Surveillance

On Funeral Street, on the second floor of a street-facing loft about two hundred meters away from Deliverance Studio.

The windows were covered with specially crafted one-way glass; from the outside, it appeared as nothing more than a dim void, yet from within, one could clearly observe most of the street, especially the movements around the front and back doors of Deliverance Studio.

Zhou Ling and the steady man who had been taking records at the Black Tiger Gang, named Zhao Tie, were keeping watch quietly behind the window.

Zhao Tie held a brass compass the size of a palm in his hand, its needle trembling slightly as it pointed toward Deliverance Studio.

Zhou Ling was holding a Truth-Peering Mirror, which resembled a monocular telescope, observing the situation at the studio.

"Brother Zhao, this kid looks truly frail." Zhou Ling lowered the Truth-Peering Mirror and rubbed her slightly sore eyes. "The weight of the Sha in his body is more outrageous than anyone I've ever seen who was haunted by a malicious ghost."

"If this person really had such ability, could he be tormented into this state by Sha? And when the Black Tiger Gang incident happened, his physical condition was such that I doubt he could even kill a chicken."

"This man's Yin energy is congealed and refuses to dissipate, having seeped deep into his bone marrow; it is indeed a sign of his impending end. However, Captain Yue had his reasons for ordering us to keep an eye on him." Zhao Tie paused, lowering his voice. "The whole affair with the Black Tiger Gang is far too suspicious."

"A wraith attack followed by a precise extermination of the entire gang—the methods were ruthless and clean, unlike typical underworld feuds."

"Captain Yue is under immense pressure right now; we cannot afford to let any suspicious lead slip through our fingers."

Zhao Tie finally moved his gaze away from the compass and looked at Zhou Ling. "There may be other secrets hidden within this boy."

"So many brothers were lost at Green Dragon Shoal, and the impact was so great that news of the Black Tiger Gang's annihilation even reached the ears of the higher-ups in Jinmen."

He sighed, a trace of exhaustion etched between his brows.

Hearing the mention of Green Dragon Shoal, Zhou Ling's expression turned solemn, a flicker of pain flashing in the depths of her eyes. "Green Dragon Shoal? What exactly is hidden in that hellish place?"

"I heard that among those lost, our Inspection Bureau alone had seven elite officers, and the Anomaly Suppression Bureau lost three. Deputy Captain Li..." Her voice choked slightly.

Zhao Tie fell silent for a moment, then patted her shoulder, his voice dropping lower. "It was eight. We just received word; old Li didn't make it through last night either."

"That thing is likely not a common water ghost or river demon. To make both our Inspection Bureau and the Anomaly Suppression Bureau suffer such a heavy loss, it must be at least a Fierce Sha level entity, perhaps even touching the fringes of a Calamity."

He paused, seemingly wanting to shift away from the heavy topic, and also to educate Zhou Ling on some levels she might not fully understand. "Our Anomaly Suppression Bureau and Inspection Bureau primarily follow the path of orthodox martial arts and blood energy."

"From the foundation of blood energy replenishment to blood energy like mercury, then copper skin and iron bones, and even higher to the indestructible golden body, or the furnace of blood energy—every step is taken with steady progress. It is masculine and upright, capable of suppressing evil spirits."

"Captain Yue is young, yet he has already perfected the blood energy like mercury and is touching the threshold of copper skin and iron bones. In all of Jinmen, he is considered a top-tier expert."

"But as for the heterodox arts that the kid across the street might be involved in, or what the Black Tiger Gang might have provoked, the paths are far more varied."

Zhao Tie continued, "The boundaries between the lower nine crafts and the heterodox paths are extremely blurred. Some are judged by the depth of their magic, some by the number and strength of the evil entities they control, and others by the bizarre nature of their secret techniques."

"But generally speaking, those who can independently cast spells to harm others and drive Yin spirits are considered to have entered the ranks."

"Those who can pull off wraith attacks and precise exterminations like last night are at least experts at the 'Entering the Hall' or even 'Micro-Manipulation' level."

