# 1436
Chapter 1437: Birthday
Boom—!
A dull rumble echoed from behind. The many Night Watch who had been departing all stopped in unison and turned to look.
In the distant sky, a massive, sky-obscuring shadow slowly rose. From afar, it resembled a mountain, or perhaps a ship... Small fragments of earth crumbled from the shadow's edges. Five figures draped in deep crimson stood at the shadow's edge, appearing busy with something.
"Is that the [Nightfall] squad?" someone asked in confusion. "What are they doing?"
"...Can't tell."
"I feel like they literally pulled a mountain out of the ground?"
"Is it a mountain? I thought it looked like a ship..."
"How could we possibly猜 the Captain's intentions? Don't overthink it. Just focus on what we're supposed to do."
"..."
As everyone exchanged puzzled words, the dark shadow in the sky began to drift slowly, heading straight south...
...
A long while later.
Asylum of the Gods.
Lin Qiye draped a white coat over himself and sat in a rocking chair in the center of the courtyard. He rubbed the corners of his eyes with both hands, exhaustion written all over his brow.
"Qiye?" A familiar voice called out. Li Yifei's figure emerged from the corridor on the first floor, holding half an uneaten cake in his hands. He froze in place.
"Didn't you say there was a war to fight? How did you find time to come back?"
Li Yifei walked over to Lin Qiye's side and studied him carefully for a moment. "You look a bit pale..."
"Nothing much. Just drained too much energy. I'm back to rest for a while." Lin Qiye forced a bitter smile. He glanced at the clock on the wall. "I'll be leaving in ten minutes or so."
Li Yifei patted his shoulder and consoled him: "Hey, don't push yourself so hard. No matter what's happening out there, as long as you're back at the hospital, I guarantee there are hundreds of people ready to wait on you. Rest however you want... Oh, by the way, are you hungry? Want some cake? The kitchen saved a piece!"
"No, I'm not hungry."
As the words left Lin Qiye's mouth, he suddenly caught on to something. "Cake?"
"Yeah." Li Yifei scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. "So... today just happens to be my birthday. I got the kitchen to make a huge cake and shared some with the nurses, Jiji King, and the Tape Recorder Uncle. You said there was a war coming up and you were really busy, so I didn't tell you..."
Lin Qiye stared at Li Yifei, his expression complicated.
"Sorry, I've been pretty swamped with things outside lately... You said there's cake left? Give me a piece."
At these words, Li Yifei's eyes lit up. He grinned and said, "Alright! Wait here."
Li Yifei turned and ran toward the kitchen. A moment later, he came back carrying a large piece of cake.
"None of those 'Mysticals' can cook to save their lives. Lucky for me, I worked at a bakery before, so I picked up a thing or two. I taught them how to make it... Limited conditions here in the hospital, so this is the best we could do. Try it."
Lin Qiye took the cake, his mouth twitching slightly.
Calling it cake was being generous. It looked more like a tightly compressed bread covered in a layer of dull yellow frosting, with some spots slightly burnt... The kind of cake that would get a bakery owner docking your wages just for existing.
Lin Qiye didn't complain. He grabbed a spoon and scooped a big bite, stuffing it into his mouth.
His brow quirked. "Tastes pretty good..."
Given the appearance, achieving this level of taste was already quite impressive.
"Right? I knew I had talent in this!" Li Yifei grinned widely.
As Lin Qiye ate, he asked, "For your birthday, did you light candles and make a wish?"
"There are no candles here, but I got Hongyan to spray some fire for me. Counted as making a wish, I guess."
"What did you wish for?"
Li Yifei was about to answer when he seemed to remember something. He hesitated and said, "This... my grandmother said that if you say your wish out loud, it won't come true."
"That may not necessarily be the case." Lin Qiye smiled. "What if the wish you made is something I can actually fulfill?"
Li Yifei thought it over carefully, his eyes brightening slightly. "That's true. If it's you, you might actually be able to make it happen.
Honestly, my wish is pretty simple. I just hope that someday, I can leave here and live a normal life... You know, I haven't even finished high school yet! Even if I took the college entrance exam in the end, I might not even pass... But even going to a vocational college would be fine. I want to experience the freedom of university life. If I could date someone, that'd be even better...
Of course, I'm not saying I don't like it here. Being the head nurse here is actually pretty sweet. I get to talk to the Great Sage and play chess with the Holy Sovereign of the Sacred Church. If I told anyone, they wouldn't believe it..."
Li Yifei spoke half-jokingly, but Lin Qiye's spoon hovered motionless in the air.
He stared at Li Yifei's animated expression, his heart heavy with complicated emotions.
Li Yifei was the first nurse Lin Qiye had recruited into the hospital, and also the person he trusted most within these walls. He had managed this hospital for years without a single incident... But for him, this place was also nothing more than a prison.
So what if he had so many nurses under his command? So what if he could meet the legendary gods of myth whenever he wanted?
The truth was, Li Yifei's personality was just that of an ordinary high school student... After coming here, the ordinary life that had been within reach suddenly became a distant dream. Didn't he want to buy a proper-looking cake from a bakery and celebrate his birthday with a few friends?
"Li Yifei." Lin Qiye fell silent for a long moment before speaking seriously. "Once I'm done with things on my end, I'll find a way to help you break free from this place and return to a normal life..."
"Ah, I was just talking off the top of my head. Don't take it too seriously." Li Yifei's smile widened. "Besides, if I left, who would manage this hospital for you? I wouldn't trust those idiots to do it."
"No matter what, happy birthday." Lin Qiye raised the cake in his hand and gently bumped it against Li Yifei's.
Li Yifei seemed to remember something. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few pages of paper, handing them to Lin Qiye.
"By the way, Qiye, this is the game of Go that Yirand and I played over this period... This guy's gotten bolder and bolder with his cheating. One move like that and he barely leaves me any room to play." Li Yifei couldn't help but complain.
Lin Qiye took the Go records and flipped through them carefully. Every time Yirand played, the number of black stones he placed increased compared to the previous game. By now, the black stones occupied nearly four-fifths of the board, yet the positions of the stones relative to each other remained unchanged.
"What is he trying to tell me..." Lin Qiye stared at these Go records, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter.