Chapter 429 - 283: Shocking! A Shadow of Evil Promoting Devil Worship?

Chapter 429: Chapter 283: Shocking! A Shadow of Evil Promoting Devil Worship?

The station of the Seventh Squad, Twin Tower City Guard Corps. This squad was primarily responsible for maintaining peace on Chrysanthemum Street and the surrounding blocks.

However, since the arrival of the Zog Group, the crime rate in Twin Tower City had been steadily declining, with the drop on Chrysanthemum Street being especially pronounced.

Aside from arresting a Potion Factory director a few years ago, they hadn’t handled a single important case.

Their days were spent either mediating spats between married couples or finding someone’s lost dog.

Technically, these trivial matters weren’t even within the Guard Corps’ jurisdiction.

But the Seventh Squad was bored out of their minds.

The good news: they didn’t have to do any real work.

The bad news: all prospects for promotion were gone.

And so, the Seventh Squad quickly became known as the city’s retirement squad—as well as its most ideologically "progressive" one.

By necessity, their work was no longer just about selling their labor; part of it was now done to fulfill their own psychological needs...

Today, however, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor.

A guard burst through the door to the captain’s office, panting as he spoke.

"Reporting, Captain! We’ve received a tip that a group is gathering in the Riverfront District for a Devil-worshipping ritual."

"What?"

The captain feigned shock as he stood up, skillfully switching his main screen back to the desktop.

While the current model of the console couldn’t multitask, switching back to the desktop was still possible.

The guard glanced at the desktop on the captain’s screen and put on a contrived ’I-didn’t-see-a-thing’ face.

"What do you think you’re looking at!"

The captain smacked him on the back of the head. "Is there something strange about having my desktop up when I’m not working?"

"Perfectly normal, Captain!"

Despite his words, the whirring of the fans in the console case betrayed that it was anything but idle.

Magic Energy Equipment needed to cool down, too.

The captain was, in fact, secretly playing *Path of Conquest*. Having lost all hope of promotion, he was getting his fix of being a person of power in the game.

However, given his financial situation, he couldn’t be much of a big shot in the game, either. He could only be a mid-level officer in his guild, just a cut above pure cannon fodder in clan wars—but not by much.

He could take one Skill from a top whale, buying his guild’s big shot a precious few seconds to deal damage.

Even so, on his server he was considered somebody. He had a dedicated group of followers who would queue up, waiting for him to lead them on dungeon runs.

’A man had to be content.’

Anything more was beyond his means; he wouldn’t be able to handle it.

The captain of the neighboring Sixth Squad was in the slammer right now for embezzling public funds for the game.

"Getting all worked up over nothing. As a guardsman, you need to be composed. It’s just a Devil-worshipping ritual. What’s the big deal?" the captain said calmly.

The guard’s eyes filled with admiration. "Captain, even a Demon-worshipping ritual isn’t a big deal?"

This young guard had been transferred to the Seventh Squad for offending a superior at his last post, essentially killing any hope for career advancement.

’I can’t believe the captain is so calm about a Devil ritual alert. That’s an evil ceremony that could summon a real Devil! Could he be a reclusive Legendary warrior?’

"You’re new, so you wouldn’t know. We get reports about Devil worship in this district every few days. It always turns out to be kids playing dress-up based on that game... what was it called again..."

"Red Alert?"

"That’s the one. Playing as the Devil Warriors from *Red Alert*. It’s called... cosplay. There aren’t any real Devils," the captain said, taking his gear from the armor rack. "If the kids are making too much of a racket, we just tell them to go home."

"Oh, so that’s all it is." There was a hint of disappointment in the guard’s voice.

’The lack of danger was good, of course, but it also proved this squad really had no future.’

’After all, opportunity and danger always go hand in hand.’

The two men finished gearing up and started walking unhurriedly toward the East End of Chrysanthemum Street.

The captain wasn’t going out personally to demonstrate his willingness to lead from the front. It was mainly because they were the only two on duty today. In their squad, there weren’t many people left who weren’t too old for field assignments.

’Who cares about being a captain? If a Cat needs catching, you catch it. If a dog needs finding, you find it.’

A little over ten minutes later, the veteran and the rookie arrived at the location of the report.

Along the way, the captain gave the new guard a few pointers.

For example, he had to remember to smile.

The cosplaying kids, he explained, loved to take pictures with people. When they saw the Guard Corps, they wouldn’t run away. Instead, they’d come right up and politely ask for a photo.

Usually, after the picture, they’d even offer a compliment or two. "Where’d you get your Guard Corps costume made? It’s so realistic!"

When that happens, you have to remember to compliment them back on how realistic their costumes are.

Those kids love posting the photos online, and occasionally a few go viral.

So, the two of them had to project a friendly and approachable attitude. It was their small contribution to improving the Guard Corps’ public image.

"Even though we’re in a dead-end job, we still have to do our best each day and stand our post with pride. We can’t just give up on ourselves," the captain instructed with sincere gravity.

"Understood." The guard straightened his uniform after listening.

The most famous building on the East End of Chrysanthemum Street was, without a doubt, the Zog Magic Cinema.

It was the most luxurious Magic Cinema on the whole Continent, boasting the most theaters and the best audiovisual experience.

A sizable crowd was now gathered at the cinema’s entrance.

"Alright, stop looking. That’s got to be it," the captain said, sure of himself.

He led the guard into the crowd, pushing their way through.

"Make way, make way! Guard Corps coming through."

"What about the Guard Corps? Does being with the Guard Corps mean you can cut in line? I’ve been waiting here forever to get a photo!" someone they pushed past yelled.

"Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to take pictures with us later. No need to rush," the captain responded.