Chapter 0028: The Observer

Ning Fan never would have dreamed that the killer who had shot down Wang Ye, Old Duan, and Dazhuang had once been so close to him.

If he had drawn his blade back then...

He might have ended the man's life right there.

Back in the Ghost Mist Forest, Ning Fan had spotted a figure on the hillside.

The distance had been too great to make out the man's face — all he remembered was the headscarf wrapped around the stranger's head.

As Ning Fan cursed himself for missing the chance, another thought struck him.

This blond man was covered in blade wounds.

Those wounds...

Could they have been from Brother Chuan?

Had Brother Chuan gone back and cut him up like that?

If that was the case...

Was it possible that Brother Chuan was still alive?

Hope flared in Ning Fan's chest.

They still hadn't found Brother Chuan's body. What reason did they have to assume he was dead?

With that thought, a bold idea took shape in his mind.

Catch the blond man.

At the very least, force him to reveal Brother Chuan's whereabouts.

"Hey? Kid, where are you going? It's chaos out there, you..."

Before the inn owner could finish, Ning Fan had already bolted out the door.

The streets had lost the noise of the day.

The Lower City had no sunlight, but the zones used artificial lighting to mark the difference between day and night.

By now, most of those lights had gone dark.

Fortunately, Ning Fan's time in the field had sharpened his senses. He had grown used to the dark, and even in the dim surroundings, he could read the street well enough.

"There! First squad, come with me! Second and third squads, cut him off through Rotten Fish Alley!"

The Observer carrying the massive axe barked out his orders.

Ning Fan slipped silently into position behind the first squad.

The reconnaissance techniques from the nine-part assessment had finally found a use.

After five minutes of trailing them through the shadows, Ning Fan's expression was taut.

He was genuinely on edge.

He had to stay hidden from the Observers while keeping pace without activating his Spirit Servant.

More importantly, when the blond man showed himself, Ning Fan had to get to him before the Observers did.

Once the man fell into their hands, there would be no taking him back.

Obtaining a Spirit Servant and killing Chen Wu had given Ning Fan confidence — but not enough to try strong-arming a team of Observers.

Then a shout jolted him to full alertness.

"He's heading out of the zone! Stop him!"

Ning Fan realized he had chased them all the way to the Zone Wall.

The guard who had let him through earlier was dozing at the gate. The Observers' shouts snapped him awake and he lurched to his feet.

Shick!

A flash of white light.

The guard never even had time to draw his weapon. A hole appeared between his brows and he dropped straight to the ground.

Dead without a sound.

Ning Fan's blood ran hot at the sight.

He thought of Old Duan and Wang Ye.

In that moment, he knew with absolute certainty — this blond man was the headscarf-wearing assassin from the hillside.

"You couldn't catch me even back in Zone F7. What makes you think you can now?"

The blond man had already sprinted to the gate.

He even stopped there for a moment, turning back to face the Observers who had been chasing him, and raised a middle finger.

"Tell those Black Market vendors — mind their manners when doing business. Stop cursing at people!"

With that, he shoved the iron gate open and slipped out of the zone.

Ning Fan's eyes narrowed. Seeing the man about to escape, he surged forward without hesitation.

The Observers pulled up short when the blond man fled outside.

They had limits.

Inside the zone, they could pursue. But once someone crossed beyond the zone...

It was out of their jurisdiction.

But then the axe-wielding Observer spotted Ning Fan running for the gate and roared: "Freeze!"

Ning Fan had no intention of stopping. He poured everything into his sprint.

Just as he was about to clear the gate, a rush of air hit him from behind.

On instinct, he threw himself sideways. The massive axe whistled past his shoulder and buried itself into the Zone Wall with a heavy thud.

Ning Fan stared at the still-quivering axe and finally stopped.

He turned, glaring at the Observer.

"I said freeze. You deaf?"

The man approached with a cold expression, not bothering to hide his irritation. "Why were you running?"

More Observers in uniform closed in around Ning Fan.

He looked toward the gate and knew he had lost his chance to catch the blond man.

"Why are you stopping me?"

Ning Fan said flatly. "What rule did I break?"

"Damn, you've got some nerve."

A lanky man stepped forward and shoved Ning Fan's head against the wall. "Watch your tone with our deputy."

"Heh."

Ning Fan didn't resist, but a snort escaped him. "Can't catch the criminal, so you take it out on someone who did nothing wrong?"

"Oh, seriously?"

The lanky man raised an eyebrow. "Quite the mouth for someone your age."

Crack!

The lanky man drove his boot hard into the back of Ning Fan's knee.

Pain shot through him and his leg buckled on instinct.

But just before his knee touched the ground, he gritted his teeth and held.

Then he pushed down hard, braced his legs, and stood back up.

A dangerous glint flashed in the lanky man's eyes.

That kick had been meant to make Ning Fan kneel.

Yet this kid...

"Playing tough, are we?"

The lanky man raised his foot again.

"That's enough."

The Observer deputy stepped forward and wrenched the axe from the wall. "Take him in."

"Kid, I've seen plenty of stubborn ones. You'd better pray you don't end up in my hands."

The lanky man grabbed Ning Fan by the collar and hissed into his ear.

Ning Fan stared back at him, the corner of his mouth curving slowly.

"What are you smiling at?!"

The lanky man felt the mockery behind that smile.

"So this is what the legendary Observers are really like..."

Ning Fan's smile deepened. "I think I understand now."

"Understand what?"

The deputy turned to look at him.

Ning Fan's eyes were full of contempt.

"That so-called iron rule about no Spirit Servants inside the zone — it's complete garbage."

Everyone froze, staring at Ning Fan in disbelief.

This kid had actually dared to say the forbidden word — Spirit Servant — right in front of a group of Observers.

And not only that — he had called the zone's iron rule garbage?

That was a direct provocation.

A completely bare-faced provocation.

"Kid, the whole 'children say the darndest things' excuse won't work with me."

The deputy's face darkened.

But Ning Fan showed not the slightest fear. He lifted his chin and stared back at the deputy.

"Am I wrong?"

He pointed toward the gate. "The man got away. Did you catch him?"