# 1369
Chapter 1370: Bicycle
Valley.
On the empty flat ground, Lin Qiye and the others could be seen whispering to each other while creeping eerily toward the empty void ahead, their eyes faintly glowing.
"...One, two, three!"
At the count, the four of them thrust their hands forward simultaneously, each grasping at nothing but air, then turned and sprinted in different directions.
Pfft!
At the edge of the valley, Wang Qing, who had been watching with curiosity, couldn't help but burst out laughing at the scene.
"Hahahaha... Old Nie, come look! These kids are interesting!?"
Wang Qing's palm slapped against Nie Jinshan's shoulder, the sound of砰砰 echoing like striking steel. The latter's stern face turned, a hint of helpless resignation in his expression.
"Keep it down. Kengqiang is still focusing on controlling [Virtual Reconstruction]. Don't create interference for him." Nie Jinshan's low voice sounded.
Seeing this, Wang Qing awkwardly shrugged and looked around.
"By the way, where's Little Tang Tang?"
"Tang Yusheng won't come." Nie Jinshan spoke with a complicated tone. "Today's scene... it's better if he doesn't see it."
As the two conversed, a figure in a deep cyan jacket and skirt slowly walked over from the distance, wearing hairpins on her head, looking like a court lady who had stepped out of some ancient palace.
At the sight of this figure, Wang Qing immediately收起 the smile from her lips and respectfully stood up.
"Gongyang前辈."
"Gongyang前辈." Nie Jinshan said calmly.
Gongyang Wan smiled slightly, nodding to the two of them. Her gaze swept across the empty ground where the Night Watch members fled in different directions, finally landing on Lin Qiye.
In those beautiful eyes, light rippled as if she were lost in thought.
...
On a crowded street, Lin Qiye turned into a corner alley, a flash of magic sweeping across his feet.
When he emerged again, he had transformed into a young man in a lake-blue worker's uniform with an ordinary face.
To move freely through this city, Lin Qiye had to first use transformation magic to change his appearance; otherwise, a deep red cloak on the streets would be far too conspicuous. Doing this could also avoid some trouble... like the owner of the electrical appliance store currently chasing after him, cursing.
After shaking off the electrical store owner, Lin Qiye left the crowds and climbed onto a tall building nearby, standing on the roof to survey the distance.
Since spiritual perception couldn't be used, Lin Qiye had to use this most primitive method to scout the terrain. Pale green aurora hung from distant clouds like a curtain, covering the city's edge at the limit of his vision. Busy streets and rushing crowds gradually faded within it, as if behind the curtain lay another world.
"Is that the boundary of [Virtual Reconstruction]..."
Based on Lin Qiye's memory of Huaihai City, the reconstructed city before him was only about two-thirds the size of the real Huaihai. Within the pale green aurora, rushing rivers surged forth endlessly, flowing along the broad river channels like silk ribbons through Huaihai City's most prosperous district, disappearing into the aurora on the other side.
Huangpu River—this was the only part that overlapped with Lin Qiye's memory of Huaihai.
Lin Qiye stood on the rooftop, his eyes reflecting the entire reconstructed city. One hand rubbed his chin as he contemplated.
"There's still time... I should prepare in advance first."
Lin Qiye checked the time, descended from the roof back to the street, and reached out to pat a young man who was about to mount a bicycle.
"Brother, can I borrow your bike?"
The young man turned back, eyeing Lin Qiye with a strange expression, wariness clear in his gaze. "Who are you?"
Lin Qiye gestured for him to come closer, signaling him to lean his ear over.
The young man hesitated for a moment but still leaned in. Then, a faint melody reached his ears:
"The windmill goes creakily turning..."
The young man froze, his eyes rapidly losing focus as he stood there like a statue, completely motionless.
Dingaling—!
Lin Qiye very naturally straddled the bicycle, kicked down the kickstand, and rode leisurely out onto the street.
This time of day was peak rush hour for factory workers heading home. The streets were dense with bicycles moving slowly. Only one figure glided like a ghost through the bicycle torrent, effortlessly weaving between riders.
What no one noticed was that as the bicycle tires rolled across the ground, the dark night seemed to seep into the road surface like ink, sinking into the ground and vanishing without a trace.
Relying on the approximate district layout he remembered, Lin Qiye穿梭ed back and forth between streets. The tires rolled across the earth like a black brush, gradually sketching some extremely complex and massive pattern across this bustling city.
...
On the other side.
An Qingyu carried the black coffin on his back, a radio hanging from his waist, standing quietly before a brand-new standalone office building.
In any era, carrying a coffin on the street was something that would guarantee a hundred percent回头率. But standing here, An Qingyu was completely ignored by the passersby around him, as if in their vision, An Qingyu simply didn't exist.
"This place looks a bit familiar..." Jiang Er's voice emerged from the radio.
"This is the former location of Night Watch Team 007 stationed in Huaihai City." An Qingyu adjusted his glasses, saying, "If a city is about to face a disaster, the local Night Watch team would be the most likely to know in advance and take precautions. Right now we have no leads, so we can only search for breakthroughs from here."
"I see." Jiang Er realized with understanding. "But though the 007 team's office was indeed in this building decades later, that doesn't mean the 007 team of this era would be here too, right? What if they only moved in much later?"
"...That's possible too. Let's go in and take a look."
An Qingyu carried the black coffin and walked straight into the building. The yawning security guard at the entrance didn't notice anyone entering at all, gazing blankly at the door while leaning back in his chair.
The entire first-floor lobby was empty. Besides the guard by the entrance, there were no other figures. An Qingyu walked up the stairs. Based on memory, he quickly found the office where the 007 team had received them in the past.
The office door was half-closed, and faint chatter leaked out from within. An Qingyu was about to step in when—
A figure inside furrowed their brow and sharply turned their head. A thunderous voice exploded within the room!
"Who's out there!"
Bang—!
A broadsword flashed like lightning through the wooden door. Countless wooden fragments burst outward, and a fierce blade of cold light charged directly toward An Qingyu's face!
Watching this blade of light coming for her, An Qingyu showed not the slightest hint of panic. Instead, a faint smile curved at the corner of her lips:
"Found them..."