"Captain Ogre, these are the taxes from numbers seven through twelve. I've counted the silver and copper coins too. It's all here, not a coin short. My handwritten receipts are underneath. Please take a look."
Lin Feng held a tax report as he addressed Ogre.
Ogre had both feet propped on the desk, brimming with a leader's swagger.
"I knew I was right to pick you, kid. You even collected rent from the area where it's hardest to collect? How did you do it?"
"Nothing much. I did some manual labor to help them as best I could. They thought my attitude was decent, so they gave in."
"Now that's something I have to criticize. We're the Imperial Guard. Collecting taxes on the Empire's behalf is our duty. What right do they have to interfere?"
"It doesn't matter. It didn't get in my way, and the job's done."
Lin Feng sank his consciousness into his template.
[Alucard Template] [Host: Lin Feng] [Training: 6.43] [Skill points: 1]
Working in the Imperial Guard every day really did allow him to accumulate experience quickly. Lin Feng still thought doing a little labor was well worth it.
"Forget it. What can I do when your results are so good? I couldn't scold you even if I tried. You can go! I have some guests to entertain next!"
"All right."
Having finished his work for the day, Lin Feng prepared to take his leave.
But just then, the "guests" Captain Ogre had mentioned arrived.
One of these "guests" was none other than the ugly man with bizarre features whom Lin Feng had seen when he followed Ogre that day!
As he prepared to leave, the two practically brushed shoulders. That immediately put Lin Feng on alert!
After rounding the corner, Lin Feng pressed his back against the high wall and focused.
Form Transformation-
Arms, head, and all, Lin Feng merged with the rounded shadow cast beneath the dim yellow light.
The shadow rose from the ground, slowly extending into a long, narrow spike that drew close to Ogre's office, which Lin Feng had just left-
From within the shadow spike, Lin Feng quietly listened to their conversation with Ogre.
"That kid should be far away by now, right?"
"Of course. I've been captain of the Imperial Guard for so many years, I'd know immediately if someone were nearby."
As Captain Ogre spoke, he lit a cigarette and tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.
"That kid really is something. He's only been on the job for such a short time, and he's already stolen that 'Wave's' livelihood?"
"More than just Wave, I'd say. Apart from Lord Ogre, he's the most capable person in the station now."
"I picked him myself. Of course he's capable."
Captain Ogre smiled and took a drag.
"But in this world, someone who's capable but has a one-track mind is still worthless!"
"You're absolutely right. That kid has thrown the whole market into chaos!"
To the ugly man's right stood a man decked out in gold and silver. His reaction to Lin Feng was particularly fierce, though Lin Feng had no impression of him at all.
"He never collects protection money with the taxes, and he even works for the poor for free, all for that pitiful bit of reputation? I think he's deliberately trying to steal your position, Lord Ogre!"
"If Lord Ogre gets promoted, he's probably hoping for a share of the spoils too. But if the common people get rich, we're the landlords who suffer!"
"Exactly! Now that my workers see the taxes have returned to normal, they even dare to raise their voices at me!"
Complaints rose one after another, leaving Ogre feeling rather helpless too.
"I'm the one who recruited him, after all. Put up with these things if you can!"
Stubbing out the cigarette in his hand, Ogre addressed the ugly man in the middle.
"About that business of yours last time. You should be bringing over this month's profits by now, right?"
"I brought them! I brought them!"
The ugly merchant in the middle spoke excitedly.
He merely clapped his hands lightly, and two men carried a chest in from outside the station and stepped into Ogre's office.
"These are last month's profits. Are you satisfied?"
The two men lifted the lid slightly, and a flood of golden light shone through the narrow gap.
The chest was filled to the brim with gold coins. Even the two merchants accompanying him were deeply shocked.
"An oil merchant can make this much?"
"Isn't it all thanks to Lord Ogre shouldering the risks for me, hmm?"
The oil merchant in the middle smiled until his nose and eyes were all scrunched together.
"I never expected someone as stingy as you to give me such a large share of the profits."
"Then of course Lord Ogre ought to buy some consolation gifts for the families of those who were framed, right? Otherwise, wouldn't they be too pitiful?"
"Good thing I have scapegoats backing me up. Now I won't have to worry about food or drink either. Heh..."
Listening to all this in shadow form, Lin Feng was already struggling to contain his anger and urge to act.
However, he still needed a legitimate reason to move against Ogre. If Ogre suddenly dropped dead now, not only would those he had harmed be unable to clear their names,
but he and Sheele might even end up with a bad name because of it.
But where could I find the evidence...?
Record this scene with something like a camera? That wouldn't be very feasible while transformed into a shadow...
As Lin Feng was still considering a countermeasure, a series of sharp shattering sounds broke his train of thought.
Lin Feng could not have been more familiar with that sound-
It was exactly the sound of glass breaking when he had infiltrated the "Gathered Heroes Group."
A red eye formed within the pool of black shadow on the floor and looked toward the center, where a young woman stood.
"Who is it? Who dares break into the guard station? Do you have a death wish?"
"If you all die here today, no one will know I came."
She had long black hair and a slender figure, with a face that was exceptionally handsome despite her being a woman.
A red tie fluttered before her chest, and the pairing of a white shirt with a black uniform gave her outfit a distinctly layered look.
The white lace on her uniform further accentuated a trace of gentleness amid her coldness.
Of all her features, what caught Lin Feng's attention most was her eyes. Their crimson color was very similar to his when he activated the power of [Alucard].
Compared with Lin Feng's blood red, however, her red was softer and more natural.
The young woman leaped down from the shattered window and landed atop Ogre's desk, looking like a valkyrie passing judgment on all things.
Moonlight refracted through the facets of the broken glass onto the left side of her body, tracing her outline in a crisp, cold silver.
"Elimination... First, the oil merchant Jamal. That's you, isn't it?"
Comparing him with the portrait on the wanted notice, the young woman nodded to herself.
Without another word, she thrust her sword down-
Blood stained the glass scattered across the floor red.