Xia Ye responded with a distracted “En” and hurriedly said goodbye to his sister.

Something was wrong.

Missions assigned by the Special Operations Department were always classified at the highest level. Even the mission briefings never specified what the actual assignment was. Members only learned the details after gathering at the designated location.

So how did Xia Zhi’s ‘classmate’ know the details so clearly?

The sky had darkened. The last trace of sunlight was sinking in the west, signalling the end of sunset.

A deep-blue night swept across the horizon, occupying the entire sky within seconds. A timeless full moon hung directly overhead, surrounded by scattered stars.

This was a system newly developed by the Alliance Environmental Management Bureau, supposedly capable of fully simulating the ecological environment of ancient Earth. It had recently been launched in District One.

People had stopped along the streets, admiring the bright full moon.

Xia Ye had little interest in it. He had watched documentaries left behind from the ancient-Earth era. Back then, the sky gradually dimmed along with the setting sun. It did not spread abruptly like ink. At a certain moment, the full moon and the sun would overlap, creating a breathtaking spectacle that could leave anyone utterly mesmerized.

The streets gradually grew busier. Neon lights of every color flickered in the dark alleyways, looking almost exactly like scenes from an old movie.

Beyond them stood towering white buildings that seemed to reach into the clouds, connected by countless transparent pipes as small spacecraft weaved between them.

The two completely different scenes intertwined, making it impossible to tell which era one was actually living in.

This was a new initiative recently introduced by the Alliance to completely recreate the living environment of ancient Earth. Its purpose was to improve humanity’s sense of happiness and prevent people from growing weary of life amid repeated outbreaks of extraterrestrial contamination.

Chi Zhou had dismissed the plan as ‘an unnecessary extravagance’, a sentiment Xia Ye wholeheartedly shared.

—

Xia Ye boarded an Alliance Express train at the school entrance. It took only five minutes to reach the Special Operations Department.

The Special Operations Department had a distinctly old-fashioned office. It was a three-story building that looked as though it had been taken straight from a documentary about ancient Earth. Situated in the center of District One, it looked completely out of place amid the surrounding steel forest brimming with advanced technology.

Xia Ye stood before the wrought-iron gate with its ornate patterns, staring at the wooden sign engraved with the words [Special Operations Department], and wondered if he had come to the wrong place.

He had seen the Alliance’s promotional videos. The Special Operations Department was an important part of them, known as the Alliance’s blade.

Everyone wore black suits and stood before floor-to-ceiling glass windows, with the distant sky stretching out behind them.

The Black Dragon roared in midair, resembling a scene straight out of an ancient-Earth legend.

It was completely different from what he was seeing now.

“You’re in the right place. Come in.”

Chi Zhou’s voice came through the intercom.

Xia Ye stared at the small white box mounted on the wall. “It’s so retro.”

“It’s rare to find someone who still recognizes this thing.” There was a smile in Chi Zhou’s voice. “You’re pretty retro yourself.”

Xia Ye silently walked into the Special Operations Department office.

Under Chi Zhou’s guidance, it was as if time had flowed backward inside the Special Operations Department, revealing the atmosphere of a police station from the ancient-Earth era.

The floor was covered with thick carpeting. Documents were piled across solid-wood desks, and there was even a Parker pen lying among them.

It was a one-to-one replica. Only after picking it up would one realize that it was actually a laser-cutting dagger.

“A new weapon developed by the research institute.” Chi Zhou said, noticing where he was looking. “I think it’s pretty useful.”

Xia Ye replied, “The design is interesting.”

Chi Zhou picked up the pen and walked over, slipping it into the breast pocket of Xia Ye’s shirt.

“Take it.” Chi Zhou said.

Xia Ye was a little uncomfortable with that. “I just got here. Wouldn’t this be inappropriate…?”

“What’s the big deal?” Chi Zhou smiled unconcernedly. “You’ll get used to it.”

