Chapter 10

Qin Shaoyou did not give Xue Qingshan a chance to change his mind and urged him to hand over the warrant.

After carefully putting it away, he said, "Brother-in-law, tell me in detail about the case of the missing children in Mianyuan County."

Since he had taken on the task, he needed to be fully prepared.

Besides the equipment, understanding the case was also essential.

"Alright."

Xue Qingshan suppressed his inexplicable unease and began to describe the situation:

"According to the Night Watchmen in Mianyuan County, multiple cases of missing children have occurred in the county since last month.

At first, the local authorities treated it as a common kidnapping case and sent constables to investigate.

However, not long after, the constables involved in the investigation were all brutally murdered in their homes, with terrifying and mysterious causes of death.

Only then did the local authorities realize the seriousness of the case and urgently reported it to the Night Watchmen..."

Listening to Xue Qingshan's account, Qin Shaoyou gained a general understanding of the case of the missing children in Mianyuan County.

This was not a small case involving just a few missing children, but a series of cases involving dozens or even hundreds of missing children!

Moreover, the number of missing children was still increasing!

This indicated that the evil spirits stealing the children did not take the local authorities and Night Watchmen seriously and were still committing crimes brazenly.

Of course, the local authorities and Night Watchmen were indeed not very effective.

Although they tried their best to investigate, progress was slow, and they failed to uncover any useful leads.

Let alone eliminating the evil spirits and rescuing the missing children.

The local residents of Mianyuan County were in a state of panic due to this case.

Especially those with children, who were extremely tense and fearful, worried that the next missing child might be their own.

Faced with immense pressure, the local authorities and Night Watchmen had to seek help from higher authorities.

Thus, the case was submitted to the Luocheng Town Demon Suppression Bureau.

After finishing his account, Xue Qingshan asked, "That's the situation. Do you have any other questions?"

Qin Shaoyou raised a doubt, "Brother-in-law, this case is quite complicated. Even the local authorities couldn't find any leads. What can I, a rookie, possibly discover?"

Xue Qingshan had already made arrangements for this.

"The scholar Zhu Xiuren under you is a skilled investigator I specially assigned to you. With his help, you should be able to find some leads. Besides, I'm still here. If you really encounter difficulties, send someone back to me, and I'll send experts to assist you."

With Xue Qingshan's assurance, Qin Shaoyou felt relieved and smiled, "Thank you, Brother-in-law. You're so kind."

Xue Qingshan shivered and his hair stood on end.

If his sister had said this, he would have felt comfortable, but coming from Qin Shaoyou, it was just so disgusting.

Xue Qingshan waved his hand in disgust, "Hurry up and go pack your things. We're leaving today, and they are urging us in Mianyuan County. As for our parents, don't worry about them. I'll inform them after work."

"Understood." Qin Shaoyou nodded and bid farewell to Xue Qingshan before heading straight to the office.

Xue Qingshan saw him off, watched him walk away, and couldn't help but mutter, "Why didn't our parents have another daughter?"

Shaking his head in regret, he turned back to continue handling the accumulated affairs of the past two days.

Back at the office, Qin Shaoyou gathered his subordinates and informed them about the mission.

Unlike Qin Shaoyou, his subordinates were all very excited to hear about the mission.

Because completing a mission meant a reward, and if done well, there would be additional bonuses.

Moreover, it would also help them accumulate merit.

Whether the soldiers wanted to be promoted to patrollers or guards, or Zhu Xiuren and Ma Heshang wanted to become officials, they needed to accumulate enough merit.

So when they heard about the mission, they were like hungry wolves smelling blood, all excited and red-eyed.

Even Ma Heshang, while chanting Buddhist mantras, said, "Whether it's kidnappers or evil spirits, I will definitely save as many as possible!"

Of course, they were also aware of the dangers of the mission.

But compared to the dangers and demons, they were more afraid of being poor and powerless.

Seeing their reactions, Qin Shaoyou swallowed the words he had prepared to boost their morale.

These guys were already eager, so they didn't need his encouragement. He might need it himself.

"Let's go and get the equipment."

Qin Shaoyou called out, leading his subordinates to the armory.

