# 73
**Chapter 73: We Are the Mask Squad...**
"Stand straight, all of you!!!" The instructor behind Yuan Gang roared!
All the recruits instantly fell silent. Though their formation was still crooked, it at least resembled something orderly.
Lin Qiye and Baili Pangpang had arrived late, so they stood at the back of the line. Even so, they could still feel the oppressive pressure from the instructors on the platform.
No Forbidden Ruins were used, no weapons drawn—just their presence alone felt like towering mountains pressing down on everyone’s chests.
This kind of aura could only come from life-and-death battles—something these rookies had never experienced.
Yuan Gang silently observed the crowd for a long time before finally speaking, his voice deep and thunderous:
"I know—you’re all geniuses from across Great Xia. Some of you possess Forbidden Ruins that others can only dream of, some have mastered extraordinary skills, and some come from powerful backgrounds...
But from the moment you stepped through that gate, you all share one identity...
Recruits!
Rookies!!
No—right now, you’re not even rookies. You’re trash. Garbage!
In the face of truly powerful mysteries, you’ll only get yourselves killed and drag your teammates down!
You’re still far from becoming true Night Watchmen!!"
Yuan Gang’s voice grew louder, echoing like thunder across the training ground. Lin Qiye could clearly sense the shift in the expressions of the recruits around him.
Some raised their heads defiantly, some sneered inwardly, others looked disdainful, and a few lowered their heads in thought...
"What? Not convinced?" Yuan Gang took in every expression, raising an eyebrow.
No one answered—but their faces said it all.
Damn right, we’re not convinced!
"You think just because you have powerful Forbidden Ruins or extraordinary abilities, you’re destined for greatness? You think the only reason I can stand here and lecture you is because I was born a few years earlier and have a higher cultivation level?
You think I can call you weak, say your realms are low—but I can’t call you trash? Garbage?"
Yuan Gang let out a cold laugh. "Bullshit! I’m telling the truth. Even if you reach the Klein realm in your current state, you’ll just be slightly stronger trash! Against real powerhouses, you won’t last a single move!
Do you believe me?!"
Many recruits began breathing heavily, glaring at Yuan Gang with fire in their eyes.
"I don’t believe it!!"
At that moment, a young man with his uniform unbuttoned and cap worn backward lazily raised his hand, chewing gum, a smirk on his face.
"Recruit, what’s your name?"
"Shen Qingzhu."
"Good. Who else doesn’t believe me?"
"I don’t either!"
"Me!"
"Me too!!"
"..."
With Shen Qingzhu taking the lead, more and more recruits raised their hands. In the end, nearly half the formation had their hands up.
In the back row, Baili Pangpang nudged Lin Qiye.
"Qiye? What about you?"
"Me? I believe him."
"...Why?"
"Because he’s right." Lin Qiye’s mind flashed back to that rain that washed everything away, the unstoppable Ghost-Faced King in the storm. And then to the serpent demon at No. 2 Middle School, lurking in the dark, plotting with terrifying intelligence...
"They haven’t faced mysteries. They don’t know what those things are truly like..." Lin Qiye narrowed his eyes. "I guarantee—if they faced the two mysteries I’ve encountered, fewer than ten of these two hundred would survive.
And there are definitely even stronger, more twisted mysteries out there... If I ran into them now, I probably wouldn’t even know how I died."
"You’ve seen a mystery? Was it strong?"
"Very."
"Alright, if you believe him, so do I." Baili Pangpang caved without a shred of principle.
On the platform, Yuan Gang’s lips curled slightly. He nodded and continued:
"Good. Since so many of you aren’t convinced, I’ll give you a chance—a chance to see just how weak you really are."
He pulled out a walkie-talkie and said calmly, "Send them in."
*Beep—!*
The call ended. Yuan Gang looked up at the clear blue sky, as if waiting for something.
The recruits followed his gaze but saw nothing. After a moment, whispers broke out.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted:
"Look! Someone’s falling from the sky!!"
Everyone snapped their heads up!
Lin Qiye narrowed his eyes.
In the sky, seven black dots were rapidly growing larger. After a few seconds, they became clear—seven people.
Seven figures in gray cloaks, black cases on their backs, each wearing a different mask.
They were plummeting from the clouds—no parachutes, no safety gear—just free-falling straight toward the training ground. The wind whipped their cloaks violently!
"Holy shit! Did they just jump from a plane?! Without parachutes?!" Baili Pangpang beside Lin Qiye exclaimed.
He wasn’t the only one stunned—everyone was dumbfounded. The noise grew louder.
On the platform, Yuan Gang rubbed his nose and muttered under his breath, "Damn, I just mentioned it casually—they actually jumped... That’s some serious dedication."
In the sky!
The seven figures fell faster and faster, their screams echoing like dying chickens. The one wearing a spiral mask flailed wildly.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
HELP MEEEEEEE!!!
AHHHH—!!!"
"Spiral! Can you shut up?! My ears are bleeding!" the woman in a rose mask snarled.
"I’m afraid of heights!!! Rose! Don’t just stand there acting all calm!!" Spiral’s voice was hoarse. "Captain! Yuan Gang said jump, so we just jump?! Why?!"
At the front, the man wearing a mask with the character "King" spoke calmly, "I heard this year’s recruits are hard to scare. Instructor Yuan must’ve had no choice but to call us. We owe him this."
"AAAAHHH!! What if we fall to death?!"
"With me here, you won’t die." The man in the Tianping mask rolled his eyes.
"Are you sure your skills are up to it? I’ve gained two pounds lately—can you handle the weight?"
"...Captain, can I just let this guy fall to his death?"
"No."
"..."
"AAAAAAHHHHHH..."
"Alright, quiet!" Wang Mian glanced at the embarrassing scene.
"Then... I’ll try to scream quieter..." Spiral covered his mouth.
...
As they drew closer to the ground, the recruits finally got a clear look at their outfits.
"It’s the [Mask] Squad?!"
"One of the four special teams—[Mask]?!"
"Holy crap..."
Amid the gasps, the seven were about to crash—when the man in the Tianping mask flicked two fingers...
Gravity vanished. The seven floated down like feathers.
Their toes touched the ground lightly, and they stood steadily. Their gray cloaks fluttered in the wind, and under the sunlight, their seven distinct masks gleamed.
Wang Mian’s gaze swept across the crowd. He spoke calmly, "Hello, we are the [Mask] Squad..."
Before he could finish, Spiral’s legs gave out—
*Thud!*
He dropped to his knees in front of the recruits.
Spiral: (?????)
Mask Squad: (▼ヘ▼#)!!
Recruits: (?????)?!