"Ding dong—Welcome!"
The crisp, cheerful electronic chime rang out as Lin QiYe pushed open the door to the office and stepped inside.
As soon as he entered, he froze in place.
Sitting on the sofa in the office was a grandmother in her fifties. She leaned on a cane with one hand while holding a pair of reading glasses with the other, energetically describing something.
"...Ah, let me tell you! My old man, he's like this, right?
He used to always hold my hand when we went out, making sure nothing would happen to me. But since last week, he's been acting like this!
I bet he's got some other woman out there!"
Across from her, Hong Ying was resting her cheek on her hand, listening intently. From time to time, she would exclaim in surprise.
"Ah? Is he really that bad?"
"Mm, mm, I agree with you, Grandma!"
"That's so terrible!"
"Don't worry, we've got this covered at the office!"
"..."
Beside her, Wen QiMo sat upright, his smile as warm as spring.
"I think you're right, Grandma."
"I think Hong Ying is right."
"Yes, I agree with both of you."
Seeing Lin QiYe stand confused at the door, Wen QiMo gave him a knowing look and stood up to follow him to the back of the office.
Hong Ying remained on the couch, still eagerly chatting with the grandmother.
"What's going on here?"
Once they reached the hallway leading to the basement, Lin QiYe couldn't help but ask.
"Hm? Just a regular job," Wen QiMo responded casually.
"I thought the office above was just a front. You actually get real business?"
"QiYe, you still don't understand enough," Wen QiMo patted his shoulder. "Cangnan City isn't too big, but strange events do happen. It's just that they only occur about five or six times a year."
He shrugged. "When we're not dealing with these supernatural cases, we either train or chat to pass the time. It gets pretty boring."
"So you're expanding into helping with extramarital affairs?" Lin QiYe raised an eyebrow, his expression strange. "And you're helping a grandmother in her fifties?"
"She's sixty, actually."
"..."
"You see," Wen QiMo continued, "We take on some small tasks here and there. Nothing too serious, just enough to keep busy and earn a little extra. It's perfect!"
"Right..." Lin QiYe thought about it for a moment. "So besides investigating affairs, what other services do you provide?"
"Oh, we cover a wide range of services!" Wen QiMo's eyes lit up. "We've helped people rescue cats and dogs stuck in trees, provided tutoring for kids under middle school age, given legal aid to those in need, and even helped rescue children who were trafficked. Sometimes we also discreetly handle criminals robbing banks..."
"Wait, this is getting out of hand!" Lin QiYe's eyes widened. "Rescue, education, legal assistance, and now you're doing the police's job too?"
"All in a day's work."
"I'm suddenly curious... Who knows the law among you?"
"Leng Xuan," Wen QiMo answered without missing a beat. "Before he joined the Nightwatchers, he was a law professor with a doctorate from the Political and Legal University."
Lin QiYe: ?(????)?
As they walked into the basement training area, Wen QiMo patted Lin QiYe's shoulder again.
"By the way, the captain said to wait for you. You should go to the training field to find him."
"Where is it?"
"Go straight down the hall, and you'll see it."
"Got it."
Lin QiYe walked down the corridor, and this time, he noticed just how large this underground space really was.
There were hallways and mysterious rooms in every direction. Lin QiYe quickly estimated that this space was at least as wide as two city blocks.
Finally, he reached the end of the hallway and stood before a large iron door.
He pushed it open, revealing a vast, well-lit training ground. It was at least three football fields in size!
"They… they must have dug out the entire riverbed, didn't they?" Lin QiYe mumbled to himself.
As soon as he entered, he saw Captain Chen Muye, who had been meditating in the center of the training ground. The captain opened his eyes and waved him over.
"Captain."
"Mm, how does it feel here?"
"It's... a bit of a contrast," Lin QiYe admitted. "The office upstairs is just a small, unassuming place."
Chen Muye nodded slightly. "This place was built decades ago by a Forbidden Ruins owner with earth element abilities. So, the entire project was done underground, without alarming anyone on the surface."
"Ah, I see."
"By the way, your files have arrived. They're in the archive room. You can go get them if you want to check them out." Chen Muye paused for a moment, then added, "But your sword, cloak, and seal won't be issued until the training begins. For now, you'll need to use this blade."
Chen Muye handed Lin QiYe a long straight sword.
Lin QiYe took it, inspecting it closely. Beneath the hilt, he saw three small words engraved on it.
— Zhao Kongcheng.
"This is…" Lin QiYe looked up in shock.
"Old Zhao's sword," Chen Muye replied calmly. "You were chosen by him. Since he fell in battle, his sword is yours to keep now."
Lin QiYe fell silent for a moment, then gripped the sword's hilt tightly. "Understood."
He then frowned, confused. "But didn't you say I'm just a temporary member for now? Why do I need a sword?"
"We still have over a month before the training starts. This time shouldn't go to waste," Chen Muye said as he slowly stood up and looked at Lin QiYe. "After all, you'll be joining Squad 136. If you don't perform well during training, it'll reflect badly on us."
Lin QiYe: ...
For some reason, Lin QiYe suddenly felt like he was being sent to a tutoring center by his elders for poor grades...
"Alright, then how do I train?"
Lin QiYe didn't hesitate. Even if Chen Muye hadn't suggested it, he would have gone to ask for training anyway.
Life is his own responsibility.
Taking shortcuts now is a slow path to death.
"Morning, we'll practice the sword. Afternoon, you'll learn to use Forbidden Ruins from Wen QiMo. Evening, you'll train with Leng Xuan on gun skills." Chen Muye picked up two bamboo swords from a nearby rack, holding one in each hand.
"Pick up your sword. We're starting."
Lin QiYe glanced down at the straight sword beside him, then spoke in surprise, "Captain, this is a real sword!"
"It doesn't matter," Chen Muye said expressionlessly, as he walked toward Lin QiYe, both bamboo swords in hand. "The outcome will be the same."
For some reason, Lin QiYe felt a chill run down his spine. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.
He picked up the sword from the ground, unsheathing it with a deep breath.
"Captain, I'm coming."
Chen Muye nodded. "Alright, let's go."
Lin QiYe's eyes narrowed, and he tightened his grip on the hilt. Without hesitation, he charged at Chen Muye.
Three seconds later, his scream echoed through the entire basement...