He led Xia Ye to the center of the office and pointed at the documents, pencil sharpeners, pencils, and stainless-steel cups scattered around.

“All of these are weapons. Once you join the Special Operations Department, you can take whatever you want. Xia Ye, you should think of this place as home.”

Xia Ye silently nodded and accepted the pen.

It was difficult for him to describe how he felt.

After the extraterrestrial contamination in District Twelve, he had become completely estranged from the word ‘home’. Only Xia Zhi remained as an anchor, reminding him that warmth had once existed in his life.

The office of the Special Operations Department really did have that kind of feeling. The space was cramped, dimly lit, cluttered with things that seemed completely irrelevant, it was filled with the ancient-Earth atmosphere that no longer existed in this era. It closely resembled the apartment where he had lived as a child.

“You’re the youngest one in our team.” Chi Zhou said as he rummaged through the piles of documents for a while. “Here’s your onboarding training. Take a look. The others will be here soon.”

Xia Ye accepted the thick stack of documents, sat down on the sofa, and began reading carefully.

—

Calling it onboarding training was less accurate than calling it a life or death waiver.

The documents listed the types of missions the Special Operations Department was required to undertake, along with the benefits offered to its personnel. Xia Ye skimmed through them. The benefits were certainly good, but most people probably wouldn’t live long enough to enjoy them.

Far too many people had died on their very first mission, or chosen to leave the Special Operations Department afterward.

So much so that the Special Operations Department had not recruited a single new member in nearly ten years.

“Don’t worry.”

Chi Zhou silently sat down beside him.

“Stick with me. Nothing will happen to you.”

Xia Ye looked up at him.

He knew Chi Zhou meant it. After Chi Zhou joined the Special Operations Department, its casualty rate had dropped dramatically, eventually reaching zero in recent years.

Xia Ye closed the documents. “I know.”

He had never doubted Chi Zhou.

“You trust me that much?”

Chi Zhou looked somewhat surprised.

“En.” Xia Ye answered, “Always.”

Chi Zhou met his gaze. “You’re making me a little embarrassed.”

That was what he said, but there was not the slightest trace of embarrassment in his eyes. Chi Zhou was smiling, with something meaningful lurking beneath it.

“Well, look at that. Boss, you’re early today?” The office door was suddenly pushed open. “Is this the new guy? What’s his name?”

The newcomer had a head of bleached-blond hair and was chewing gum. He held out a hand toward Xia Ye.

“I’m Jian. Jian Feiyang. Team 1, Special Operations Department. Chi Zhou is my direct superior. And you?”

Perhaps because it had been so long since they had gotten a newcomer, Jian Feiyang was unusually talkative.

“Pretty delicate-looking. Why would you come here to suffer with us? Doesn’t the military academy assign graduates jobs anymore?”

Xia Ye reached out and gave his hand a perfunctory shake.

Jian Feiyang was exceptionally friendly. “Now that you’re with us, you’re one of us. Don’t worry, I’ll have your back from now on.”

Chi Zhou cleared his throat and introduced him.

“Xia Ye, an SSS-rank Dark Guide. He joined the Special Operations Department today. We’re heading to Longgu Town together later.”

Jian Feiyang immediately became serious. “So it’s you. I’ve heard about you for a while. Welcome, welcome.”

The day before, the Special Operations Department had even held a brief meeting regarding Xia Ye’s rank assessment. Jian Feiyang had just returned from a mission and had not been able to attend, which had left him especially curious.

As they talked, several more people gradually entered the office. After briefly introducing themselves to Xia Ye, the group prepared to depart.

Apart from Jian Feiyang, everyone else was a sentinel or guide who had already completed their pairing.

It was a highly elite squad.

—

“Longgu Town is a village under the jurisdiction of District Ten. It’s fairly remote, and it’ll take about three hours to drive there from here.”

In the passenger seat, Ying Jiawei rapidly flipped through the documents.

“A week ago, the Alliance received a report from District Ten. Longgu Town Hospital admitted an eight-year-old child whose limbs had developed unexplained rigidity. After being hospitalized for a week, tender shoots began growing from his palms.”

