Chapter 99

The Black Tiger Army was stationed outside the city, with the responsibility of guarding the city itself.

However, on a regular day, the city of Jin was maintained by the government offices, and the presence of the Black Tiger Army outside the city prevented any major disturbances, so there was no need for the Black Tiger Army to enter the city.

But now, things were different.

Evil forces were rampant.

First, there was the Eternal Alliance, and then an unknown evil force. Now, the city of Jin was filled with hidden turmoil.

Relying solely on the government offices,

it was impossible to stabilize the situation in the city.

The intervention of the Black Tiger Army was inevitable.

Immediately,

of the twelve thousand Black Tiger soldiers stationed outside the city, two thousand were mobilized.

Chu Ding said, "These two thousand Black Tiger soldiers are the most elite among the twelve thousand Black Tiger soldiers under my command. If these two thousand form an army formation, they can even encircle and kill innate martial artists and resentment-level evil beings.

Even if a grandmaster were to arrive, there would still be a way to deal with them."

Upon hearing this,

Zhong Chi and Nie Xu both looked at the army standing in front of them.

Clad in black armor!

Wearing black swords at their waists!

Holding black long spears!

The two thousand soldiers wore black iron helmets and masks, with only their cold eyes visible, like hungry wolves in the night, giving people a chilling feeling.

"The Black Tiger Army is indeed one of the strongest armies of the Great Qin. The strength of the Black Tiger Army under your command is truly formidable!"

Zhong Chi couldn't help but marvel.

If a single Black Tiger soldier were to fight alone, they might only match a Body Tempering Realm martial artist.

But if two thousand of them acted together, even an innate martial artist could be instantly killed.

Because

the Black Tiger Army was too strong!

As a member of the Heavenly Inspector Guard, he had a deep understanding of the Black Tiger Army's strength.

In the past, when the barbarians invaded the Great Wasteland Prefecture, the Black Tiger Army was the main force that resisted them.

Over the years,

the Great Wasteland Prefecture has been able to stand firm against the barbarian attacks, largely due to the Black Tiger Army's contributions.

After marveling for a moment,

Zhong Chi continued, "A few years ago, when the barbarians invaded the Great Wasteland Prefecture, it is said that a grandmaster was surrounded and killed by five thousand Black Tiger soldiers led by someone. A grandmaster is a top-tier powerhouse in the martial world.

But in front of the Black Tiger Army, they could only fall into obscurity."

Upon receiving praise,

Chu Ding's face showed a smile.

Nie Xu nodded, "With two thousand Black Tiger soldiers entering the city, I believe the evil forces in the city will not cause any major problems. Besides, Lord Shen of the Demon Suppression Bureau is also here, which should be enough to stabilize the situation temporarily!"

"I've heard that although Lord Shen is currently only a Yellow Rank Demon Exterminator, his strength is extremely powerful. Is that true?"

Chu Ding's face showed surprise.

He had heard Shen Changqing's name more than once from Zhong Chi and Nie Xu.

Although the two were not of high rank, they were still top officials in the city of Jin.

To receive such praise from them,

to be honest,

Chu Ding was also very curious.

Zhong Chi smiled slightly and said evasively,

"Lord Shen's strength is indeed very powerful."

At night,

the city of Jin fell into an eerie calm.

Perhaps due to the curfew, or perhaps for other reasons.

The city gates opened.

Zhong Chi had already left quietly, leaving only Nie Xu, the leader, to bring the two thousand Black Tiger soldiers into the city.

"Lord Nie, where should we go now?"

Wen Ce, clad in iron armor, asked with a bow.

He was a commander of a thousand soldiers and the highest-ranking officer among the two thousand Black Tiger soldiers.

Since Chu Ding needed to remain at the main camp and could not move without orders, Wen Ce was the true commander of the two thousand Black Tiger soldiers entering the city.

Upon hearing the question,

Nie Xu said solemnly, "The Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion is a stronghold of the Eternal Alliance. The Demon Suppression Bureau's people were fighting evil forces there. I believe the Black Tiger Army should go there first to see if there are any remaining evil forces.

Additionally, it is said that there are many puppet corpses left there, which need to be dealt with.

The constables of the government offices are ordinary people, and handling puppet corpses might be inconvenient for them, so we need your assistance."

"No problem."

Wen Ce nodded.

The Black Tiger Army entered the city to deal with evil forces and stabilize the city's order.

Handling puppet corpses was just a side task.

Soon,

Nie Xu and Wen Ce led the two thousand Black Tiger soldiers to the location of the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion.

The once magnificent Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion was now in ruins, as if it had been abandoned for many years. The outside was filled with decaying corpses, and black blood had corroded the stone pavement, leaving it pitted and uneven.

A foul smell emanated from the area.

Seeing the corpses on the ground, Nie Xu's expression didn't change, but the stench made him involuntarily cover his nose.

Wen Ce remained calm and gave an order to one of his subordinates.

