Chapter Seventy-Two: The Signal

Qin Yi, who had been following them all the way, soon realized that this group was heading toward the northern part of the city. After trailing them for another half an hour, he saw them circle around several times before finally entering a slaughterhouse.

This slaughterhouse was enormous—the largest within the city.

“Hiding in a slaughterhouse?” Qin Yi tapped his toes lightly and vaulted over the wall.

Once inside, he noticed that most of the buildings’ lights were on.

“They’ve hidden quite a few people here.”

He reached into his coat for fireworks and a firestarter, planning to sneak closer to investigate before deciding whether to call for reinforcements.

But just as he approached the building—

“Who’s there!”

A thunderous shout erupted from the central house.

Before the words had even faded, a figure burst through the door.

Zhou Wuzhi rushed out and immediately spotted the shadowy figure standing in the courtyard. His shock and fury intensified when he saw the man dressed in black holding fireworks in his left hand and a firestarter in his right.

Damn it!

“Stop!” Zhou Wuzhi’s eyes were nearly bloodshot. At a distance of twenty meters, he closed in within seconds.

“Hiss—”

But the firestarter had already ignited the fireworks.

“Hand them over!” Zhou Wuzhi lunged for the fireworks.

If the signal went off, their presence here would be exposed instantly!

“Step Shift!” Qin Yi dodged swiftly, and Zhou Wuzhi’s grab missed.

“Die!” Zhou Wuzhi’s speed was astonishing as he closed in again.

But the fireworks in Qin Yi’s hand shot skyward with a sharp whistle.

“Scarlet Wave!” Enraged, Zhou Wuzhi launched a frenzied attack at Qin Yi.

Qin Yi clearly had no intention of fighting to the death with this man—the opponent was obviously a ninth rank!

“Step Shift—Moon Leap—Instant Step!” Qin Yi repeatedly used secret movement techniques to dodge, desperately trying to widen the gap.

Yet Zhou Wuzhi was relentless, sticking close, never more than a meter away! But that single meter might as well have been an abyss—Zhou Wuzhi’s attacks were rendered useless, for his arms were not a meter long.

Boom!

As the chase continued, the fireworks exploded in the sky.

“Damn!” Zhou Wuzhi realized he couldn’t subdue this black-clad figure quickly, which left him deeply frustrated. The other’s speed was just ahead of his, making it impossible to land an effective attack in the short term.

Soon, the two raced out of the slaughterhouse.

After chasing a while longer, Zhou Wuzhi suddenly stopped and turned back without hesitation.

He understood now—the opponent was ninth rank, perhaps even faster than most at that level. He couldn’t catch him quickly. Now that their base was exposed, they needed to relocate fast. If he continued the pursuit, he might run into other experts from the county office, which could lead to their encirclement and annihilation.

With a grim face, Zhou Wuzhi returned to the slaughterhouse.

“This place is compromised—move to another base immediately!” Zhou Wuzhi ordered his dozens of subordinates inside with a dark expression.

“Boss, we’ve got a large stockpile of weapons hidden here. We can’t move them all out in such a short time!” Dong Haobo protested, pained.

If these weapons couldn’t be relocated, the city guard would surely find them. They were meant to play a crucial role in the coming days!

“We can’t worry about that now—get the people out first!” Zhou Wuzhi’s rage made him tremble all over. Didn’t he feel the loss? Damn it! Tried to steal a chicken and lost the rice—outmaneuvered!

…

“They’re not chasing anymore?” Qin Yi breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his pursuer had stopped.

He had just been using his secret movement techniques repeatedly to evade the attacks.

“That man’s speed is impressive—even among ninth ranks, he’s not weak.”

Fortunately, he had noticed the large number of people hiding in the slaughterhouse and decided to call for backup; otherwise, he might have suffered a loss this time!

The leader was ninth rank! If he’d gone in alone, escape would’ve been his only option.

…

In the underground chamber of a new base.

Zhou Wuzhi had already hurled a pile of objects to the ground.

“Damn it! That black-clad figure is most likely Qin Feng!” Zhou Wuzhi cursed.

They had just been staking out near Qin Feng’s home, and upon returning, they were immediately followed. If he hadn’t heard the commotion outside and discovered the intruder, the consequences would have been far more severe.

This time, their people managed to evacuate from the slaughterhouse before the city guard arrived. Only a few were captured on the streets after escaping, but that wasn’t the main issue—the real pain was abandoning hundreds of weapons inside. His heart bled at the loss. Those weapons were meant to be used soon.

He had another reason to believe the intruder was Qin Feng—the fireworks used were the special signals of the county office!

“Boss, what do we do now?” Dong Haobo asked.

“Our base has been discovered. The city will surely conduct strict investigations. To avoid further trouble, we must lay low for a while—no one goes out! Wait until the heavy armor arrives, then we act.” Zhou Wuzhi said grimly.

“What about Qin Feng…”

“He’s incredibly fast—except for me, none of you can handle him for now,” Zhou Wuzhi sighed.

He couldn’t figure it out—with such youth and strength, could he be the disciple of some great sect? But why was he hiding in Jiangning County as a mere squad captain?

It made no sense!

…

The next day, Qin Yi arrived at the county office.

Just as he was marking his attendance, a constable rushed in.

“Who’s the captain of Team Twelve?”

“I am,” Qin Yi replied.

“Chief Constable’s orders: today, conduct a citywide search for Red Sect remnants. Anyone with questionable identity is to be arrested!”

“A citywide sweep?” Qin Yi was surprised.

“Brother, what happened? Why are we searching the whole city?”

“Last night, someone set off a signal near the northern slaughterhouse, drawing the city guard and several patrol teams. Guess what they found?”

“They not only arrested a group of Red Sect remnants on the streets near the slaughterhouse, but also found hundreds of weapons inside. That’s why we’re searching the whole city today!” the constable explained.

“Red Sect remnants?” Qin Yi was momentarily stunned.

So the troublemakers at his home last night weren’t from the Golden Alliance, but from the Red Sect? That was unexpected.

“Exactly. Well, I have to deliver orders to the other teams.” The constable hurried off.

“So now I’m being targeted by the Red Sect remnants?” Qin Yi felt a weight in his heart.

Still, with his current strength, as long as he stayed cautious, nothing serious should happen. Once he mastered martial arts, he would leave this place of trouble.

Thankfully, he had made the quick decision to send his father away; otherwise, it would’ve been a real problem.

Thinking of this, he looked at the group of constables. “Move out—begin assisting the main force with the search!”