Keeping the Night Watch at the Zhenyuan Bureau

On the last subway train of the night, the passenger across from me had no shadow. My name is Shen Jiming. I'm twenty-six, an unemployed programmer, and my rent is 3,200 yuan. Before Grandpa died, all he left me was a jade pendant and the words, "Just keep breathing." Then one night, a "thing" on the subway stared at me and said, "Your grandfather owed me a life. Now it's your turn to repay it." That's when I learned Grandpa was a Night Watcher, a guardian hidden in the city's shadows. And this city was far deeper than I'd imagined. After joining the Abyss Wardens, I could see the "energy" around everyone. I punched a shadow thrall to pieces, only to find a brand reading "Ash" on its neck. In Grandpa's file, the cause of death was listed in two words: missing. Some said he died in the line of duty. Others said he betrayed the Night Watchers' code. I only want to find out what he spent his life watching over, and what he left to me. While everyone else works overtime in plain sight, I keep watch in the dark.