"Han Ming, Li Yidao, Wang Meng..."
After calling out twenty names, Gu Zheng said in a deep voice, "You twenty, change into the Iron Armor."
"Yes, sir!"
Han Ming, Li Yidao, and the others responded in unison. They walked to the side, took off their Protective Clothing, and, with the help of a group of clerks, donned the Iron Armor.
"The rest of you, familiarize yourselves with the Crossbows immediately."
Gu Zheng faced the remaining constables and waved his hand. "We move out in a quarter of an hour!"
"Yes, sir!"
The men acknowledged the order and immediately got busy, pairing up to quickly master operating the Crossbows.
A single Crossbow often required two people: one to fire, and one to load the bolt.
With good coordination, their destructive power was unmatched; even a Grandmaster would have to flee.
With poor coordination, they were worse than archers.
As the group was busy at work,
Han Ming suddenly walked into the main hall. He approached Gu Zheng, who was resting with his eyes closed, and said softly, "Chief, on my way to the Government Office, I ran into Liu Xiaoji. He wanted me to find a chance to backstab you during tonight's operation. Said it was on Lord Zhang's orders."
"I didn't think much of it before, but now that the County Soldiers are refusing to help... Chief, do you think Lord Zhang pulled some strings? Is that why Pang Qian Ding won't dispatch his men?"
"...I understand," Gu Zheng said calmly. "Don't spread this around."
"Understood."
Han Ming clasped his fist in a salute and turned to leave.
'So that's why Pang Qian Ding refused to send troops. It was Zhang Laohu pulling strings behind the scenes.'
Although the County Magistrate's Office had no control over the personnel or finances of the City Defense Bureau's garrison,
nominally, they still had to obey the County Magistrate's commands.
After all, the County Magistrate's Office was responsible for allocating their food and supplies.
The main reason Captain Pang Qian Ding of the garrison dared to refuse was that the County Captain, Zhang Hucheng, had always been in a private struggle with Tong Yuanshan.
This was especially true after Tong Yuanshan appointed Gu Zheng as Chief Constable. Since Gu Zheng paid little attention to this superior, Zhang Hucheng had long considered him a thorn in his side.
Now that there was a chance for Gu Zheng to suffer a major loss, or even his life, Zhang Hucheng naturally wouldn't let it pass.
The only question was, how did Zhang Hucheng know that tonight's operation would be so dangerous?
'Could it be... that tiger knows about the existence of the Demon Fiend?'
Gu Zheng was lost in thought.
As for what Han Ming said about being backstabbed...
Back when Gu Zheng first joined the constabulary, he might have overthought it.
But now...
Han Ming had taken a blade for him three times already.
...
...
The snow was still falling.
But the sky was beginning to dim.
Outside the main gate of King Runan's estate, Gu Zheng led a group of fully armed constables. Standing before the heavy, copper-skinned doors, they knocked.
KNOCK KNOCK~
"Government Office business! We have orders to conduct a search. Please open the door," Han Ming, clad in Iron Armor, shouted at the gate.
No one responded.
Silence reigned behind the doors.
"Xiaoqi."
Gu Zheng, at the front of the group, immediately called out to a sixteen-year-old boy who was staring with envy at his comrades in Iron Armor, while he himself only wore Protective Clothing.
"Huh?"
Startled by the sudden call, Tao Qi first froze, then realized what was happening. He gave Gu Zheng a couple of dry laughs and said awkwardly, "Sorry, I was spacing out. I'll get on the wall now."
With that, he jogged toward the tall perimeter wall. In two quick strides, he vaulted onto the top of the wall, which was over ten feet high.
Standing on the wall, he glanced inside a few times, then turned his head and shouted to Gu Zheng, "Zheng, there's no one inside! Not a single person."
'No one?'
Gu Zheng frowned. Then, as if thinking of something, he tapped his toes, just as quickly ascended the wall, and jumped straight in.
"He just went in?"
Seeing this, Tao Qi quickly scrambled down from the top of the wall.
"Zheng..."
"Go open the main gate," Gu Zheng said with a lift of his hand, striding toward the front courtyard of the estate.
"...Yes, sir."
Tao Qi didn't dare to say more. He accepted the order and ran to the main gate, opening it from the inside.
Gu Zheng walked off the small path and rounded a rockery. A shriveled corpse, its internal organs hollowed out, immediately came into view.
He paused for a moment, then continued walking. He passed through a long corridor and into a garden, where another corpse, also with its organs hollowed out, entered his line of sight.
This time he didn't stop. As he moved, he focused his Spirit, listening carefully for any sound in the surroundings.
But there was nothing. The vast estate was deathly still.
Just then, Han Ming and the others came in through the main gate, hurrying to catch up with Gu Zheng.
"Chief, the people here..."
"Are all dead," Gu Zheng cut in calmly. "It's getting dark. Set up the ambush site immediately. Prepare for action."
"...Yes, sir!"
The group acknowledged the command.
They quickly found a wide, open area and began setting up the Flying Claws, reins, Fishbone Nets, torches, and Crossbows.
Once everything was ready, the constables in Protective Clothing all climbed onto the rooftops or into the trees.
