Investigation

"Lord, what's wrong?"

Liu Song and the others saw Chen Mu come out of the courtyard with an unusually grave expression, and they all crowded around him.

Chen Mu didn't say much, only shook his head, and led everyone back to the City Guard, while also sending someone to find Min Baoyi.

As it happened.

Min Baoyi wasn't drinking with anyone today, but was listening to music in a teahouse in the back street. When he learned that Chen Mu was looking for him, he smiled, casually tossed some copper coins on the table, and followed the Yamen Runner who brought the message all the way back to the City Guard.

As soon as he arrived at the City Guard, he saw Chen Mu waiting for him at the entrance, with a solemn expression on his face. He was slightly taken aback, realizing that something big might have really happened. He nodded slightly to Chen Mu, and without asking directly at the entrance, he led Chen Mu directly into the City Guard Hall.

Soon.

They arrived at the innermost part of the City Guard Hall. After dismissing the others, Min Baoyi asked Chen Mu:

"What happened?"

"It's like this..."

Chen Mu quickly reported his series of investigations and various situations.

After listening, Min Baoyi's face also became serious: "Guardian God..."

In fact, he was well aware of both the disappearance cases and the appearance of gray-skinned rats. After all, Nine Stripes Ward was full of his informants. However, in his opinion, the disappearance of a hundred or so people in a few months was not a big deal, so he ignored it. As for the gray-skinned rats, he didn't pay much attention to them.

But now, from Chen Mu, he had obtained another piece of information: the gray-skinned rats and the disappearance cases were very likely all related to the Black Crow Sect, which vaguely gave him an ominous feeling.

After a brief moment of contemplation.

Min Baoyi stood up and said in a deep voice: "This matter is indeed extraordinary. I must first report it to Lord Xu. You stay in the City Guard and wait for news."

With that, he hurried out.

The various clues involved the Black Crow Sect, which was not something that he, as a Yamen Director, could decide alone. After all, the Black Crow Sect's power itself involved multiple 'wards', and it was not a local gang in Nine Stripes Ward. If it was just mobilizing some manpower to investigate the Black Crow Sect, that would be nothing, but if a large-scale operation was to be carried out, it would inevitably have to be reported upwards.

As soon as Min Baoyi left, only Chen Mu was left sitting quietly in the City Guard Hall, but his eyes were also relatively sharp. He could ignore ordinary matters, but if the Black Crow Sect really had any crazy ideas, they must be nipped in the bud. After all, just imagining a few kinds of events was quite terrifying, and once they happened, they could turn the entire outer city into a living hell.

After waiting for half a day.

Min Baoyi finally returned to the City Guard.

The message he brought to Chen Mu was that Xu Hongyu attached great importance to this matter, but told Nine Stripes Ward not to make any major moves for the time being, and just keep an eye on the Black Crow Sect in secret. She would send some other people to investigate the matter in detail.

After receiving this instruction, Chen Mu also breathed a sigh of relief. What he was most worried about was that Xu Hongyu didn't care about this matter and ignored it. After all, people in this world might not have such a strong reaction to some disasters as he did.

Although Xu Hongyu did not immediately order the Nine Stripes Ward City Guard to take action, but instead sent people to investigate first, as long as she paid attention to this matter, it was not a matter of letting it go.

This matter was no longer a simple incident of Zhang Youying's disappearance.

Chen Mu's attention was also far greater than usual.

"Don't worry, a small Black Crow Sect can't turn the world upside down."

Seeing that Chen Mu still looked solemn, Min Baoyi smiled and patted Chen Mu on the shoulder: "Also, I've asked my people to help you investigate your distant cousin. As long as she's in Nine Stripes Ward, it's impossible for her to disappear out of thin air."

Chen Mu heard this, cupped his fist and thanked Min Baoyi, but Min Baoyi waved his hand indifferently and said, "Why do you need to thank me between you and me? When you have time, just treat me to a drink."

Seeing that it was getting late, Min Baoyi got up, talked with Chen Mu for a while, and left the City Guard together.

Chen Mu quickly returned home.

Chen Hong was still waiting for him at his house. Seeing him return, she quickly stepped forward to ask for news.

