Chapter 232: Still missing appointments

Xie Qingcheng waited for He Yu in the suite for a long time.

Without cigarettes, the wait became extraordinarily long, but he waited.

The TV in the room is playing, and almost all the channels are in English. The only Chinese channel is a variety show, with some celebrities laughing and joking, which Xie Qingcheng finds annoying, but doesn't pick up the remote control to turn it off.

He leaned back on the sofa and thought, if it wasn't for the Hiroshima Battle, He Yu would have graduated from college by now. With his ability, he must have found a good job and started a project, maybe in a year or two he would have seen his work on TV or in theaters.

After Xie Qingcheng matured, he didn't like to watch any movies, and rarely went to the cinema, but he thought that if He Yu made it, he would go to see it.

He Yu is special.

He had so much on his mind that he wanted to say to this special person tonight.

And it was only tonight that I could finally say it to this man.

He wanted to wait for He Yu to come back, so he said to him, "Kid, three years ago, you gave me your last trust in the world, but you died because of me.

I felt guilty, so much so that whatever you did afterward, I never resented you, and I just thought it would be nice if you could change back to your old self by letting out all that resentment.

After all, I owe you.

After all, I didn't want to live that much then.

He wanted to wait for He Yu to come back and say to him, "I am sorry, He Yu, I have hurt the only person in the world who has ever said fiercely, "I need you," and you have given me your whole heart with both hands, guarded me with your life and dignity, and preferred to bear the name of a criminal rather than to make me feel bad.

If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't have believed there was such love in the world.

But such love has become a cold, nameless monument in the cemetery when I try to respond.

I'm sorry, in fact I even hate myself for being so heartless.

I didn't expect you to still let go of your grudge, but you finally told me that I didn't hate you anymore.

- "I don't hate you anymore, don't be afraid."

Xie Qingcheng wants to tell He Yu that he is not afraid of death.

He's not afraid of death or pain, he's not afraid of stigmatization or being penniless.

He was a man of honor and integrity, seeking only a clear conscience. But He Yu let him have a guilty conscience, and the suicide note floating down after the sea battle became the biggest guilt in his life.

He's actually afraid that He Yu will always hate him.

So when He Yu hugged him that day and said he would never hate or fight again, he felt that it was enough and didn't dare to ask for more. And the time he spent on Mandela Island made him feel like he was having a dream. Sometimes he could even feel a warmth similar to that of that year in this dream, only that he was so slow to feel that he was not sure if it was his own illusion for a long time.

Xie Qingcheng sighed softly and closed his eyes.

He wanted to wait for He Yu to come back, so he said to him, "He Yu, would you still like to dance with me?

In that tavern, or right here.

Are you still willing?

He wants to wait for He Yu to come back.

He's going to wait for He Yu to come back ......

Xie Qingcheng waited, minute by minute, in such contemplation.

By the time he got to the end of the day, he just leaned back on the couch and fell asleep in a blur.

The pattering of ......

It seemed to be raining outside. In the sound of the rain, he dreamed of He Yu when he was still studying in school, He Yu smiled a little green and a little gangster, with some slyness and viciousness in his gentle manner.

In his sleep, he seemed to have returned to the campus of HU four years ago, where he and He Yu were trapped on a fantasy island in the same way during the garden party.

The island is a bit far from the school, and in the center of the lake, He Yu used a shielding device to make it isolated, much like it is now.

When they were driven by a heavy rain into a cave with graffiti by former students, named "Secret Utopia", He Yu asked him if he wanted to follow the example of his predecessors and write something on the wall of the cave, but he refused.

He vaguely remembers that time He Yu asked, "Xie Qingcheng, don't you have any dreams?"

Back then, he felt that his life had long since run out of meaning and possibilities, expectations and aspirations, so he did not answer He Yu properly.

And right now, in the middle of the dream, he felt like he finally had an answer after these four years.

He looked into the face of the young man in the cave, and the cocooned room inside him was gently bitten through, and there were butterflies inside about to flutter their wings and fly out-

"Uh-huh. I have a wish." Unlike four years ago, he walked beside He Yu in his dream, standing side by side with the teenager in front of the secret utopia.

"Then you write it here." The teenager handed him the stone.

Xie Qingcheng took the stone but did not write anything on the cave wall.

He just turned and looked at He Yu, and after a long look he raised his hand and hugged the teenager.

Xie Qingcheng closed his eyes, as if there were tears of blood dripping from the ends of his eyes.

He said, "I hope when the day comes that I go back under the Ferris wheel, I'll see you again. He Yu."

