Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1272 - 419: Xiang Liang’s Prospects, Dire Situation at Hongmen, The Decapitator and the Big Heist

Yet, beneath the flickering firelight, the silhouette of the intoxicated middle-aged man kept lurching ahead across the ground.

"Eek..."

Alone with no one nearby, the middle-aged man abruptly spotted his shadow. A grin spread across his face as he jabbed a finger at it, asking, "You drunk too?"

Though deep in his cups, he retained a trace of clarity. After fixing his gaze on the shadow for several seconds and grasping his own absurdity, he exploded into guffaws.

"Hahahaha..."

"Hehehehehe!"

But in the instant that followed, sobriety crashed over him!

For the shadow's head on the ground cracked open into a warped, malevolent smile, unleashing a distorted, chilling cackle.

"Who’s there!"

The middle-aged man's eyes widened in terror, and with a furious bellow, he surged his vital energy and blood to dispel the alcohol haze, yanking the long knife free from his belt in a flash.

His cultivation level was clearly substantial, for the blade's emergence whipped up gusts that made the nearby houses' flames dance wildly.

With the light wavering, the ground shadow started swaying side to side, wobbling as though on the verge of vanishing.

"Hehehehehe..."

Still, the shadow's head maintained its vicious leer. Even as the laughs faded to near whispers, sweat poured down the middle-aged man's brow, his face twisting in mounting dread.

Tss...

All at once, a subtle noise emerged. The middle-aged man snapped his gaze downward to his shadow, eyes shrinking in horror.

Right there on the ground, another matching shadow lurked behind his own. Strangely, this one clutched a knife, poised silently against his throat.

Visually, it looked just like someone hugging his back, blade pressed to his neck.

Whoosh...

No presence lingered behind him—how could the middle-aged man fail to detect it? Terror seized him nonetheless, driving him to whirl around and slash his knife wildly, hoping to shatter the ground shadow.

Splat...

Too late, for as he raised his long knife high, the shadow blade on the ground sliced in a blur, severing the middle-aged man's head clean off, blood jetting two or three meters skyward from the stump.

Boom...

"Hehehehe..."

The middle-aged man's body thudded to the earth; the knife-wielding shadow issued a few cruel chuckles. Spotting approaching locals roused by the noise, it melted silently into the night.

"The head, the head, the head is gone, the decapitator has appeared again!"

"Quick, go report this to the patrolling City Guard Army, quickly!"

"Isn’t this the sixth case?"

"What do you mean sixth, I’ve heard it’s already nine."

"What nine, I heard it’s 16."

"Could it be that a deceitful monster has really infiltrated Hongmen City?"

"We can’t stay here anymore; buy what you need and leave quickly."

......

Gathering around, nearby residents stared at the gruesome headless corpse, sparking widespread alarm. Yet some rushed off to alert the patrolling City Guard Army.

"Everyone, disperse immediately, do not gather here!"

Clad in gleaming golden armor, a squad of over twenty City Guard Army troops arrived, swiftly cordoning off the area. This spot lay off the main road, drawing just a dozen spectators; after brief words, the soldiers shooed them away.

From the alley hurried two figures in black-and-red summer garb, silver Prison Warden Tokens dangling at their waists.

One appeared middle-aged, the other no older than twenty-five or twenty-six. Both faces darkened severely at the sight of the beheaded corpse.

The City Guard Army securing the site snapped salutes in unison.

"Lord Xiang."

"Lord Bai."

......

"No need for formalities, everyone. Let’s examine the body first!"

These arrivals were Bai Shanning and Xiang Liang, who had assumed their posts in Hongmen a month prior.

Bai Shanning waved the City Guard Army aside and advanced with Xiang Liang to the corpse. He produced a chunk of Solidified Fire Oil, snapped off a bit, and pressed it straight onto the body's ragged neck.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle...

The Solidified Fire Oil hit the neck and instantly hissed, belching smoke.

Bai Shanning's face hardened further at the sight.

Not only him—Xiang Liang, probing the dead man's features and build for identity, along with the two dozen City Guard Army around them, all squinted as smoke rose from the corpse's injuries.

"It’s a deceitful monster!"

"This decapitator must be a deceitful monster, as confirmed before."

"I thought it was just a rumor, but it seems to be true!"

"Look at that corpse’s physique; it had at least the strength of 10 mane hairs. To be killed silently in an alley, no ordinary person could accomplish that, it must have been a deceitful monster."

......

Catching the City Guard Army's murmurs, Bai Shanning let out a quiet sigh before striding to Xiang Liang. Seeing his partner's somber look, he guessed the identity remained elusive and asked softly, "How is it, can you recognize him? If not, we can check with the Civil Affairs Department."

Xiang Liang looked up and stated gravely, "This man’s name is Zheng Xianglong, quite well known. I recognized him at once. He’s in the Blood Ganoderma business, owns a shop in South City, and lives at No. 85 East District.

Originally from Jinshan Town, he first came to Hongmen last August, bringing a batch of Blood Ganoderma to sell at Treasure Tower, making quite a profit. He likely has a stable source for Blood Ganoderma, for he came several times over the following month and reportedly made a lot of money overall.