Chixia rushed to the city gate and questioned the guards stationed there.
The guards had already changed shifts. At Chixia's repeated insistence, they contacted the guards who had been on duty during the day.
"Yes, someone matching that description came through this afternoon," a guard confirmed after receiving a reply.
"That's good! Do you know where he went?" Chixia hurriedly asked.
The guard shook his head. That was outside the scope of their duties.
Ling An watched Chixia bustle about.
If she hadn't kept introducing herself, few people would have guessed she was a patroller.
She looked much more like a lively little girl.
Even Ling An had to admire her boundless energy.
She had a strong sense of justice and was upbeat and optimistic. That was his assessment of her.
"Huh? Is that the person you're looking for?" the guard asked, looking into the city.
They followed his gaze and saw a man dressed in black approaching Jinzhou's gate.
Chixia's eyes lit up. The man's clothes matched Koko's description exactly.
"That's him! Haha, looks like luck is on the side of the Jinzhou Flying Feather Hero!"
She thanked the guard and took Ling An aside to hide.
Once the man left the city, he headed straight toward the Wailing Wastes.
"There's no time to call for backup. Looks like I'll have to handle this alone. Good thing they're just a bunch of cat thieves," Chixia murmured to bolster her courage.
She gently set Ling An back on the ground and stroked his head. "Thanks, Ling An. Go on home. Leave the rest to me, Chixia!"
Then she turned and followed closely after the man.
Watching Chixia leave, Ling An shook his head helplessly.
There was no way he could let her go alone. If anything happened to her, he would have a hard time explaining it to Rover.
He stretched and stepped into the darkness outside the city.
With his strength, hiding his presence couldn't have been easier. Neither the man in black nor Chixia could detect him.
Ideally, Chixia would wipe out this den of cat thieves herself. If things went wrong, at least he would be there as a safety net.
In the darkness, Chixia followed the man in black toward the Wailing Wastes.
The man stopped and started along the way. More than half an hour later, he came to a halt beside a marsh.
Chixia and Ling An stopped as well.
The man stood still, seemingly waiting for something.
A moment later, he called out, "Come out. I know you're there!"
Ling An froze. Had he run into an expert this time?
The next second, Chixia sprang out of the darkness.
With her hands on her hips and righteous indignation written all over her face, she declared, "That's right! It's me, the Jinzhou Flying Feather Hero! You rotten bastard, surrender!"
"Haha, the Jinzhou Flying Feather Hero? Interesting." The man sneered and gave a few light claps.
"We knew a patroller would catch on to us sooner or later, so we've made thorough preparations."
As he clapped, several figures slowly emerged from the darkness.
Chixia surveyed them warily. They had numbers on their side, and they looked ready for a fight.
Only then did she realize that they had discovered her long ago.
They had already prepared a trap to surround her.
"You think having more people is enough? Don't underestimate me!"
Chixia gripped her twin pistols, utterly unafraid.
"Hand over the cats you stole!" she demanded.
"Cats?" The man blinked. "What cats?"
"Huh?" Chixia was stunned too. "Aren't you cat thieves?"
"Hey, Miss Patroller, how much could a cat possibly be worth? You're really looking down on us."
Chixia's heart lurched. She had followed the wrong person.
These people were criminals, but they had nothing to do with the stolen cats-
By sheer accident, she had stumbled onto a much bigger case!
But her sense of justice wouldn't let her back down now.
"Well, I can take care of you while I'm here." Chixia recovered immediately and opened fire with both pistols.
The men dodged the hail of bullets. Some returned fire, while others tried to close in for hand-to-hand combat.
Their practiced coordination was far beyond that of ordinary bandits.
Chixia rolled and dodged through the gunfire. Every shot she landed struck a crucial part of an enemy's body.
The wounds weren't fatal, but they were enough to put her opponents out of action.
Seeing this, the man in black drew a long blade and charged at Chixia.
He was incredibly fast, closing the distance in a few strides before slashing at her wrist.
Chixia reacted in time, dropping one pistol as she retreated.
The man in black snorted. "So that's all you've got. Let's see how many more guns you have."
He pressed his attack relentlessly, giving Chixia no chance to break away.
His long blade drove forward, unstoppable.
Just as the situation turned dire and Ling An was about to intervene, a sharp cry rang out:
"The hero has arrived!"
The man's blade was instantly blocked, unable to advance another inch.
"A Resonator!" he exclaimed under his breath, hurriedly retreating.
A Lightwave Class Echo-the Weeping Warrior.
Those who defeated Tacet Discords, absorbed their Echoes, and wielded them were known as Resonators.
They possessed combat power far beyond that of ordinary people.
"Hmph! Where do you think you're going?" Having finally gained the upper hand, Chixia wasn't about to let it slip away. In the form of the Weeping Warrior, she pursued the man in black.
Others tried to stop her, but she slapped them aside, sending them sprawling unconscious on the ground.
At last, she cornered the man in black with nowhere left to retreat.
He gave a vicious grin. "Don't think you're the only one who can control Tacet Discords!"
Then he let out a low cry, seemingly activating something.
The ground began to tremble.
"What?" Chixia gasped.
Two Darkmane Wolves charged toward the battlefield through the darkness.
As Overlord Class Echoes, Darkmane Wolves were often followed by several Blazemane Wolves.
Chixia looked closely. Sure enough, seven or eight Blazemane Wolves trailed behind the two Darkmane Wolves.
They charged toward her in the Darkmane Wolves' wake.
Chixia's heart sank.
She turned toward the man in black. "That ability... Could you be..."
"That's right. The Fractsidus," the man in black finished for her. "I never thought someone looking for cats would ruin our plans. It's time you learned a lesson. Heh, these are the two Darkmane Wolf packs that make their home nearby. Enjoy their fury!"
The two Darkmane Wolves lunged at Chixia, one after the other.
She activated the Weeping Warrior's blocking ability.
The first Darkmane Wolf struck with its claws. When its attack was blocked, it twisted around and unleashed a dark purple blade of energy.
The energy blade slammed into the Weeping Warrior with power far beyond that of a Lightwave Class Tacet Discord.
The Weeping Warrior was sent flying backward, reverting to Chixia's form in midair.
She landed hard, crashing into the marsh.
I'm done for.
A flicker of dejection passed through Chixia's heart.
She climbed out of the marsh. Her tied-up bangs had come loose and now lay softly across her forehead.
The second Darkmane Wolf was already pouncing on her.
A foul gust washed over her face from its gaping jaws.
Chixia picked up her pistol, her gaze resolute.
She was a Jinzhou patroller, the Jinzhou Flying Feather Hero. Even in death, she couldn't betray the justice in her heart!
She had been prepared for this since her very first day as a patroller.
With death looming, a trace of relief flickered through her mind-
At least I didn't bring Ling An along.
Her eyes widened fiercely, and flame burst from her gun's muzzle.
In the thousandth of a second as the bullet left the barrel, a broad hand covered her eyes.
A voice sounded beside her ear, warm and steady. "Close your eyes. Don't look."
Before you continue