Mother and son

That same day, Qin Wu's body was sent back to his home in the Upper City.

Upon hearing the news, Qin Jie, chief of the Upper City's Third Security Office, dropped everything and rushed home as fast as he could.

He had still hoped he had simply misheard, but when he opened the door, the sobbing from the living room sent his heart plunging. The hair at his temples was pale yellow.

With heavy steps, he entered the living room. A refrigerated mortuary pod stood in its center. Beside it, his wife, a lavishly dressed woman, was weeping uncontrollably.

Two servants were holding her up. Otherwise, she would likely have collapsed to the floor.

On the other side, Qin Jie saw several officers from the Gathering Team, along with an unfamiliar man with a resolute face.

Qin Jie lunged straight at one of the Gathering Team officers, seized his collar, and demanded loudly, "What happened? Why is my son dead?!"

Sweat covered the officer's forehead as he tried to calm him. "Mr. Qin, please calm down and hear me out."

"I won't!" Qin Jie roared. "I just want to know how my son died!"

"Your son provoked an Ascender and threatened his life. He died when the Ascender lawfully fought back. Mr. Qin, please accept our condolences."

The resolute man standing nearby spoke.

Qin Jie's eyes were bloodshot. "Who are you?!"

The Gathering Team officer hurried to introduce him. "This is Officer Lin Yang, assistant to the Nightwalkers' chief of staff."

The officer glanced at Lin Yang. Only after the latter gave a slight nod did he continue, "The person Qin Wu provoked was a member of the Nightwalkers. That is why Officer Lin came with us to offer his condolences to the family."

"Pah!"

Qin Jie bellowed, "Even if my son provoked an Ascender, did he deserve to die? This isn't over! Even if you're the Nightwalkers, I'll take my complaint to the city lord's office!"

Lin Yang said evenly, "Mr. Qin, as I just explained, your son did not merely provoke someone. He pointed a gun at that person's head. The Fortress's laws stipulate that, under such circumstances, an Ascender has the right to retaliate without restriction."

"Furthermore, during the gathering mission, your son committed several offenses before that incident. He left his team without authorization, shot and wounded a teammate, and used him to lure the Children of Darkness so that he could escape. To put it bluntly, your son had a deplorable record. His death was no loss."

"However, since your son is already dead, the Fortress Military Command will not pursue his previous offenses, in accordance with the humanitarian principle of respecting the deceased. If you have any objections, you may lodge a complaint with the Fortress Military Command Judicial Office."

With that, Lin Yang bowed slightly. "Once again, my condolences. Goodbye."

He turned and walked away.

At the door, Lin Yang suddenly stopped. "Oh, one more thing, Mr. Qin. Besides offering condolences on behalf of the Nightwalkers, I also came to give you a word of advice. What's done is done. Let the past stay in the past."

Only then did he leave.

The Gathering Team officers took their leave one after another.

Once everyone had gone, Qin Jie let out a furious roar and began smashing the furniture and ornaments in the living room.

After venting his rage, he panted, "Let the past stay in the past? Is that a warning not to take revenge? The Nightwalkers certainly throw their weight around!"

His wife looked up. "Qin Jie, he was our only son. If you don't avenge him, you're not fit to call yourself a man!"

Qin Jie's face was grim, and he said nothing.

Shack 1837, Darkwater Road, Lower City.

Tianyang glanced guiltily at his mother. Nanfei stood at the window with her back to him, watching the water flow quietly through the channel outside.

After a while, she said, "So not only did you become an Ascender, you also joined the Nightwalkers?"

The boy nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, Mom. The Nightwalkers have already applied for an apartment for me. Once it's approved, we'll move. I've already thought it through. I'll rent you a place nearby, and I can visit you whenever I have time off. Also, I'll see if I can help Kaidi take over a bar in the Upper City."

"Then I'll be a shareholder in the bar. If you really have nowhere to go, you could work the till or something to pass the time."

"Oh," Nanfei said. "You've certainly thought it all through."

Tianyang scratched his head. "I guess so. What do you think? You're not against it, are you?"

"I am."

Nanfei's voice was calm. She turned around. "Tianyang, I want you to leave the Nightwalkers."

Tianyang froze for a moment. "Why?"

Nanfei bit her lip gently. "Just listen to me. I don't want to move, either. We're fine living here. All I want is for you to be safe."

Tianyang forced a smile. "Mom, I'm already an Ascender. I can give us a better life. Besides, of the Fortress's three legions-the Nightwalkers, Storm, and Iron Wall-the Nightwalkers offer the best benefits. I..."

Nanfei suddenly erupted. "I told you to quit! If you insist on joining the military, join Iron Wall! But not the Nightwalkers or Storm. I won't allow it!"

She rarely lost control like this. Tianyang had seldom seen her this way, and he tried to soothe her. "Mom, hear me out..."

"No, you hear me out!"

Nanfei seized her son's shoulders, her eyes a little bloodshot, and said fiercely, "If you still recognize me as your mother, go and quit the Nightwalkers right now!"

Unable to hold back any longer, Tianyang pushed her hands away. "Why should I?! Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore! Why do you never trust me? You were just like this when I wanted to join the Gathering Team! I really don't understand what's so bad about joining the military! Is it wrong for me to want a better life for us?"

He backed away two steps and shouted, "And every time I ask who my father really is, you always say I'm too young, that it isn't time yet. Tell me, isn't it because you're too controlling? You won't let me do this, won't let me do that. Is that why my dad couldn't stand you and ran away?!"

Smack!

Nanfei slapped the boy across the face. Her eyes reddened, and her whole body trembled slightly. "How could you say that?"

Holding his cheek, Tianyang huffed and stormed into his room.

Bang! The door slammed shut.

Nanfei started toward him, then stopped. At last, she sighed, walked out of the shack, crouched by the entrance, and lit a cigarette.

Tianyang's bedroom was tiny. There was a bed, with some books neatly stacked at its foot.

A brief overview of Fortress law, An overview of the Nine Great Classes, Rules for survival in the Inverse Realm, Ascender warfare-an analysis of classic battles...

The covers of nearly all these books were worn, and their pages had yellowed. They had been Tianyang's childhood companions. They had been there for as long as he could remember, but whenever he asked his mother where they came from, she never told him.

Tianyang privately suspected his father had left them behind. Judging by the handwriting, some of the annotations inside had clearly been written by a man.

Looking at them, Tianyang sighed. He regretted it. He should not have been so impulsive.

Raising a child in the Lower City was difficult. Tianyang knew just how much his mother had suffered over the years.

He still felt that Nanfei's demand for him to leave the Nightwalkers was unreasonable.

But the boy regretted speaking so harshly to his mother.

I'll apologize to her tomorrow.

Tianyang lay on his bed, thinking just that.

PS: I've seen the replies in the cameo character thread. I'll work them in later (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)