Crimson Alert

The dozen or so agents in black aimed their crossbows at Xia Lin, covering every vital point.

Xia Lin stayed on one knee, pinning his captive beneath him. He spread his free hand, his face a picture of innocence. "What did I do? I just stopped a terrorist attack, Lady. Shouldn't you give me a medal?"

He pressed down a little harder. The struggling War Priestess beneath his knee rolled her eyes back and passed out completely.

"You—!"

The silver-haired girl looked ready to explode with rage.

"You idiot adventurer!" she snapped. "The man in brown among the people you took down was our informant!"

"Huh?"

This time, Xia Lin really was stunned.

"I don't have time to argue with you!" The silver-haired girl was clearly the squad's commander. She swept out an arm. "Jerrik! Check on Hal! Everyone else, secure the scene!"

A Priest wearing the emblem of the Iomedae Temple on his chest rushed over at once. He went straight to the man in brown, one of the six "ordinary people" Xia Lin had knocked down.

A moment later, the Priest looked up, his expression strange. "Officer Sky, this adventurer hit him hard. Hal has three broken ribs and minor internal bleeding. I can stabilize him, but he'll be unconscious for at least two days."

"Two days?!"

Xia Lin stood and rubbed his nose, looking a little embarrassed. "Uh—I thought they were all enemies, so—"

Sky let out a frustrated growl and kicked a nearby wine barrel hard.

She strode over and began inspecting the unconscious cultists on the ground, giving the hook-nosed man an unceremonious nudge with her toe as she worked.

"Identify them, check for tattoos, record distinguishing features," she ordered calmly. "Remove that alchemical device. Be careful—don't actually set it off."

Only then did Xia