Baron didn’t bother to hide it. "I took two shots to the side, but I heal fast. It’ll probably be scabbed over by the time we get to the Immortal Altar."

Carmen nodded. "Don’t die. My Spiritual Power hasn’t recovered yet. If the Palmer Witch Rider shows up, I won’t be able to get away."

’Is that her idea of concern?’ Baron thought. "I’m not going to ’gg’ so easily, not before our deal is done."

"What does ’gg’ mean?"

"Death. It’s a more polite way of putting it where I’m from."

"Then don’t ’gg’ for now," the Witch said, her expression so serious it was impossible to tell if she was joking.

Baron just smiled.

——————

At the city gate, the sun had yet to rise. A pair of cicadas chirped from the trees lining the road.

Officials from the City Government arrived, having received word of the incident. Reporters from Fude City’s newspaper offices also rushed to the scene, tipped off by informants they had on their payroll—spies planted within the City Government itself.

These "informants" could be anyone, like an old janitor at the City Government. Reporters in Prole made it a habit to plant spies in government agencies or the homes of powerful figures. The standard fee was five Copper Coins a day, with a bonus of anywhere from ten to one thousand Copper Coins for breaking news, depending on the scoop.

This particular scoop was snagged by a reporter from the Steam Daily—the same one who had written the minor hit piece "Who is Demon Hunter L?" during the Hunting Competition. He had paid a hefty price for the tip: a total of three Silver Coins, split between a housing supervisor for the City Defense Team and a City Government gatekeeper.

He saw City Guards collapsed on the ground, one after another. He saw a military officer lying in a pool of blood, surrounded by soldiers. He saw the city gate, which should have been sealed shut at this hour, standing wide open. And he saw the chaotic tracks at the entrance, signs of a violent breakthrough.

The reporter from the Steam Newspaper Office knew he’d hit the jackpot and quickly drafted a headline: *Fude City Gate Illegally Opened? The Terrifying Reason Behind It Will Make You Shudder!*

He then concocted a story based on the scene and the rumors he’d heard from the City Defense Team’s housing supervisor. After a quick read-through to ensure it was sensational enough to grab the public’s attention, he sent it via Communication Magic Card to the paper’s 24-hour editorial desk.

Next, he furtively tossed a listening device he had purchased from the Mechanical School in Dongcheng District into the city gateway. It was cleverly disguised as a pebble.

He then stuck a small contraption, which the Mechanical School called an "earpiece," into his ear to listen in.

The device supposedly worked by implanting two Phonograph Monster larvae, one in the earpiece and one in the pebble. Identical electrical frequencies sent to both would create a channel for eavesdropping.

The moment the City Government officials arrived, they cordoned off the chaotic scene. Moments later, carriages from the Guard Post and the City Lord’s Mansion began to arrive.

Among the new arrivals, the reporter spotted familiar figures—the kind of high-profile individuals whose presence made every journalist in the city secretly rejoice.

Fude City’s City Lord was here, as was the Guard Commander. Even the renowned Mr. Stephen had made an appearance—the Silver Demon Hunter from the First Hunter Association in the Capital, Steel City.

The audio from his device was choppy and filled with static, but the reporter could piece together the gist of what was being said.

Viscount Yarilan had led a team of Demon Hunters to storm the gate during the night. After a short standoff with the City Defense Team, the champion of the Hunting Competition, L, had slain an Undead.

Then, a clash with Gillian’s troops erupted. To break through, they had shot and killed a military officer.

’To fight the City Defense Team and the army, and get away scot-free.’

’This... this was a massive story!’

The reporter was stunned by the revelation. Without a second thought, he started drafting a new article, the headline forming in his mind in an instant.

He’d call it: *Hunting Competition Champion L Storms Gate, Slays Undead, Shoots Officer—Was a Woman the Cause of It All?*

His pen flew across the page, the words flowing freely. He could feel it in his gut—this had the potential to be another viral hit. But just as he finished and pulled out his Magic Card to send it, a hand reached over his shoulder and plucked the manuscript from his grasp.

He instinctively turned. The man was middle-aged, with a refined and reserved air. His clothes were simple but elegant, and his right hand was an extremely rare steel prosthesis.

The reporter’s eyes trembled. His lips trembled. His face twitched. His whole body shook. He knew this man.

It was the City Lord of Fude City, Lewis, himself!

...

Lewis returned to the city gate. The Guard Commander stepped forward, and Lewis shook his head.

"Just a reporter," he said. "The story has already been sent. It looks like in less than half a day, the whole city will be in an uproar over the news that a City Defense Team captain was one of the Undead."

"Then we’ll go to the newspaper office and order them to halt the presses," the Guard Commander said.

The City Defense Team reported to the Guard Post, so the captain being an Undead reflected poorly on him as the Guard Commander.

"It’s too late," Lewis said, shaking his head. "Those newspaper types are weathervanes, but they only start swaying with the wind *after* they’ve already sent out a major story without permission."

"As long as they’re sitting on a major story that hasn’t gone public, not even Emperor Prole himself could necessarily stop them."

Stephen crouched down, examining the wounds and blood on the officer’s corpse. His expression was somewhat complicated, making it hard to tell what he was thinking.

Lewis said, "Our best move now is to publicly execute the Undead Cultists we caught in the warehouse. We have to do it before Yarilan and Ferdinand destroy each other outside the city."

"When?"

Lewis glanced at the morning light beginning to pierce the clouds, his tone resolute. "As soon as the sun is up!"

——————

The Demon Hunters traveled at a breakneck pace, their horses’ hooves kicking up man-high clouds of dust. From the woods came the faint roars of Beasts, their calls punctuated by tiny, faint specks of glowing light.

Andre led the group onward, guided by some sort of Alchemy Creation left by the advance party. He navigated them from a crossroad to the edge of a forest, where he had everyone dismount and proceed on foot, leaving one squad behind to guard the horses.

The forest was thick with venomous snakes, strange insects, Beasts, and thorns—no place for a horse to run.