Chapter 1 The Office Building in Rong City

Rong City, inside an office building in the south of the city, top floor corridor. A middle school-aged boy was huffing and puffing as he walked ahead, while a man behind him was struggling to keep up.

"Hey," Number Two took off his cowboy hat and held it in his hand, "what's the rush? Can't you wait for me?"

"I'm saying, why are you acting like an old man, dawdling around?" Number Thirteen stopped and turned around, his face full of displeasure. "The Director suddenly called a meeting; it must be something important."

"No matter how important it is, we can't fly there, and you know I'm injured." Number Two put on a pitiful look. "I'm injured; you have to be lenient, right?"

"Ding-dong!"

As they were talking, the elevator doors not far away opened, and a man holding books walked out first, followed by a little loli (small, cute girl) about the same age as Number Thirteen.

But in terms of presence, this loli was much more eye-catching than the scholarly man. She looked like trouble, carrying a large black leather bag with half of a vicious saw tooth sticking out.

Number Two raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. "Number Three and Number Eight are here too."

Seeing the loli, the previously aggressive Number Thirteen immediately quieted down. Number Three and Number Eight also noticed them.

Judging from their expressions, they didn't know Number Two and Number Thirteen were coming.

Number Eight put her hands on her hips and glared fiercely at Number Thirteen. "Have you been talking bad about me lately?"

"No, no, absolutely not! I swear!" Number Thirteen had been beaten by Number Eight so much that he had a psychological shadow. He didn't dare to meet her eyes at all, dodging around like a thief with a guilty conscience, muttering, "You can ask Number Two if you don't believe me."

Hearing this, Number Eight shifted her gaze to Number Two, who smiled. "I can vouch for him."

Number Thirteen's expression relaxed.

"From 10:07 PM yesterday until now, he hasn't said anything bad about you." Number Two added.

Number Thirteen: "???"

"Great, so that's why my right eyelid has been twitching, and I haven't been enjoying my meals! You've been plotting behind my back!" Number Eight was furious. "Looks like you're itching for another beating!"

Just as Number Eight rolled up her sleeves, ready to beat him up, Number Three glanced at them and continued walking towards the conference room without stopping.

Noticing this, Number Eight glared at the aggrieved Number Thirteen, bared her teeth threateningly, "Wait till we get back; I'll deal with you!" After saying that, she turned around and jogged to catch up with Number Three.

"You really don't do anything that involves being a decent human being, do you, Number Two!" Number Thirteen sighed, looking at Number Eight running away with lingering fear. "Look at Number Three; he's more seriously injured than you, but he's not whining like you."

Number Two, unusually, didn't retort. He put on his hat and carefully tied the strap under his chin.

Regarding the Director's orders, Number Three always executed them most thoroughly; there was no doubt about that.

Standing in front of the conference room door, Number Three reached out and knocked.

A moment later, the door opened from the inside, and Wan Yanning's gaze met Number Three's. "Quick, take your seats; we're just waiting for you." Wan Yanning lowered her voice.

Around the conference table sat quite a few people. Number Six and Number Seven were also there. Lin Wan'er sat at the head of the table, flanked by General Chen, whom they had met before, and an old man with white eyebrows and a somewhat immortal demeanor.

After Luo He appeared, the old man's gaze had been fixed on him. After a moment, the old man's gloomy expression finally improved, revealing a trace of relief. "You are more outstanding than I thought. As expected of a rare genius of the Luo family. When everything settles, the position of the Luo family head will undoubtedly be yours. You will surely be able to revitalize..."

"Is this also the Director's intention?" Luo He glanced past the old man and focused on Lin Wan'er's face.

The old man, the former head of the Luo family, was stunned.

"It has nothing to do with me. This is the old Mr. Luo's wish." Lin Wan'er didn't seem interested in the proposal either. She frowned slightly, looking preoccupied.

Number Thirteen also noticed the heavy atmosphere at the table. Chen Ran sat there, his body ramrod straight. Number Seven looked tired, leaning against the back of his chair with an IV needle in the back of his hand, obviously not recovering well.

Except for Number One and Number Ten, their people were all there.

