Chapter 72: The Inspection Assembly

Clang! Clang! Clang—!

Daylight had just broken when the silence in the Crimson Territory was shattered. Piercing, shrill gongs suddenly rang out from all directions. Groups of minions carrying gongs emerged on every street. As they struck the gongs, they ran along the roads shouting at the top of their lungs:

“By order of the General! All Territory officials, except for the laborers—this includes guards, factory foremen, and squad leaders—must immediately gather at the open ground by the gate! Do not be late!”

“I repeat, by order of the General! Everyone except the laborers and the jobless trash must gather at the open ground immediately! You will bear the consequences for being late or absent!”

The announcements echoed through every corner of the Territory. All the laborers were instantly startled, fearfully peeking through their windows at the squads of minions delivering the news, having no idea what was happening.

In other houses, many minions who had toiled through the night searching were also jolted awake by the grating gong sounds. Although they were drowsy after a night of searching, their eyelids drooping and struggling to stay open, the announcement made them snap to attention. They quickly scrambled out of bed and rushed out of their rooms, dark circles under their eyes.

If they slept through it and missed Blood General’s order, being reported would mean getting a layer of skin flayed off at the very least. No one dared to gamble with their own lives.

“Sigh, we’re done for. The General must be furious.”

“What rotten luck. After a whole night of hard work, I can barely keep my eyes open now.”

“Quit complaining. If you’ve got the guts, just pretend you didn’t hear it and go back to sleep.”

“Go to hell, I don’t want to die.”

Amidst the clamor, a large number of minions poured out from all directions, jogging along the roads as they hurried anxiously towards the open ground.

At the same time, Chen Chong, who had just returned to his own room, stood by the window, frowning as he observed the chaos outside.

Chen Chong had also clearly heard the announcement repeating through the streets and alleys. However, Blood General summoning everyone except the laborers to gather was not within his expectations.

He had always lived a secluded life, avoiding contact with others. This order was undoubtedly extremely disadvantageous for him, as his physical appearance had changed significantly. Yet Chen Chong knew that, as an Awakener in the eyes of others, he had to go. Otherwise, it would be as good as giving himself away.

The thought flashed through his mind as he instantly assessed the situation. A glint like lightning seemed to flicker in Chen Chong’s eyes. He then pushed open the door, walked downstairs, and followed the last batch of minions towards the open ground.

Ten minutes later, a dense mass of people came into view ahead. Amidst the din of voices, nearly three hundred Territory minions had already gathered on the open ground not far from the Territory gate, packing the area completely full.

In just over ten minutes, almost all of Blood General’s subordinates in the entire Crimson Territory had assembled!

Blood General seemed not to have arrived yet. All the minions craned their necks in anticipation, waiting nervously while discussing something among themselves, creating a constant buzz of noise:

“So, what do you think the General called us for?”

“What else could it be? Isn’t it about Yin Hu disappearing yesterday?”

“I heard that nothing was missing from Yin Hu’s room. So he might not be missing—someone might have killed him!”

“Holy crap, really? Yin Hu was an Awakener. Taking on ten men was nothing for him. Who could kill him silently without leaving a trace?”

“Who knows? I think the General might be gathering us to find the murderer, to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys.”

“Heh heh, whoever it is, they’re in deep trouble. Challenging the General’s authority never ends well.”

…

Chen Chong hid himself behind the crowd. Most of the minions were malnourished, so his tall figure stood out somewhat. He could only hunch over, trying his best not to draw attention, while taking in all the discussions from the minions ahead.

Using his height advantage, Chen Chong quickly observed the scene. At the very front of the crowd, he could faintly make out the seven Awakeners he was familiar or unfamiliar with—Tie Shan, Gu Jun, Li Bao, Zhang Long, Sun Yimao, Wang Qianlie, and Qian Xu—already standing and waiting. Before them, a simple platform had been formed from a dozen wooden crates. The main figure of the assembly, Blood General, had yet to arrive.

“Hey, kid!”

As he was silently observing, Chen Chong heard a familiar voice amidst the noise. Turning his head, he saw Old Xu hurrying over on the dirt path behind him, his head covered in sweat.

“These old arms and legs are really useless now.”

Reaching Chen Chong’s side, Old Xu huffed and puffed, craning his neck to look forward. Finding nothing but a sea of dark heads and unable to see anything clearly, he lowered his voice to Chen Chong and said:

“Has it started yet? Has the General arrived?”

Chen Chong chuckled softly. “Not yet. But why did you come?”

“This old man didn’t want to get involved either.” Old Xu said helplessly. “Didn’t the announcement say that foremen had to be present too?”

He stood on his tiptoes, constantly peering towards the wooden platform ahead, muttering, “Such a huge fanfare… what could this be about?”

“The General’s here!”

“Shut your mouth!”

Before Chen Chong could reply, the originally noisy, boiling chatter abruptly ceased. One by one, the minions clamped their mouths shut, staring ahead with solemn expressions.

Chen Chong straightened his back slightly and looked up to see that at the very front of the crowd, Blood General, clad in a crimson military coat, had appeared on the scene with a squad of minions carrying muskets. Under the gaze of hundreds of eyes, he stepped onto the platform made of wooden crates.

Blood General had arrived!

Blood General scanned the crowd without a word. The vast open ground instantly became silent and oppressive; you could hear a pin drop. As if it were the prelude to an impending storm, even the most unruly and restless minions dared not breathe heavily, staring nervously and reverently at the powerful, brutal ruler on the platform as if watching some monstrous beast.

And Chen Chong, hidden at the very back of the crowd, observed all of this calmly.

“My warriors…”

Then, Blood General slowly walked to the front of the platform, his blood-red gaze sweeping back and forth over the sea of dark heads before him. He began to speak in a deliberate, unhurried tone:

“You should know that something very bad happened in my Territory yesterday.”

“The Supervisor Squad captain I personally appointed, Yin Hu, has mysteriously disappeared and remains completely unaccounted for. And I have every reason to believe he may have been killed by someone within the Territory, who then disposed of the body using some method.”

Boom!

When Blood General revealed this news, the minions below instantly erupted into an uproar!

“What?! Captain Yin Hu was killed?”

“Damn, who would be so audacious?”

“No wonder we almost turned the Territory upside down and no one had seen Captain Yin Hu! So that’s what happened!”

At the very front of the crowd, Awakeners like Li Bao and Zhang Long exchanged shocked glances. The minions belonging to the Supervisor Squad within the crowd were even more indignant, raising their arms and roaring:

“Please find the murderer, General! Avenge Captain Yin Hu! Avenge! Avenge! …!”