After a pause, the middle-aged man added, "Of course, I'm speaking under ideal conditions, Commissioner Lin. You understand that some of the Night Watchers are quite troublesome. The power they wield is no different from demons to ordinary people. If these people survive the first wave of attacks and join the battlefield, it will create enormous obstacles for our subsequent attacks, even leading to a bloodbath."

"That is bound to happen, and it's unavoidable." Lin Wan'er's voice was as hard as steel. "General Chen, I hope you understand that this is a war. Great sacrifices are inevitable, but everything we are doing is worth it."

"General Chen, don't worry too much." The kind-faced old man sitting to Lin Wan'er's right comforted, "Not long ago, the Night Watcher headquarters was attacked, and their core combat power was severely damaged. The remaining people have also suffered backlash from the Gate. The number of high-level disciples who can participate in the counterattack isn't as terrifying as you think."

"And after the attack begins, I will lead the Dark Army and do my best to contain the surviving high-level disciples of the Night Watchers, assisting you in exterminating the rebels."

The old man's eyebrows and beard were all white, giving him the air of a celestial being, but the words he spoke were chillingly cold.

Hearing the old man's statement, General Chen's expression improved considerably. The old man held a detached position, being the former head of the Luo family, one of the thirteen families of the Night Watchers.

And now, he was the leader of the Dark Army, a secret unit directly under the state.

This unit was modeled after the Night Watchers, with all its members being disciples of the Gate, but because the members were less affected by the Gate and underwent strict screening, they could not compete with the Night Watchers in terms of either numbers or the quality of high-end combat power.

But it was barely sufficient for battlefield containment.

"With Old Mr. Luo's words, I can rest assured." General Chen nodded.

"The reason the Night Watchers have become what they are today is because some old fellows excessively pursued the power behind the Gate, attempting to control the forbidden, which has nothing to do with ordinary members."

"These young people joined the Night Watchers with enthusiasm, but they were deceived. Some didn't even know they were being used until they died. They are also victims." Old Mr. Luo said slowly, his tone tinged with sorrow, "I hope General Chen will not go to extremes when leading his troops in the attack."

"I will." General Chen sat up straight and stated solemnly, "We also hope to minimize losses. These outstanding young people are also important resources for the country."

"Before the attack, I will use special channels to notify as many of them as possible to evacuate. For those who cannot leave, I will tell them to lay down their weapons and follow instructions." Lin Wan'er said.

"That would be wonderful." General Chen clearly breathed a sigh of relief.

The Night Watchers had a considerable number of members. Leaving aside the high-level disciples, these ordinary members, when gathered together and resisting to the death, would also be a problem.

"This is a list I just received. The people on it are the chief culprits among the Night Watchers. Once the attack is confirmed, execute them on the spot. They must not be allowed to escape." Lin Wan'er took out a kraft paper bag and handed it to General Chen. "Once these people mix into densely populated areas, they will inevitably trigger large-scale supernatural events, and the impact on the entire society will be immeasurable."

Accepting the kraft paper bag with both hands, he opened it, and General Chen's eyebrows jumped. The paper was filled with names, densely packed, like countless wriggling worms.

After General Chen left, only Lin Wan'er, Old Mr. Luo, and the young policewoman remained in the small conference room.

The young policewoman had only spoken one sentence when she first came in and had been standing quietly in place ever since, her eyes occasionally glancing at Old Mr. Luo's face.

"We're all family, so there's no need to show yourself in this guise." Lin Wan'er said, looking at the policewoman.

As if receiving an order, the policewoman reached out with both hands and pressed them against her temples.

After a moment, the muscles on her face began to wriggle strangely. When she put her hands down, her appearance was completely different from before.

She was a very shy girl, not particularly beautiful, but pleasant to look at.

Old Mr. Luo, who had been very calm when facing General Chen, was stunned when he saw the girl's face. His lips trembled, and after a long time, he tentatively asked, "Ning'er?"

"It's me, Grandpa." Guan Wan'ning's eyes were also red, but she was still restraining herself.

Hearing the long-lost voice, Old Mr. Luo's tears flowed down instantly. He quickly stood up and walked towards Guan Wan'ning. "Ning'er, you're still alive. I heard they made you..."

"Wei Jinting didn't kill her, he took her away and had her inherit his Gate." Lin Wan'er said.

"Good, good!" Old Mr. Luo stared at his granddaughter and said "good" twice. "So it was the Wei family's boy. I'll remember this favor. After this is over, when cleaning up the Wei family, I will give them a break. As long as they didn't participate in that matter, I will let them go."

Old Mr. Luo originally planned to keep his granddaughter by his side, but after thinking about it, he decided to let her continue to follow Lin Wan'er.

The task he was about to undertake was very risky, and he didn't want his granddaughter to take the risk with him.

"Commissioner Lin, I'm entrusting Ning'er to you. Please take good care of her for me. This old man doesn't have many relatives left. As for my two insane sons, I'll just pretend they're dead!" Old Mr. Luo's expression when mentioning his sons was completely different from when he looked at Guan Wan'ning. It was as if he wanted to kill them with his own hands.

"I will do my best." Lin Wan'er nodded, then took her away.

Old Mr. Luo escorted them all the way to the elevator and seemed like he wanted to see them off downstairs, but after seeing Lin Wan'er's eyes, he had no choice but to give up.

It was inconvenient for him to show his face. The Night Watchers' intelligence network was terrifying, and they had already noticed the Dark Army he commanded.

At this critical juncture, even a slight mistake could ruin everything.

Inside the elevator, Guan Wan'ning disguised herself and Lin Wan'er. When the elevator doors opened again, two ordinary-looking policewomen stepped out.

Passing police officers even greeted them.

Arriving at the parking lot, the two found a police car, opened the back door, and sat inside. A male police officer was sitting in the driver's seat.

He had a buzz cut, wore black-rimmed glasses, and looked unremarkable, but the police uniform looked awkward on him.

The glove compartment on the passenger side wasn't closed tightly, revealing a bit of brown.

People unfamiliar with the man wouldn't pay attention, but Guan Wan'ning knew that hidden inside was a brown cowboy hat.

The kind that little kids would wear, very small and cheap-looking, not something that looked valuable.

But it was said that during a meeting, Number 10, who was arrogant, had pointed at his hat and publicly mocked it for being ugly. As a result, the man in the driver's seat pinned him to the conference table, stepped on his head with his leather shoes, and, after receiving a saw from a enthusiastic Number 8, sawed off his arm alive.

Thoughts flashed through her mind. She had never thought of the Deep Red as good people. They were just a group of monsters huddling together for warmth.

And now... now she had become one of these monsters.

There were too few things in this world that could warm them...

The man hummed a tune that no one could understand, leaned over, and handed a bag of things to the back row. Guan Wan'ning was startled and quickly accepted it with both hands.

Opening it, she saw two cups of milk tea.

"The weather is getting cold. Girls need to learn to take care of themselves." The man said without turning his head, "Drink it while it's hot, and we'll set off after you're done."