# 806
Chapter 807: "Star Ocean" Investiture
"Pfft—!!"
Nearby, Jialan, who had just taken a sip of juice, spat it out forcefully.
Shen Qingzhu, sitting next to An Qingyu, had his chopsticks frozen mid-air as he was about to grab some food. He casually put his hand down and quietly pricked up his ears...
The entire dining table fell silent.
"You... had a son?!" Baili Pangpang's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Qiye... you..."
"Stop right there!" Lin Qiye was so startled he immediately set down his chopsticks. He turned to look at An Qingyu, his mouth twitching uncontrollably. "What are you talking about? How could I secretly have a child out there?"
"But..." An Qingyu pushed up her glasses. "On that young man, I sensed the same aura as you..."
"Aura?"
"Yes. Within his body, I felt a very familiar... golden power." An Qingyu paused, then continued. "This power formed his body, seeped into his soul, intertwined with his bloodline...
From a genetic perspective, there's a very high probability he really is your son."
Lin Qiye was stunned.
"Wait." Lin Qiye grabbed Jialan's fist beside him and continued asking. "How old is that young man?"
"He looks around fourteen or fifteen."
"Fourteen or fifteen!" Lin Qiye was speechless. "I'm only twenty-two this year. How could I have a fourteen or fifteen-year-old child? Did I... when I was seven..."
Jialan: Σ(дlll)！！！！
An Qingyu thought carefully. "It does seem... not quite adding up?"
"Can't rule out the possibility that Qiye likes to drive a big car though." Cao Yuan seriously added.
Lin Qiye: ...
"That young man is very strange." An Qingyu recalled carefully. "On his body, besides human aura, there's also the soul of a strange cat..."
"Qingyu, what are you talking about?" Baili Pangpang was confused. "Human, cat, golden energy... what exactly is that thing?"
"To be honest, I can't figure out what kind of existence he is either." An Qingyu shrugged. "But I can sense that the cat's soul on him isn't a species from the mortal world... it carries a hint of divine essence."
Divine?
Upon hearing this word, for some reason, Lin Qiye suddenly recalled what Shao Pingge had told him earlier... the medium.
Some Divine Beasts with special relationships to Great Xia gods can also become a medium between the deity and their agent.
Could that young man, like Shao Pingge, also be an agent of a Great Xia god?
But... why does his body carry Lin Qiye's own bloodline aura?
Lin Qiye was completely puzzled.
After several rounds of drinks, the two squads had finished all the food on the table, and the night grew deeper.
"Alright, it's getting late. Everyone should rest early." Shao Pingge calmly rose from his seat. As if remembering something, he reminded Lin Qiye:
"By the way, your investiture ceremony is ready. See you at the Night Watch headquarters at eight tomorrow morning."
...
The next day.
A stretched Lincoln slowly pulled up at the entrance of Night Watch headquarters.
Lin Qiye and the others stepped out of the car and walked straight toward the main gate. At this moment, someone was already waiting at the entrance with a case in hand.
"Captain Lin." The staff member, seeing Lin Qiye and the others arrive, respectfully bowed slightly. "The cloaks custom-made for your squad are ready. Please put them on."
Unlike the investiture ceremony at the training camp, the "Star Ocean" medal investiture was a very solemn and serious occasion. As a newly formed special squad, they needed to don cloaks representing their squad. To make it in time, Night Watch's logistics department had been working day and night, finally completing these seven cloaks.
He opened the case. Seven deep crimson cloaks lay spotlessly in the center of the case, emitting a faint glow under the sunlight.
Although the main color was red, these seven cloaks were different from the ordinary Night Watch dark red cloaks. The color was deeper, and combined with the special texture, it didn't appear gloomy at all—instead, it carried a hint of vitality.
"Wouldn't this color be too understated?" The staff member said with some concern. "If the lighting isn't sufficient, it would look pretty much the same as the ordinary Night Watch dark red cloaks..."
"It doesn't matter." Lin Qiye picked up the cloak and smiled slightly. "Special squads are still Night Watch at the end of the day, just with special responsibilities.
Just like this deep crimson, it derives from dark red but is different from it... It's the outlier in dark red."
Lin Qiye and the others found their respective cloaks and draped them over their shoulders. They stood at the entrance of Night Watch headquarters, smiled at each other, and walked side by side through the gate.
...
Night Watch Headquarters.
Investiture Platform.
On a solemn and dignified platform, Shao Pingge draped in an ordinary dark red cloak, Straight Blade hanging at his waist, stood at the center. His gaze swept across the crowd seated below.
Originally, the "Star Ocean" medal investiture ceremony required the Night Watch Commander-in-Chief to personally confer the medal. But since it was wartime and the situation was special, Zuo Qing needed to guard Jialin Pass and couldn't return, so Shao Pingge had to stand in temporarily.
Currently, Shao Pingge was also an important figure among Night Watch's high command, second only to Zuo Qing. Having him host this investiture ceremony naturally raised no objections.
He stood in the center and slowly began to speak:
"Today, I've gathered everyone here for what I believe you all already know...
Since the modern establishment of Night Watch, 'Star Ocean' level investitures have not been conducted many times. And conferring two 'Star Ocean' medals at once is a first. I'm honored to stand here, representing Commander Zuo for the investiture..."
Shao Pingge proceeded step by step through the investiture ceremony process.
In the corner of the audience seating below, seven unremarkable young people sat together, quietly yawning.
"Captain, after all these years, why hasn't the headquarters' investiture ceremony evolved at all? It's always so formal like this. It's making me sleepy..." Xuanwo rubbed his sleepy eyes and complained.
Beside him, Tianping, also dressed in casual clothes, rolled his eyes.
"What? Want a warm-up show before the investiture? Should we book a girl group to dance for you? The investiture is a solemn and dignified occasion, not a variety show for you."
Most of the audience present, except for a few, had no idea that these seven young people sitting in the corner were actually the [Mask] Squad—having removed their masks and changed into civilian clothes.