"Ding-dong—Welcome!"
"Morning...."
"Morning, Xiao Chen
Lin Xi Chen rubbed her eyes and walked over to Lin Qiye; she had risen early for work without even brushing her hair, yet it somehow remained in perfect condition—glowing and floating in the air.
His sister was so drowsy she downed a cup of coffee; it seemed she wasn't yet accustomed to her soul visiting his mental asylum, a process that left her spirit exhausted.
A crisp, pleasant electronic sound rang out as Lin Qiye pushed open the door of the firm and walked in.
He froze on the spot as soon as he entered the door.
On the sofa in the office, an elderly woman in her fifties was sitting, leaning on a cane with one hand and holding her reading glasses with the other, gesturing wildly as she described something.
"...Oh, let me tell you! My husband, isn't he always like this!"
"In the past, whenever he went out with me, he would always hold my hand, as if he was afraid that something might happen to me. But since last week, he hasn't been like this!"
"He's definitely seeing other women outside!"
Across from her, Hongying was resting her chin on her hand, listening intently, occasionally offering surprised responses:
"Huh? He really went that far?"
"Yes, I think Grandma is right!"
"That's so mean of him!"
"Don't worry, our firm will handle this!"
"..."
Beside her, Wen Qimo sat there with a serious expression, maintaining a warm and gentle smile:
"I think Grandma is right..."
"I think Hongying, you're right..."
"Yes, I think you're all right..."
Seeing Lin Qiye standing blankly at the door, Wen Qimo gave him a look, stood up and followed the siblings to the back of the shop.
Hongying was still sitting there, chatting enthusiastically with the old lady.
"What... what's going on?"
As they entered the basement corridor, Lin Qiye finally couldn't help but ask.
"Huh? Just normal work?"
"I thought the shops upstairs were just a facade, but they actually have business?"
"Qiye, you still don't understand enough." Wen Qimo patted his shoulder. "Cangnan is not a big city, nor is it small. Mysterious events do happen, but only five or six times a year."
"You tell me, when we're here and not dealing with any mysterious incidents, all we do is train and chat and brag. How boring must that be?"
"So, you've expanded your business to include investigating extramarital affairs?" Lin Qiye's expression was very strange. "And it's an elderly woman in her fifties?"
"The old man is sixty years old this year."
"..."
"Look, taking on small, insignificant jobs keeps me occupied and earns me some extra money—isn't that great!"
"I see..." Lin Qiye said thoughtfully, "Besides investigating extramarital affairs, what other services do you offer?"
"Yes, the scope of our services is very broad, extremely broad!" Wen Qimo's eyes lit up. "We help people rescue cats and dogs that have climbed trees, provide in-home tutoring for children below junior high school level, offer legal aid to those in need, rescue trafficked children, and sometimes even subdue bank robbers while masked..."
"Wait a minute, isn't this scope of business a bit too broad?" Lin Qiye's eyes widened. "Rescue, education, law, relationships, you're even vying to do police work?"
"Standard procedure."
"I'm suddenly curious, which of you knows anything about law?"
"Leng Xuan was a Doctor of Law at a university of political science and law before joining the Night Watch."
Lin Qiye: ‼ (˚ଳ˚ ۶)۶
Lin Xi Chen: What's law.... Can we eat it....?
The two walked into the underground activity space, and Wen Qimo patted him on the shoulder. "By the way, the captain said to go to the training ground to find him when you get here."
"Where?"
"Go straight down the corridor to the end."
"Alright."
Lin Qiye walked through the activity room and followed the corridor forward.
Lin Qiye hadn't noticed it the last time he came, but it wasn't until now that he realized just how big this underground space really was.
Long corridors and mysterious rooms lined the space. Lin Qiye roughly estimated its size; it was definitely as wide as two streets.
Finally, Lin Qiye reached the end of the corridor, where a large iron door stood before him.
Lin Qiye pushed open the door and entered. Inside was a large, brightly lit training ground, at least the size of three football fields!
"Did they... excavate through the entire bottom of the canal?" Lin Qiye muttered to himself.
Upon seeing Lin Qiye arrive, Chen Muye, who was meditating in the center of the training ground, opened his eyes and waved to him.
"Captain."
"Hmm, how does it feel here?"
