Chapter 273
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Chapter 273: Waiting for Their Return
The high-level order has arrived.
Xia Simeng glanced at her phone, her brow slightly furrowed.
“What’s going on?” Kong Shang asked beside her.
As expected, Lin Qiye needs to be transferred immediately to the fasting center for treatment. Xia Simeng slowly stood up, a complex expression appearing in her eyes; his transfer mission is to be handled by the 【Phoenix】 team.
Kong Shang was taken aback. “Are we responsible for transporting Lin Qiye? Isn’t that…”
“Too grand?” Xia Simeng shook her head. “No, not at all. Lin Qiye’s potential is too great. Right now, he is mentally unstable and has lost his ability to protect himself. If the logistics team were to transport him, and those Outer Gods or ancient cults intervened, the consequences would be unimaginable.”
“That’s true.” Kong Shang nodded, then a bitter smile appeared on his face. “We went through so much trouble to hijack a plane to Cangnan just to take Lin Qiye away… I didn’t expect we would actually succeed, albeit in this manner.”
Upon hearing the term “hijack,” Xia Simeng’s expression stiffened noticeably. She twitched her lips and leaned closer to Kong Shang, whispering:
“Commander Ye also said that although we came to Cangnan by accident, the hijacking incident cannot be overlooked… He told us to prepare for a military tribunal in a couple of days.”
Kong Shang: …
At that moment, Wu Xiangnan, who was sitting across from them, suddenly spoke up:
“I have a question.”
The members of the 【Phoenix】 team turned to look at him simultaneously. Xia Simeng cleared her throat twice and said, “Go ahead.”
“Since the higher-ups of the Night Watchers have always known the secrets of Cangnan and initially intended to recruit Lin Qiye into the Night Watchers, then… was the Ghost Faced Man and Zhao Kongcheng’s death also part of the plan?” Wu Xiangnan’s eyes narrowed, his voice gradually growing colder.
Xia Simeng’s brow furrowed slightly. “Although I don’t know what you mean by the Ghost Faced Man incident, nor do I understand the higher-ups’ thoughts, to be honest, we have just learned about the ins and outs of the Cangnan incident. But one thing I can be sure of is…”
Xia Simeng pointed at Wu Xiangnan. “Who are you?”
Wu Xiangnan was taken aback. “I am the vice-captain of Team 136, Wu Xiangnan.”
“You are a Night Watcher.” Xia Simeng slowly spoke. “You are a Night Watcher, I am also a Night Watcher, and the higher-ups of the Night Watchers… are also Night Watchers.”
Xia Simeng looked into Wu Xiangnan’s eyes and said seriously, “The Night Watchers will never treat their companions as pawns… The so-called higher-ups are just Night Watchers who see further and think more meticulously than we do.”
Wu Xiangnan and Xia Simeng stared at each other for a long time before he slowly nodded. “I understand.”
“By the way.” Xia Simeng seemed to remember something and handed over the document in her hand. “It’s not just Lin Qiye who received the transfer order…”
Wu Xiangnan looked down at the document and suddenly froze.
“The higher-ups are summoning me back to headquarters?” He looked up at Xia Simeng, confusion filling his eyes. “Why is that?”
“Who knows? The higher-ups see too far ahead; how could someone with my limited understanding comprehend it?” Xia Simeng shrugged helplessly. “Perhaps they discovered something… about the secret of Takamagahara?”
Upon hearing the words “Takamagahara,” a strange light flashed in Wu Xiangnan’s eyes.
“There are still too many mysteries surrounding the destruction of Team 【Blue Rain】. To unravel these puzzles and find the land of the gods in Japan… perhaps only you can do it.” Xia Simeng’s voice grew serious.
“After all, you are the only human who has entered Takamagahara and returned alive.”
Wu Xiangnan stared blankly at the document in his hand, those long-sealed memories resurfacing before his eyes: the endless fog, the mysterious Takamagahara filled with enigmas, Susanoo wielding the Kusanagi sword, and the comrades who died one after another beside him…
After a long time, he hoarsely spoke, “If I leave, Team 136 will only have two members left.”
“But you still can’t let go of 【Blue Rain】, can you?” Xia Simeng glanced at the red tassel outside the door, who was secretly crying, and the gentle Wen Qimo beside her, letting out a long sigh.
“After this incident, Cangnan will need a long time to recover. The remnants of the divine war left here are enough to stifle all emerging mysteries. For the next three years, this place will be a pure land… You don’t need to worry.”
Wu Xiangnan slowly closed his eyes, and after a long silence, he nodded.
“I understand.”
…
One day later.
Cangnan City, suburbs.
A gentle breeze swept across the desolate hills, where once lush trees had vanished, leaving only a few small saplings growing in the soil, their tender green leaves swaying gently in the wind.
Before a scattered graveyard, a girl in a red dress stood quietly.
In front of her were two impeccably cleaned tombstones, one belonging to Zhao Kongcheng and the other to Chen Muye.
The girl gazed down at the two tombstones, lost in thought.
Wen Qimo’s figure slowly approached from the side.
“I couldn’t find the vice-captain, but… I found this letter on his desk in his room.” Wen Qimo extended the letter in his hand, his eyes filled with complexity.
“He was summoned by the higher-ups to the capital, apparently for something important. He didn’t want to say goodbye to us, so he wrote this letter.”
Hong Ying took the letter and read it carefully from beginning to end, then looked up at the distant sky, letting out a long sigh.
“The vice-captain has left too… Team 136 is left with just us.”
Wen Qimo remained silent for a moment. “What do you plan to do?”
“I want to stay.” Hong Ying spoke calmly, her clear eyes looking into Wen Qimo’s, filled with determination. “As long as Cangnan is still here, as long as I am still here, Team 136 will always exist.”
Wen Qimo was taken aback. “Even if there are only two of us left?”
“I believe in the captain, I believe in Qiye.” Hong Ying took a deep breath. “Team 136 has not disbanded, has not disappeared; we have just scattered to handle our own matters…”
“When the dust settles, they will come back.”
“Even if I am the only one left, I will guard this city, just to wait for the day they return, so I can smile and say to them… welcome back.”
Hong Ying took out the green彼岸花 from her bosom, crouched down, and gently buried it in the soil.
Her eyes were slightly red, and she pressed her lips tightly together, seemingly holding back tears.
Hong Ying stood up, wiped away the tears in her eyes, and looked up at the distance. The breeze brushed against the girl’s hair, revealing a pair of resolute eyes.
At that moment, the innocent girl… suddenly grew up.
“The captain is gone, so from now on, I, Hong Ying, will be the captain of Team 136!” Hong Ying took a deep breath and shouted towards the distant mountains.
Her voice echoed in the valley.
Wen Qimo stared blankly at the girl’s profile, and after a moment, he smiled and shook his head.
“I really can’t do anything about you… Since that’s the case, I’ll reluctantly be the vice-captain.”
Hong Ying chuckled. “Vice-captain Wen Qimo!”
“At your service!”
“Let’s go, we’re heading back!”
Hong Ying slung the long spear beside her over her shoulder, her black hair flowing behind her, the fiery red outfit fluttering in the wind as she walked into the distance.
Wen Qimo smiled and followed behind her.
“Captain.”
“What is it?”
“What is our job?”
“…Wait for them to come back!”
In the empty valley, the girl’s voice echoed, and before the lonely tombstones, a green彼岸花 swayed gently…
…
…
Volume One, “Mortal Realm of the Gods,” complete.
Next volume, “Crimson Nightfall.”