Like tossing a coin in a wishing fountain, the stone fell gently to the ground.

The next second, the ground suddenly became a frozen lake, the lake surface of the autumn water, the autumn water swings away ripples, ripples infinite expansion, into a huge Ferris wheel of streaming light, in the rain in the night flashed with a fine light.

He embraced He Yu on the lake.

The reflection of the lake is but a raggedy muppet bear holding up a balloon stands alone.

People come and go, it does not know whether it can still wait for that child who will say "Will you hug me?", it does not know whether it can still wait for that young man whose eyebrows are as soft as those of the past.

It's about to get dark.

The amusement park is closing.

Muppet bear stands frozen, waiting for a last hope ......

Will you be back ......

He Yu, you ......

"Dang, dang-"

A slight stinging pain came from his wrist, and Xie Qingcheng had the weightless feeling of a foot stepping on the ground as he jerked his eyes open and awoke with a start.

Outside the window, it had really rained, and a damp breeze drifted in through the slightly open window.

The morning light had broken, and the light of the sunrise after the rain came through the clouds, and the light was very faint, just like the pale and weak face of a person who had been sick for a long time. Xie Qingcheng calmed his heartbeat and slowly came back to his senses.

He lifted his wrist to see that it was the modified God of wind bracelet that was vibrating, he pressed it to his ear in an unobtrusive manner and connected it while scanning the clock on the wall.

It's already 7am ......

His heart sank heavily.

He Yu hasn't gone back to his room yet.

"Hello."

"Hey, Xie Qingcheng." It wasn't He Yu who called him with the bracelet, it was the commander-in-chief.

Xie Qingcheng's heart fell directly to the bottom, but still quickly answered, "I am."

"He Yu tried contacting you on your bracelet last night, around three-thirty in the morning, and when you didn't pick up, he figured you'd be asleep. He had a lot of eyes and ears around him and there was no way to try more than that, so he contacted headquarters." The Commander-in-Chief said, "He said he wanted to apologize to you and that there was no way he could see you alone before the mission."

Xie Qingcheng breath slightly suffocated, he at this time has been less concerned about the issue of missing, he asked: "He Yu what happened? He didn't come back all night last night, did he encounter something? Did he talk to you guys?"

"Don't you worry yet, he's fine. But Mandela has developed a device to extend the influence of the blood compulsion, and he spent all night yesterday working with them to perfect that equipment." The commander-in-chief said, "Mandela knows that we will have a second attack soon, and they want to perfect this blood compulsion equipment before then, so they are scrambling."

Hearing that He Yu was fine, Xie Qingcheng was slightly relieved.

Luckily it wasn't the worst situation, if Duan Wen knew that He Yu and himself were going to act this afternoon to destroy that most advanced weapon on the island, the Radiant Cold Light, then the consequences would be unimaginable.

Xie Qingcheng said, "Then I contact him now ......"

"You can't reach it."

Xie Qingcheng was stunned, "Why?"

"We couldn't get in touch either, he had to go and turn on those deployed devices once he finished his tests and take care of what he was going to do today, these were the last round of sweeps before the battle and he had to be very careful so he shut down all the access points to contact him."

Xie Qingcheng clenched his teeth for a moment, "And did he say when he would open the access road again?"

"I guess it's going to be before the mission starts." The Chief Commander said, "Duan Wen they seem to have sensed something different about him, he is being watched very closely, we have to find a way to paralyze the other side, we can't involve you. If everything goes well, the time to start the operation will be four o'clock in the afternoon, before that, you must have a good rest and patiently wait for him to move at four o'clock."

"......"

The commander-in-chief didn't hear Xie Qingcheng's response and, somewhat anxious, asked, "Do you understand?"

"...... understands."

Xie Qingcheng After hanging up the call, a deep sense of anxiety came over him.

He's worried about He Yu.

But he also knew that there was nothing he could do to help He Yu right now. The commander-in-chief was right, saving his energy and waiting for He Yu's initiative to contact him was the only thing he could and should do at the moment.

They don't have much time, after all, to talk about their personal matters.

Time passed, and the sun showed its face from behind heavy clouds, and was dimly hidden by overcast clouds.

One hour ...... Another hour ......

Xie Qingcheng sat at her desk, her long fingers folded and playing, her eyes staring unblinkingly at the vintage alarm clock on her desk.

The clouds had completely cleared and the skies over Mandela Island cleared, but it was getting late and the sun had lost its fiercest power and was leaning lazily against the sky.

It's already 3:50 in the afternoon.

