Reporting the Crime

It was the third day since arriving in Human-Bingzi-Twelve, and the morning light was faint.

Chen Jin had enjoyed a rare, dreamless sleep, waking up feeling refreshed and clear-headed.

He looked over to see Xi in the water vat, still tirelessly twisting threads and weaving silk. The subtle sound of the shuttle moving back and forth had barely ceased, and the pile of Shark Silk beside her seemed to have grown thicker.

[Shark Silk], a valuable item, can be exchanged for 350 Yanfu Points.

He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, walking over to the vat and asking with slight surprise, "Are you... perhaps working a bit too hard?"

With such self-forgetful dedication, he, the "overseer," felt inferior by comparison.

Xi merely shook her head, her pale face devoid of expression, yet her hands never stopped their work, moving with singular focus.

Seeing this, Chen Jin was happy to be at ease, nodding in satisfaction: "Very good, keep it up."

With that, he turned and headed out the door, beginning another day of life as a Guard.

He glanced back at the mud-brick house, which could be described as having nothing but four bare walls; aside from a bed, a mat, a vat, and a Shark Person, there was almost nothing else.

Heifu's meager salary and gambling habits had clearly been squandered on wine and the Leaf Game.

I should tidy this place up when I have time, he mused, at least make it look like a place fit for a human to live.

Heifu was unmarried, and according to the Garrison Law, he should have been stationed in the barracks day and night.

However, given the special circumstances of "capturing" and needing to "guard" the Shark Person, Squad Leader Wang Wu had granted him special leave to return home after his daily duties.

Upon reaching his post, the Identity Tablet at his waist grew slightly warm, and the [Law Enforcement] state activated silently.

Before his eyes, the vast, endless sea of bronze-colored legal statutes flowed once more.

As Chen Jin patrolled the streets of Langya County with his squad, he absorbed this knowledge with insatiable hunger.

Thanks to his experience preparing for the bar exam while at police academy and obtaining his public lawyer certification, he had a slight understanding of the Shuihudi Qin Slips.

Although the situation in Heaven-Jiazi-Nine could not be applied directly to Human-Bingzi-Twelve, the basic legal logic and the spirit of strictness were similar, greatly aiding his comprehension.

He soon noticed a problem: although the "Law Eye" granted every law enforcer the ability to consult the laws at any time, the time since Great Qin had annexed the six states and implemented "standardized writing" was simply too short.

Take this former land of Qi and Lu, for example; the scripts of the various former states were vastly different. Even after Prime Minister Li Si forcefully implemented the simplified Small Seal Script, how could everyone have mastered it proficiently in just a few short years?

If not for the 75% ancient script proficiency temporary bonus granted by Yanfu, he would likely be no different from an illiterate person when faced with these floating Small Seal characters.

Even many children of noble families might not have fully mastered it, let alone ordinary soldiers and commoners.

Therefore, most Qin soldiers had long become accustomed to viewing the floating text as an incomprehensible "special effect." When enforcing the law, they mostly just shouted a few common legal codes; if it happened to meet the conditions and triggered the power of the laws, that was for the best. If it didn't apply, they would simply draw their blades and resolve things through force.

It was precisely because of this that Squad Leader Wang Wu, who was literate and seemed to intentionally guide them, allowed their squad's "Qin Law" efficiency to be far higher than others.

Chen Jin silently memorized the legal articles while committing the layout of Langya County's streets, important buildings, and potential blind spots to memory.

Just like that, while patrolling and "slacking off" to study, about an hour passed before the Identity Tablet at his waist suddenly emitted a dim, clear light.

Wang Wu, in front, noticed it instantly and waved his hand:

"Someone has reported a crime! The scene is at the County Magistrate Mansion, everyone, follow me!"

Before the words had even faded, he was already in the lead, sprinting toward a grand, imposing mansion not far away.

Chen Jin and the other squad members immediately composed themselves and followed closely behind.

Langya County Magistrate Mansion.

The vermilion gates and high walls, with their flying eaves and arched beams, all testified to the owner's power. Yet, at this moment, the imposing entrance stood wide open, and the interior was deathly silent, save for a thick, suffocating stench of blood that surged out with the wind, enough to make one retch.

Wang Wu's expression was grave; he signaled for caution and was the first to step over the high threshold.

Two other guards followed close behind.

However, the moment the three of them disappeared into the shadows inside the gate.

A sudden change occurred!

They hadn't seen any enemies, nor had they heard the sound of any weapons cutting through the air!

Wang Wu and the others looked as if they had been gripped by invisible hands; their bodies stiffened violently, followed by a burst of desperate struggling! Their hands clawed frantically at their own necks, and a "gurgling" wheeze erupted from their throats!

It was the sound of windpipes being blocked by blood foam!

The next second, three lines of blood bloomed like eerie red lips across their necks, widening!

Fresh blood sprayed out like a ruptured water skin, splashing onto the intricately carved porch floor and pillars.

The three of them didn't even manage a proper scream before their eyes bulged, filled with horror and confusion, and they collapsed heavily to the ground. Their bodies twitched involuntarily; it was clear they would not survive.

Chen Jin's footsteps were nailed to the spot, his pupils shrinking!

His gaze swept rapidly across the interior of the mansion. Even having experienced the cruelty of over a dozen Yanfu Events, the sight before him still sent a chill through his heart.

The once luxurious courtyards and pavilions had now become a living hell.

Corpses, there were corpses everywhere.

Dressed as servants, wearing brocade robes, men and women, old and young—all lay on the ground in various postures, yet all bore the same gruesome and terrifying fatal wounds.

Fresh blood soaked the expensive carpet, pooling into a puddle and flowing slowly down the jade steps.

In the silence, only the suffocating, heavy scent of blood remained.

Amidst this deathly stillness, a mountain of corpses, and a sea of blood, only one living person remained near the center of the courtyard.

An old woman with graying hair and blood-drenched clothes lay prone on the ground, struggling weakly as she reached a trembling hand with great difficulty toward the gate, toward the silhouette of Chen Jin.

Her lips moved, emitting a barely audible, breathy sound: "Save... save..."

Chen Jin did not hesitate in the slightest; he rushed forward to save her.

Throat slit? Massive, lethal lacerations?

That is the one thing I fear the least!

With almost no hesitation, the inherited power of the Flesh of Vision surged within his body. He took a single step, ready to charge into the courtyard to save her!

However, the moment his body moved—

"Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!"

Several extremely thin, deep wounds suddenly tore open across his arms, cheeks, and chest! It was as if countless invisible, razor-sharp blades had instantly sliced through his body!

Limbs were severed and blood gushed out, but it began to heal frantically at a speed visible to the naked eye!

[Spider Cutter]

Category: Weapon

Quality: Rare

Note: Not a traditional blade from the East, but a peculiar weapon forged by fusing the Yin Flow Strange Path with the Mechanism Art.

Tempered with North Sea Cold Iron mixed with exotic spider silk and treated with secret techniques, it ultimately forms colorless, formless, incredibly tough, and peerlessly sharp ultra-fine threads.

Usually meticulously pre-arranged in specific areas, the threads are invisible to the naked eye when taut. Touching them results in broken bones and severed tendons, as if cut by invisible blades, hence the name "Spider Cutter."

Extremely adept at creating killing traps, silently partitioning the battlefield, and slaughtering living beings.