# 1378
Chapter 1379: "Black Dragon"
Beneath the Huangpu River.
After hearing Tang Mingxuan's account, Lin Qiye's brow furrowed slightly:
"Why didn't you request a special squad from headquarters for such a major event as the White Tiger giving birth?"
"Special squad? Wasn't your squad formed just half a month ago? In this half month, you've been running all over Great Xia. When would you have had time to find you?"
"What about other special squads?"
Tang Mingxuan glanced at Lin Qiye, puzzled. "Aren't you Great Xia's first special squad? Besides you, where would there be another squad?"
Lin Qiye stood frozen.
Great Xia's first special squad?
That's right... The concept of a special squad only emerged after the Night Watch implemented the "regional garrison" model. Early Night Watch members were few, and having one team per city was already quite difficult.
In this era, Night Watch teams in second and third-tier cities had at most three members. Only large cities like Huaihai with high population density would have garrison teams of five or six people, let alone searching all of Great Xia for elites and geniuses to form special squads.
Lin Qiye had originally thought that [Elysian] was Great Xia's earliest special squad, but upon closer thought, Nie Jingshan was still alive at this time. In the Great Xia national fortune, at most there were only General Huo Qubing and Senior Gongyang Wan, and it's possible that the Commander Nie of this era hadn't even discovered them yet. Where would an [Elysian] squad come from?
So, Li Kengqiang was a member of the first special squad in Great Xia's history?
"I mean, you could report to headquarters and have Night Watch from other regions come to assist." Lin Qiye knew he had slipped up and quickly changed his words.
Tang Mingxuan shook his head. "No. You should know better than I do about Commander Nie's style of doing things—everything prioritizes the safety of the people. Better to kill by mistake than to let even one escape.
Once he knew there was a 'mystery' at the bottom of the Huangpu River that could threaten the entire Huaihai City, regardless of whether it was a Great Xia Divine Beast or whether it had malicious intent, he wouldn't allow it to exist.
Even if he didn't kill the White Tiger, he would forcibly expel or imprison it. In that case, neither the White Tiger nor its child inside would meet a good end..."
As Tang Mingxuan said this, he glanced back at the White Tiger prostrate on the riverbed, its expression one of excruciating pain. His eyes were full of sympathy and complexity.
"Captain Li, you're still young. You haven't been a father or mother before... There are some things you probably can't empathize with.
I too have been a father... though only for half a day.
Back then, my wife died on the operating table during a difficult birth. Before she passed, she grabbed the doctor's hand, begging him to save the baby in her womb... But after she died, in less than half a day, my daughter followed her as well.
I lost the two women I loved most in one night. No one understands this kind of pain better than me!"
A hint of redness appeared in Tang Mingxuan's eyes. The White Tiger behind him seemed to sense something, lifting its head slightly. Its weak but gentle voice echoed in both their ears:
"Captain Tang Mingxuan..."
Tang Mingxuan took a deep breath, his eyes glistening with red, and said solemnly:
"Captain Li, regarding the White Tiger giving birth, our 007 squad has reached a unanimous decision, and we've studied it repeatedly. As long as I'm stationed here, it will absolutely not pose any danger to Huaihai City!
I don't know where the people from the Church of the Ancient Gods got their information, but since things have come to this, we have no other choice...
I implore the [Black Dragon] squad to lend your assistance!"
[Black Dragon]... So that's the name of Li Kengqiang's special squad?
Lin Qiye complexly looked at the White Tiger behind him. Those琉璃-like pupils were filled with a faint mist of water. It seemed to want to say something more, but its lower abdomen trembled slightly, and only pained groans echoed underwater.
After a moment, Lin Qiye sighed and nodded:
"I understand. We will guard the Huangpu River for you until the White Tiger successfully gives birth."
"Thank you, Captain Li!" Tang Mingxuan held his Sky-Piercer Halberd, gratitude evident as he clasped his hands in salute.
Lin Qiye's figure flickered, swiftly flying toward the water's surface.
...
007 Squad Quarters.
An Qingyu's fingertips lifted slightly, and the ropes binding the 007 squad members snapped apart. Her expression was somewhat peculiar.
They had thought An Qingyu was a member of the Church of the Ancient Gods, but just now, An Qingyu had used a radio in front of them to pass information to her "accomplices." That didn't seem like the Church of the Ancient Gods either... After all, the Church of the Ancient Gods had come specifically for the White Tiger. How could they not know anything?
Of course, they couldn't rule out the possibility that An Qingyu was using a ruse to deceive them and lower their guard. After all, they had never heard of using radios for remote communication.
"Whether you believe me or not, I'll say it one more time—I am not your enemy." An Qingyu slung the black coffin onto her back and said calmly.
"The situation has reached this point. Anyone who still considers themselves a competent Night Watch member should follow me to the Huangpu River immediately... We may need a lot of hands."
With that, An Qingyu didn't say more. She leaped out through the open window and, as a shadow, flew directly toward the Huangpu River.
The 007 squad members present exchanged glances. After hesitating for a moment, they gritted their teeth and followed.
An Qingyu's figure gradually approached the Huangpu River. Soon, she saw Cao Yuan drifting in the river and Lin Qiye, who had just flown out of the water. Baili Pangpang was guarding the other side of the river, constantly watching the crowd's movements.
"...So, you've all heard about it from Qingyu?"
After a brief exchange between Lin Qiye and Cao Yuan, Lin Qiye nodded. "Alright, we don't have much time left. Spread out and take positions. Keep a close eye on the riverbank, and have someone evacuate the crowded people nearby and the ferries on the river surface to prevent accidents."
"The evacuation is already being handled by the 007 squad."
An Qingyu landed on the deck with the black coffin on her back, pointing toward the 007 squad members who had just arrived at the riverbank.
It had to be said that although they were still somewhat dazed from An Qingyu's memory reading, the 007 squad members' reactions were still extremely quick. Knowing that Church of the Ancient Gods members were approaching the riverbank, they immediately took measures, contacting police officers to evacuate the civilians on both sides.
In this way, if any Church of the Ancient Gods members remained alone by the riverbank, they would stand out immediately and could be identified, saving a lot of trouble.
But the Bund area was simply too large. Even with many hands mobilized, it wasn't easy to evacuate so many people in a short time. Many didn't understand what was happening and were casually moving toward nearby streets.
Even so, a few scattered figures holding black briefcases remained standing in place, standing out conspicuously among the evacuating crowd.
Their expressions changed. They knew they had likely been exposed. Hugging their briefcases tightly, they charged toward the river!