Chapter 150: Abandoned Pawn

The biting cold wind blew across the frozen earth. A figure in a black trench coat stumbled forward step by step. In the thin mist in the distance, a tall city wall loomed.

"Aurora City... that's Aurora City."

Xi Renjie's eyelashes were already frozen with ice shards. The moment the city wall entered his vision, his unfocused pupils finally regained a trace of reason.

His cracked lips parted slightly, exhaling a puff of white mist. At this moment, he felt as if all the bones in his body were about to freeze stiff, and the two wounds pierced by the steel sword had long since lost all sensation.

He didn't know how he had made it this far. His existence seemed to have been erased in this vast ice and snow. If it weren't for the motivation Aurora City gave him remaining in his mind, he probably would have collapsed from exhaustion halfway... And now, the city of his dreams was right before his eyes.

As he approached, the surrounding mist became thinner and thinner. He could see the aurora flowing in the sky behind the city wall, like a magnificent gem suspended in the air.

Beneath that gem, countless kites were vaguely flying.

Xi Renjie stared blankly at this scene, seemingly infatuated. He reached out his hand, wanting to grab the flying kites, but in the end, he only grasped a piece of icy wind and snow.

"Aurora City... I'm here."

Xi Renjie took a deep breath, the cold air causing a stinging pain in his lungs. He became completely sober and quickened his pace toward the city wall.

He stumbled to the foot of Aurora City. A blinding beam of light was projected from the top of the wall, sweeping across the snow-white ground and locking onto Xi Renjie. Xi Renjie frowned, instinctively covering the light with his hand.

"This is Aurora City." A low voice came from a loudspeaker on the edge of the city wall. "Please present your entry documents."

Xi Renjie took a deep breath and shouted at the city wall covered by wind and snow:

"I am Third District Enforcer Xi Renjie, here to report to Aurora City!"

The voice in the loudspeaker paused for a moment, seemingly checking something.

After a brief wait, the massive city gate slowly opened under Xi Renjie's gaze. A gust of wind brushed his cheeks, and following it were several figures walking calmly from behind the gate.

These figures were all wearing black trench coats. Unlike Xi Renjie, the hems of their coats had at least four flashing patterns, and the leader even had five.

Seeing such a grand formation, astonishment appeared in Xi Renjie's eyes. He just wanted to enter the city; why were so many high-level Enforcers dispatched?

"You are Xi Renjie." The leading man asked.

"Yes."

"How did you come alone? Where are the Enforcers you were supposed to bring?"

Xi Renjie opened his mouth, but eventually said hoarsely, "They're all dead... they all died in the calamity riot in the Third District."

"Thirty people, all dead?" The man's eyes narrowed.

"Yes."

"And Chen Ling? Did you kill him?"

"...I killed him."

The man nodded slightly and said nothing more.

"Officer, can I enter Aurora City now?" Xi Renjie asked tentatively.

"Of course you can."

The man drew his gun, aimed it at Xi Renjie's knees, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Bang bang—!

Two gunshots rang out, followed by two blooming flowers of blood. Xi Renjie never expected the other party to shoot at him; he hadn't even activated his [Iron Coat] before he screamed and fell to his knees.

Immediately after, the other Enforcers standing behind the man stepped forward quickly, locking Xi Renjie's hands with pitch-black shackles. Blades flashing with a chilling cold light were pressed against his neck; with the slightest force, Xi Renjie's head would be severed.

Xi Renjie knelt in the snow, the blood seeping from his knees staining the ground red. His eyes were filled with pain and astonishment.

"Why?? Is there some kind of misunderstanding... I came after receiving a message from Aurora City! I have a record!"

The man sneered, walked up slowly, and pressed the cold muzzle against Xi Renjie's forehead.

He said calmly:

"Should I call you Xi Renjie... or Chen Ling?"

Xi Renjie froze in place.

"...What does that mean? I am Xi Renjie; you only need to check my file to know, and my face can't be faked!" Xi Renjie replied angrily.

"Your face can't be faked?" The man said unhurriedly. "Not necessarily..."

"Not necessarily??"

"Heretic Chen Ling, you possess the special ability to change your face; even if we were to flay you, we couldn't confirm your identity... Tell me, how do you intend to prove that you are Xi Renjie?"

A deep sense of bewilderment surfaced in Xi Renjie’s eyes. He looked at the man, whose face remained calm and composed, as if victory were already in his grasp.

"Chen Ling was able to slaughter every other participant in the Ancient Armory of the Military Path single-handedly. His strength must be above the Second Stage... Tell me, how did a Second-Stripe Enforcer like you, who has no talent, manage to kill him?"

"I..." There wasn't a drop of blood left in Xi Renjie’s face.

"No, that’s not right... You all knew I couldn't beat him, so why did you give me that order?"

Xi Renjie froze, a thought suddenly flashing through his mind...

"You did it on purpose? You used me as bait?!"

"No need to keep acting, Chen Ling," the man said slowly. "Let me remind you what happened... Enforcer Xi Renjie received orders and set a trap to kill you, but with his strength, how could he possibly be your match? You easily defeated Xi Renjie and learned from him that Aurora City had discovered your identity. So, you played along, killed Xi Renjie, and took his face, hoping to infiltrate Aurora City..."

"This way, not only could you enter the city, but you could also continue to lurk within the Enforcer system under the guise of Xi Renjie... For you, this is the simplest and most efficient method."

"Officer [Tan Xin] sent Xi Renjie to you specifically to make you take the bait... We were worried you might kill Xi Renjie and never show yourself again, but it seems you took the hook after all."

The man’s words landed in Xi Renjie’s ears like rolling thunder.

Only now did Xi Renjie understand why the information Aurora City gave him didn't mention any of Chen Ling’s background, nor did it explain why he was a heretic... Because if Aurora City had explained that Chen Ling was responsible for everything in the Ancient Armory of the Military Path, he would have realized the gap in strength between them and chosen to abandon the mission.

From the very beginning, Aurora City never intended for him to kill Chen Ling. Instead, they used his life as the cost to set a trap for Chen Ling to walk right into.

"...No, I didn't kill him!" Xi Renjie immediately explained. "Out of gratitude for him saving the Third District, I only knocked him unconscious. I really didn't kill him... I, I just wanted to..."

Xi Renjie stopped mid-sentence... because he knew that no matter how he explained it now, it was futile.

From the moment Aurora City sent that message,

he had already become a discarded pawn.