The Forsaken's Revenge

On the other end of Yanjing, at the Long Family estate, Long Ying gazed out the window with Long Lin standing by his side.

"Haven't you always wanted to know what the Night Watch does? Those things in the sky are called malevolent spirits, and the Night Watch exists to deal with such monsters."

After speaking, he turned to Long Lin. "We originally had a 'Seed' contingency. When this day arrived, we were to send a portion of humanity into space to drift among the stars. I was supposed to have a place, but…"

He sighed and faced her again. "Have you ever thought about becoming a Night Watcher?"

Long Lin was slightly startled, not understanding why her grandfather would suddenly ask such a question. But she quickly put on a happy expression and answered, "I'm always ready!"

"Then let's set off now," Long Ying said. "I'll take you to the Gatekeeper!"

***

In Lin Hai, which was still a bustling city.

It was Wednesday, and people were at work as usual inside the Hanyu Corporation building.

Lei Bin walked to a window and stared at the shimmering lights in the sky.

He bit his lip, walked over to his desk, and slammed a button. "Emergency alert! Emergency alert! Issue the command immediately! Everyone is to stop work, gather their family and friends, and evacuate Lin Hai as swiftly as possible! Get out of the city! Flee to the outskirts or hide in the forests! Go now!"

His words sent a shockwave through the Hanyu Group, but the higher-ups quickly took control of the situation and pushed the order through.

At the same time, Liu Yu appeared outside another office door.

Seeing the spectacle in the sky, she shuddered, a cold sweat breaking out on her back. Of course, she recognized it. She had seen the look of pure terror on Chen Zheng's face during the meteor shower that night.

Remembering Chen Zheng's solemn words, she immediately ran out of her room and burst into Ye Anjing's office. He was sitting there drinking tea, looking completely lost. He had clearly heard Lei Bin's announcement but hadn't given it much thought, planning to stay until the end of the workday.

"Uncle, come with me, now!" Liu Yu urged.

"Huh?" Ye Anjing was startled. "Is there a problem with the company?"

"A great war is upon us!" Liu Yu declared.

Ye Anjing paused, then looked out the window. Lin Hai seemed the same as always, aside from a few extra stars in the sky. Nothing else was amiss. "You rascal," he said with a helpless sigh, "are you still playing at war?"

"Shut up and follow me." Liu Yu had no time to argue. She rushed over to Ye Anjing and began dragging him toward the exit.

Ye Anjing furrowed his brow, but then he recalled that Lei Bin had given them permission to leave early, so he stopped overthinking it and left the company with Liu Yu.

As they walked, Liu Yu said to him, "Second Uncle, if you have other family or friends, tell them to meet us. I'll lead the way."

"Liu Yu, should I take you to a hospital for a check-up?" Ye Anjing asked, his face full of concern.

Liu Yu bit her lip. She knew it was too late for explanations. She pulled Ye Anjing into her car, planning to take him to the Night Watch headquarters first. They could explain what was happening there.

She drove straight home, only feeling a slight sense of relief when she pulled up to her door.

Chen Xiao was standing there, and he appeared before Liu Yu as she got out.

"Brother Xiao, are Gu Xiaobai and the others here?" Liu Yu asked as she approached.

Chen Xiao sighed. "No. Ever since that thing appeared in the sky, Gu Xiaobai, Li Qiu, and the others already left. It's just me, Doctor Qu, and Yin Rou. We were supposed to take them to the Night Watch camp, but they refused. Doctor Qu is trying to persuade Chen Zheng's family now."

Indeed, the situation was just too incredible for most to believe. Even now, many people thought it was just a strange spectacle.

Ye Anjing frowned, sensing something was seriously wrong. "Liu Yu, what exactly is happening?"

"Come on, let's talk inside!" Liu Yu said, pulling him into the house.

Outside, the lights in the sky continued to draw closer, growing ever larger.

「Jiangcheng.」

This wasn't a large city. Chen Zheng had lived here peacefully for three years.

On the streets, some people were using their phones to film the bizarre phenomenon in the sky, while others continued their shopping.

At the same time, inside an office building in Jiangcheng, Lin Qian and Lin Xue were working. Jiang Zhennan had assigned them tasks, and Lin Qian had come to Lin Xue's company to chat.

"Qian Qian, a sales director at my company is pursuing you," Lin Xue said with a smile. "I think he's a good guy. Why won't you say yes?"

"Not interested," Lin Qian replied with a bitter smile. "Ever since I found out how rich Chen Zheng is, my standards have somehow gotten a lot higher. What if, you know?"

"I know what you mean," Lin Xue said, her own smile tinged with bitterness. "If we hadn't treated him so poorly back then, I could have married a rich man when he lost his memory and enjoyed this sweet life with him!"

She stared out the window at the lights that looked like falling meteors, her eyes filled with resentment.

"What's past is past," Lin Qian said, shaking her head. "Sister, is it just me, or does it look like one of those stars is getting closer to us?"

Lin Xue looked out the window, her brows knitting together tightly.

BOOM!

At that exact moment, she felt the windows all around them begin to shake violently.

BOOM!

A beam of blue light shot out from an adjacent building, slamming into the ground with a thunderous roar. The entire building they were in trembled from the impact.

"Ah!" Lin Qian suddenly pointed down below, her voice trembling with terror. "Sister, look! What is that thing?!"

Lin Xue followed her gaze. A massive crater had formed where the object had struck. Lying inside it was a strange, blue entity that was now, impossibly, rising to its feet like a person.

"For all who still live!"

Suddenly, an angry shout erupted nearby. A dozen figures dressed in black charged directly toward the crater. They surrounded the blue creature, and one of them, a high-ranking Martial Artist wielding two long swords, led the attack.

The Night Watch legions had already dispersed across the globe. Jiangcheng didn't have any top-tier operatives; this was just a single squad, and now every member was charging into battle.

On the second floor, Lin Qian and Lin Xue had seen members of the Night Watch before and immediately recognized their uniforms.

"Get out! Leave this area! Everyone move to open ground!" Jiang Zhennan yelled from his office.

He didn't recognize the creature, but he understood that something monumental was happening. Mobilizing so many Night Watchers was clearly no small matter. He knew their protocol was to never operate with civilians present. The fact that they were doing so now, in front of so many people, meant the situation had spiraled beyond their control.

Jiang Zhennan was no pushover. He immediately began ordering everyone to head for open space.

Shaken by his shouts, Lin Xue and Lin Qian scrambled out into the hallway, only to find the area by the elevators already packed with people.

Most of them, however, simply looked lost and confused. They didn't know what was going on, but a growing sense of dread was replacing the casual calm they had felt just moments before while taking pictures on their phones.