# 453
Chapter 453 – I Just Want to Go Home
“How long is ‘temporarily’?” Lin Qiye asked, puzzled.
“No idea.” Zuo Qing shrugged. “Could be a year, could be three, could be never.”
Lin Qiye and the others exchanged glances. “Then what exactly is this ‘comprehensive education’? Moral-reform classes?”
“You don’t need to ask. Once you’re there, you’ll find out.”
“……”
“When will it end?” An Qingyu asked.
“Didn’t I just say? No fixed term. When your teacher thinks you’re done, you’re done.”
Lin Qiye’s eyes grew even more doubtful.
Since headquarters had revoked their qualification to become a special squad, why keep the team intact? Normally they’d be split up and reassigned.
And if they couldn’t take missions, why give them freedom of movement?
What determined whether the “temporary” cancellation became permanent?
Zuo Qing seemed to read his mind and said lightly, “How you interpret this verdict is up to you. All I can say is, Ye Fan and I fought tooth and nail to win you this chance…”
“I’ve got a question!”
Baili Pangpang suddenly raised his hand.
“Speak.”
“Can I re-apply to join the Fifth Reserve Team?” he asked cautiously.
Zuo Qing raised an eyebrow. “Fifth Reserve Team? That doesn’t exist anymore. But if you mean this nameless squad… of course.”
“Then I apply!” Baili Pangpang burst out. “I’ll write the application right now—I’m going to Huaihai with them!”
“Have you thought it through?” Zuo Qing’s expression turned odd. “Then I’d better tell you: Baili Xin and Baili Jing are both dead. The vast Baili Group is headless. Night Watch has restored your identity, so legally you’ve automatically inherited the entire Baili Group… Do you know what that means?”
Baili Pangpang froze.
The others’ mouths fell open in shock.
“You are now the helmsman of Great Xia’s largest conglomerate and the owner of the Forbidden Artifact Repository,” Zuo Qing said slowly.
“I… inherited the Baili Group?” Baili Pangpang stood dumbstruck.
“Strictly speaking, you can rename it whatever you like—Thousand-Li Group, Fatty Group—it’s your call. But if you choose to join this squad, you must give up the inheritance. Night Watch will take over both the group and the repository. You’d keep shareholder dividends, but lose all control. The repository would be folded into Night Watch’s system. Artifacts already in your hands won’t be reclaimed; the rest will be reallocated. So—inherit and become the richest man in Great Xia, or abandon everything for a nameless squad that may never be special again. Your choice.”
Baili Pangpang stood frozen, then opened his mouth. Lin Qiye slapped a hand over it.
“I think… you should think harder!” Lin Qiye said earnestly.
“Yeah, that’s the Baili Group plus hundreds of forbidden artifacts,” Cao Yuan couldn’t help adding.
Lin Qiye winked frantically.
Baili Pangpang yanked Lin Qiye’s hand away. “I choose the squad!!”
Lin Qiye: …
Zuo Qing beamed. “Great! I’ll start the paperwork to receive Baili—er, to process your enlistment!”
He paused. “You’ve dropped the name Baili Tuming, so what should I put on the forms?”
Baili Pangpang pondered. “Just… Baili Pangpang.”
Zuo Qing’s expression twitched, but he nodded.
“So when do we leave for Huaihai?” Lin Qiye asked.
Zuo Qing checked his watch.
“Now.”
……
Six hours later.
Huaihai City.
Clank-clank-clank…
A battered sixth-hand van lurched over ruts, swaying like a pirate ship. Loose fittings rattled.
In the back, Jialan went green, gripping the armrest—then snapped it off.
She stared at the broken piece.
Up front, Lin Qiye’s mouth twitched. “Night Watch has nothing better? We’re basically sailing.”
“We do, but you’ve lost all privileges. This wreck’s a favor from a friend.”
“At this speed I could walk faster.”
“Almost there.”
The van passed through checkpoints into a military zone and stopped before a warehouse-like building.
“Feels like training camp,” Cao Yuan said, stepping out.
“Worse facilities, just some guards,” Baili Pangpang muttered.
“They’re not protecting you,” Zuo Qing said. “They’re keeping you from sneaking out.”
Cao Yuan: …
“Until education ends and headquarters approves, you’re grounded.” Zuo Qing restarted the van. “Study hard. Don’t waste Ye Fan’s effort—he paid dearly to get your teacher…”
“Our teacher is…?”
“Tonight, you’ll meet.” He waved and rattled away.
Watching the van disappear, they sighed at the warehouse quarters.
“Let’s look inside.”
……
That night.
Bright moon, few stars.
A young man in a shirt, black sword-case on his back, stopped before the warehouse.
“Ye Fan said here, huh…” He sighed at his toes. “Such a pain… I just want to go home…”