"I'm done wasting words," Gu Zheng cut in, his voice cold and sharp. "Are you deploying your men, or not?"
"Insolence!"
Beside Pang Qian Ding, a horse-faced man glared angrily at Gu Zheng and snarled, "Gu Zheng, you have some nerve! How dare you speak to the Captain like that? Don't forget you're just a Chief Constable. The Captain deigning to see you is already…"
BOOM!
The air cracked. A tangible wave of Fist Force shot across the ten-pace distance and slammed into the horse-faced man. There was a sickening SPLAT as his body was torn to pieces, splattering Pang Qian Ding's head and face with blood and gore.
"Ah—!"
Scrambling to his feet in terror, Pang Qian Ding wiped chunks of flesh and blood from his face and roared, "Gu Zheng, you're courting death! Archers, fire! Fire and kill him!"
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
A row of Soldiers to the right, armed with short crossbows, instinctively fired a volley of sharp Crossbow Arrows toward Gu Zheng.
WHOOSH!
Gu Zheng's figure blurred as he vaulted into the air. In an instant, he sailed over the heads of two rows of Soldiers and landed right in front of Pang Qian Ding.
"You…"
SHHIIINCK!
A flash of cold light, and a head flew high into the air. The face was frozen in a mask of shock, horror, and utter disbelief.
THUMP. THUMP.
The head hit the ground, rolled twice, and came to a stop. Even then, Pang Qian Ding couldn't believe Gu Zheng had actually dared to kill him.
Yes, Gu Zheng could slay Demon Fiends. But according to the information Pang Qian Ding had gathered, Gu Zheng had only managed to take down the Demon Fiend at King Runan's estate by surrounding it with his men and using a combination of special equipment and anesthetic drugs.
By himself, Gu Zheng would have been powerless to kill it.
Pang Qian Ding was no fool. One didn't become a Captain without powerful connections and a good deal of cunning.
He was just habitually greedy and saw this as a chance to squeeze a fortune out of Gu Zheng.
The Gu Family was, after all, one of the most prominent households in Qingshi County!
Who would have thought Gu Zheng would be so quick to act? Not only did he kill a man with a punch from a distance, but his speed was also absolutely terrifying.
The headless corpse swayed and collapsed. It was too late for Pang Qian Ding to feel regret.
This sudden turn of events left everyone else present stunned, shaken, and completely bewildered.
Pang Qian Ding was dead…
In front of so many witnesses, Gu Zheng had actually lopped off Pang Qian Ding's head with a single slash!
The group of Soldiers who had previously surrounded Pang Qian Ding were all dumbstruck, shocked by Gu Zheng's decisive action and at a complete loss.
'Attack Gu Zheng and avenge Pang Qian Ding?'
'Don't be ridiculous. His speed was like a phantom's. The Crossbow Arrows hadn't even grazed his shadow.'
'If they attacked, they'd be the ones to die!'
CLANG~
Suddenly, the sound of a weapon clattering to the ground broke the silence.
It was Guan Ai, who had been standing to the side. He dropped his saber, knelt on one knee, and respectfully declared, "Greetings, Lord Gu! I, Guan Ai, await your command. I would follow you through a mountain of blades and a sea of fire, and would not shrink even from a thousand deaths!"
A hush fell over the scene.
In the next instant, a series of CLANGS echoed as weapons hit the ground all around.
Every man knelt on one knee and shouted in unison, "Greetings, Lord Gu! We await your command and would follow you through a mountain of blades and a sea of fire, even unto death!"
"..." Gu Zheng lowered his head slightly and glanced at Guan Ai.
'This Commander Guan certainly knows how to read a situation,' Gu Zheng thought. 'He was the first to declare his submission, without me even having to speak.'
'He'll go far.'
"All of you, rise."
Sweeping his gaze over the crowd, Gu Zheng's voice rang out, "This is an emergency, so I'll get straight to the point. Everyone, grab your gear and move out immediately. Form teams of five and search the entire city. The moment you find anything, fire a Whistling Arrow!"
"As you command!!"
The men responded in unison, then rose to their feet and began to move out quickly.
"Commander Guan."
