After walking for about forty to fifty meters, Chen Ling suddenly turned around and turned into a public restroom nearby.
He naturally saw the rendezvous signal given by the sundry booth, but Winter Harbor was only so big. Under the watchful eyes of the three Enforcers and Number 8, it was impossible for him to go straight up and converse with the booth owner.
To rendezvous with that mysterious Dusk Society member, he had to use a more covert method.
Chen Ling trailed behind a lucky boy. Just as the boy was about to enter a stall to squat, a chop from Chen Ling's hand knocked him out. He then dragged the boy in and quickly closed the door...
When the door opened again, he had already transformed into the boy's appearance.
Chen Ling straightened his slightly messy collar, took a step out of the restroom, and walked straight toward the sundry booth.
"Newspapers, magazines, toys, Poker... Do you want any? If not, I'm getting off work~"
"Hello, I want to write a letter to my mom..."
Just as the woman was yawning, a tender voice suddenly rang out.
"Little kid, here we..."
"My mom's heart is sick. I want to give her a little hope." Not waiting for the woman to speak, the boy continued, "I only have six dollars left on me. Can I mail it?"
Hearing this sentence, a trace of imperceptible astonishment flashed across the woman's eyes. She immediately smiled while pushing a pen and paper to him:
"Of course you can. You can write it right here."
"Thank you."
The boy picked up the pen and began writing rapidly on the paper:
【Fire-Stealers have infiltrated the team. The Thief Saint, Bai Ye, is hiding in the dark. Requesting backup!】
After writing the last word, he immediately folded the paper and handed it to the woman. At the same time, several Law Enforcers hurried past him, heading toward the gathering point at the port.
The Law Enforcers from District 4 had arrived.
Seeing this, the boy took a deep look at the woman and immediately walked toward the restroom.
This woman wasn't a member of the Dusk Society. Just like Xiao Fang Grocery Store in District Three, she only served to pass on messages. Even though he couldn't see the member who came to receive him with his own eyes, he knew the woman would definitely pass his message along.
This way, the Dusk Society could also prepare. He wasn't asking them to dispatch a member capable of suppressing the Thief Saint Bai Ye, but at least they could ensure he retreated in one piece, right?
Thinking of this, Chen Ling's heart felt much more at ease.
He returned to the restroom, changed back to his own appearance, and then walked unhurriedly toward the gathering point...
Meanwhile.
The woman at the sundry booth swept her vigilant gaze around.
She carefully brought the paper under the table and slowly unfolded it... and then froze in place.
On the large piece of paper, there were only two blood-colored characters:
——【Drop Dead】.
Woman: ???
...
【Audience Expectation Value +5】
The moment he saw these words, Chen Ling's heart skipped a beat.
The Audience Expectation Value soaring for no reason definitely meant nothing good... This was the experience Chen Ling had accumulated over so much time.
Chen Ling tried to look for some clues around him but yielded no results. There were no Assassins, no danger, and he even walked a lap around the ship, afraid that someone had secretly blown a huge hole in the bottom.
As the Law Enforcers from District 4 arrived, the three Enforcers gathered everyone and had them board the ship sequentially by district.
"There are so many people from Aurora City... They take up almost half," Zhong Yaoguang couldn't help but say upon seeing a large batch of Law Enforcers gathered together.
"It's normal," another Fire-Stealer replied faintly. "Aurora City is the core of the Aurora Domain. One city monopolizes eighty percent of the resources in the Domain. In the initial design, the Seven Great Districts were only meant to serve as peripheral factories for Aurora City.
It's better to say that it's already quite good they're willing to give the Seven Great Districts this many quotas..."
Chen Ling followed their gaze and saw a large group of Law Enforcers waiting by the ship, preparing to board. At a glance, there were at least over thirty people.
They chatted with one another, not even sparing a glance at the Law Enforcers from the Seven Great Districts around them. Conversely, the Law Enforcers from the other great districts cast envious and longing looks at them.
Actually, just from their temperament alone, one could tell the difference between the Law Enforcers of Aurora City and the others. In their every movement, there was an air of confidence. Compared to them, the Law Enforcers from the other great districts were like Country Bumpkins who coincidentally wore the same clothes.
And at this moment, among the many Aurora City Law Enforcers, there were three particularly conspicuous existences.
The reason they were conspicuous was that none of the three were wearing the black and red uniform of the Law Enforcers. One wore a black top and black pants, one was draped in jewels, and one held a Folding Fan in the cold wind, fanning leisurely.
The three of them stood at the very front. No one dared overstep half a step around them. Even the three Enforcers from Aurora City intentionally kept their positions from surpassing them.
"Who are those three?" a Fire-Stealer asked curiously.
"The one in black clothes and black pants should be Lu Xuanming. His dad is one of the five Great Seven-Stripe Enforcers of Aurora City, holding high status and heavy authority. The one holding the fan is Pu Wen. It is said his family is a Path of the Scholar God clan that moved here from another Realm..."
"A Path of the Scholar God clan? Then why are they entering the Ancient Vault of the Military Path?"
"I don't know..."
"And what about the one covered in jewelry?"
"He..." Zhong Yaoguang hesitated for a moment, as if discovering something. He picked up the newspaper he just bought, his eyes wide. "I was wondering why he looked so familiar. He's the Third Young Master of the Stars Chamber of Commerce, Yan Xicai."
Everyone opened their mouths in surprise.
Chen Ling narrowed his eyes, deliberately raised his voice, and pretended to be shocked as he said, "He's the one who slept with his older aunt?"
"Keep it down." Number 8, who was leading the team, furrowed his brows. "Don't cause trouble."
Meanwhile, the black-clothed Lu Xuanming, standing at the very front of the queue, glanced over at District Three and spoke leisurely:
"Yan Xicai, your glorious deeds have already spread outside Aurora City... In terms of fame, we truly cannot compare to you."
Yan Xicai's expression was incredibly ugly, and he fiercely glared at the crowd from District Three.
"Damn it! When I get back, I'm going to bankrupt the Aurora Daily! These dogs who kick a man when he's down!"
"Then you better actually step onto the Way of the Soldier God first. Otherwise, even if you go back, you'll be expelled from your family."
"What's there to be afraid of? With Brother Pu here this time, I refuse to believe I still can't step onto a Divine Path..."
"Alright, hurry up and board the ship."
With the Aurora City Law Enforcers boarding first, the others followed suit successively. Compared to the number of people from the other great districts, these eight people from the Three, Five, and Six Districts combined seemed somewhat shabby.
Confirming the headcount was correct, an Enforcer nodded slightly, signaling the ship to depart. Amidst the roaring whistle, the ship slowly sailed toward the center of the frozen sea.
Just as Chen Ling stepped onto the ship, he heard an undeniable voice coming from the center of the deck.
"Hey, you!"
Chen Ling turned his head and saw Yan Xicai standing there with a dark expression, waving at him.
"Yeah, I mean you... come here."
Seeing Chen Ling being called out by Yan Xicai, the most nervous ones weren't Chen Ling, but the many Fire-Stealers beside him. Their hearts jolted, and they suddenly had a bad premonition...
Seeing this scene, an imperceptible hint of a smile flashed across Chen Ling's eyes.
The fish had taken the bait.