# 1766
Chapter Title: 1766
Chapter 1759 - Nyx's Whereabouts
Fang Mo hummed in acknowledgment and sat down obediently.
In front of Lin Qiye, he showed none of the气势 of the most prominent special squad leader today; instead, he was just like the student who had just graduated from training camp.
"Specific details, Shen Qingzhu has already briefed me on... The hunt for 073 was successfully completed this time. Your squad did well."
"Actually, we didn't do much. We just drifted in those waters for a few days, then to prevent 073 from escaping, we called in an extraterrestrial strike... In the end, it was Instructor Shen who killed the god." Fang Mo forced a helpless smile.
"What? You want to slay a god without even reaching Human Apex?" Lin Qiye raised an eyebrow. "As a special squad, you've already done exceptionally well."
"You back then were only at the 'Immeasurable' level, yet you still slew a Lesser God in Takamagahara. And there were only three of you then."
Lin Qiye paused, helplessly saying:
"Must you compare yourself to me?"
"I know... I may never surpass you... But at least, I want to try to chase after your shadow."
Fang Mo's eyes were full of seriousness.
Knock knock knock—
Before Lin Qiye could respond, an elegant knock interrupted the conversation.
"Seems like this recovery was faster." Lin Qiye guessed who the visitor was. "Come in."
The door opened, and a figure in red-white armor with a white cloak walked to the center of the office. Hand over chest, they respectfully performed a knight's salute toward Lin Qiye.
"Sit down, Charles. You're slower than Fang Mo this time." Lin Qiye's voice sounded.
Charles and Fang Mo exchanged glances, their eyes sparking with intense rivalry. After冷哼ing at each other, they still sat down in the chairs beside them.
Four years ago, 【Demon】 and 【Knight】 had been promoted from the same cohort, and both were personally elevated by Lin Qiye. Naturally, there was competition between them. Over the years, Fang Mo and Charles had competed with each other in missions countless times.
It was also because of the existence of 【Knight】 as an "external enemy" that Fang Mo and Lu Baoyou had no choice but to unite against the common threat, which allowed 【Demon】 to grow into the top special squad in a short time.
Lin Qiye saw all of this and certainly wouldn't stop it. As Commander-in-Chief, he was more than happy to see this kind of healthy competition.
"Charles, the matter I asked you to investigate—how did it go?" Lin Qiye looked at Charles.
Charles opened his mouth but still said helplessly:
"Commander, we've searched everywhere near Mount Olympus these past few years, but we simply couldn't find any trace of 043... This time, we even found a way to cooperate with the Oath Society and infiltrate their Human Enclosure, but still no leads."
Hearing this, Lin Qiye's brow furrowed, his expression somewhat gloomy.
043?
Hearing this code, Fang Mo felt it sounded familiar.
043... Wasn't that the code for Nyx, the Goddess of Night, that the Night Watch had observed within Great Xia several years ago?
What was Commander Lin looking for Nyx for?
"After 043 was ambushed by Zeus and fled from Olympus all those years ago, there's been no news whatsoever. None of the gods in the world have seen them. Our research institute has discussed with the Oath Society, and we think..." Charles hesitated.
"Think what?"
"That the chances of their survival aren't great." Charles finally gathered the courage to say it. "043 was one of the three Supreme Gods of Olympus. Even though they were ambushed by Zeus and fled, the hatred of a murdered child still lingers. If they were alive, they wouldn't have remained completely inactive for so many years.
Perhaps the injury 043 suffered back then was even more severe than we imagined. Maybe they completely perished shortly after leaving Olympus."
Snap—!
Before Charles finished speaking, a crisp cracking sound rang out.
Charles froze, puzzled, and looked around. He saw Lin Qiye draped in the Crimson Cloak, calmly sitting behind the desk. Other than his somewhat gloomy expression, nothing seemed out of place.
"Finished?" Lin Qiye spoke slowly.
"...Finished." For some reason, Charles felt the atmosphere was strange. He swallowed and said carefully.
"Although you didn't gather any important intelligence, thank you for making the trip anyway." Lin Qiye picked up a document from beside him and handed it to Charles, his voice softening slightly.
"I've heard that in the mist recently, another small-scale divine kingdom has appeared out of nowhere, called 【Divine Desire Paradise】. Their methods are sinister and bizarre. I want you to investigate them next."
"New mission..." Charles's eyes lit up, and he immediately took the document from Lin Qiye. "Leave it to us!"
"What about us?" Fang Mo quickly asked.
"Your squad has been running missions for two years straight. It's time for a vacation." Lin Qiye took out a leave form he had already prepared. "Take these few days to rest. We'll arrange missions for you later."
"...Alright."
A vacation was truly a luxury for 【Demon】 squad. In four years, they'd only taken one break. This time, they helped Shen Qingzhu slay Alastor, which counted as a major contribution. They could finally get some proper rest.
Fang Mo and Charles left the office. As they reached the ground floor of Night Watch headquarters, Charles felt something wasn't right. He glanced back instinctively and immediately widened his eyes.
"卧槽!!" The Western knight commander burst out with a genuine Chinese expletive.
"What happened?"
"The headquarters... headquarters... it's cracking!!"
Fang Mo turned to look. Indeed, a gap had cracked open in the Night Watch headquarters building, and the location of this crack was right near Lin Qiye's office.
Just as Fang Mo was about to speak, a flash of light passed by, and the headquarters building was restored to its original state, as if everything just now had merely been an illusion.
Charles froze, rubbed his eyes, and said in confusion:
"That's strange... It clearly just cracked open..."
Fang Mo gave that office a deep look, then收回目光, pulled Charles, and walked toward the distance:
"You're seeing things. When we get back, I'll bring you a bottle of wind oil. Put it in your eyes several times and you'll be fine."
"Wind oil? Is that a Great Xia ophthalmic miracle drug?"
"...Yes."
...
Commander-in-Chief's Office.
Lin Qiye stood by the window, gazing at the distant sky, his fists clenched tightly...
"Mother..." he murmured to himself.
Nyx was his first patient, and the person besides his aunt who had been the kindest to him in the world.
A child who had never known a mother, a mother driven mad by the pain of losing her child... Their meeting was the beginning of luck and mutual salvation. In Lin Qiye's heart, he had long recognized Nyx as his mother.
When Earth had faced crisis before, he had noticed the absence of any sign from Nyx. Lin Qiye had already felt something was wrong. For the past four years, he had been sending people to inquire about Nyx's whereabouts, but there had been no results.
"Seven Nights..." From the shadows in the office, Shen Qingzhu slowly stepped out, his expression somewhat complicated.
The commotion just now might have fooled Charles and Fang Mo's group, but it couldn't fool Shen Qingzhu. He knew that in that moment, Lin Qiye's state of mind had undergone剧烈的动荡.
"She's still alive." After a long silence, Lin Qiye slowly spoke.
"What?"
"If she were dead, I would have been able to sense the fluctuation in the Law of Night immediately... But the fact is, I haven't. So she must still be alive." In Lin Qiye's profound eyes, a gleam of light appeared.
"She's somewhere in this world, but for some reason, she can't communicate with the outside... No matter what, I must find her!"