It had been a long time since they had a meeting of this scale.

General Chen, sitting on Lin Wan'er's right, was also frowning, not saying a word. A sense of impending storm filled the conference room, making it hard to breathe.

Number Thirteen also became nervous. He knew something must have happened, and it was serious.

"We're all here today." Lin Wan'er said solemnly, "I have two things to announce. It's sudden, so be prepared."

"First, last night, the headquarters of the Night Watchman's Enforcement Department was attacked. The current Director, one Deputy Director, and seven branch leaders were all killed. The entire headquarters was slaughtered, and no survivors have been found yet."

After a long silence, the people in the room reacted. "The Night Watchmen did it!" Number Seven leaned forward. "No one else has the ability."

"That's for sure." General Chen suppressed his inner grief. "The Enforcement Department has been working closely with us recently, helping us a lot in dealing with supernatural events. They must have offended those old Night Watchmen because of that!"

"Clearing out the Enforcement Department is just one step. Their ultimate goal is to cultivate an Enforcement Department completely dominated by them to help them complete their plan." Number Two tilted his head and said, "And put the blame on us."

Lin Wan'er nodded. "You're right. An insider just sent news that the Night Watchman's higher-ups have decided to put Wu Houde in charge of the Enforcement Department. After all, with the Director and another Deputy Director killed, he is the highest-ranking official in the Enforcement Department."

"Wu Houde, that old dog, is probably involved in the attack on the Enforcement Department." Number Eight slammed the table and cursed without restraint. "He's a fence-sitter. If it weren't for him interfering last time, we..."

Seeing Lin Wan'er's expression darken, Number Eight sheepishly swallowed back the words of greeting Wu Houde's family members.

Number Three put the book on the table, held it down with one hand, and said calmly, "Most of the Night Watchmen certainly can't imagine, let alone believe that their own people attacked the Enforcement Department, so the blame will be pinned on us. We need to prepare early."

Old Mr. Luo sighed. "I received news early this morning that the Night Watchmen are furious, demanding severe punishment for the perpetrators. And they've already concluded that the people who attacked the Enforcement Department were Crimson!"

The people present were also feeling bitter about this. After all, after years of image-building by the Night Watchmen, their propaganda about Crimson was deeply rooted in people's minds.

"Also, their attitude towards the military is becoming increasingly resistant. There are even rumors that the military used Crimson to suppress the Night Watchmen, and that this attack was orchestrated by the military." General Chen added helplessly.

"I don't know about others, but the current Director of the Enforcement Department is not an easy guy to deal with. I remember Number Five fought him once. His gun is very powerful; Number Five almost didn't get away." Number Thirteen had a deep impression of this person. "There aren't many people who can kill him, let alone wipe out the entire Enforcement Department headquarters. Has it been found out who did it?"

"Not yet." Old Mr. Luo shook his head, his tone tinged with doubt. "It happened suddenly, and we're still gathering intelligence. But according to the information we have so far, none of the old Night Watchmen were at the scene last night. They appeared at an internal Night Watchmen meeting. We can confirm it was them, not a double."

Number Eight widened her eyes. "If it wasn't them, then who did it?"

"Perhaps the other side has far more people than we thought." Chen Ran said slowly, "This wasn't an attack from the outside in, but a long-planned ambush."

"Someone secretly brought these people into the heavily guarded Enforcement Department building. The attack started from the inside, and quickly, after taking care of a few tricky people like the Director, the rest was just a one-sided slaughter."

Hearing this, Number Eight's face turned ugly. "But even so, it's not something ordinary disciples can do, right?"

"A group of near-S-rank guys." Chen Ran said, "Maybe even someone who has reached S-rank, many of them, five, ten...or even more."

"How could that be?" Number Eight widened her eyes and asked, "The last time the major families were already severely damaged when dealing with Xia Tan's gate. Where did they find so many high-level disciples?"

"Not people from inside the families. They wouldn't dare use familiar faces for this kind of thing. Once they were recognized, or if anyone escaped alive, their plan would be ruined." Chen Ran replied.

"Then it's even more impossible!" Number Eight said with certainty.

