The eight people exchanged glances; they had already communicated thoroughly before coming.
In the end, it was Manna who answered, "They said they were looking for Fallen Ability User; at least that's the reason the City Guard Bureau gave..."
The boy nodded. "I have only one request: the right to conduct independent patrols, and I will not accept any assignments or supervision!"
"I've made that request!" Kenpa stated readily. " Ke Da said it's just to assist with the investigation, no problem."
Everyone understands this line of reasoning; once they accept the assignment, they risk not only having their credit stolen but also endless trouble.
Manna smiled and said, "Master said that even if we don't bring it up, Keluoge will do his best to get it."
He wouldn't allow anyone to steal his credit.
"Then there's no problem," the boy said calmly. "Have you all taken all the necessary precautions?"
Upon hearing this, the female archer glared fiercely at Ranxue, "Thank goodness someone else reminded me."
The discipline inspector shrugged and calmly remarked, "It's like you've never done inspection work before."
"Then I can leave anytime," Wu Youren said seriously, "I don't want any more staff losses."
His tent was easy to pack up, and he didn't have many visible supplies. As for the traps and mechanisms, he was too lazy to bother with them.
The nine people drove overnight to Tianjing and arrived at Red Pine's Beijing office before dawn.
When rooms were being assigned, Wu Youren requested a room by himself, indicating that the Parasitic Weird seemed to be particularly fond of people from Jin.
This reason was unassailable to others, since living with him would be quite risky.
Before anyone could rest, the bearded man arrived. "You're just in time! Thank you so much. Lunch is on me!"
Although Hong Yan didn't come, I've already told him that this group of people is quite capable, and he should be treated the same way he treated me.
That's exactly what happened at noon. After everyone woke up, the Great Knight accompanied them throughout lunch.
After the meal, Keluoge left behind a female Knight, saying, "She's also from Red Pine. If anything comes up, she'll help you coordinate."
Kenpa took the lead, acting as the villain, "We applied for curfew cards, mainly for nighttime activities, so we can be here at night too?"
The female Knight was plain-looking and stout, but she was very ambitious. "I'm not married yet, so I'll earn some credit, which will make it easier to choose a husband!"
"I deserve the lion's share of the credit!" Keluoge glared at her and walked away. "That silly child, always telling the truth!"
If the client is willing to cooperate, this kind of task can actually be quite pleasant.
People only set out in the evening, in twos and threes, and their main task was to sweep the streets.
There were ten people in total, divided into three groups, with two more people providing backup. Each group had at least two Knight.
With this combination, even in the middle of the night, almost no one would be foolish enough to run into them.
Before they knew it, three days had passed, and they hadn't found anything.
However, no one was in a hurry, because they were "night gathering," only collecting information, not conducting a night raid that would alert others.
At the same time, in addition to the City Guard Bureau, other departments were also conducting inspections—the security of such a large Tianjing could not be the responsibility of one entity alone.
Therefore, the group's investigation was not very efficient; they were more like a bunch of thugs who weren't afraid of the curfew, wandering around at night, trying to keep a low profile.
On the third day, near dawn, they encountered the military blocking off the streets.
Ye Cai emphasized that he would remain silent and would not confront the military directly.
However, the military was determined not to let them off the hook and insisted on thoroughly investigating their identities.
Suddenly, a voice rang out, "Retreat! There's Weird Qi ahead!"
Manna, Luo Xi, and the male archer were the ones who got into trouble. Upon hearing Wu Youren's voice, they turned and ran without saying a word.
The military personnel blocking the road were initially taken aback, but then immediately perked up, "Chase them! There's definitely something wrong here!"
"What the hell are you chasing?!" Manna cursed angrily. "There's some Weird Qi ahead! My pass was issued by the City Guard Bureau!"
We can't worry about anything else now. The Weird Qi isn't scary; what's scary is the Parasitic Weird!
If they approach stealthily, people will also consider the possibility of someone being prepared while someone is not.
With the other side acting so stupidly, a sneak attack is out of the question, but they should still be on guard, right?
Fortunately, a female Knight from the City Guard Bureau arrived quickly on a motorcycle, showed her identification, and managed to stop the other party.
She stated that these were investigators they had invited, and that they hadn't forced their way through the cordon; therefore, she urged them to stop investigating.
However, the soldiers were also annoyed, saying that even so, you shouldn't have shouted so loudly; what if you disturbed the Weird Qi inside?
Manna glared at them from afar, then turned and walked away. "If we don't shout, you'll all come after us, and then things will be even more complicated!"
While the soldiers were still staring at each other in disbelief, an officer arrived and, upon hearing this, quickly asked, "Is this a highly skilled fighter hired by the City Guard Bureau?"
Seeing her family leave, the female Knight nodded and turned to leave as well.
This matter involved the eldest son and her own family's contributions, so she naturally didn't want to say more.
But the officer quickly caught up, "Hey, can we borrow it for a bit? You won't lose out!"
The female Knight glanced at him, shook her head, and continued on her way.
What a joke! Even if she were willing to agree, Red Pine and the others had already made a pact before they arrived that they wouldn't take orders from anyone.
