Chapter 30 - Chapter 30: Midnight Fireworks

An didn't return to the inn. He didn't leave the port area either. Instead, he did what a good analyst always does when a critical experiment is about to take place: find the best observation spot.He climbed onto the roof of an old, dilapidated warehouse, hidden in the shadows but with a perfect view of Warehouse No. 3 and the pier in front of it. He lay flat, his small body completely blending in with the moss and the darkness. In his hand, he gripped the cool jade token. It wasn't a weapon, but it was a guarantee, an invisible contract.Time passed slowly. The salty air from the sea seemed to grow tense. Midnight was approaching.Just as predicted, a medium-sized merchant ship, flying no flag, silently slid into the pier like a crocodile in the night. It didn't dock at the main pier, but at a small, secluded one right in front of Warehouse No. 3.The warehouse door opened. The fat steward An had observed before walked out, followed by nearly a dozen Black Iron Guards, far more than the daytime patrol. They worked quickly and silently, placing wooden gangplanks from the ship to the shore.Then, the "goods" were brought down.They weren't wooden crates, but iron cages. Inside, human figures were huddled together, silent in their terror. An could vaguely make out the shapes of women clutching their children. The anger surged in his chest again, but he forced it down, replacing it with an icy focus.Just as the last cage was brought ashore, as two Black Iron Guards were preparing to lock the warehouse door...The darkness moved.It wasn't a loud assault. It was a dead silence. From the dark corners, from the rooftops, from the alleys, more than ten black figures shot out as fast as lightning. They wore tight-fitting black clothes, their faces covered, revealing only cold, sharp eyes. Their weapons were short swords and daggers that glinted under the moonlight."Enemies!" a Black Iron Guard yelled, but that was his last word. A black shadow had already swept past, and a stream of hot blood spurted from his throat.The battle erupted and ended almost in the same instant. An immediately activated Basic Analysis, his brain frantically processing the data....[Target: Myriad Treasures Pavilion Shadow Guard][Level: 7][Skills: Shadow Meld, Assassination Sword Arts]...It wasn't a battle. It was a slaughter. The Black Iron Guards, usually the terror of the common folk, were now like lambs before a pack of wolves. The Myriad Treasures Pavilion's Shadow Guards moved precisely, their coordination flawless. Every strike aimed for a vital point, with no wasted movements. They were efficient killing machines.In less than a minute, the entire group of Black Iron Guards, including the fat steward, lay dead on the ground. The Shadow Guard leader, a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining, almost on par with Bai Wen, gave a signal. A few Shadow Guards immediately went to break the locks on the cages, while the others quickly disposed of the bodies, dragging them into the darkness. The blood on the ground was washed away with buckets of seawater in a professional manner.The people in the cages were brought out, still trembling and bewildered. A Shadow Guard gave them cloaks and signaled for them to follow a different path, disappearing into the town's alleys.Within five minutes, the pier was quiet again, as if nothing had ever happened. Not a single trace was left, except for the faint smell of blood lingering in the air.An lay motionless on the roof, his heart pounding so hard he was afraid it would make a sound. He had witnessed the true power of a major faction. This wasn't a survival struggle in the forest; this was a war in the shadows, ruthless and efficient.He had instigated this war. He had made the Bai family lose a critical shipment and a team of Black Iron Guards. At the same time, he had shown the Myriad Treasures Pavilion his value.He looked down at the jade token in his hand. It was no longer just a debt of gratitude. It was a ticket into a bigger, more dangerous game.He knew he was no longer a G-rank adventurer. He was no longer an anonymous pawn on the board. He had become a player, a player holding a deadly secret.And to survive in this game, he needed to be stronger. He needed a breakthrough. Immediately.