As one of the few female sentinels, Ying Jiawei had been with the Special Operations Department for many years and had carried out countless missions.

Even with all her experience, the photographs in the report still gave her a shock.

“According to the hospital’s report, the tender shoots soon grew into his limbs and brain, but they didn’t affect his movement or consciousness.” Ying Jiawei said calmly. “The patient frequently complained of pain, saying that ‘the trees are strangling him.’ Last week, the hospital detected that his vital signs had ceased, but he was still capable of moving.”

Jian Feiyang asked while driving, “So he’s basically a walking corpse?”

“More or less.”

Ying Jiawei answered, “The District Ten Security Administration has already contained the patient and is waiting for us to arrive. Boss, take a look at the files.”

Chi Zhou took the stack of documents and casually flipped through them.

Xia Ye sat beside him, staring at the nauseating photographs.

The boy in the photographs was barely recognizable as human anymore. His skin had turned dark brown, covered in layer upon layer of cracks. His arms were rigidly outstretched, pointing straight toward the sky like a dead tree.

The tender shoots that had once grown from his palms had disappeared, replaced by small bloody holes.

Looking closely, one could even see pink flesh beneath the bark-like skin, exposed through the gaps in the cracks, with milky-white fluid seeping from them. Yet everything below his waist remained normal. He was still wearing jeans, making the sight even more bizarre.

It was as if an ordinary human being had become a breeding vessel for some kind of monstrous tree.

Xia Ye’s scalp prickled, and he looked away.

It wasn’t because of the grotesque sight before him, but it was because he was reminded of the conversation with Xia Zhi.

A place where people could turn into trees.

The piece of gossip his sister had casually mentioned really was the mission he was about to undertake.

Xia Ye glanced at the people in the car. There were six people in total. He and Chi Zhou sat in the back. Jian Feiyang, who talked incessantly, was driving, with Ying Jiawei, her hair tied into a high ponytail, sitting beside him. Fang Shike and Yu Yucheng were in the front row, already asleep.

Xia Ye was always exceptionally cautious when it came to matters concerning his sister.

Noticing Xia Ye’s gaze, Chi Zhou looked up and asked simply, “Scared?”

Xia Ye shook his head.

Just then, Jian Feiyang swung the car around and turned into a rest stop.

“Out of gas.” Jian Feiyang spoke casually. “You guys get out and stretch your legs. I’ll fill up.”

Xia Ye opened the car door and looked at Chi Zhou. “Let’s talk outside.”

Chi Zhou neither agreed nor objected. He followed him out and lit a cigarette.

“You only want to tell me?” The cigarette flickered between Chi Zhou’s fingers, illuminating only his eyes and somehow making his smile seem even more pronounced. “What’s so secretive?”

Xia Ye smelled the smoke, and his throat began to itch.

“My sister is acting a little strange.”

Before he could say anything else, it felt as though all the air had been sucked from his lungs, and he suddenly broke into a fit of coughing.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have smoked.” Chi Zhou quickly stubbed out the cigarette. “I didn’t know you couldn’t tolerate cigarette smoke.”

“I’m fine.” Xia Ye calmed his breathing. “I don’t normally cough. You can smoke if you want.”

“It’s no big deal to go without,” Chi Zhou said, waving a hand dismissively. “What were you about to say?”

“I…”

Xia Ye had barely uttered a single word when a white wall bathed in golden sunlight suddenly filled his mind, making it impossible for him to continue.

After recalling it several times, Xia Ye finally shook his head and said in confusion, “I forgot.”

A bolt of lightning streaked across the gloomy, indistinct sky, tearing through the false night.

Rain tinged with a sour smell began falling from above, droplets landing on Xia Ye’s shoulder and spreading into dark stains.

—–
Author’s Note:
Little angels, this shouldn’t be too scary, right?
If you’re scared, just watch it with the lights on~

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