# 1602
Chapter 1958: Wholehearted Devotion
Somewhere in Great Xia.
"The new director of the Special Operations Department?!"
Upon hearing this title, Xia Simeng couldn't help but gape in shock. "Does that mean we have a new superior?!"
"Afraid so." Tong Sheng无奈地耸了耸肩。
Xia Simeng's face fell immediately.
She draped in a golden cloak, pacing anxiously across the courtyard of an aged village, her thoughts racing.
"No, no, no... Zuo Qing's become Commander-in-Chief, the Special Operations Director position has been vacant, and we've just had a few days of blissful self-governance without a boss...咳咳... I mean, autonomous management. Now another superior shows up...
So doesn't that mean we won't be able to sign our own leave passes anymore?"
"..." Tong Sheng's嘴角微微抽搐。 "Captain, strictly speaking, we never could before..."
"Yeah, Captain. You used to sneak into the office when Zuo Qing wasn't around, stamp the documents yourself. Last time you got caught, he docked half your salary..." A member of 【Phoenix】 team ventured carefully. "From now on, we should just follow proper procedure, right?"
Xia Simeng苦恼地拍了拍脸颊。 "By the way, who is the new director?"
"Former captain of 【Nightfall】 squad, newly ascended Human Apex, Lin Qiye."
Xia Simeng froze in place.
"Lin Qiye?"
She seemed to be connecting some dots in her mind, then nodded slowly. "Well, I suppose... at this point, he's the only one who could handle this position..."
"Captain, what's the personality of this new Director Lin?" A newer member of 【Phoenix】 asked curiously.
"We've only met a few times, so I don't know him well... But he's definitely not the easygoing type." Xia Simeng let out a long sigh, standing there in frustration for a moment before suddenly lifting her head, speaking with indignation:
"Forget it! Better to rely on ourselves than others! Why don't we follow me in a coup? Xia Simeng can also seize what she deserves!"
Expressions of alarm spread across the faces of 【Phoenix】 squad members.
"Captain, that's not advisable!"
"Yeah, Captain, that's our superior! If he hears about it, our lives will be miserable!"
"Besides, he's a Human Apex. Captain, you can't beat him either..."
"Captain, how about trying a beauty scheme?"
"..."
Amid the chorus of protests from the "assembled talents," Xia Simeng sighed苦着脸 and幽幽开口。 "I'm just joking around... Fine, we'll just follow proper reporting procedures from now on."
Hearing these words, everyone finally relaxed.
"By the way, by tradition, when a new Special Operations Director takes office, we need to return to Shangjing for a meeting tomorrow... Captain, we should get moving." Tong Sheng reminded, as if suddenly remembering.
"Oh, quickly get the plane ready! We'll fly through the night! Let Director Lin see the wholehearted devotion of 【Phoenix】 squad!"
Xia Simeng waved her hand, speaking with grand enthusiasm.
One of 【Phoenix】's members acknowledged the order and immediately sprinted into the distance. Once everyone had dispersed, Xia Simeng鬼鬼祟祟地 sidled up to Tong Sheng's ear, pondering seriously for a moment before小声问道：
"Tong Sheng, tell me... does Director Lin prefer soft中华 cigarettes, or Yellow Crane Tower ones?"
Tong Sheng: ...
---
"Director Lin is going to be in charge of the Special Operations Department?!"
On a crowded green train, Fang Mo and his five companions squeezed around a small table, their eyes brightening at the news.
"Doesn't that mean Instructor Lin becomes our boss again?" Su Zhe松了一口气，笑着说。 "Sure enough, it's more reassuring having Instructor Lin watching over us..."
"From training camp to special squad, Instructor Lin has been leading us forward. This is good news."
"And he's broken through the 'Heart Gate' to become a Human Apex... Hehe, now we've got a ceiling to protect us too!"
"..."
Everyone was excited. It felt like their most beloved elementary school teacher suddenly announcing they would advance with the class all the way to university, even guaranteeing employment after graduation... An unprecedented sense of security.
But just as everyone chatted happily, Fang Mo sat by the window, staring blankly outside, as if lost in thought.
"What's wrong with you?" Li Zhenzhen sat across from him, puzzled.
"...Nothing." Fang Mo shook his head. "I was just thinking... does Commander Qiye taking the Special Operations Director position mean that 【Nightfall】 has been dissolved? If so... does that mean we 'stole' the designation that belonged to them?"
The moment these words fell, everyone fell silent, exchanging uncertain glances.
"Whatever happens with the designation, it might be discussed at tomorrow's meeting. No use speculating now." Liu Jun reminded. "We need to get to Shangjing."
"Right, right... We're still a reserve team, no dedicated aircraft. To get to Shangjing from here, we have to transfer to the green train..."
"But we just started! It's still over an hour to the next stop!"
"Never mind that. Find an empty spot and jump off! Tomorrow is Commander Qiye's first meeting with us as our superior. We absolutely cannot be late!"
"Let's go!"
---
Great Xia border.
"Lin Qiye, huh..."
In the howling cold wind, eight figures stood at the edge of a steel wall, their black cloaks flapping violently in the gusts.
Wu "Old Dog" slipped his phone back into his pocket. Beneath his hood, a smile curved his lips.
"Time to pay Shangjing a visit."
He lifted a finger, and eight steel pillars streaked across the sky, crashing heavily onto the earth. Thick bolts of lightning crackled between the pillars, radiating terrifying destructive intent.
The eight figures leaped onto the pillars, riding them across the clouds, and vanished in an instant.
---
Shangjing City, outskirts.
Between desolate mountains, two figures stood facing each other on an open clearing. Wu Quan climbed to the nearest peak, quietly looking down at the two figures below.
"Qiye, are you sure?" Shen Qingzhu crushed the cigarette butt in his hand, speaking solemnly.
"Mm." Lin Qiye nodded calmly. "Come at me. I need to test the strength of this body."
Shen Qingzhu acknowledged with a sound, grinding the cigarette butt beneath his foot. As his eyes narrowed slightly, six massive grey wings unfurled, and a terrifying Chief God-level aura descended!
"So powerful..." From the mountain peak, Wu Quan感知到 Shen Qingzhu's imposing presence, his pupils constricting.
Swish—!!
A grey blur instantly crossed the earth. The next moment, an earth-shaking roar erupted from the valley, dust scattering in all directions!
As the dust gradually settled, two silhouettes emerged from the haze—
Lin Qiye stood with legs braced, one hand firmly gripping Shen Qingzhu's fist. A strange light flickered in his eyes...