Assassin

2024-07-31

Assassin

"Fire the signal!" Lu Gang barked.

In fact, before Lu Gang could speak, Song Changming had already launched the smoke flare he had long held ready in his hand.

His work as bait had now been completed perfectly. All that remained was to wait for reinforcements to arrive and surround them.

At the same time, after failing to land their first strike, the attackers did not pause in the slightest. They immediately split into three groups and charged at Song Changming and Lu Gang.

Even after Song Changming fired the signal flare, they showed no panic whatsoever. They intended to kill the two Patrol Guards before leaving.

Song Changming realized that a hard fight lay ahead, and the blood throughout his body seemed to boil.

Taking a deep breath, he did not retreat when the opponent thrust his blade at him. Instead, he advanced to meet it.

He knew that if he retreated again, his opponent would suppress his blade momentum. Then, even if he possessed ten-tenths of his blade skill, he would only be able to wield seventy or eighty percent of it—perhaps even less.

In a duel between blade wielders, the first thing tested was blade momentum!

Only then came techniques and skill.

The two rapidly closed in. Song Changming swung his long saber, its edge whistling like a Fierce Ghost shrieking beside one's ear.

The Yinfeng it stirred made the assassin's eyes widen in astonishment.

"Ghost Blade Faction!"

A barely audible voice came from beneath the mask.

He had recognized the school of Song Changming's blade arts, and it seemed to have greatly exceeded his expectations.

"Kid, where did you learn those blade arts?"

The assassin's voice was deliberately muffled and indistinct, making it difficult to tell whether it was his real voice.

Song Changming said nothing, his saber strikes growing ever sharper and swifter.

He had no habit of chatting with enemies in the midst of a fight, much less revealing the blade arts he had learned.

After several exchanges, the opponent was beginning to struggle against Song Changming's Bull Strength.

"Come help me!" the assassin immediately called for support.

One of the other men who had been besieging Lu Gang instantly turned his blade and thrust at Song Changming's back.

The three of them coordinated flawlessly, able to switch targets with ease.

"Watch out!" Lu Gang was being held back with all the third assassin's strength and had no time to stop him.

Song Changming felt a chill run down his spine. Without a second thought, he rolled aside to evade the blade behind him.

The long saber swept past him. It did not pierce his back, leaving only a wound on his right arm.

Fortunately, the cut was not deep and had not injured the bone.

Song Changming gritted his teeth and rose. This was, after all, the first time he had been injured in a fight.

The two assassins had no intention of letting Song Changming off so easily and once more attacked him from both sides.

Song Changming exhaled the breath he had been holding, calming himself as he focused completely on exchanging blows with the two assassins.

He pushed the Soul Severing Saber to its limit. For a moment, the Yinfeng surged wildly, making the night itself seem even darker.

The two assassins' blade momentum was identical, like two concealed venomous snakes. The night should have been their domain, yet beneath this Yinfeng, they found it difficult to gain any advantage.

Facing two opponents alone, Song Changming relied on the might of the Soul Severing Saber to hold them off without falling into a disadvantage.

After a while, the three assassins realized they had delayed too long and that the situation was hopeless. They prepared to withdraw.

"You came when you pleased, and now you think you can leave?" Lu Gang had no intention of easily letting off the three criminals who had recently thrown all of Houli Street into chaos.

Urgent footsteps could now be heard in the distance. The Patrol Guard Team's reinforcements were nearly there.

"You two go first!" the assassin fighting Lu Gang said decisively.

The other two hesitated briefly, but in the end, they broke away from Song Changming and turned to flee.

Just as Song Changming was about to pursue them, the assassin clashing with Lu Gang suddenly stepped in front of him.

In that brief moment of obstruction, the two men had already disappeared into the alley, retreating with extreme speed.

Song Changming did not force himself to chase them. Instead, he struck at the man before him again and again, bursting forth with power and taking advantage of his unstable footing to hack him to the ground.

He planted a foot on the man's chest and pressed his blade to his throat, subduing him.

Seeing this, Lu Gang rushed into the deep alley without hesitation to pursue the other two. "As expected of the man who killed Chen Beihu. You really do have some skill," said the assassin Song Changming had pinned to the ground.

"Hm?" Song Changming's gaze sharpened.

The other side knew so clearly about Chen Beihu's death. They had undoubtedly investigated it deliberately.

"You're from the Tengya Mountain Bandit Army?"

But the assassin said nothing more.

By then, Liang Chuanshan had arrived with the Patrol Guard Team.

"Changming, how is it? Where's Lu Gang?"

Song Changming briefly explained what had happened. Worried for Lu Gang's safety, Liang Chuanshan immediately led his men after him.

The remaining two assassins hid and fled, but this time, they could not escape the encirclement of a hundred experienced Patrol Guards.

In the end, all three criminals were captured and thrown into the interrogation room for the harshest possible questioning.

Song Changming and Lu Gang had rendered the greatest service that night. Liang Chuanshan even brought them to meet the Director of the Patrol Guard Headquarters, where they received high praise.

The Director of Houli Street was already over seventy, his head full of silver hair, looking like an old man with one foot in the grave.

Yet dressed in official robes, he still cut an imposing figure. Having overseen the Patrol Guard Headquarters for many years, he commanded tremendous prestige.

His praise carried considerable weight.

The very next day, Lu Gang received a promotion.

His years of accomplishments, Liang Chuanshan's recommendation, and the favorable impression he had made the previous night ultimately led the Director to approve Lu Gang's formal succession to the late Sun Wenyen's position as the new Patrol Captain.

All of Sun Wenyen's former men were transferred under Lu Gang's command.

For a time, Lu Gang was unmatched in prominence within the Patrol Guard Headquarters, becoming one of its new leaders.

After Lu Gang's departure, Song Changming temporarily took Liang Chuanshan's deputy position.

The reason it was called temporary was simply that Song Changming's seniority was too shallow.

Going by seniority, the position should never have fallen to him.

But Song Changming's combat prowess was plain for all to see. Combined with his repeated accomplishments and Liang Chuanshan's high regard for him, he had effectively been promoted over the usual ranks.

This temporary appointment was merely nominal. In practice, it was no different from formally serving as deputy.

As a result, Song Changming's authority within the Patrol Guard Team was now second only to Liang Chuanshan's.

If Liang Chuanshan was absent, Song Changming could likewise command the other members of the Patrol Guard Team.

And this was only his first year as a Patrol Guard.

Anyone with eyes could see that the young Song Changming had limitless prospects within the Patrol Guard Headquarters.

The veteran Patrol Guards in the team were all shrewd men. Before Song Changming, they obeyed his every word and did not rely on their seniority to stir up trouble or pay lip service while acting otherwise.

They all understood that doing so would not benefit them.

Meanwhile, after Lu Gang took office, Wang Xianwen, who had temporarily filled Sun Wenyen's position, returned to being a deputy.

At his residence, upon receiving the news, he smashed the desks and chairs in his study to pieces, beside himself with rage.

Only after a long while did he finish venting and calm down, but his emotions remained unsettled for a long time.

He had originally believed that after Sun Wenyen's death, the vacant position of Patrol Captain was his for the taking.

Previously, the Director had personally appointed him acting Patrol Captain to investigate the murderer.

He had thought the acting title would soon be removed, and that once the case was closed, he would formally become Patrol Captain.

However.

Why Lu Gang?

Wang Xianwen's fury burned fiercely. He could not accept such an arrangement.

"Lu Gang."