"Early this morning, a powerful typhoon made landfall along the East China Sea coast, with waves reaching 30 meters high. Overnight, a large amount of public property along the coast was destroyed. Experts predict that the waves may exceed 40 meters within 24 hours, which would be the largest wave disaster in nearly 20 years. The meteorological observatory has issued a red alert. Residents along the coast are urged to stay away from the coastline and cherish their personal lives and property..."
"Our reporter will continue to report on this..."
The TV screen suddenly changed to the currently popular program "Voice Range Interview". Wu Xiangnan's face stiffened, and he turned to look at Hongying, who was holding the remote control next to her.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Hongying said irritably.
"Turn it back right away, I need to watch the news."
"What's so interesting about the news? Isn't it better to watch this handsome host interview Uncle Chenglong? He's the best action actor in Great Xia!" Hongying said confidently, hands on her hips.
"I don't want to watch any interviews, switch back!"
"No way!"
"You..."
Nearby, Leng Xuan was maintaining his gun with a blank expression, Si Xiaonan yawned while lying on the table along with Lin Xi Chen, and Wen Qimo and Lin Qiye sat next to a birdcage, feeding it.
No one glanced at the two arguing figures; they were used to it.
"Is this the [Crow of Calamity]?" Lin Qiye carefully examined the jet-black crow in the birdcage and asked with some doubt.
At first glance, this crow looks no different from an ordinary crow, except that its feathers appear to be a deeper color. However, upon closer inspection, one can see that its eyes are completely white, without pupils, only the whites of its eyes.
"That's right." Wen Qimo nodded. "As a forbidden object with life, this thing is extremely rare in Great Xia. It is said that among all the Night Watchers, only a few major cities like Shangjing, Guangshen, and Huaihai have [Crows of Calamity] guarding them."
Lin Qiye was taken aback. "How come Cangnan has that? It's just an ordinary second-tier city."
"I don't know. It's said that the captain brought this when he came to Cangnan to take up his post." Wen Qimo tossed the birdseed into the cage, clapped his hands, and said, "This little thing can predict the short-term fate of a city. If some kind of extremely dangerous disaster is about to strike, it will scream an alarm in advance."
"Has it made a sound so far?"
"No, at least since I came to Cangnan, I've never heard it call." Wen Qimo paused, "It's best never to hear it..."
Just then, Chen Muye pushed open the office door and walked out, his gaze sweeping over everyone.
"Are you bored?"
The group exchanged glances, somewhat puzzled, but still nodded slightly, while Hongying nodded frantically.
"Pack your things." A smile appeared on Chen Muye's lips. "It's been a long time since we had a team-building activity..."
...
Cangnan City Park.
On the wide, soft, green grass, a large red and white checkered picnic mat was spread out. Hongying lay back on it, and immediately relaxed, letting out a comfortable cry.
"It's been so long since I've gone camping... I miss it so much."
Lin Qiye sat down beside her, watching the children playing and running in the park, and said:
"Sister Hongying, did you guys often go out for team building activities before?"
"Yeah, it's only busy for a few days each year anyway. Before, when we were bored, I would drag them out to play." Hongying sat up and said enthusiastically, "Not only camping, we also went fishing, had barbecues, watched movies, played mahjong..."
"Wait, can't we play mahjong in the office too?"
"You don't understand, playing in a card room has a much better atmosphere!"
"Oh..."
Lin Qiye turned his head and saw that in the barbecue area not far away, Chen Muye was wearing an apron and intently turning the barbecue grill in front of him, sprinkling cumin and chili from time to time. His technique was as skillful as that of a master barbecue chef who had been barbecuing for many years.
Wu Xiangnan sat next to him, skewering meat one piece at a time with iron skewers and handing them to Chen Muye, their cooperation was extremely tacit.
Before long, Chen Muye returned with several plates of grilled skewers, sat down on the picnic mat, and asked with some confusion, "Where are Wen Qimo and Xiao Nan?"
"They went to buy drinks, they should be back soon." Hongying stared intently at the skewers in Chen Muyi's hand and swallowed.
"As for Leng Xuan... never mind, he's always liked to disappear anyway, he'll be back on his own in a bit." Chen Muye shrugged.
"Then let's eat first." Chen Muye placed the fragrant grilled skewers on the ground, and Hongying immediately reached out, grabbed a skewer, and took a vicious bite...
Then her eyes crinkled into slits with laughter, "Captain, your cooking is absolutely amazing!"
At this moment, Wen Qimo walked over from a distance carrying two large bags of drinks, followed by Si Xiaonan, who was holding a green flower in her hand.
The two sat down on the placemat, and the flowers in Si Xiaonan's hand immediately caught Hongying's attention.
"Huh, what kind of flower is this? I've never seen it before," Hongying asked in confusion.
"This is Manjusaka, also known as the Red Spider Lily." Wu Xiangnan glanced at Hongying with an expression that said, "How can you be so ignorant?"
"Aren't spider lilies red?" Hongying pointed to the green spider lilies. "But this one is green!"
"Who says the red spider lily can't be green?" Wu Xiangnan patiently explained, "Red spider lilies come in many colors. For example, red red spider lilies symbolize 'longing, memories, and the beauty of death,' blue ones symbolize 'sadness and separation,' and black ones symbolize 'unpredictable darkness, death, and turbulent love'..."
"And what about green?"
"Green..." Wu Xiangnan thought for a moment, "Its flower language should be 'unending hope'."
Chen Muye raised his eyebrows slightly. "The meaning is quite good."
A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of grass mixed with strong incense, filling everyone's nostrils and making their mouths water.
They sat in a circle on the placemats, eating skewers and chatting. Hongying was enjoying her meal and excitedly told Lin Qiye about the embarrassing things that others had done, which made Si Xiaonan giggle.
After eating and drinking his fill, Lin Qiye lay on the placemat, watching the white clouds drifting leisurely overhead, feeling more relaxed than ever before.
All the troubles seemed to vanish into thin air.
Chen Muye wiped his mouth, put down the skewers in his hand, took a deep breath, and then spoke to everyone.
"Today, I have something to announce."
Everyone quieted down, waiting for Chen Muye to continue.
Chen Muye was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "I received a notice this morning that the garrison in Shangjing City has invited our 136th Squad to Shangjing for observation and learning. After the team building activity ends today, everyone can go back and pack their bags to prepare to depart for Shangjing tomorrow morning."
Everyone was taken aback.
Hongying immediately became excited, "We're going to the capital?! That's wonderful! I've wanted to go for so long!"
Wu Xiangnan frowned slightly. "If we leave, what will happen to Cangnan? What if something mysterious happens..."
"I'll stay here and keep watch; you don't need to worry," Chen Muye said calmly. Then he looked at Lin Qiye and Lin Xi Chen—who was excitedly shaking Xiaonan, standing beside her—and added, "Qiye, Xiao Chen, you two will stay with me as well. Is that alright?"
Lin Xi Chen's expression changed instantly, and her jaw dropped.