Too many female prisoners, a special forces soldier transmigrates and marries wildly.

At the end of the Xu hour, Shuofeng City fell into complete silence.

Inside the Southwest Scout Office, the lights were on, yet there was not a sound.

Lin Feng, clad in light black armor and a dark cloak, stood in the hall with his hand on his sword, his posture as upright as a pine tree. Only the murderous aura between his brows revealed his tension at that moment.

"Captain, all sides are in position," Old Dao reported in a low voice, his words clear and distinct.

"Our men are already in ambush around the blacksmith's shop. As soon as the people inside come out with the 'goods,' we'll take them down immediately. In the backyard of the tavern, Huai Niang, Liu Laosan, Sun the Cripple, Wang Heng, and the other three leaders, along with seventeen of their henchmen, are all under surveillance. The cellar in the backyard and several secret exits are also being watched. At each of the five arson sites in the west and south markets, three groups of brothers are lying in wait, ready to extinguish them as soon as they start them. At the west and south city gates, the garrison commanders have adjusted the overt and covert sentries as planned. At the gate and side gate that Wang Heng's group is in charge of, we have fifty of our best men lying in ambush, just waiting for the signal."

Lin Feng nodded slightly, his gaze falling on the hourglass. The fine sand slid silently down; only a moment remained until midnight.

"What's the direction to Black Wind Valley?" he asked.

"A quarter of an hour ago, the last message came: the main force of the Wolf Cavalry Guards is still lying in ambush in the pine forest outside the valley entrance, without making any unusual moves. However, a small group of Di Rong scouts was spotted on the ridge west of the valley entrance, seemingly clearing the last section of the dangerous path. Judging by their pace, if they were to coordinate with the operation inside the city, they should have already begun their secret approach by now," another scout responsible for liaison outside the city replied.

"It seems they can't wait any longer." A cold glint flashed in Lin Feng's eyes. "Order the Black Wind Valley outpost to closely monitor the west side of the valley entrance. If a large group of Wolf Cavalry is spotted moving, immediately send out warning signals!"

"yes!"

The order was passed on silently. Silence returned to the government office, broken only by the occasional crackling of the lamp wick and the suppressed breathing of the crowd.

Lin Feng's hand unconsciously moved to his left chest, touching the amulet he held in his bosom through the cold armor. The rough texture of the fabric brought a strange sense of security.

"Captain," a clerk hurried in carrying a wooden tray. On the tray were several confiscated items, intended to be used as evidence or as rewards. Among them, a simple orchid handkerchief stood out.

"This was taken from the stewardess of Commander Wang's household at the South Gate. She said it was a newly purchased embroidered handkerchief. When I was checking the items, I saw that the embroidery on this handkerchief was very fine, so I took it along for filing." The clerk meant well, seeing that Lin Feng had been busy all night, he wanted him to see the exquisite embroidery to ease his mind.

Lin Feng glanced at it casually, but his gaze suddenly froze! The simple auspicious cloud pattern on the handkerchief was almost identical to the one on the amulet Xiao Qingli had given him. Only the stitching wasn't as fine as the amulet's.

His inner alarm bells rang, but his face remained impassive. He reached for the orchid-patterned handkerchief; it was soft to the touch, the orchids lifelike, clearly of superior quality. He ran his fingers along the edge of the wooden button, noticing a slightly unusual sensation. Examining it closely under the light, he saw a very fine seam on the back of the button, almost seamlessly integrated with the wood grain.

He subtly gave Old Dao a wink. Old Dao understood and immediately waved his hand to dismiss his men, leaving only two trusted confidants guarding the door.

Lin Feng took out his dagger and carefully inserted the extremely thin tip into the gap on the back of the wooden buckle, gently prying it open. With a soft "click," the wooden buckle actually cracked open from the side, revealing a small piece of plain silk that was folded very neatly, with faint dark red marks showing through its edges!

The yamen was deathly silent. Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the wooden button in Lin Feng's hand and the plain silk handkerchief.

Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat for a moment. With his fingertips, he very lightly and slowly pulled the small piece of plain silk from the wooden clasp and unfolded it under the lamplight.

On the rough, plain silk, a few crude lines were drawn with oxidized, dark, almost brownish "ink." A crooked house, a tree beside it, several dots under the tree, an arrow pointing west with a small flame at its tip, and next to the flame, a simple moon with a horizontal line below it. House, tree, shadow, flame, horizontal line under the moon… he was almost certain that the "house" referred to "Zhang's Blacksmith Shop," the "tree" to "Old Locust Tree Tavern," and the flame and midnight were the signals for arson and the start of the attack!

Who is this mysterious warner? Is it a traitor lurking within "Shadow"? Or a righteous person who accidentally uncovers the conspiracy? Why use such a subtle, almost childlike method to deliver the message? And why, specifically, an embroidered handkerchief, something belonging to a woman?