Hearing this, Number Three seemed to understand Chen Ran's meaning and nodded slightly. "You're right, there is indeed such a group of people." Number Three looked at Number Eight, reminding, "Number Eight, we met not long ago, have you forgotten?"

Noticing Number Three looking at her, gesturing to the injury on her arm, Number Eight paused, then reacted. "You mean...Cai Hua Po (Flower Picking Granny)?!"

"Over the years, the Night Watchmen have captured quite a few troublemaking disciples. That's their duty. Now it seems, they didn't kill those who could be used, but secretly cultivated them." Number Two continued, "Especially high-level disciples. Judging from their ability to attack the Enforcement Department, I'm afraid there are even more than we thought."

"After so many years, these guys must be even stronger than before." Number Two took a deep breath and added.

Roughly estimating, the Night Watchmen must have captured dozens of high-level disciples over the years. If...if these people were secretly cultivated by the Night Watchmen, then it would definitely be a terrifying force.

The serious Number Thirteen lost his youthful look, and a heavy look flashed in his eyes. "Now that the Night Watchmen have released these people, it's definitely not just targeting the Enforcement Department. There must be a bigger conspiracy behind it."

"Also, judging from the time, these people should have reached the edge of being corrupted. I can't imagine what method the Night Watchmen have to restrain these bloodthirsty lunatics?"

No one could answer the question raised by Number Thirteen for the time being.

"It's indeed not just targeting the Enforcement Department."

Lin Wan'er's voice came, and the tone made everyone look at her. This woman rarely showed such emotional fluctuations. Number Three's hand tightened slightly on the book.

General Chen, especially Old Mr. Luo, had a layer of frost on their faces.

"Next is the second thing I want to say." After a pause, Lin Wan'er took a deep breath and looked up. "Last night at the same time, the ancestral home of the Xi family, one of the Night Watchmen's Thirteen Families, was attacked. The Xi family head and all the family elders present were killed. The scene was extremely tragic, and the bodies were disfigured beyond recognition."

"Except for a few young family members who were out of town, the Xi family's direct line can be considered exterminated." Old Mr. Luo lowered his voice.

Number Eight's mouth was wide open, partly shocked by the news, and partly thinking that it was a good thing Number Nine died early; otherwise, who knows what kind of expression he would have had hearing that his family was exterminated.

No one asked such a pointless question as whether the news was accurate. Whatever came from the Director’s mouth must be true.

Chen Ran leaned back in his chair and gently stretched his neck. "So...last night, those people split into two groups, one group sneaked into the Enforcement Department headquarters, and the other went to the Xi family's ancestral home, and...both groups succeeded."

This time, even Number Two and Number Three's faces darkened. Although the Xi family wasn't in the top ranks of the Night Watchmen's Thirteen Families, the experts in the family were no worse than the Enforcement Department. Being able to simultaneously take out the Enforcement Department headquarters and the Xi family in one night was a terrifying feat.

Putting themselves in their shoes, what would be the consequences if such an offensive happened to them?

"I am also responsible for the Xi family's extermination." Old Mr. Luo said, "During this time, I used my previous connections to contact some people in the major families. The Xi family's response was the best. The Xi family head had already agreed to discuss cooperation with us at a family internal meeting. Now it seems the news leaked out, which led to the Night Watchmen's retaliation."

"They're using this method to scare those who are restless, intending to drag them down a path to the end." Saying this, Old Mr. Luo's face flushed red, and he coughed violently. Wan Yanning immediately came up and gently patted his back.

General Chen stepped forward to smooth things over. "Old Mr. Luo, don't blame yourself too much. Who could have predicted such a thing would happen? We can only blame the Night Watchmen for being insane." General Chen said angrily, "One day we will completely settle accounts with them!"

"Now we can't panic. I've already arranged for all departments to pay close attention to the Night Watchmen's movements, especially the Enforcement Department. We'll know immediately if there's any disturbance."

"As for the perpetrators of the attacks, I'll have to trouble Specialist Lin and everyone here, as well as the Dark Army led by Old Mr. Luo." General Chen said sincerely, "You are the professionals when it comes to dealing with them."