Lin Xueyin really enjoyed life in the Grace Class.
She could spend time with kids her own age and learn a lot.
Even though she was born in the Underground City, Aunt Fei had taught her so much that Xueyin had a solid foundation.
Xueyin was very clever.
At first, there was a bit of bullying and exclusion in the class, but Xueyin never complained.
She fought back with brains and guts, not shrinking back even a little.
How could a bunch of kids from the city outfight someone from the Underground?
In no time, she became the new queen bee, commanding everyone with a word.
She was full of swagger.
Aside from not liking to do homework, she thought Grace Class was practically perfect.
When Li Xin came home and opened the door, his mind was still turning over the contents of the newspaper.
He had read a lot, trying to dig out information that might be useful, like something about Grand Chancellor Luther Potter—maybe there would be a breakthrough with him.
...?
In front of him stood a beautiful, elegant young woman.
She wore a finely tailored black dress that bared her snowy shoulders, her collarbones smooth and delicate.
Her chest was full and tantalizing, with just a hint of cleavage that made her mature charm overflow.
A red belt cinched her slender waist perfectly, making her nearly irresistible.
The beautiful woman was smiling brightly at him.
Li Xin quickly scratched his head and said, “Sorry, sorry, wrong door.”
Embarrassed, Li Xin turned to leave immediately.
He'd been thinking so hard about other things that he walked into the wrong house.
Almost at the doorstep, he paused.
Huh?
This courtyard looked awfully familiar.
Maybe all the housing blocks looked alike in the residential complex?
He hadn’t really paid much attention to the neighbors before.
Standing at the door, he checked the house number.
5-17?
He rubbed his eyes.
It was definitely 5-17.
It was his house.
Did someone come over to visit?
Li Xin returned, suspicious.
Maybe it was a neighbor dropping by?
He opened the door again.
The beautiful noblewoman’s smile grew even warmer...
Wait a second, why did she look a little like Aunt Fei?
“What’s wrong? Don’t recognize me?” Lin Fei said, looking very pleased with herself.
Around the corner, Lin Xueyin was covering her mouth, practically crying from laughter.
???
What the hell~!
“Aunt Fei, did you swap heads or something?”
Li Xin knew Aunt Fei wasn’t ugly—she’d just been too rough and careless back in the Underground City.
But this was insane!
Plastic surgery wouldn’t even pull this off.
“You little brat, mocking me, are you?!”
She grabbed him by the ear and dragged him inside.
“Easy, easy—gentle! You’re a lady now, remember? A lady!”
“And you know what a lady is, huh?”
Lin Fei snorted.
“How do I look? There’s a neighbor hosting a banquet in a few days. They invited me.”
“Haha! Aunt Fei, you’re gonna steal the whole show! No doubt about it!”
Li Xin gave a big thumbs-up without hesitation.
Lin Fei smiled faintly.
“At least you know how to talk. Get ready—I’m making dinner.”
Saying that, she went back to her room to change.
Lin Fei’s natural beauty had always been there.
Living underground actually kept her skin pale, away from the harsh sunlight.
After a few days of care, her complexion had bounced back quickly, turning into a glowing, delicate shade of porcelain.
That outfit was the only one she had kept.
She hadn't actually intended to wear it to the banquet.
Back in the Underground, she used to apply rough makeup and wear her hair messy and half-covered, shouting and hollering like a madwoman.
It really did help avoid trouble.
Even after moving to the city, she had taken some time to adjust before returning to her old appearance.
Sometimes when she looked in the mirror, she barely recognized herself.
By dinner time that evening, Li Xin was still a bit dizzy.
His head was spinning.
It was just too much to adapt to—a familiar person suddenly changing so much.
Should he look or not?
“Ah Xin, you look so dumb.”
Lin Xueyin laughed.
“Why do you keep staring at Mom and me?”
“Cough, cough. Nothing... It’s just that a mystery that's bugged me for years finally has an answer.”
Lin Xueyin: ?
The next day, Night Watchmen Headquarters.
Kurt had just finished leading a mission and returned with his squad.
Besides Awakened fighters, the Night Watchmen had plenty of field agents who mostly gathered intelligence and could fight a little if needed—but their main job was scouting.
When Kurt got back, he heard he had been assigned a new recruit—young, too.
No captain liked getting stuck with rookies.
Too much trouble.
But they said this kid was brought back personally by the Chief.
Whether he liked it or not, he had to deal with it.
Li Xin was reading the newspaper.
There was an interesting article quoting Grand Chancellor Luther Potter:
“No one is truly unique, no matter where you come from.”
Kurt, sipping tea and eyeing the newspaper-reading boy, raised an eyebrow.
Rumor was this kid was the Chief’s “big nephew.”
Big nephew, huh?
The Chief was a loner—bet he’s an illegitimate son or something...
Not that they looked much alike.
“Li Xin.”
Li Xin looked up.
Facing a medium-built man radiating pure killing intent and power, he quickly stood and saluted.
“Hello, Captain!”
“You know me?”
“Yes, Captain. Sister Casey showed me your photo before. Made a deep impression,” Li Xin said.
