I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

Zhong Jiu nodded. After several days of training, this group of elites had indeed not let him down.

At first, he was unfamiliar with the Soul Binding Lock, but now he can execute the knife, lock the throat, and strangle the enemy in one go, even more skillfully than the old Soul Soldiers.

"well done."

He praised it verbally, but inwardly cursed the system for being stingy.

He originally thought that the ghosts killed by his subordinates would count towards his performance record, but the system showed no mercy at all. The seven evil ghosts that Zhou Sheng killed were all recorded on the other party's military seal, and had nothing to do with him.

The underworld's system is quite comprehensive; soul soldiers can be promoted based on their merits, but this is a hardship for him who wants to advance.

Zhong Jiu's eyes widened, and a plan came to him: "Starting tomorrow, you don't need to kill ghosts anymore. Spread out and scout ahead, mark the locations of the evil ghosts, and report back to me."

That should solve it, right?

This saves you from wandering around aimlessly looking for ghosts, and doubles your efficiency!

"Yes, sir!"

Without saying a word, Zhou Sheng and the others turned around and disappeared into the night.

My younger sister, Zhong Yingmei, is so busy that she can't even go home, and she can only exchange a few words on the phone.

With no worries about the future, Zhong Jiu would take his soul soldiers to "take orders and kill ghosts" every night after dark. With Zhou Sheng and his group of "living maps" as guides, his kill count soared.

Three days later, Zhong Jiu looked at the system panel, his eyes almost spitting fire: "To be promoted to Inspector, I still need to kill 7 evil spirits."

The Inspector General is not some lowly soldier like a Soul Messenger; he is a proper ninth-rank official in the underworld, belonging to the Swift Wind Hall of the City God's Mansion, and he even has his own official office, the "Inspectorate." How can the status be the same?

I must get promoted as soon as possible, at least to get an "official position"!

With three hours to go before dawn, he immediately called Zhou Sheng over: "Before dawn, I need to see the locations of at least seven evil spirits, the sooner the better!"

Zhou Sheng scratched his head, looking troubled: "Sir, you've already slain most of the evil spirits we discovered. The rest are scattered throughout Guiling City, and may have even changed their lair. Gathering seven before dawn is going to be difficult!"

Zhong Jiu frowned. The promotion that was on the tip of his tongue, was he going to have to wait another night?

"but……"

Zhou Sheng changed the subject, lowering his voice, "There's a big den at Guiling No. 3 Middle School. I went to check it out last night. There are three level-two evil spirits inside, and they're helping each other to take over the whole school. It's very dangerous."

"Three level-two evil spirits?"

Zhong Jiu's eyes instantly lit up like searchlights. One level-two ghost is worth ten level-one ghosts. Taking down these three will directly exceed the mission target!

He counted on his fingers and figured that with his current cultivation level, he should be able to deal with two level-two ghosts at the same time. Zhou Sheng and the other ten soul soldiers working together would be more than enough to hold one down. It was a sure thing!

"Pass on my order! All Soul Soldiers, assemble! Target: Guiling City No. 3 Middle School!"

Chung Kau waved his hand and turned to rush towards the school, but he never expected that the Third Secondary School would be so "lively" tonight.

On the other side, nine military jeeps screeched to a halt at the intersection opposite the Third Middle School, the sound of their tires rolling over the ground particularly jarring on the empty street.

A group of soldiers in camouflage uniforms, carrying specially made rifles and with their waists covered in specially made ultraviolet bullets, strode out of the vehicle and quickly spread out to form a perimeter, their movements clean and efficient.

A group of people got out of the last two jeeps.

The leader was a middle-aged Taoist priest wearing a Bagua robe. He gripped a compass in his left hand and made hand seals with his right, calculating the movements. The compass needle spun wildly, and his face turned pale: "Good heavens, this place is filled with ghostly energy; it's a deadly and dangerous spot!"

"We have to take the risks."

A clear yet resolute voice came from behind.

The Taoist priest turned around and saw a woman in a gray camouflage short-sleeved shirt walking over. Her ponytail swung cleanly, and her plain face was more resolute than a man's. She had a specially made peach wood knife at her waist, and her whole body exuded a "don't mess with me" vibe.

If Zhong Jiu were here, he would be absolutely stunned. Who else could this be but his sister Zhong Yingmei, who is always busy and never home?

"Team Leader Zhong, I know you've been transferred back to Guiling City because you want to make a difference."

Master Changdeng looked distressed. "I'm here to help you because I believe in your abilities, but I'm only a Special Operations Class C member. If we really run into a tough opponent, I won't be able to protect you!"

