Free Web NovelAfter leaving the hotpot restaurant, Jiang Li and Lin Kele did not immediately subdue the suspicious man.
Considering that taking action in a densely populated area might cause significant damage and attract a series of unnecessary troubles, the two decided to first contact other Night Watch agents from the Shancheng Si Ye Hui for backup, then follow the man, and act when they reached a less crowded area.
They deliberately walked slowly, following him from a distance to ensure he didn't leave their sight, so as not to alert him.
Ancient flagstone paths covered in moss, dense old banyan trees, mottled old stone walls, charming old shops, cable cars spanning the river, and monorails weaving through dense buildings...
These sights, hidden among modern high-rises, formed the almost magical, unique charm of Mountain City.
Of course, the complex terrain, massive population, and long urban history have also given rise to numerous urban legend.
While tailing the suspicious man, Jiang Li's Spiritual Sense more than once vaguely detected Spiritual Energy fluctuations originating from urban legend, wanting to follow the direction of the Spiritual Energy fluctuations, but Lin Kele stopped her.
"Li Jie, don't waste your effort, you won't find it."
"..." Jiang Li looked at Lin Kele without a word, tilted her head, and waited for her to give a reasonable explanation.
Lin Kele stood on her tiptoes and peered forward. After confirming that the suspicious man was still within sight, she silently sighed and explained, "Looking at this, it will be a while before we find a suitable opportunity to act!"
"While we have this time, why don't I tell you about it? Li Jie, you'll be here for another month, so it's good to understand the situation early..."
"To be honest, there's a principle among our Shancheng Si Ye Hui agents when dealing with urban legend: only solve one incident at a time. Don't just act as soon as you detect abnormal Spiritual Energy fluctuations around you... Do you know why?"
Jiang Li thought for a moment and said, "I guess... it's probably because of the complex terrain and the large number of urban legend. Once you get distracted by temporarily encountered Spiritual Energy fluctuations, you might not only fail to find the source of those fluctuations but also let the original target escape. So, you have to make a choice..."
"For example, now, if we were to follow the urban legend' Spiritual Energy fluctuations detected by my Spiritual Sense, we might not only fail to find the target urban legend but also allow the suspected Eclipse Society member we're currently tracking to escape, right?"
If Lu Yibei were here, she would probably say that dealing with urban legend in Hua City is like a side-scrolling game, while in Mountain City, it becomes a 3D open-world game... Jiang Li added in her mind.
"Also, I guess the number of agents equipped by the Shancheng Si Ye Hui far exceeds most cities, which might also be for this reason."
As she spoke, she had already imagined a scenario: a Shancheng Si Ye Hui agent, while pursuing a urban legend, accidentally detects a suspected different urban legend hunting nearby, whose exact location cannot be determined, but chooses to ignore it so as not to let the original urban legend escape.
Upon hearing this, Lin Kele's lips slightly parted, and she looked at Jiang Li with wide eyes.
Seeing this, Jiang Li assessed Lin Kele and asked, "What's ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) wrong? Did I guess wrong?"
"No!" Lin Kele shook her head. "Completely correct, not only correct, but only a few words different from what my Master once said..."
"Oh, right! My Master is the one who helped me get familiar with the work when I was a provisional agent. He's a really good person; I'll introduce you later."
"Uh, so, let's continue, shall we? Besides that principle, there's also..."
"..."
While introducing various aspects of the Shancheng Si Ye Hui to Jiang Li, Lin Kele followed behind the suspicious man, continuously moving forward. Unbeknownst to them, the surrounding area gradually became sparsely populated.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, night deepened, and the surroundings turned pitch black. The road underfoot was bumpy, and a layer of dust covered the green leaves of the plants. At the end of the road, a cluster of factory buildings stood in the darkness, exuding an air of decay and dilapidation, seemingly on the verge of collapse.
"That's a steel rolling mill. It underwent reform and transformation at the beginning of the century, but somehow it went bankrupt, and the factory buildings have been idle for almost twenty years without anyone managing them..." Lin Kele explained to Jiang Li. "Actually, there were originally two or three urban legend here, but they were all dealt with last year."
