Chapter 1711

The peacekeepers arrived late, or rather, they had arrived long ago, but upon seeing the corpses of the ghosts in the courtyard, they did not show themselves immediately. These guys were very clever; they were clearly waiting for the battle inside the Wild Boar Manor to reach a conclusion. If Su Xiao won, they would appear; if the ghosts won, they would retreat and wait for the others from the Execution Agency to arrive.

Peacekeepers dressed in black uniforms with white stripes on their collars and cuffs sealed off every exit of the manor. They were only responsible for disputes among civilians; they would not directly interfere in anything related to ghosts.

A boxy, old-fashioned car pulled up outside the manor, and several people hurriedly got out. It was Madam Nancy who had arrived.

Madam Nancy walked through the peacekeepers, and upon seeing the scene in the courtyard—which looked as if it had been swept by a typhoon—her footsteps faltered. Although she was the high-ranking Legion Commander of the Execution Agency, she had no combat ability. The pretty boy and the high-collared priest behind her exchanged glances; they both knew that this wealthy Madam Nancy could not afford to have anything happen to her, otherwise their salaries would drop by at least 30%.

"They are all dead; Lord Kuku Lin is over there."

The high-collared priest spoke. Because he had no lips, his voice sounded strange, giving people a sense of air leaking out.

Hearing his words, Madam Nancy pulled out a handkerchief to cover her nose and mouth and walked quickly into the courtyard.

"Are you alright?"

Madam Nancy had originally intended to question Su Xiao about why he had acted without authorization, but upon seeing the wounds on Su Xiao's body, she put away the speech she had prepared.

"I won't die for now."

Su Xiao had a cigarette in his mouth. Due to the recovery effect of Polar Blood + Ancient Secret Medicine, his wounds were already starting to feel itchy and painful, which was a good sign. The influence caused by the Sword Art Grandmaster was rapidly fading.

"Are these all people from the Ghost Ring?"

Madam Nancy covered her nose and mouth even tighter with her handkerchief; she clearly hated the smell of blood.

"That's right. The credit for this goes to you. Help me get 20,000 Gold Le, and the source must be clean."

"..."

Madam Nancy looked at Su Xiao in astonishment. Su Xiao's words were simply too direct; it was almost equivalent to saying, "You're really beautiful, let's have a go tonight."

After a moment of astonishment, Madam Nancy snorted coldly: "Do you think the Imperial Inspection Department is a fish?"

"In other words, you refuse?"

"Don't be so blunt. I'll think of a way and give you an answer by tomorrow morning at the latest."

Madam Nancy's voice was very low. The pretty boy and the high-collared priest beside her looked up at the sky, as if there were something rare to see there.

"Then that's settled. I have to go see His Majesty."

"This..."

Madam Nancy was confused, unsure whether Su Xiao was truly sincere.

"Rest assured, this matter is specifically permitted by His Majesty, and... it cannot see the light of day."

"I hope it is as you say."

Madam Nancy stopped talking. Su Xiao stood up and brushed past her. He had found the correct way to use Madam Nancy—no, the correct way to cooperate with her.

Su Xiao did not need Imperial merit at all. Promotion was certainly a good thing, but his current position was very special, and promotion was almost impossible. Both Madam Nancy and Monarch Harold knew that the current situation was abnormal. The Execution Agency could exist without Madam Nancy, but it had to have Su Xiao to hold the scene together.

It was precisely because of this that Madam Nancy had come to show goodwill this morning. This woman was very clever; she sensed that the situation in Zul City was not right and immediately stopped the infighting. She was indeed the Execution Agency's god of wealth, but now the Execution Agency needed powerful force even more.

Su Xiao had no possibility of promotion, so Imperial merit was meaningless. Exchanging these merits for Gold Le was very profitable, and Madam Nancy, having received the benefits, would take the initiative to help Su Xiao take the blame and clean up the aftermath.

Just like the matter tonight, Madam Nancy would definitely use her connections to handle this matter well. In this way, Su Xiao could clear out the Ghost Ring's strongholds and members without any scruples, while Madam Nancy would reap the credit and handle the aftermath in the back, provided she paid the Gold Le.

Su Xiao carried Amu and walked out of the courtyard. Amu, who had been unyielding even when clashing head-on with Sin, was now "looking terrified."

Not only Amu, but Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang also looked listless. It was injured, and not lightly.

"It's fine, I'll treat you when we return to the residence."

As soon as these words were spoken.

"Moo~"

"Awoo!"

Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang turned around and wanted to run, but its hindquarters hurt like hell.

Execution Agency Headquarters, backyard.

Inside a three-story low building, this structure was built in the shadow of the headquarters. There were only a few windows, making the place cramped and dark. From time to time, rats the size of house cats scurried through the corridor.

