Lin Qiye's brow furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Zhao Kongcheng smiled faintly and, unhurried, fished a cigarette out of his pocket. "Mind if I smoke?"
"I do."
Zhao Kongcheng: "…"
With a helpless look, Zhao Kongcheng put the cigarette back away and leaned against the back of the chair, a hint of reminiscence surfacing in his eyes.
"When I was young, I was just like you."
"Honestly, that's a pretty cliché way to start."
"…"
"It's fine. Go on."
"When I was six, my father died of illness. My mother worked two jobs on her own just to barely scrape by and raise me." Zhao Kongcheng's fingers rubbed against the cigarette pack as he spoke, his voice very calm.
"At that time, life moved at a slow pace. My mom's hopes for me were simple: finish high school properly, come back to be a village official, marry a local girl, have a few kids, and live a happy life together as a family.
You know how it is — teenagers always go through a rebellious phase.
When I graduated high school, my grades were pretty good. Going back to be a village official wouldn't have been hard, but I ignored her objections and insisted on joining the army.
To be honest, she didn't really object outright — she just looked a bit unhappy. The day I left home, she stood at the doorway, quietly watching me go. I walked down the path behind the house — she was still watching me. I reached the entrance of the village — she was still watching me…
Later, when I made it to the bus station in the city, I couldn't stop worrying, so I snuck back for another look… and found her still standing there, staring off in the direction I'd gone, in a daze.
Honestly, in that moment I really did think about just staying and not leaving. But in the end, I steeled myself and went off to be a soldier."
Zhao Kongcheng let out a long sigh and went on, "After that, my rank kept rising. I entered the special forces, and because I was good at close-quarters combat, I got transferred into the Night Watchers.
Later on, I took advantage of my leave to go back home and see my mom — only to find that…"
Zhao Kongcheng suddenly stopped there.
Lin Qiye asked cautiously, "Your mother… passed away?"
"No. She remarried."
Lin Qiye: …
"My mom worked herself half to death when she was young. Her body couldn't take it. She'd wanted me to go back to the village and be a village official so I could look after her, but back then I never thought that far. I chose the army instead.
Later on, she just couldn't keep going on her own anymore, so she married again — at least that way, when she got old, someone would be there to take care of her.
It's a pity that by then I'd already joined the Night Watchers and couldn't stay by her side to support her in her old age. To tell the truth, when I heard she was getting married, I actually felt relieved."
Lin Qiye was silent for a moment. "So what's the point of you telling me all this?"
Zhao Kongcheng slowly rose to his feet and met Lin Qiye's gaze. "All of us have things we hold dear. But as we grow, we get used to them being there. Little by little, we stop noticing them and let our attention get stolen by other things instead.
I was like that, back then. But you're different, Lin Qiye.
You're smarter than I was. More mature. You have your own ideas and you want to stay by your family's side and be with them.
That's a very good thing.
Since you've chosen this path, then walk it well.
As for protecting the world, leave that to people like us."
He turned, picked up the roll of kraft paper from the table, and held it out to Lin Qiye.
"Just now, I met your aunt. In times like these, people as decent as her are really rare. I know what your family's situation is right now. Take this money."
"I'm not taking it," Lin Qiye didn't hesitate in the slightest.
"I'm a Night Watcher. I'm not short on money."
"And I still don't want it."
"This is for your aunt. You have to take it."
"My aunt wouldn't accept it either."
The corner of Zhao Kongcheng's mouth twitched. He and Lin Qiye stared each other down for a long moment, neither willing to back off.
After a while, Zhao spoke again. "Lin Qiye… I'm getting old. I can't stand seeing the same kind of regret I once carried happen all over again in front of my eyes — even if it's happening to someone else."
"Then you can just close your eyes and not watch." Lin Qiye's tone was firm. "We may be poor, but we have our own bottom line. I'm not taking a soldier's money.
"Besides, my eyes are healed. I have abilities now. I won't let that kind of regret happen."
Zhao Kongcheng opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only gave a wry smile.
"Wouldn't it be better to take that money back and spend it on your wife and kid?" Lin Qiye said again.
"I told you, the Night Watchers' benefits are excellent. Even if I die on the battlefield, my wife and child will never have to worry about food or clothing, and they'll be able to attend good universities and have a bright future." Seeing he really couldn't convince Lin Qiye, Zhao Kongcheng could only tuck the kraft envelope back into his jacket.
"You don't have any dreams of your own, then?"
"My dreams?" Zhao sat back down, his brows rising. "Oh, I do. I've had one since I was a kid."
"What is it?"
"To become a general in the army! Then, with my chest covered in medals, I'd march back into the village in full dress uniform and let all those people who looked down on my mother see that her son… is a general." A brilliant light shone in Zhao Longcheng's eyes.
Lin Qiye was taken aback. For some reason, looking at the man in front of him, he suddenly thought of Li Yifei…
They were the same kind of person.
"So, did you ever make it?"
"No. I'm still a long way off." Zhao Kongcheng smiled bitterly. "And as a Night Watcher, I can't exactly stroll around in public with my medals on display. That dream… will probably always just be a dream."
Lin Qiye fell silent.
"All right. Since that's how it is, I should get going." Zhao Kongcheng stood up, walked up to Lin Qiye, and extended his right hand.
"Here's to you having a bright future, Lin Qiye."
Staring at Zhao's face, Lin Qiye suddenly felt it looked a lot less greasy than before…
He reached out and gripped the hand tightly. "Here's to the day you're covered in medals, General Zhao."
Zhao Kongcheng smiled, then turned and walked out of the room.
"Wait, your badge." Lin Qiye called after him, picking it up from the table and giving it a little shake.
Zhao Kongcheng slapped his forehead. "Look at my memory — I almost forgot! This thing is my life!"
He took the badge and flipped it over, as if suddenly remembering something. "Right, did you see the lines on the back?"
"I saw them."
"Well? Pretty cool, right?"
"Very cool. You wrote them?"
"No. That's the oath we swear when we join the Night Watchers." Zhao tossed the badge up like a coin, caught it neatly, then slipped it back into his pocket. "Still… I'm quite fond of it."
"Hold up."
"What now?"
"It's pouring out. Take the umbrella."
"Thanks. I'm not giving this one back."
"Go ahead, keep it. Think of it as… payment for guarding the earth."
"Interesting. All right, I'm really leaving this time."
"Goodbye."
With the black umbrella in hand, Zhao opened the door and stepped out. Lin Qiye stood by the window, silently watching him go.
Out in the rain, Zhao Kongcheng's fingers rubbed the badge in his pocket as he murmured softly:
"When darkness finally falls, I'll stand before thousands souls, with blade drawn against the abyss, and blood shall stain the heavens…"
***
The rain kept coming down, harder and harder.
With the umbrella shielding him from the rain, Zhao Kongcheng got into the black van and sat down. He fished a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, ready to savor a rare moment of peace.
Just then, his earpiece suddenly crackled to life.
A man's voice came through.
The hand holding his cigarette jerked violently, and his pupils tightened in shock.