# 1772
Chapter 1765: Boarding the Ship
"When we graduated, we said we might never see each other again... I didn't expect it would only be two years before we meet again." The classmate wisely didn't probe further and instead sighed to himself. "I heard this celebration is going to be huge. Not just us, but those special squads too, and even the Human Apex and Commander Lin will be coming."
Upon hearing the words "Commander Lin," Jia Shasha and Zhen Xiaoyi's hearts skipped a beat.
"Have you seen Commander Lin?" Jia Shasha asked.
"Where would I get to see the Commander?" The classmate spread his hands helplessly. "But I heard this Commander Lin is extremely fierce."
"Fierce?" The two turned pale.
"Yeah." He glanced around and lowered his voice. "I heard this Commander Lin was a top prodigy from youth. Growing up, the blood of gods on his hands is countless. One punch shatters mountains, one sword cuts seas. Just one gaze from him can force hundreds of thousands to their knees!"
Zhen Xiaoyi gaped in shock. "R-really?"
"Of course it's real. Do you think someone who proposed the 'Divine Hunt' plan, actively hunting gods, could be some kind soul? All these years in the mist, no foreign gods have dared touch Great Xia—all intimidated by his murderous aura!
Think about it—the gods themselves fear him... How terrifying must that be?!"
Hearing this, Zhen Xiaoyi and Jia Shasha's faces had gone deathly pale.
In their minds, they automatically conjured an image of a ferocious man drenched in blood.
In one hand he held a sword, in the other a god's severed head, tearing at it with his teeth, grinding the divine skull to fragments, his voice growling: "Dumplings? The Commander doesn't eat anything that isn't made of god meat!"
Zhen Xiaoyi gazed pitifully at Jia Shasha, eyes reddened, as if about to burst into tears.
"You... you you..." Jia Shasha stuttered for ages without managing a single word, his entire body frozen in ice.
"What's wrong with you two?"
"...N-nothing, we're fine."
After shooing away the classmate, Jia Shasha set down the backpack emanating cold air. His back was already soaked with cold sweat.
"What now? Should we message Sister Hongying and say we're not going?" Zhen Xiaoyi asked, face still ashen.
"...N-no, if we can't even complete such a simple task, what right do we have to be Night Watch."
"When did you become so brave, Shasha-ge? Weren't you the one who could barely walk whenever you saw something 'mysterious'? Commander Lin is ten thousand times more terrifying than any 'mysterious' thing!"
Jia Shasha took a deep breath, a hint of determination flickering in his eyes.
"No matter how fearsome he is, he's still our Commander. He won't harm us."
"Yeah... I guess that's true."
While they talked, the bus slowly pulled into the dock. Everyone quickly disembarked and followed the guides toward a waiting vessel.
At the boarding ramp, a figure in logistics work clothes was verifying the identities of all boarding Night Watch.
He was a man around twenty-five or twenty-six, with handsome and refined features, yet possessing a maturity that didn't match his age. Standing before the sparkling sea, he wore a gentle smile that put people at ease.
When it was Jia Shasha and Zhen Xiaoyi's turn, the man spoke warmly:
"Hello."
"Hello." The two replied politely.
"Please show your identification documents."
Jia Shasha handed over the document stamped by Squad 136. The man scanned it, eyebrows slightly raised:
"You're from Cangnan?"
"Yes."
The man nodded, pointing at the backpacks on their backs. "You don't need to bring so many dumplings. There'll be food at the venue—you won't go hungry."
Hearing this, both their faces flushed red. After some hesitation, Jia Shasha quietly spoke:
"These aren't for us to eat... They're, um, for our Squad Leader to bring for Commander Lin."
The man let out a curious sound. "Hongying asked you to deliver these?"
"You know our Squad Leader?"
"I do."
Seeing that this staff member actually knew Hongying, Jia Shasha felt considerably more at ease. "These are what Sister Hongying specially saved for Commander Lin during Chinese New Year. She asked us to pass them along on our way... but we're worried..."
"Worried what? He won't eat you." The man smiled. "Once inside the venue, look for someone wearing a deep crimson cloak—that's Commander Lin. Just approach him directly and hand them over."
"Okay... Thank you."
"No need to thank me." The man gently patted their shoulders. "Good kids, board the ship."
Jia Shasha and Zhen Xiaoyi walked onto the vessel. The latter glanced back at the man and exhaled with relief.
"What's wrong?" Jia Shasha asked.
"I just feel like that staff member... gave off such a comfortable aura..." Zhen Xiaoyi clutched the heavy backpack, standing in the bright sunlight. His delicate brows relaxed. "Suddenly, I feel like Commander Lin probably isn't that terrifying after all..."
"Yeah." Jia Shasha seemed to recall something. "Oh right, I forgot to ask his name... Otherwise I could ask Sister Hongying later, who he actually is."
Jia Shasha looked back, only to find the boarding area now completely empty.
A booming ship's horn sounded as the vessel cut through the azure blue sea, heading directly toward Sunken Dragon Pass.
...
Below the turbulent waves, two ghostly figures soared silently upward.
They landed lightly on the stern deck, their forms flickering and vanishing on the spot. When they reappeared, they were already inside an empty storage room.
"The intelligence was accurate... Recent border defenses of Great Xia have slackened considerably. It seems their successive 'Divine Hunt' successes have made them arrogant to a reckless degree." This one had ink-green long hair and a typical Western face, coldly humming.
"We prepared so much for nothing." The other had dark skin and a messy long braid, speaking in a hollow voice.
"Our appearances are still too conspicuous. Tulk, how about that thing?"
A Black man addressed as Tulk pulled out a pinch of powder from his chest and sprinkled it. Instantly, both their forms shimmered. A few seconds later, they had transformed into two flawless-looking Great Xia people.
Behind them, they even bore two dark crimson cloaks, identical in style to those of the Night Watch.
"The secret treasure Lord Poseidon gave us can only maintain this form for three hours, but for this celebration, it should be more than enough." Kira stretched this new body, a slight smirk curling his lips.
He pushed open the storage room door and, alongside Tulk, swaggered onto the deck. By now, many Night Watch were already chatting on the deck. They glanced at the two approaching men, but no one noticed anything amiss.
This ship carried over a hundred Night Watch—even if two appeared out of nowhere, there was no way to tell.