Night Patrol

Evening.

Chen Bin pushed open his door, stepped outside, and headed toward the Demon Suppression Division headquarters.

Along the way, he ignored Zhang He, who had been following behind him the whole time.

Nor did he care how the other man intended to sort out his dinner.

Once there, he ate dinner first, then arrived at the Demon Suppression Division headquarters punctually at the hour of Xu.

At the Training Ground, Huang Yong, Liu Xiaodong, Qin Zhiming, and Huang Kaisheng were already waiting in position.

They collected their Demon Sensing Plates, lanterns, and Signal Tubes—everything essential for a night patrol.

"Sir, all four of us are in position," Huang Yong said with a broad smile.

Chen Bin nodded slightly and waved a hand, signaling for the four to follow.

Leading them out through the headquarters gates, he began the night patrol.

He continued to ignore Zhang He, who followed behind them.

Seeing this, Huang Yong could not help asking, "Sir, should we drive that kid away?"

Chen Bin did not reply. His figure gradually melted into the darkness around the corner.

The four exchanged glances, then immediately hurried after him.

They paid no attention to Zhang He.

Chen Bin's patrol area encompassed the entirety of South City, and he was free to choose his own route.

Though he appeared to be patrolling with a Demon Sensing Plate in hand, he was actually relying on the system map.

He walked with extreme care, doing his best to keep the houses within his map's detection range!

At present, his map's detection range was twenty-five zhang—roughly seventy-five meters.

That distance was just enough to encompass all the shops, courtyards, and houses on both sides of the street.

After walking for half a shichen, Chen Bin stopped in front of a house.

Its walls were weathered and dilapidated, giving off a somewhat eerie air.

Seeing this, Huang Yong hurried forward and asked, "Sir, have you found something?"

Chen Bin glanced at the four of them and asked calmly, "Generally speaking, what do we do when we encounter members of the Demon Race during a night patrol?"

"Of course, we charge right in and kill them!" Liu Xiaodong grinned at the question. "If we can't beat them, we send a signal and call for reinforcements."

As he spoke, he raised the Signal Tube in his hand and gave it a shake.

"Very good!" Chen Bin was quite satisfied with that answer. He nodded slightly, his gaze returning to the house.

"Captain, we..." Huang Yong looked hesitant. The words reached his lips, but he faltered, as if he wanted to ask Chen Bin something.

Yet Chen Bin seemed not to hear him. His gaze was cold and stern as he strode toward the courtyard.

Night had fallen by then. Moonlight spilled over the flagstone road, lending the deserted street an added depth of gloom.

The courtyard gate was shut tight. Chen Bin remained calm as he lifted the sheath in his hand and rapped on the door—not too hard, not too softly.

Huang Yong's expression changed dramatically. He hurried forward, reaching out to stop Chen Bin, faint beads of sweat appearing on his brow as he said anxiously, "Sir, this is an honest household."

Chen Bin halted and slowly turned his head. His gaze was as sharp and ruthless as a hawk's, a cold glint sweeping over Huang Yong; that look seemed ready to kill.

At that moment, Chen Bin mused inwardly that his Merit was far from enough—how could he possibly let this go?

When his eyes fell upon the three points of Merit flickering above Huang Yong's head, a strange glimmer appeared in them.

A thought actually arose in his heart: if a conflict truly broke out here, he would not mind giving Huang Yong a slash as well.

Swept by that gaze, Huang Yong felt as though a basin of icy water had been poured over his head. His entire body shuddered, and he instinctively took a step back, retreating down the steps.

"Who is it?" An aged yet steady voice came from within the courtyard, breaking the brief silence.

"Demon Suppression Division," Chen Bin called out.

His voice rang clearly through the night sky, carrying an unquestionable authority.

"Oh, coming!"

With a creak, the courtyard gate slowly opened from within.

An old man stood behind it, a smile instantly blooming across his face, humble yet warm as he said, "My lords."

The old man was slightly stooped. There were not many wrinkles on his face, but his head of white hair stood out distinctly beneath the moonlight.

Chen Bin looked up and saw the six points of Merit flickering behind the Red Name above the old man's head. His heart stirred, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on his face as he said, "Several Tiger Demons have entered the city recently, and an entire household was wiped out. The headquarters needs to inspect the residents."

Hearing this, a trace of confusion appeared on the old man's face. His brows furrowed slightly as he said, "The District Master never mentioned this!"

Chen Bin's gaze suddenly sharpened. His hand had silently settled on the hilt of his blade, and the air instantly filled with tension.

The old man's heart jolted at the sight. Knowing he could not stand against the imperial authorities, his expression immediately turned servile as he hurriedly said, "But we will fully cooperate. Please, come in!"

Chen Bin strode into the courtyard, his eyes blazing as he swept his gaze around before asking, "How many people are there in your household?"

The old man quickly answered, "A family of four!"

"Bring them all out!" Chen Bin's tone was icy, leaving no room for doubt.

"My lord, we're all decent folk." The old man still tried to argue.

Huang Yong had already been holding back a bellyful of anger. Seeing the old man act like this, rage immediately surged up within him.

He kicked the old man, putting a fair bit of force into it.

He cursed, "Go when you're told to go. Why all the damn nonsense?"

He had already been stewing over Chen Bin's earlier attitude, and this kick let out some of the pent-up frustration in his heart.

The old man merely swayed.

Huang Yong had only wanted Chen Bin to finish his inspection sooner.

Whatever happened, they absolutely could not uncover anything in this courtyard.

"I'm going, I'm going."

The old man nodded frantically, looking rather comical, then hunched over as he went inside to fetch the others.

"My lord," Huang Yong walked up to Chen Bin, his tone carrying obvious displeasure as he muttered, "Why bother with these worthless commoners?"

"Exactly!" Qin Zhiming could not help chiming in from the side. "We only need to patrol at night."

"Who says a night patrol can't patrol into someone's courtyard?"

Chen Bin's gaze flashed like lightning as he swept his eyes over the two of them, his expression brooking no argument.

"My lord is right!" Huang Yong's eyes lit up, as though he had suddenly seen the light.

He secretly thought, How had I never considered that before?

But they couldn't patrol here at night!

Before long, the old man emerged from the house with three people.

A slight old woman, along with two young and brawny men.

The four came before Chen Bin. The old man beamed as he introduced them. "My lord, this is my old wife and my two sons."

Chen Bin's gaze passed over them one by one. He stepped closer and asked, "How long have you been here?"

"A long time. Ask around the district—who doesn't know our family?"

The old man was still all smiles, the wrinkles on his face squeezed together.

Just then, with a pfft, a cold gleam flashed. A pitch-black blade pierced the old man's open mouth without warning.

The old man's eyes instantly widened, filled with terror and disbelief.

Then the black blade swept sideways in a flash of lightning.

Where the pitch-black blade passed, half the old man's head was severed, before the blade returned and sliced across his neck.

With a thud, the old man's head fell and rolled several times across the ground before coming to a stop.

[Killed a Body Tempering Realm Tiger Demon. Merit obtained: 6. Remaining Merit: 467]