Xie Qingcheng had prepared himself for the event by putting on his contact lenses, changing into mobility-friendly clothes, putting on his God of wind built-in headphones, and recuperating enough to do whatever it took to get there.

Three point fifty-eight ...... three point fifty-nine ......

Click.

The skeletonized brass hour hand trembled to the four o'clock position.

Xie Qingcheng stared and held his breath, opening his eyes as the time came and he waited for the movement of the bedroom door being opened.

Ta, ta, ta ...... He heard footsteps, coming from a distance, traveling from one end of the corridor to the door of his room and stopping.

Xie Qingcheng got up and prepared to match He Yu's reception, but--

"Mr. Xie." The door creaked open, and the visitor made even Xie Qingcheng's face change slightly.

Not He Yu.

It was the already brainwashed crew girl who, with vacant, lifeless eyes, carried her sweeping and washing tools, "I've come to tidy up your room."

-This time of year?

Xie Qingcheng had a vague feeling of uneasiness, but he still stabilized the scene, the more this kind of critical juncture, the more chaotic it must not be, he feigned calmness and responded, "You理吧."

The girl bowed shallowly and came in carrying her tools.

Like hotel room service, He Yu's room is indeed cleaned every day, but not regularly, and I didn't expect to hit this point today.

Xie Qingcheng sat down and pretended to look down at his book, but in fact he was motionlessly using his afterimage and hearing to judge what the girl was doing and how much longer it would take for her to leave.

Sweeping and washing did not take long; the girl cleaned up for ten minutes or so, then mechanically bowed again toward Xie Qingcheng and withdrew.

By now the time was pointing to four-thirteen.

But He Yu still had not appeared, and the wiring from the headquarters within the Windstorm System could not reach him. Xie Qingcheng, unaware of any surprises ahead, stood up and hovered anxiously at the window. The headquarters attack was at six o'clock, the time left for them originally wasn't too generous, and now it had been delayed by thirteen minutes.

What did He Yu encounter?

Xie Qingcheng was caught in a fog when he heard movement again from outside the door, and he turned around violently--

"Sir, I'm sorry."

Like a bucket of ice water poured into his stomach, Xie Qingcheng felt immensely disappointed.

Surprisingly, it's that girl again, "I left my wash cloths in the shower, can I go get them?"

"...... you go."

The girl went on her way, through the entire house, to the innermost shower room to take her cleaning cloth, then returned to the door, said hello to Xie Qingcheng once more, and left.

Xie Qingcheng watched the heavy teak door click shut behind her, her tense body loosening slightly, but her heart growing more and more agitated - five more minutes passed as she tossed back and forth like this.

It's almost 4:30, half an hour has been consumed alive, and even the headquarter correspondent's uneasy voice comes from the earphone: "Hasn't He Yu shown up yet?"

"Not yet."

"It's killing me, destroying the Radical Cold Light originally takes some time, if he doesn't get it done, I'm afraid the entire landing plan will be changed as a result."

Xie Qingcheng's heart was on fire as he listened, his lips moving very slightly as he lowered his voice and shouted to the person in the headset, "Can't you guys try to force contact with him through the God of wind system?"

Headquarters correspondent immediately some embarrassment: "...... He Yu put God of wind system modified, own mastered the control side of the headset, his ability to write programs you are not unaware of, he ...... "

Xie Qingcheng just wanted to curse, but suddenly heard a hissing sound in the headset, and the headquarter correspondent's stumbling as if his shoelace was tied in a knot, the twisted explanation sound was suddenly interrupted.

What followed into the channel was an unmistakable voice: "Xie Qingcheng, turn back."

Conditional reflex, follow the instructions, Xie Qingcheng in the moment of turning around pupil suddenly shrink, if not the situation does not allow, he simply want to curse outrageous.

It's out the window!

Outside the window there was a small helicopter hovering - the same thing that was a mechanical tema to normal people's eyes, which Xie Qingcheng had not infrequently seen from the window in the past few days, but not even this close.

At such a close distance, Xie Qingcheng had a thorough look at the structure of the helicopter. In order to match the virtual reality projection, this small helicopter had been carefully designed, using almost all translucent materials, with an open fuselage similar to a C shape underneath the aircraft, and a bullet-proof and explosion-proof device in front of the fuselage, as well as equipped weapons. On top of that, the small helicopter had a number of flashing fluorescent emitters spread across it, which looked like they should be projected spotting systems.

He Yu sits in the driver's seat, his black Mandela uniform blowing in the wind after the rain, and Chen Man, behind him, has been brought out and is waving to Xie Qingcheng.

