Somewhere in Great Xia.
"Hm?"
King Mask, who had been searching for the whereabouts of a certain "Mystery," suddenly looked up in a certain direction.
"What is it, Captain?" Whirlwind asked beside him, puzzled.
"Nothing."
King Mask stared in that direction for a long while, then shook his head. "Maybe it was just an illusion..."
Rose shrugged. "What a letdown. I thought you'd found that 'Mystery,' Captain..."
"We only just started investigating. How could it be that fast?" King Mask said helplessly. "I'm not a god."
"Soon, soon." Balance began counting on his fingers. "Captain, you're already at the peak of Klein. You'll reach the Human Apex in just a year or two. Then, if you get a bit lucky and happen to break through that ceiling, wouldn't that make you a god?"
"...I'm not that amazing."
"Captain, you can't be so modest. You're Great Xia's greatest genius in decades!"
"What about Lin Qiye?"
"Uh... Captain, you're Great Xia's second-greatest genius in decades!"
"..."
"Once Captain becomes a god, we'll be Great Xia's first Special Squad with a deity watching over us." Whirlwind's eyes gradually lit up. "Then, if we want to take leave, would the Night Watchmen higher-ups dare refuse?"
"That makes sense." Balance nodded thoughtfully.
He turned around and solemnly patted King Mask on the shoulder. "Keep it up, Captain. Our freedom to take vacations depends entirely on you!"
King Mask: ...
"Quit talking nonsense." King Mask lightly tapped his head with the sheath of his blade. "If we don't flush out this 'Mystery' today, nobody gets to sleep!"
Great Xia's border.
The mist.
Chen Han protected the heart as he stood at the edge of the shattered city, frowning at the hazy mist ahead with an extremely grave expression.
"Senior Chen Han, that was..." Lu Yu