High-level martial arts: Long spear with black flames to suppress demons.

The afternoon sun shone gently through the specially made glass windows of the medical department, casting its light on the wooden floor of the deluxe single ward.

The ward door was gently pushed open.

Shen Chang'an carried a basket of fruit and walked in quietly.

To prevent any uncontrollable leaks, Lao Zhao confiscated Li Xiwan's cell phone and all other communication devices during her hospitalization. However, as compensation, the bedside table in the ward was piled high with various literary classics to help her pass the time.

At this moment, Li Xiwan was leaning against a soft white pillow, holding a thick copy of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" in her hands, completely engrossed in reading it.

She was wearing a loose hospital gown, her long, smooth black hair casually draped over her shoulders. Although her face still had a pale complexion from recovering from a serious illness, her eyes were clear, and her overall mental state was much better than it had been the night before when she looked like she was about to break apart.

"cough."

Shen Chang'an coughed softly.

Hearing the noise, Li Xiwan looked up from her book. The moment she saw who it was, a clear look of surprise and panic flashed in her eyes, and she almost dropped the book on the blanket.

"Shen... Shen student?"

Although she had already received confirmation from Lao Zhao that morning, Li Xiwan's heart still skipped a beat when she saw Shen Chang'an in person, now that he had shed the lazy facade he wore at school.

"Sorry to bother you."

Shen Chang'an pulled up a chair, sat down beside the hospital bed, and placed the fruit basket on the bedside table.

"I took the day off today and stopped by to see you. Are you feeling any better?"

"I'm... much better. Thank you for coming to see me."

Li Xiwan put the book aside, her hands clasped together somewhat awkwardly, and looked into Shen Chang'an's eyes earnestly, saying, "Also... Director Zhao told me everything that happened last night. Thank you for saving me. If it weren't for you, I might already be..."

"You're welcome. I'm the one who should apologize."

Shen Chang'an shook his head, interrupting her. He looked at Li Xiwan, his tone very frank, "Old Zhao probably didn't tell you the details. Actually, your kidnapping last night was largely due to my involvement."

Shen Chang'an did not hide anything and truthfully recounted the whole story: he had carelessly not worn a hood during the mission, which led to his identity being exposed, and the evil cultivators seeking revenge on him by targeting her, who lived in the same building.

After hearing these words, Li Xiwan was stunned for a moment.

She never imagined that the source of this near-fatal misfortune would be like this. But looking at Shen Chang'an's apologetic face, the lingering fear and grievance in her heart miraculously dissipated.

"It's okay."

Li Xiwan gently shook her head and instead softly comforted Shen Chang'an.

"Director Zhao said that you usually risk your lives fighting those monsters to protect the safety of Qingzhou District. You didn't mean to drag me into this, so I won't blame you. Really."

Looking into the girl's clear and understanding eyes, Shen Chang'an nodded slightly.

A brief silence fell over the ward. Only the occasional chirping of birds could be heard from outside the window.

After a moment, Shen Chang'an broke the silence, his tone becoming somewhat serious: "Regarding what Old Zhao mentioned to you... he wants you to join the Zhenye Division. What do you think?"

Li Xiwan lowered her head and listened silently. She didn't seem surprised that Shen Chang'an would bring this up, her fingers gently stroking the corner of the blanket.

"Student Shen."

She looked up, her eyes filled with a mixture of uncertainty and anticipation.

"Do I... really have a talent for cultivation? I've always been pretty ordinary."

"From what I can see, yes." Shen Chang'an gave an affirmative answer. "Being able to withstand the mental illusion array for so long means your mental strength far surpasses that of ordinary people. This also means that your talent in cultivating magic is definitely not low."

Upon hearing this affirmative answer, a bright light suddenly shone in Li Xiwan's previously dim eyes.

She looked at Shen Chang'an, and a smile slowly appeared on her lips, carrying a hint of relief and determination.

"Then... can I join you?"

Shen Chang'an was slightly taken aback, his brows furrowing slightly: "Have you thought this through? The Night Guard isn't some glamorous, secure job. It's filled with bloodshed, killing, and the ever-present threat of death. It's very dangerous."

"I know."

Li Xiwan took a deep breath, her tone becoming unusually firm: "But... Shen, I don't want to live that kind of life where I can see the end from the beginning, struggling numbly every day. Even if it's dangerous, if it can add a ripple to my unchanging, stagnant life, if it can give me some power to protect myself... I'm willing to try."

She looked at Shen Chang'an, her eyes flashing with a light that seemed to be "longing".

Seeing her determined look, Shen Chang'an sighed inwardly. Deep down, this girl was more stubborn and eager for change than anyone else.

Okay. I respect your choice.

Shen Chang'an stood up.

"I will relay your decision to Lao Zhao. As for the college entrance examination and leave of absence at school, Zhenye Division will handle everything for you. Your only task now is to focus on recovering your mental state."

"Thank you, Shen." Li Xiwan nodded solemnly.

"Get some rest."

Shen Chang'an didn't disturb him any further, turned around and walked out of the ward, gently closing the door behind him.

......

When I returned to Lao Zhao's office, Lao Zhao and Bai Yin were still inside. Bai Yin was eating an apple in a rather unladylike manner, while Lao Zhao was typing something on the computer.

"How is it going?" Old Zhao immediately stopped what he was doing and asked when he saw Shen Chang'an return.

Shen Chang'an pulled out a chair and sat down: "She agreed. Let's take her through the procedures after she's discharged from the hospital."

"Haha! I knew this girl was a promising talent who wouldn't settle for mediocrity!"

Old Zhao slapped his thigh excitedly and immediately gave his assurance.

"Okay! Leave this to me. I'll have someone take care of the confidentiality procedures and leave slips from the school this afternoon. Once she's discharged, I'll personally be her onboarding mentor!"

After saying that, Lao Zhao changed the subject.

He tapped a few times on the keyboard: "Let's not talk about that now. I just sent you a top-secret document. It's an analysis report from the intelligence team overnight on the four corpses of the evil cultivators from last night, as well as the primordial demonic energy. Take a look right away."

Shen Chang'an took out his phone and opened the internal work app. A document marked "Top Secret" with a red stamp popped up on the screen, and a black swan logo with outstretched wings was prominently printed on the cover.

"What is this?"

He asked, puzzled.

"This is a black swan event; you've never encountered one before."

The term "black swan" refers to a catastrophic event that is unpredictable and, once it occurs, can have a disruptive and significant impact.

In the files of the Town Night Division, "Black Swan" is a notorious anti-human extremist organization within the Eastern Empire. Their methods are insane; they like to roam all over the country, using ordinary people or even entire towns as subjects for various cruel supernatural "experiments."