"It feels... quite a contrast," Lin Qiye said truthfully. "The top is just an inconspicuous little storefront, but the bottom has such a large space; it feels like something out of a science fiction movie."
Chen Muye nodded slightly. "This place was built decades ago by a user of a forbidden area with earth-elemental properties, so such a large-scale project didn't disturb the surface at all."
"I see."
"By the way, the documents for your joining the Night Watch have arrived and are in the archives. You can go get them yourself if you want to see them." Chen Muye paused.
"However, your swords, cloaks, and emblems will not be issued until after you enter the training camp. In the meantime, you can use this sword."
Chen Muye handed a straight sword from behind him to Lin Qiye. Lin Qiye took it, examined it, and saw three small characters under the hilt.—Zhao Kongcheng.
"This is..." Lin Qiye looked up in astonishment.
"Old Zhao's knife," Chen Muye said calmly. "You are the child he chose. He died in battle, so his knife is entrusted to you for safekeeping."
Lin Qiye remained silent for a moment, then silently tightened his grip on the hilt of his knife. "Alright."
Then, he asked in confusion, "But wasn't I told I'm only a temporary member? Why do I need to carry a sword?"
"There's still over a month before the training camp starts, so we can't let this time go to waste. We're going to teach you some things." Chen Muye slowly stood up, looked at Lin Qiye, and continued:
"After all, they're going to be members of our 136th squad. If they don't perform well in training, it'll be embarrassing for us."
Lin Qiye:...
Lin Xi Chen: muttered.... I just want to sleep....
For some reason, Lin Qiye suddenly felt like he was being forced into tutoring classes by his elders because of his poor grades...
"Alright, how should I train?" Lin Qiye didn't hesitate. After all, even if Chen Muye didn't bring it up, he would have taken the initiative to ask him to teach him how to fight.
Their lives are their own.
Slacking off at this point is tantamount to a slow death.
"Practice swordsmanship with me in the morning, learn how to use the Forbidden Ruins with Wen Qimo in the afternoon, and learn to use guns with Leng Xuan in the evening." Chen Muye took two bamboo swords from the weapon rack next to him and held them in his hands.
"Pick up the knife, we're about to begin."
"All yours, Qiye.... I will practice later...." Lin Xi Chen glances at the swords and decides to make a move before she ends up being used as target practice for Chen Muye, especially after seeing the Captain holding both wooden swords. There is no way she is going to take a beating on her very first day.
Lin Qiye glanced at the straight sword beside him and exclaimed in surprise, "Captain, this is a real sword!"
"It doesn't matter." Chen Muye walked towards Lin Qiye expressionlessly, carrying his twin swords. "Anyway, the result is the same."
For some reason, Lin Qiye felt a tightness in his heart, and had a vague sense of foreboding.
He picked up the straight knife from the ground, drew it from its sheath, and took a deep breath.
"Captain, I'm going in."
Chen Muyi nodded. "Come on, let's go."
Lin Qiye's gaze sharpened, he gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, and he rushed towards Chen Muye at lightning speed!
Three seconds later, his screams echoed throughout the basement...
...
CLACK!
"You have a keen eye... Did you observe and analyze my attack?" Chen Muye's two wooden swords clashed with Lin Xi Chen's real sword. Her brother had already taken a beating, so now it was her turn, and she could barely fend off Chen Muye's storm-like strikes.
"You flatter me, Captain... Urgh!" Lin Xi Chen deflected Chen Muye's blade and leapt backward to create distance, just as the Captain closed in and unleashed a flurry of swift attacks. Unlike Lin Qiye's Seraph eyes, hers could only pierce through illusions and deceptions; they lacked the analytical capabilities of his.
Her iron blade repeatedly struck Chen Muye's two wooden swords; the constant clashing seemed intense enough to send sparks flying, yet somehow, Chen Muye's wooden swords didn't snap!
Is this the quality of military-grade gear!?
The two clashed once more at close quarters, with Chen Muye exerting more force than usual to bear down on her blade. This forced Lin Xi Chen to use her other hand to push the blade back up.
"Why?"
"Y-Yes Captain....? Eck.... Can you speak louder, Captain? I can't hear y-you!" Lin Xi Chen struggled to keep her footing as she tried to spot an opening to exploit, but found no way to do so, as she had to constantly keep a close watch on Chen Muye for any hidden trump cards.