"Going further up, those who can command powerful demons, set up formidable arrays, or even undergo bizarre physical changes themselves are even more troublesome. We generally treat them as being on par with the copper skin and iron bones level of martial arts or even higher."

Zhou Ling was thoughtful. "Brother Zhao, do you mean that if the Black Tiger Gang incident was truly the work of someone from the heterodox path, the perpetrator's level might not be low? At the very least, it's not something the kid across the street could have done in his current state?"

"Exactly." Zhao Tie nodded. "But Captain Yue doesn't suspect he has the ability now; he suspects he might have had it in the past, or that he knows who does."

"Don't forget, he is the only son of Paper-Crafting Chen. Paper-Crafting Chen was a figure of some note on Funeral Street. It is said that the paper-crafting techniques passed down in his family had some merit, though they declined later on."

"Chen Mo has been exposed to these things since childhood. Even if he didn't learn profound arts, could he know some secrets? Is this fatal Sha in his body inherently strange? The Black Tiger Gang was always pressuring his shop and his family's secret techniques, so the suspicion on him is naturally high."

Zhou Ling realized. "Is Captain Yue suspecting that Chen Mo might be the killer, or someone in the know? Perhaps his illness is even a form of cover or a price he paid?"

"That is a possibility." Zhao Tie looked back at the compass; the needle was still pointing steadily toward Deliverance Studio. "That is why Captain Yue ordered us to watch him."

"On one hand, to see if he is truly just a dying patient; on the other, since he is a directly involved party in the Black Tiger Gang's collapse, will someone come looking for him? Either to silence him or to fish for information."

Hearing this, Zhou Ling's spirited eyebrows arched, filled with confusion. "Brother Zhao, since Captain Yue suspects Chen Mo might know something, why don't we just invite him back to the bureau for a thorough questioning? It would save us from wasting time here."

"The Black Tiger Gang extermination case has had a terrible impact; we have every reason to bring him in to assist with the investigation."

Zhao Tie looked at Zhou Ling and shook his head; this child was still too young. "Little Zhou, you are thinking too simply. If this were in the past, or if there were a different pretext, bringing him in for questioning would be no problem. But the timing is wrong, and the rules cannot be broken."

His tone was heavy. "The battle at Green Dragon Shoal cost us too dearly. We are short-handed, and our combat strength has been severely depleted."

"Furthermore," Zhao Tie pointed toward the direction of Funeral Street outside the window, "do you think the Black Tiger Gang incident is the only thing happening lately? Beneath the surface, the waters are murky."

"According to intelligence reports and our own investigations, quite a few scum suspected to be from the Moon-Worship Cult have quietly slipped in. Their movements are secretive, and their goals are unclear. These lunatics worship the Red Moon and will stop at nothing; they are even harder to deal with than ordinary heterodox evildoers."

Zhou Ling's expression changed. "The Moon-Worship Cult? Those lunatics have come here too?"

Zhao Tie nodded. "So, it is not just Linhe County; the entire Jinmen is facing internal strife and external threats. Our strength is insufficient, so for some matters, we can no longer use the old black-and-white methods."

"Captain Yue has been communicating with the higher-ups these past few days. The Inspection Bureau and the Anomaly Suppression Bureau may consider recruiting some heterodox practitioners with relatively clean backgrounds, or descendants of the Eight Yin Craftsmen like the Chen family across the street, when necessary."

"Recruit them?" Zhou Ling was startled. "Are these people reliable?"

"Of course they aren't reliable." Zhao Tie said bluntly. "But sometimes, one must use extraordinary methods."

He looked toward Deliverance Studio. "For these Eight Yin Craftsmen and heterodox families who have a lineage but no history of flagrant crimes, the government and the Inspection Bureau generally adopt a strategy of monitoring rather than taking rash action."

"As long as they do not openly cause chaos, harm the people, or cross the bottom line, we give them a certain amount of room to survive."

"Pushing them too hard only makes it easier to drive them to the opposing side, or to chill the hearts of other heterodox practitioners who are watching from the sidelines, which would only make things more troublesome."