck. Lao Jin glanced at it casually and saw a pale, withered human hand sticking out from the open tipper of the garbage truck. His stomach churned, he gasped, stubbed out the cigarette that was still half-smoked in his mouth, and slammed on the gas pedal. The black heavy truck roared and sped toward the hangar shrouded in colorful dust in the distance.

……

On the Type 5 Sky Soldier machine.

The zipper of the body bag was slowly pulled open, revealing Zhu Shao's hideous face. The capillaries on his lips and eye sockets were cracked and congested due to cardiac overload, turning a strange dark blue-black color. His teeth were tightly clenched, and the muscles on his face were stiff and knotted together, making people shudder.

A man in bulky protective gear removed Zhu Shao's combat uniform, gently wiped the bloodstains and dirt from his face with a warm towel, and then used a lotion to cover the dark lividity on Zhu Shao's face until Zhu Shao's face was clean and peaceful.

The vibrations from the radio interrupted the man's work.

"Yes, sir, not yet. Okay, I'll go later."

After hanging up the radio, the man began the embalming process. He first used a syringe to puncture and aspirate the residue and gas inside the body cavity, then injected a high concentration of preservative into the arteries. Finally, he dressed Zhu Shao in a clean military uniform and placed him in a cryogenic chamber for preservation. The man finally finished everything. When he took off his protective suit, his clothes were soaked with sweat, and he looked as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

It was Gu Jianqiu.

The psychotoxic substance can remain on a corpse for quite some time, so it must be handled with extreme care. Old Jin and Li Dongbao are not capable of doing this job. As for Xu Dayou, his body was burned in the high temperature and almost fused with the Fearless Machine, making it difficult to put him in a coffin immediately. It can only be dealt with later.

After completing all this, Gu Jianqiu left the spirit capsule and, relying on the armband left by Zhu Shao, traveled smoothly all the way. On the way, he encountered Lao Jin, who was returning from retrieving the Tactical Fearless.

"Jianqiu! Jianqiu!"

Old Jin rushed over, and seeing no one around, he lowered his voice and asked, "If Commander Jiao En still doesn't wake up today, do we have to turn back?!"

"Maybe."

Gu Jianqiu did not respond directly, but patted Lao Jin on the shoulder: "Commander Zoro has something to discuss with me. We'll talk when I get back."

After saying that, he headed towards the central control room.

Kim Go-eun clearly wanted to say something more to Gu Jianqiu, but Gu Jianqiu walked very fast, and he didn't have a soldier's armband, so he could only watch Gu Jianqiu's figure disappear behind the hatch.

The hatch to the control room was open, but Jiao En was not there. Only Zoron Gaowa, wearing a soldier's coat, was operating something on the control panel.

"Sir."

Gu Jianqiu gave Zoro a military salute.

"What, taking so long? Unlike you, always so slow."

Solonga twisted her upper body, her full breasts swaying as she turned.

"I'm sorry, sir."

Solonga pointed to the screen and said to Gu Jianqiu with some difficulty, "The casualties are serious. I have applied to the Ministry of War to return to base."

This dreadnought was originally intended to support the front lines on Taibai Ancient Star, but after only escaping its home planet's gravity and transiting through McDonald's for a few days, it suffered the loss of three soldiers and the destruction of two tactical dreadnoughts. Even worse, its commander, Jiao En, collapsed during the battle for unknown reasons and nearly fainted in the cockpit. He has been in the medical pod for over forty hours and has yet to regain consciousness.

From any perspective, this mission could not possibly continue.

Sorongowa originally thought that the other party would be pleasantly surprised to hear the news. After all, even as a servant soldier, going to the Taibai Ancient Star battlefield at this time would be one of the times with the highest mortality rate. It would be best if they could avoid going.

To her surprise, Gu Jianqiu's expression remained calm. Just as Solongowa was about to ask if he would be willing to accompany her to the Quexue army, a large red arrow suddenly appeared on the control panel screen. Solongowa was startled; the red symbol indicated that her request to return for rest had been rejected by the Ministry of War. The arrow, however, signified unwavering resolve, meaning the Ministry of War demanded that this entire force, even if annihilated, resolutely carry out its operational objectives.

Immediately following, a huge red pheasant pattern appeared on the central control screen, and then a gaunt middle-aged man's face filled the entire screen.

"Has Jiao En woken up yet?"

He did not introduce himself, but asked Solongokova directly.

"No, you are not Zhao Butang."

After the new learning swept through the empire, the Ministry of War underwent two reforms, but the personnel remained largely unchanged. The Red Pheasant was the former Vice Minister, the second-in-command of the Ministry of War, now called the Deputy Minister. Like the Minister of War, the top official, he was respectfully addressed as Minister.

The man's expression was sharp: "I am Zhao Butang's confidential secretary, my surname is Yao, you can just call me Secretary Yao. You must be Solong Gaowa. Since Jiao En can't take charge, you are now the highest-ranking officer of this temporary combat target. In the past six months, the Martial Selection Division has launched more than twenty combat targets, none of which have been as outrageous as yours. I don't care what you encountered, this combat target must reach Baidi Ring within a month, even if it's just a crooked nail, you have to nail it to the position!"

"This is impossible."

Solongowa flatly refused: "I've read it. The battle plan is a death sentence for the rest of us to carry it out."

Gu Jianqiu glanced at her sideways, thinking that if he gave his superior a little more provocation, she would be able to speak properly.

“If you dare to turn back now, I guarantee you will all be court-martialed. Who knows if you sold all the military supplies on McDonald’s black market?! Jiao En will be imprisoned for a hundred years. As for you, desertion in the face of battle, just wait to be shot.”