Chapter 1504
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Chapter 1504 Return to Beijing
Creak—!
In the sunlight, Lin Qiye carried An Qingyu on his back as he slowly pushed open the door of their temporary residence in Beijing.
No one had lived there for a long time, and floating dust swirled in the air with the breeze from the opening door. Lin Qiye waved his hand to disperse the dust, stepped inside, and Cao Yuan followed closely behind, carrying the black coffin.
“Even though we haven’t been gone that long, why does it feel like we haven’t been back for many years?”
After placing Jiang Er’s coffin safely, Cao Yuan walked around the house and said with a helpless smile.
“Perhaps it’s because we’ve experienced too many things during this time.” Lin Qiye gently placed An Qingyu on the bed, then moved several quilts to the courtyard and hung them out to air one by one.
Since the establishment of [Night Curtain], they had been traveling around the world, barely stopping anywhere for long. They had only stayed in three places for extended periods: the warehouse where they trained with Zhou Ping, the island bearing the nation’s fate, and this temporary residence in Beijing.
It had been more than three years since they trained in that warehouse, and it was likely gone by now. Even if it still existed, it wouldn’t be suitable for someone to live in while recovering. The island was certainly still there, but also not suitable for living, so Lin Qiye ultimately chose this residence in Beijing as the place for recovery.
Lin Qiye and Cao Yuan thoroughly cleaned the entire residence. Although Jiang Er wanted to help, without a physical body, she could only silently provide moral support from the side while keeping an eye on An Qingyu’s condition.
Unfortunately, even after arriving here, An Qingyu remained unconscious with no signs of waking up.
Knock, knock, knock—!
Just as they finished cleaning, there was a knock at the door.
Lin Qiye opened the door to see a familiar figure wearing a military coat standing outside.
“Chen Han?” Lin Qiye asked in surprise, “We just arrived, and you already know? Are your sources that good?”
Chen Han smiled, “This is Beijing after all. Nothing happens here without me knowing about it.”
After Shao Pingge left, Chen Han took over his position and became the new King of Beijing. Judging by how quickly he learned of Lin Qiye and the others’ arrival in Beijing, this new King had completely taken control of the city.
“Why just the few of you?” Chen Han’s gaze swept around, asking curiously, “Where’s Shen Qingzhu? Where’s Baili Pangpang?”
Chen Han clearly remembered that when the [Night Curtain] team celebrated the New Year in Beijing, there were more people than this.
Lin Qiye and Cao Yuan’s bodies trembled slightly, and after a moment, they answered:
“Brother Zhuai is in the mist, and Pangpang… he went to the Celestial Court.”
Chen Han nodded thoughtfully, “Since there aren’t many of you, why don’t you all come to our place for dinner tonight?”
Lin Qiye and the others exchanged glances, with a sidelong look at An Qingyu on the bed.
“That sounds good.”
After all, they were on vacation here with no other plans, and perhaps this might help An Qingyu wake up.
Lin Qiye and the others rested briefly before taking An Qingyu straight to Squad 006’s headquarters. Perhaps An Qingyu never imagined that even while unconscious, he would be forced to participate in social activities.
The Beijing squad’s headquarters wasn’t far from their residence, and they soon arrived at the familiar quadrangle courtyard gate. Compared to before, the entrance was now piled high with fallen leaves, seemingly unswept for a long time.
“All the original team members have gone to the front lines, so we’re a bit short-handed now… dealing with ‘Mysteries’ is already giving us headaches, so there’s really no one to take care of these things.” Chen Han stepped over the leaf-covered stairs with a helpless smile.
He pushed open the courtyard gate but suddenly froze in place.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Qiye noticed Chen Han’s expression change and peered inside curiously, his eyes narrowing slightly.
In the center of the courtyard, five heavy coffins were arranged in a row. Among the swirling fallen leaves, a young figure knelt before the coffins, sobbing continuously.
“This is…” Lin Qiye seemed to realize something, his gaze becoming complex.
Chen Han silently walked into the courtyard and, looking at the five heavy coffins, slowly asked, “Xu Liao, what are these?”
This young Night Keeper kneeling before the coffins was someone Lin Qiye and the others had met before. He was originally a member of Squad 006, probably from the previous batch or the one before that of new recruits. Because his level wasn’t high enough, he hadn’t followed the seniors to the front lines.
“Captain Chen… after you left, the logistics department sent these…” Xu Liao wiped away his tears, his eyes completely red, “Brother Zhengting and the others… they all died in battle.”
Chen Han’s gaze intensified slightly.
He hadn’t been in Beijing for long, and shortly after joining Squad 006, Zhang Zhengting and the others had been sent to the front lines, so he didn’t know them very well… Even so, when those familiar faces became coffins placed before him, his heart twisted in pain.
At that time, seven people from their Squad 006 had gone to the front lines, and five of them had died in battle.
Then… how terribly devastating must the casualties be among all the Night Keepers?
Chen Han turned to look at Lin Qiye and the others, his expression heavy. Lin Qiye and his companions had already learned about this at the front lines and could only sigh helplessly.
“What about Zhenzhen and Fang Mo?”
“They were on a different plane, so they’re coming back later than me, but they should be here soon,” Xu Liao replied.
Just as he finished speaking, two conversing voices came from the end of the alley.
Lin Qiye turned to look and saw Fang Mo and Li Zhenzhen each carrying black cases, walking toward them across the fallen leaves.
“Didn’t we just clean up for Brother Chen Han before we left… why are there so many fallen leaves again?” Li Zhenzhen muttered.
“We all went to support the front lines, leaving only Captain Chen to guard Beijing. How could he have time to sweep leaves?”
“So many leaves, how long will it take to sweep them all…”
“But now that the fighting at the front has ended, the other seniors should be coming back too, right?”
“Yes!” Li Zhenzhen’s eyes lit up, “When Brother Zhengting and the others return, we’ll let them sweep! After all, we’ve already swept more than a dozen times, so it’s their turn to… huh?”
Li Zhenzhen stopped mid-sentence when she saw Lin Qiye and the others standing at the courtyard entrance, slightly startled.
“Lord Qiye?” Fang Mo exclaimed with surprise, “Why are you all here too?”
Fang Mo hadn’t expected that less than 24 hours after they last met, they would reunite in Beijing.
“Where’s Brother Zhengting? Have they come back too?!”
Li Zhenzhen rushed up the steps. Full of anticipation, she didn’t realize that the atmosphere seemed somewhat wrong. When she burst into the courtyard and saw the five coffins arranged in a row, she suddenly froze in place.
