Mu Fan stood there, holding the travel bag left to him by Lu Qingxue.
He stood there for about 30 seconds, and Black's voice carried a hint of apology:
"The Snow Clan has unique means of communication, not within the current Federation's conventional system. Please forgive me for my limited knowledge of the races in this universe..."
"Don't track her. She will speak when she wants to."
However, this time it seemed Mu Fan didn't quite get it right.
Some things, for Lu Qingxue, might never be spoken of on her own initiative.
Up until now, Mu Fan had no idea what Lu Qingxue's unusual departure represented.
He inexplicably disliked this feeling.
Mu Fan looked down at the travel bag in his hand; it was the bag Lu Qingxue had carried with her since leaving Dingchuan. Her departure this time was silent, and she handed it over to him.
Thus, Mu Fan stood all alone, looking to others like a heartbroken protagonist as he opened the travel bag.
...
Four neatly arranged small boxes.
Each box contained four red fruits.
A set of pure, snow-white... swordsman's clothes, neatly folded.
A scarf meticulously folded into a triangle.
A small bottle of healing ointment.
Nothing else.
This was everything Lu Qingxue carried when she left.
When she departed, she entrusted all of it to Mu Fan.
In Lu Qingxue's heart, perhaps this was all she could leave as a memento for Mu Fan.
A faint fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose, as if the beautiful companion was still by his side.
"Is this..."
"A real farewell?"
Mu Fan lifted his head. At this moment, he felt a heavy oppression in his heart.
Under what circumstances would Lu Qingxue have given all this to him? Going away...
Looking at that swordsman's clothes, which were not brand new but were washed clean, their shared memories still vividly played out in his mind.
"Mu Fan?" After saying a lot, Black didn't hear any response and tentatively asked.
"Yes." Mu Fan zipped up the travel bag, lifting it with care.
"Aren't you going to the stadium?"
"I'm going now."
Mu Fan's lips moved as he looked ahead with tranquil eyes and strode forward.
...
"Please verify your identity."
A fully armed Federation soldier reached out to stop Mu Fan.
Mu Fan stood there, letting the pupil recognition device scan his eyes.
"Beep, verification successful. Dingchuan Academy contestant, Mu Fan, military rank... Captain."
The first half of the sentence was no big deal, but when the second half appeared, the two soldiers' eyes flickered with surprise and shock.
"Good day, officer."
Their standard military salute caught the attention of many nearby duty soldiers, who were also amazed by Mu Fan's age being addressed in such a manner.
It must be known that to be formally addressed as "officer" by Federation soldiers in public, one would need to be a serving Federation officer.
Mu Fan looked at the two, silently nodded, and returned a standard military salute.
Then he moved forward under the complex gaze of these soldiers.
When Mu Fan disappeared from their sight, a soldier curiously checked the recognition device to see if there was any other open access information about Mu Fan.
This casual look instantly startled him into a daze.
"What's wrong?"
"See for yourself..."
"Access request denied, insufficient permission. This access has been recorded."
"But we're part of the Wu Capital Garrison Division..." The soldier beside him said in surprise.
The meaning of this sentence was understood by all military personnel in the capital circle, as the Wu Capital Garrison Division's permissions are significantly higher than other troops.
But even so, what they got was "this access has been recorded."
Even rejected access requests would be automatically logged by the system.
What level of confidentiality does that Captain's student hold!?
They watched Mu Fan's retreating figure with shocked eyes, growing smaller and smaller in the distance.
They naturally didn't know, hidden among those concealed pieces of information, one unremarkable line described him as...
[Freedom Wings] Captain.
Mu Fan originally came to Capital Star filled with the pleasure of destroying the Blood Teeth Team's branch; the surpassing grandeur here left him in awe.
Yet after Lu Qingxue suddenly departed, Mu Fan now felt inexplicably irritable within.
Now he had no desire to explore these magnificent structures.
Alone, he stood inside the 21st entrance of this ultra-large, fully-occupied stadium...
"Dingchuan Academy's position is in Area A, with rapid transit tracks below the stands," Black reminded.
"Alright, I'll let them know first."
Mu Fan took out the Sky Communication, looked at the group message, and gently sent three words.
"I'm here."
Putting down the Sky Communication, Mu Fan aimed for the area below the stands, heading straight towards it. In his view, the place seemed a little crowded.
...
Long Er held the saber in one hand, with each swing of the saber, his arm would disappear, accompanied by an explosion in the air and a spark.
When he stamped his right foot heavily and backhanded another slash, pushing Chen Jiantian back three meters, the opponent was already half-kneeling on the ground, face covered in blood.
Long Er twisted his neck, giving a sly grin at his opponent.
"Just five meters behind you is the edge of the fighting platform. For the next strike, block it well; I will send you flying straight off."
Chen Jiantian's pale face flashed red, holding the long knife in front of him.
Long Er squinted his eyes, twirling his saber spectacularly, and in the next second, his whole body brought down the gleaming blade furiously!
From where Long Er stood to where the blade struck down,
Sword fight——one fierce slash!
Chen Jiantian from Gonia, holding the saber with both hands in front, his face suddenly turned red, then spat out a large mist of blood, his whole body violently thrown off the fighting platform as if hit hard.
"Dingchuan——"
"Victory!"
This crushing display of violence ignited a surge of enthusiasm in everyone, and waves of cheering erupted continuously from the audience.
The atmosphere in the Dingchuan Formation was utterly explosive at this moment.
The chubby guy jumped up and shouted forcefully, causing his shirt covering his belly to instantly burst open, as two buttons directly flew.
Li Xiaoxi calmly captured this moment on camera.
"Gosh."
The chubby guy only halfway through his cheer sat down awkwardly, covering his belly. The Sky Communication vibrated once, but he paid no heed.
"I should have worn a shirt one size larger."
But after he finished speaking, he realized no one responded beside him.
"What happened to you all?"
In his eyes, both of his companions had eyes shining brightly.
"Mu Fan is back."
Li Xiaoxi tossed over his Sky Communication.
The chubby guy caught it, glanced at it, and saw only the simple three words.
[I'm here.]
The chubby guy's eyes widened instantly, a surge of ecstasy filled his vision.
With a howl, he stood up, took out his Sky Communication, and dialed the familiar number.
"Where are you!"
The chubby guy's voice even trembled at this moment.
"... Almost there, Freedom Wings, prepare to gather."
Mu Fan's voice came out calmly, but to the chubby guy, it was like the hottest flame, igniting his entire being in that instant.
"Hahahahaha!"
The chubby guy turned around abruptly, looking at his companions.
"Ready, gather!"
...
"Hey mate, are you heading to the Dingchuan Formation too? You stood steady just now, quite capable," a fellow wearing a light purple uniform said familiarly.
"Mm... Are all these people heading to the Dingchuan Formation too?"
Mu Fan nodded, glanced a bit hesitantly at the crowded masses behind him, as everyone scrambled to grab hoverboards, causing many conflicts.
"Of course, I heard there's a fierce guy over there; of course we have to check it out. Don't you?"
"Me?"
"I'm going over to compete."
Mu Fan patted the other's shoulder, looking down at the hoverboard that had just flown to his feet, taking a step onto it.
The one-meter-long board soared high at once, then roared along the track into the distance!
Watching Mu Fan's receding figure, that student stood there dumbfounded.
"What a skillful act... But since when did these hoverboards reach a hundred kilometers per hour? Is this thing a rocket or what?"
****
PS: The side story "Star League Conflict" has been updated with five chapters, only three more until the official end. Join in the fun of fleet battles with Lao Dang now! Available for download on iOS and PC~~