Chapter 62

And that bunch of Black Crows—they’re elusive as ghosts; we’ve investigated several times but never caught any solid evidence.

The three entered the base’s command room, where maps of Jiangcheng and its surrounding areas hung on the walls.

On the map, red marks indicated regions where strange beasts appeared frequently, while black circles outlined possible activity zones of the Black Crows organization.

Li Da pointed to a red dot on the map: “This is the Mist Forest on the city’s outskirts—recently the most frequent hotspot for strange beasts; a Wang-jie Shadow Panther has even appeared inside.”

“We sent two squads in, but none could take it down.”

Wang Teng leaned in to look: “Wang-jie? This place is worse than we thought.”

“Yes.” Li Da sighed.

“The Black Crows aren’t any better—they’re smuggling spiritual energy weapons on the black market, and their power keeps growing; several ordinary citizens have already been injured by them.”

“We suspect they have a secret weapons depot outside the city, but we’ve never found its exact location.”

Jiang Xia paused, then said: “Director Li, please arrange lodging for us first.”

“Tomorrow morning, we’ll head straight to the Mist Forest to assess the situation—map out the distribution and strength of the strange beasts—then move on to investigating the Black Crows.”

“Got it! I’ll arrange it right away.” Li Da quickly agreed, personally leading the two to the dormitory.

That night, Jiang Xia and Wang Teng ate a simple meal in the base’s mess hall.

The soldiers in the mess hall kept their heads down, eating in a somber silence. The two found a corner table and overheard whispered conversations from the next one.

“Did Itachi hear? Two members of yesterday’s squad to the Mist Forest were seriously injured—they’re still in the hospital.”

“That Shadow Panther’s too strong—its speed is impossible to track, and its claws are coated in deadly poison.”

“And those Black Crows bastards—I saw them selling a new kind of spiritual energy bomb on the black market yesterday. They claim it can blow through Wang-jie defensive barriers.”

“Really? If those bombs fall into the hands of strange beasts or evil cultivators, the consequences would be unimaginable.”

Jiang Xia and Wang Teng exchanged a glance, both seeing grave concern in each other’s eyes. This Jiangcheng mission was far more difficult than they’d anticipated.

Back in the dormitory, Wang Teng tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep: “Jiang Xia, what exactly is the Black Crows’ background? How dare they act so boldly on the Night Watchers’ turf?”

Jiang Xia sat at the desk, studying the data Li Da had sent about the Black Crows, and spoke slowly.

“The records show their leader is Zhao Tianxiong—a former arms dealer who came to Jiangcheng ten years ago. With high-level psychic operatives hired internally and massive funding, he gradually seized control of the local black market and smuggling routes.”

“In recent years, he’s begun trafficking spiritual energy weapons, possibly backed by an even larger force.”

“A larger force?” Wang Teng sat up. “Could it be connected to the Evil God Cult? After all, the Shanhai Pass has been so active lately.”

“Possible,” Jiang Xia nodded. “But we have no evidence yet—no hasty conclusions.”

“We’ll head to the Mist Forest first tomorrow, eliminate that Shadow Panther, boost the soldiers’ morale, then slowly dig into the Black Crows’ secrets.”

Wang Teng yawned and lay back down: “Fine, I’ll follow your lead.”

“Still, there’s something strange about Jiangcheng’s air—I can’t pinpoint it, but it just feels off, unsettling.”

Jiang Xia lifted his head, gazing out the window at the dark night sky, a flicker of caution in his eyes.

“Better to be cautious. Tomorrow, we split up—Itachi draw the Shadow Panther’s attention, I’ll look for its weakness.”

“No problem!” Wang Teng patted his chest. “I’m the best at handling speed-type strange beasts.”

The two fell silent, each resting to prepare for tomorrow’s operation.

Night deepened; the Jiangcheng base lay shrouded in silence, broken only by the footsteps of patrolling soldiers and the occasional roar of strange beasts from the distant mountains.

Early the next morning, as dawn barely broke, Jiang Xia and Wang Teng had already packed their gear and gathered at the base gate.

Li Da equipped them with the latest spiritual energy detectors and communication devices, and assigned a soldier familiar with the Mist Forest’s terrain as their guide.

“The Mist Forest is thick with fog—visibility is extremely low. Be careful.”

Li Da repeated his warnings: “If Itachi encounter danger, signal immediately—we’ll send reinforcements.”

“Don’t worry, Director Li,” Jiang Xia nodded, taking the map handed to him by the guide. “We’ll stay safe.”

The three boarded an off-road vehicle and headed toward the Mist Forest on the city’s outskirts. As the car climbed the mountain road, the trees grew denser and the fog thicker.

When the vehicle stopped at the forest’s edge, the scene ahead was hazy—the fog enveloped the entire forest, even blocking the sunlight.

“Gentlemen, this is the Mist Forest.”

The guide pointed ahead. “The fog interferes with spiritual energy detectors, and the terrain is complex—Itachi’ll get lost easily.”

Wang Teng stretched his wrists, faint black runes swirling around his fingertips: “Leave it to us.” He grabbed Jiang Xia’s arm and strode into the depths.

“Wait.” Jiang Xia’s Sharingan opened silently, his crimson pupils fixed on the fog’s depths. “There’s more than one strange beast here—and human presence, faint but dangerous.”

No sooner had he spoken than a piercing roar erupted from the valley.

Two black shadows shot out like arrows—two adult Shadow Wolves.

Their fur nearly vanished in the fog, save for their glowing green eyes.

Wang Teng smirked, swiftly forming hand seals with his left hand: “Diyu Secret Spell: Hundred Ghosts’ Night March!”

Countless shadows surged from his palm, coiling like venomous snakes toward the Shadow Wolves.

The wolves reacted instantly, twisting to evade—but the shadows clamped tight, pinning them in place.

“Done?” Wang Teng was about to relax when a chill prickled his back.

He spun around—there, on a nearby tree trunk, stood a massive Shadow Panther, its black fur patterned with silver markings.

Its amber eyes locked onto them.

The Shadow Panther let out a low growl and leapt down, its speed leaving afterimages in its wake.

Jiang Xia’s gaze sharpened; his Susanoo Sharingan activated instantly, the pupil of his left eye swirling with warped spatial patterns.

Just as the Shadow Panther lunged toward him, an invisible force yanked its body apart, shredding it instantly.

“That was close!” Wang Teng gasped. “That thing’s speed is insane.”

Jiang Xia said nothing, his eyes fixed on a nearby open patch of ground.

The next second, another, larger Wang-jie Shadow Panther emerged from the clearing—it paused, stunned at the death of its subordinate, then roared in fury.