Demolition and Silencing Witnesses

At 7:40 PM, everyone was in their positions.

The moon orbits very low in the Taya, taking about six hours and twenty minutes to complete one orbit around the planet.

The time Su Ming chose was a moonless day, when both the moon and the sun were on opposite sides of the planet.

On the walls of Cloud Fang City, braziers were spaced far apart. Their dim yellow light only illuminated the immediate vicinity, leaving the rest of the city shrouded in darkness.

Tall warning totem poles lined the back of the battlements, their runes occasionally flashing a faint glow, like pairs of eyes in the night.

A squad of orc guards walked slowly along the city wall, their armor plates clanging softly.

One of the orc guards suddenly clutched his stomach, bent over, and groaned twice.

"Captain, my stomach hurts."

The team leader waved his hand dismissively, telling him to handle it himself.

The orc guards took the opportunity to fall behind the group.

Once his companion's footsteps had faded into the distance, he immediately pulled a rough talisman leaf from his pocket.

Then, with a snap, the talisman leaf was affixed to the totem pole. After the leaf was affixed, a faint light flashed, the edges of the leaf quickly became transparent, and in the blink of an eye, it merged with the totem pole and disappeared.

The orc guard scratched his head.

This thing is drawn crookedly, with rough edges; it looks like it was just cut out haphazardly.

How can it achieve such exquisite results?

The orc guard didn't think much of it; it wasn't something he understood.

Soon, he followed suit and affixed talisman leaves to the seven designated warning totem poles.

Afterwards, the orc guard pretended to rub his stomach and returned to the ranks.

Through the darkness, he spotted Hubiang about a hundred meters away from the city wall, gave him an OK sign, and then continued his patrol as usual.

****

Hubiang breathed a slight sigh of relief.

This little thing cost him a gold coin!

One by one, they all took the opportunity to make exorbitant demands! On a tall building further away, Lang Yefu lowered her body, hiding most of her body in the shadow of the roof ridge.

She held a telescope and watched the entire process unfold.

"The Explosive Rune has been installed," Lang Yefu sent a message to Su Ming.

"Yise, over there?"

"We're almost at Black Claw's stronghold," Yise replied.

The mysterious person requested 8 o'clock.

Hubiang stood in the darkness, quietly waiting for the final few minutes.

As the patrol team left, a brief gap appeared in this section of the city wall.

Hubiang grabbed the Black Claw member next to him and emphasized the plan again.

"Once the leaf activates, immediately use the wall to test if the alarm is triggered!"

The Black Claw members swallowed hard.

"Yes, boss!" he replied. "If you get caught, you know what to say, right?" Hubiang said sternly.

"I know, I know!" the member quickly replied, "Just say it was out of curiosity, a purely personal act."

The alert array can not only detect unauthorized border crossings, but also capture the fluctuations of the target.

Therefore, if the talisman leaf given by the mysterious person is ineffective, the tester has no way to escape.

But Hubiang did not reveal the truth.

If the warning totem is not stripped of its effect, he will be quickly locked on, and the surrounding attack totems will be activated, easily killing the vaulter.

Hubiang took a deep breath and patted the member on the shoulder reassuringly.

"But if your test is successful, once you're there, immediately take the 'goods' and return!"

"I will reward you handsomely once this is done!"

Upon hearing this, the member perked up.

"Yes, boss!"

Hubiang felt a surge of smug satisfaction. The mysterious sorcerer believed that a minute was far from enough for him to smuggle the moonshine.

Little did they know, he also possessed a smaller, much more profitable type of contraband.

Wolves don't just target one sheepfold, and hunters don't just camp out on one hunting trail.

Just as Hubiang was feeling smug, he suddenly received a tip-off, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.

"Boss, something bad has happened! The Night Howl Gang is attacking!"

The messenger cried out in a mournful voice.

****

It all started half an hour ago.

The Night Howl Gang suddenly received a tip from an anonymous "well-meaning person" that the Black Claw Gang planned to transport several times the agreed amount of cassava-infused liquor tonight.

Such a large quantity is certainly beyond the capacity of the Black Claw Gang to handle on their territory.

This means that Hubiang must have been planning to illegally sell the goods across the border.

The Night Howl Gang knew that the Black Claw Gang had recently had a large quantity of illegally brewed liquor seized, and after verifying the information, they concluded that what they said was true.

From a gangster's perspective, territory is of paramount importance.

Hubiang's actions are far worse than cutting off limbs or putting clothes on someone!

The gang leader Huhao, immediately gathered his thugs, who, carrying iron bars, wooden clubs, and short axes, rushed over menacingly to demand an explanation.

