My Home
1169 Words
"The No-Boundary Domain?"
"It's a sealed area that separates the inside from the outside. It prevents our battles with enemies from affecting ordinary people. Each city's Night Watchers are equipped with three plaques that can activate the [No-Boundary Domain], managed by a designated person. Since we usually don't fight directly, people like me are called Watchers."
Lin Qiye raised an eyebrow. "So, basically, you're just the lookout."
"…If you can't speak nicely, then don't speak." Zhao Kongcheng rolled his eyes.
"You just said there are three ways to get a f*******n domain. What's the last one?"
"The last way is through divine gift—like your case." Zhao's tone grew serious. "Some gods grant a part of their own power to chosen humans, making them their agents in the mortal world. This type of domain is called a God Domain.
But in return, the agent also receives orders from the god—sometimes to destroy human society, sometimes to protect it, sometimes to find something for the god. Usually, a god only has one agent, who represents the god's will.
Among the few dozen divine agents that have appeared, most are agents of evil gods who want to tear down human order and return the world to chaos. They formed an organization called the Ancient God Church.
There are agents of benevolent gods too, but they are rare. As for neutral gods, we don't know how many agents they might have."
Zhao stood and stepped in front of Lin Qiye, staring into his eyes. His voice was slow and heavy:
"Lin Qiye. What command did Michael give you? Which side are you on?"
Lin Qiye's eyes were blank. "I don't know. He didn't say anything."
He was telling the truth. When Michael had looked at him from the moon, all he remembered was fainting. The archangel hadn't spoken a single word.
Zhao frowned. "Nothing? You didn't hear his voice in your mind either?"
"No. Really, no!"
Zhao studied him carefully, trying to spot a lie. After a long silence, he finally looked away and sat back down.
"From what we've guessed, Michael should be neutral or benevolent. Otherwise, we would've killed you already. But… why would he grant you a God Domain yet say nothing? What does he really want?"
Lin Qiye frowned. "I don't know what he wants. But even if he gave me an order, I wouldn't follow it. I don't want to get mixed up in all this nonsense. Worst case, I'll just return these eyes to him."
With that, he stood up. "If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."
Before Zhao could speak, he turned toward the door.
"Wait! Hold on!!" Zhao jumped up, blocking his way. "You asked your questions and now you just walk out? What about me?"
"You? You can sit here and talk to yourself," Lin Qiye said seriously.
"That's not what I meant… Aren't you curious about who I am?" Zhao felt exhausted just talking to him.
"What does that have to do with me?" Lin Qiye reached for the door.
Zhao grabbed the handle. "Don't you want to know why I know so much? What kind of organization backs me? What we're doing?"
"Not curious."
"Why not?"
"Because in stories, once I learn your secret, I'll only have two choices." Lin Qiye raised two fingers. "Join you, or be silenced forever—killed, imprisoned, brainwashed…"
"…You seriously need to stop watching TV!" Zhao was speechless. "Besides, you don't even know us. How do you know joining wouldn't be a good choice?"
Lin Qiye arched a brow. "So even if I refuse to join after knowing your secrets, I won't be in danger?"
"Of course not! We're basically military. At most, you'd just sign a confidentiality agreement. All that other stuff is nonsense!"
"Then I guess I can listen." Lin Qiye sat back down.
Zhao sighed. Talking with this kid was more tiring than an all-night stakeout.
"In 1922, when our survey team discovered the first mythical creature—the chaos dragon Leviathan—the higher-ups of Daxia quickly formed a military unit to prepare for such threats. It was called the 139 Special Biological Response Unit.
Back then, our technology was poor, and we knew nothing about the world before us. The so-called special unit was mostly a name, useless in reality.
But as time passed, we observed more and more mythical beings, tried to communicate with some, and eventually discovered the secret of f*******n domains. We began training specialized fighters.
As more domain bearers appeared, we realized their emergence was too random to keep them all under military control. So, the 139 Unit gradually transformed into a semi-military, semi-civilian special organization.
Now, we call it… the Night Watchers."
Lin Qiye thought aloud. "So your job is to protect Daxia from evil gods?"
"More accurately, from all mythical creatures."
"What's the difference?"
"Big difference. Like I said before, mythical creatures appear randomly, not based on strength. So it's not just the famous powerful gods who descend—sometimes it's weak beings from local folklore or small legends.
The masked figure you saw last night, for example, came from rural ghost stories. These beings don't have world-ending power, but they can still disrupt society. We call them Mysteries."
"I see." Lin Qiye nodded. No wonder that thing looked familiar—it came straight out of a folk tale.
"That's why we're soldiers, protecting our nation. Isn't that noble? Isn't it cool?!" Zhao spoke earnestly.
"Very noble. Very cool. I really respect you." Lin Qiye's tone was serious, his eyes full of genuine respect.
Zhao's smile spread. "Then you—"
"I'm not joining."
"…." Zhao's smile froze. "Why not?!"
"I can't leave." Lin Qiye's eyes were firm. "I have too much to do."
"What could be more important than protecting the country?!"
"I have an aunt. And a younger cousin." Lin Qiye looked out the window, his voice calm. "My aunt isn't that old, but she works endless shifts in a factory for me and my cousin. Ten years straight. Her health is breaking down.
She's stubborn. Even when she rubs her neck until tears come out, she insists she's just doing yoga. I sit right across from her, and she thinks I don't notice.
She lives too cautiously, too painfully.
My cousin is smart and filial, but he's still a child. He can't carry the family yet.
I still have so much to do. I want to earn money. I want to buy them a big house. I want my aunt to never step into that dark factory again.
I want to pay for my cousin's education, so he and my aunt can live well.
For ten years, they never gave up on me, even when I was a burden. Now that I've recovered, how could I abandon them?
You are noble, you are great. Maybe one day, if circumstances allow, I would join you.
But for now… I just want to stay by their side.
To protect my family."
- Writer