In this world, there were Hextech cameras, though they were said to be expensive.
Kurt nodded.
He’d been planning to give the boy a hard time, but somehow the words stuck in his throat.
This kid spoke really well—saying a lot while somehow saying nothing at all.
Still, this wasn’t a game.
If the kid’s skills were trash, Kurt would definitely bring it up with the Chief.
First-line Night Watchmen didn’t carry dead weight—and the job was dangerous as hell.
He wasn’t running a daycare.
It’d be better if the kid realized he wasn’t cut out for it and quit on his own.
“I just got back from a mission.
I heard from Mo Feng that you passed basic training.
I’m here to do your assessment.
In the Night Watchmen’s operations team, missions are extremely dangerous.
If you don't meet the standard, you’ll go back to wherever you came from.
Got it?”
Kurt said coolly—laying it all out.
“Yes, Captain.
If I can't meet the standard, I’ll withdraw myself,” Li Xin replied.
“Not bad.
You’ve even got a little bit of that old Luo Jin pride from his younger days.
Come with me.”
Kurt led Li Xin to the training ground.
When they arrived, there were a lot of people around.
Mo Feng, the limping drunkard, was there too, along with a whole crowd clearly there to watch.
Damn it, Kurt thought.
These bastards were here to laugh at him.
Probably because the others had refused, and he’d been away on assignment, so they shoved the kid on him.
Everyone hated having a "favor recruit" dumped on the front line.
Yeah, that had to be it.
Normally, squad members were handpicked by their captains—usually outstanding Order Academy graduates or experts recommended by the Church.
There was no “train new recruits” system in the Night Watchmen.
“Old Mo, I’m borrowing your field for a newbie test.
You know the rules—if he passes, he’s mine.
If not, he’s back to you.”
Kurt said.
Mo Feng rolled his eyes and glared.
“Big Tooth, are you questioning my training standards?”
Big Tooth was Kurt’s nickname—only other captains dared call him that.
Kurt snorted coldly—no need to answer.
They were all screwing him over.
This kid had barely arrived and spent most of his time drinking tea and reading newspapers—that was called training?
“You’re either drunk or asleep half the time.
I’ve got to take responsibility for the safety of my squad.
That’s my duty as a captain,” Kurt said, pulling the rank card.
Hearing Kurt bring out the official speech, Mo Feng got annoyed.
“Big Tooth, I may drink, but I never screw up a mission.
Don’t forget I trained your ass back in the day.
Now you’re lecturing me?
Count yourself lucky you’re even getting him, and quit acting so damn righteous.”
Kurt frowned.
He wasn’t wrong.
Mo Feng did have seniority, and maybe the drinking dulled some pain.
Kurt didn’t argue further.
“Rules are rules.
Kario, you handle the shooting test,” Kurt said.
A tall, athletic figure stepped forward...
Wait—a guy?
A girl?
Li Xin couldn’t tell right away.
The buzz cut was cool, but there was a slight chest curve... not big, though.
He didn’t say anything rash.
“Captain, let’s do marble shooting,” Kario suggested.
The voice was a little neutral—but definitely a girl.
“Alright.”
Kurt flicked five silver marbles into the air.
Pop-pop-pop-pop—BANG!
In a flash, Kario drew her gun and fired lightning-fast, hitting all five marbles dead center before they even touched the ground.
The Hextech Anti-Demon Rifle was holstered again as smoothly as it had come out.
Cool as hell.
At some point, Casey had dragged a chair over and was casually munching on sunflower seeds, watching the show.
Today, she wore knight boots and a sharp little suit, looking fierce and dashing—if only the seeds didn't ruin the vibe.
Everyone buzzed with excitement.
Kario’s marksmanship was legendary even among Night Watchmen.
She was a true specialist with the Anti-Demon Rifle.
“Your turn.
Hit all the marbles before they touch the ground,” Kurt said coolly.
“Kurt, you shameless bastard!
Who uses that as a newbie test?”
Mo Feng jeered, swinging his bottle.
Kurt ignored him.
He only looked at Li Xin.
Li Xin immediately nodded.
“Yes, Captain.”
He pulled out his own Anti-Demon Rifle, taking a strange two-handed stance that made the onlookers murmur.
Yeah, weird stance.
They had tried it themselves—didn’t feel right.
But Li Xin’s shooting had always been weirdly accurate.
Still, hitting steel marbles was different from hitting stationary targets.
“You’re allowed one empty shot,” Kurt said, watching Li Xin’s odd posture.
Then he tossed the five steel balls into the air.
Pop-pop-pop-pop—BANG!
Another five rapid shots.
It wasn’t quite as elegant as Kario’s, but every shot hit dead on.
...
Kurt hadn’t expected that.
It wasn’t just the accuracy.
It was that calm, steady face.
That Night Watchman kind of calm.
“Captain, this kid’s interesting.
I want to spar with him—just friendly practice,” Kario said, excited.
She couldn’t figure out how someone could shoot so fast and accurate with that weird stance.
(End of Chapter)