Online Game: Me, with Unparalleled Comprehension

Zhao Yong walked to the wall, where a hand-drawn map was hanging.

He pointed to the red line marked on the map: "Our third team is responsible for the eastern part of the inner city. Starting from this gate, we go through these two corridors, around the row of side halls behind, and then to this gate to connect. It takes about 15 minutes to complete one round trip, and we take four round trips a night."

He moved his finger across the map, explaining the route in detail: where to check carefully, where to pass quickly, where people could easily hide, and where there were blind spots.

Wu Feng listened, his gaze fixed on the map.

There is a completely blank area on the map, without any markings.

That area was near the center of the entire image, surrounded by a light ink circle.

He pointed to the blank space and looked at Zhao Yong: "What about here? Why isn't there a route marked?"

Zhao Yong paused for a moment, then looked in the direction the man was pointing, his expression changing slightly. He lowered his voice, "My lord, that...that's near the Empress's palace, and also the princess's palace next door."

Wu Feng looked at him: "So? Why aren't you patrolling?"

Zhao Yong swallowed hard, lowering his voice even further: "My lord, you may not know this, but Her Majesty the Empress dislikes patrolling soldiers approaching her palace. It's said... that they disturb her peace and quiet. Therefore, that area has been designated a restricted zone, and our people are not allowed to enter."

He paused, then added, "The previous garrison commander, Zhou, also carried out the same procedure. He never went to that area; he only patrolled the surrounding perimeter and that was it."

Wu Feng frowned: "A restricted area? What if something happens?"

Zhao Yong smiled wryly: "My lord, this is Her Majesty's own decision. If we dare to go in and are discovered by Her Majesty, it will be considered disobeying orders. At best, we will be punished with a beating; at worst... as you have seen, Lord Zhou Heng is a cautionary tale."

He glanced out the window, then lowered his voice: "Actually, the brothers have been discussing what happened that night. Lord Zhou was truly wronged. The Empress wouldn't allow anyone into that area, so he didn't dare send anyone there. What could he do if the thieves sneaked in from there? But when the Empress returned and discovered the theft, she didn't care about any of that and immediately..."

As Wu Feng listened, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

When General Zhang said that Zhou Heng's skull was shattered by a single palm strike, he thought it was truly due to dereliction of duty during patrol.

Now I realize, this guy was a total sucker. Li Qiushui set the rules herself, forbidding anyone from getting close, and then blamed the patrols for not being thorough enough when something happened.

So he was going to die no matter what. He stared at the blank space on the map and remained silent for a few moments.

"So, no one has ever patrolled that area?"

Zhao Yong nodded: "No. No one dares to violate the Empress's decree."

Wu Feng twitched the corner of his mouth.

Of course he knew what the ban was all about.

Li Qiushui didn't want anyone to get close, simply because she was afraid someone would discover that she wasn't in the palace, or uncover some secret.

But that area is now under his responsibility, so if anything else goes wrong, he'll be the one to take the blame.

Zhou Heng is already dead, and he doesn't want to be the next one.

"Alright." Wu Feng withdrew his gaze and looked at Zhao Yong. "You two continue patrolling along the original route tonight. Don't worry about that area."

Zhao Yong was taken aback for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief and clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, sir."

Wu Feng continued, "I'll patrol that area myself."

Zhao Yong was stunned again, and looked up at him: "Sir, you...you're going in person? But it's Her Majesty's decree..."

Wu Feng waved his hand: "The order says soldiers aren't allowed to get close. I'm the garrison commander, not a soldier. If something happens and the higher-ups ask, I'll have an explanation. I can't end up like Zhou Heng, dying without even knowing what happened."

Zhao Yong opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

Finally, he simply clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Excellency is wise."

Wu Feng didn't say anything more and turned to walk out.

He took two steps and then stopped, turning back to look at Zhao Yong: "You guys do your patrols, don't worry about me. From midnight to dawn, just do what you're supposed to do."

Zhao Yong clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, sir."

Wu Feng strode out of the barracks.

The night was dark, and the palace was sparsely lit, with only a few lanterns swaying in the wind in the distance.

He determined the direction, then used his lightness skill to walk towards the vicinity of the Empress's palace.

Wu Feng slowed down when he reached the edge of the restricted area.

The surroundings were quiet, completely different from the front hall.

There were no soldiers moving about, no sound of watchmen's clappers, and even the chirping of insects was faint.

