Silver City Law Enforcement Team

Ten o'clock at night. Rumble! The roar of engines echoed through the silence of the old street, breaking a stillness that had gone undisturbed for years. In an instant, headlights blazed, bringing the entire old street to life. ... In front of the Zhang residence. Li Hao watched the scene in silence. He hadn't wanted to make such a scene, but things had reached this point; he had already crossed paths with the Red Shadow, and his thinking had shifted. A great hermit hides in the bustling city! Making a scene could be another way of keeping a low profile. Making such a massive fuss that everyone would think he was acting out of sheer impulse to avenge Zhang Yuan—with no other motive, no other discoveries, forced to rely on outside help, blind to the crisis lurking in the shadows, blundering about without a clue. Such a Li Hao was precisely what certain people wanted to see. Young, impulsive, reckless, yet fiercely loyal to his friends! Clever, but lacking deep calculation. Street-smart, but without true wisdom. That was the persona Li Hao wanted to project! It would lower his enemies' guard without making him seem absurdly stupid—for if he were utterly brainless, how could he have ever caught Yuan Shuo's eye? That would have been too fake. Before taking any step, Li Hao always weighed what it would gain him and what it would cost him. He had merely retrieved a small stone, yet he had raised an uproar, stirring up a storm across the entire city! And creating such a commotion was meant precisely to obscure the fact that he had retrieved that small stone. If word got out, probably no one would believe it, and that was exactly the result Li Hao needed. The more exaggerated his actions, the less likely anyone was to think in that direction. Thud, thud, thud! The heavy rhythm of combat boots rang out as a squad of fully armed inspectors swiftly cordoned off the entire old street. In moments, the entrance of the Zhang residence was surrounded by inspectors from the Inspectorate. The director of the Inspectorate had not come. However, Li Hao immediately recognized the burly man at the head of the group—the captain of the Law Enforcement Team, who could virtually be called the true second-in-command of the Inspectorate. On paper, he held the same rank as Wang Jie, head of the Confidential Records Office, but in terms of real authority, they were worlds apart. Captain Liu Long was a man of imposing build. He wore no black inspector uniform, dressed instead in plain clothes beneath a trench coat that seemed out of season for this time of year. Yet Li Hao knew that beneath that coat was likely an arsenal of weaponry. He was familiar with this captain's reputation. A hardline, formidable man. The Silver City Inspectorate wielded considerable standing in Silver City, and this captain had no shortage of blood on his hands. "Who's Li Hao?" Liu Long stepped forward, his combat boot grinding a loose stone to powder beneath his heel. Standing some distance away, Li Hao's eyes flickered. Impressive! A true expert! The Inspectorate might lack supernatural mystics, but it had its share of martial artists and battle-hardened veterans capable of taking on ten men single-handedly. This captain was clearly a force to be reckoned with. "Reporting, sir! I am Li Hao!" Li Hao stepped forward briskly, threw back his shoulders, and puffed out his chest, his voice crisp and clear. "Third-Class Inspector Li Hao of the Confidential Records Office, Silver City Inspectorate! Investigating under orders! Good evening, Captain Liu!" "Hmph!" Liu Long let out a cold snort, his voice biting and harsh. His gaze pierced toward Li Hao like a blade, carrying a chilling frost, along with authority and anger. "Li Hao, as a member of the Inspectorate, you are a disgrace to our ranks!" Li Hao frowned. Liu Long's voice boomed like a tiger's roar, steeped in grievance and fury, completely unbothered by who might overhear. "What is the Inspectorate? It is a law enforcement agency! It is the sole, most critical law enforcement agency in all of Silver City! As an inspector, if you uncover any leads or face any danger, you can come straight to the Inspectorate for assistance! "Why did you reach out to outsiders to interfere in the Inspectorate's business?" Liu Long's voice thundered with an intimidating presence. He took a stride toward Li Hao—a single step that seemed to cross around a hundred meters, putting him right before Li Hao in the blink of an eye. Li Hao's heart clenched. A genuine expert! He had seen Liu Long before, but never like this. Li Hao considered himself somewhat capable, but he was certain that before this man, he might not even have the chance to draw his gun. Was this... a mystic? Or was it simply the raw might of an ordinary human trained to the absolute pinnacle? Awed by the sheer presence, Li Hao lowered his head and spoke in a slightly trembling undertone. "I wouldn't dare, Captain! I only reached out to my mentor for advice. I never