# 478
Chapter 478 – Mixer
By the time Zhou Ping and Huang Yuande walked out of the factory, every member of Team 009—except Jiang Liu—had been laid out on a flat patch of ground.
The few “River” realms drained by [Eternal Secret Garden] couldn’t move at all, and Shan Mei had been knocked cold by Jialan. The five of them were lined up in front of the gate like mannequins, the scene indescribably surreal.
When they saw Huang Yuande stroll out intact, thermos cup in hand, Jiang Liu and the others stared.
“Captain! You’re really okay?!”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Huang Yuande waved it off, sweeping his gaze over the bodies with a look that said he’d expected nothing less. “All a misunderstanding…”
Lin Qiye helped Jiang Liu over and apologized. “Captain Huang, I’m sorry—we were too rash…”
“Don’t say that, Captain Lin.” Huang Yuande’s mouth curved upward. “Getting to spar with the future fifth special team? For them, it’s a golden opportunity.”
“Fifth special team?” Jiang Liu’s eyes bulged. He glanced at the figures still wearing Journey-to-the-West masks and enlightenment dawned.
No wonder we were crushed.
Six against five—no, the guy in the Sha Wujing mask never moved—six against four, and in under three minutes we were wiped…
A one-sided slaughter.
If they’re a special team, of course we’d get mauled.
“Our official status hasn’t been restored yet,” Lin Qiye said wryly.
“With your strength it’s only a matter of time. The higher-ups sent Sword Saint himself to train you—do you really think they’ll let you fade away? And I’m guessing none of you even went all-out?”
Lin Qiye smiled without answering.
Of course they hadn’t.
Baili Pangpang had only used Disarm twice and never showed a single forbidden artifact. Cao Yuan never drew his blade. Jialan never opened [Celestial Gate]. An Qingyu only acted once. Lin Qiye himself never used [White Slash] or [Prayer Abyss]…
They’d maybe shown a third of their power.
If they’d gone full throttle, Team 009 would’ve been erased from the Great Xia Night Watch roster in under a minute.
Naturally, that truth couldn’t be spoken aloud—it would shred what remained of their pride.
“Captain Lin, we aren’t your only target, are we?” Huang Yuande asked.
“Correct. Xining is our first stop. We’re scheduled to train against Teams 006, 007, 008, and 009,” Lin Qiye admitted.
“I see.” Huang Yuande nodded. “With your level, beating Team 008 in Lintang should be easy. Team 007 in Huaihai has one ‘Klein’ and one ‘Infinity’—if the Klein doesn’t intervene you might win…
But Shangjing City has one ‘Klein’ and two ‘Infinity’ realms. Are you confident?”
“We’ll take it step by step.”
Lin Qiye knew exactly how strong those two cities’ Night Watch branches were—beneath the special teams themselves, they were the ceiling. The squad could crush 009, but against those two, victory was far from guaranteed.
Fortunately, this was only training; headquarters didn’t demand outright victory. In other words, they were allowed to lose.
But who likes losing?
“One more thing…” Huang Yuande couldn’t help asking. “Are you planning to kidnap every city’s Night Watch captain and force their teams to fight, like today?”
“That is a problem��” Lin Qiye massaged his temples.
Ye Fan’s original intent was for Zhou Ping to practice social skills, but the man couldn’t even hold a normal conversation, let alone negotiate. How to approach the remaining teams was a headache.
“Tell you what—Li Hong, captain of Lintang’s Night Watch, was in the same training camp intake as me. We’re close. I’ll give him a heads-up; when you arrive you can spar normally. How’s that?” Huang Yuande offered after a moment.
Lin Qiye’s eyes lit up. “That would be perfect—thank you, Captain Huang.”
“No need. Once you become the fifth special team and Xining’s in trouble, we’ll be counting on you.” Huang Yuande chuckled. “I’ll call Li Hong when I get back. Stay in Xining tonight; both teams’ll have a barbecue, clear the air, and you can head off tomorrow.”
“Then we’ll impose on your hospitality.”
…
Night.
Huang Yuande had rented two barbecue pits in the park. Members of both teams gathered; the atmosphere was relaxed.
“Little brother, how old are you?” Shan Mei stood across the grill, eyes fixed on An Qingyu’s gentle, fair face, voice soft. The fire painted her cheeks red.
An Qingyu, turning a fish, adjusted his glasses and smiled politely. “Twenty.”
“Twenty…” Her smile bloomed. “You look so scholarly. Guess how old I am?”
He glanced at her. “Twenty-five.”
“Haha, wrong—actually I’m only twenty-three…”
“No, you’re twenty-five.” His lenses flashed with intellectual light. “Born mid-September 1996.”
“…How could you know that?”
Naturally he didn’t explain he could see the essence of things; he only smiled mysteriously. “I read fortunes.”
“So amazing?” Shan Mei leaned closer, eyes shy. “Little brother, ever been in love?”
“…No.”
“I haven’t either. How about we—”
“You’ve had four relationships.”
“…”
Not far away.
Baili Pangpang and Cao Yuan rinsed vegetables at a table, side-eyeing the exchange.
“Someone’s actually hitting on Little Yu. Isn’t she afraid of being dissected in bed one night?”
Cao Yuan pondered. “He’d sew the incision neatly—she might never notice…”
“True enough.”