After descending the mountain, my aloof fiancée became completely devoted to me.

Lin Ping stared at the dark passage where the woman in black had disappeared, his gaze darkening slightly.

The woman's movements and methods of concealing her presence were clearly the exclusive secret guard techniques of the Blood Shadow Pavilion.

It seems that the force behind imprisoning Shen Aoxue and setting up the Southern Frontier Suppression Formation must be the Blood Shadow Pavilion.

He glanced down at his watch; there were only ten minutes left before his shift ended.

If they do not return soon, the three drunken, unconscious men will inevitably be exposed, and all the results of tonight's investigation will be in vain.

Before he could delve into the secrets behind the iron gate, Lin Ping's figure blurred, turning into a faint shadow as he retraced his steps and silently returned to the monitoring room.

The three people inside were still fast asleep, snoring loudly.

Lin Ping raised his hand, and three wisps of fine water mist flicked from his fingertips, gently landing on the faces of the three people.

The cool water touched their skin, and within two seconds, the three drowsy individuals began to stir.

Xiao Wu was the first to open his eyes, and sat up abruptly. His head was still a little dizzy. He hurriedly looked up at the clock on the wall, and his face turned deathly pale.

"Oh no! We slept for hours! We missed our entire night shift! This is a huge disaster!"

He was ice-cold all over, his hands and feet were numb, and he had fallen asleep on duty without permission while on night shift at the building. At best, he would be dismissed, and at worst, he would be held accountable. He simply could not afford the consequences.

Yuan Qi rubbed his throbbing head and groggily sat up: "Oh no, I'm going to get a real scolding from the captain tonight."

Zhu Ming also looked flustered and anxious.

Lin Ping leaned back in his chair, his expression calm, and casually said, "What's the panic? It's nothing."

"Are you alright?" Xiao Wu was sweating profusely with anxiety. "No one has been patrolling for hours, the surveillance cameras are down. If they trace it back to us, none of us will be safe!"

"While you were asleep, I completed the entire patrol of the building for you," Lin Ping said calmly and nonchalantly.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ming immediately breathed a sigh of relief and grinned, "I knew with Brother Ping around, it would be a sure thing!"

He patted Xiao Wu on the shoulder, his tone reassuring: "Xiao Wu, you're just too timid! Brother Ping is more capable than a whole group of us. Don't worry about missing a patrol, or even if something minor happens, Brother Ping can handle it. Don't fret!"

Xiao Wu was still shaken and couldn't help but mutter, "I've never drunk such a potent liquor before. The aftereffects were too strong. Who would have thought that a few bottles would make me fall asleep and die?"

Lin Ping said calmly, "The local liquor brewed in my hometown has a high alcohol content and a strong character; ordinary people really can't get used to it."

Upon hearing this, the group stopped thinking about it and assumed it was just the effects of ordinary strong liquor, thus completely putting aside their concerns.

But just then!

The lights in the entire monitoring room suddenly started flashing wildly!

A crackling sound of electrical noise exploded, and all the monitoring screens went black instantly, displaying static.

A bone-chilling cold instantly filled the entire room, making it hard to breathe.

A cold, hoarse, emotionless mechanical noise suddenly boomed from the depths of the corridor, echoing throughout the entire floor:

"Even the most insignificant person neglects their post, and others fail to perform their duties due to personal gain."

The moment the sound reached their ears, Xiao Wu, Yuan Qi, and Zhu Ming's pupils suddenly went black, their heads lolled to the side, and before they could even scream, their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.

The three of them instantly lost consciousness and were powerless to struggle.

In the vast monitoring room, Lin Ping was left alone, sitting upright in his seat, his expression unchanged.

He slowly raised his eyes and looked towards the doorway.

A tall, dark figure slowly stepped into the monitoring room.

The newcomer wore a pale white shaman mask with bizarre and twisted patterns. He was surrounded by a faint black aura of malevolence, and his aura was cold and violent. With a wave of his hand, the surrounding air almost froze.

Beneath the mask, a mocking yet chilling laugh rang out:

"The mighty Qianlong, who can shake the Southern Frontier Suppression Formation, actually lowers himself to mingle in the marketplace, staying up all night with a few lowly security guards. What a ridiculous joke."

He slowly approached, his gaze sweeping over the three unconscious men on the ground, his killing intent palpable.

"Since these few useless creatures are only hindering your ability to conceal your whereabouts, I will clean them all up for you."

Before the words were finished, the black shadow formed a hook with its five fingers, wrapped in a dense black aura, and suddenly reached out, aiming straight for Xiao Wu's neck!

This claw strike was fierce and ruthless, and extremely fast. Once it gripped the target, Xiao Wu would die instantly!

"presumptuous."

The moment the word "indifferent" landed, Lin Ping suddenly sprang up!

With one step, the wind roared.

He raised his hand and precisely grabbed the other person's wrist with a steady and domineering force, forcefully blocking this fatal claw.

boom!

Two powerful forces collided violently, the shockwave sweeping through the entire monitoring room, causing the tables and chairs to tremble violently, and the scattered bottles to shatter instantly, splashing liquor everywhere.

The shaman masked man was so shocked that he took three steps back, his arm went numb, and a look of astonishment flashed in his eyes.

"There's definitely something to it."

He let out a low shout, broke free from his restraints, spun around, his murderous aura surged, and his fists, imbued with sinister power, launched a fierce attack.

His punches were fierce and domineering, each strike aimed directly at Lin Ping's vital points, and each blow carried a sharp sound that tore through the air.

Lin Ping remained calm and composed, his movements light and graceful, neither hurried nor slow.

He deliberately restrained most of his cultivation, only using the peak of the secular martial arts realm to deal with the situation. He seemed to be passively blocking, but in fact, every move was just right, easily dismantling all of the opponent's attacks.

Bang bang bang!

The sounds of intense fighting erupted one after another.

The masked man's attacks were ferocious and fierce, his moves insidious and cunning, but no matter how much force he exerted or how he changed his moves, he could not touch Lin Ping even slightly.

His killing moves were all easily neutralized, and all his strength went to waste.

In just a few dozen rounds, the masked man's breathing became increasingly disordered, and his suspicions grew stronger.

He could clearly sense that Lin Ping's cultivation aura was unremarkable, but after exchanging blows, he realized that the other party's movement techniques and control were far beyond worldly understanding, extremely strange.

"You're hiding your true abilities!"

The masked man roared, his killing intent surging. He no longer held back, his black aura solidifying into a tangible form. His palm strike, carrying a chilling power that could corrode everything, slammed fiercely into Lin Ping's chest.

This is the Blood Shadow Pavilion's deadly evil technique; touching it will cause injury, and even a single touch will cripple you!

Lin Ping's eyes turned slightly cold, and a faint, playful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Pretending to be weak to deceive others—that's exactly what this kind of self-righteous fool is all about.

He no longer purely defended; he flipped his wrist, his finger strength concentrated in an instant, seemingly a light strike, yet containing immense power, precisely targeting the meridians in the opponent's palm.

Click!

A faint cracking sound was heard.

"what!"

The masked man groaned, his entire arm instantly went numb and weak, his strength dissipated, and excruciating pain spread throughout his body.

He staggered backward, staring intently at Lin Ping, his eyes beneath the mask filled with horror and rage.

Before he could regain his footing, a soft yet incredibly authoritative female voice suddenly echoed from the depths of the corridor:

"Useless trash, can't even break through the opponent's deliberately suppressed strength."

"Lin Ping, I'm becoming more and more interested in your hidden trump card."