"Oh." Lin Qiye's expression remained calm.
Wen Qimo looked at him in surprise. "Oh? That's it?"
"Is there supposed to be more?"
"Don't you feel any surge of excitement or blood rushing to your head?"
"A little, but just a little." Lin Qiye replied faintly, "I'm not really interested in promotions."
Wen Qimo gave him a strange look. "Ah, right. I almost forgot, you're the heretic who's planning to leave the Nightwatchers in ten years."
Lin Qiye didn't respond, only continuing to ask, "So, according to you, these four special teams are the peak of power in Daxia?"
"Not at all. They might be the peak in terms of team combat power within the Nightwatchers, but they are far from the top of Daxia's overall strength."
"You mean, there are other organizations in Daxia similar to the Nightwatchers?"
"No. Daxia only has the Nightwatchers, but above the Nightwatchers, there are five human powerhouses."
"Human powerhouses?"
"Exactly. These are the peak of human power, so close to the ancient gods from mythology that they are also known as 'Demigods.'"
"Mortals standing shoulder to shoulder with gods?"
"Though I know you're quoting from a famous line in a movie, that's essentially what it is." Wen Qimo looked up at the night sky, his eyes filled with admiration.
"These five individuals are humanity's pillars, the only hope humanity has in this vast, foggy world."
"Who are they?"
"I don't know. They're far beyond our reach, and very few have ever seen their faces or even know their names. But… there are some interesting rumors."
"What rumors?"
"These five demigods are known as 'One Sword, One Rider, One Sovereign, One Void, and One Teacher.'"
"Sword, Rider, Sovereign, Void, Teacher… What kind of rumor is that? There's no useful information there."
"Well, it's said that our highest commander in the Nightwatchers is one of these five, the Sovereign. However, no one's seen him make a move in a long, long time."
"I have a question."
"Go ahead."
"Has humanity ever… killed a god?" Lin Qiye pointed to the sky. "Not some weird mythical creature, but a true ancient god from legend!"
Wen Qimo fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know, but I don't think so…"
"In this vast fog, humanity is like a lamb with its eyes covered. We don't know what's happening in this world, and we don't know when the apocalypse will strike.
In this era, when gods have been confirmed to exist, if humanity were to truly kill a god, it would cause panic among all the other gods. They might even unite to wipe us out, and that would make our situation even worse."
Lin Qiye nodded. "I understand."
"Do you have any other questions?"
Lin Qiye hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Are there any benefits or allowances for temporary team members?"
"...Yes."
"Then I don't have any other questions."
"So, out of all the things you could ask, the last one is the most important to you?"
"Of course." Lin Qiye nodded, as if it was obvious. "All those special teams, human demigods… those things are too far away from me. I prefer to keep my feet on the ground."
"Fine..." Wen Qimo turned his head and asked, "Are you tired?"
"No."
"Then let me take you somewhere."
"In the middle of the night... is this really appropriate?"
"…It's appropriate." Wen Qimo twitched his lips.
"Alright." Lin Qiye said, with a reminder, "Don't forget, I'm still a minor."
Wen Qimo: ...
...
A few minutes later, the car slowly stopped in a quiet, desolate wasteland.
Lin Qiye opened the door and got out, looking around warily.
"What are we doing here?"
Wen Qimo silently rolled his eyes, then pointed ahead. "Over there."
Lin Qiye followed his finger and fell silent.
He could vaguely guess why Wen Qimo brought him here.
The two of them walked down a narrow path and soon arrived at the edge of a cemetery.
This cemetery wasn't very large, smaller than the public one on the outskirts of the city. But the tombstones here were far more refined, and the spaces between them were much more organized.
"Here is…"
"The cemetery for the Nightwatchers stationed in Cangnan City." Wen Qimo spoke calmly. "Since the Daxia Special Beasts Response Group officially transformed into the Nightwatchers in 1936 and adopted the one-city, one-team management system, this cemetery has been designated as the final resting place for fallen Nightwatchers in Cangnan City.
Of course, this is just the default resting place. When a person officially joins the Nightwatchers, they can specify if they want to be buried here, cremated, or sent back to their hometown…"
"Zhao Kongcheng chose to be buried here. He said his body was tainted with too much blood, and if he went back to his ancestral tomb, he'd scare the ancestors."
As Wen Qimo spoke, a smile appeared on his lips, as if he could still recall the scene when Zhao Kongcheng had said that with his usual carefree attitude.
Lin Qiye silently gazed at the tombstones surrounding him, his brow furrowed slightly. "So many…"
In this cemetery, at least sixty or seventy tombstones stood, and most of them were newly erected.
"From 1936 to now, it's been 85 years." Wen Qimo sighed. "At first, our casualties weren't many. After all, not many mythological creatures appeared in each city each year, and even if they did, their strength wasn't high.
But as time passed, the speed of mythological creatures appearing increased, and their strength grew more terrifying. Our casualties... have also risen.
Half of the tombstones you see here belong to those who died in the last twenty years.
Before Captain Chen Muye was stationed in Cangnan City, it's said that we lost two members every year. But after he arrived, the death rate dropped drastically."
Lin Qiye's mind conjured up the image of that silent, stern figure in black, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of respect.
"But Zhao Kongcheng only died tonight. His tombstone is already prepared?" Lin Qiye suddenly thought of something and asked, confused.
"No."
"Then why are we here…"
Wen Qimo raised his hand and pointed to the distance. "Look over there."
Lin Qiye turned his gaze to where Wen Qimo pointed, and in the dim light of the graveyard, he saw a faint glow growing brighter.
Under the weak light, Hong Ying, her eyes red from crying, was sitting next to a patch of empty ground. In her arms was a blank tombstone, and in her right hand, she held a carving knife, carefully chiseling away.
Tears slid down her face, landing on the tombstone, only to be hastily wiped away.
At that moment, she no longer had the vitality she once had.
"She... didn't she say she was going to practice shooting?" Lin Qiye stared blankly at the scene before him.
"She lied." Wen Qimo shook his head. "It's an unwritten rule that Nightwatchers carve the tombstones of their fallen comrades. Originally, this tombstone should have been carved by me.
She didn't say anything, but I knew deep down she was the one who most wanted to carve Zhao Kongcheng's tombstone.
They had a really good relationship. A really good one.
So even though she lied so badly, I turned a blind eye and let her secretly carve it."
Lin Qiye and Wen Qimo quietly stood there, watching Red Ying, who was focused on carving the tombstone, for a long time without saying a word.
Under the hazy moonlight,
In the silent graveyard,
Only the carving knife in Red Ying's hand made a faint, sorrowful sound.
"Are we not going to say anything to her?" After a long while, Lin Qiye asked Wen Qimo.
"Going over now would only make her embarrassed. She's too shy."
"But standing here like this… feels like we're spying on someone's secret," Lin Qiye said awkwardly.
Wen Qimo turned to look at him, a smile in his eyes.
"You think... we're the only ones spying?"