Chapter Twenty-One: The Raid on the Tribunal

“Zhiying, step aside and let us see Master Fan.”

Hu Zhiying spread his arms wide, blocking the back door of the Criminal Review Office. “Master Fan is resting. If you wish to see him, please go through official channels tomorrow.”

“If we could see him through official channels, would we have come here like this?” The man leaning on a cane roared in fury.

A haggard-looking middle-aged woman tugged at the man’s sleeve and pleaded with Hu Zhiying, “Head Constable Hu, you know our troubles better than anyone. Please, have some compassion and let us in.”

Hu Zhiying sighed, but gave no reply.

The two dozen people before him were all victims: some had lost their children, others their wives or daughters. They had reported their missing loved ones to the Criminal Review Office of Kaiyuan District, hoping to recover them.

Yet every disappearance was hastily closed as an ‘accidental loss,’ and the office denied any kidnapping incidents in Kaiyuan. In truth, such things had happened in the district for some time. Most victims were forced to resign themselves or search far and wide on their own.

Recently, however, news of the orphanage had spread: seven children kidnapped, then rescued by a man calling himself Night Crow. The victims no longer believed the authorities’ excuses; they had come here demanding answers.

All they wanted was to find their lost children and wives, but even this simple request could not be met. This time, the office would not see them at all.

Hu Zhiying, the head constable of Kaiyuan and a direct subordinate of Fan Nang, was not standing here for his superior’s sake, but rather for these people in front of him.

Now, their patience had worn thin. Even if it meant forcing their way in, they were determined to see Fan Nang tonight.

Fan Nang, meanwhile, had deliberately increased the number of constables in the back courtyard and reduced the guards at the rear gate. If anyone rushed the main entrance, they would be immediately seized.

Assaulting the Criminal Review Office was a crime of varying severity, but Fan Nang would certainly press the harshest charges available.

“My friends,” Hu Zhiying appealed earnestly, “believe me, I will find a way to help you… But for tonight, please go home.”

Splash!

A cup of cold water was thrown in his face.

The crowd glared at him in anger. To them, Hu Zhiying had become nothing more than a lapdog.

He drew his short baton, ready at last to forcibly disperse them.

“Why sneak in the back door? Wouldn’t storming the front make a bigger impact?”

At that moment, an unfamiliar and dissatisfied voice interrupted, halting both Hu Zhiying and the crowd.

Three figures—two in black, one in white—emerged from the shadows beneath the streetlamp. The one in the center, carrying the Night Crow banner and exuding an almost provocative air, was Liang Zhi.

Qiu Shilu, her voice rough, looked at him helplessly. “First, I don’t want to make the charges even worse. Second… Fan Nang lives in the back courtyard.”

“This is the Criminal Review Office of Kaiyuan District. Unauthorized persons must not linger. Otherwise, I will forcibly remove you.” Hu Zhiying’s tone grew stern. It was clear these three were here to stir up trouble, but in truth, he felt a strange sense of relief. Torn between a corrupt superior and these innocent victims, he had been on the verge of breaking. Now, with unexpected distractions, he could almost breathe.

Liang Zhi sidled up, his tone mockingly polite. “Excuse me, is Master Fan at home?”

“Master Fan is away on official business…” Hu Zhiying tried to bluff.

The man with the cane shouted, “Fan Nang is inside!”

“Oh, thank you. Then we’ll go find him.” Liang Zhi, banner in hand, skipped toward the rear gate of the office in a manner both flippant and deranged, as if determined to appear the villain and draw everyone’s ire.

At that moment, all eyes were drawn to the banner slung across his back.

The victims’ eyes shone with hope, fists clenched tight. The children rescued from abduction before—it had been Night Crow’s doing.

Perhaps this time, he could help them too?

Hu Zhiying tossed aside his baton and drew his long blade, glaring at Liang Zhi. “Night Crow, I’ve been looking for you for a long time!”

Aside from the cases of missing women and children, Night Crow was Hu Zhiying’s greatest headache. In just a few days, eighty-four incidents had occurred—all at Daxian Bridge.

Like a tiger, he lunged at Liang Zhi. As the most formidable constable in Kaiyuan, his blade skills were unmatched; under normal circumstances, even four or five men would have struggled to approach him.

But he did not advance even a step. The ground beneath his feet gave way, forming a pit.

Turning his head, he found a black-clad figure in an owl mask gripping the back of his collar.

He swung his blade behind him, but before he could strike, a greater force seized him, hurling him aside. He crashed through branches and landed hard.

Hu Zhiying landed amidst the crowd of victims. His body nearly fell apart from the impact. Propping himself up with his blade, he struggled to stand, but the man with the cane barred his way.

“Don’t get up again. Isn’t this better?” he said.

The crowd, who had moments before cursed Hu Zhiying, no longer looked at him with such hostility. Deep down, they knew he could offer little help. Even if he tried, it would only bring him trouble. This was for the best.

The lame man remembered: when his leg was broken by a passing steam carriage, it was Hu Zhiying who had carried him to the clinic.

Most of these people had received Hu Zhiying’s help in the past.

They could tell who harbored ill intent and who truly wished to help them.

With Hu Zhiying no longer blocking the way, only the great doors before them remained.

Yet Liang Zhi did not enter. Instead, he placed his hand upon the gate.

The rear entrance of the office was made of two great iron doors. As Liang Zhi touched them, the metal began to twist, the iron being drawn out and pooled into his hand.

Moments later, a massive iron hammer appeared in his grip—nearly six feet long, its shaft as thick as a child’s arm, its head the size of a basketball.

With a thud, the hammer hit the ground. Qiu Shilu stepped forward and, with one hand, hefted the monstrous weapon onto her shoulder.

She had suffered in her previous fight with Wu Zinan for lack of a weapon; with another fierce battle likely ahead, Liang Zhi had prepared this for her.

With the metal stripped away, only a few wooden planks remained in the door. Liang Zhi gave them a gentle tap, and they crumbled into a heap of sawdust.

The constables nearby, armed with blades and electric batons, stared in shock.

Such a massive iron door—gone in a blink?

“Night… Night Crow, can you help us find our children?” the lame man asked, hope shining in his eyes.

Liang Zhi waved him off impatiently. “Finding your loved ones is the duty of the chief investigator. You can ask him yourself in a moment.”