expected it would mobilize the entire Inspectorate. I had no solid proof, so I didn't feel right asking for the Inspectorate's help..." Liu Long snorted, seemingly accepting the explanation, and asked coldly, "No proof? Then find it! Why feel embarrassed? Tell me, what happened here?" Suppressing the shock in his chest, Li Hao lowered his voice. "The spontaneous combustion case. I already filed a report. I wonder if Captain Liu has seen it?" "I know of it!" "Zhang Yuan and I were close friends. Tonight, I wanted to check his house for clues, because I'm convinced he was murdered, not killed in an accident..." Li Hao steadied himself and deepened his voice. "On my way here, someone seemed to be tailing me! Not only that—I knew Zhang Yuan very well and visited his home often. I found that this sealed house had been disturbed. Furthermore, outside the courtyard wall, I discovered several suspicious footprints." Li Hao quickly added, "Hardly anyone lives around here anymore; most of the street has moved away. The Zhang house sits at the very end of the street. Ordinarily, no one should be coming here at all..." "Take me to see them!" Liu Long's tone brooked no argument. Turning to the squad behind him, he barked, "Seal off the entire street! Search house by house, and find out if any strangers have been around! "Let no one leave! Shoot anyone who resists on sight!" "Yes, sir!" The squad acknowledged the order and moved out with swift efficiency. The street erupted into activity. ... Li Hao paid no heed to the commotion, leading Liu Long to a shadowy spot outside the perimeter wall of the Zhang house. There was no need for Li Hao to say a word. Liu Long was a veteran inspector; his eyes picked out several faint footprints on the ground at once. He quickly squatted down, examined them closely, and his gaze shifted slightly. "Hmph!" Liu Long's eyes turned cold. A few elite law enforcement officers accompanied him, waiting in silence for their captain's command. "Wu Chao, come take a look!" Without offering his own assessment, Liu Long summoned one of his men. The man was far more specialized, already wearing white gloves as he knelt down to inspect the ground. A moment later, from what appeared to Li Hao as merely a few footprints, the lean, middle-aged inspector drew an impressive amount of information. "Suspect: male. Roughly 180 centimeters tall. Weight unknown; the tread is shallow. The deepest impressions were left about two hours ago. The faintest are likely over six months old. "Skilled. Judging by the prints, he's at least Second-Class, possibly higher!" At these words, Li Hao found the terminology curious, but said nothing. Liu Long didn't mind and, assuming Li Hao wouldn't know as a clerk from Confidential Records, explained flatly, "When the Law Enforcement Team classifies dangerous elements, leaving weapons aside and judging purely by combat ability, we divide them into three classes. "First-Class is the strongest, Third-Class the weakest. "Anyone capable of wiping out your entire Confidential Records Office head-on qualifies as a Third-Class thug!" Li Hao felt somewhat awkward and said softly, "Our office has twenty-eight people, including veteran inspectors..." The implication was clear: was Liu Long exaggerating? Liu Long pulled no punches, sneering, "Your office head, Wang Jie, used to have some skill; otherwise, he wouldn't have landed that position. But ever since he transferred to Confidential Records years ago, he's gone soft and stopped training. Today, even an ordinary member of my team could take his life, let alone one of our classified dangerous elements! "Understand this: not every crook qualifies for our classification. Anyone who earns a ranking is an exceptionally dangerous figure! "Three years ago, a family of thirty-two was butchered overnight with bare hands in Silver City. That bastard was what we call a Third-Class thug! "Over the years, very few outlaws in Silver City have ever met our criteria for classification." At this, Li Hao understood. Even a Third-Class thug was that terrifying. Of course, that was the Law Enforcement Team's internal grading system, not a universal standard, and it was rarely mentioned in Confidential Records. Recalling what the inspector, Wu Chao, had said about the suspect being Second-Class or even First-Class, Li Hao's expression shifted slightly. He wasn't particularly surprised; that person was likely a mystic, whereas the Law Enforcement Team's rankings were generally applied to ordinary humans. Whether they were Second-Class, First-Class, or beyond was entirely plausible. Li Hao was simply astonished that even a Third-Class thug was already so formidable. In that case, mystics might be far beyond his imagination. Moreover, he was amazed that someone could deduce so much from mere footprints. At that moment, the lean, middle-aged man Liu Long had called Wu Chao glanced sideways at Li Hao. With a slightly eerie smile, he murmured, "Little Li, do you think I'm talking nonsense?" Li