I Slay Gods and Demons in the Deceit Night
Chapter 78 - 76: Nighttime Investigation of the Slaughterhouse, A Big Secret Hidden

Chapter 78: Chapter 76: Nighttime Investigation of the Slaughterhouse, A Big Secret Hidden

General Flag Envoy Han dispatched two scouts last night to conduct a covert investigation of the slaughterhouse.

As of now, there has been no sign of them.

Starting today, the Linjiang Station will take full charge of this matter and must ascertain the whereabouts of the two scouts.

Meanwhile, General Flag Envoy Han is preparing for action tonight. No matter what unexpected events may occur within the city tonight, Lin Yan must ensure that Linjiang Square is well guarded.

Lin Yan glanced at the message and immediately understood.

At this moment, in the eyes of General Flag Envoy Han, the most significant issue was Zhao Yuan, the Deputy Order Envoy of the Outer South Government Office.

It seems that everything is ready, and General Flag Envoy Han intends to close the net tonight.

With that thought, Lin Yan summoned Feng Hui once again.

"Xiao Hui, have you made contact with all the names you were responsible for?"

"Reporting to Master," Feng Hui said respectfully, "I have met with each of them by this morning."

"What about the slaughterhouse?"

"Everything is normal."

Feng Hui continued, "Our secret agents are working under the ’Market Officer’ in charge of that area. Any small disturbance is known to us."

Lin Yan asked, "Was there no movement last night?"

Feng Hui appeared slightly puzzled at the question, then shook his head and said, "According to the reports, there was nothing out of the ordinary."

"There’s something wrong with this person. Tonight, secretly bring him back to the Linjiang Station without alarming anyone,"

Lin Yan said with a stern expression, "Hand him over to Chief Clerk Yang for an interrogation when I return."

Feng Hui was somewhat astonished.

Then he heard Lin Yan’s grave voice.

"He told you there was nothing unusual, yet last night, two scouts directly under the Linjiang Station went into the slaughterhouse and have yet to return."

"These two scouts are valued subordinates of General Flag Envoy Han, known for their caution. They would surely have left traces for the secret agent to report back to Linjiang Station."

"General Flag Envoy Han has ordered that I personally investigate tonight. I shall return within three hours."

At this point, Lin Yan paused briefly.

Although he had achieved the Refining Essence Realm and was considered proficient among his peers to date, not weak by any means,

he was still a man of humility and caution who prioritized safety. Therefore, he added, "If I do not return within three hours, report immediately to the Outer South Bureau!"

——

Night fell.

The moon shone faintly amidst sparse stars.

Outside the slaughterhouse.

Lin Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he thought, "At this moment, the slaughterhouse should be nearly empty, everyone gone home, leaving only a few guards."

"But in another three hours, people will transport poultry and livestock here, ready for slaughtering to supply the early morning market."

"There’s no time to delay. I must search quickly and find any clues."

With that thought, he vaulted over the wall and entered the slaughterhouse.

Once inside, the thick stench of blood assaulted his nostrils, omnipresent.

In the southern district of the outer city, there were a total of twelve squares, with three major slaughterhouses among them.

The slaughterhouse in Linjiang Square was the largest, occupying a vast area.

The meat processed and transported from here supplied not only Linjiang Square but also Qingshan Square, Zuding Square, and Yangyuan Square.

Moreover, as the southernmost of the wards and a common stop for merchants, Linjiang Square had numerous inns and restaurants, leading to the highest consumption of meat within.

The livestock in the slaughterhouse did not solely come from the residents within the ward; a spacious area in the neighboring Qingshan Square was designated for large-scale breeding of poultry and livestock.

"Rumors say that due to the incessant killing in the slaughterhouse, a demon or evil spirit will inevitably be born over time."

"Therefore, the eighth temple priest from Liu Zun Temple personally chose the site, determined its scale, established the feng shui layout, and set the orientation at the inception."

"For this reason, there are areas within the slaughterhouse where only the top management can set foot."

"Though I’ve been the butcher in the slaughterhouse for the past two and a half years, there are many places I have never entered."

"Now it seems that these so-called off-limits areas hide some secrets."

As he thought this, Lin Yan bypassed some of the areas he was most familiar with and headed straight towards the "Forbidden Land."

His steps were swift, his figure like the wind, as he hurried forward.

But at the next instant, he suddenly halted his footsteps, dodged to the side, and hid behind a pillar.

He glanced outside and his brow furrowed immediately.

In that corner sat a middle-aged man.

Lin Yan recognized this person, who usually was responsible for night watch at the slaughterhouse.

But at the moment, the middle-aged man sat with his eyes closed, leaning against a corner.

With one glance, Lin Yan sensed something off about the man. He didn’t seem to be sleeping but rather seemed to have passed out.

Pressing down on his doubts, Lin Yan stepped out of the shadows, intending to walk past the middle-aged man and further inside.

But at that instant, from the shadow on the left, suddenly a figure flashed out, coming at great speed towards him.

The person seemed not to have expected anyone else to be there and launched an attack, extending a rough and withered palm towards Lin Yan’s neck.

Thud!

Lin Yan casually pressed down on the attacker’s wrist and flung him away.

The figure crashed to the ground, kicking up dust, and immediately sprang back up, reaching for the knife at his waist.

But as their eyes met, a blade was already at the assailant’s nose.

"If you hadn’t lacked the intent to kill, this stroke would have taken your head off."

