If An Moxue knew that their Director Hou said this about her, she would definitely say, "Thank you so much, sir!"

Xu Qingfeng was comforted by their bureau chief's last words. He believed in An Moxue's abilities and her luck.

He contacted his superiors and obtained assistance. Meanwhile, the men who fought with Wu Sicheng and fled went straight back to town. Upon hearing the news, the townspeople immediately convened a meeting.

Well! If Wu Sicheng were here, he would know that the town mayor, the town committee, the town party secretary, and all the cadres in the town have all joined them. No matter what the reason, this is obviously the main base of the Japanese in the Lan Kingdom.

After listening to their accounts, the town mayor slammed his fist on the table and said, "Gather your men and return to Maple Leaf Temple for a full-scale search. If any ordinary villagers see this, tell them you're arresting fugitives. Make sure they all carry guns, change into the militia's uniforms, and wear the militia's armbands for easy operation. Remember, dead or alive, we cannot let anyone escape."

After saying that, he added with lingering concern, "Don't forget, if they find out our true identities, forget about going back to Japan to enjoy a life of luxury; they might not even be able to save their own lives. Get them all mobilized and conduct a full-scale search. Move out immediately."

"yes."

Wu Sicheng, Wang Wei, and Li Deren had only recently parted ways. Wang Wei and Li Deren returned to the cave to continue searching for Duan Qing and other clues.

He headed towards Maple Leaf Town, and halfway there he saw rows of well-trained men, each carrying a gun, heading towards Maple Leaf Temple.

He instinctively felt that the enemy was approaching, so he followed them for a while and overheard that they were going up the mountain to capture fugitives.

But there were no fugitives!

They're the ones they're arresting.

He ran all the way back to Maple Leaf Temple, told An Moxue the news, and then went to the underground cave to find Wang Wei and Li Deren to explain the situation.

When he came out again, Maple Leaf Temple was no longer an empty temple. Many people dressed as locals were visiting the temple. If you looked at their lower bodies, you would find that they were all people who had practiced internal martial arts.

In the mountains and forests, men wearing militia armbands were patrolling and conducting a thorough search.

Despite the crowds surrounding Maple Leaf Temple, Wu Sicheng easily descended the mountain and began a secret investigation in the town.

An Moxue was also observing the number and combat strength of these people.

Finally, night fell, and some of the people searching the mountain were getting impatient.

Someone complained, "Brother, do you think the mayor is making a fuss? We've been searching for ages and haven't found a single thing. Either he's too scared to come out and is hiding, or he's already vanished. What's the point of searching? Wouldn't it be better to go back to sleep? It's already dark."

His companion stopped him, saying, "Keep your voice down, or the captain will punish you! Don't drag me into this."

The two of them seemed to be thinking about something, and their expressions turned sour. They stopped talking and continued searching in the mountains.

An Moxue found a lone person, twisted their neck, and with a "crack," the person was dead. Then she looted the body and ran away to find her next target.

At first, no one paid any attention, until someone asked, "Have you seen Dashan? He's been behind me the whole time, where did he go? Where did he go? Did he go to slack off?"

This sentence acted like a floodgate, and everyone around looked at each other and realized, "Hey! Where did Old Liu go? Little Li is gone too!" Upon investigation, they discovered that several people were missing.

Everyone felt uneasy and had a very bad feeling.

"Did you see when Old Liu disappeared?"

"No." Looking at the others, they also knew nothing.

"What about Xiao Li?"

"have no idea."

"I don't know either."

"Nothing was found."

When these people disappeared, did any of you hear anything?

Everyone shook their heads; no.

"Quick, light the torches and signal that the fugitive has been spotted!" After the captain shouted, everyone sprang into action, lighting the torches. They felt they could see more clearly now, which made them feel a little better and less afraid. However, no one wanted to be at the back of the line anymore, fearing that they might lose their lives in the blink of an eye.

Although none of our companions have been found yet, that's precisely why we're all even more terrified!

An Moxue sat on a large tree, watching everything unfold through binoculars, a faint, indifferent smile on her face. She muttered to herself, "This is nothing! I haven't even gone to the Japanese Kingdom to avenge the Nalan family yet! Let me collect some interest from you first!"

After saying that, he disappeared into the forest with a few leaps, just like a night elf.

A moment later, a terrified scream echoed through the woods.

"Ah! The big bell behind me is gone!"

"What are you yelling about! Maybe you're just going to take a quick break and will be right back. You're making such a fuss, you're scaring me half to death."

"Captain, I'm not going to go to the back, I'm scared!"

"What are you afraid of? Who's going to switch places?" the captain said, but no one moved. Everyone was too scared to move.

"What, do you want to be punished when you get back?"

The crowd looked at each other, but no one moved.

"Alright, the two of you, back to back, is that alright? Let's slow down. We won't search today. Let's go down the mountain to the temple and search again tomorrow during the day."

"Okay." Everyone agreed with the captain's decision.

Despite this arrangement, everyone was still trembling with fear, knowing that most of those who disappeared without a trace were dead.

Who wouldn't be afraid to face death?

An Moxue was very satisfied with their reaction.

Just when everyone thought they were about to descend the mountain and reach the temple, a piercing scream came from the back of the mountain.

This time it wasn't An Moxue, but Xu Qingfeng who brought back the message. He was far more ruthless than An Moxue. First, he suddenly appeared, startling everyone, and then he slit the throat with a knife. The person's eyes were wide open, and blood kept flowing from his neck. The death was horrific, terrifying everyone who saw it.

Then, after striking, quickly retreat.

That night, the two men, in different places at Maple Leaf Temple, committed a tragedy and amplified the panic.

In the middle of the night, the two met up. Xu Qingfeng asked, "The message has been sent out. Has Duan Qing been found?"

"No, Wang Wei and Li Deren are looking for it, and Wu Sicheng went to Maple Leaf Town to gather information."

"Captain, this mountain is full of people, and the temple is too. It's not easy to move around."

Xu Qingfeng glanced at her and asked, "How many have you repaired?"

"Huh? What?" An Moxue asked.

"A person?"

"Oh! Not many. If it weren't to scare them, I could have taken care of many more at once."

"By creating panic, they will reveal more of their true colors, especially what they have been hiding."

"Alright! Captain, with you saying that, I won't rest tonight. Goodnight!" With that, An Moxue and Xu Qingfeng parted ways.