Hao hastily shook his head. "Not at all. I'm just amazed by your skill, Brother Wu..." "Are Silver City Ancient Academy students always this humble?" Wu Chao gave a faint smile. "The students from the Ancient Academy usually carry their noses in the air. You're quite different. Well, you did drop out, and now you're one of us at the Inspectorate!" As if intentionally putting on a demonstration for Li Hao, Wu Chao pushed off lightly, sprang remarkably high, and touched down in an instant, leaving a fresh footprint in the dirt. He smiled faintly. "People with different levels of martial prowess react differently upon landing. The depth of their prints varies, and you can even reconstruct which part of the foot struck first and their exact posture upon impact. "By working backward from their posture, you can deduce a wealth of additional details... The prints found here vary in depth. When he touched down, he likely dropped from several meters up, yet the impressions aren't very deep, which means he can effortlessly control every muscle in his body..." He offered this explanation even though, under normal circumstances, there was no need to indulge an outsider. However, the young man before him was the key figure of tonight's incident—a dropout from the Ancient Academy who still retained countless ties to it. Thus, he indulged him with a few extra words. Liu Long listened in silence throughout, making no move to stop him. Once Wu Chao finished, Liu Long said coldly, "Enough! He's not part of Law Enforcement. There's no need to say so much!" Li Hao offered a polite smile and remained silent. Liu Long swept his gaze across the surroundings, then turned back to the Zhang family's old house, his voice hard. "Bold bastard. After killing someone, he dared to keep watch here for months!" Wu Chao smiled faintly. "Captain, isn't it only natural for someone like that to be bold? Even our Silver City Law Enforcement Team... might not be able to handle him." "Can't handle him?" Liu Long's eyes turned freezing cold. "That remains to be seen! Some people always think they're above everyone else, looking down on everything. But over the years... has our Silver City Law Enforcement Team never killed those high-and-mighty bastards?" At these words, the other law enforcement officers flashed cold, knowing smiles. Li Hao's heart skipped a beat. What did that mean? Was he referring to mystics? Had the Silver City Law Enforcement Team actually slain supernatural mystics before? While Li Hao was lost in thought, Liu Long turned back to him, his tone still icy. "Brat, sometimes you need to have a little faith in Law Enforcement! I know you had your reasons for turning to Professor Yuan. You don't strike me as stupid. Sifting through an ocean of files to identify six spontaneous combustion cases and connect them into a single investigation proves you have patience and intellect! Our Inspectorate needs meticulous people like you! "You had your concerns about reaching out to Law Enforcement, and I understand that." Liu Long's voice remained detached. "However, remember this: even a mighty dragon can't crush a local snake! You probably know that these six cases aren't the work of ordinary men, perhaps even surpassing our First-Class thugs. But so what?" A suffocating murderous aura suddenly billowed around Liu Long, carrying a biting chill as his trench coat fluttered. "In Silver City, even a dragon has to coil itself tight! Just because the Night Watchers aren't here doesn't mean we can't get things done! The weaker ones among the Night Watchers—it's not like I haven't beaten them up before!" A cold snort punctuated the captain's displeasure. Li Hao stood there, thoroughly flabbergasted. Was he serious? More importantly, this man had spoken the name of the Night Watchers outright, reading Li Hao's thoughts like an open book. He knew Li Hao had guessed that supernatural forces were involved, and clearly, he believed the same. Yet he had chosen not to call the Night Watchers, apparently intending for Law Enforcement to handle it themselves. Where did he get such confidence? Li Hao's mind raced. An instant later, feeling rather sheepish, he murmured, "I... don't quite understand what you mean, Captain..." "Hypocrite!" Liu Long snapped coldly. "What is there not to understand? A guy who dug out six spontaneous combustion cases from countless files must have read through mountains of records. If you don't know, who does? Don't tell me you've never heard of the Night Watchers! There's nothing to tiptoe around. Just because others don't dare speak of them doesn't mean the Inspectorate can't! No matter how formidable the Night Watchers are, someone keeps them on a leash! "Remember this, Li Hao! The Inspectorate and the Night Watchers operate in the light and the dark, but both answer to the same higher authority! Strictly speaking, we're colleagues. What's the harm in talking about them? What can they do to us? The Night Watchers' cardinal rule is never to strike their own