The black, iron beast charged through the flying snow. Inside the only passenger carriage, eight enforcers sat in their respective positions, perfectly replicating the scene when they first boarded.
"We're almost at Winter Harbor," said Number 8, glancing out the window calmly. "The first phase of the plan has been successfully completed. Next is the most crucial part..."
Number 8, the usurper who replaced Jiang Qin, seemed to be the leader of the eight. As he spoke, the chatter and瓜子-cracking among the others immediately ceased.
Chen Yifei, who had been pretending to doze off, slowly opened his eyes.
"At Winter Harbor, we will meet up with the new enforcers from other districts and the three escorting magistrates from Aurora City. According to intelligence, one of these magistrates is a Five-Stripe, and two are Four-Stripes.
"The gap in strength between us and them is too great. We absolutely cannot confront them directly. We must conceal our identities. Before coming, I have already given you all a brief overview of the personality and background of the character you are replacing. You must disguise yourself accordingly and avoid causing trouble. Understand?"
"But what if other enforcers come to provoke us?" Chen Yifei suddenly asked.
"...You must endure it," Number 8 paused for a moment. "This mission is of utmost importance and cannot be compromised."
Hearing this, the other usurpers were visibly unhappy but ultimately nodded in agreement...
"Number 8, do we really need to be so cautious?" Zhong Yaoguang asked, puzzled. "Isn't it said that a Thief Saint will be coming to escort us and ensure our safety?
"The Thief Saint is a super powerhouse of the Seventh Tier, and there are only five such individuals among all the usurpers... With him around, what are those magistrates?"
Chen Yifei's heart sank.
Thief Saint? Seventh Tier?
Although Chen Yifei didn't understand what the title "Thief Saint" represented, he did understand the significance of "Seventh Tier"... It was commonly said that the path to divinity consisted of ten tiers, with the tenth being the ascension to divinity. So, this "Thief Saint" was only three steps away from divinity?
The strongest divine path holder Chen Yifei had seen so far was Han Meng, who was only at the Fourth Tier.
"Thief Saint?? Really?!" Another usurper's eyes lit up. "Which one is it? Red, Yellow, Blue, White, or Black?"
"White," Number 8 replied calmly. "The Thief Saint, Bai Ye."
Chen Yifei could clearly sense that everyone's breathing had become heavier. Upon hearing this name, their eyes began to shine!
Chen Yifei didn't understand but quickly followed suit, his eyes filled with admiration.
"With him around, what are we afraid of? Why not just make a big commotion at the Ancient Relic of the Martial Path?" someone among them said.
"Make a big commotion at the Ancient Relic of the Martial Path? What do you think the divine path of extreme combat is?" Number 8 glanced at him. "Among the fourteen divine paths in the world, the ancient relic representing the divine path of extreme combat—do you think we can just break in because we have a Thief Saint?"
Everyone fell into silence.
"No one in the world can forcibly enter the Ancient Relic of the Martial Path. If we want the fragments of the foundation of the Martial God Path, we must find a loophole in the trial of the divine paths... Otherwise, what are we supposed to do?
If something goes wrong before entering the Ancient Relic of the Martial Path, such as the three leading law enforcement officers encountering trouble, then the Aurora City will immediately close the Ancient Relic of the Martial Path, and none of us will be able to enter!
So, before entering the ancient relic, all of you must behave cautiously."
"...Understood."
"Usurp the way of heaven, seize the universe, in the name of the Ultimate Thief God [Silver King]... I hope everything goes smoothly on this trip." Standing in the center of the carriage, Number 8 placed the tip of his right finger on his forehead and spoke devoutly.
At this moment, everyone's expression became serious, as if completing a ritual of some sort of belief, similarly placing their right hand on their forehead.
"In the name of the Ultimate Thief God [Silver King]... I hope everything goes smoothly on this trip."
The Ultimate Thief God, the [Silver King]?
