However, his hand froze mid-air.
He saw a beam of moonlight pierce through the clouds, perfectly passing through the window and spilling onto the wooden floor at his feet… The light and shadow danced, and two characters slowly appeared.
"Go back."
Beneath these two characters was the reflection of a playing card.
It was a gray [JOKER], Gray King.
The moment he saw this card, Chu Muyun’s pupils contracted. He immediately lowered his arm, and the short knife slithered back into his sleeve like a snake, disappearing without a trace.
A dark gray cloud drifted in with the wind, obscuring the hazy moonlight. The characters on the floor vanished as if they had never existed.
Chu Muyun took a deep look at the sleeping Chen Ling, then turned and left.
As he gently closed the door, the room fell into complete silence.
The boy’s crimson eyes were fixed intently on the direction of Chu Muyun’s bedroom. In his hand, he held a bloodstained bone-carving knife.
As Chu Muyun’s bedroom door closed completely, Chen Yan’s eyelids lowered and then opened again. The murderous intent in his eyes was buried deep within.
The ethereal auroras shimmered outside the window. Chen Yan turned his head slightly, looking at Chen Ling sleeping soundly on the bed.
"Brother… goodnight."
He murmured softly.
With that, his figure silently passed through the wall and returned to his own room.
---
At the same time.
District Three, Law Enforcement Headquarters, Office.
"Brother Ma, we’ve received news from Ice Spring Street." A three-striped law enforcement officer hurried in.
Ma Zhong raised an eyebrow. "What’s the word?"
"Well…"
The officer hesitated for a moment. "They cursed… a lot."
Ma Zhong: ?
"Why? Because the lockdown hasn’t been lifted yet?"
"No, they said you broke the agreement and even sent someone to humiliate them." The officer added, "It’s that reserve officer you assigned to support Ice Spring Street… Apparently, he beat up the people at the Black Axe Tavern. Bone Blade is furious."
"Reserve officer?" Ma Zhong asked in confusion. "Who was it again?"
"One was Wu Youdong, the other was Chen Ling. Wu Youdong got scared off by those people and voluntarily withdrew from the law enforcement exam. The one who did the beating was Chen Ling."
"I think I remember… the kid from Frost Street whose parents were scared out of their wits by a Calamity?"
"Yes, that’s him."
"He beat up the people at the Black Axe Tavern?"
"I didn’t believe it either, but that’s what happened." The officer paused, then cautiously asked, "Brother Ma, do you think… he might have received [Divine Favor]?"
Ma Zhong didn’t answer. He frowned and lit a cigarette, which the officer promptly helped him light.
"Could it be that District Three… is about to get another law enforcement judge?" Ma Zhong exhaled a puff of smoke.
"Right now, three out of the five law enforcement judges in District Three are on our side… But if another one appears, it’ll be trouble." The officer muttered, "He beat up the people from Ice Spring Street, so he must know something. It’s unlikely he’ll join our side…
Rather than letting him grow and become Han Meng’s ally, maybe we should deal with him before he…"
The officer narrowed his eyes and made a slashing motion across his neck.
Ma Zhong chuckled. "Chang Lin, Chang Lin… You still need to broaden your horizons."
The officer, Chang Lin, was taken aback.
"Am I wrong?"
"You’re not wrong, but your thinking is too narrow." Ma Zhong flicked the ash off his cigarette and said calmly, "Even if this kid has received [Divine Favor], he’s only at the first tier right now. It’ll take him a long time to become a threat to us.
Instead of targeting him, we should aim for a more fundamental solution."
"You mean… Han Meng?"
"Before Han Meng arrived, District Three was our domain. Back then, our operations were the largest among the seven districts. Even Ice Spring Street now is only half the size of what we had… But ever since that guy was parachuted in as the Chief Law Enforcement Judge of District Three, he’s been cleaning up the district, cutting off our revenue streams and forcing us to rebuild connections in Ice Spring Street."
Ma Zhong’s eyes grew colder as he stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
"He’s the Chief Law Enforcement Judge of District Three. Normally, we wouldn’t have a chance to touch him, but now it’s different…"
"How is it different?"
"In what situation would a four-striped law enforcement judge die in District Three?"
Chang Lin pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up as if he had thought of something. "A Calamity?"
"The Chief Law Enforcement Judge of each district holds a crucial position. If something happens to him, Aurora City will definitely send someone to investigate. Normally, we can’t touch him, but now we have a ready-made ‘culprit’… A Calamity that just happened to descend in District Three, one that has already defeated Han Meng in a direct confrontation and then gone into hiding!"
Ma Zhong sneered, "Kill Han Meng, make it look like he died in a Calamity attack, and not only will we eliminate this thorn in our side, but we’ll also have a legitimate reason to lift the lockdown on District Three and immediately restore trade with District Two… This way, the anger from Ice Spring Street will also be quelled."
"But what if the Calamity shows up again after everything’s over?"
"Who can prove that the Calamity that shows up later is the same one as now?"
Chang Lin was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but marvel,
"Brother Ma, you’re truly something!"
"Right now, Han Meng is injured from the Calamity attack and isn’t as strong as before. As long as we plan carefully, he’s as good as dead." A glint of killing intent flashed in Ma Zhong’s eyes. "Call Lao Tao over. Let’s discuss this in detail…"
"Got it… Oh, what about that Chen Ling?"
"Him…" Ma Zhong’s eyes gleamed with a sharp light. "Don’t let him interact with the people from Ice Spring Street anymore. We don’t want to provoke them further… For now, find an excuse to let him join the law enforcement. Once we deal with Han Meng, we’ll be his direct superiors.
Then, we can deal with him however we want."
"Understood."
---
"Morning, brother."
As Chen Ling pushed open the door, he saw Chen Yan sitting in the living room, turning around to greet him with a smile.
"Up so early?" Chen Ling asked in surprise.
"Couldn’t sleep last night, so I got up early to memorize some lines." Chen Yan held up a handwritten script and said seriously.
Chen Ling nodded and was about to wash up and head out when Chu Muyun also emerged from his room.
"Looks like you’re the one running late today."
"...Yeah."
Chu Muyun responded casually, his eyes slightly dark and puffy, as if he hadn’t slept all 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 a law enforcement officer!"
"Hopefully." Chen Ling smiled.
After what happened yesterday, Chen Ling no longer held much hope of passing the law enforcement exam… For ordinary people like him and Wu Youdong, becoming a law enforcement officer through sheer effort was as difficult as climbing to the heavens.
Moreover, he had beaten up the people at the Black Axe Tavern yesterday, effectively making an enemy of Ma Zhong, the law enforcement judge of District Three. There was no way Ma Zhong would let him get promoted.
But even if he couldn’t become a law enforcement officer… wouldn’t it be nice to go to Ice Spring Street and harvest some expectation value?
Chen Ling stroked his chin, thinking just that.