Shen Feng was unaware of the events unfolding at home. By this time, he had already reached the sea, his mobile phone switched off. Even if it hadn't been, there was no signal at sea to make calls.
Shen Feng was still contemplating how to avenge Mu Ying. Although he hadn't found Yue Hengyi to help, Shen Feng had already decided to rely on his own strength to achieve his revenge. Consequently, Chang Jianyi couldn't find Shen Feng to explain the situation. Upon hearing that Shen Feng had previously appeared in Jinling, Chang Jianyi managed to leave a message with Ke Yiming in Jinling, asking him to relay it to Shen Feng.
Lin Yue's interrogation was also very straightforward. He subjected the captured individuals to torture one by one, starting with waterboarding. If that didn't work, he resorted to "laughter torture." If their psychological defenses still couldn't be broken, more intense methods would be employed. With a series of tortures, no one could hold out and refuse to speak.
As a result, Lin Yue eventually uncovered an unexpected outcome: the remnants who escaped from Taiyuan were also divided into factions. Although only a dozen or so ability users remained, the remnant organization from Taiyuan actually had internal divisions. One faction was led by Wan Wuchou and his group. When Taiyuan was overrun, their family members had already died, and many were later purged.
These were people with no lingering attachments, their minds filled only with thoughts of revenge. Since He Qiuan and Gong Changfa in the north were unmarried and childless, it was difficult to target their families. Therefore, these individuals set their sights on Yue Hengyi's family. However, Shen Feng's sudden appearance in the Taihang Mountains and his killing of an ability user alerted these people, leading them to ultimately focus their attention on Shen Feng's family and meticulously plan this operation.
Their plan was quite simple: to have an ability user capable of controlling human actions go into the city and lure Shen Feng's children outside the city.
The difficulty of taking action within the city was too great. Not to mention the inner city, even the outer city was difficult to act in casually, as there were patrols in both. One wrong move could lead to them being recognized, which would surely ruin their plans.
Coincidentally, several of them had heard that Shen Feng's daughter enjoyed watching opera. Thus, they specifically instructed the controlled individuals to spread rumors on the streets, claiming there was a spectacular opera troupe outside the city. This was intended to lure the children out. The initial stages of this plan were quite successful, as they had managed to lure several children outside the city. However, Wan Wuchou never anticipated that several youths would appear alongside them. These youths desperately protected them, leading to the failure of their assassination attempt.
The other faction had some financial resources, and they could survive on the money they possessed. Therefore, this group chose to hide south of the Yangtze River in Yuzhou City. Although this area was quite dilapidated, there were also refugees residing there. It was already a place with a mixed population, and hiding there would completely prevent them from being discovered.
Upon discovering the whereabouts of the other assassins, Yuzhou immediately took action. Troops were directly mobilized and advanced towards the southern district of the city. Lu Xian addressed his soldiers, saying, "Listen to me carefully. The City Lord's son and daughter have been targeted for assassination, and there are still escaped culprits in the southern part of the city. Our mission is to eliminate all these assassins. Do you understand?"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers of Yuzhou were furious. Shen Feng had governed Yuzhou for over ten years, during which he had consistently provided the people of Yuzhou with a stable life. Consequently, Shen Feng held a very high position in the hearts of many. Now, the City Lord's children had been targeted for assassination; this was unacceptable. Regardless of who the enemy was, they would have to pay with their lives!
"These people are truly shameless. They were destroyed for their wickedness, and now they are retaliating against the City Lord's family. Not only are they incompetent, but they are also insidious. We must kill them!"
"Exactly, kill all these scoundrels! Don't let them escape!"
"Let's depart now and search the entire southern district!"
The soldiers were extremely agitated, only wanting revenge. Assassination was one thing if it happened to others, but now that it had happened to the family of the City Lord they admired, they absolutely could not tolerate such an occurrence.
Thus, the soldiers advanced towards the southern city, with the intelligence team leading the way. As thousands of troops marched into this dilapidated urban area, the residents were stunned. They had clearly never witnessed such a scene before. A group of heavily armed individuals appeared in the district, clearly prepared for battle.
"Everyone, return to your homes and stay there. Nothing will happen to you if you do. But if you disobey, beware of losing your heads!" the soldiers shouted loudly.
Upon hearing this, the residents here scurried back to their homes, fearing being caught in the crossfire.
The intelligence team had actually located the assassins' hideout. After severe interrogation, the captured assassins revealed everything. Therefore, the intelligence team led the army to surround the assassins' hiding place. It was a very tall building. Most of the contents inside had been removed, leaving only a shell.
"Charge in with me! Kill anyone you see," Lu Xian shouted loudly.
Lu Xian's ability was not combat-oriented. The reason he fearlessly led his men into the building was that his ability had detected that there were not too many people inside. His ability had detected heat-emitting objects within the building, and there were only two or three people inside.