people; they wouldn't dare, and they never will! So as long as you walk a straight path, why fear the Night Watchers? You could curse them to their faces and nothing would happen!" "..." Li Hao stared at him, feeling as though he were meeting this man for the first time. Could that really be true? The Night Watchers, who terrified everyone to the point where people hardly dared utter their name, sounded like an afterthought coming from this man. Right then, a mature female inspector standing behind Liu Long chuckled, teasing, "Little guy, the captain might be exaggerating a bit, but he's right—there's no need to be so superstitious. People avoid bringing them up simply because those fellows bring bad luck. Whenever they show up, it means a horrific case has occurred; they're an omen of disaster." "Shut your mouth!" Liu Long flared up, stung by his subordinate calling him an exaggerator. The woman only laughed, radiant and charming, completely unfazed. Turning her gaze back to Li Hao, she smiled. "The captain and the rest of us took the time to talk to you because we wanted to tell you: Confidential Records is boring. Little Li Hao, what do you say to joining the Law Enforcement Team?" This time, Li Hao was genuinely stunned. What was going on? Liu Long remained stone-faced, though his tone softened slightly. "I can see you're clever, patient, and loyal—acceptable enough. Join Law Enforcement, and I'll make you a Second-Class Inspector, primarily handling case analysis..." The female officer cut in once more, her smile captivating. "To put it simply, Law Enforcement needs top-tier talent! Specifically, an educated mind like yours, capable of pinpointing key threads among thousands of files to link six cases together! Law Enforcement is full of brutes who rely entirely on instinct and muscle, but fall short when it comes to case analysis. Often we uncover a lead, only to find ourselves unable to pursue it further, forcing us to abandon case after case. "That includes Zhang Yuan's spontaneous combustion. Law Enforcement actually picked up faint clues back then, but never looked deeper. Combined with the fact that no one paid attention to the other five cases, we failed to connect the dots. Otherwise, we would have launched a joint investigation long ago, and we would have known this case was anything but simple." They had actually come to recruit him! Li Hao was speechless, yet thoroughly caught off guard. The Law Enforcement Team actually wanted to recruit him into their ranks. From the moment the captain had arrived, he had spoken in nothing but cold, harsh tones; Li Hao had assumed Liu Long was furious with him. Liu Long spoke again, his face still stern. "Join us, and the spontaneous combustion cases will have a better chance of being solved quickly! Even if Law Enforcement truly can't handle it, we can always bring in the Night Watchers. If we ask them, it's strictly by the book! But if you rely on your mentor to make that call, who knows how massive a favor he'd end up owing them!" That struck a direct chord with Li Hao! This captain was no simple brute! With just a single sentence, he had severed Li Hao's thought of asking Yuan Shuo for help. Just as Liu Long had said, asking his mentor would put the old man under a tremendous debt of gratitude! Liu Long quickly resumed his aloof demeanor. "That's all for now. Think it over yourself! It's a small matter—take it or leave it! Law Enforcement isn't hurting for elites! The priority right now is catching that bastard. Pass the word to everyone: stay sharp. The suspect is an expert, maybe even a mystic!" With that, Liu Long strode forward toward the Zhang residence. Li Hao hurried after him, his mind racing to find a way to get the captain to tear down the Zhang house. Though it was Zhang Yuan's family home, the family was gone, and Li Hao believed his friend wouldn't mind if it helped bring his killers to justice. Before Li Hao could speak, Liu Long barked out orders on his own: "Men, search the Zhang house! If you find nothing useful, raze the place to the ground and dig three feet into the earth! If there's still nothing, set the house on fire! I want to see what he's been watching here for so long! Once I burn it to ash, even a supernatural relic will have to show itself!" "..." Li Hao drew a sharp breath. Before he could even say a word, this man—who had seemed merely reckless—turned out to be genuinely ruthless! Then again, it was an exceptional strategy. No matter what you're looking for, I'll reduce the place to ash. If you truly want it, will you show yourself? This man's investigative style... suited Li Hao's tastes remarkably well! "The Law Enforcement Team..." Li Hao was an inspector himself, so he was no stranger to Law Enforcement. Yet today, he felt as though he were seeing the team—which he had always considered incompetent—in an entirely new light. Was this Law Enforcement Team led by Captain Liu Long truly as inept as people believed? Still, the fact remained that Law