Night Patrol

With a bang, the door was kicked open.

A rough voice boomed like thunder, "It's time for patrol, get out!"

Wang Quan was startled awake by the loud noise, his heart leaping. He quickly replied, "Yes, sir." His voice was still hoarse from sleep. He then realized he had slept for an entire day without noticing, and the sky outside was already nearing dusk.

He got out of bed, enduring the soreness all over his body. The movement pulled at his wounds, causing him to grimace in pain. He limped out of the room and saw four teams already standing in the courtyard, each with five men. They were all dressed in dark green combat attire, long sabers at their waists, their faces stern.

The scarred man who had kicked the door open, the same Commander Chen from yesterday, pointed at Wang Quan. "You, go with Team Ding."

He scanned the crowd again, his voice icy. "Listen up, everyone. During patrol, you will obey the captain's orders at all times. Anyone who disobeys or flees the battlefield will be executed on the spot as a warning. Now go to the armory to get your weapons. Return them as they are after the patrol."

Wang Quan lowered his head and followed the other four members of Team Ding to a stone house on the west side. Inside, dozens of standard-issue long sabers were displayed on racks. They were all identical in shape, with long, narrow blades that gleamed coldly. He followed the others' example and picked one up. It felt heavy in his hands, easily weighing over ten pounds.

The moment he gripped the saber's hilt, a few lines of faintly glowing text suddenly appeared in his mind:

[Current Martial Art]

Wind Slaying Saber Technique (Beginner)

[Can allocate points to gain corresponding progress]

[Insufficient points currently, cannot allocate]

Wang Quan's pupils contracted, and he tightened his grip on the saber. Wind Slaying Saber Technique? In the fragmented memories of his previous life, there were indeed traces of this saber technique. It was a wild style learned from an old bandit in the mountain stronghold when he was a bandit himself, emphasizing speed, ruthlessness, and precision, specializing in attacking vital points. As for this point allocation... where did the points come from? Killing enemies? Or something else?

He didn't have time to ponder further, as the captain of Team Ding had already walked to the front of the team. He was a lean man in his thirties, with an old arrow scar on his cheek and eyes that raked over people like knives.

"All of you, stay alert," the captain said, his voice not loud but carrying a fierce edge. "Tonight's job won't be easy. Keep your eyes sharp and your ears open. Alert me immediately if there's any situation, but no one acts without my orders." He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone, especially Wang Quan, the unfamiliar face. "We are all criminals. If you want to live, if you want to atone for your sins, you must earn merit. If you earn merit, Commander Chen will reward you. But if anyone falters or flees, my saber will be the first to strike them down."

He glanced at the sky, the last rays of sunlight sinking behind the western mountains. "We're leaving the city."

The five of them silently passed through the garrison gate and headed towards the low earthen walls of Anping County. The city gate guards checked the waist token handed over by the captain and waved them through.

Once outside the city gate, the world seemed to fall silent.

The official road stretched into the distance in the twilight, flanked by shadowy fields and weeds. The chirping of insects and birds from the day seemed to have vanished, leaving only the occasional croaking of frogs from a distant pond, making the surroundings even more desolate. The night wind swept through the wilderness, carrying the scent of soil and decaying vegetation.

Wang Quan gripped the saber hilt, his knuckles turning white. He had many questions: What were they patrolling for? Who were they guarding against? Where was the danger coming from? --But he dared not ask. The instincts of his previous life told him that newcomers who spoke too much died the fastest in places like this.

He could only tense his nerves, trying his best to recall the vague combat memories of his predecessor, allowing his body to adapt to the grip of the saber and his walking pace. The captain walked at the front, with two men on either side. Wang Quan and another pale-faced young man followed at the rear of the team.

After walking for about half an hour, the road ahead turned into a dense thicket of trees. Shadows danced, and the moonlight was cut into fragments by the branches and leaves, casting distorted dark shapes on the ground.

Suddenly, a strong stench of decay drifted over with the wind.

"Ugh," the young man at the rear of the team was the first to gag, bending over and retching. Another man beside him covered his nose and mouth, his face turning green.

"Shut up!" the captain suddenly turned back, his low shout piercing the silence. He glared fiercely at the two men. "If you want to die, keep making noise."

Almost simultaneously, Wang Quan's hair stood on end.

In the clearing ahead and to the side, a tall, dark figure slowly turned around.

The moonlight barely illuminated its silhouette. The thing was a full head taller than Wang Quan, its shoulders unnaturally broad. It stood there, casting a huge shadow on the ground. In the dim light, its clothes were tattered rags, its exposed skin had a strange dark purple hue, parts of its body were decaying, and a rotten piece of flesh hung precariously from its chest. Most horrifying was its face, its features indistinct, its lips rotted away to reveal black and yellow teeth, and where its eyes should have been, there were only two bottomless black hollows.

A stench several times stronger than before washed over them.

Wang Quan's mind buzzed, about to explode.

Holy crap... is this a zombie?!

He had seen similar things in movies and TV shows in his past life, but seeing this thing alive and breathing, carrying the tangible aura of death and decay, the impact was far beyond anything on a screen. Fear wrapped around his heart like icy vines, making his breath catch.

Hhh...

A hoarse, inhuman growl came from the thing's throat. It moved, its actions seemingly slow, but with one step, it covered nearly ten feet, lunging straight at the team!

"Scatter!" the captain's roar tore through the night's silence. He drew his saber first, not retreating but advancing, slashing at the zombie's neck!

