12: prisoner

This is the fastest method to improve one's strength in a short amount of time.

"Besides the Five-Colored Spirit-Tailed Sparrow in the sect, there are no other Entering Martial Realm creatures that can be killed. I wonder if there are any suitable prey here?"

As thoughts floated in his mind, Xiao Shi immediately began to inquire.

He focused on finding out if the Night Watch Division kept any birds or beasts.

Soon, he learned that the Night Watch Division did indeed have a type of bird specifically used for intelligence transmission.

However, this bird was even more precious than the Five-Colored Spirit-Tailed Sparrow of the sect and was impossible to acquire.

As for other birds and beasts... it was said that some Night Watch did keep spirit beasts, but these spirit beasts were like their companions and part of their fighting strength, so they wouldn't part with them.

"Perhaps my direction is wrong; it doesn't have to be limited to killing Entering Martial Realm birds or beasts..."

Xiao Shi pondered, then suddenly thought of a place: the Night Watch Division's prison!

Within each of the Night Watch Division's four areas—A, B, C, and D—there was a prison.

They housed the villains and prisoners captured by each team of Night Watch during their missions.

Xiao Shi made his way to Team Ding's prison.

At the prison entrance, two Night Watch from Team Ding were on guard. Upon seeing Xiao Shi, they looked him over with interest.

"Newcomer?"

"Greetings, Senior Brothers."

Xiao Shi smiled, taking out two pre-prepared flasks of wine and handing them to the two men.

The two Night Watch accepted with smiles, took a sip, and instantly their eyes widened.

"What kind of wine is this!"

They exclaimed in amazement, saying they had never tasted such delicious wine.

Through these two flasks of wine, Xiao Shi quickly closed the distance between them and began to inquire about the prison from the two men, focusing on the prisoners inside.

"Actually, when we're on missions, we usually just kill those villains and bandits directly. We rarely capture them, unless the mission specifically states to capture someone. So, there aren't many prisoners in the jail."

One of the two Night Watch, named Wang Changhuan, said to Xiao Shi while drinking.

Xiao Shi nodded.

"Then what usually happens to these prisoners?"

"If they're people designated for capture by a mission, the higher-ups usually have special arrangements. As for others who are captured, they're just kept locked up."

The other Night Watch, named Yang Zhen, said, looking at Xiao Shi and smiling.

"You want to use the prisoners for practice, don't you?"

He knew that some new Night Watch often looked for targets to practice on before going on missions.

The prisoners in the jail were good practice subjects.

"Is that allowed?"

Xiao Shi's eyes lit up.

"If they're prisoners designated for capture by a mission, then certainly not. But if they're ordinary prisoners, as long as the person who captured him agrees, you can dispose of him."

Xiao Shi suddenly understood.

In other words... the power to dispose of ordinary prisoners lay in the hands of the Night Watch who captured him.

If he wanted to use a prisoner for practice, he first had to obtain permission from the captor.

"You're in luck. Currently, in our prison here, there's a villain I captured."

The Night Watch named Yang Zhen patted Xiao Shi's shoulder.

"If you want to practice, I can give him to you directly. But be careful, this person has a cultivation of Entrance to Martial Realm Fifth Level. Although his strength has decreased while imprisoned, he is still not easy to deal with."

"Thank you, Senior Brother!"

Xiao Shi repeatedly thanked him, then hesitated and asked, "If I accidentally kill him..."

"If he dies, he dies."

Yang Zhen waved his hand dismissively.

"These prisoners are inherently deserving of death. Being able to serve as practice for us Night Watch before they die can be considered their last contribution to this world."

Xiao Shi nodded.

With his words, he felt reassured... The prison was dark and gloomy, never seeing sunlight.

The cells here were surrounded by walls, and with the cell doors closed, it was usually difficult to see the situation inside.

When Wang Changhuan and Yang Zhen led Xiao Shi to one of the cells and opened its iron door, Xiao Shi finally saw the prisoner held within.

This was a burly old man, disheveled, covered in grime and blood, wearing special handcuffs and leg chains, squatting in a corner.

"Junior Brother Xiao, do you really not need us to guard you from the side?"

Yang Zhen couldn't help but ask again.

The two of them had intended to act as guardians for Xiao Shi.

If Xiao Shi was outmatched, or encountered any danger during the fight, they could intervene in time to ensure Xiao Shi's safety.

There had been cases where Night Watch were outmatched in fights with prisoners and were killed by them.

In their opinion, Xiao Shi was, after all, only at the Entering Martial Realm Fourth Level.

Facing a Entrance to Martial Realm Fifth Level prisoner whose strength had declined still carried some risk.

Xiao Shi, however, smiled and shook his head.

"Thank you, Senior Brothers, but I want to face him alone. If I can't even handle a prisoner like this, I doubt I'll survive when I carry out Night Watch missions later."

The two nodded, deeply moved by Xiao Shi's words.

As veterans, they both knew that the mortality rate for newcomers was highest during their first mission.

Especially for Team Ding... Night Watch who joined Team Ding were usually the most ordinary and mediocre type of people.

They couldn't compare to the elite teams or genius teams.

Basically, a quarter of the new recruits would die during their first mission.

"Be extra careful!"

"We'll wait for you to come out and drink."

The two no longer tried to persuade him, offering words of encouragement to Xiao Shi.

Then, after Xiao Shi stepped into the cell, they closed the iron door and waited outside.

Xiao Shi walked into the cell and found that the entire cell was even smaller than it looked from the outside.

There wasn't much space to dodge or move around when fighting in here.

At the same time, the prisoner who had been squatting on the ground slowly raised his head, revealing a ferocious and brutal face.

His bloodshot eyes were filled with savagery, and a dense murderous aura emanated from his body, clearly indicating he was a man who had engaged in slaughter for many years.

He stood up directly from the ground.

His entire figure was extremely tall, estimated to be about 1.9 meters, like a raging bear. His gaze, fixed on Xiao Shi, was filled with bloodlust and brutality, emitting a hoarse, unpleasant chuckle.

"You're a new Night Watch, aren't you? Heh, a mere Entering Martial Realm Fourth Level, daring to pick this old man for practice? Do you know how many Entering Martial Realm Fourth Level people like you I've killed before I was captured?"

He clenched his fists, producing crisp cracking sounds. The brutality in his eyes seemed to emanate from his pupils, forming a deterrent. Combined with his tall stature, it created a strong sense of oppression.

However, this oppression... seemed to have no effect on Xiao Shi.

Xiao Shi looked at him with a calm expression, his gaze like that of someone looking at prey.

There was even an unconcealed hint of excitement in his eyes, as if there was some treasure worth anticipating on the prisoner's body.

Such a gaze made even this prisoner, who had long been stained with blood, momentarily stunned.