Vol. 1 - Ch. 30 - Goodnight

However, his hand froze in mid-air just as it was raised.He saw a beam of moonlight piercing through the clouds, perfectly streaming through the window and pouring onto the wooden floor beneath his feet. As light and shadow danced, two characters materialized on the wooden boards.

"Go back."

Below these two characters was a playing card.

It was a gray JOKER.

The gray 【King】.

The moment Chu Muyun saw this card, his pupils contracted, and he immediately sheathed the knife. The short knife seemed to slither like a snake into his sleeve, disappearing without a trace.

A gust of wind swept in, shrouding the moonlight and erasing the ominous message. It was as if it had never existed.

Chu Muyun cast a final, lingering glance at Chen Ling's peaceful form before turning to leave. The room plunged into silence as he closed the door softly behind him.

A few moments later, a figure emerged from the shadows in the corner. Chen Yan, clad in pajamas, materialized, a bloodstained bone-cutting knife clutched tightly in his grasp. His crimson eyes burned with an intensity that seemed to pierce through the closed door.

The crimson eyes of the youth stared fixedly in the direction of Chu Muyun's bedroom, and in his hand, he held a blood-stained bone-cutting knife.

As Chu Muyun's bedroom door shut with a final click, Chen Yan's expression shifted. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the chilling killing intent had been buried deep in the depths of his eyes.

The elusive aurora surged outside the window, and Chen Yan slightly turned his head to look at Chen Ling sleeping on the bed.

"Goodnight, brother," he whispered, his voice laced with a chilling sincerity.

With those words, his figure quietly passed through the wall and returned to his own room.

...

At the same time.

Zone Three, Enforcer Headquarters, Office.

"Brother Ma, we've got news from Ice Spring Street." A three-stripe enforcer hurried over.

Ma Zhong raised an eyebrow, "What's the word?"

"Um..."

The enforcer hesitated for a moment, "They used very harsh words."

Ma Zhong grunted, confused. "What, are they complaining about the blockade still being up?"

"No, it's because they say you have no sense of honor. Not only did you not abide by the agreement yourself, but you also sent someone over to insult them." The enforcer added, "It's the backup you assigned to support Ice Spring Street... it's said that the people at the Black Axe Tavern were beaten by him, and Bo Bao is about to explode with anger."

"The backup?" Ma Zhong asked in confusion, "Who was it?"

"A guy named Wu Youdong, and one named Chen Ling. Wu Youdong has already been frightened by those people and voluntarily withdrew from the enforcer exam. It was Chen Ling who beat them up."

"I seem to remember... Is he the child from Cold Frost Street whose parents were scared silly by the calamity?"

"Yes, that's him."

"He managed to beat up the folks at the Black Axe Tavern?"

"I couldn't believe it either, but that’s what they're saying," the enforcer paused for a moment and cautiously asked, "Brother Ma, do you think... he might have obtained the 【Divine Favor】?"

Ma Zhong didn't answer. He furrowed his brow, a thoughtful expression settling on his face. He reached for a cigarette, and the Enforcer quickly lit it for him.

"Could it be that Zone Three... is going to have another enforcer?" Ma Zhong exhaled smoke.

"Now, there are five enforcers in Zone Three, and three of them are loyal to us... but if another one appears, it'll be troublesome." The enforcer muttered, "He beat up people from Ice Spring Street, and he must know some things. It's probably difficult for him to join our side."

"Instead of letting him grow up and become an aid to Han Meng, we might as well take action against him in advance."

"He's talking about... Han Meng?"

"Before Han Meng arrived," Ma Zhong explained, his voice laced with bitterness, "Zone Three was ours. Our business boomed, the biggest in all seven districts. Even Ice Spring Street back then was barely half our size. But then this outsider, Han Meng, swooped in as Zone Chief. He cleaned house, choked off our income, and forced us to crawl back to Ice Spring Street for scraps."

Anger simmered in Ma Zhong's eyes as he stubbed out his cigarette, "He's the Zone Three Chief, and we couldn't touch him on ordinary days, but now it's different..."

"Why is it different?"

"When was the last time a four-stripe Enforcer died in Zone Three?" Ma Zhong's question hung heavy in the air.

Chang Lin's eyes widened as realization dawned. "A calamity?"

"The Zone Chief of each district is an important position. Once something happens, there will definitely be people from Aurora City coming to investigate. We couldn't touch him on ordinary days, but now there's a ready-made 'culprit'... a 'culprit' who happened to descend on Zone Three, once defeated Han Meng head-on, and then disappeared without a trace!"

A cunning smile spread across Ma Zhong's face. "A culprit who just arrived in Zone Three, challenged Han Meng directly, and then vanished without a trace! We can paint it as a calamity attack, eliminating not just Han Meng but also the blockade on Zone Three. Trade with Zone Two can resume, and Ice Spring Street's anger will be appeased."

"But, what if that calamity comes out again after the matter is over?"

"Who can prove it's the same one?"

Chang Lin was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but sigh, "It's still up to Brother Ma!"

"Now that Han Meng has been weakened by the 'calamity’, he's as good as dead as long as we plan it right."

A glint of murderous intent flickered in Ma Zhong's eyes. "Call Lao Tao. We need to finalize this plan."

"Right away, Captain. But what about Chen Ling?"

"Keep him away from Ice Spring Street," Ma Zhong ordered, a steely glint in his eyes. "No need to provoke them further. Find an excuse to bring him into the Enforcers. Once we deal with Han Meng, we'll be his superiors. Then, he'll be at our mercy."

"Understood."

...

"Morning, bro."

Chen Ling pushed open the door and saw Chen Yan sitting in the living room, smiling and greeting him. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NʘvᴇlFirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

"Why are you up so early?" Chen Ling asked in surprise.

"I couldn't sleep last night, so I got up early to rehearse my lines." Chen Yan raised the script in his hand and said seriously.

Chen Ling nodded, about to wash up and leave, when Chu Muyun also pushed the door open.

"You're the one sleeping in today."

"...Yeah." Chu Muyun casually responded, his eyes showing signs of fatigue, indicating he hadn't slept well last night.

"Is your exam ending today?" Chu Muyun seemed to remember something.

"Yes, today's the last day."

"Good luck, brother!" Chen Yan made a cheering gesture. "You'll definitely become an enforcer!"

"I hope so." Chen Ling smiled.

After yesterday's events, Chen Ling no longer held any hope of becoming an enforcer... For ordinary people like him and Wu Youdong, becoming an enforcer through their own efforts was as difficult as climbing to the sky.

Moreover, he had beaten up the people from the Black Axe Tavern yesterday, completely offending Ma Zhong, the enforcer from Zone Three. They wouldn't promote him for sure.

But even if he couldn't become an enforcer... it wouldn't be bad to harvest some expectations in Ice Spring Street, right?

Chen Ling rubbed his chin, thinking so.