Residents along the street, seeing the commotion, quickly blocked their doors and sealed their windows tightly.

They squeezed through the streets and arrived at the Black Claw stronghold, but their leader Hubiang, was not there.

The two groups of followers were hurling insults at each other across the courtyard gate.

The Black Claw Gang gang claimed that the Night Howl Gang had come to cause trouble without any evidence, while the Night Howl Gang demanded that the Black Claw immediately hand over the goods.

In the chaos, a stone flew out from behind the crowd and struck a Black Claw Gang member squarely in the temple.

The Black Claw Gang member immediately fainted and collapsed to the ground.

Both sides immediately turned on each other and began to fight fiercely.

The melee quickly escalated. A half-monster swung a bench into the crowd, only to be struck simultaneously by three iron bars. Another Black Claw member had just drawn his dagger when his wrist was snapped back by a wooden club, the blade flying off in a spinning motion.

However, the Night Howl Gang was better prepared, and their leader was personally leading the team. As a level three warrior, Huhao easily fought against multiple opponents and quickly gained the upper hand.

The Black Claw members were all knocked down or lay on the ground in submission, and the situation was completely suppressed.

There's no death for now, after all, we're all just trying to make a living in the same area.

It's one thing to bully and kill ordinary people in normal times, but there's no need for gangs to go to extremes. Not only is it easy to create irreconcilable feuds, but it could also invite retribution from the city guards and the higher-ups.

However, they cannot escape punishment.

The Black Claw members were all bruised and battered, many of their limbs were bent into unnatural shapes, and the yard was filled with groans.

Several troublemakers or those with old grudges were still being beaten, emitting cries of pain.

****

"Asshole!"

This is what Hubiang saw when he arrived.

His eyes were bloodshot. "Huhao, are you determined to fight to the death?!"

"Hmph, you crossed the line first!" Huhao said righteously.

He stood in the center of the courtyard, the iron rod in his hand still stained with blood, with a dark mass of Night Howl Gang members behind him.

"I'm right today!"

Hubiang felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that news of his bootlegging business had been leaked.

He gritted his teeth and decided to take action anyway.

As a level three warlock, he was better able to handle this situation than Huhao; he could fight and retreat at the same time.

Although it's impossible to turn the tide, it can still injure some Night Howl Gang and collect some interest. At the same time, it will deter the Night Howl Gang from going too far, creating room for negotiation and maneuvering in the future.

Hubiang had just raised his staff.

An arrow suddenly flew through the night sky.

The arrow was jet black, blending seamlessly into the night. The sound of it piercing the air was absorbed by the sound-absorbing magic above it, making it completely silent.

With a soft thud, the arrow struck Hubiang squarely between the eyebrows, penetrating most of its length.

The Black Claw boss, who had dominated several blocks in the lower levels of Cloud Fang City, collapsed onto the filthy ground before he could even activate his spell.

There was no more sound.

****

Huhao was stunned.

He turned his head sharply, but couldn't find where the arrow had come from.

To launch a sneak attack in front of so many people, yet make it impossible for anyone to find the target, and to do so with extreme decisiveness and efficiency.

This attacker's skill level is no lower than level six!

Huhao swallowed hard, suddenly realizing that he seemed to have been used as a pawn in tonight's events.

It is true that Hubiang sold bootlegging.

But it seems someone wants this half-fox dead!

The key issue is that Huhao has no way to defend himself. In this situation, even if Hubiang wasn't killed by him, he was! He suddenly thought of a possibility.

Hubiang is dead. Is there any point in him living?

Huhao quickly turned around, intending to leave with the Night Howl Gang members.

But then some fist-sized spheres fell from the sky and crashed to the ground.

With a series of loud bangs, large plumes of white smoke exploded.

"Alchemy smoke bomb!" someone exclaimed.

Acrid smoke spread, engulfing the courtyard, and the surrounding figures quickly became blurred outlines.

A figure suddenly approached through the smoke.

Huhao and raised its hand to block the opponent's sharp claws.

He then realized that the attacker was a Black Claw Gang, a half-leopard man.

But upon closer inspection, the other person's eyes were closed and their head drooped limply; they were clearly dead.

However, his arm was pulled by some force, launching an attack. Huhao hurriedly tried to retreat, only to find that his entire body was suddenly frozen in place.

His feet were rooted to the ground, and he couldn't move his fingers.

Yise released his grip on the Black Claw Gang's collar and stepped out from behind him.

Then, he grabbed the half-leopard man's other hand and pushed it forward.

The half-leopard man's hand pierced directly into Huhao's chest.