Enforcement leaked like a sieve. The case Li Hao had reported had leaked in the blink of an eye, proving that internal affairs were a mess. As Li Hao pondered, the charming female officer stepped closer to him, offering a brilliant smile. "Little Li, that's just the captain's temper, don't take it to heart! As an inspector yourself, you know how Law Enforcement operates. The captain genuinely wants you on the team. Don't let his indifferent attitude fool you; he truly wants you by our side." "Uh..." Li Hao felt slightly bewildered. Was all this really necessary? He had merely reported a case. The woman chuckled and lowered her voice slightly. "The captain said earlier that Law Enforcement doesn't lack firepower, weapons, or authority. What we lack is a sharp-minded outsider who has no deep ties to our team!" Li Hao quickly turned the meaning over in his mind. Before he could reach a conclusion, the woman sighed softly, her voice whispering near his ear: "Law Enforcement has plenty of moles! The captain wants to clean house, but his hands are tied. He has all the combat prowess in the world, but he can't identify them, and he doesn't want to hurt team morale with a clumsy, heavy-handed sweep... Bringing you in serves that purpose as well. He hopes you can use your wits and the same eye for detail you used on the combustion cases to peel back the layers and uncover the rot within our ranks!" Li Hao froze! Liu Long knew! Not only did he know there were moles inside Law Enforcement, but he also intended to weed them out. He had simply held back out of hesitation. Liu Long's recruitment was an attempt to turn him into a blade. That was completely unexpected. As Li Hao hesitated, the woman smiled faintly once more. "Think about it! Your friend's case might prove extremely troublesome. Tonight is mostly for show; in the end, it may still require the Night Watchers' intervention. If you join Law Enforcement, you'll have the chance to work alongside them. Otherwise, Confidential Records won't even have the right to touch this case! "For your friend's sake, you willingly dropped out and spent an entire year in Confidential Records digging through dusty archives. A year is enough. Are you really planning to spend the rest of your life wasting away there?" Li Hao found his thoughts drifting again. He realized his mind had wandered quite a lot tonight. The supposedly incompetent Law Enforcement Team continued to overturn his expectations at every turn. None of the people before him were simple. Even when recruiting him, every single word struck right at the core of what he cared about. At that moment, a flicker of worry surfaced in Li Hao's mind. Could Law Enforcement discover that he had already retrieved the stone saber? Earlier, he had worried about being found out by the Red Shadow faction, never considering Law Enforcement a threat. When Liu Long had talked of razing and burning the house, Li Hao had thought his tracks were covered. But... would Law Enforcement notice the abnormality with the chimney? Could the replacement stone fool them? *Forget it. I'll pin everything on the Red Shadow's side. In any case, I know nothing. I haven't seen a thing.* Li Hao thought quietly to himself, growing wary. Indeed, one should never overestimate oneself. He had thought everything was proceeding smoothly, only for Law Enforcement to catch him completely off guard. After spending a year in Confidential Records, he had truly underestimated the Inspectorate. "Join the Law Enforcement Team..." Li Hao continued following them, his mind still slightly preoccupied. A cold, domineering captain; a charming woman whose every word pierced straight to the heart; Wu Chao, who could deduce a mountain of clues from a single glance... This Law Enforcement Team truly felt like a den of hidden dragons and crouching tigers! If even the Law Enforcement Team he had looked down upon was like this, what about the Night Watchers? Earlier, he had even entertained fantasies of joining the Night Watchers... Li Hao genuinely feared he wouldn't even know how he died. Those people were far too seasoned; if he spent enough time around them, Li Hao doubted he could hide anything from them. A chill ran down his spine. *The outside world is terrifying. Confidential Records is practically a daycare. Confidential Records really is the safest place to be!* Li Hao shook his head, then looked ahead at Liu Long. He suddenly wondered if the man's declaration about tearing down and burning the house had been a test aimed at him. Throughout the entire encounter, Liu Long hadn't once asked if Li Hao had discovered or found anything, as if there were no need to ask at all. That silence only deepened his wariness. *I didn't smile just now, did I? I'm pretty sure I didn't!* Li Hao replayed the moment in his mind and felt relieved. Fortunately, he was composed enough; even when Liu Long had suggested doing exactly what he wanted done, he hadn't let his expression waver. Yes, he deserved some credit for that!