Chi An

Even at midnight, the market in the East District of Shahai City was still quite lively.

The seafood restaurants along the street were packed with customers.

The sounds of ordering food and conversations mingled together, making it impossible to hear what the people facing each other were saying.

"Here are your stir-fried whelks and salt and pepper squid."

The proprietress was clearly used to this kind of environment; her voice immediately resonated with the customers.

The two intelligence agents' attempts to eavesdrop on the soldiers at the opposite table were interrupted.

They remained calm and moved the empty beer bottles that were casually placed on the table so that the proprietress could serve the food.

"Thanks."

You're welcome, please enjoy your meal!

The proprietress put down the dishes and left in a hurry; judging from her pace, she'd be busy until closing time.

With the interference gone, the two intelligence agents were able to eavesdrop on the conversation at the opposite table again.

Perhaps it was because of the noisy environment, or perhaps they had already gotten drunk.

At this moment, the two soldiers raised their voices slightly.

This volume, though faint in the bustling store, was enough for the intelligence agent to hear clearly.

"By the way, what if something goes wrong with that Laboratory since we're assigned to guard the gate?"

The first sentence of their conversation, which they overheard again, was a bombshell, startling the two intelligence agents so much that their hands trembled as they picked up food from their chopsticks.

According to them, there was actually a Laboratory inside that shelter.

The turmoil in their minds did not affect the conversation between the two soldiers.

"Why do you care what he does? Maybe there are other safety measures in place?"

Instead of worrying about that, think about how to escape quickly and discreetly if something really happens.

After listening to his comrade's words, the other soldier nodded, agreeing with his opinion.

The conversation then shifted to "strategic shift" and "responsibility avoidance".

Then they strayed further and further off course, and the amount of useful intelligence dropped sharply.

After a few rounds of drinks, the two soldiers started talking incoherently.

The two intelligence officers determined that they had nothing more to say.

After quickly finishing the somewhat cold food on the table, the two left together.

Unbeknownst to them, a blurry dark figure was standing on a lush roadside tree in the distance.

The shadowy figure silently watched the soldiers inside the shop, its blood-red pupils filled with a deathly stillness that sent chills down one's spine.

Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, it was almost midnight.

The number of people at the market began to decrease, and the seafood restaurants were no longer as crowded as they had been an hour or two ago.

Although the night market economy in Shahai City is quite prosperous, the city's public security is also relatively good.

However, the increasingly tense external environment is still quietly affecting people's lives.

The increased number of patrolling soldiers in the latter half of the night made them instinctively reluctant to come out and play at night.

Therefore, once it's past midnight, Shahai City quickly falls silent, as if a power button has been pressed.

Soldiers who go out after their shift change will return to their barracks before 12 o'clock to report for duty.

At the entrance of a seafood restaurant, two soldiers, still slightly drunk, paid their bill and left.

After that, they strolled leisurely toward the city wall.

"Sigh, I just went out for a meal, and my rest time is gone. When will this ever end?"

The military bases are located far from residential areas, basically on the edge of the city.

The further they walked, the more secluded the surroundings became.

Even when speaking in a low voice, it still sounds quite loud on a quiet street.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

The two walked on, their footsteps echoing.

Suddenly, one of the soldiers stopped.

When his companion saw that he wasn't leaving, he asked him what was wrong.

"What's wrong?"

"Tap tap tap..."

The moment his companion stopped, his expression changed drastically; he sobered up instantly and warily scanned his surroundings.

The companion didn't immediately realize what had happened.

"Tap tap tap..."

It wasn't until the footsteps drew closer that he realized something.

They all stopped. Whose footsteps were those?

Goosebumps instantly rose on the skin, and the hair on their bodies stood on end. The Psychic Energy within the two soldiers began to circulate wildly.

"Tap tap."

The footsteps stopped abruptly.

Before the two soldiers could find any trace of the newcomer, a figure suddenly flashed past.

"Swoosh! Swoosh!"

"Ahh!"

In just one exchange, blood splattered from their necks.

They desperately covered the gash in their throats, from which bright red blood flowed uncontrollably, dripping onto the ground.

The pain temporarily numbed their perception of the outside world.

Therefore, they did not notice.

A figure casually draped in a dark gray hooded cape stood on a street lamp not far from them.

It's like a crow perched high up, observing its prey's struggle.

Chi An stared at the soldiers howling in pain, his empty eyes devoid of any obvious emotion.

But in that stagnant pool, a subtle, almost imperceptible, pleasure lingered.

A moment later, he moved.

The figure seemed to simply flicker on the streetlight.

But in that split second, he had already finished his attack and returned to the streetlight.

Not far away, the bodies of two soldiers lay scattered and broken on the street.

Their eyes, wide with terror, stared in the direction of the streetlights, meeting those blood-red, lifeless eyes.

Chi An only stared for less than a second before looking away, the slight interest in his eyes vanishing completely, leaving only a vast, stagnant expanse of water.

The next moment, he vanished.

Meanwhile, in the city center of Shahai City, two intelligence agents had already reported the various intelligence they had gathered throughout the day.

Like them, there are many other small teams that gather intelligence in pairs.

Throughout the day, a considerable amount of information of all kinds was collected.

Yan Fei and Lu Qianyu had to work together to organize the written intelligence.

"Hmm? Qianyu, come take a look at this."

Yan Fei picked up a report that had been submitted that evening and beckoned Lu Qianyu to come and take a look.

"Is this the shelter you were talking about?"

After recording the progress of her work, Lu Qianyu quickly stepped forward, took the report, and began to read it carefully.

He read very quickly, finishing the first reading in almost only three seconds.

He then looked at it again, and only after confirming that it was correct did he look up and answer.

Yes, that's it.

After listening, Yan Fei seemed to be deep in thought.

"Laboratory? This looks more like bait. Try using surveillance and listening devices to investigate first."

"I have a feeling that if we approach that place too easily, we'll most likely fall into a trap set by the Demon Race."