"Mm." Jiang Li nodded, calmly stating, "So, this is a good place to act?"
"But..." Lin Kele glanced at the dark factory buildings, which looked like monsters ready to devour people, quickly retracted her gaze, hunched her shoulders, and whispered, "But, Li Jie, if they're cornered and want to attack us, this is also a good place!"
"How about we wait outside and go in after backup arrives?"
Just a moment ago, the girl was as fiery as a red hotpot, but now she was as wilted as a pepper hit by frost, her momentum significantly weakened.
"..." Jiang Li looked at Lin Kele and silently sighed. "Lin Kele, you remind me of someone in this state."
Someone who is pathologically timid and cautious...
"How did you ever complete tasks like this before?"
"Who?" Lin Kele pouted disdainfully. "Someone can be compared to my unparalleled Lin Kele?"
After a pause, seemingly not caring who Jiang Li was reminded of, Lin Kele shrugged and said, "Before, I was only responsible for identifying suspicious targets; I didn't need to act myself."
Although her Spiritual Energy fluctuation level reached B+, her Spirit Mark Power was not adept at combat, and her Spell application level was relatively mediocre.
This level was fine for ordinary urban legend, but against an Eclipse Society member, it might not be enough.
Additionally, her unique Power and long-term deliberate protection by other Mountain City agents were also reasons for her lack of experience in dealing with urban legend and illegal Psychic independently.
In a way, her ability to become Jiang Li's auditor and accompany Jiang Li on solo missions was also a miracle.
"I'm a detection-type agent, specializing in my field! Don't your Hua City Si Ye Hui agents divide labor when dealing with urban legend?"
"..."
The Hua City Si Ye Hui did have one agent who was originally intended to be trained as a detection type.
But...
He's probably the most powerful one in the entire Hua City Si Ye Hui now. Jiang Li thought.
In fact, she also knew that in cities with relatively sufficient manpower, division of labor based on the characteristics of Power was the norm.
After all, the Spiritual Energy fluctuation levels of most Night Watch agents were at an average level. Only by specializing in one ability and adopting a collaborative action mode could they exert stronger combat power to deal with different urban legend incidents.
Cities like Hua City and Tang City, which suffer from manpower shortages, where every agent is forced to become a versatile talent capable of handling things independently, are the exceptions.
Jiang Li looked at Lin Kele, thoughtfully saying, "Your concern is not unfounded..."
The matter involves the Eclipse Society, and it can be big or small; it's always good to have a backup plan.
After a pause, weighing the current situation, she continued, "How about this: you wait outside, find a place to hide, and suppress your Spiritual Energy fluctuations. I'll go in first to check the situation, to prevent that guy from escaping. If things go wrong, I'll withdraw."
She had a certain degree of confidence in her strength after her Spirit Mark advancement; merely tailing him shouldn't lead to her being discovered.
Moreover, the special ability brought by her Spirit Mark told her that this was the best choice.
Judging right from wrong, true from false, is the near-instinctual special ability of the Xiezhi Power.
"..." Lin Kele hesitated slightly, then nodded and said, "Then be careful."
"Mm!" Jiang Li responded, then her thin lips parted slightly, and she softly chanted a Power description: "In the desolate northeast, there is a beast, like a deer with one horn, embodying benevolence and righteousness, moving within bounds; it butts the unjust when it sees people fighting, and bites the unrighteous when it hears people arguing..."
Accompanying the soft chant, iron light emerged from within her body, faint sounds of steel friction arose, and a low roar faintly echoed in the air. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Thus, ancient armor gradually condensed and formed, covering her body.
The jet-black armor resembled fish scales, with faint azure light flickering in the gaps between the plates. Dark golden Xiezhi-shaped shoulder guards, arm guards, and knee guards enveloped her joints, and her face was covered by a ferocious, spirits-like face mask, revealing only a pair of cold eyes.
【Mythical Spirit Mark · Xiezhi】First stage liberation, complete!
Immediately, she lightly tapped the ground with her toes, and her figure accelerated sharply, as if melting into the night, disappearing from her original spot...
