Chapter 66: Ge Xiaolun's Many Terabytes

Chapter 66: Ge Xiaolun’s Many Terabytes

“Xiaolun, now we’re both aerial units,” Yunyang said cheerfully to Ge Xiaolun.

“A toast to another addition to Earth’s fighting force.”

Ge Xiaolun too lifted off the ground, giving Yunyang a friendly punch to the chest to show his approval.

But the punch sent Yunyang reeling, and he lost his balance. With a loud smack, he hit the ground face-first.

“I didn’t mean to,” Ge Xiaolun said awkwardly, scratching his head in apology. “My bad, my bad.”

No one could blame him; Yunyang couldn’t even take a light punch, let alone fight in the air. He felt he needed to train much harder.

At this moment, Keisha, who had been watching from the side, suddenly spoke.

“Ge Xiaolun, bearer of the Power of the Galaxy, as the future of the angels and the next Angel Queen, I want to enhance your combat abilities. Are you interested?”

“I don’t really understand what ‘the future of the angels’ means, but I’m definitely interested in getting stronger. The angels have helped Earth so much; I will do everything I can to help them in return.”

After all he’d been through, Ge Xiaolun had matured a lot. Even if he didn’t fully grasp what the future of the angels entailed, the war had taught him that to protect his country from invasion, he himself had to become stronger.

The angels’ offer might be his chance—a rare opportunity to make a huge leap in strength. With Zhixin’s help, he’d gained the Xionggene, and then the combat version of the Xionggene. Still, the efficiency was lacking, as proven by the recent test.

“With your attitude, I believe the future of the angels will be very bright,” Keisha said, nodding with satisfaction.

Earth, North Star.

“Qilin, why don’t you take this gun? My fists are my best weapon,” Zhao Xin said, glancing at the sullen Qilin beside him.

Qilin had been eyeing the Godslayer Rifle in Zhao Xin’s hand. Zhao Xin, twirling the weapon as if he were a descendant of Zhao Yun, wore an air of pride—guns were his true calling.

Qilin knew Yunyang had given the rifle to Zhao Xin, and it didn’t bother her much, but she still felt a little downhearted. He’d taken advantage of her sister, yet hadn’t given her anything.

Thankfully, Zhao Xin was perceptive enough to notice her lingering gaze on the weapon. After thinking back over the past few days, he quickly understood and made the offer.

“That’s for you. You’d be at a disadvantage without a weapon, so use it,” Qilin replied, pressing her lips together. Although she knew Zhao Xin needed the weapon more, she couldn’t help but show a hint of envy.

Her physical strength was weak, so she could only attack from a distance. She knew the specs of this gun—Yunyang had introduced it to everyone. Once a target was marked, the shot would never miss.

It was practically tailor-made for someone like her, who specialized in long-range combat.

“Then I’ll graciously accept,” Zhao Xin said, his tone suddenly changing. Gone was any intention of giving up the gun; he even stowed it into his private dimension.

Seeing Zhao Xin’s abrupt shift, Qilin felt a surge of exasperation and said dryly, “How about you offer it one more time?”

“What offer?” Zhao Xin played dumb.

Zhao Xin had clearly seen the envy in Qilin’s eyes. But with a weapon in hand, who would want to fight barehanded? Besides, even though Qilin was a beauty, Zhao Xin reminded himself that he was a man with a family and wouldn’t be tempted.

Heavenly City, entrance to the Great Insect Bridge. Yunyang and Ge Xiaolun stood side by side.

“Yangzi, I feel like I could take on the sky right now,” Ge Xiaolun boasted, attracting the attention of several angelic ladies nearby. Yunyang quietly put some distance between himself and this fool.

“Maybe you should finish studying all the data King Crane gave you before you start bragging,” Yunyang said, determined to dampen Ge Xiaolun’s ego.

Ge Xiaolun’s face fell, despair flashing in his eyes as he covered his face and moaned, “That’s just cruel. One minor category is several terabytes—and there are hundreds of those, all in the sciences! I’m a humanities major!”

“Do you know what this proves?” Yunyang ignored his complaints, intent on humbling him further.

“What?” Ge Xiaolun asked, curious.

“If you master math, physics, and chemistry, you can travel the universe without fear. Good luck,” Yunyang intoned solemnly, uttering the words that made Ge Xiaolun’s liver ache.

“Forget it, I’ll take it slow. When I get back, I’ll start by building our own communications system for Earth,” Ge Xiaolun decided.

Now it was Yunyang’s turn to be puzzled. “Isn’t communication already restored?”

“That’s only because we rely on Tianblade. We don’t have our own system,” Ge Xiaolun explained patiently.

“Didn’t you create a communications system with Xionggene?” Yunyang asked, upholding his proud tradition of seeking knowledge when in doubt.

