boyutpedia Chapter 414 On the Eve of the Training Camp (Page 12)
Chapter 414 On the Eve of the Training Camp (Page 12)
Late at night at the 006 squad's base.
The moonlight, like water, spilled onto the silent rooftop.
Li Zhenzhen sat alone on the edge of a high-rise building, hugging her knees, her baseball jacket swaying gently in the night breeze.
She looked down at the brightly lit city below, her eyes slightly red, her fingers unconsciously stroking the small golden bow hanging around her neck.
"Everyone..." she murmured, her voice almost carried away by the wind, "I don't want to be separated..."
In the night sky, a black cat gracefully leaped onto the roof and sat down beside her, its golden cat eyes quietly watching her.
Li Zhenzhen reached out and stroked the black cat's head, forcing a smile: "Little Black, tell me... am I being too willful?"
The black cat meowed and rubbed against her palm.
The rooftop of another building not far away.
Yuan Gang stood silently behind his back, watching Li Zhenzhen's retreating figure. The night breeze ruffled the hem of his uniform, and this usually dignified high-ranking member of the Night Watch revealed a rare hint of gentleness in his eyes.
“This child…” he sighed softly.
Lin Qiye stood beside him, his black hair ruffled by the wind, his gaze deep: "Zhenzhen grew up with the 006 squad leader since she was little. To her, you are family."
“When we found her in the ruins, she was only this small…” He gestured to indicate her height, “but now she’s all grown up and can stand on her own.”
Then Yuan Gang smiled wryly: "Soon, our 006 team will be heading to the twelve checkpoints and fortresses of the Great Xia. She can't bear to leave, that's why she suddenly ran away from home."
A night breeze swept up a fallen leaf, which swirled in the air.
Lin Qiye gazed at the fallen leaf, seemingly reflecting on something: "This is the kind of growth that should happen."
Yuan Gang remained silent for a moment, then took a deep breath: "In a couple of days, it will be the new batch of Night Watchers' freshmen training camp, and we plan to have your Nightfall Squad as special instructors."
Lin Qiye was taken aback: "You mean the kind of characters from the Masked Squad we had during our training camp?"
Yuan Gang smiled and said, "The specifics haven't been finalized yet. I'll give you a more detailed explanation later."
Zhang Yun stretched and said, "Zhenzhen, although her abilities are special, still needs to be tempered. This separation may not be a bad thing for her."
Lin Qiye looked at the lonely figure in the distance and suddenly said, "I'll go talk to her."
Lin Qiye lightly leaped across the gap between the buildings and landed beside Li Zhenzhen.
"Watching the stars alone?" He sat down next to her.
Li Zhenzhen hurriedly wiped her eyes, trying to appear calm: "Brother Qiye? What brings you here?"
"Just checking in on some runaway kid." Lin Qiye smiled and pulled a strawberry lollipop from his pocket. "Here you go."
Li Zhenzhen took the candy and muttered softly, "I'm not a brat..."
The two sat in silence for a while, as the night breeze gently blew by.
"I heard you're going to break up?" Lin Qiye broke the silence first.
Li Zhenzhen's hand clenched tightly, the lollipop wrapper making a "crack" sound: "...Hmm."
"Fear?"
"No, that's not it!" she instinctively retorted, but her voice quickly lowered, "It's just..."
“I just can’t bear to part with it,” Lin Qiye finished for her, “just like when I left Cangnan back then.”
Li Zhenzhen turned to look at him: "Back then... were you sad?"
Lin Qiye gazed at the starry sky, his eyes distant: "It's sad. But some roads must be walked alone."
He pointed to the small golden bow around her neck: "Cupid chose you not so that you would forever hide behind your family."
Li Zhenzhen lowered her head and stroked the little bow, then suddenly asked, "Brother Qiye, you said... why is Cupid's power to make people fall in love?"
Lin Qiye pondered for a moment: "Perhaps it's because the most powerful force in this world has never been destruction..."
“It is the courage to protect what you love,” Li Zhenzhen added softly.
Lin Qiye glanced at her in surprise, then smiled: "It seems you already understood."
...
The next morning,
The entire 006 team gathered in the hall.
Li Zhenzhen walked in with her head down, her eyes still a little swollen.
Yuan Gang coughed and said, "Attention, everyone! Stand at attention!"
"Whoosh!" Everyone stood up straight.
Li Zhenzhen subconsciously straightened her back.
Yuan Gang walked up to her and suddenly took out an exquisite black quiver from behind his back: "Specially customized for Team 006, it can hold 100 Cupid's arrows and has an automatic replenishment function."
Zhang Zhengting smiled and handed over a brand-new uniform: "It has our team logo embroidered on it."
Others also stepped forward—
"Bulletproof baseball cap!"
"Specially designed athletic shoes!"
Strawberry-flavored energy bars!
Holding a huge pile of gifts, Li Zhenzhen finally couldn't hold back her tears and cried out, "Are you...are you trying to kick me out?"
Zhang Zhengting ruffled her hair: "Silly girl, it's so that wherever you go, you'll carry the strength of home with you."
...
airport.
The squads boarded the planes one after another and headed to different fortresses.
Li Zhenzhen carried a small bow on her back and dragged her suitcase, turning back every few steps.
Yuan Gang stood on the tarmac and suddenly shouted, "Squad 006!"
Everyone immediately turned around and stood at attention.
