# 424
**Chapter 424 – All Wrong**
Lin Qiye didn’t immediately reach for the blade. Instead, he turned to face the man.
“Why give this artifact to me?” he asked, puzzled. “Even Wang Mian only took a Sequence 301 forbidden item. Why hand me such a high-risk blade?”
“Because Captain Lin is worth it,” the man replied with a smile. “Your potential far exceeds Wang Mian’s. The master believes you… are the true destined owner of this item.”
Lin Qiye frowned slightly, about to speak, but the man continued:
“Besides, the master may have a small personal motive.”
“What kind of motive?”
“Should the Baili family ever face trouble in the future, we’ll have to rely on your help,” the man said respectfully.
“So this is just a transaction?” Lin Qiye asked, brows furrowing.
“What’s wrong with a transaction?” the man smiled. “We promise it will be within your capabilities and won’t violate Night Watch regulations. Completely reasonable.”
Lin Qiye fell silent.
Indeed, in a way, a transaction was more reassuring than a simple gift.
If what he said was true—helping the Baili family with something within his power and not against Night Watch rules—it didn’t seem like an excessive request.
Besides, this was Baili Pangpang’s family. If something ever happened to them, even without payment, Lin Qiye would likely help for Pangpang’s sake.
Thinking it through, the deal seemed fair.
“Alright, I accept,” Lin Qiye said, closing the black case and slinging it over his back.
Seeing him accept the [White Slash], the man’s smile brightened. He bowed deeply. “You and your team will forever be friends of the Baili family.”
When Lin Qiye stepped out of the room with [White Slash] on his back, the other three had already chosen their forbidden items.
Cao Yuan had picked a white Buddhist bead bracelet, An Qingyu held a square iron box of unknown purpose, and Jialan was admiring a vintage silver bracelet, clearly delighted.
“Looks like everyone’s made their choice. Let’s head to the venue,” the man said with a smile.
They left the collection hall with their chosen artifacts and took the elevator again—this time straight to the top floor, the 166th.
---
**Shangjing City.**
“Commander Ye.”
“Good morning, Commander Ye.”
Dressed in plain clothes, Ye Fan walked through the corridors of Night Watch headquarters. Staff greeted him as they passed, and he nodded in acknowledgment, continuing forward.
“So, you believe someone is targeting Baili Tuming and deliberately withheld his enlistment documents?” Zuo Qing asked thoughtfully beside him.
“Exactly,” Ye Fan nodded.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Zuo Qing frowned. “Baili Tuming is the heir to the Baili Group. If I were his rival, I’d want him to join a special team—too busy to manage the company, leaving it open for me to slowly take over. Better yet if he dies on a mission. Why go through the trouble of blocking his enlistment?”
“That’s what I don’t understand.”
They arrived at the archives door, presented their credentials, and entered.
The archives held many top-secret files, accessible only to Night Watch senior officials. It was much quieter inside. They passed rows of metal shelves packed with file folders and headed deeper.
“Another possibility,” Ye Fan said while searching the shelves, “is that Baili Xin himself withheld the documents. He’s an honorary Night Watch executive and Baili Tuming’s father. If he doesn’t want his son risking his life in a special team, it would explain why the application was held up.”
Zuo Qing stood before a shelf, lost in thought, then shook his head.
“You and I both know what Baili Xin is like—cold, ruthless, profit-driven. If his son joined a special team, it would give him more influence in high-level meetings and benefit the entire Baili Group. Why would he give up such gains just to protect his son’s life?”
“Hah…”
Ye Fan blew dust off a shelf layer, waving away the cloud, and slid his finger across stacked file folders, searching.
Finally, he stopped at a surprisingly new folder.
“The situation seems far more complicated than we thought,” he said, pulling out a folder labeled “Baili Tuming.” “Let’s start with his Night Watch file. From the day he joined, step by step—see where things went wrong.”
Zuo Qing nodded, eyes narrowing at the folder.
“Strange. This should’ve been here over two years. Why does it look so new?”
Ye Fan paused mid-unseal, frowned, and tore it open faster.
He pulled out a thick stack of papers and began flipping through. The moment his eyes landed on the first page, he froze.
A memory surfaced—of a chubby figure sitting on an ice boat out at sea.
His brows knitted tightly.
“How can this be? This is impossible…” he muttered, staring at the file in disbelief.
“What’s wrong?” Zuo Qing took the papers and skimmed through. “These documents look fine.”
“No, they’re not!” Ye Fan shook his head repeatedly. “Wrong. All of it is wrong…”
He strode to the back of the archives and pulled up Baili Tuming’s digital file on a computer. Scrolling rapidly, his expression darkened.
“When is the Baili family’s birthday banquet?” he asked Zuo Qing.
“Should be today,” Zuo Qing replied.
“Where’s the Fifth Reserve Team?”
“At the banquet,” Zuo Qing answered matter-of-factly. “You approved their leave yourself.”
“Damn it…”
Ye Fan shoved the file into Zuo Qing’s hands and said grimly, “I have an important meeting soon. Zuo Qing, go to Guangzhou for me.
If I’m right… the Baili Group is about to face a major crisis.”