He was practically itching to chop you down with a single slash... George Lambert thought silently to himself. He didn’t even bother calling him by name anymore, just shouted “Twenty-Eight” directly—showing just how annoyed Captain Howard was.

“Of course, who in the station doesn’t know how magnanimous I am? Why would I hold a grudge over a mere arrow?” Henry Howard said with a hearty laugh. “Well, thing is, the neighborhood’s been restless lately, fires breaking out at night. I was just about to assign two more patrol teams. Since you’re so brave, Twenty-Eight, I’ll leave this job to you!”

“Ah?” David Clark pulled a bitter face.

Night patrol was definitely not a good assignment.

George Lambert quietly tugged at him, signaling for him to accept quickly. If he refused now, he worried Henry Howard’s temper would really explode.

But Henry Howard immediately turned his gaze, “George Lambert! Since you’re so concerned about him, you can go too!”

“Ah?”

Hearing he’d have company, David Clark went from sorrow to joy. Only, the pained expression didn’t disappear—it just shifted to George Lambert’s face.

……

A February night, the wind howled fiercely.

George Lambert held a flickering torch, walking down the pitch-black street, bracing against the wind as he looked into the distance, speechless and choked with emotion.

“What a mess!” he wailed inwardly.

He actually wasn’t from this world, but a student who had just finished the college entrance exam. As a poor student obsessed with detective novels and manga for two and a half years, he had worked hard in the last six months to get into his dream law and politics university. To his surprise, he showed amazing talent and scored an excellent fourth place in the entire province.

Even so, he wasn’t satisfied, wondering aloud what kind of monsters the top three must be.

But just as he passed the physical exam and was preparing to embrace a bright future, he was hit and sent flying by a drunk truck driver. When he woke up, he found himself in this world.

A vast and mysterious world.

Here, there were gods, ghosts, demons, and all kinds of cultivation. There were countless spiritual treasures and immortal seeds born from the essence of sun and moon. Among humans, those with talent could unlock secret stores and wield the power of heaven and earth.

To the northwest lay the boundless land of Jiuyang, filled with secret realms, dangers, and poisonous miasma, occupied by the nine Jiuyang tribes that split from the ancient Yang Kingdom. To the southeast was the fertile Jiuzhou continent, rich in spiritual energy and outstanding people, now ruled by the unified dynasty of Yin, which had lasted a thousand years.

He found that he was still himself—same appearance, same name—but his identity and experiences had completely changed.

Here, George Lambert was a proud member of the Imperial Capital Guard in Longyuan City, the divine capital of the Yin Dynasty... a subordinate guard, whose greatest hope each day was to be promoted to full guard, but that hope always seemed out of reach.

He had been here for nearly three months, gradually adapting to everything in this world under the identity of a Longyuan Imperial Guard... including Daniel Parker.

Daniel Parker was the big guy beside George Lambert. The two of them both came from Ping’an Alley, played together since childhood, and now served under the same full guard, always acting together.

When they first arrived at the Fukung Ward station, no one recognized Daniel Parker’s surname—just knew he was a man called “Chun.”

After a few months, everyone remembered his full name... Dave Clark.

Having a brother like this was sometimes truly exasperating for George Lambert. Like tonight, he was dragged into trouble by Daniel Parker and forced to work overtime on patrol.

“Ah Yue, try the roasted sweet potatoes my mom made—they’re delicious.” Reaching a sheltered corner, David Clark pulled a steaming oiled paper bag from his chest and took out the food inside.

“Sure, I’m hungry anyway.” The roasted sweet potatoes made by Daniel Parker’s mom were always soft, fragrant, and sweet. George Lambert was tempted and reached out to take one.

But when the bag was opened, inside was a mushy, sticky, yellow mess.

“Oops, my chest muscles squashed them.” David Clark slapped his forehead, then looked up as if he’d discovered something amusing, grinning brightly: “What do you think it looks like?”

“I’m suddenly not hungry anymore.” George Lambert quietly withdrew his hand and said, “Let’s focus on keeping watch. If someone sets a fire, we absolutely can’t let them get away.”

“Don’t worry, if there’s really a bad guy, I can handle him with one hand—ah! A ghost!” Daniel Parker patted his chest, boasting, but before he finished, his words turned into a shrill scream.

Following his gaze, George Lambert saw a green light shoot up not far away, vaguely like a giant rising to its feet. In the darkness, it seemed as if a pair of hollow black eyes were staring at them eerily.

“What’s going on?” George Lambert said at once. “Let’s go check it out!”

With a swish, he drew his blade and charged toward the ghostly figure.

“Ah Yue, wait for me...” Daniel Parker, dragging his huge frame, was badly frightened by the apparition but didn’t dare stay behind alone, so he hurried after George Lambert.

Of course, George Lambert was wary too.

The monsters and ghosts of this world were no fantasy—they were real and dangerous. He was certainly afraid of running into a ghost. But fear aside, he remembered that the ghostly figure had appeared in the backyard of a shop on Linmen Street, where many townsfolk lived. Compared to them, who had martial skills, the unarmed civilians were clearly in greater danger.

That’s why he didn’t hesitate and rushed forward without a second thought.