"You lead a thousand Black Tiger soldiers to seal off the entire street and closely monitor any sudden situations."

"I obey your command!"

The subordinate saluted and immediately led a thousand Black Tiger soldiers to control the entire street.

Next,

Wen Ce looked at another subordinate.

"You lead a group to pile up the corpses. Be careful; puppet blood is highly corrosive to ordinary people, so don't let it touch your skin."

"I obey your command!"

Another subordinate saluted and then led several dozen Black Tiger soldiers to move the corpses.

Then,

Wen Ce turned to the last centurion.

"You lead a group to thoroughly investigate the surrounding area."

"I obey your command!"

"Be careful."

Wen Ce warned.

In his line of sight, the street where the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion was located was almost pitch black, with only the torches held by the Black Tiger soldiers dispelling some of the darkness.

The surrounding houses were all dark.

With years of military experience,

Wen Ce could not afford to be careless in such a situation.

Anyone with a bit of sense could tell that something was wrong.

After giving the orders,

Wen Ce looked at Nie Xu, "Lord Nie, do you have any different opinions about my actions?"

"I have no different opinions. General Wen, you are indeed a member of the Black Tiger Army, and your actions are indeed cautious."

Nie Xu shook his head.

From the beginning, he never thought he could command the Black Tiger Army.

Although civil and military officials in the Great Qin did not completely oppose each other, they rarely interfered with each other's affairs.

Moreover, Wen Ce's actions seemed fine to Nie Xu.

Not to mention the Black Tiger Army,

even he understood the unusual nature of this street.

"I hope not too many people die!"

Nie Xu silently prayed.

If too many civilians in Jin City died, he would be in big trouble.

"Lord Nie, let's go into the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion and take a look."

Nie Xu looked at the dilapidated Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion and stepped in first.

Seeing this,

Nie Xu couldn't refuse.

On the other side,

the centurion of the Black Tiger Army also led several hundred Black Tiger soldiers to investigate house by house.

Knock, knock!

The sound of knocking echoed, but there was no response from inside, as if no one was there.

"Lord, there's no response inside."

The Black Tiger soldier who knocked turned to look at the centurion.

Seeing this,

the centurion waved his hand and ordered coldly, "Break the door!"

As he spoke,

the Black Tiger soldier immediately struck the wooden door with a full-strength palm, shattering it into pieces.

A torch was thrown inside,

dispelling the darkness.

At this moment, the Black Tiger soldier entered the house.

He took in everything inside the room at a glance.

Then,

he lifted the curtain and entered the inner chamber, where he saw a dark shadow lying on the bed.

By the light of the torch, he could faintly see that the dark shadow was actually two dried corpses.

"We're too late!"

The centurion, holding a torch, looked at the dried corpses on the bed, and his calm face turned grim.

He was familiar with dried corpses; they were the work of evil forces.

The blood and essence had been drained, a cruel act.

Coming out of the bedroom, the centurion looked at the Black Tiger soldiers in front of him and ordered sternly, "Search all the houses to see if there are any survivors!"

"Yes!"

Half an hour later,

all the puppet corpses were thrown into the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion, which was then set on fire along with the ruined building.

Wen Ce and Nie Xu stood in front of the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion, watching the fire rise.

Soon,

the centurion leading the group returned and saluted Wen Ce, "Lord, after our investigation, all the civilians in the area around the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion are dead, their blood and essence drained."

Upon hearing this,

Nie Xu's face turned grim.

Before Wen Ce could speak, he stared at the centurion, "Are you sure there's not a single survivor?"

"Lord Nie, they are all dead."

"..."

Nie Xu's chest heaved violently, and his fists clenched tightly.

There were at least several hundred civilians on this street, and now they were all dead at the hands of evil forces.

He didn't need to think to know the impact this would have tomorrow.

"Lord Wen, this is a serious matter. I suspect there are still other evil forces in the city. I hope the Black Tiger Army can thoroughly investigate and not let any evil force escape."

Nie Xu's stern gaze fell on Wen Ce.

"Lord Nie, rest assured, the Black Tiger Army will handle it."

Wen Ce nodded.

Bang!

Bang!!

"The weather is dry, be careful of fire!"

In the quiet street, Wu Er shouted as he knocked on a bamboo clapper, the rhythmic sound echoing in the silent street.

Suddenly,

he paused, his brows furrowing instinctively.

"Strange, why does the street seem longer today than usual?"

As a night watchman, Wu Er was very familiar with Jin City.

Every day,

he walked the same area many times.

He could walk quickly even with his eyes closed.

Because of his familiarity,

Wu Er noticed that the street he patrolled today was different.

"It must be the recent overwork affecting my mind. I need to rest well tomorrow and not go to the Liu widow's house in the eastern city anymore."

Shaking his head, he didn't think more about it and continued walking.

"The weather is dry, be careful of fire..."