This handkerchief was only delivered to the steward's wife at the South Gate garrison today, and then picked up by the clerk. This means that the person who drew the warning picture delivered it to someone connected to the city gate garrison commander through an embroidered handkerchief and a wooden button—a near-secret way of transmitting information! This is no coincidence!

Countless questions churned in Lin Feng's chest like boiling water.

He stared intently at the plain silk, at the simple yet resolute pattern, and a pair of clear and resolute eyes seemed to appear before him, eyes that were sewing under the lamp, yet concealing endless secrets and sorrow.

West Back Street...Embroiderer...Orphan...Yun Li.

That quiet, almost unnoticed girl with exquisite embroidery skills, shrouded in a faint mist? How could she, a mere orphan struggling to survive in exile, have been drawn into such a dangerous conspiracy? And how could she know the core plan of "Shadow Strike"?

He quickly folded the plain silk handkerchief again, tucked it back into the wooden button, and then carefully restored the wooden button to its original position, fastening it back to the corner of the handkerchief. His movements were swift and steady, but only he knew that his fingertips were trembling slightly.

"Where did this handkerchief come from? Who embroidered it? Who handled it? Find out immediately and keep it a secret!" Lin Feng's voice was very low, but it carried an undeniable force.

"It was purchased this afternoon from the 'Skillful Embroidery Workshop' in the West Market by the steward's wife of Commander Wang of the South Gate. According to her, the shop owner, Mrs. Wu, said that it was consigned by an embroiderer surnamed Yun from West Back Street. Her embroidery skills are excellent, and she is very quiet and doesn't talk much." Although the clerk didn't understand, seeing Lin Feng's unprecedentedly solemn expression, he quickly told him everything he knew.

West Back Street, surnamed Yun, embroiderer, quiet... all the clues point to that figure.

It's definitely her!

Lin Feng's heart sank, then leaped again. It sank because if it really was her, how could a helpless, vulnerable woman have gotten caught up in such a massive trouble, and what risks had she taken to warn him? It leaped because an inexplicable emotion, mixed with worry and anger, instantly gripped his heart. Was she safe? Had "Shadow Strike" already detected her?

No, stay calm.

Lin Feng forced himself to take a deep breath, suppressing his turbulent emotions. Now was not the time to dwell on these things. The most urgent task was to deal with the immediate crisis and wipe out "Shadow Swan" and the Wolf Cavalry Guards outside the city! Only by completely thwarting the enemy's conspiracy could he protect Shuofeng City, and perhaps... protect that mysterious woman who had somehow become entangled in it.

"This matter ends here. It must not be mentioned to anyone, including the origin of this handkerchief."

Lin Feng carefully folded the orchid-scented handkerchief, tucked it close to his body, and swept his gaze across the people in the room, sharp as a knife. "Right now, we have only one goal—at midnight, to wipe out all the demons and monsters in the city! And the Di and Rong wolf cavalry outside the city will not return alive!"

"Yes!" The crowd responded solemnly, suppressing their many questions.

Lin Feng glanced at the hourglass one last time; the fine sand was about to run out. Midnight had arrived.

"action!"

He spoke in a low voice, not loud, but like the clash of metal, resolute and decisive.

Almost as soon as he finished speaking—

"boom!!!"

A sudden, deafening explosion erupted from the west side of the city, sending flames soaring into the sky and illuminating half the night! Immediately following, several more explosions followed from the south side, accompanied by raging fires!

"Fire! Fire!" The shrill shouts, the frantic running sounds, and the clanging of gongs instantly shattered the silence of the night.

The snake has come out of its hole.

Lin Feng's eyes were cold, showing no surprise whatsoever. His hand on his sword remained as steady as a rock as he strode out of the government office and mounted his horse. His black cloak fluttered in the night wind.

"As planned, close in!"

The thunderous sound of hooves echoed as squads of black-clad elite soldiers, who had been waiting for a long time, surged out from every hidden corner of Shuofeng City like a black tide, silently and swiftly rushing toward their predetermined targets—the blacksmith shop, the tavern, the city gate, and the fire!

The murderous intent was revealed at this moment! The city of Shuofeng was awakened by the sounds of fire and battle cries at midnight. And the real battle had just begun.

In the courtyard on West Back Street, Xiao Qingli trembled violently upon hearing the first explosion. She lunged to the window and pushed it open a crack. She saw flames shooting into the sky from the direction of the West Market, thick smoke billowing, and faintly mingled with terrified cries and the sharp clang of clashing weapons!

She covered her mouth tightly to stifle a scream. Her heart pounded wildly, almost bursting out of her chest. They'd done it! They'd really done it! They'd set it on fire! That handkerchief…did Lin Feng…see it? Did he understand? Was it too late to stop them?

she does not know.

She could only huddle in the shadows behind the window, peering through the narrow gap at the distant firelight that illuminated the night sky, her body trembling uncontrollably.