With Stirling's icy gaze, a sense of fear startled Harry, rising within him.

  "Damn it!" Harry remembered the recent rumors in the Night Watch. The handsome young man in front of him had an ambiguous relationship with Lord Lance. Harry cursed behind the scenes, snorted coldly, then waved his hand, shouting:

  "Someone goes to check if there's anything else in Luis's house!"

  A watchman rushed into Stirling's house, searching frantically with his scabbard.

  A moment later, the watchman emerged, shaking his head at Harry.

  "Luis, this rebel entered your house today, and I will report it truthfully! Think about how you're going to explain yourself! Let's go!"

  Harry smiled with his lips only, then turned and left. The others hurried after Harry, paying no attention to the thief's body in the corner.

  Stirling watched the watchmen with torches leave. He glanced at the corpse beside him and then, taking his time, walked over.

  Stirling bent down and took off the corpse's clothes. Then, he removed his outer robe and put on the bloodstained garment.

  The robes here were mostly loose, even if their builds varied a bit. Stirling swung his arms freely, with no issues.

  Stirling took off the man's mask. He went back into the house, grabbed the human-skin mask from a secret spot in the kitchen, and put it on.

  Stirling then put on the blood-stained mask over the human-skin mask. Hearing the loud battle cries outside, he shook his head. Then, he walked out of the courtyard and closed the door.

  ...

  Harry, with several watchmen, grumbled and cursed as they left Stirling's courtyard. Then they changed direction and continued their search.

  He was in high spirits that night, having eaten and drunk well. But on his way back, he faced a shocking event. Rebels were trying to assassinate senior government officials.

  With no other option, Harry took a few men and chased the rebels, cursing their ancestors for all generations along the way.

  Just then, shortly after Harry and his men left Stirling's mansion, they saw a masked figure rush by.

  "Stop!" Harry immediately shouted, pushing off with his feet and at speed, giving chase.

  The other watchmen also grabbed torches and followed, eager to claim credit for this.

  The group chased the figure. When the person dashed into a small alley, Harry's eyes lit up. He laughed loudly and was the first to dive in.

  As soon as he entered the alley, he found the man standing motionless at the other end, staring at him. He grinned maliciously immediately.

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  "Friend, you have nowhere to escape. I won't kill you. Raise your hands and knees; we'll all be better off." Harry, as the vice-captain of the night watch, was by nature quite capable. Thus, he had the right and the confidence to say such a thing.

  At that moment, the other watchmen rushed in. Their expressions changed as they looked at the figure across the alley.

  One of them, sotto voce, approached Harry and asked,

  "Boss, could this be a trap?"

  Harry frowned slightly upon hearing this, then pulled the man in front of him and said,

  "Maybe you test him."

  "???"

  The man seemed hesitant. Under Harry's distant gaze, he remained silent. He swallowed hard, picked up his longsword, and walked toward the figure ahead.

  Stirling stood at the end of the alley, looking at the cautious Harry before him, and felt a headache coming on.

  Where did the villain's mindless charge go?

  He cursed quietly, then looked at the alley's exit. It seemed as if the distance was just right.

  Stirling took a deep breath. A surge of energy raced to his legs, making his robes flutter wildly.

  Harry, at the alley's end, raised an eyebrow. He thought,

  Before he could respond, a loud bang rang out from behind. In a flash, a figure leaped a dozen meters and appeared right behind them!

  Harry's mouth fell open. He stared at the gigantic pit made by the impact on the ground. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

  That explosive power combined with that speed—Harry knew it was far beyond his ability!

  "Let's talk this out; we're just...!"

  Harry stammered, but as he turned, he suddenly drew his blade. In the firelight, a cold flash, like a lightning bolt, shot toward Stirling's throat.

  Harry's blade was fast; it was the source of his confidence.

  Facing a tough opponent like Stirling, Harry felt the pressure. He focused his mind and unleashed his fastest work yet!

  But even faster than him was a fist.

  Harry watched as his longsword was about to strike the man when he suddenly felt his body become light. He turned his head and saw that he had been thrown into the air.

  "What is wrong?" Harry didn't recognize what had happened. He landed hard on the ground, bounced once, and then stayed still.

  Stirling watched Harry soar through the air. He glanced at the shocked watchmen nearby, and a cruel smile slowly spread across his face.

  "Captain!!"

  "Kill him!!"

  "Run!!"

  In an instant, the other watchmen reacted in various ways. But after a few breaths, the alley went silent.

  A little later, Stirling stepped out of the alley. He wore watchman's clothes, a human skin mask, and carried a torch. After getting his bearings, he quickly headed towards the outer city.

  On his way, Stirling saw watchmen rushing about with torches. Black-armored guards on demonic horses often appeared in squads. They searched for rebels trying to escape.

  They were clad in armor, ten men in a squad, galloping rapidly through the inner-city streets.

  When they saw fleeing rebels, they didn't need to fight. They just urged their demonic horses to charge. The horses behind would then follow and trample the fallen. The fate of those people, of course, needs no further description.

  Stirling stood alone at first. Then, groups noticed him and approached, clearly attracted by his presence.

  "Which division are you from?" someone called out to Stirling, shouting.

  "Outer city night watch. William, I'm here to meet my old colleague, Luis Chilavert, in the inner city," Stirling said.

  "William?" The man didn't know Stirling's face, but he asked a few night watch questions. With the right answers from Stirling, he chose not to ask more.

  Stirling smoothly reached the city gates of the inner and outer cities.

  Groups of black-armored guards and many watchmen stood by the gates. Their faces were serious as they examined the area with scrutiny.

  "Hey, who's there?" Someone saw Stirling approaching with a torch and immediately shouted.

  "Night Watch William, from the Outer City, is investigating today's attack. I'm following orders from Lord Lance!" Stirling stayed calm. He pulled out Lance's identity badge and showed it to everyone.