"Shea!"

"Xie Qingcheng." He Yu looked at Xie Qingcheng's face against the sunlight outside the window. He had stayed up for the whole day and night, and his face was already a bit haggard, but when he saw Xie Qingcheng, he still smiled a bit, just because he didn't come back on time, and the night that he had promised to be alone with him was eventually turned into an empty promise of a race of cows and goats because of a mistake, so his smile hid some hidden sadness in it.

Originally he had a lot to say, but at this moment, he could only say, "...... Sorry for the long wait."

Xie Qingcheng looked him in the eye--

"It's okay. It's good that you're safe."

The more we have, the easier it is for us to be content, and the less we have, the easier it is for us to be satisfied.

Therefore, at this moment, Xie Qingcheng really felt that his heart that had been gripped for a day and a night had been put down, and it was already enough to see He Yu at this moment. Whether or not he came to last night's appointment is no longer the most important thing.

Thousands of words, long and lingering, are not as good as being able to say, "It is good that you are safe."

As long as there is peace, there are many more days ahead.

They would have countless days and nights to spend together after this mission was over.

According to the original plan, it was He Yu who tried to take them out through the basement, but now the situation has suddenly changed, and He Yu actually chose the route to the sky.

The window opens and He Yu operates this special small helicopter, flying a little closer to Xie Qingcheng.

Xie Qingcheng ："You ...... are not afraid that Mandela will find out?"

"That's my alternative, and I tinkered with it yesterday. The virtual projection can fool the Dream Breaker, and in turn, naturally, Mandela." He Yu said, "I've modified its projection so that we can't be seen up here beyond five meters. I'll put up the rope ladder, so come on up."

Xie Qingcheng's body was poor, but his hands were good, and it was not a problem for him to go out and pull the rope ladder. Only when he was moving, Chen Man couldn't help but say, "Brother, be careful of its wings, the feathers are sharp."

He Yu, however, said, "You should be careful of bulletproof glass."

Chen Man gave He Yu a very puzzled look, as if he thought He Yu was crazy.

Yes, what Chen Man sees is the "Pegasus", only what He Yu and himself see is the real helicopter.

It was a conversation only they could understand, no one else could. The dragon's voice was ultimately the only one of its kind that could understand and give a response.

Xie Qingcheng noticed the way Chen Man looked at He Yu, although Chen Man didn't have any malicious intent and just found it strange, Xie Qingcheng suddenly felt particularly intolerant at that moment. In those days without him, He Yu was alone, holding on to the truth that only he knew, being ridiculed and distrusted by everyone, how lonely would he be?

Here and now, this madman in everyone's eyes, just against the wind, in the cab, quietly looking at him with simmering red eyes, the kind of gaze that waits for an acknowledgment in a long loneliness.

Xie Qingcheng thought, this moment, He Yu do not have to wait any longer.

He said to He Yu, "Good. I know."

The youth's eyes blinked, his lashes dropping quickly, and his eyes seemed redder, but not from exhaustion.

With the three of them assembled, He Yu took the helm of the small helicopter and headed towards Rapid Cold Light.

Along the way, Chen Man and Xie Qingcheng explained why they were late. It turns out that Mandela has been keeping an eye out for He Yu and the others, and while He Yu had already confused the obstacle monitors that had to be taken care of yesterday, he realized that there were a few more in the shadows before he did his job today.

After confusing those as well, He Yu realized that Mandela would most likely conduct a raid on their operation, and sure enough, at 4:00 PM, the girl appeared, under the guise of cleaning the house to observe if there was anything unusual, and ten minutes later, once again, she killed Xie Qingcheng to make sure that she was still in the room as usual.

"Though I've processed and adjusted the old surveillance and replaced it into the picture, and you can still be seen reading in your bedroom within the monitor during the time we've been gone. But they don't really trust real-time surveillance anymore." He Yu said, "We had to hurry, so I changed my plan to skip the basement."

Quickly, the helicopter arrived over the woods, swooping down from between the golden light of the clouds, they successfully arrived near the Radical Cold Light control room, but now Xie Qingcheng look again, the ground lying on the ground is not the mechs, but all the dead people and hyenas ...... They were strapped with a lot of weapons, detonators, and one projected localization instrument, all wearing control rings in front of their foreheads.

He Yu gave him a pat on the back to get him to take his eyes off the half-rotted corpses.

"Don't look." He whispered to him, "What's already happened can't be changed by looking."

With that he turned off the helicopter's operating engine and disembarked first, his combat boots hitting the ground and shaking up a thin layer of dust.

"Go."