Winter came early to nightfall, and it always grew dark especially quickly.
In this era, there was basically no nightlife to speak of. Everyone was exhausted from working during the day. Most families simply ate dinner after dark, sat together and chatted for a while, and once it passed seven, those who were going to make babies made babies, while those who were going to sleep went to sleep.
Those still outside at this hour were, for the most part, either watchmen or patrolmen.
The internal security of Great Zhou was excellent. The main reason was that the people were all living very well. With no worries about food or clothing, nobody had any desire to cause trouble.
In the past, nighttime patrols had been more symbolic than practical.
But with the influx of large numbers of outsiders over the past two years, along with the completion of the various embassies this year and the arrival of diplomatic missions from every country, the relevant departments had all been called in for a little talk.
Some things were inconvenient to spell out too clearly, but from now on, patrol duty would unquestionably be tightened up! That included after nightfall!
That evening, while patrolling outside their work area in Black Moon City, a member of the guard team carrying an oil lamp seemed to notice something. He immediately raised a hand, signaling the patrolling members with him to stop.
"There's something going on."
At those words, the team members all halted. While spreading out into formation, they looked around them.
After sweeping their eyes around the area, they spoke with some uncertainty.
"Captain, there doesn't seem to be anything here."
"I'm absolutely certain. A black shadow just flashed past."
The captain's tone was exceptionally certain, without a trace of hesitation.
"He might