He stamped his foot: "The special operations team has just been established. We should start with the weaker targets, not tackle a tough nut like No. 3 Middle School right away! According to my calculations, there are at least three Level 2 evil spirits here. We should report this and wait for reinforcements from the provincial capital!"

"Master Changdeng, please don't pretend you don't know."

Zhong Yingmei leaned against the jeep, her eyes clear. "The provincial capital is struggling to survive; where would reinforcements come from?"

The Taoist priest's face stiffened, and he opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word.

Five years ago, ghosts only dared to hide in the wild; three years ago, the whole county and town were haunted; a year ago, even the provincial capital started to be haunted.

Zhong Yingmei's voice turned somber. "Now, 80% of the counties and towns in the province have fallen. In the eyes of the provincial capital, Guiling City, a third-tier city, is a 'sacrifice zone'."

She paused, her tone tinged with self-deprecation: "We were only able to get you here because of my teacher. If he weren't the head of the provincial special operations department, we wouldn't even have you as our 'outsider'."

The Taoist priest sighed, completely losing his temper.

Zhong Yingmei was telling the truth. The Guiling City Special Operations Group was established, and Zhong Yingmei was appointed as its leader, entirely due to her own hard-earned skills at the military academy, as well as a bit of favoritism from her teacher.

Zhong Yingmei drew her peach wood knife. The special coating on the blade could harm ghosts, and the edge gleamed coldly in the streetlights. "Don't wait any longer. Tonight, we'll raze this haunted place to the ground. Guiling City is my home. I can't watch it be devoured by evil spirits."

Unbeknownst to her, Zhong Jiu was standing in the shadows of the trees not far away, leading ten soul soldiers. Upon hearing her words, a relieved smile appeared on his lips.

This girl is pretty good; like him, she has a strong sense of protecting her family.

"This school is quite large; it would be dangerous for just our small group to go in. The roads into the city are blocked by ghosts, and the main force can't get in either!"

Zhong Yingmei lowered her binoculars, her voice cold and hard, "Master Changdeng, you, a C-level member, already faced a near-death experience just getting in here. These ghost dens outside are set up every few dozen kilometers, almost forming a continuous network. I don't think this is a coincidence at all, but a huge conspiracy!"

Her fingertip traced the red circle on the military map, her eyes sharp as knives: "Do you remember the tragedy three years ago? Monsters suddenly banded together and attacked towns and villages, 60% of the province fell overnight, and we were caught completely off guard! I'm terrified that history will repeat itself!"

Master Changdeng sighed, "The people retreated from the villages to the towns, from the towns to the counties, and now they're all crammed into the city. They've already retreated as far as they can; are they going to retreat to the heavens?"

Zhong Yingmei chuckled, her tone as light as if she were talking about the weather, "So we have no support, no way out, we can only clean up the evil spirits of Guiling City ourselves, otherwise, once the ghosts outside form an encirclement, we'll all be left with nothing but food!"

These words sent chills down the spines of the special operations team. If this information got out, Guiling City would be in an uproar.

But those present were all tough guys who were willing to risk their lives; no one showed any fear, and instead gripped their weapons tightly.

"Don't worry, I won't let my brothers die in vain."

Seeing the tension in everyone's eyes, Chung Ying-mei softened her tone, "If you really can't win, then retreat. We're here to protect people, not to die."

Just as she was about to give the order to attack, Daoist Changdeng suddenly grabbed her arm.

"Wait! Something's coming!"

The Taoist priest's compass needle spun wildly, his face deathly pale. "This yin energy... no! It doesn't seem like the ferocious aura of an evil spirit; it's more like an aura of majesty!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of a chain dragging on the ground came from the street corner.

Everyone looked up and gasped. A cloud of black mist had gathered at the empty street corner, and a group of people could be vaguely seen standing in the mist. Each of them was dragging a gleaming iron chain and was walking towards them step by step.

"Lord Chung Gau!"

Zhou Sheng lowered his voice and asked from within the black fog, "The other side is an official special operations team. Should we take a detour?"

"What are you going around in circles for?"

Zhong Jiu scoffed, "When soul soldiers are on duty, there's no reason for them to give way to the living."

He originally thought no one would dare to come out at night, and that not scouting ahead was an oversight. But since he had encountered it, he could let mortals witness the majesty of the underworld.

He took a step forward and coldly shouted, "When the soul soldiers pass by, the living must retreat!"

The ten soul soldiers immediately released their auras, and the black mist expanded three times in size. The faint roars of clashing swords and galloping horses could be heard from within, and the originally blurry figures appeared even more ferocious in the mist.