Xuanqing Guard

At mid-1 a.m., deep into the night, most people are fast asleep.

But from the Beach Stone Transmission Array came waves of energy—evidence of an incoming teleportation request.

The garrison soldiers on night duty weren’t dozing off; they immediately called their comrades to help verify the source of the request.

"It’s a request from the Imperial City Military Department. Did you receive any documents about this earlier?"

"Nope. Double-check whether the code matches up?"

"It does—the Military Department’s emergency teleportation code. Wait... this is... top secret?!"

"What? Let me see!"

Then came a flurry of commotion. The night shift wasn’t about to drag their feet: while they followed procedure to connect with the incoming request, someone hurried off to rouse the chief defense officer in charge of the Transmission Array.

The one responsible for this section was none other than Captain Chen, who rushed over in a hurry—having just enough time to confirm the request code before calling the nearby soldiers to be alert and, very pointedly, not to gawk at whatever comes next. Then, a faint glow lit up the array—the teleportation was incoming.

"Boss, who do you think is coming? I’ve never seen a top-secret teleportation before."

"Shut up! It’s my first time too, you idiot."

He’d barely exchanged a word with his subordinate before the glow faded and more than a dozen figures materialized in the array. Yet, their attire wasn’t military at all—rather, it was a sea of pitch black robes, each bearing a dazzling red Taotie Pattern on the chest.

"Wait... Xuanqing Guard?! What... what’s going on?"

Captain Chen frowned slightly, motioning for his brothers to stay alert while he, flanked by two subordinates, stepped forward to meet the arrivals.

He quickly noticed that the leader was merely a Flag Officer. Top-secret teleportation, only a Flag Officer? Was something being delivered?

"Gentlemen, I am Chen Hao, Captain of Defense for the Beach Stone Transmission Array. Please present your documents and credentials." Instead of asking how they managed to use the military’s Transmission Array, Chen Hao preferred to check the paperwork first—such explanations should be on there.

The Flag Officer of Xuanqing Guard was no spring chicken, not tall, noticeably stocky, with a friendly grin; compared to other Xuanqing Guards Chen Hao had met, he seemed a lot easier to talk to.

"Sorry for the trouble—here are our documents. As this is a top-secret mission, Captain Chen, please see that your men don’t spread word of this."

"Heh, of course." Chen Hao accepted the paperwork and waist token, but after reading a few lines, his doubts grew.

Approval for Transmission Array use was indeed signed by the Ministry of War, but the signature wasn’t familiar to Chen Hao. As he examined the waist token, Chen Hao asked, "So, you’re Flag Officer Chen Tianwen? The paperwork is fine, but why isn’t the stamp from Lord Li, Chief Officer of the Allocation Department of the Ministry of War?"

"Lord Li of Allocation Department is temporarily unavailable for duty. Right now, Deputy Lord Liu is acting as chief, so the authorization stamp is from Lord Liu."

Chen Hao went on, "Did you make contact with anyone for this visit?"

This was a critical garrison area—especially in times like these, letting the Xuanqing Guard wander about was out of the question. Chen Hao’s questions looked routine, but they were really to probe the visitor, since no one had matched up with him beforehand. Behind the scenes, Chen Hao even prompted his men to heighten their alertness. Something about tonight felt off.

Chen Tianwen had expected this question, but his contact was already chosen before arrival. He produced another document from his Storage Bag and handed it over: "Captain Chen, your full name is Chen Hao, under Captain Xie Kai’s command, correct? This is an assistance request from the Xuanqing Guard Commander’s Office, plus Military Department authorization. Please review it. If there are no issues, hand over your duties and accompany us for the time being."

Chen Hao was dumbstruck... What in the world was happening?

He took the documents and authorization, a bit dazed—this one even had the stamp of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. It said to cooperate with an investigation... Since when did the military’s internal affairs require the Xuanqing Guard’s intervention?

Suddenly, Chen Hao recalled recent Xuanqing Guard Inspectors involved in rooting out corruption. Was Xuanqing Guard here to make the military look bad?

"Don’t worry, Captain Chen. This is just assistance for an investigation—part of our mission. It’s nothing to do with you personally."

Nothing to do with me personally... so it’s indirect, huh? The Xuanqing Guard’s reputation is blood-soaked; you’re at my doorstep and you tell me not to worry?

Whatever Chen Hao felt—displeasure and unease—once he had those documents, he had no choice. Resistance meant insubordination. He had to comply with the Xuanqing Guard’s orders.

Reluctantly, he went through the power transfer process, handing control to Deputy General Wu Kai, who’d arrived in a hurry, to temporarily manage all areas inside and outside the Transmission Array. Afterward, Chen Hao left with Chen Tianwen.

Watching the dozen Xuanqing Guards and Chen Hao leave the Transmission Array perimeter, Wu Kai felt a chill: Are they about to make a move?

...

Not far from the Transmission Array, Chen Tianwen finally spoke: "Captain Chen, we’re headed to the fortification where Captain Xie is stationed. You know where it is, right? Can you guide us?"

"Uh, sure. This way."

Hearing Xie Kai’s name again, Chen Hao started weighing things in his mind. He figured the Xuanqing Guard must be here for Xie Kai. With that thought, he was still tense, but not quite as anxious. Besides, this Chen Tianwen Flag Officer seemed too smiley to be targeting him.

The group moved quickly and soon arrived at a fortification about two li west of the Transmission Array defense zone.

This fortification was like a small Military Camp: used as a stronghold in wartime, supporting neighboring positions in mutual defense. Usually, one or two Mixed Battalions were stationed inside.

"Halt! Identify yourselves, now!"

"Flag Officer Chen Tianwen of Xuanqing Guard’s Black Banner Battalion, here with Xuanqing Guard Commander’s Office and Military Department authorization to carry out official duties. Please open the gate and verify." According to protocol, Chen Tianwen stood three zhang from the gates, called out his intention, and raised his waist token to show his identity.

Hearing that it was the Xuanqing Guard—and with a joint authorization from the Commander’s Office and the Military Department? That’s enough to scare anyone!

The night shift soldiers didn’t dare make a rash decision. While keeping Chen Tianwen and his group steady outside, they hurried in to report.

After about half a stick of incense, the gates opened. A Deputy General led two Captains in to meet Chen Tianwen—including Captain Xie Kai, the man Chen Tianwen was seeking.

"So... you’re Flag Officer Chen? What’s your business?"

While handing over the paperwork, Chen Tianwen addressed the Deputy General: "We are here by order to request Captain Xie Kai’s assistance with an investigative mission."

"Xie Kai?"

Everyone’s gaze swept, all at once, to the still groggy Xie Kai standing off to the side.

Xie Kai was utterly stunned: Why are they here for me?!