As the army stormed in, they immediately found three people hiding in a room. These three individuals appeared very old, their faces full of wrinkles, and their hair completely white.
"I didn't expect you to find this place so quickly. It's a pity you're a step too late; the others have all withdrawn!" an old man said.
"Since everyone else received the news and withdrew, why didn't you three old men leave? Do you think we wouldn't kill you?" Lu Xian asked.
"Even if we were the most naive, we wouldn't believe you wouldn't kill those who assassinated you. The reason we stayed is to deliver a message to you. Please convey these words to Shen Feng. After I finish speaking, you can kill me if you wish," another old man explained.
"Don't say anything yet! Guards! Search them and see if they are hiding any weapons. If they have bombs, kill them immediately!" Lu Xian said calmly.
Lu Xian was not foolish. He knew that many people would use humans as disguises for bombs, such as explosives tied under their clothes. Especially since these old men had stayed behind and not fled, it was likely they had some ulterior motive. If they were carrying dangerous weapons, it could cause massive casualties, and a search was necessary first.
Immediately, soldiers stepped forward and began searching the three old men. The other soldiers were still looking around the room for any hidden weapons.
However, after the soldiers' careful search, they suddenly discovered that these three old men had no weapons on them at all, not even a dagger for self-defense. They seemed to be merely messengers.
"What message do you have for our City Lord? Speak quickly! Don't delay our pursuit of the others!" Lu Xian said.
One old man suddenly sat cross-legged on the ground and said, "Actually, the three of us were once influential figures in Taiyuan. But after Taiyuan was overrun, we fled with our families and various supplies. We left Taiyuan several months ago. We have experienced the horrors of the apocalypse and no longer wish to continue living in it."
"You only now realize the horror of living in the apocalypse? It seems you were always high and mighty before, so you never felt any fear. Is there anything else you want to tell me?" Lu Xian said impatiently.
"Actually, among the ability users who escaped from Taiyuan, there were over a dozen people. Some wanted revenge and intended to assassinate important figures, but another group did not want revenge; they merely wanted to find a new place to live. Now, please show leniency and let these people who have escaped go!" an old man said earnestly to Lu Xian.
"Have you finished speaking?" Lu Xian asked indifferently.
"Yes, the escaped ability users and others dare not oppose you anymore. Please convey this to your City Lord!" an old man said sincerely to Lu Xian.
"Kill them!" Lu Xian said coldly, then led the remaining soldiers to search elsewhere. One soldier remained behind and then shot the three old men who had stayed, killing them outright.
Lu Xian then said indifferently, "If you had chosen to live in seclusion from the beginning, we might not have retaliated. But you harmed the City Lord's children earlier. Now you know fear after facing retaliation, but it is too late!"
After saying this, Lu Xian led the remaining soldiers to search the entire southern urban area. Anyone suspicious was immediately questioned, and those with northern accents were particularly targeted for interrogation.
Meanwhile, Qian Mingya and her granddaughter were questioned at home. Coincidentally, Qian Mingya had a northern accent. In the southwestern regions of China, Southwestern Mandarin was generally spoken. Although it was very similar to northern dialects, the intonation was different.
"We found someone here who speaks with a northern accent. We must take her away for immediate interrogation!" a soldier exclaimed upon seeing this.
"What are you doing? What crime have we committed that you want to take us away? Let me tell you, my daughter is an ability user. If she comes, none of you will survive!" Qian Mingya was stunned by this turn of events. Her family had only recently moved from Rongcheng to Yuzhou, and now they were encountering trouble.
In her desperation, Qian Mingya ultimately chose to reveal her daughter's identity as an ability user, hoping that her daughter's status would make the soldiers before them retreat.
As it turned out, these soldiers were precisely there to search for ability users. Upon hearing Qian Mingya's words, they became even more agitated, even raising their guns to threaten the two women.
"You will come with us immediately. If you don't comply, we will open fire!" a soldier said excitedly.
Just then, a clear and cold voice echoed, "Stop everyone, and do not be rude!"
The soldiers turned their heads and saw that Li Keyi, the City Lord's wife, had appeared on the street at some point. They dared not be rude and thus lowered their weapons.
"Madam, according to their statements, we suspect an ability user is present here!" the soldiers explained patiently.
"No need to say more. Hurry and leave this place. I know this ability user; she is my friend, Yu Renshu, from Rongcheng. She is not an enemy! Do not disturb their peaceful family," Li Keyi said.
Upon hearing this, the soldiers were relieved. So, it was someone the Madam knew, and there was no need for further investigation. They turned and left.
Li Keyi bent down and looked at Yu Hongxiu, who was hiding behind Qian Mingya. "Hongxiu, don't be afraid. They have all left and will not harm you!"
Li Keyi did not expect that Yu Renshu's family had already arrived in the southern district of Yuzhou. This area was already a mixed bag of people from all walks of life. Living here would surely be very difficult for their family.