While mimicking the others, Chen Yifei made a note of this title in his heart.
This sounds like the deity that the Thief God Path points to, and also like the belief of the usurpers.
Sitting in his seat, Chen Yifei looked out the window at the gradually approaching port and fell into deep thought...
There are both Aurora City law enforcement officers and usurper thief saints.
I don't know if the members of the Twilight Society sent to meet him here are reliable or not?
...
The train slowly stopped in the wilderness more than ten kilometers away from the Winter Port.
This train was not recorded, so it definitely couldn't stop at the station. Number 8 found an abandoned factory warehouse to hide it, and then they walked there.
As they continued to approach Winter Port, there were more and more shops and pedestrians around, and there was finally some liveliness on the road.
"Hot crullers, tea eggs, baked sweet potatoes~"
"Soybean curd, fresh soybean curd!"
"Extra, extra! The latest news from the Aurora Daily: The fifth and sixth districts have suffered heavy damage after the disaster, and there is a possibility that the two districts will merge, reducing the seven major districts of Aurora to six?
Also, the top gossip! The third young master of the Aurora City Star Chamber marries a famous prostitute, and after sleeping with her, he discovers that she is actually his long-lost older sister-in-law!"
"Hey, give me a copy of that newspaper about the third young master sleeping with his older sister-in-law."
"Sure!"
"..."
The boy's clear voice echoed on the street, immediately attracting a large number of pedestrians to buy newspapers. Chen Yifei saw that the other usurpers' ears also perked up, as if they couldn't help but want to buy a copy.
"Don't make unnecessary trouble." Number 8 glanced at them.
Everyone shrugged their shoulders, their interest waning.
"Newspapers, magazines, toys, poker cards? Take a look?" A lazy voice came from the side.
Chen Yifei turned his head and saw a woman sitting lazily in a shabby grocery kiosk, shouting while casually playing with a box of poker cards.
On the cover of the box, a [Red Heart 6] was clearly visible.
Chen Yifei's heart stirred, then he glanced at the group walking towards the port. He didn't stop but lightly shifted his gaze and continued to follow the others.
The eight of them crossed the street and arrived directly at the port. Many figures wearing law enforcement uniforms had already gathered together, with three law enforcement officers wearing windbreakers in the center.
Just as Number 8 said, on the hem of their windbreakers, one had five stripes, and two had four stripes, clearly visible.
"Hello, I am Jiang Qin, the leading law enforcement officer from the third district."
Number 8 stepped forward and respectfully spoke to the three law enforcement officers, handing them several documents at the same time, "There are a total of 8 law enforcement officers from the third, fifth, and sixth districts participating in the trial of the Ancient Relic of the Martial Path this time, all of them are here."
A four-stripe law enforcement officer swept his gaze over everyone, picked up the documents, and carefully checked them one by one.
When they joined the law enforcement, they all left images at the headquarters. At this moment, the law enforcement officer was comparing them with the photos, asking and comparing one by one. His sharp gaze was like a knife scraping over everyone's faces.
Finally, he nodded slightly and checked off everyone's names on the list.
"Right, how did you get here? The people from the fourth district haven't arrived by train yet. How did you arrive first?" The law enforcement officer suddenly asked.
"We came by yesterday's train," Number 8 smiled slightly, "They said they hadn't been to Winter Port before, so we came a day early to take a look. Unexpectedly, we met friends from the fifth and sixth districts along the way."
"Yes, it was quite a coincidence," another law enforcement officer from the fifth district nodded.
"Alright, then you can move around briefly now. Wait for the people from the fourth district to arrive, and then you can board the ship... Don't go too far, just within two hundred meters around here."
"Okay."
Hearing this, the other usurpers exchanged glances and cautiously asked,
"Officer Jiang Qin, can we... go buy newspapers now?"
"...Go ahead."
The few of them turned around and left.
Chen Yifei put his hands in his pockets and silently followed behind them.