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Chapter 646: Doubt

At the South Lake Death God Temple, Yang Haoran stood at the highest point, gazing down at Lecheng below. Old Master Wu respectfully stood beside him, and behind them both were ten selected Night Watchers.

Yang Haoran commanded far more than ten Night Watchers, but to guard against sneak attacks from Spirit Mediums, he had to leave a portion of his forces at each Death God Temple. Moreover, the Night Watchers left behind couldn't be too weak, lest their own stronghold be overrun by Spirit Mediums. That wouldn't just be humiliating; it would also affect Luo Yao's opinion of him.

Although there had been no reports of Spirit Mediums appearing during the day, whether they would show up at night was another matter entirely.

"It seems Luo Yao must have adopted my suggestion," Yang Haoran said, a faint smile on his face.

Old Master Wu hadn't been with Yang Haoran during the day, so he was unsure what Yang Haoran meant by his current remark and thus refrained from speaking carelessly.

Yang Haoran had suddenly spoken those words because he sensed numerous power fluctuations within Lecheng. These fluctuations were neither ghostly entities nor demons; in his estimation, they must be official reinforcements.

Of course, he dared not jump to conclusions about whether the truth aligned with his conjecture, but he felt it was almost certainly the case.

Turning around, Yang Haoran looked at the ten Night Watchers behind him. As he turned, Old Master Wu also turned.

"Everyone, tonight's operation demands that you prioritize your own lives. While preserving yourselves, endeavor to subdue as many ghosts as possible. Tomorrow morning, I expect all ten of you to appear before me, alive. I wish you good luck."

"Yes!"

The ten responded in unison, their morale soaring like a rainbow, an undercurrent of excitement even subtly discernible.

Apart from a very small number, the Night Watchers under Yang Haoran had all been meticulously selected by Old Master Wu. Through Old Master Wu's long-term tutelage, these Night Watchers were not only loyal but also incredibly courageous. They wouldn't even bat an eye, not to mention merely going out to subdue wanglings; they wouldn't flinch even if they knew they were going out to their deaths.

It wasn't just them; even the few Night Watchers not chosen by Old Master Wu were now exactly the same.

That they could achieve this wasn't due to any great charisma on Yang Haoran's part, but rather the fruit of Old Master Wu's long-term education.

With proper methods, long-term ideological education can absolutely and thoroughly change a person's thoughts, making them fearless of life and death!

Watching the high morale of his Night Watchers, Yang Haoran felt deeply gratified.

"Good! Move out!"

At Yang Haoran's command, a whooshing sound cut through the air. The ten Night Watchers surged towards Lecheng down the mountain, disappearing into the night after a few leaps.

"Boss, I'll go into the city to keep an eye on them. If anything happens, I can lend a hand," Old Master Wu offered.

Yang Haoran shook his head, then said with a smile, "You're injured; just rest properly here at the South Lake Death God Temple. You don't need to worry about what's happening in the city; I'll keep watch."

"But your injuries. . ."

Yang Haoran waved his hand, stopping Old Master Wu from continuing.

"My injuries are no longer serious. Besides, staying at the Death God Temple isn't an easy task either. If Spirit Mediums appear tonight, the Death God Temple will undoubtedly be their primary target. So, while you're recuperating here, you must also remain vigilant, lest you get surrounded like dumplings without even realizing it."

Old Master Wu nodded in agreement. Since Yang Haoran had spoken so, he naturally couldn't say much more.

Throughout that night, intermittent gunshots never ceased. Besides the gunfire, there were human screams, the weeping and cackling of vengeful ghosts, the raucous laughter of demons, and the explosive sounds of colliding powers. The entire Lecheng was saturated with oppressive Yin Qi and howling demonic winds, resembling a living hell.

In such an environment, all ordinary people plunged into panic. Gone was the rebellious spirit they had shown during the day; at home, they trembled with fear. Some, unable to withstand the psychological pressure brought by terror, suffered mental breakdowns and went insane.