"This is..." The officer was getting a little annoyed that she wouldn't listen to reason. "Am I busy with my own affairs?"
The military has sealed off this area for three or four hours, but hasn't found anything unusual.
The pressure is one aspect, but the key issue is that the longer the time frame, the greater the probability of unforeseen changes.
Whether it leads to a major incident or the Weird Qi escapes, neither is what they want to see.
The military took note of the female Knight's identity and immediately contacted the City Guard Bureau, demanding an explanation.
Upon investigation, they contacted Keluoge —the female Knight was his subordinate.
The Great Knight simply laughed it off, saying it was his subordinate's idea and he didn't know who they had hired.
"It's probably an exaggeration. She's just a kid; she can't handle being wronged... All the people she hired were leaving, but the military insisted on causing trouble."
This is why the female Knight didn't attack the leader; it was easier for her to smooth things over with the others.
If Keluoge's name is brought into the picture, things will become much more complicated.
The nine people met at the crossroads of two streets. Manna anxiously asked, " Little Wu, is there really Weird Qi inside?"
" Little Ha is acting strangely," the boy immediately shifted the blame onto the little snow harrier.
The little guy isn't nocturnal, so staying up all night occasionally isn't a big problem, but he's stayed up for three days in a row, and he doesn't seem to be in good shape.
The key point is that the boy had other ideas. "It wouldn't hurt to stir up trouble; let's scan the surrounding area first."
Upon hearing this, Kenpa laughed, "So you were actually planning to take advantage of the military? What's wrong with your brain?"
Although he had participated in the War between Liang and Jin, he didn't really have a good impression of the military.
The boy looked at him helplessly, "I'm just settling for second best. What can we do if they won't let us in?"
When it's time to defend oneself, one must not remain silent; one's public image rejects the label of "treacherous."
Manna was getting impatient. "What are the chances of success?"
The boy pondered for a moment and shook his head. "Don't get too close. This kind of credit... even if it exists, it might be controversial."
His original plan was to use Chen Quanxu's abilities to track down the Weird Qi should it escape.
However, seeing everyone's reactions, he felt it necessary to make some slight changes.
Sure enough, upon hearing that there might be controversy, not only the eight Knight of Red Pine, but even the female Knight of the City Guard Bureau became somewhat disinterested.
Their subsequent actions deliberately distanced them from the military.
More than an hour later, the female Knight's wristwatch vibrated.
She glanced at it, her expression somewhat strange, and said in a low voice, "The military has brought in Ability User to assist them."
The instructors glanced at Wu Youren, seemingly casually, and noticed that the boy had a calm expression on his face.
"Let's leave?" Kenpa looked at Manna. "If those guys want to conscript us, there's no reasoning with them..."
"If it's not someone from the Hall of Extraordinary Masters..." The female archer still hesitated.
This is the general feeling people have about Ability User: they want to get close to them, but they're also worried about the trouble, especially the Hall of Extraordinary Masters, which is a real headache.
"Let's go," Manna decided. "Try not to get their attention."
Besides the special status of the hostage prince from Jin, everyone also needs to rely on Xiao Xueyao to gain merit. Most importantly, this situation is controversial.
The boy's face remained expressionless, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Sure enough, binding each other with mutual interests was the most reliable approach.
The group quietly left and went in other directions to continue sweeping the streets.
Two hours later, as dawn broke, the female Knight mounted her motorcycle, intending to drive an off-road vehicle to take the group back.
Wu Youren looked at Manna and shook his head slightly.
The female instructor's eyes lit up instantly, and she gave her a questioning look: Are you sure?
The boy rolled his eyes: How can you guarantee that?
Manna glanced at the sleepy-eyed Little Ha, a hint of suspicion flashing in her eyes, but she still spoke up, "Wait a moment."
The female Knight looked at her in surprise, "Is something the matter?"
"Wait a minute," Manna said calmly, "It's still a long way from dawn anyway."
"Is it still early?" The female Knight glanced at the pale dawn on the distant horizon and nodded slightly. "Yes."
She was somewhat puzzled. Usually at this time, wouldn't you all be rushing back for breakfast?
As a result, the walk lasted for more than an hour, and it was already broad daylight, let alone whether it was dawn or not.
At one point, the drowsy Little Ha shivered slightly.
It twitched very slightly, and then the little bird's head continued to nod, clearly dozing off.
However, this scene was witnessed by more than one person.
Then everyone glanced at the boy, seemingly casually, and noticed that he nodded slightly.
Daiqisi raised her hand and patted the female Knight on the shoulder, "Any good breakfast options nearby?"
While the two of them were talking about breakfast, the others had already confirmed that there was indeed a slight Weird Qi in the vicinity.
This has nothing to do with Chen Quanxu; it's purely Little Ha's ability.
The Seven Knight of Red Pine silently separated and surrounded the area, while Daiqisi, holding the female Knight's hand, watched from a distance.
The burly female Knight seemed a little slow to realize what was happening, looking completely bewildered. "This is... this is it?"
(Updated to: Calling for subscriptions, monthly tickets, and recommendation votes.)