Lin Yan said indifferently, "I ask, you answer."

But upon seeing Lin Yan’s current visage, a look of shock suddenly flashed through the man’s eyes.

"Master Wu?"

"..."

Lin Yan’s brow furrowed slightly as the blade fell lightly, slicing open the black cloth covering the other’s face.

Beneath the cloth was an aged yet resolute face.

The City Defense Commander, Zhao Zhou!

The atmosphere turned silent for a moment.

A moment later, Lin Yan sheathed his sword and asked, "Elder, what brings you to the slaughterhouse at night?"

"Are you here to investigate the slaughterhouse, too?"

Surprise crossed Zhao Zhou’s weathered face.

He struggled to get up, panting, "Indeed, it would be like you, who for the life of an elder on the street, clashed blades with Flag Commander Liang, confronted Deputy Order Envoy Zhao, and publicly executed a member of the Liu Family, not to be involved with such sordid business..."

"It seems the Great Commander has uncovered some clues about this slaughterhouse before me?"

Lin Yan’s eyes lifted as he spoke.

The Great Commander Zhao Zhou nodded faintly, then curiously asked, "Why doesn’t Master Wu suspect me?"

"Why did the Great Commander strike just now with the intention only to knock someone unconscious, instead of delivering a deadly blow?"

Lin Yan spoke calmly and slowly, "Regarding yesterday’s incident, everyone thought it was a battle for prestige and power! Why then did the Great Commander believe it was about human life?"

"Isn’t that what it was?"

Zhao Zhou’s tone was solemn as he asked.

Lin Yan chuckled.

The reason he had sheathed his sword earlier was largely because he hailed from Linjiang Square and had some understanding of this elder who defended the city.

He had defended the city for decades, his achievements outstanding, earning widespread praise. He could have, like other veterans, enjoyed his twilight years in the inner city amidst wealth and luxury.

Yet this Commander, night after night of danger and crisis, would still lead from the front, scaling the city walls, confronting the darkness with his aged body.

Moreover, in the past few nights, when faced with the evil spirit’s siege, he had given Lin Yan the branches of the actual Liu Venerate God and a Haoyang Talisman, which were meant to save his own life.

Simply because the old man believed that the new Flag Commander of the Linjiang Station, still shallow in cultivation.

Moreover, Mr. Lu and General Flag Envoy Han, whenever they mentioned Zhao Zhou, the City Defense Commander of the Outer South, did so with great respect in their words.

Lin Yan trusted the other party, just as he trusted himself, Mr. Lu, and the judgment of Han Commander.

With the words "human life" spoken earlier by the Great Commander, Lin Yan’s conviction deepened that they had not been mistaken.

Thump! Just at that moment, someone suddenly vaulted over the wall from the other side, agile and swift.

Upon realizing there were others present, the person immediately drew a sword, but after clearly seeing the faces of the two, could not help but be taken aback.

"Great Commander? Master Wu?"

To their surprise, the newcomer was Meng Lu.

Logically, Meng Lu should have been gathered with his soldiers, relying on Mr. Lu’s Spirit Talisman to evade the eerie pursuit associated with blood money.

"Why are you here as well?" Lin Yan asked, frowning.

Meng Lu stepped forward, his expression grave, and explained.

"The elderly craftsman surnamed Lu was skulking about at dusk, even holding a portrait of Master Wu."

"So, I followed him and discovered he had gone into the slaughterhouse and hadn’t come out since."

"After searching to no avail and noticing nightfall, I decided to scale these three walls to get outside the slaughterhouse and head back first... little did I expect to find both Master Wu and the Great Commander here."

Meng Lu, the Colonel, said this in a low voice, "Doesn’t it seem too coincidental that we three have all converged here?"

Lin Yan remained silent, looking towards Zhao Zhou, the Great Commander beside him.

And the Great Commander candidly told them that it was all because of Liang Hu.

After Liang Hu’s death, all the businesses he was involved in, including those of the Liu Family, had been disrupted.

As a result, the Outer South Government Office had unraveled numerous cases.

The slaughterhouse’s business had the shadow of Deputy Order Envoy Zhao Yuan behind it.

"Wang Yuan, the Market Officer of the Outer South Government Office, is my sworn brother. These past two days, he has secretly uncovered leads pointing to the slaughterhouse," the Great Commander Zhao Zhou said with a serious expression. "Because it involves Deputy Order Envoy Zhao and even the Liu Family, Wang Yuan has been exceedingly cautious, not rashly mustering people to investigate the case."

"He can’t fully trust the manpower at the Outer South Government Office right now," he continued.

"He can only ask me for help with a secret letter, to investigate the slaughterhouse covertly."

Market Officer Wang Yuan was in charge of military power in the southeastern part of the outer city.

In name, the daily patrols, nighttime patrols, the City Defense Army, the reserves, and so on all obeyed him.

However, the Market Officer usually didn’t meddle with internal affairs of the City Defense Army.

Asking the Great Commander to investigate tonight was more of a plea than an order.

"And how did Master Wu come to be here?" Meng Lu inquired.

"Last night, two junior flags entered the slaughterhouse and never left," Lin Yan said with a grave tone.

"I fear there’s little chance for good news," sighed the Great Commander Zhao Zhou.

"Lead the way, Colonel Meng. I want to see what grand secret this slaughterhouse is hiding," Lin Yan’s voice was ice-cold.