Huhao, its eyes wide open, and blood gushed from its mouth, covering half of the leopard-man's body.

Yise released the Imprisonment Spell, and Huhao finally collapsed unwillingly.

In tonight's "gang conflict," Night Howl Gang leader Huhao ambushed and killed Black Claw Gang leader Hubiang.

Then, Hubiang's loyal henchman used a smokescreen tactic to avenge his boss.

A truly moving story, perfect!

****

Yise vanished in a flash, leaving Huhao's side. The Night Howl Gang members who rushed over fell to their leader's feet, screaming in terror.

Yise strolled past them with ease.

She casually wielded her sword, killing more than a dozen Black Claw Gang in succession.

They didn't even see the attacker clearly; they only felt a sudden chill on their chest or the back of their head before collapsing helplessly into the smoke.

These people were either "high-ranking" members of Black Claw or underlings who had witnessed the mysterious person they were impersonating visiting last night.

Although they left no clues that could be traced.

But the best thing is that it doesn't exist!

Yise stopped only after confirming that all the targets on the list had fallen.

She clasped her hands together, and pale golden light patterns spread out from her, silently sweeping across the entire courtyard.

"Mass Soul Deliverance!"

From Psionic Power perspective, the phantoms of souls that had just broken free from the corpses, still carrying confusion and resentment, quickly turned into light fragments, rose, and dissipated.

"Be a good person in your next life," Yise sighed softly. In a sense, it was the chaos at the top that gave rise to the evil at the bottom.

Although they were somewhat powerless to do so, the future Water Chestnut Island does not need these gray and black figures.

Afterwards, Yise wrapped his cloak tighter and climbed out through a broken window at the back of the stronghold, retrieving the listening device that Yuye had planted along the way.

After turning around a few times, Yise's figure disappeared into the intricate network of streets and alleys.

He kept his achievements and fame hidden.

****

Let's rewind a little.

This side of Cloud Fang City.

The Black Claw members responsible for conducting the "test" were unaware that tonight's "gang conflict" was about to escalate into a brutal situation.

Hubiang led the rest of his men back to provide support, and before leaving, he instructed Hubian to continue the mission.

He obediently squatted in the shadow of the building, watching the movements on the city wall.

Clock Hand struck eight, the bell tower of Cloud Fang City rang out in succession, eight deep chimes echoing through the night. This was the last time the clock struck that hour; afterwards, the bell tower would fall silent until five o'clock the next morning.

Sure enough, seven faint lights appeared one after another on the dark city wall.

The Black Claw tester was overjoyed, but then fell into a daze.

The seven warning totems that were the target broke off in the middle and crashed onto the stone floor with a series of dull thuds.

The broken end of the wooden pillar was charred black, with tiny sparks of runes still flickering around it.

This is completely different from what we agreed on at the beginning!

The Black Claw tester scratched his head.

But a broken totem should also be considered a failure, right? He pondered.

This Black Claw member wasn't particularly bright, otherwise he wouldn't have been chosen by Hubiang as a "suicide test subject."

In conclusion, this Black Claw member ultimately decided to carry out the task assigned by his boss.

He rushed out and climbed the city wall using both hands and feet.

The sound of the totem pole breaking had alerted the guards in the distance; shouts and hurried footsteps could be faintly heard. He crouched low, slipped along the ground to the other side, and repeated the same action on the underground wall.

This left Su Ming, who had just come up behind him and was about to silence him, dumbfounded.

"Let one slip through the net," Su Ming thought to himself.

Anyway, the other party knows nothing, and it's not a big deal. There's no need for him to climb over the wall to chase after them; that would just attract too much attention.

Just as Su Ming was about to leave, he saw that the person who had just left had actually climbed back onto the top of the wall.

The orc tester peeked out first, then, carrying a bulging backpack, quickly slid down the city wall.

He ran back to his original spot, panting heavily, and leaned on his knees.

Then he saw Su Ming standing in front of him.

"Good evening!" Su Ming greeted with a smile.

The Black Claw members were taken aback.

Then, Su Ming swung the wooden stick in his hand and struck the other person's head, knocking the dutiful tester to the ground.

Su Ming dropped the wooden stick. He softened for a moment, and instead of crushing the other's soul, he chose to grab it directly.

Let's perform a ritual to help Yise pass on to the afterlife.

Su Ming picked up the backpack, weighed it in his hand, and found that the contents were quite heavy.

"Hubiang actually has other goods this time!"

The approaching footsteps of the city guards could already be heard from the city walls.

Su Ming, carrying his backpack, disappeared into the shadows of the alley and left without a trace.