# 791
Chapter 792: The Savior
"You two return to Shangjing. There are two things you need to do.
First, go to headquarters and register your Fifth Special Squad's information, including the squad name, squad leader, deputy squad leader, and other details. You'll also need to order your squad's cloaks and communication equipment, and optionally select a dedicated aircraft for your squad... if you need one.
Second, there's the medal ceremony."
Zuo Qing continued, "What you did in Japan's 'Human Enclosure' has already spread through the upper levels of the Night Watch. A 'Starry Sea' medal is already a certainty.
As for this catastrophic beast tide, it was only because you held Sunken Dragon Pass alone that a catastrophe was averted. This feat alone is enough to earn a second 'Starry Sea' medal. However, since this just happened, it might take some time for the paperwork to go through. You'll need to stay in Shangjing for a couple more days so both medals can be awarded together."
Two "Starry Sea" medals in one go?
Beside them, the members of the [Phoenix] squad turned their heads, their eyes filled with envy as they looked at Lin Qiye and the others.
Since the [Phoenix] squad's establishment, they had plenty of "Starry" medals, but not a single "Starry Sea" medal... It's not that [Phoenix] was weak, but rather that there simply hadn't been an opportunity to earn a "Starry Sea" medal.
To obtain a Starry Sea medal, one must have corresponding achievements.
Such opportunities for earning accolades don't come often. For example, the beast tide from half a year ago—there was one, but Wang Mian turned the tide with his own strength. This time, although another beast tide appeared, the [Nightfall] squad swooped in and claimed the credit.
As for entering the "Human Enclosure" and turning it upside down, that was even more impossible for the [Phoenix] squad to achieve.
They weren't lacking the strength to earn a Starry Sea medal. It was purely bad luck.
"So does that make us the only active special squad with two 'Starry Sea' medals?" Baili Pangpang asked excitedly.
Xia Simeng paused, then smiled and said, "No, not quite... The beast tide from half a year ago, the [Mask] squad earned another 'Starry Sea' medal. Plus one from many years ago, the [Mask] also has two Starry Sea medals."
Baili Pangpang's mouth twitched, and his enthusiasm immediately waned.
"By the way, I have a question..." Lin Qiye looked up at Zuo Qing. Recalling how Xia Simeng had addressed him earlier, he hesitated for a moment before asking:
"Where did Commander Ye go?"
A breeze swept across the sea of blood. Zuo Qing's gaze hardened, and he fell into silence.
...
Half a day later.
Lin Qiye sat atop the shattered steel wall of Sunken Dragon Pass, staring at the distant horizon like a statue, utterly motionless.
The waves had calmed, the night retreated, and the sky had returned to its original color. The dusky sunset scattered like broken gold across the pink sea surface, stretching Lin Qiye's silhouette into a long shadow.
Suddenly, someone patted his shoulder from behind and handed him a bottle of beer.
In the sunset light, the orange-yellow liquid inside the glass bottle swayed gently. Fine bubbles rose from the bottom, floated up, burst, and vanished without a trace.
Lin Qiye took the beer, was silent for a moment, then took a hard swig.
Cao Yuan, also holding a bottle of beer, sat down beside Lin Qiye and sighed helplessly.
"I know what you're thinking." Cao Yuan turned to look at him. "Trading his life was Commander Ye's own choice. Even though you were the one who brought back that heart, it doesn't mean you're responsible for Commander Ye's death."
"...I know." Lin Qiye held the bottle, his voice somewhat hoarse. "But he didn't have to trade his life. The seal on the Goddess of Night has no time limit. Even if it took a few hundred years, the Sword Saint Elder's heart would still be beating. During that long span of time, perhaps... another solution could have been found—one that wouldn't require trading a life to resurrect the Sword Saint Elder.
If I had been able to return to Great Xia in time to tell him this, maybe he wouldn't have died."
Cao Yuan studied Lin Qiye's profile, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
"You tried your best, Qiye." Cao Yuan sighed. "If you hadn't led us into the mist and taken that risk, the Sword Saint Elder might never have taken that step. If not for you, the Sword Saint Elder might have already dissolved into nothing...
We're only mortals after all. We can't be omniscient or omnipotent. As you said, we just need to protect the people within this night that we can reach."
Lin Qiye said nothing. He simply sat on the wall, raised his bottle, and took another swig.
"The one who should be suffering the most from Commander Ye's sacrifice is me." Cao Yuan spoke slowly. "If not for him, I would still be locked up in the deepest part of the Purification Chamber, caged like a beast. Not to mention joining the Night Watch and then entering [Nightfall]...
I didn't want him to die either. After all, he was my benefactor. He was the Commander-in-Chief of Great Xia's Night Watch, the one who sowed the seeds for this era.
But since this was his choice, we should respect it, not wallow in regret over our own perceived inaction."
Lin Qiye was stunned.
Just then, a vessel approached from the north and sailed into the shattered Sunken Dragon Pass. Several figures carried a stretcher down from the ship and passed by Lin Qiye and the others.
The stretcher was covered with a dark red cloak, hiding the lifeless body beneath. Beside the person's hand lay a sheathed Straight Blade.
Lin Qiye's spiritual power swept over the stretcher. Once he saw the face beneath the cloak, his eyes slightly narrowed.
"This is..."
As the stretcher passed them, Lin Qiye spoke up.
Among the stretcher-bearers, Fang Zuo's eyes flickered with deep sorrow as he explained: "This is the acting commander of Sunken Dragon Pass, deputy squad leader of the original Squad 066, Lu Qiu. In order to transmit the beast tide intelligence as quickly as possible, he activated the 'Ghost God Guide' to drain his life force. In the end, he sacrificed himself at the forefront of the Dragon-Slaying Pass.
The people at Dragon-Slaying Pass sent his body back. We're preparing to收拾好 his remains and personal effects, then transport them back to the mainland... for burial."
Lin Qiye and Cao Yuan exchanged a glance, both falling silent.
That face, of course they recognized it.
If Lu Qiu hadn't risked everything to transmit the intelligence, Lin Qiye and the others wouldn't have appeared at Sunken Dragon Pass. Great Xia's reinforcements wouldn't have arrived so quickly. The catastrophe might have already swept across the mainland, causing incalculable damage...
In most people's eyes, the [Nightfall] squad that descended from the sky was the savior. But very few people knew that the one who truly saved this pass and averted the catastrophe was a Night Watch officer named Lu Qiu.