Those in Iron Armor each found a hidden corner to conceal themselves.
Gu Zheng personally carried two prisoners, gagged with cloth and bound with ropes, and placed them in the center of the open area.
*SCHLICK!* *SCHLICK!*
He made a cut on each one, letting their blood flow.
Ignoring the two prisoners' muffled struggles, Gu Zheng calmly retreated to a corner. His eyes scanned the several directions from which the target might emerge as he held his breath and waited quietly.
The corpses in the estate had been dead for several days, proof enough that the Demon Fiend was hiding somewhere within this princely compound.
It would only come out after dark.
And at this moment, twilight had already fallen.
Gu Zheng had been hiding for less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick when night completely enveloped them.
All around was quiet, without even the chirping of insects.
The constables waited nervously.
The two prisoners in the center of the clearing also struggled more violently, causing more and more blood to flow from their wounds.
Finally, the sound of rolling stones echoed from the distance, and a black shadow charged over at high speed.
With Gu Zheng's hearing and eyesight, he had no sooner heard the sound than he saw a rat the size of a calf rush into the clearing. It pounced on one of the two prisoners, tore open its abdomen with sharp claws, and buried its head inside to greedily devour the organs and blood.
The other prisoner beside it stared with wide eyes. His expression of anger and resentment instantly turned to one of utter terror. His chest heaved violently, his body trembled uncontrollably, and suddenly, his legs stretched out, his eyes rolled back, and he was scared to death.
"SQUEAK~!"
The giant rat, which was busy gnawing on fresh organs, noticed this. It lifted its head in displeasure, revealing crimson eyes and sharp fangs. It bit into the dead man's chest and began to devour him with great mouthfuls, as if enjoying it while it was still warm.
The constables lurking in the surroundings saw this scene dimly and were all so shocked and horrified that they forgot everything else.
Before they came, Gu Zheng had repeatedly emphasized the danger of the mission, that it was a life-or-death situation.
But to actually face a Demon Fiend eating a person live still sent a chill down their spines, making their hands and feet go cold.
Even Gu Zheng's heart began to race.
This was also his first time seeing a Demon Fiend.
Taking a deep breath, Gu Zheng forced himself to calm down and barked a low command.
"Now!"
WHOOSH~ WHOOSH~ WHOOSH~
SHHHRRAA!
The constables, who had been so nervous they'd forgotten everything else, instinctively sprang into action upon hearing the order.
The Fishbone Nets hidden underground were the first to envelop the giant rat. Flying Claws followed, thrown from the corners, accurately tangling with each other to bind the giant rat.
Torches were lit one by one, brightly illuminating the entire clearing and its surroundings.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
From the rooftops and treetops, ten Crossbows fired simultaneously. Thick Crossbow Arrows, glinting with a cold light, tore through the air straight toward the giant rat.
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
Of the ten Crossbow Arrows, six pierced the giant rat's body, splattering drops of blood.
"SQUEEEAL~!"
Hit by the surprise attack, the giant rat let out a sharp shriek. Its calf-sized body, which seemed to be covered in scales under the firelight, dragged the Crossbow Arrows as it charged back the way it came.
But the combination of the Fishbone Nets and Flying Claws held it fast in the clearing, where it struggled ceaselessly.
"Keep firing!"
Gu Zheng stood up and shouted with a wave of his hand, "Throw the spears, too!"
SWOOSH SWOOSH~
The men had no time to respond; the crossbowmen kept firing, and the spearmen kept throwing.
Crossbow Arrows and spears rained down on the giant rat, more than half of them sinking into its body.
But the giant rat's struggles didn't lessen in the slightest. Instead, it dragged the Fishbone Net, whipped its tail ferociously, and thrashed from side to side.
"Not good!"
A constable in Iron Armor felt his vision blur. As he cried out in alarm, the giant rat closed in, its thick, long tail sweeping toward him.
BANG~
*SPURT!*
With a dull thud, the constable spat blood and was sent flying backward, landing in a flowerbed.
The giant rat shrieked, took the opportunity to rip open the Fishbone Net with its sharp claws, and charged swiftly toward an open corner, its body still bristling with Crossbow Arrows and spears.
The constables in the other corners were instantly dragged along and fell to the ground.
SHING!
Gu Zheng swung his saber and swept over in the nick of time, blocking its path.
His figure flickered left and right. The long saber in his hand left behind a blur of afterimages, a flawless and impenetrable defense that covered a ten-foot radius around him. Weaving and moving, he closed in on the giant rat.
*SCHLICK!*
A flash of saber light bloomed. A deep gash appeared on the giant rat's neck, and dark red blood sprayed out.
In an instant, the giant rat shrieked in pain. An intangible, malevolent aura swarmed toward Gu Zheng as it attacked viciously, claws slashing from the front and its thick, long tail whipping from behind.
WHOOSH!
Gu Zheng leaped straight up, ten feet into the air, evading the two-pronged attack. At the same time, he flipped over in mid-air and swung his long saber down in a brilliant arc of light.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the deep wound he had just inflicted on the giant rat's neck. In that single instant, it had healed completely!