Engraving the Stele

"Oh," Lin Qiye's expression was calm.

Wen Qimo looked at him in surprise, "Oh? That's it?"

"What else is there?"

"Don't you feel even a little bit of excitement, of your blood boiling?"

"I do, but only a little," Lin Qiye replied indifferently. "I'm not interested in promotions or anything like that."

Wen Qimo gave him a strange look. "I forgot you're the 'heretic' who's going to betray the Night Watchmen in ten years."

Lin Qiye didn't commit, and continued to ask, "According to you, these four special teams are the apex of Great Xia's combat power?"

"Of course not. They might be the apex of team combat power within the Night Watchmen, but they are definitely not the apex of Great Xia's combat power."

"You mean, in Great Xia, there are organizations similar to the Night Watchmen?"

"No, Great Xia only has one Night Watchmen, but above the Night Watchmen, there are five Human Apexes."

"Human Apexes?"

"As the name suggests, they are the peak combat power that humans can achieve. Because their strength is close to the ancient gods in myths, they are also called 'Demigods'."

"With mortal bodies, comparable to gods?"

"Although I know you're quoting classic movie lines, that's pretty much how it is." Wen Qimo looked up at the night sky, his eyes full of admiration.

"These five individuals are the pillars of humanity, and the only hope humanity can see in this vast, foggy world."

"Who are they?"

"I don't know. They are too far away from us. Few people have seen their appearances, though their names are known... there are some interesting rumors."

"What rumors?"

"These five Human Apexes are known as One Sword, One Rider, One Venerable, One Void, and One Master."

"Sword, Rider, Venerable, Void, Master... What kind of rumors are these? There's no useful information at all, is there?"

"It is said that our Night Watchmen's Supreme Commander is 'One Venerable' among these five Human Apexes, but... no one has seen him make a move for a very, very long time."

"I have a question."

"Ask away."

"Have humans ever... killed a god?" Lin Qiye pointed to the sky. "Not those strange Mythical Creatures, but the real ancient gods that exist in myths!"

Wen Qimo was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know, but I think... probably not...

In the vast fog, humanity is like blind lambs. We don't know what's happening in this world, and we don't know when the end will come.

In this era where the existence of gods has been confirmed, if humanity had truly killed a god, it would undoubtedly cause panic among all other gods. In that case, they would likely join forces to eliminate humanity first, making the situation humanity faces even more dire!"

Lin Qiye nodded. "I understand."

"Anything else you want to ask?"

Lin Qiye pondered for a moment, "Do temporary members get welfare subsidies?"

"...Yes."

"Then I have no other questions."

"So, you asked so many questions, and the last one is the only one you truly care about?"

"Of course," Lin Qiye nodded as if it were obvious. "Special teams, Human Apexes... those things are too far away from me. I prefer to keep my feet on the ground."

"Alright..." Wen Qimo turned his head and asked, "Are you tired?"

"Not tired."

"Then I'll take you somewhere."

"In the middle of the night... is that proper?"

"...It's proper." Wen Qimo's mouth twitched.

"Alright then," Lin Qiye added a reminder, "Don't forget, I'm still underage."

Wen Qimo: ...

A few minutes later, the car slowly stopped in a silent, deserted wilderness.

Lin Qiye opened the door and got out, looking around. His gaze towards Wen Qimo was filled with vigilance.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Wen Qimo silently rolled his eyes and pointed to a cemetery not far away. "Over there."

Lin Qiye followed the direction of his finger and fell silent.

He could vaguely guess why Wen Qimo had brought him here.

The two walked along the narrow path and soon reached the vicinity of the cemetery.

This cemetery was not large. Compared to the public cemetery on the outskirts of the city, this place was clearly much smaller. However, in terms of the craftsmanship of the tombstones and the spacing between them, it was far superior to ordinary public cemeteries.

The tombstones here seem more exquisite and orderly.

"Where is this..."

"The graveyard for the Night Watchmen stationed in Cangnan City," Wen Qimo said calmly. "Ever since the Great Xia Special Biological Response Team was officially transformed into 'Night Watchmen' in 1936, adopting a management system of one city, one team, this place has been designated as the final resting place for Cangnan City's Night Watchmen who died in battle.

Of course, this is just the default resting place. When each person officially joins a Night Watchmen team, they can specify whether they wish to be buried in the Night Watchmen cemetery, cremated, or buried back in their hometown, etc...

Back then, Zhao Kongcheng chose to be buried in the Night Watchmen cemetery. He said he had too much blood on him, and he was afraid of frightening his ancestors if he returned to the family graveyard."

As Wen Qimo spoke, a smile curved their lips, as if recalling Zhao Kongcheng saying this lightheartedly.

Lin Qiye silently looked at the rows of tombstones around him, his brow furrowing slightly. "So many..."

In this cemetery, there were at least sixty to seventy different tombstones, and the vast majority were new.

"It's been 85 years since 1936," Wen Qimo said with emotion. "At first, our sacrifices weren't that many. After all, not many Mythical Creatures appeared in each city every year, and even if they did, their strength wasn't high.

But as time went on, the speed at which Mythical Creatures descended became faster and faster, and their strength became more and more terrifying. Our casualties... also increased.

Nearly half of the tombstones you see here are from sacrifices made in the last twenty years.

Before Captain Chen Muye came to guard Cangnan City, it's said that two team members died here every year. Only after the Captain arrived did the death rate significantly decrease."

The image of the silent, black-clothed figure appeared in Lin Qiye's mind, and he couldn't help but feel admiration.

"But Zhao Kongcheng just died tonight, and his tombstone is already ready?" Lin Qiye suddenly thought of something and asked in confusion.

"No."

"Then why are we here..."

Wen Qimo raised a hand and pointed into the distance. "Look there."

Lin Qiye followed their gaze. In the dark cemetery, a faint light gradually became visible.

Under the dim light, Hong Ying sat by an empty plot, her eyes red. She held a blank tombstone in her arms, a carving pen in her right hand, and was meticulously engraving it.

Tears slid down her cheeks and onto the stone, only to be hastily wiped away.

At this moment, she was a far cry from her usual vibrant self.

"Didn't she say she was going to practice shooting?" Lin Qiye stared blankly at the scene.

"She lied," Wen Qimo shook their head. "The tombstones for Night Watchmen are carved by the deceased's teammates; it's an unwritten rule. Originally, I should have been the one to carve this stone.

Although she didn't say it, I actually knew very well that she was the one who most wanted to carve Zhao Kongcheng's tombstone.

Their relationship was very good, truly very good.

So, even though her lie was so flimsy, I still turned a blind eye and let her secretly carve the tombstone."

Lin Qiye and Wen Qimo stood quietly, watching Hong Ying engrossed in her carving, silent for a long time.

Under the hazy moonlight, In the silent graveyard, Only the carving knife in Hong Ying's hand let out a faint, mournful cry.

"Aren't we going to say hello?" After a while, Lin Qiye asked Wen Qimo.

"Going to say hello now would only embarrass her. She's too thin-skinned."

"But like this... it feels like we're perverts peeking at someone's private moment." Lin Qiye felt a bit awkward.

Wen Qimo turned to look at him, a smile appearing in their eyes.

"Do you think... we're the only 'perverts' peeking from the side?"