After a night of terror, the sun slowly rose, dispersing the darkness, yet unable to dispel the fear festering within the hearts of ordinary people.

Sunlight spilled upon the earth, bringing warmth to the world, but it could not warm the cold and shattered corpses.

Unlike yesterday, today not a single pedestrian or rioter could be seen on the streets. What remained were dilapidated roads, twisted streetlights, collapsed buildings, and scattered severed limbs. On some tree branches, human heads even hung, their eyes wide open in death.

Piercing wails, terrified howls, anguished curses, and crazed laughter faintly echoed over Lecheng. Looking out, desolation permeated every corner of the city.

However, this was merely the beginning. No one knew what the future held for this world; perhaps it would recover its former prosperity, or perhaps it would become even more broken and desolate.

Last night, Lecheng officials were busy all night. Some ordinary police officers nobly sacrificed their lives while on duty, and the number of injured police and soldiers was significant.

The Spirit Police suffered no fatalities, and even injured Spirit Police officers were rare. This was partly because no formidable enemies appeared last night, and partly because the authorities had invited many reinforcements. It was precisely for these reasons that the Spirit Police experienced minimal casualties last night.

As for the Night Watchers under Yang Haoran, ten had gone out last night, and all ten had returned this morning. Only a minority were uninjured; the vast majority had sustained some wounds, minor or otherwise. But for Yang Haoran, their returning alive was a good thing in itself.

Furthermore, the ten Night Watchers had reaped no small harvest last night. They had subdued numerous ghostly entities; though most of these were merely wanglings, their sheer quantity, coupled with two Evil Spirits, certainly constituted a substantial gain.

Yang Haoran had not returned to the villa last night, instead remaining in the city center for the entire night. Only after all the Night Watchers who had gone out on missions returned, and he confirmed their injuries were not serious, and thoroughly understood the situation from their accounts, did he leave the Death God Temple and return to the villa.

As for Old Master Wu, he did not return to the villa with Yang Haoran. Although no Spirit Mediums had appeared last night, he dared not let his guard down. Therefore, he had to remain constantly vigilant, making adjustments to other Night Watchers' assignments based on last night's events.

Yang Haoran saw all of Old Master Wu's hard work. Though he said nothing, he committed it all to memory. Once the next batch of Soul Pills was refined, Old Master Wu would naturally receive his well-deserved share of benefits.

Upon returning to the villa, Yang Haoran habitually made his way to the study, brewed a cup of tea, and settled into contemplation.

Last night, he had remained in the Lecheng city district. One reason for this was to prevent unforeseen circumstances; if some formidable individual truly emerged and threatened the Night Watchers he had dispatched, or the Death God Temple itself, he could intervene immediately.

Secondly, he wanted to see if the Spirit Mediums would surface, allowing him to follow the clues and gather more useful information.

To avoid exposing himself, he had sealed his own power. Although his power was sealed, his perceptive abilities remained. However, what left him rather speechless was that throughout the entire night, he hadn't sensed anything of value.

After the Night Watchers returned in the morning, he again inquired in detail about their experiences from last night, hoping to glean some useful information from them, but ultimately, he was disappointed.

Left with no alternative, he temporarily returned to the villa to observe the situation.

At this moment, a pensive expression on his face, he was wondering what exactly the Spirit Mediums in Lecheng were up to, and why they still hadn't shown themselves.

He would absolutely not believe it if someone claimed there were no Spirit Mediums in Lecheng. In his view, Lecheng certainly had Spirit Mediums; it was only their numbers that remained unknown.

If they were present but didn't show themselves, how was that any different from before?

Just as Yang Haoran was lost in thought, pondering this question, he suddenly sensed something. With a sweep of his hand, he retrieved the Underworld Iron Tome from his independent space.

Watching the trembling Underworld Iron Tome, he frowned slightly, then extended a finger and lightly tapped the tome from a distance.