The Prisoner, Ling Qingxun

Although Kent considered the possibility that the singing might be coming from a human mercenary, he quickly dismissed the idea. Who would be singing in the middle of the night in the wilderness? Unless, of course, they were insane.

He wiped his face, tightened his belt, and covered the unpleasant smell with layers of dirt.

"Forget it. I'll deal with it after I get some rest," Kent muttered to himself.

Exhausted, Kent felt like he could sleep until dawn. However, the singing, soft and sorrowful, continued intermittently, and if he really focused, the melody tugged at his heartstrings.

Kent frowned, trying hard to ignore it. After all, having sharp hearing could sometimes be more of a nuisance than a gift.

"I can't sleep," Kent muttered.

After tossing and turning for about ten minutes, the singing still hadn't stopped. It was now accompanied by some soft, mournful flute music. It seemed like whoever was out there wasn't planning to give up.

Kent, who hated being disturbed during his sleep—ghosts included—spat on the ground in frustration. He decided to confront the source of this disturbance.

With a flick of his wrist, the Earth Control Spirit Pearl in his possession activated, causing a pile of dirt to rise and douse the blazing Red Fire stone, extinguishing the flames. Kent then carefully stowed the still-hot stone in his spatial bag. Though a low-grade Red Fire stone wasn't worth much in terms of dollars, it was still something Kent wasn't willing to discard so easily.

Afterward, he opened the hole above him, stored the glowing Earth Control Spirit Pearl, and leapt to the ground. The surroundings were pitch black, eerie and cold with the late-night chill.

And then, the song returned—filled with sadness and longing. Kent's irritation grew as he traced the sound, creeping forward. After walking a few hundred meters and circling around a large tree, he thought, Whether it's a person or a ghost, I'll find out in one glance.

He whispered a chant to steel his nerves and peeked around the tree. What he saw made him pause.

A woman in white, fragile and slender, sat on a large stone with her back to him. She held a flute in her hands, playing a haunting melody.

Kent couldn't immediately tell if she was human or something else, but his fear dissipated a little.

As the woman sang a few more lines, Kent could hear something was off. It seemed she was indeed human, not a ghost or some transformed creature.

"Miss, are you... human?" Kent asked, his voice bold despite his uncertainty.

The woman suddenly jolted, startled. She quickly turned around, revealing a beautiful face, probably in her mid-twenties.

"Who... who are you?" she asked, a hint of panic and fear in her eyes, as if she saw Kent as some kind of threat.

Kent relaxed upon seeing her reaction. She's human, he thought.

However, many questions remained. Why was this woman out here? Why was she singing in the middle of the night? None of it made sense.

"Don't worry about who I am. Answer me this: you're clearly a human woman, so why are you here, singing in the dead of night?" Kent asked, his voice firm.

He then summoned Garfield, his pet, who appeared next to him. With its dark yellow eyes, Garfield glared at the woman coldly.

"Are you a mercenary? Oh, thank goodness. Young man, can you help me?" The woman's face lit up with a gleam of hope.

Kent's eyes narrowed as he coldly replied, "Help you? You're out here, disturbing my sleep in the middle of the night with your awful singing. I haven't even made trouble for you, and now you ask me for help? Speak quickly. Why are you here?"

The woman's expression faltered, her joy turning to despair. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, "Young man, my name is Ling Qingxun. I'm the leader of the Qianxun Mercenary Group from Chang'an City. Our group only recruits female mercenaries."

"Three months ago, I led a group of my sisters on a mission, but we were captured by some criminals. Some of us were killed, and the rest were taken alive. Not one of us escaped. These criminals brought us here to imprison us, and their hideout is in the valley just ahead."

"As for why I'm here, the criminals left for a while, leaving only a few underlings to guard us. I have a special ability—I can walk through walls. So, I sneaked out of their hideout and came here to be alone with my sorrow."

Kent's expression changed. So, this was the truth? He had stumbled upon a hideout of wanted criminals, and these criminals were likely the same ones who had tried to hunt him down earlier in the day—Qin Jianxuan and his men.

"Since you can escape, why didn't you take this chance to run?" Kent asked coldly.

"I wish I could escape! But they injected tracking devices into our blood, and their leader has a trained flying hawk. It's incredibly fast, and there's no one for miles in this wilderness. Where could I run? Besides, they've threatened us—if any of us tries to escape, they'll kill one person for each failed attempt. If anyone succeeds in escaping, they'll slaughter the rest of us before they leave." Ling Qingxun's voice was filled with helplessness and fear.

Kent couldn't help but take a sharp breath. These criminals were truly ruthless, their hands stained with blood.

"Young man, can you help us? All we need is for you to send word about our location to Chang'an City. If we can be rescued, we will be eternally grateful to you," Ling Qingxun said, her eyes filled with desperation.

Kent sighed inwardly. He knew that these women had likely suffered unspeakable horrors, their bodies and minds broken, but they still held onto the hope of revenge and survival.

However, he didn't immediately agree. "Ling Qingxun, my name is Kent. I'm a mercenary from Earthstar City, and I'm also an inspector. Here."

Kent showed her the badge of an inspector.

Ling Qingxun's eyes widened in surprise, then filled with hope as she exclaimed, "It's you! Kent, the Inspector! Will you really help us?"

Kent replied, "This is something anyone would do, but first, tell me more about the situation in the valley."

Ling Qingxun nodded eagerly and explained in detail.

Five minutes later, Kent stood with his hand on his chin, deep in thought. The situation in the valley was more complicated than he expected. He might have the skills to help, but the risks involved were considerable.

"I understand now. Unfortunately, my strength is limited, and I can't simply take down those criminals," Kent said with a soft sigh. "Ling Qingxun, you should go back for now. Don't show yourself. I will take care of this."

Ling Qingxun gazed at him intently for five long seconds, her eyes filled with hope and pleading.

"Then... please, I'll return quietly and won't let anyone notice," she finally said, her voice steady despite her fear.

With that, she turned and disappeared into the darkness, her figure vanishing quickly.