Night's Nomenclature
Chapter 397: Amulet

Night fell silent.

Si Yue and May, clad in black cloaks, stood on the street.

Si Yue dejectedly called San Yue: “Boss, could you send some more people over? We’ve been working overtime so much lately. We were just eating hot pot, and suddenly this high-level battle broke out. We didn’t even finish our hot pot…”

San Yue: “Which hot pot restaurant?”

Si Yue recalled: “Fuwei Ju on Lindong Road in District 4.”

San Yue: “That one’s not good. Next time, go to the Monster Hot Pot Restaurant opposite; they don’t use old pot bottoms, and they’re more generous with the spices.”

Spices are very expensive in the Federation; most businesses aren’t willing to use too much. A pound of synthetic protein costs four dollars, but a pound of onions, ginger, and garlic can cost tens of dollars.

Generally, residents grow some chives and coriander in pots at home, but with such cramped living spaces, it’s difficult to meet daily needs.

So some people dry the chives they grow and soak them in water to make dumplings for important occasions.

Si Yue suddenly felt something was wrong: “Boss, the point of my call wasn’t about hot pot.”

“No support, handle it yourself,” San Yue said calmly, “There won’t be any deaths of B-Class personnel or above in that area.”

“But there are so many of them!” Si Yue lamented, “It’s just May and me here; we’re too busy to even get enough sleep.”

“It’ll be fine after a while,” San Yue said.

Si Yue sighed; this Boss was always so calm and collected, impossible to convince.

After hanging up the phone, Si Yue suddenly said to May: “What if we apprehend Qing Chen? That way we won’t be so tired.”

“No way, we can’t lay a hand on him according to the rules,” May laughed, “Alright, let’s get to work.”

Fendou Road was now deserted, only Sun Chuci and others cautiously approaching.

Si Yue looked at Sun Chuci curiously; she didn’t know why, but she found this young man particularly pleasing to the eye.

She thought for a moment and asked: “What are you guys doing here? Aren’t you afraid of dying?”

Sun Chuci looked at the corpses on the ground, forcing himself to remain calm: “Someone asked us to collect some weapons and equipment; they said there are a lot here, all free…”

Si Yue was stunned: “Then go ahead and collect them.”

As she spoke, she pulled out a fountain pen from her sleeve and gently tapped it on a corpse. The corpse turned into ashes and scattered in the air.

Sun Chuci was stunned. The brand-new red pen in Si Yue’s hand looked like the magic wand of a magical fairy, only with an indescribable eerieness.

Si Yue glanced at him: “Hurry up and collect them; everything on the ground is yours. The Garrison Troops will be here to clean up the battlefield soon.”

The person who asked Sun Chuci to collect weapons was Qing Chen.

The teenager, remembering Sun Chuci’s words about needing money to update his equipment and having a tight budget for the New Year, decided to give these hardworking Zheng City Time Travelers a little something.

The number of firearms on Fendou Road was far greater than expected.

Sun Chuci and his group had obediently stayed at the barbecue restaurant, only hearing the gunshots but unaware of what was happening.

Now, the carnage on the battlefield made Sun Chuci wonder about Qing Chen’s identity, being able to orchestrate this level of battle in City 10.

City 10 was the capital of the Federation, after all.

Sun Chuci stopped thinking and turned to Tuanzi: “Quickly bring our car over; these weapons won’t fit in one vehicle.”

Tuanzi had lost his initial fear and was filled with joy.

A member of the hunting team whispered to Sun Chuci: “By clinging to such a big shot, can we become an organization like Daybreak?”

Sun Chuci pondered: “It’s a bit difficult, but we can try.”

In a private club in District 2, Yan Chunmi was sitting in a booth, holding a glass of crimson “Hellhound” cocktail.

She whispered: “Did you hear about what happened on Fendou Road?”

Behind her in the booth, a young man chuckled: “Such a big event, of course we heard. Our new Boss is really amazing, fooling Shendai Koshima around, and even bringing Qing Zhou back.”

Yan Chunmi calmly said: “The Boss didn’t bring back Qing Zhou; as far as I know, Qing Zhun, who once served under the Shadow Master as a Kestrel, received Shendai Jingbian, and the Boss is using Shendai Jingbian to exchange for Qing Mu’s return.”

The young man behind her was stunned, a hint of excitement in his expression.

Yan Chunmi continued: “Don’t get too excited; you should have noticed that our new Boss isn’t an ordinary person, and the Shadow Master’s support for him is also immense. However, the problem is that, despite such a major event tonight, the Boss still didn’t let us take action. This is a lack of trust in us.”

The young man was silent for a moment: “What should we do?”

“Don’t let yourselves be marginalized. If a Kestrel is marginalized, the only outcome is elimination,” Yan Chunmi stated, “Give me 24 hours to keep a close watch on Qing Xing. The Boss wants his whereabouts and the unknown Forbidden Artifact in his possession. If we mess this up, you and I will be relegated to the cold palace.”

The young man pondered: “But Qing Xing also has twelve Kestrels.”

