Following the rugged, narrow path through the yellow sand, Lin Qiye dragged his suitcase and help Lin Xi Chen drag one of her own all the way to the outside of the military checkpoint.
Just as he was preparing to wait for the last bus to transport them, his gaze fell on something not far away, and he suddenly froze.
On the side of the road, a familiar black van was parked. A woman wearing a red tracksuit and sunglasses was leaning against the door. When she saw Lin Qiye and Lin Xi Chen, she waved excitedly.
Lin Qiye smiled and walked straight forward, dragging his suitcase.
"Sister Hongying, what brings you here?" Lin Qiye asked with a smile.
Hongying chuckled, quickly stepped forward, and pulled both of the Lin siblings into her arms. She was careful when hugging Lin Xi Chen, since the girl hadn't fully recovered yet.
"Of course, we're here to pick up the new members of our 136th Squad from camp!" Hongying almost choked Lin Qiye so much he couldn't breathe. Only when Lin Qiye's neck was nearly broken did she release her arms, take the suitcase from his hands, and continue:
"The captain has been calculating your departure date since last month, circling it on the calendar every day and muttering about how many days until you're back... It's like a monk chanting sutras, so annoying."
Hongying helps Lin Xi Chen into the vehicle and position the IV stand conveniently for her then she got into the car and closed the door. "However, everyone was quite happy that you were transferred back to our 136th Squad. Only Leng Xuan had a stern face and coldly said something like, 'Our Qiye and Xi Chen shouldn't have been transferred back to Cangnan. They should go to a higher place...'"
Lin Qiye, sitting in the passenger seat, scratched his head, as if he could already picture Leng Xuan saying those words.
Hongying started the car and was about to drive off when she thought for a moment, turned to the side, and patted Lin Qiye's shoulder without saying a word.
Lin Qiye asked blankly, "Sister Hongying, what are you doing?"
"...The captain said to let me comfort you. It's not shameful to not get a good ranking in the training camp. Everyone believes in your potential..."
Hongying's cheeks flushed slightly. "But... but I really don't know how to comfort people. I wanted to pat them on the shoulder like the captain did, but then I realized I didn't know what to say... Ugh, this is so annoying!"
Enraged, Hongying slammed her foot on the accelerator. With a roar, the tires kicked up a cloud of dust, and the van sped forward.
Lin Qiye gripped the handle tightly, swallowed hard, and said, "Sister Hongying... calm down, calm down!"
At this moment, Lin Qiye also understood the cause and effect of the matter. It seemed that the ranking order in the training camp had not been directly announced by the instructors. Everyone in Squad 136 thought that Lin Qiye's ranking was not high, so he was transferred back to Cangnan...
Should we explain this?
Lin Xi Chen and Lin Qiye exchanged glances in the mirror; it seemed they could only offer a helpless smile, at a loss for how to explain the situation.
Just as Lin Qiye hesitated, Hongying continued, "..."
"Actually, we were planning to all come pick you up today, but some things came up, so only I had time to come."
"What happened?"
"A seemingly 'mysterious' case has appeared in the east of the city. Wen Qimo, Leng Xuan, and Xiao Nan have gone to check it out. The captain and Xiangnan Laogou... are meeting with an important figure."
"An important person?" Lin Qiye asked, puzzled, "What important person would come to Cangnan?"
Hongying smiled mysteriously, "It's said that he was a human being at the pinnacle of achievement."
"What?!" Lin Qiye was stunned.
"Surprised? When I heard the news, I was so shocked I dropped my chopsticks." Hongying shrugged. "It's said that the day before yesterday, they detected what appeared to be the fluctuations of some 'gods' in Jinan Mountain, so they specially invited a human expert to investigate."
"Let's get the situation from our squad stationed in Cangnan first, and then we'll probably go to the camp to find that commander later."
"Oh, Lin Xi Chen, you've learned how to retract your power, haven't you? That's great! Now you can go out in public more naturally!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Qiye's heart leaped into his throat. The day before yesterday at Jinan Mountain... wasn't that when he, carrying Nyx's soul, killed the Flame Vein Earth Dragon in the sky?!
As for Lin Xi Chen, she coughed—though in reality, she could be considered a "demi-god" of the Night, a miniature version of Nyx, having fused Nyx's soul power with Lucifer's Divine Ruin. When entering her "God" state, her power could reach the peak of the "Sea" realm and even touch the threshold of the "Klein" realm.
Although Baili Pangpang colluded with Instructor Hong in the camp to deceive the other instructors, the killing of the Flame Vein Earth Dragon did actually happen. Will this human genius discover any clues when he goes to Jinan Mountain?
"Who is this human ceiling expert who has arrived?"
Lin Qiye remembered that when Wen Qimo was explaining the ceiling of humanity to him, he used legends to divide the five people into "One swordsman, one rider, one venerable one, one void, and one master." So, who was the one who came to Cangnan?
"He came by carriage, so it must be that 'Master'," Hongying guessed.
Lin Qiye gave an "oh" and lowered his head to ponder.
This is... a real problem.
...
Peace Agency.
Underground.
Chen Muye and Wu Xiangnan exchanged a glance, a hint of helplessness in their eyes.
On the sofa opposite them sat an elderly man in his fifties, his long white hair held up by a wooden hairpin. Although his face was old, his eyes were still bright, giving him a somewhat otherworldly air.
He held a cup of hot tea, took a small sip, and then slowly put it down.
"Master Chen... we don't know much about what happened on Jinan Mountain. You'll probably have to ask Yuan Gang for the specific details," Chen Muye said carefully.
Master Chen smiled and waved his hand, saying, "It's alright, there's no rush... Please don't urge me to leave. Is it really so unacceptable for you two to stay here and have tea and chat with me?"
Wu Xiangnan couldn't help but speak up, "But Master... we've already spent the whole afternoon drinking tea with you here, and the sun is almost setting. Isn't this...?"
"It's alright, it's alright," Master Chen said nonchalantly.
Seeing that Master Chen was unwilling to leave, Chen Muye and Wu Xiangnan had no choice but to bite the bullet and drink with him.
"I've heard that your 136th Squad has two new watchman named Lin Qiye and Lin Xi Chen," Master Chen said casually while sipping his tea. "Would you two be willing to tell me more about their story?"
Wu Xiangnan was taken aback. "Master, you know the Lin siblings?"
"I have naturally heard of the agents of the two gods," Master Chen said calmly.
Wu Xiangnan turned to look at Chen Muye, who nodded at him before Wu Xiangnan continued:
"Actually, our acquaintance with the twin started with that incident involving the Ghost-Face..."
Starting with the Ghost-Faced Man incident, Wu Xiangnan recounted almost everything Lin Qiye and Lin Xi Chen had done, including their 136th squad's evaluation of him. They praised him every three sentences, saying that the siblings was good in every way, practically exaggerating their abilities.
Master Chen listened silently, nodding occasionally, his deep eyes lost in thought.
After Wu Xiangnan finished speaking, Master Chen put down his cup and said, "I see... I understand now."
Just as Wu Xiangnan was looking at Master Chen expectantly, hoping he would leave quickly, Master Chen spoke again: "This tea is getting a little cold."
Wu Xiangnan:...
Chen Muye understood what Master Chen meant and looked at Wu Xiangnan, saying, "Xiangnan, go and brew some more tea for Master Chen."
"Alright."
Wu Xiangnan picked up the tea set and left the room, leaving only Chen Muye and Master Chen in the room.
Master Chen stared at Chen Muye for a long while, and then slowly spoke:
"Captain Chen, you've worked hard these past ten years..."