After showing Xue Qingshan's warrant to the Night Watchman guarding the armory, they were allowed to enter.

Qin Shaoyou entered the armory, looked around at the equipment, and instructed Zhu Xiuren and the others:

"Take a few more knives for easy replacement, and an extra set of armor. Do any of you use long weapons? Pick a few. Also, take shields, crossbows, and sleeve arrows, as much as you can carry."

"Huh?"

Zhu Xiuren and Ma Heshang, along with the others, were a bit confused.

Aren't we going to investigate the case of missing children?

Why does it seem like we're going to battle against a cult?

Do we really need so much equipment?

After hesitating, Ma Heshang finally couldn't hold back and whispered, "Sir, do we really need so much equipment?"

Qin Shaoyou was firm, "Take it. Better to have too much than too little. Be prepared for anything."

Seeing this, Ma Heshang and Zhu Xiuren no longer argued and followed Qin Shaoyou's instructions to gather the equipment.

Soon, Qin Shaoyou, who had taken several knives and two sets of armor, noticed something in a corner of the armory that didn't look like weapons or equipment.

He pointed and asked the sweating armory manager, "What's over there?"

The armory manager, wiping the sweat from his forehead, replied, "Those are flying tiger claws, knockout incense, and other miscellaneous items..."

He had managed the armory for many years and had never seen anyone take so much equipment before.

Do you think this is a market, coming here to stock up?

Taking so much equipment, are you trying to turn yourself into a hedgehog?

However, the warrant Qin Shaoyou presented was personally signed by Xue Qingshan.

It also stated that Qin Shaoyou and his team were allowed to take more equipment.

Moreover, given Qin Shaoyou's relationship with Xue Qingshan, the armory manager dared not complain and had to fully cooperate.

"Flying tiger claws? Knockout incense?"

Qin Shaoyou thought for a moment and turned to Zhu Xiuren, "Take some, and see if there are any other useful items to take."

"Understood."

Zhu Xiuren nodded, thinking that they already had a lot of equipment, so a little more wouldn't hurt.

Qin Shaoyou then remembered something and quickly added, "Oh, and take some signal arrows too."

"Alright." Zhu Xiuren responded.

The other subordinates, including Ma Heshang and the soldiers, were surprised by Qin Shaoyou's new instructions.

Taking more signal arrows made sense for calling for reinforcements.

But what were flying tiger claws and knockout incense for?

We're going to investigate a case, not break into houses to kidnap people!

Zhu Xiuren, however, understood: "Sir is being cautious to avoid being caught off guard in unexpected situations."

He then praised, "Sir's arrangements show a deep understanding of military strategy and the qualities of a great general!"

Qin Shaoyou laughed and pointed at Zhu Xiuren, "You're a well-read man. Speak more when you can."

Then, he called two soldiers to help him put on the armor he had just received.

He also put on a loose robe over the armor, securing the cuffs and collar to hide the armor inside, making it less noticeable.

While putting on the armor, Qin Shaoyou took out a copper mirror with a talisman from his chest.

He originally intended to put it away, but after thinking, he decided to keep it on his chest.

More protection means more safety.

Closer to the body, better protection.

Qin Shaoyou's subordinates were not surprised by his decision to wear armor.

In these times, the order in the city was better, but outside, it was full of dangers.

Especially on their way to Mianyuan County, they would have to cross mountains and valleys.

Even if they didn't encounter demons or evil spirits, they might run into bandits or wild animals.

Wearing armor in advance was better than being caught off guard. When attacked, they could just put on their helmets and charge into battle.

So, not only Qin Shaoyou, but his subordinates also put on armor after gathering their equipment.

"You stay here and get the equipment. I'll go to the spirit items room to pick up some items."

After putting on the armor, Qin Shaoyou took two sleeve arrows and carried them on his person, then instructed and left the armory.

The others looked at each other in confusion.

"Did I hear that right? Sir is going to get spirit items?"

"Are we really going to investigate the case of missing children? Or are we going to battle a cult?"

Zhu Xiuren and Ma Heshang, along with the others, had many questions in their minds.

The armory manager, watching Qin Shaoyou leave, muttered to himself, "This guy must be a bit off..."