Qing Xing is also a member of the Secret Spy Agency, so conventionally, Qing Xing would also have twelve Kestrels; these are battle-hardened intelligence officers skilled in reconnaissance, counter-reconnaissance, assassination, infiltration, and disguise.

Yan Chunmi said coldly: “We can’t worry about Kestrel or not now; the Boss wants to support Qing Yi’s victory, so there will inevitably be a clash between us and Qing Xing’s Kestrels. Find Qing Xing’s Kestrels and eliminate them.”

The young man said: “The identities of Kestrels vary; this is a bit difficult. Maybe the Boss has one by his side right now.”

“If there were no difficulties, how could we demonstrate our loyalty to the Boss?” Yan Chunmi drained the crimson liquid in her glass, “We also need to show the Boss that his Kestrels are useful. And don’t worry about the Shadow Candidate’s Kestrels attacking the Boss. At this juncture, the Boss bringing Qing Mu home is his amulet. Anyone who attacks him is against the entire Qing Family intelligence system.”

Shadow gave Qing Chen more than just the loyalty of the intelligence system; he gave Qing Chen a politically correct identity.

Due to Intelligence Bureau One’s large-scale arrests of its own officials, many within the Qing Family faction are already dissatisfied with Qing Chen.

Many Shadow Candidates would also want to eliminate Qing Yi’s protector.

However, the moment Intelligence Bureau One announced that they would bring Qing Mu home, any internal dissent within the Qing Family had to be extinguished.

Killing Qing Chen would be tantamount to being an enemy of the Qing Family intelligence system.

…

…

Countdown: 88:00:00.

8 am.

Qing Chen suddenly felt free.

The matter of bringing Qing Mu home was still far off; the Shendai Family would need at least ten days to react and make a decision.

So he didn’t need to worry about that for now.

For Intelligence Bureau One, Qing Chen used the shattering of the Shendai-Koshima intelligence alliance as his three fires for a new official taking office, burning the entire Intelligence Bureau One into a mess.

Currently, it’s time to lie low. It’s better for Intelligence Bureau One agents to stay in the large office for Cultivation than to go out and cause trouble.

The last thing is to deal with the Shadow Succession.

Qing Chen no longer cares about the Forbidden Artifact ACE-008 ‘Shadow Gate’, instead focusing on the unknown Forbidden Artifact in Qing Xing’s possession.

After all, the condition for containing the Shadow Gate is eternal singlehood; Qing Chen doesn’t have a partner, but he needs to leave himself a way out.

This thing is not something to be trifled with!

But seizing Qing Xing’s Forbidden Artifact requires careful planning; he needs to wait for the Kestrels to gather the intelligence first.

Therefore, Qing Chen became one of the most leisurely people in City 10.

He didn’t have breakfast in District 5 because the street food was too bad. He went to District 3; they have freshly ground soy milk, fried dough sticks, tofu pudding, fragrant beef noodles, and white porridge.

These are considered luxury goods for Federation residents.

Qing Chen wouldn’t deliberately eat bad food and tell himself it was a testament to his perseverance.

One should enjoy life in the city!

If not in the city, then when in the wilderness?

Last night, Qing Chen heard from Shadow that the fourth round of the Shadow Succession would be in the wilderness; there would be plenty of time to suffer then.

But something was strange today.

Qing Chen sat in the bun shop and ate two beef buns and a bowl of tofu pudding. As he got up to pay at the counter, he heard the Boss chuckle softly: “Officer Qing Chen, you don’t need to pay; consider it our treat.”

Qing Chen was stunned.

The bun shop Boss was chubby, wearing white armbands and an apron.

He looked like an honest businessman.

But he quickly realized that this was also an informant in the Qing Family intelligence system!

Qing Chen glanced around; no one noticed him, so he whispered: “No need to treat me; it’s what I should do.”

But the bun shop Boss shook his head: “When Officer Qing Mu was in the North, I was also a Kestrel under his command. After his arrest, the previous Shadow Master transferred us back. Now that we hear Officer Qing Mu has a chance to return home, I couldn’t sleep last night with excitement.”

Secret Spy Agency spies also have superiors; for example, in the North, a Qing Family’s non-home turf, a supervisor is needed.

Qing Chen suddenly understood; although Qing Mu was arrested, most of Qing Mu’s subordinates were still alive.

They might still be acting as spies, informants, or Kestrels.

Currently, these people are the most grateful to Qing Chen. If Qing Chen ever takes control of the Secret Spy Agency, these people will become his most loyal direct subordinates.

Qing Chen sighed inwardly; the Shadow Master made a good deal; this move calculated countless people.

But, as Shadow said, whether Shadow genuinely wants to bring Qing Mu back doesn’t matter; Qing Chen’s sincerity does.

He glanced at the bun shop Boss and whispered: “Thank you.”

Qing Chen left the bun shop and walked towards Intelligence Bureau One. As he walked, for some reason, he felt moved.

Because along the way, people were secretly nodding and saluting him subtly in places where no one noticed.

Then they would pretend to be ordinary passersby and leave, continuing their work.

Of course, many more people just looked at Qing Chen earnestly, but Qing Chen could see the sincerity in their eyes.

