noffsinger Chapter 681: Shen Long returns to the capital after finishing his defense, and all parties are waiti
Chapter 681: Shen Long returns to the capital after finishing his defense, and all parties are waiti
"Let's... start?" As soon as Cao Yuan finished speaking, a gust of wind blew past, blowing up the sand and stones on the ground and hitting several people in the faces.
The energy in Wu Hen's body gushed out like a volcano. He looked up to the sky and let out a long roar. The sound waves caused the surrounding air to slightly distort.
Suddenly, Zuo Qing's voice came from the communicator: "Night Squad, if you hear me, please respond."
Lin Qiye picked up the communicator: "I am Lin Qiye, please speak."
"I'm Zuo Qing. Headquarters has already made a decision regarding your follow-up arrangements."
"You need to return to Shangjing as soon as possible to register your information and customize your equipment."
"Also, we've arranged a special plane for you. You can choose any model you want."
Zuo Qing paused, and his tone became serious.
"One more thing. Headquarters has decided to award you two Star Ocean medals."
"Two?!"
Baili Pangpang's voice came from the side, his tone full of disbelief.
"Did I hear correctly? Two Star Sea medals?"
"You heard it right." Zuo Qing confirmed.
As soon as the news came out, the entire [Nightfall] team was in an uproar.
An Qingyu rarely smiled, Cao Yuan also whistled, and even the usually calm Lin Qiye raised his eyebrows slightly.
When the members of the Phoenix team not far away heard the news, their expressions changed.
Kong Shang said sourly: "Two 'Star Sea' medals...tsk tsk, this treatment is really enviable."
Xia Simeng sighed: "Yes, this is an honor that many people dream of... but it's a pity that we are not destined to have it."
Baili Pangpang walked up to Xia Simeng with a proud look on his face and boasted, "How about it? Captain Xia, are you envious?"
Xia Simeng rolled her eyes at him: "Envy, okay? But..."
She changed the subject.
"You don't think you're the only team with two 'Star Ocean' medals, do you?"
Baili Pangpang's smile froze on his face: "What do you mean?"
"The [Masked] team also has two." After Xia Simeng said this, he turned and left.
Baili Pangpang returned to the team dejectedly like a deflated ball.
Lin Qiye walked over to Zuo Qing's communication projection and asked in a deep voice, "Commander Ye...how is he doing now?"
There was silence on the other end of the communicator for a moment, and the atmosphere suddenly became solemn.
Everyone's eyes were focused on Lin Qiye.
They all wanted to know where the commander who once led them in bloody battles was now.
Zuo Qing's voice was low and hoarse: "Commander Ye...he..."
"Zuo Qing, let's talk about it after we get back."
Wu Hen suddenly interrupted,
"Now, we have more important things to do."
He patted Lin Qiye's shoulder with a firm look in his eyes.
"Let's go and see our old friend."
Lin Qiye nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
He, Wu Hen and Cao Yuan came to the temporary command center in Shenlong Pass.
The headquarters was in a mess, with traces of battle everywhere.
"Where is Lu Qiu?" Lin Qiye looked around but did not see any familiar figure.
A young man in a Night Watch uniform came over and saluted. "Report! Captain Lu Qiu... he died in the previous battle."
Upon hearing the news, Lin Qiye and Cao Yuan were stunned.
They could never have imagined that the comrade who once fought side by side with them had now left them forever.
Wu Hen patted Lin Qiye's shoulder and said comfortingly, "My condolences."
Lin Qiye took a deep breath and tried to calm the grief in his heart.
He walked to a table, picked up a pen, and wrote a few words on a piece of white paper:
"Shenlong Pass, the tomb of heroes."
"Let's go,"
Wu Hen said,
"We should go back."
Cao Yuan followed them silently without saying a word.
Half a day later...
Half a day later, the salty sea breeze blew against the broken walls of Shenlong Pass, and the setting sun dyed the sea level blood red.
Lin Qiye sat alone on the battlement, gazing into the distance with empty eyes.
Cao Yuan came over with two cans of beer, handed one to Lin Qiye, and sat down next to him.
"Have a drink," Cao Yuan pulled the ring of the can, and the foam of beer overflowed.
"If you feel sad, just cry it out, don't hold it in."
Lin Qiye took the beer, but did not drink it. He just held it quietly in his hand.
