Slam!
Just as Su Hao was feeling pleased, the door suddenly burst open. Constable Liu and Su Ping appeared before him, looking anxious.
"What's the matter? Why are you so flustered?" Su Hao asked, slightly annoyed.
These two tactless fellows had completely ruined his good mood. Couldn't they see he was in high spirits?
"Deputy Chief Su, something big has happened," Liu said urgently. "Chief Lu just announced that Deputy Chief Han has betrayed the Constabulary and joined the Blood Moon Cult. The whole city is now hunting for Deputy Chief Han and Li Xing, the leader of the Blood Moon Cult's Fucheng branch. Here are their wanted posters!"
Liu handed Su Hao two wanted posters.
"What? Han Lu is actually a member of the Blood Moon Cult?" Su Hao exclaimed, feigning surprise despite already knowing this. He continued indignantly, "Those Blood Moon Cult members are truly audacious, infiltrating our Constabulary! Notify Captain Wang immediately and tell him to cooperate fully with the Constabulary's actions."
Su Hao was well aware that Han Lu and Li Xing were expert fighters at the peak of the Human Realm. He had no interest in getting involved personally. One wrong move could result in injury or death, so he wasn't keen on participating in the capture himself.
"Yes, sir! I'll inform Captain Wang right away!" Liu responded promptly.
[Mission: As Deputy Chief of the Constabulary, how can you not participate in the capture operation? Lead your subordinates to discover or capture the Constabulary traitors. Reward: 500 Check-in Points, 3 Bronze Draw Cards.]
A mission notification appeared in the task bar.
"A reward of 500 Check-in Points and 3 Bronze Draw Cards? That's quite generous. How can I refuse?" Su Hao thought to himself.
"Wait!" Su Hao called out to Constable Liu, who was about to run out.
He stood up and grabbed his sword hanging on the wall.
"As Deputy Chief of the Constabulary, how can I not set an example? I'll join you in capturing the traitors," Su Hao declared.
"Young Master, Han Lu and his associates are formidable. You shouldn't go!" Su Ping quickly interjected.
Su Hao's current strength was only at the third level of the Human Realm. Going after Han Lu could be dangerous, so Su Ping wanted to stop Su Hao from personally leading the operation.
"Su Ping, I must criticize you for this," Su Hao replied. "I'm the Deputy Chief of the Constabulary. How can I just sit here waiting for battle reports?"
"Let's go, Little Liu. Summon Captain Wang immediately!" Su Hao ordered, ignoring Su Ping's concerns.
He knew the mission would be completed just by discovering the targets, not necessarily capturing them. So Su Hao was determined to go, planning to keep his distance when the time came.
At that moment, several captains mounted their horses and led teams of constables out of the Constabulary, swarming into the streets of Fucheng.
A Deputy Chief betraying the Constabulary was undoubtedly a major incident. Chief Lu had issued strict orders to find Han Lu and his associates at all costs. He himself was already leading a search team in the streets of Fucheng.
Lu knew the gravity of the situation. If he failed to find Han Lu and Li Xing, not only would he lose his position as head of the Fucheng Constabulary, but he might also face imprisonment.
Suddenly, a whoosh sound filled the air.
A flare, used by the Constabulary for communication, rose into the sky.
This signaled that Constabulary members had found traces of Han Lu and his group.
The search parties in the streets, led by Lu Hao, immediately turned their horses and galloped towards the location of the signal.
The black horses raced like lightning across the stone-paved streets of Fucheng. Pedestrians hurriedly moved aside, having never seen the Constabulary act so dramatically before.
"They've been found already?" Su Hao, who had just left the Constabulary, noticed the signal. He mounted his prepared steed and, leading a group of over ten constables, swiftly rode towards the signal's direction.
Meanwhile, in a small alley
Han Lu and Li Xing were catching their breath nervously. In front of them lay two corpses - the constables who had just sent up the flare.
Earlier, they had ambushed their pursuers and escaped, but they hadn't expected the Constabulary to launch such a frenzied city-wide search for them.
They were clearly being given no chance to survive!
"Branch Master Li, I'm afraid we won't be able to leave the city," Han Lu said as he wiped his blade clean on the bodies of the two constables before sheathing it. "We should find a place to hide first and then figure out how to escape the city."
"That's our only option now. Follow me!" Li Xing nodded, aware of the gravity of the situation.
As the Blood Moon Cult's branch master in Fucheng, he surely had his own hiding places.
However, as they stepped out of the alley, they discovered that teams of constables had already surrounded the area.
"How did the Constabulary get here so quickly?" Han Lu's expression changed upon seeing the constables. He hadn't expected them to arrive so soon.
"We'll have to kill them first!" Li Xing's face also darkened, but he sprang into action. He leaped forward, a blood-red short knife appearing in his hand.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
With three quick strikes, he slit the throats of the three constables at the front.
"A bunch of low-level Human Realm constables coming to die. I don't mind killing a few more!" Li Xing's brutal attack momentarily stunned the oncoming constables.
"Li Xing, Han Lu, you won't escape!"
However, his attack only intimidated the regular constables. At that moment, four captains appeared in the street. As captains, they had all reached the middle stage of the Human Realm.
The four simultaneously drew their swords, blocking Han Lu and Li Xing's path.
They only needed to hold the two back, as with time, more Constabulary forces would arrive. Then, they could overwhelm the pair with sheer numbers.
"Han Lu, attack quickly! Cut them down, or we won't be able to leave today!" Li Xing, realizing the gravity of the situation, shouted to Han Lu beside him.
Han Lu immediately drew his sword and sprang into action.
His movements were like a swimming dragon. With a flash, he covered about ten meters, appearing in front of one of the captains. His sword gleamed as he struck.
The captain quickly raised his sword to parry, but Han Lu suddenly kicked out like lightning, striking the captain's chest.
Crack!
The powerful force acted directly on the captain's chest, breaking his ribs. Han Lu then turned and slashed at another captain.
Clang!
The other captain immediately raised his sword to block, but felt a huge反震之力 (reactive force) transmitted through the blade. Blood immediately began flowing from his tiger's mouth (the space between thumb and index finger).
"Those who stand in my way shall die!" Han Lu's face was cold as he launched into a frenzied series of attacks, taking advantage of his superior position.
His strength was already greater than the captain's, and with the added advantage of his initial strike, the captain could only defend for a few exchanges before Han Lu's sword split his head open, felling him to the ground.
Meanwhile, Li Xing had also killed one of the captains.
The remaining captain retreated from the battle, leading the constables to surround Li Xing and Han Lu. He ordered his subordinates to form a sword formation, preventing the pair from escaping.