Chapter 1 The Attack

The man slouched in the chair, wearing a cowboy hat that didn't quite fit.

The boy looked like he was in middle school, with a cute face, but his nonchalant eyes hinted at a world-weariness that made you want to punch him.

When General Chen walked in, the two remained in their listless poses, but when they noticed the female adjutant following behind General Chen, they straightened up slightly, showing considerable respect.

After the female adjutant entered, she casually took off her coat, draped it over the back of the chair, walked to the head of the long table, and sat down. General Chen sat on her right.

The female adjutant was naturally Lin Wan'er. She rubbed the sides of her nose and casually glanced at the middle school-aged boy, "Report what we know so far."

Number 13 put away his cards, straightened up slightly, and said in a mature tone, "The Night Watchers who attacked us at dawn totaled thirteen, divided into two teams, with clear divisions of labor. The first team had ten members, all Rank A. After quickly clearing the outer perimeter guards, they immediately retreated and set up a defensive line at a distance from the main battlefield to block any reinforcements that might arrive."

"And this second team was the real threat, heading straight for our command center." At this point, Number 13 paused his shuffling, and said seriously, "Two of the three were close to Rank S, and the leader was even stronger, nearly killing Number 7. He was definitely Rank S. If Number 2 hadn't arrived in time, we'd have to hold another funeral."

"No, two funerals," Number 13 pulled out a card, looked at it, put it back, and smiled wryly, "You all know, I'm good at fortune-telling, but when it comes to fighting, let's just say, if even one of them had gotten through, I'd basically be done for."

"I wouldn't have been a match for that guy either." Number 2 reached up and adjusted his cowboy hat, his face unusually serious. "The other side just didn't want to get bogged down and was focused on escaping. Otherwise, if we had kept fighting, the outcome would have been hard to say."

"Someone with power above Rank S, perhaps Number 1 and Number 6 could handle him." Number 2 looked up, a bandage visible near his ear, indicating he had also suffered some damage.

"There are only a few Night Watchers with that kind of strength. Can you identify him?" Lin Wan'er's voice remained calm. She was a very composed woman, with the bearing of a great general. Otherwise, no matter how much the higher-ups valued a woman, it would be difficult for her to gain the true respect of soldiers like General Chen.

Number 2 frowned, remained silent for a moment, and finally shook his head.

"Whoever it was, they're too arrogant, daring to attack the army in broad daylight!" General Chen trembled with anger at the thought of the carnage outside, wishing he could bring these people to justice immediately.

"They came at dawn," Number 13 blinked and said, "And they retreated before it got light."

"Don't be disrespectful to General Chen." Lin Wan'er casually reprimanded Number 13, who shrugged to show he knew he was wrong.

General Chen wouldn't really get angry with a teenager, especially since these people were powerful helpers. He was thinking about why the Night Watchers would choose to attack them at this time.

"Commissioner Lin," General Chen clenched his fists and placed them on the table, his thick brows furrowed, "I feel like this isn't so simple. The other side mobilized so many elites, making such a big commotion, could it just be to kill a few of us?"

Lin Wan'er looked at him and said calmly, "What, General Chen doesn't think this command post is tempting enough?"

"This…" General Chen hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's not that, but I think if I were a Night Watcher, I wouldn't do this." He paused and continued, "No offense, Commissioner Lin, but we soldiers are different from the family forces you're used to. We won't be frightened or lose morale just because a few people die. Even if I die, there will be General Li, General Wang, and many others to take my place and continue to lead the elimination plan against the Night Watchers. As long as the country needs it, this is inevitable."

When he said these words, the steadfastness General Chen displayed was moving. Wan Yuanning, in disguise, looked at General Chen and couldn't help but think of her grandfather.

"So General Chen believes that the Night Watchers came this time with other intentions?" Lin Wan'er asked.

General Chen nodded and said with certainty, "Definitely. So we need to start an investigation immediately. I think this is very important. As soon as we have results, we need to report to the higher-ups."

"Alright," Lin Wan'er agreed, "Leave this to us."

Hearing Lin Wan'er agree to investigate, General Chen breathed a sigh of relief. After all, he already had enough troubles to deal with and needed to coordinate many things. "Then I'll leave it to Commissioner Lin."

"Commissioner Lin, I need to deal with some things outside, so please excuse me for now." General Chen wasn't one for formalities and acted quickly, standing up as soon as he finished speaking. "Please notify me immediately once you have any results."

"Certainly," Lin Wan'er agreed.

Only after General Chen's footsteps had completely faded away did Lin Wan'er turn her head to look at Number 2, Number 13, and Wan Yuanning, who stood alone and seemed out of place due to being too normal.

Number 13 looked in the direction General Chen had left and sighed, "I didn't expect our General Chen to be so perceptive, that he actually noticed."

"The Night Watchers came for that thing." Number 2 lowered his voice, "I felt it as soon as we started fighting. Those people's goal wasn't to kill, but to find something. Otherwise, Number 7 wouldn't have lasted until I arrived."

"After realizing the thing wasn't in the command center, the three of them sent a signal and immediately retreated, not bothering to entangle with us." Number 2's reasoning was coherent, clearly having figured it out a long time ago, but he couldn't say it clearly with General Chen present.

"The thing must be kept secret, otherwise it won't be good no matter which side finds out about it." Lin Wan'er leaned back in her chair, making a final statement.

"Understood," Number 13 narrowed his eyes.

Number 2 nodded.

There were a total of four people inside the tent, and Wan Yuanning was the only one who was completely confused. She really wanted to ask what they were talking about, what was this thing that could attract so much attention and even draw the Night Watchers to snatch it.

Finally, curiosity got the better of her, and she asked in a very small voice, "Excuse me, Miss Lin, you all…"

"How are Number 7's injuries?" Lin Wan'er suddenly asked.

"She's already much better. General Chen found the best doctor." Number 2 naturally replied, "She's next door right now. After getting a shot, she's already asleep."

Lin Wan'er stood up and walked towards the exit, "I'll go see her."