"I don't understand...why...why would he..."
"I know you feel bad,"
Cao Yuan patted Lin Qiye's shoulder.
"But you don't have to take all the responsibility on yourself. No one can influence Commander Ye's decision."
Wu Hen also came over and summoned a strange creature.
The creature looked like a giant caterpillar, but its back was covered with colorful mushrooms.
It slowly crawled to Lin Qiye and rubbed his legs with its soft body, as if to comfort him.
"System, what if we told Commander Ye earlier?"
"Without sacrificing his life, will he change his mind?" Wu Hen asked his omnipotent system.
The system replied in a mechanical voice: "According to my calculations, there is an 87.6% probability that Commander Ye will stick to his choice."
"Ugh…"
Wu Hen sighed, "I knew it." He turned to Lin Qiye,
"Qiye, don't blame yourself too much. Commander Ye is a true hero."
"yes,"
Cao Yuan took a sip of beer.
"Back then, when I first joined the Night's Watch, I was still a young boy and knew nothing."
"It was Commander Ye who taught me step by step and helped me escape the gates of hell time and time again."
"Without him, I wouldn't be who I am today."
He paused, then continued, "Commander Ye has always treated us as his own children. Every decision he made was to protect us."
"He chose to sacrifice himself to protect more people. We should respect his choice."
At this time, a ship slowly sailed into the port of Shenlongguan.
Several night watchmen carried a stretcher covered with white cloth and passed by Lin Qiye and the others.
A human figure was vaguely visible on the stretcher, with bloodstains seeping out from under the white cloth.
"That is..." Lin Qiye's heart sank suddenly.
A man in a night watchman's uniform with a tired look on his face walked over.
He was the young man who had reported the situation in the command center before, named Fang Zuo.
"Team Lin, Team Cao, Team Wu,"
Fang Zuo saluted and said, "This is the body of Captain Lu Qiu."
"At the last moment, he used up all his spiritual power to pass on the information about the White Tiger's weakness."
"If it weren't for him, we would never have been able to defeat that beast."
Fang Zuo's voice was choked with sobs, "Captain Lu... he is truly a hero..."
"He overdrew his life..." Lin Qiye murmured, clenching his fists tightly.
Wu Hen's system suddenly said: "Abnormal energy fluctuations have been detected nearby..."
"What?!" Wu Hen suddenly raised his head and looked into the distance.
I saw a huge black shadow slowly rising on the sea level...
When the huge figure broke through the churning waves,
The uneasiness that felt like cold fingers running down my spine instantly turned into complete terror.
The setting sun, which had originally dyed the sea a sad crimson, was now completely obscured by the outline of the monster.
It rises like a sea monster, dark and dripping,
Its scaly hide caught the last rays of light and reflected them with an evil gleam.
"Oh my God...what is this?" Cao Yuan muttered, and the beer in his hand had long been forgotten.
The air was thick with the metallic smell of fear, stronger than the salty smell of the sea spray.
"System, analyze!" Wu Hen shouted anxiously, his voice tense with nervousness.
The colorful mushroom-like creature at his feet trembled, sensing its master's pain.
A monotonous voice echoed in Wu Hen's mind: "Unknown entity. Energy signature...extremely powerful."
"Threat Level: Catastrophic."
Even the normally calm and composed system seemed to be shaken.
Lin Qi Ye temporarily forgot his grief and gripped the hilt of the sword tightly.
The metal felt cold in his palm.
"Impossible... Another one?" His voice was barely a whisper, but thick with tension.
During his days on Night Patrol, he had witnessed enough horrors to etch his memory for a lifetime, but this time…it felt different.
Older, more primitive.
"It seems our mourning period is over." Cao Yuan muttered, a grim smile twisting his lips.
He cracked his knuckles, a sound that was particularly harsh in the sudden silence.
"Let's send this giant 'guppy' back to the abyss where it belongs."
Wu Hen narrowed his eyes.
"System, deploy... all weapons." He looked at his companions, his expression stern but firm.
"It seems that Lao Lu's sacrifice has given us a front-row seat to the next act of this nightmare."
He paused. "Let's put on a show he'd be proud of."
The monster roared, the sound tearing the air and breaking the fragile calm.
A wave of pure malice washed over them.
Then Wu Hen smiled.
"It's show time."