A bald old man walked through the corridor. He held a table knife, polished to a bright shine. The solid wood handle clearly had some years on it; years of use had caused a layer of dark red patina to appear on it.

The bald old man with mismatched eyes was named Hank. Even among the Awakened, he was an anomaly. This guy's awakening degree was as high as 75%, but he had not turned toward the direction of a demon; instead, he remained clear-headed. No one knew how he managed to do it.

The reason he was called an anomaly was because he had a hobby: eating ghosts. Hank's philosophy was very simple: why should only ghosts eat humans? He also wanted to eat ghosts, to let those scumbags know that they were not at the top of the food chain. It could be said that this was an old man standing at the top of the food chain.

Hank stopped in front of an iron door. He took out a key, and just as he opened the door, he discovered that on the metal rack in the room, there were only a few pieces of skin and flesh and a single bone hanging. The ghost named Sting was nowhere to be found.

Hank looked up, and a bloody mouth full of sharp teeth came into view. He... grinned.

The next morning, inside the Deputy Legion Commander's villa.

Su Xiao, with his upper body wrapped in bandages, sat on the bed. He was summarizing last night's operation; this was his habit.

It could be said that last night's purge was quite successful, but the layout was not perfect enough. The S+ comprehensive evaluation gave him a headache. The most ideal way last night would have been to dispatch 3 to 7 stronger Awakened to assist. These people had to be trustworthy and know how to judge the situation. Su Xiao didn't need them to do anything; they could just guard the edge of the battlefield, and if the situation became critical, they could join the fight.

Clearly, such people were not easy to find, but Su Xiao already had three candidates. Gus, who was injured during the ghost street attack incident, was not the strongest Awakened, but he was clever enough and knew how to judge the situation.

Next was the high-collared priest beside Madam Nancy, and the last person was the bald old man, Hank. These three were the best choices for now, but these matters would have to wait until he met Monarch Harold before considering them.

"Xiang Bubu, come with me to see Harold."

Su Xiao pushed Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang at the foot of the bed. Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang hummed, clearly wanting to stay in bed. As for Amu, it was injured somewhat severely. Considering Amu's young heart, Su Xiao did not perform surgery on it, but instead applied medicine and bandaged it, letting it stay in the villa to recuperate.

Taking Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang with him, Su Xiao walked out of the villa.

Bang.

"Woo~"

Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang bumped its head on the door frame. Overall, it looked... much more spirited.

Parliament Palace, fourth floor, inside a study that was not very large.

"Eye Chamber, Immortal King..."

Monarch Harold sat behind the desk, rubbing his forehead with his fingers. His injuries had recovered somewhat, but he was still very weak.

"Last night's matter...," Harold raised his eyes to look at Su Xiao: "Well done."

There was no need to be explicit. Su Xiao certainly knew that Harold was aware of his unauthorized encirclement and suppression of the Ghost Ring last night. Harold did not point this out, which basically meant tacit approval. As for the reward... there was only a verbal commendation.

"Madam Nancy is not bad, right?"

Harold revealed a smile that all men understood.

"20,000 Gold Le."

Su Xiao stated it directly; this was related to political issues.

"You really dare to ask. The Gold Le in the hands of the royal descendants is a bit too much, but there's no help for it."

Harold smiled. He seemed not to care much about this matter, but in reality, it was not so. If Su Xiao really had a physical relationship with Madam Nancy, then even if Harold had to withstand the pressure from the Ghost Ring, he would have to get rid of Su Xiao and Madam Nancy.

The reason was simple: the Execution Agency belonged to the mysterious side's violent organization; it was a hungry wolf. If the positive and negative Legion Commanders were sleeping together, that would be an even closer relationship, which also meant that the Execution Agency might be completely controlled by Su Xiao and Madam Nancy, and it was very likely that it would no longer be subject to external dispatch.

This was a dangerous signal. If the Execution Agency was out of control, the manager would have to be replaced. From the Empire's perspective, compared to this matter, the threat of the Ghost Ring was one level lower. Once the Execution Agency launched a coup, then whether it was Monarch Harold or those councilors, they might be hanged in front of the Parliament Palace tomorrow. The entire Imperial system could be overturned, and at that time, it would be a dance of demons.

Su Xiao was directly shifting the blame. The Imperial merit he earned from killing enemies was not so easy to get. Right now, Madam Nancy might not necessarily be affected, but other royal descendants would definitely be caught in the crossfire. Harold's seemingly lighthearted words were actually waiting until he finished cleaning up the Ghost Ring, and then he would clean up those royal descendants.

"I leave this matter entirely to you to handle. For officials below this line, you handle it according to the situation."

Harold dipped his finger in the black tea in his cup and drew a short line in the center of the table.