The Black Crow Sect's affairs were naturally not suitable to discuss in detail, so Chen Mu only said that there was a glimmer of hope, and he had already asked the Yamen Director to investigate. For now, he could only wait for news. After comforting Chen Hong, he sent her back.

That night.

Darkness shrouded everything, and the moonlight was dim.

The Black Crow Sect's base was pitch black and dim, without a single candle flame to be seen. It seemed that everyone had already fallen asleep.

A black shadow silently appeared on the outside of the buildings. In the darkness of night, it was almost impossible to see any trace of it. The figure moved nimbly, going to and fro with ease on the eaves and corners, examining every building in the area.

"Strange."

Chen Mu stopped on an eave, looking at the pitch-black Black Crow Sect's base, a trace of doubt flashing in his eyes.

For him now, with his strength, he naturally trusted himself the most. After nightfall, he quietly sneaked into the Black Crow Sect's base to investigate, but after going around, he didn't see any abnormal signs.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Xu Hongyu's actions, but the Black Crow Sect itself had territory in several wards, involving a relatively large area. He also didn't know which area Xu Hongyu was investigating, so he might as well investigate secretly himself.

The entire area was dark, as if everyone had already fallen asleep. Compared to gangs that were active at night, this Black Crow Sect didn't even have sentries. It seemed like it really was just an ordinary sect that prayed during the day.

Chen Mu's hearing and eyesight were sharp now, and he could hear even the slightest movement clearly. Lying on the corner of the eave, he could almost hear the sound of someone sleeping soundly in the room below.

After a brief moment of contemplation.

Chen Mu flashed a few times, found a relatively remote room, and with a slight force of his palm, he shook open the window. He directly flipped into the room. There was only a bed in the room, and a Black Crow Sect member was sleeping on it.

Chen Mu grabbed the other party's throat, waking him from his dream, but unable to make any sound.

Then, without asking any questions, he directly carried the person, flipped out of the window again, and quickly left the Black Crow Sect's base. It wasn't until he reached a remote alley that he threw the person down and said coldly, "I ask, you answer, or you die."

The Black Crow Sect member was already sweating profusely from fright, his face pale. Just now, being carried by Chen Mu, traversing between the eaves, he knew that the person in front of him was at least a Martial Warrior at the Lian Rou level. In the Black Crow Sect, he was at least an Incense Master, or even a Vice Leader, an existence he couldn't resist at all.

"Yes... yes..."

He answered in a trembling voice.

Chen Mu asked in a deep voice, "Where have the people you've captured gone?"

"Wh... what captured people?"

The sect member answered tremblingly, his face full of confusion.

Chen Mu frowned. Seeing that he didn't seem to be pretending to be stupid, he continued to ask, "What are you trying to do by creating so many gray-skinned rats?"

"Gray-skinned rats?"

The sect member was even more confused, looking blank, his voice trembling slightly as he said, "I've seen many gray-skinned rats these days. Wang Liu next door even slaughtered one and ate it."

Chen Mu calmed down instead after hearing this, and continued to ask, "I heard that in your Black Crow Sect, besides the Black Crow God, you also worship some kind of Guardian God?"

Upon hearing Chen Mu's words, the sect member was even more bewildered, as if he was in a fog, not knowing anything about a Guardian God.

As expected, ordinary sect members knew nothing when asked.

Chen Mu watched his reaction and wasn't too surprised. Yin Hong couldn't possibly fabricate a Guardian God, as it would be meaningless. Since he could reveal such information, it must be true.

The fact that ordinary members of the Black Crow Sect knew nothing about it only further indicated that matters involving the so-called Guardian God were at a rather secretive level within the Black Crow Sect, which made it even more problematic.

"This, this sir, I... uh."

The sect member trembled as he looked at Chen Mu, but his words stopped abruptly as his throat was crushed.

Chen Mu indifferently threw him aside.

Another nameless corpse was added to the roadside ditch.

Once upon a time, he was responsible for handling such corpses every day, but now he had become a creator of nameless corpses. He didn't know who would come to clean up and dispose of them tomorrow morning.