Remember! No matter how far apart we are—
"We're always together!" the team responded in unison, a traditional slogan of Squad 006.
Li Zhenzhen finally stopped crying and smiled, raising her small bow: "I will make all the 'mysteries' fall in love with this world!"
Everyone: "...No need!"
...
A green train bound for Beijing, in a hard-seat carriage.
The sound of wheels hitting the rails was dull and monotonous, and the carriage was filled with the mixed smell of instant noodles, sweat, and cheap tobacco.
The passengers were drowsy, with the occasional cry of a baby and a heavy cough from an elderly person.
A dark-haired boy sat quietly by the window. He was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a thin face and a coldness between his brows that was inconsistent with his age.
He was wearing a faded black hoodie, and on his back was a worn-out canvas backpack that seemed to contain something important, which he carefully protected in front of him.
Outside the window, the desolate fields rushed past, and the afterglow of the setting sun cast a dark golden halo on his profile.
His name is Lu Baoyou.
What he was clutching tightly in his hand was a crumpled application form for the Night Watch new recruit training camp.
"pat-"
A candy hit Lu Baoyou on the head and rolled onto his knees.
He slowly raised his head and looked across the aisle—a five or six-year-old boy was making faces at him, clutching another piece of candy in his hand, ready to throw it at him again.
Lu Baoyou frowned, didn't say anything, and simply put the candy back on the small table.
"Hehehe!" Seeing that he didn't react, the little boy became even more smug, climbed off his seat, ran to Lu Baoyou's side, and reached out to tug at his backpack strap. "Your bag is so tattered! Is it filled with trash?"
Lu Baoyou's fingertips tensed slightly, but she still didn't move.
"Xiao Bao! Stop fooling around!" a woman with curly hair and heavy makeup called out, but her tone was not very reproachful; instead, it carried a hint of indulgence. "His brother doesn't like being disturbed."
That's what she said, but she didn't get up to pull the child back at all.
Seeing that his mother didn't care, the little boy became even more brazen and reached out to rummage through Lu Baoyou's schoolbag: "Let me see!"
"Don't touch it." Lu Baoyou finally spoke, her voice low and cold.
The little boy was startled by his tone, but quickly mustered his courage: "I insist!"
As he spoke, he suddenly ripped open the button on his schoolbag and reached inside to rummage around.
Lu Baoyou's eyes suddenly turned cold.
"Thorn-"
The sound of paper tearing.
Lu Baoyou jumped to her feet and grabbed her backpack, but it was too late—
His application form for the Night Watchman was crumpled up by the little boy, with several tears along the edges.
The passengers in the carriage were attracted by the commotion and all looked over.
"What are you doing?!" Lu Baoyou stared at the little boy, her voice filled with suppressed anger.
The little boy was frightened and burst into tears.
"Hey! Why are you yelling at me!" The woman rushed over immediately, grabbed the child and hugged him tightly, shrilly and accusing, "He's just a child! You're a grown woman, why are you arguing with a kid?"
Lu Baoyou's breathing became slightly heavier, and her fists clenched and unclenched.
He glanced at the five or six-year-old child, then took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.
"Never mind," he said coldly, bending down to pick up the crumpled application form from the ground.
However, the woman persisted.
"What kind of attitude is that!" she shrieked, pointing at Lu Baoyou's nose. "Look at you, you scared my child to tears! You have no manners at all!"
The surrounding passengers began to whisper among themselves; some shook their heads, some frowned, but no one stood up to speak.
Seeing that someone was backing him up, the little boy cried even louder and took the opportunity to kick Lu Baoyou's schoolbag again: "You bad guy!"
Lu Baoyou paused in her movements.
He slowly straightened up, his eyes turning completely cold.
“I warned you,” he said.
The next second—
Lu Baoyou's pupils suddenly turned crimson red, like burning flames!
A scorching wave of heat emanated from him, causing the temperature inside the carriage to soar instantly!
The little boy's crying stopped abruptly, and he stared wide-eyed in terror.
The woman's scream was stuck in her throat, and her face turned deathly pale.
All the passengers froze, as if some invisible force had choked their breath.
“Monster…monster…” someone said, trembling.
Lu Baoyou looked coldly at the mother and son, a mocking smile curving her lips: "Now you know fear?"
The woman's legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, the child in her arms crying loudly.
“Bullying, bullying a child!” she stammered, her voice weak and unsteady.
Lu Baoyou scoffed, "So what if I bully you?"
He raised his hand—
"boom!!!"
A blazing pillar of fire erupted from his palm, like a roaring fire dragon, instantly engulfing the entire carriage!
The locomotive was consumed by flames, its metal frame twisted and melted, and the rails deformed under the intense heat.
The entire train came to a slow, screeching stop.
There was deathly silence in the carriage.
Everyone was so terrified that they forgot to breathe.
Lu Baoyou withdrew his hand, the redness in his eyes gradually fading. He bent down to pick up the application form from the ground, gently smoothed out the wrinkles, then slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked towards the connecting area between the carriages.
“Monster…monster…” the woman murmured to herself as she collapsed to the ground.
He jumped off the train and stepped into the desolate fields.
A night breeze swept by, dispelling the heat radiating from his body.
Lu Baoyou left without turning her head and said:
"Remember, not all silent people will remain silent forever."
.....
Shangjing city, late at night.
In an old tavern called "Zuiyuexuan", dim lights shone on the wooden bar, and the air was filled with the aroma of malt liquor and roasted meat.