A Berserker!

Gu Lin’s expression immediately turned solemn.

Pei Ze’s gaze sharpened as well.

A Berserker was roughly equivalent to a Legendary Knight who had mastered earth elements.

’If I encountered an expert of that level, I’d have no way to fight back. I’d be lucky just to escape.’

"With so many Wizards and Legendary Knights working together, how could they let a Berserker escape?" Gu Lin asked with a frown.

Fan He shook his head. "That Berserker just so happened to be away from the stronghold that night. The City Guard Army only learned of their existence after interrogating the other captives."

Pei Ze and Gu Lin nodded in understanding.

Just then, a commotion erupted at the door. Led by Yan Zhen, a group of City Guard Army officers pushed open the door and walked in.

Huo Nan was among them.

His gaze swept across the crowd and happened to meet Pei Ze’s.

Pei Ze offered a slight smile.

The corner of Huo Nan’s eye twitched before he averted his gaze, his expression blank.

Once the officers were in position, the same tall officer from before began to explain the upcoming mission plan to the crowd.

The general outline was similar to what Fan He had just said, only with more specific details. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"All teams will be assigned a patrol zone shortly. Starting tomorrow night, you will begin your patrols. Your mission is to find and eliminate any heretics hiding within your assigned areas."

"Additionally, if patrol soldiers discover heretics and send a signal for help, any nearby teams must rush to provide support immediately."

"So how are we supposed to find the heretics?" a Wizard Apprentice asked, raising their hand.

The tall officer was clearly prepared for this question. He took an object from his coat and held it out in his palm for everyone to see.

It looked somewhat like a human index finger, but it was completely dehydrated, with wrinkled, grayish-white skin and a sharp nail at its tip.

"This is a finger taken from a Demon Cultivator. The esteemed Wizards have refined it into a temporary magic item. When you are within five hundred meters of a follower of Ah Beipu, it will allow you to sense the demonic aura on them. Its effect lasts for about a month."

A wave of relief washed over the crowd.

With this item, finding the heretics would be much easier.

Despite the five-hundred-meter range limit, it was still better than running around aimlessly like headless chickens.

"We will issue one of these items to each team shortly," the tall officer said in a low voice, putting the finger away. "Additionally, according to our intelligence, there is a Berserker among the heretic remnants. If anyone discovers the Berserker’s presence, issue a warning immediately and do your best to stall them until reinforcements arrive."

As soon as he said this, a buzz of discussion erupted from the crowd.

Many of the Wizard Apprentices furrowed their brows.

’A Berserker is a Legendary Knight-level existence. How are we supposed to have the ability to stall one?’

’If we really run into one, we won’t even have time to escape!’

Many of the Wizard Apprentices secretly decided that if they ever encountered a Berserker, they would turn and flee without a second thought.

They were here to earn merit points, not to throw their lives away.

The tall officer clearly understood this. He took in everyone’s reactions but didn’t say anything more. Once the crowd’s chatter died down, he raised his voice and announced, "Now, we will begin assigning the patrol zones."

Because the scope of the operation had expanded to the entire Outer City North District, the area each team was responsible for was more than ten or twenty times larger than before.

To search their entire assigned zone thoroughly would be impossible in less than half a month.

After that, every Wizard Apprentice received a Demon’s Finger.

Pei Ze was no exception. The one he received was a thumb, and holding it in his palm felt like grasping a cold, hard stone.

As they walked out of the command hall, Fan He was the first to bid farewell and leave.

Watching Fan He depart, Gu Lin suddenly said with a smile, "Pei Ze, let’s have a competition this time. How about we see who can earn more merit points?"

Pei Ze glanced at her and asked, "What are the stakes?"

Gu Lin’s eyes darted around for a moment before she held up two fingers. "Twenty Magic Stone Coins, how about it?"

Pei Ze raised an eyebrow. Twenty Magic Stone Coins was enough to buy a low-grade magic item. ’Is Gu Lin that confident?’

’She must have some other, more effective means of searching for heretics, right?’

A glint flashed in Pei Ze’s eyes. He smiled and said, "How about this: if you win, I’ll give you twenty Magic Stone Coins. But if I win, you have to teach me Gem Magic."

"That’s impossible!"

Gu Lin rejected the idea without a second thought, shooting Pei Ze a glare.

"Gem Magic is the core legacy of my family. It can never be taught to an outsider, unless..."

Halfway through her sentence, Gu Lin suddenly stopped. She glanced at Pei Ze, her cheeks turning an imperceptible shade of red, and huffed, "Anyway, it’s impossible. And those stakes are too disadvantageous for me."

Pei Ze knew Gu Lin would never agree, so he wasn’t bothered by her refusal. He smiled and said, "Alright then, how about this? If I win, you teach me about Gem Enchantment. How does that sound?"

Gu Lin paused, stunned for a moment. She thought for a few seconds, then nodded in agreement.

"Alright."

Gem Enchantment was a branch of enchanting. It wasn’t exclusive knowledge of the Gu Family, just relatively rare and valuable.

Compared to twenty Magic Stone Coins, its value wasn’t that much higher.

’Besides, I’m confident I can beat Pei Ze.’

"Then it’s a deal," Gu Lin said, a cunning glint in her eyes.

Pei Ze gave her a knowing smile and said, "You’d better try your best, then. Don’t let it be like this time."

Gu Lin lifted her chin, full of confidence. "Just you wait! Unless you manage to kill a Berserker, I’m guaranteed to win this competition!"