A piercing clang of metal on metal echoed through the woods. The captain's powerful blow only managed to leave a shallow white mark on the zombie's neck, instead causing his own tiger's mouth to go numb, forcing him to retreat two steps.

Enraged by the blow, the zombie swept its arms horizontally. The captain quickly ducked and rolled to dodge, but a small tree about a bowl's thickness behind him was struck by the zombie's arm, snapping in half with a crack!

"Left side!" the captain shouted hoarsely.

The man on the left gritted his teeth and charged, swinging his saber at the zombie's knee. This time, it finally had an effect. The blade sank several inches into the flesh, but it felt like cutting into waterlogged leather, the resistance astonishingly high. The zombie merely swayed slightly and slapped the man's shoulder with its backhand.

Pfft--

A dull thud of cracking bones. The man cried out and was sent flying backward, crashing into a tree, falling silent.

Seeing this, the team member on the right turned pale and actually turned to run.

"Deserters die!" the captain's voice was as cold as iron, but he was being forced back by the zombie and couldn't spare attention.

The team member, who had run less than three steps, suddenly stiffened and slowly looked down. A blood-stained saber tip protruded from his chest. Behind him stood the pale-faced young man who had been at the rear of the team. The young man withdrew his saber, letting his companion's corpse fall softly, and then retreated to the side, his eyes flickering as he watched the battle between the captain and the zombie, then glancing at Wang Quan.

Wang Quan's heart pounded, his palms sweating. Run? Deserters die instantly. Fight? This thing was impervious to blades and spears, how could they fight?

At this moment, the zombie seemed to recognize the captain as the greatest threat, roaring and lunging forward, its arms closing like iron clamps. The captain couldn't dodge in time and was grabbed by his left arm. A sickening sound of grinding bones echoed as he grunted, his long saber almost slipping from his grasp.

Now!

The combat instincts of his predecessor overwhelmed Wang Quan's fear at this moment. The key principles of the Wind Slaying Saber Technique surfaced in his mind automatically. His body followed the saber, the saber borrowed the wind's momentum, not seeking to overpower, but only to attack vital joints!

He exerted force with his legs and suddenly darted out from the side and rear. The long saber in his hand flashed with a cold light. It wasn't a chop or a slash, but like a viper's flicking tongue, it swiftly stabbed towards the zombie's right knee pit!

That was a move from the Wind Slaying Saber Technique, "Returning Wind Stabs Willow."

The tip of the saber precisely pierced the gap in the back of its knee. This time, the resistance was much less. The zombie's body swayed, and the grip on the captain loosened slightly. The captain seized the opportunity, let out a roar, and kicked the zombie's chest hard with his right leg, breaking free. He stumbled backward, his left arm hanging limply, clearly broken.

The zombie roared, abandoned the captain, and lunged at Wang Quan. The massive shadow loomed, its putrid stench nearly suffocating.

Wang Quan wanted to retreat, but his feet caught on a tree root, and he fell backward. The zombie's claws were already reaching for his face!

In the blink of an eye, he strangely calmed down. Lying on the ground, he instinctively swept his long saber upward. It was another move from the Wind Slaying Saber Technique, "Wind Sweeps Scattered Clouds," striking from bottom to top towards the junction of the zombie's jaw and neck.

Squelch!

This saber strike sank deeply into the rotten flesh. The blade seemed to hit something hard, but its momentum didn't decrease, and it cut through to the other side!

The zombie's movement froze abruptly. It swayed, its rotten head tilting to one side, connected to its neck by only a sliver of flesh. Dark purple, foul-smelling liquid gushed out like a spring.

Boom.

The massive body crashed to the ground like a golden mountain toppling, shaking the earth slightly.

Silence fell over the forest.

Wang Quan lay on the cold, muddy ground, gasping for breath, his hand gripping the saber trembling violently. The captain, clutching his broken arm, leaned against a tree, staring intently at the motionless zombie, then looked at Wang Quan with a complex expression.

The pale young man who had killed their comrade slowly walked over, looking at Wang Quan, and forced an awkward smile. "Brother, good saber technique."

Wang Quan ignored him and struggled to get up. In his mind, those lines of text reappeared:

[Wind Slaying Saber Technique (Beginner)]

[Points +1]

[Can allocate points for corresponding progress]

He moved his mind slightly, attempting to focus his attention on the "Can allocate points" option.

[Consume 1 point to upgrade Wind Slaying Saber Technique progress?]

The text blurred for a moment, then cleared:

[Wind Slaying Saber Technique (Beginner) → (Proficient)]

A flood of unfamiliar memories and bodily instincts surged into his mind. These were more refined methods of channeling energy for the Wind Slaying Saber Technique, more cunning attack angles, and smoother skill transitions. Though his body was still the same, his understanding and mastery of this saber technique had elevated to a new level.

The captain, dragging his broken arm, walked over. He glanced at the zombie's corpse on the ground, then at Wang Quan, and said in a deep voice, "Your name is Wang Quan? Have you trained before?"

Wang Quan nodded, his voice hoarse. "I was a mountain bandit for a few years and learned some things haphazardly."

"Mountain bandit?" The captain's lips twitched, unsure if it was from pain or a smile. "Follow me from now on." He glanced at the corpses of his two fallen teammates and the pale young man. "Team Ding is down to just the three of us now." He paused, looking at Wang Quan. "Surviving is a skill. Tonight's patrol isn't over yet."

Wang Quan gripped his blood-stained long saber tightly and nodded.

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