Destroying the Nine Bends Society

2024-07-31

Destroying the Nine Bends Society

"Don't be nervous. When the time comes, remember to hold formation. Don't get carried away killing. Once your eyes turn red with bloodlust, retreat the moment you hear the order, understand?" Jiang Chunzi instructed several young members who had just joined the Patrol Guard Team.

With his solid personal strength and ability to get things done, he was now Song Changming's promoted deputy.

Of course, it was only temporary. After all, even Song Changming himself had yet to shed the title of acting Patrol Captain.

"On ordinary days, even a small merit is hard to come by. Now the chance is here. Every enemy you kill is a merit, and it will all be recorded.

"Those who want to make a name for themselves, those who want to earn silver—tonight, all of you had better keep your spirits up. You will get what you want."

Song Changming had also handed the pre-battle encouragement to Jiang Chunzi.

That was one of a deputy's duties. As for him, he only needed to lie back with his eyes closed, rest his mind, and conserve his strength.

The veteran patrol guards needed no encouragement. They had their own experience and methods, and knew how to adjust their mindsets and calm themselves.

They watched the terrified newcomers with smiles, finding it rather amusing, as though they were seeing their own selves when they had first joined the Patrol Guard Team.

"After all, there are only a few like Captain Song, who made a name for himself the moment he arrived."

He Shouxin spoke quietly to the man beside him as he checked his Side Saber.

He had served as a patrol guard for nine years. Whether in the past or now, Song Changming was the most formidable young man he had ever seen with his own eyes.

Compared to him, these young patrol guards—nervous and afraid of battle, swallowing hard and gritting their teeth—were what ordinary people ought to look like.

As the night deepened, three strikes of a gong rang out within the Patrol Guard Headquarters.

"Let's go." Song Changming opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and cold. He picked up the long saber beside him.

In the small courtyard, fifteen patrol guards rose together, donned their armor and Helmet and Hat, and stood ready to depart.

Song Changming walked out first, and the others followed close behind.

Their war boots struck the ground with heavy thuds.

Along the way, they happened to run into Lu Gang leading his men out, joining together into a single stream.

"Tonight's battle will likely be extremely brutal. Be careful," Lu Gang said quietly as he walked shoulder to shoulder with Song Changming.

"You too." Song Changming nodded, catching sight of Wang Xianwen following behind Lu Gang from the corner of his eye.

As though sensing Song Changming's gaze, Wang Xianwen unconsciously turned his head away and refused to meet his eyes.

Before long, the other Patrol Guard Teams had all gathered as well. By the time they reached the outside of the patrol guard office, they had formed a square formation of one hundred men.

All one hundred patrol guards were martial artists!

Against ordinary people, each of them could at least fight five or ten alone. Their combat strength was quite respectable.

Finally, Liang Chuanshan arrived at a quick march, personally leading a group of fully armed armored soldiers.

There were thirty armored soldiers in this group. Song Changming recognized the one at their head—it was Zhou Sixin, the Capital City Patrol Captain who had hosted them before.

Thus, the identities of these people spoke for themselves.

They were patrol guards from the capital headquarters!

"Act according to the plan. Begin!" Liang Chuanshan swept his gaze over the crowd and gave the order without further delay.

The patrol guard formation immediately moved out, jogging through the streets with torches in hand.

At a fork in the road, the formation split apart, each Patrol Guard Team heading into streets and alleys in different directions.

Song Changming led his men into a deep, deserted alley.

The alley was so narrow that only two people could advance side by side. Their clothes and armor rubbed together, producing faint clinking sounds.

By this point, everyone in the team had fallen silent. The closer they drew to their destination, the more distinct and heavy the solemn killing intent in their eyes became.

After passing through several hundred meters of alleyway, Song Changming stopped just before they emerged.

The small street ahead was Nine Bends Society territory. Going any farther risked being discovered. All that remained was to wait—wait for every Patrol Guard Team to take position, wait for the time to arrive. Then they would all surge forth and kill.

Jiang Chunzi held a lit stick of red incense in his hand. The other teams each had one as well.

As time passed, the red incense burned shorter and shorter. The instant it burned out, Song Changming's face revealed killing intent. He drew his saber and strode out of the alley first.

Behind him, Jiang Chunzi tossed away the incense ash, drew his saber, and became the second to leave the alley.

The other patrol guards followed suit, the sounds of long sabers leaving their sheaths ringing out one after another.

Most of the Nine Bends Society members were gathered among a cluster of civilian homes here.

One of the two-courtyard mansions was the residence of the Nine Bends Society's core members, including the Nine Leaders, known as the Nine Bends Stars.

The only information they had been unable to gather concerned the Nine Bends Society's nominal gang leader. He had never shown his face and was mysterious in the extreme. They did not know whether he was hiding within this mansion.

The exit of the alley Song Changming had taken lay less than several dozen meters directly opposite one side of the Nine Bends Society mansion's outer wall.

Just as they approached, sounds of fighting and killing already came from several other directions, along with the panicked shouts of Nine Bends Society members.

Clearly, some Patrol Guard Teams had already clashed with the Nine Bends Society.

The outer wall stood nearly four meters high. Song Changming strode forward, planted a foot, and shot into the air.

Near the top of the wall, he lightly tapped it with his toes and flipped over the towering wall like a flying swallow.

The patrol guards behind him stared at one another. Since when had Captain Song possessed such a move?

"Hurry up! Don't delay the mission!" Jiang Chunzi was the first to react and urged them on.

Only then did everyone scramble over the courtyard's outer wall, using both hands and feet.

"Who goes there?!"

Several Nine Bends Society members happened to pass by with sabers in hand. Seeing people climb over the wall, they immediately shouted furiously.

But a flashing blade light met them head-on, drawing a silver line through the air.

The man who had shouted did not even have time to react before his head and body parted ways.

"It's... it's the Patrol Guard Headquarters!"

Someone recognized the armored official uniforms worn by this group—uniforms unique to the Patrol Guard Headquarters.

Song Changming's long saber was stained with blood. His feet shifted, and he struck again.

The second man to cry out fell at once.

The remaining three gang members watched with their hearts pounding and their souls trembling.

"Fight them!" The three rushed forward with sabers in hand, vicious expressions on their faces.

What greeted them, however, was several Crossbow Bolts shooting toward them, piercing straight through all three.

"Captain!" Jiang Chunzi put away his hand crossbow and hurried over.

"I'm fine." Song Changming looked toward the mansion's main gate. As expected, the sounds of slaughter there were the fiercest.

According to the plan, the Patrol Guard Teams led by Lu Gang, Zhao Dezhi, and Zhang Sihai, along with Zhou Sixin brought by Liang Chuanshan, were all there. That was the main battlefield of this night raid.

They were responsible for wiping out the Nine Bends Society's backbone head-on and drawing all of its attention.

Afterward, the three Patrol Guard Teams led by Song Changming, Qian Wen, and Zhu Bairen would maneuver around the flanks and encircle them, forming a pincer attack to further gnaw away at and crush the Nine Bends Society's defenses.

They did not need to slaughter every one of the Nine Bends Society's several hundred members.

They only needed to capture or kill the Nine Bends Society's core members, including the Nine Leaders, in the shortest possible time. Then the Nine Bends Society would be finished.

End of Chapter.