19: Secondary Tasks

Mission: Rescue the Huihai Restaurant Owner's wife.

Mission Difficulty: Level Two.

Mission Information: The Huihai Restaurant Owner's wife was abducted by the Kuangfeng Stronghold Leader three years ago and is still trapped within Kuangfeng Stronghold. Please proceed quickly to Kuangfeng Stronghold to rescue her.

Mission Time Limit: Five days.

Hint: Dozens of Night Watch have previously failed this mission. Please be extra careful...

Xiao Shi looked at the message on the token and fell into deep thought.

A Level Two mission, while not as difficult as a Level One mission, is still not simple.

Especially since dozens of Night Watch have already failed this mission, which is unusual.

If he wasn't mistaken... the initial difficulty of this mission wasn't as high as Level Two.

It might have only been a Level Three or Level Four mission.

But as more Night Watch failed during its execution, its difficulty was adjusted, elevating it to Level Two.

Xiao Shi estimated that if he failed again... this mission would very likely become a Level One mission.

"I must treat it as a Level One mission!"

Xiao Shi's expression was solemn.

He knew that the Night Watch Division's difficulty ratings for missions were often inaccurate.

After all, the Night Watch Division usually assigned mission difficulty based on the intelligence information they had.

However, this intelligence information might only be superficial.

And it could change at any time.

This would lead to some missions, seemingly only Level Four or Level Five in difficulty, being discovered during execution to have a true difficulty far beyond that level.

Xiao Shi felt that the mission he had received this time was exactly like that.

After successively checking the missions on their respective identity tokens, everyone's expressions varied.

Those who received simple missions breathed a sigh of relief, feeling unburdened.

Those who received difficult missions, however, wore long faces, their expressions despairing.

As a Night Watch... once a mission is received, it must be completed.

If a mission fails during its execution, there is usually no penalty.

But if one is afraid and dares not undertake the mission, the consequences would be severe: their cultivation would be revoked, and they would be expelled from the sect.

Time was limited.

After receiving their missions, everyone did not linger long in the Night Watch Division and promptly began their tasks.

Xiao Shi decided to first visit Huihai Restaurant, intending to find the Huihai Restaurant Owner to understand the situation.

Huihai Restaurant's location in Jin Yun City was ordinary; it was just a medium-sized inn.

There were many similar inns in Jin Yun City.

The entire Jin Yun City was bustling with people, flowing ceaselessly. On the streets, one could occasionally spot some Night Watch patrolling the city.

They had all received patrol missions within the city.

These types of missions were usually the simplest.

Soon.

Xiao Shi arrived at Huihai Restaurant and met the Huihai Restaurant Owner.

The man was a middle-aged individual in his thirties, but he gave off a very frail impression, with a pale complexion, a thin physique, a face full of stubble, and a receding hairline, appearing particularly weathered, as if he were forty or fifty years old.

After stating his purpose.

The Huihai Restaurant Owner began to recount the events of that year to Xiao Shi.

His wife was abducted outside the city.

At that time, they had been married for just over a year and were preparing to return to their hometown to visit relatives. However, after leaving the city, they encountered the Kuangfeng Stronghold Leader, and his wife was subsequently abducted.

Regarding information about Kuangfeng Stronghold... the mission also contained records.

Kuangfeng Stronghold was a bandit stronghold on Liuyue Mountain outside Jin Yun City.

The Stronghold Leader, Xu Feng, was an Entering Martial Realm Sixth Level martial artist.

He also had a group of subordinates who were at the Entering Martial Realm Third and Fourth Levels.

If one were to enter the stronghold alone to rescue someone, the difficulty would be considerable.

Xiao Shi wasn't even sure of guaranteed success.

Although with his current strength, killing an Entering Martial Realm Sixth Level was very easy, and those at Entering Martial Realm Third and Fourth Levels were even less of a concern, one punch each.

But that was, after all, the opponent's territory.

There would inevitably be traps, ambushes, and similar tactics.

Even if his strength surpassed the Stronghold Leader's, rushing in so rashly would still carry the hidden danger and risk of failure.

And this wasn't the most crucial point... the most crucial point was that Liuyue Mountain itself was a massive bandit force.

On Liuyue Mountain, there were dozens of different bandit strongholds, large and small, entrenched.

They formed a vast bandit organization.

Within this organization, there were not only powerhouses at the Entering Martial Realm Ninth Level, but it was also rumored that there were even Qi Martial Realm existences!

If Xiao Shi intended to directly take down this stronghold with the strength of one person, he would inevitably face support from other strongholds.

Once he attracted an Entering Martial Realm Ninth Level powerhouse or a Qi Martial Realm powerhouse, he would certainly fall into crisis.

None of the Night Watch who had previously undertaken this mission had attempted to forcefully attack Kuangfeng Stronghold.

They all knew.

A forceful attack on Kuangfeng Stronghold would be like one person confronting the entire bandit organization.

This was the most inadvisable method.

No one would do that.

The previous Night Watch all disguised their identities, infiltrated the stronghold, and tried to find a way to rescue the person.

Although infiltrating these bandit strongholds presented a certain difficulty for ordinary people.

It was relatively easier for the Night Watch.

After all, there were hidden agents placed by the Night Watch Division in various strongholds.

These hidden agents, in addition to gathering information, would also find ways to help them forge identities, enabling them to infiltrate as bandit members.

"My Lord, you must help me and rescue my wife."

The Huihai Restaurant Owner pleaded bitterly.

Xiao Shi looked at the weathered and frail owner with a complex expression.

In this world... it was rare to find someone so devoted.

His wife had been abducted for three years; if it were anyone else, they would despise her even if she returned.

Yet, he not only showed no disdain but had also tirelessly tried to rescue his wife.

Xiao Shi knew.

For commoners like them to ask for help from the Night Watch Division, they often had to pay very high fees.

Although the residents of Jin Yun City were protected by the Red Tiger Sect, this was limited to their safety within the city.

If the Huihai Restaurant Owner's wife had been abducted within the city, the Night Watch Division would certainly pursue the matter to the end.

But because it happened outside the city... it was no longer within their jurisdiction.

The Huihai Restaurant Owner must have spent all his personal wealth over these three years to keep the Night Watch Division handling this matter.

"This is a rare true love..."

Xiao Shi sighed inwardly.

Regardless of the reason, since he had accepted this mission, he would try his best to complete it.

However, this mission, which seemingly had only Level Two difficulty but actually possessed Level One difficulty, was not simple.

Xiao Shi felt that the method of disguising one's identity and infiltrating the stronghold to rescue someone was not effective.

This could be seen from the failures of the previous Night Watch.

A new plan gradually formed in his mind.

A plan that only he could implement!