Gu Zheng stopped Guan Ai and said in a low voice, "Go up to the city walls. Have all the men there come down, put on their Iron Armor, and bring dye, ink, and lime to search for the Demon Fiends."
"Yes, my lord!"
Guan Ai bowed to accept the order and hurried away.
Without Captain Pang Qian Ding there to whine and get in the way, things suddenly became much more efficient.
'Seizing power was never my intention.'
'Unfortunately, some people still fail to recognize the reality of the situation, even at a time like this.'
'In that case, they just have to die.'
…
…
Gu Zheng's suspicions were soon confirmed.
There were only two types of Demon Fiends capable of flying into the city.
The first was the winged, slug-like Demon Fiend.
The second was the giant, rotting bird with three or five grotesque heads that flew through the sky.
And as it happened, both types of Demon Fiends were capable of Invisibility.
They were completely invisible as they flew over the city walls. Only when a Demon Fiend attacked would one hear its low growls and shrill shrieks, and feel its innate, soul-chilling, terrifying baleful aura.
In the face of this baleful aura, ordinary people were either scared stiff and frozen on the spot, or their legs would go weak, leaving them unable to muster the strength to flee.
Only a few strong-willed individuals could endure it long enough to flee in panic.
'Fight back?'
'Completely unrealistic.'
Only constables like Han Ming and Wang Meng, who had followed Gu Zheng to surround the Demon Fiend at King Runan's estate, had been exposed to its aura before and could therefore offer some resistance.
In their five-man teams, they searched for traces of the Demon Fiends. Upon feeling that invisible, terrifying aura, they would toss dye and fire Crossbow Arrows while simultaneously launching a Whistling Arrow.
The Whistling Arrow shot through the air, exploding in the sky like a firework.
As the smoke briefly billowed, Gu Zheng would arrive at extreme speed, leaping through the air.
Whether it was a slug-like Demon Fiend or an invisible giant bird, Gu Zheng would finish it off in a matter of breaths, slay it, and then instantly use Spirit Capturing to obtain Bloodshed.
[Demon Points +3]
[Demon Points +2]
[Demon Points +2]
…
From morning until afternoon.
With all the constables and Soldiers scrambling to search, the slug-like Demon Fiends and invisible giant birds hiding in dark corners and rooms were mostly wiped out.
The initial Evil Spirit, however, was nowhere to be found, and no one had let out a dying scream to indicate its presence.
It seemed there was only that one Evil Spirit in the city.
As Gu Zheng rushed about slaying the slug-like Demon Fiends and invisible giant birds, he also made sure to keep sensing for the Evil Spirit's unique aura.
Yet, he consistently found nothing.
He did, however, manage to figure out why the slug-like Demon Fiends and invisible giant birds avoided the sunlight.
They weren't afraid of the sun; they were simply not used to it.
The world the Demon Fiends came from either had no sun, or at least not a great golden sun that shed light and heat.
Having just emerged from the Domain, these Demon Fiends were instinctively uncomfortable with the light and heat of this world's sun.
This discomfort, this subconscious aversion, was something they could adapt to in two days at most!
That's why, when it came to killing Demon Fiends, you had to do it quickly.
…
「Night fell.」
Screams and cries of terror suddenly erupted throughout the city.
The remaining slug-like Demon Fiends emerged from hiding to feast on human flesh.
Gu Zheng followed the sounds, leaping through the air toward them.
With a few flashes of his blade, he gained three, two, and then three more Demon Points.
When the screams stopped, the sound of beating wings echoed from the sky.
The invisible giant birds had appeared.
They had flown back to the county town from the mountain forests beyond the walls, eager to hunt once more and feast to their hearts' content.
THUD!
Gu Zheng launched himself off the ground and shot into the air.
With his Dark Vision, the shapes of the invisible giant birds were perfectly clear.
SHING! SHING! SHING!
Blade-light flashed and crisscrossed, tearing through the air as he sliced through the invisible giant birds.
[Demon Points +2]
[Demon Points +3]
…
When the last invisible giant bird, chopped into pieces, fell from the sky, the Demon Fiends threatening the county town had been wiped out in one fell swoop.
In total, Gu Zheng had earned 68 Demon Points!