These were the unsung informants, spies, and Kestrels in the Qing Family intelligence system. Doing this violated confidentiality, but everyone was uncontrollably excited after hearing the news of Qing Mu’s possible return.

Qing Chen thought, if someone deliberately followed him to collect information today, many intelligence officers would be exposed…

Luckily, he confirmed that no one was watching him.

He arrived at the third floor of Intelligence Bureau One.

As soon as Qing Chen entered, he saw the agents sitting at their desks in the large office on the third floor stand up: “Good morning, Boss!”

One agent even shouted, shouting until he was almost short of breath.

At this moment, Chen Sai, the Supervisor of Team 6, who was passing by the third-floor entrance while going upstairs, happened to hear the shout.

He was startled when the shout started, and after realizing he had lost his composure, he muttered and quickly tidied his tie before going upstairs.

In fact, Chen Sai also felt a bit emotional; when would he be the Boss, and his subordinates would have such cohesion?

This is probably a scene that all those in high positions dream of, but it’s very difficult to achieve.

At this time, Qing Chen stood in the large office, looked at all the agents, and calmly said: “No more of this formalism; cultivate diligently while sitting on the ground. Before the actual task of welcoming Officer Qing Mu back, none of you are allowed to run around anymore.”

…

…

At this moment, two off-road vehicles were heading towards City 10.

There were six people in the vehicles, departing from City 18 at 4 am and finally seeing the outline of City 10 at 9 am.

The next moment, a fat man in the car looked at the city appearing on the horizon and excitedly said: “Home Families, we’re about to go to City 10, this new place, to embrace more Home Families!”

After saying this, the passengers in the car cheered, as if Columbus had discovered a new continent.

There is a vast new world and a new beginning here.

But a family member also worriedly asked: “Old Luo, are there any Mechanical God Sect people in City 10? Will they still hunt us down?”

Luo Wanya, sitting in the passenger seat, smiled and said: “Don’t worry, I have other plans. If the Mechanical God Sect wants to attack us in this city, they will have a bad time… We are just returning to a big family; the Mechanical God Sect has no right to dictate to us. No one can separate Home Families!”

“Yes,” the car was filled with passionate voices, with a hint of grievance, “We are with the Home Families; what did we do to provoke them, that they would hunt us down!”

In these two cars were the “Golden Family” members of Home Families; below gold are purple, blue, green, and white.

In this system, only Luo Wanya is a ‘black family member’, the highest ranking in the Guardians’ Union.

Besides Luo Wanya, the other five people in the car either have a talent for developing family members, being eloquent and persuasive,

or have unique talents in Cultivation, cultivating extremely fast.

One day’s Cultivation is equivalent to ten days for others; they are truly extraordinary.

In fact, Qing Chen wasn’t surprised that there were Cultivation geniuses in Home Families.

After all, Home Families is so large; casting a wide net will always find a few.

This time, Qing Chen notified Luo Wanya to come.

On the one hand, it was to help Luo Wanya escape the Mechanical God Sect’s pursuit, and on the other hand, it was to expand his territory.

If the Mechanical God Sect hunts down Luo Wanya in City 10, it’s hard to say who will kill whom.

At this time, someone also worried to Luo Wanya: “However, we don’t have the protection of Home Families in City 10. We don’t know anyone here. If the Mechanical God Sect finds us, we don’t even have a family to shelter us. Moreover, it means we have to start over in this city.”

Luo Wanya smiled and encouraged: “Do you know what a new beginning means for Home Families? It means that the residents of the whole city will be potential members of our new family. There is no water in the desert, but the desert is the most thirsty. Those Home Families are waiting to return to our big family!”

The Home Families in the car cheered again.

Soon, the two cars arrived at the border tunnel of City 10, waiting for quarantine inspection.

Home Families became nervous; they didn’t have official visas to come here.

It wasn’t impossible to obtain visas; it could be done with money, and there were wealthy people in Home Families.

However, once an official visa is obtained, the information about their arrival in City 10 will be recorded in the Federation’s networked information; people from the Mechanical God Sect in the Federation government can quickly track them down.

Among the five Golden Family members in the car, two were being hunted down by the Mechanical God Sect.

Home Families watched as the soldiers from the Exit-Entry Administration Bureau approached, but Luo Wanya calmly said: “Call Li Menglin over.”

The soldier was stunned, and Li Menglin, with his beer belly, came running over shortly after.

Luo Wanya said: “Come closer and speak.”

Li Menglin’s Face^[-] changed, but he still bent down to the car window.

Luo Wanya whispered: “Team 7.”

Li Menglin immediately straightened up: “It’s the officer; my apologies for the late welcome. Next time, please use the express lane directly; I will record your license plate number in the system, and the gate will open automatically upon detection.”

Luo Wanya calmly said: “Okay, that’s all, you can go.”

The Home Families in the back were amazed; no wonder Old Luo wanted them to come to City 10; it turns out that Home Families has a backer in City 10!

Thinking of this, everyone cheered again.

“Old Luo, do we have family in City 10?” a Golden Family member asked.

Luo Wanya pondered: “This is not family, it’s a Leader…”

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