# 1907
Chapter 1907 — Nothing Has Changed
Night deepened.
The shops along Peace Bridge gradually closed their doors one by one. Streetlamps flickered to life along the cold, empty streets. In the vast stillness, only one shop remained illuminated with warm light.
Amid the chaotic mess of the dining table, Hongying propped one foot on a chair, a can of beer in hand, and with animated eyebrows she was vividly recounting Lin Qiye's past scandals to the crowd.
"...When he first joined the Night Watch, he had nowhere to stay, so he crashed at my place... hic... That very night, he knocked on my door. Honestly, my impression of him during the day had been pretty good. I never expected... hic... that he would be this kind of person..."
Hongying appeared thoroughly drunk by now. Her subsequent words came out in mumbled fragments, barely audible. The others just stared wide-eyed, their gazes shifting back and forth between Lin Qiye and Hongying.
So Commander Lin is actually this kind of person??
"What do you mean, 'this kind of person'? Finish your sentence!" Lin Qiye caught the异样目光 from everyone and spoke helplessly. "And Wen Qimo... I can understand them looking at me like that, but what do you mean looking at me like that too?"
"I don't live at Hongying's place. How would I know what happened between you two that night?" Wen Qimo replied matter-of-factly. "Besides, that afternoon, you could even tell Hongying's underwear color..."
Before Wen Qimo could finish, a palm shot out and covered his mouth. Lin Qiye, beer can still in hand, stuffed it into Wen Qimo's embrace.
"Stop right there! I'm the Supreme Commander now. I have a reputation to maintain..."
"#￥%*@..."
At first, because Lin Qiye was present, the younger generation of Squad 136 had been somewhat restrained. But soon they realized this Commander Lin wasn't as stern and rigid as they had imagined. Gradually, they loosened up, even proactively drinking and chatting with him, earnestly listening to those rarely known stories from the past.
The meal stretched on until four in the morning. The streets were completely empty now, and beneath the dark canopy of night, everyone present—except Lin Qiye—was thoroughly drunk and passed out.
Since joining Squad 136, this was their first time getting this plastered. On normal days, even when drinking, they could only have a little. After all, no one could guarantee that some "Mystery" wouldn't invade during the time they were drunk.
But this time was different... With the Supreme Commander of the Night Watch personally stationed in Cangnan, did they still need to worry about such things?
Beside them, Hongying lay face-down on the table like a puddle of mud, soft snores rising and falling. From time to time, she licked her lips and murmured a few words, undoubtedly talking about something in her dreams.
"Cough cough cough..." Wen Qimo wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth, gazing at the thoroughly drunk Hongying. In his reddened eyes, a trace of nostalgia flickered. "The last time I got this drunk was on New Year's Eve that year... It's been almost a decade in the blink of an eye."
"...Yeah."
"Time flies so fast... I still remember that year, Hongying crying in the cemetery, saying she'd wait for you all to come back... In the blink of an eye, the squad is seven people again." Wen Qimo raised his head, his misty eyes fixed on the New Year's group photo on the wall as he murmured,
"Ten years... you've come back... but no matter how much she waits... they're never coming back..."
Lin Qiye also gazed at the photograph, silent.
"I've known for a long time... you all have your secrets and pursuits. Captain Chen Muye, Vice Captain Wu, Xiaonan, you... but Hongying and I, we're just ordinary members of the Night Watch. We can't accomplish anything grand in this lifetime... For us, guarding this Cangnan is our entire life's purpose."
"...Thank you."
"What are you thanking me for? This is our duty."
"Thank you and Sister Hongying..." Lin Qiye's gaze swept across the room, his eyes revealing a complex mix of emotions. "So many people and things have changed over these years... But thankfully, you haven't changed. And neither has this place."
Wen Qimo stared into Lin Qiye's eyes. After a long moment, he walked unsteadily to his side and patted him on the shoulder.
"When you have time, come home more often."
With that, he collapsed face-first onto the sofa, peaceful snores immediately rising and falling.
Lin Qiye sat alone at the chaotic table, a gentle smile on his face. He raised the beer can beside him, made a toast gesture toward the group photo on the wall, and drained it in one gulp.
Dawn's faint light began to glow from the other side of the bridge. Lin Qiye cleaned up the mess on the table, took one final look at his sleeping companions, and walked slowly toward the office's entrance. In the glass reflection, a calm and resolute face overlapped with the city behind him.
He reached out and pushed the door open.
...
"Cough cough cough..."
A charred figure pushed open the door to the Supreme Commander's office.
Before the office window, the Seraph Lin Qiye gazed up at the pale, lightening sky, then slowly turned to look back.
"Are you alright?"
"...What do you think?" The disheveled Fate Monk spoke morosely. "Taking two shots of planet-killing cannon fire head-on—even if I can transfer the damage, I can't stomach it... In the end, it wasn't even me who promised Jinian. Why do I have to take those two hits for you?"
"Because even I can't handle five shots. Naturally, you have to share some of the burden."
"Is that so? How do I know you weren't just trying to torture me on purpose?"
Lin Qiye smiled but said nothing.
Fate Monk brushed the dust off his robes and glanced out the window at the azure sky. "Heading out?"
"Yeah." Lin Qiye gave a slight nod. "Already at the edge of Saturn."
"The universe is so vast. Do you even know which direction to go?"
Lin Qiye raised his palm. A faint golden glow swirled within it, like a miniature compass.
"I don't know... but the miracle will guide me to the way."
...
Deep space.
In the deathly silence of the void, Lin Qiye's true body sat cross-legged on the blade of Ame-no-Murakumo, slowly flying toward the edge of the solar system. Points of light drifted from within the sword's body, like a solitary boat adrift beneath the river of stars.
Saturn's massive ring system passed by Lin Qiye's side. Occasionally, a few asteroids would drift out from within it, all of which he effortlessly evaded.
Lin Qiye's true body was the Primordial Spirit Fetus. Unlike flesh and blood mortals, he had no need for oxygen, food, or rest. He could move freely even in the vacuum of space. Furthermore, he could slowly absorb spiritual energy from the boundless void to replenish himself, continuously propelling Ame-no-Murakumo through the cosmos.
But even so, Lin Qiye's speed had not broken the light barrier. In the vast universe, he was actually traveling quite slowly. At this rate, even just leaving the solar system would take several months... By the time he reached the depths of the universe, the battles on Earth would have been over and done with long ago.