The Knights Order

Bright red warning tape surrounded Haisha Bar, and members of the Knights Order guarded every entrance and exit.

Passersby had no desire to stop and gawk. They fled as though trying to get as far away from the area as possible.

In the Holy Kingdom, when the Church's Knights Order appeared alongside red warning tape, it could only mean one thing: Corrupt Calamity contamination.

Fortunately, judging by the size of the cordoned-off area and the number of knights deployed, this Corrupt Calamity incident was probably not too severe.

Inside Haisha Bar.

"So, Mr. Liao Ji, let me confirm this one more time. At 4:16 this afternoon, a gang organized by Kalleva broke into Haisha Bar in the Beirang district. Their leader claimed to be a Corrupted and threatened the owner, trying to extort an exorbitant protection fee. But during the handover, he suddenly lost control and went berserk, turning into a Corrupted Corpse. In the form of a monster, he began attacking everything around him without reason. To save your lives, you and the gang joined forces and eventually killed the monster together?"

After reading the long statement he had written down, the member of the Knights Order looked up at the young man sitting across from him. He wore a brown suit and had a delicate, fair face.

"Is there anything you'd like to correct or add to my report, Mr. Liao Ji?"

"No. You've recorded everything in great detail, and I've already told you everything I saw. So... may I ask if we can leave now? To be honest, this place really has left me shaken."

The knight understood Liao Ji's request and looked apologetic. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Liao Ji, but I'll have to ask you to stay here and cooperate with us a little longer."

"All right, but please be quick."

"Rest assured. Once we've finished our investigation, we'll notify you right away."

After saluting Liao Ji with a fist to his chest, the investigating knight hurried away to report to the captain in charge of the incident.

Watching the knight's retreating figure, Liao Ji fell into thought.

The Knights Order weren't actual knights clad in armor with swords at their waists.

It was simply the name of an armed force established by the Church.

If Liao Ji had to compare them to something, these people in matching silver-gray uniforms, with pistols at their waists and crosses pinned to their chests, were a little like city police officers.

The name Holy Kingdom said it all: it was a country governed entirely by the Church, which essentially served as its government.

But, just as Irin had explained to him at the start, Black Cave Settlement had retained a degree of independence and self-governance because of its unique history and geography. The Church had never fully taken over. Instead, the gangs had become the masters of Black Cave.

Still, wherever they were, and whether or not they ruled the place themselves, the Church had a duty and responsibility to maintain public order. Whenever Corrupt Calamity contamination broke out, they had to organize people immediately to eliminate it, prevent it from spreading, and rescue the injured.

That was the first absolute principle laid down for the Church in the Founding Scripture, handwritten by the Saintess, Stia.

For hundreds of years, the Church had always done just that.

No one dared defy it.

At least,

no one dared defy it openly.

"Captain Dulin, this is the statement from Liao Ji, one of the survivors at the scene and a customer at the bar. Please review it!" The knight who had questioned Liao Ji jogged over to a middle-aged man and respectfully handed him the report.

From the young knight's form of address, and from the additional holy markings on the middle-aged man's shoulders and cuffs, it was clear that Dulin was the captain of the Knights Order and the one in charge of this incident.

But compared to the earnest young investigator, Captain Dulin seemed rather laid-back.

He waved away the statement the young knight offered and didn't even bother to take a look.

"Just tell me. Is it any different from the others?" Dulin asked, turning his head.

"No. Apart from minor differences in the details, the survivors at the bar have given almost identical accounts."

"Hmph." Dulin gave a knowing snort.

Then he continued questioning the young knight. "So, we've more or less finished our investigation. Tamik, what do you make of this contamination incident?"

The young knight paused briefly, then straightened up and gave Dulin his analysis.

"First, following your past instructions, Captain, I didn't go straight to the scene. Instead, I found several people nearby who had left the bar before the contamination broke out. Judging by their accounts, at least the first half of the incident is credible. Kalleva's gang really did come to the bar to cause trouble and demand protection money."

"Mm. Go on. So when you say at least the first half is credible, you mean you suspect there's a problem with the second half?"

"Yes, Captain Dulin, and I think it's a serious one." The young knight nodded.

"Tell me. What's the problem?"

"I think there are three major points that raise suspicion. First, according to the survivors, they joined forces with the gang to fight the rampaging Corrupted. But when we examined the bodies at the scene, the entire gang had been wiped out, while the people from Haisha Bar hadn't suffered a single casualty. Why?"

"Maybe they were just lucky. Or perhaps the gang was closest to their boss, so they were the first to get hit?" Dulin countered.

"That's possible, but it leads to the second point. After examining the gang members' bodies, we found that most of them had died from having their throats cut by some sharp weapon. That clearly doesn't seem like the work of a Corrupted Corpse."

"Finally, the third suspicious point: Mr. Liao Ji and his female companion."

"They claimed they were so frightened that they missed their chance to leave the bar, but I can't help feeling that the two of them don't quite fit in with the atmosphere here. They seem a little..."

"Out of place?"

"Yes, Captain Dulin!" The young knight nodded, voicing his agreement.

"Then it sounds like you've already got a general picture of what happened."

As Dulin spoke, he patted his trouser pockets. Finding nothing, he realized he was wearing his outdoor uniform, with neither his cigarettes nor lighter on him. He muttered a curse under his breath.

Ignoring his captain's little gestures, the young knight finally delivered his conclusion.

"Reporting, Captain. In my opinion, the full picture is this: Kalleva's gang came to extort protection money, but something unexpected happened along the way, and they came into conflict with a third party inside the bar. The gang was clearly outmatched. Their leader from Kalleva most likely suffered intense emotional turmoil in that desperate situation, causing the Corrupt Calamity inside him to spiral out of control. He eventually turned into a monster and went berserk, but even then, he was still killed."

After laying out his reasoning in one breath, Tamik nervously looked toward his captain and mentor, the most outstanding and capable knight commander in the Church's Knights Order at Black Cave Settlement.

"Your conclusion is correct. I think that's what really happened, too."

Dulin's praise sent Tamik into a burst of excitement. Unable to hold back, he immediately asked for orders. "Then I'll go organize a team and arrest that man and woman right now!"

The identity of the "third party" in his theory was obvious. The two of them had wiped out an entire gang and even killed a rampaging Corrupted. All the clues pointed to one thing.

That man and woman were Corrupted too!

Unfortunately,

before the eager Tamik had even taken half a step, a rough hand covered in calluses grabbed his collar and pulled the young knight, still as green as a rookie, back.

"C-Captain?" Tamik looked back at the middle-aged man's stubbled face, completely baffled.

"Tamik, I think you've mastered investigating and handling cases. So now you're going to learn the next skill every outstanding knight needs."

"You mean...?"

"Survival skills."

With that, Dulin ignored the young knight standing there in a daze and strode toward a young man nearby.