"Why did you decide to join the Night Watchmen with Lin Qiye? Your brother want to repay favor to Old Zhao and maybe he will revenge for him too"
"You can call this an insult or whatever you like. But you have nothing—no connection to Zhao Kongcheng and no ulterior motives. You could just stay home with your family; why follow Lin Qiye?"
"Why did you choose to walk down this path?"
Chen Muye's eyes turned steely as she looked directly into Lin Xi Chen's; she pursed her lips and looked away. Over the past few days, she had sorted out her thoughts, walling off her emotions to protect her mental well-being.
She pursed her lips, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back; seeing this, Chen Muye sternly delivered a kick to Lin Xi Chen's side, catching her off guard and landing a blow that sent her flying.
"Cough... Cough... Cough... Captain... You are too merciless...."
Lin Xi Chen lay on the ground, coughing incessantly; she could still feel the lingering impact of Chen Muye's attack etched into her ribs. Damn, it was a brutal blow that left her feeling dizzy and disoriented. It reminded her of the days she had stood up to protect Lin Qiye—back when she'd taken such a beating that she couldn't even shed a tear.
Why did she choose to follow Lin Qiye?
Why did she choose this path, knowing that a stranger would lose his life in a foreign land simply to save someone else?
Is it because she wants fame? No!
Is it because she wants a friend? That's not it either!
Then why?
Because she wanted to save others!
Because she wanted to prove to Lucifer that kindness can triumph over everything. With nothing but a resilient and kind heart, she could overcome anything!
Recalling that night of torrential rain made Lin Xi Chen grit her teeth and grip the hilt of her sword tightly. Despite possessing the power of a Sequence 004, she was too weak to break through the [Boundless Void] that Zhao Kongcheng had put up to come to their aid.
Even though it wasn't her fault, she still felt guilty for failing to save Zhao Kongcheng in time; she longed to hear Old Zhao tell more stories about his life, his exploits, and his dreams.
"... If everyone with power abandons the people without it... then who will protect them?"
Her answer to Lucifer's question still echoed in Lin Xi Chen's mind. This was the path she had chosen from the very beginning; this was her driving force!
To save people!
"Saving people need a reason too....?" Lin Xi Chen gritted out her words as Chen Muye approached, her body shuddering in waves as she gasped in lungfuls of cold air. She used her sword to brace herself against the ground as she struggled to stand. Wiping away her tears with her sleeve, she tried to put on a tough front, even as the pain from Chen Muye's attacks began to set in. "I clearly have the power... A high one too but why I can't save people in front of me?"
"I can't save people.... Then why I keep using my power?"
"Having power doesn't mean we can save people easily,...."
Lin Xi Chen staggered to her feet, pulling her sword from the ground and raising it; she was truly serious this time. Her hair began to glow and float behind her like a blazing golden flame, and her eyes lit up as she assumed an offensive stance—surprising Chen Muye and forcing him to shift into a defensive posture.
"But to save people, we can only use our power!"
CLICK!!
CRACK!!!
Chen Muye could see Lin Xi Chen's brows knit slightly as she focused her power into her blade; her eyes gleamed with resilience and determination, unwavering as she declared her desire to save people.
Behind her appeared the hazy figure of a towering, six-winged angel that stood imposingly, seemingly watching Lin Xi Chen; the angel radiated an aura so blindingly brilliant that Chen Muye was forced to squint. With a strike swift as a beam of light descending upon the earth, Lin Xi Chen appeared behind Chen Muye; as she sheathed her sword with a sharp *click*, the two wooden swords in Chen Muye's hands snapped and fell to the ground.
"Zhao Kongcheng told me he was just an ordinary man with years of experience and skill...."
"Yet, when faced with the Ghost-Face King, he could have chosen to flee, but instead drew his sword to protect us eventhough he doesn't have a Forbidden Ruin."
"He was so severely wounded that he could barely even hold his sword, yet he chose to sacrifice himself to slay the Ghost-Face King—upholding his final shred of dignity and honoring his vow to protect us. This is the general we look up to!"
"So this is my answer... It is to protect and save people with my power!"