“That’s short-range, and military use only. It can’t even cover the whole country. What about civilian use?” Ge Xiaolun looked at Yunyang as if he were an idiot, feeling it necessary to explain further.

“Ahem, I see. Good luck!” Yunyang coughed awkwardly, realizing he truly didn’t know these things, and feigned sudden understanding.

“You should study too. Want to do it together?” Ge Xiaolun asked hopefully.

“In your dreams,” Yunyang replied, giving him a look of divine disdain, his words laced with mockery.

“As long as you’re happy,” Ge Xiaolun replied, pretending to interpret that look as a sign of admiration from an underachiever.

The two, newly returned to Earth, had just arrived at Tianblade when they received news: according to Tianblade’s reconnaissance, the Gluttonous Army had returned to the outskirts of the solar system.

The command center had convened a military meeting and, to prevent the war from ravaging Earth and its people, decided to intercept the enemy beyond Earth’s orbit.

The Black Great Wall had also unveiled a new trump card—the Mangdangshan, armored in dark alloy, would serve as the vanguard in cooperation with Tianblade.

This was also meant to signal Earth’s stance to the angels. Although the angels felt such measures unnecessary, the central command insisted on deploying Mangdangshan.

Earth could not remain a child sheltered in the angels’ cradle; it needed to grow through hardship, or it would forever be a fledgling in need of protection.

The Grand Elder had also expressed his stance: cooperation was welcome, but they could not simply be protected. This battle was Earth’s fight for a foothold in the universe—not only must they win, but they must win gloriously.

Ge Xiaolun, just back on Earth, was called away, leaving Yunyang somewhat at loose ends.

Thanks to Morgana’s protection, an armed group called North Oath had begun to make a name for itself. Under the rallying cry of a certain “Pope,” leaders of various factions pledged themselves to the Demon Queen Morgana, forming an army of reincarnated demons and free-willed humans fighting for eternal life.

They entrenched themselves in Europe, and under the subtle guidance of Morgana’s high-ranking demons, occasionally harassed the borders of Huaxia.

However, these were only sporadic fanatics, driven by dreams of immortality. Their incursions into Huaxia’s borders were always repelled or captured by border troops, posing no significant threat.

Feeling a bit idle, Yunyang decided to visit Tianhe City. After all, it was where he’d first met Rose, and there were several members of the Super Soldier Unit there he had yet to meet.

Without disturbing anyone else, Yunyang spread his wings and soared into the sky, eager to see what made this Huaxia different from the one he remembered.

Flying beneath the clouds, he looked down at the scarred earth and the workers rebuilding after the war. Yunyang felt an urge to shout:

“Look! See this? This is the unbreakable Huaxia, these are the indomitable Huaxia people! We’ve been through darkness, but we will rise again to the top of the world!”

Engulfed by pride, Yunyang streaked across the sky like a meteor, the wind howling in his ears. The faster he flew, the more his spirit soared, as if only speed could express the grandeur swelling in his heart.

As he neared Tianhe City, Yunyang suddenly intercepted a covert radio broadcast.

He listened instinctively. The message said, “Warriors of the Celestial Palace, come and present yourselves to your commander.”

Coordinates were attached.

Yunyang knew the Celestial Palace—Keisha had told him about it. It was the ancient flagship of King Hua Ye, who enforced the order of the Celestial Palace, and so male angels were called Warriors of the Celestial Palace.

He figured the broadcaster must be a male angel, or rather, a “scum angel,” for all who followed the Celestial Palace code were scum, at least according to Keisha.

To think a scum angel was on Earth—and apparently an important one—piqued Yunyang’s interest. He decided to meet him.

He arrived at the coordinates to find a stretch of highway, with a blue sports car parked by the roadside. Leaning against the hood was a blond man with a pair of white wings unfurled behind him, his features strangely alluring.

This was the ancient Godslayer, Sumali. In the Battle of the Furious Sea, countless angels had fallen to him, earning him his dreaded epithet.

After being captured, he was exiled to Earth by Crane, who had some unspoken history with him, and was strictly forbidden from calling himself king—else Tianblade would bring him to heel.

Just moments earlier, while racing his car along the deserted highway, Sumali had seen a man with white wings flying by. Instantly, he recognized him as a male angel—only angels in the known universe had such distinct wings. He assumed this was an envoy from King Hua Ye, sent to find him. Eager to learn news of his king, Sumali broadcasted a covert radio call.

After waiting several minutes and seeing no response in the sky, Sumali thought the male angel hadn’t heard his message and was about to take to the air in pursuit.

But just as he rose, he saw Yunyang returning in the distance. Relaxing, Sumali leaned back against the car, ready to receive his subordinate as befitted his dignity as a commander.

He reminisced about two millennia past, when he stood above all but one, basking in supreme glory. How wonderful it had been.