However, his hand froze in mid-air.
He saw a beam of moonlight piercing through the clouds and slipping through the window, spilling onto the wooden floor beneath his feet... The light and shadow danced, and two characters slowly emerged.
"Go back."
Beneath these two characters, a playing card was projected.
It was a gray JOKER, a gray "King".
The instant Chu Muyun saw this card, his pupils contracted. He immediately lowered his arm, and the short knife slid into his sleeve like a serpent, disappearing without a trace.
A grayish-black cloud drifted along with the wind, obscuring the dim moonlight, and the line of characters on the floor vanished as if they had never existed.
Chu Muyun gave a deep glance at the sleeping Chen Yifei and turned to leave.
As he gently closed the door, the room fell into complete silence.
Seconds later,
From the shadows in the corner,
Chen Muyu, dressed in pajamas, stepped out slowly.
The young boy's scarlet eyes were fixed on the direction of Chu Muyun's bedroom. In his hand, he held a bloodstained bone-cutting knife, unknown to anyone when he had obtained it.
As the door to Chu Muyun's bedroom closed completely, the young boy's eyelids lowered and closed. When he opened them again, the murderous intent had already been buried deep within his eyes.
The elusive aurora swirled outside the window, and Chen Muyu slightly turned his head to look at Chen Yifei sleeping on the bed.
"Brother... Goodnight," he muttered.
As the words fell, his figure quietly passed through the wall and returned to his own room.
...
Meanwhile.
District Three, Law Enforcement Headquarters, Office.
"Zhong, we've received news from Bingquan Street," a three-stripe law enforcement officer hurriedly approached.
Ma Zhong's eyebrows lifted, "What is it?"
"Uh..."
The law enforcement officer hesitated for a moment, "They cursed us quite badly."
Ma Zhong: ?
"Why? Is it because the blockade hasn't been lifted yet?"
"No, they said you're not honorable. Not only did you not keep your promise, but you also sent someone over to insult them." The law enforcement officer added, "It's the trainee you assigned to support Bingquan Street... Apparently, he beat up the guys at the Black Axe Tavern, and Gudao is extremely furious."
"Trainee?" Ma Zhong asked in confusion, "Who is it?"
"One is named Wu Youdong, and the other is Chen Yifei. Wu Youdong was intimidated by those people and voluntarily withdrew from the law enforcement exam. The one who beat them up is Chen Yifei."
"I seem to have some recollection... Is he the child from Cold Dew Street whose parents were driven insane by the calamity?"
"Yes, that's him."
"Could he have beaten up those guys at the Black Axe Tavern?"
"I don't believe it too, but that's the truth." The law enforcement officer paused for a moment and asked cautiously, "Zhong, do you think... he might have received a 'Divine Favor'?"
Ma Zhong didn't respond. He frowned and put a cigarette between his lips. The law enforcement officer immediately stepped forward and lit it with a lighter.
"Could it be that... we're going to have another law enforcement officer in District Three?" Ma Zhong exhaled a puff of smoke.
"Currently, there are five law enforcement officers in District Three, and three of them are on our side... But if there's another one, it'll be troublesome," the law enforcement officer muttered. "He beat up those from Bingquan Street, so he must know some things. It'll be hard for him to join our side...
Instead of letting him grow and become an ally of Han Meng, we should take him out..."
The law enforcement officer's eyes narrowed slightly as he made a slashing gesture across his neck.
Ma Zhong sneered, "Chang Lin, Chang Lin... You still need more experience to broaden your horizons."
The law enforcement officer named Chang Lin was taken aback.
"Am I wrong?"
"You're right, but your perspective is too narrow," Ma Zhong said calmly as he flicked away some ash. "Even if this kid has received a 'Divine Favor', he's only at the first stage now. It'll take a long time for him to become a threat to us.
Instead of targeting him, we should change our focus... and solve the problem fundamentally."
"You mean... Han Meng?"
"Before Han Meng came, District Three was our domain. Our operations were the largest among the seven districts, and even the current Bingquan Street was only half our size... But since this kid was suddenly appointed as the chief of District Three, he's been cleaning up the district and cutting off our sources of income, forcing us to go to Bingquan Street to rebuild our connections."
Ma Zhong's eyes gradually turned cold as he stubbed out the cigarette in an ashtray.
"He's the chief law enforcement officer of District Three, so we don't have a chance to take him out usually, but now it's different..."
"Why is it different?"
"Under what circumstances would a four-stripe law enforcement officer die in District Three?"
Chang Lin pondered for a moment, and his eyes suddenly lit up as if he had an idea. "A calamity?"
"The chief law enforcement officer of each district is an important position. If something happens, someone from Aurora City will definitely come to investigate. We can't take him out usually, but now we have a ready-made 'perpetrator'... someone who just arrived in District Three, defeated Han Meng face-to-face, and then disappeared without a trace!"
Ma Zhong said with a cold smile, "If we kill Han Meng and make it look like a calamity attack where they both died, we'll not only eliminate this major threat but also legitimately unlock District Three and resume trade with District Two immediately... In this way, the anger from Bingquan Street will also dissipate."
"But what if the calamity shows up again after everything is settled?"
"Who can prove that the one that shows up later is the same one now?"
Chang Lin was taken aback and couldn't help but exclaim,
"You're the best, Zhong!"
"Han Meng is injured by the calamity and not as strong as before. If we plan it properly, he's bound to die," Ma Zhong said with a hint of murderous intent in his eyes. "Call Lao Tao over too. We need to discuss this..."
"Okay... By the way, what about Chen Yifei?"
"Him..." A glint flashed through Ma Zhong's eyes. "Make sure he doesn't contact those from Bingquan Street again to avoid provoking them... Just find a reason to let him join the law enforcement exam. After we deal with Han Meng, we'll be his superiors.
At that time, we can do whatever we want with him."
"Understood."
...
"Good morning, Brother."
Chen Yifei pushed open the door and saw Chen Muyu sitting in the living room, smiling and turning back to greet him.
"Why are you up so early?" Chen Yifei asked in surprise.
"I couldn't sleep last night, so I got up early to recite some lines," Chen Muyu said seriously, holding up a handwritten script.
Chen Yifei nodded and was about to wash up and leave when Chu Muyun also pushed the door open.
"It's your turn to be late today."
"...Yeah."
Chu Muyun responded casually, with dark circles under his eyes, indicating that he also didn't sleep last night.
"Is your exam ending today?" Chu Muyun asked as if he remembered something.
"Yeah, it's the last day."
"Good luck, Brother!" Chen Muyu made a cheering gesture. "You'll definitely become a law enforcement officer!"
"I hope so," Chen Yifei smiled.
After what happened yesterday, Chen Yifei didn't expect to pass the law enforcement exam... For ordinary people like him and Wu Youdong, becoming a law enforcement officer through their own efforts was as difficult as scaling heaven.
Moreover, he beat up those from the Black Axe Tavern yesterday, effectively making an enemy of Ma Zhong, the law enforcement officer of District Three. The latter definitely wouldn't let him advance.
But even if he couldn't become a law enforcement officer... going to Bingquan Street to gain some expectation points wouldn't be bad, right?
Chen Yifei thought so as he rubbed his chin.