Several palace lanterns hung under the corridor in the distance, their dim yellow light casting small patches of light on the ground.

He walked along the stone path, his boots making almost no sound as he stepped on them.

They hadn't gone far when two palace maids appeared under the corridor ahead.

He was dressed in light-colored palace attire, carrying something in his hands, and walking quickly past with his head down. When they looked up and saw him, they were clearly taken aback.

Wu Feng's armor gleamed a dark blue under the lamplight, and the red tassel on his helmet swayed slightly.

The two palace maids glanced at the wolf head emblem on his chest and the token at his waist, then immediately lowered their eyes, stepped aside, and bowed in greeting.

Wu Feng didn't stop; he glanced at them and continued walking forward.

The two palace maids waited until he was far away before straightening up and quickly leaving, their footsteps very low.

Wu Feng walked slowly along the corridor.

The area was larger than he had imagined.

The Empress's palace is located in the center, surrounded by several side halls, gardens, and artificial hills. Further east, the outline of another palace can be vaguely seen.

It is slightly smaller than the Empress's palace, but the Princess's palace is exquisitely designed.

He kept walking, his eyes scanning the buildings, paths, and blind spots of the guards along the way.

Some posts that should have been set up were left empty, some corridors had obstructed views at corners, and there were many blind spots hidden among the artificial hills and bushes.

As I walked, thoughts raced through my mind.

In the original novel, Tianshan Tonglao kidnapped Li Qinglu several times, treating her like she was strolling through her own backyard.

It now seems that it wasn't that the Child Granny was too strong, but rather that the defenses of this place were inherently flawed.

Li Qiushui's self-imposed rule of not allowing soldiers to approach effectively turned this area into a patrol vacuum.

If we could kidnap the princess while Li Qiushui was away, wouldn't that be incredibly easy?

Wu Feng continued walking forward at a slow pace, familiarizing himself with the terrain as he went.

Just as they approached the princess's palace, voices came from the halls ahead.

The voice was very soft, and it was impossible to hear what was being said through the courtyard wall and the paper window.

But you can tell that it's two people's voices, one younger and one deeper.

Wu Feng paused, his gaze falling on the window from which light shone.

The next instant, the palace doors were pushed open, and a figure flew out from inside.

The man moved with incredible speed, landing in the courtyard and scanning the area with sharp eyes.

"Where did this little thief come from?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the man had already seen Wu Feng clearly.

Dark blue armor, wolf head insignia, and a token at the waist. A member of the First Rank Hall.

She frowned, her tone turning serious: "Who are you?"

Wu Feng stood still, using the light from under the corridor to get a clear look at the other person's face.

Her hair was piled high, her eyebrows and eyes were sharp, and her face bore a seven-tenths resemblance to the woman in the portrait in the Empress's palace, but she lacked the melancholy gentleness in the painting and had more of the majesty of someone who had long held a high position.

She wore a deep purple palace dress, the fabric of which shimmered faintly under the light. The name [Li Qiushui (Level 90, First-Class Martial Artist)] above her head indicated the NPC's identity.

He clasped his hands in a salute and said calmly, "Your Majesty, this subordinate, Wu Feiyu, has just taken over the post of garrison commander."

Li Qiushui walked over from the courtyard, stopped a few steps in front of him, and looked him up and down.

Their gaze swept from the contours of his face to the armor on his chest, then to the token at his waist, pausing for a moment.

"What are you doing?" Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a sense of pressure. "Don't you know soldiers aren't allowed to patrol here?"

Wu Feng met her gaze, his expression unchanged: "To prevent thieves from disturbing the Empress, this humble general personally patrolled this area. I did not allow any soldiers to approach."

Li Qiushui narrowed her eyes, looking at him. A few moments of silence followed.

She lingered on him for a moment, then waved her hand slightly: "Go back to patrol."

His tone was flat, revealing no emotion.

Wu Feng clasped his hands in a fist salute again: "Yes, Your Majesty."

He walked past her sideways, continuing along the corridor without stopping.

A soft rustling of clothes came from behind her, and Li Qiushui turned around and walked back to the princess's palace.

Wu Feng took more than ten steps forward before slowing down.

He glanced sideways at the closed door, and his lips twitched slightly.

The people of the Free and Unfettered Sect are indeed skilled at preserving their youthful appearance.

Despite being around the same age as Wu Yazi, Li Qiushui looked like a woman in her early thirties, still possessing a captivating charm.

No wonder the Western Xia emperor was willing to take over. He withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward.