Shadows Enter Zhaoling
Three days after the southern messenger departed, strange things began to happen in Zhaoling.
A patrol went missing near the southern road.
A warehouse mysteriously burned in the night.
A boy claimed to see a man in black sneaking across the rooftops.
At first, they thought it was panic. Rumors.
But then—one of Lü Bu's officers was found dead.
A dagger in his throat. No sign of struggle.
And a note:
"You've made your choice, warlord. Now bleed for it."
The Council Meets
Inside the stone command hall, the air was tense.
Wei Yun paced the floor. Old Teng rubbed his temples. Lü Bu stood silent, eyes closed, as the words swirled around him.
"We're not facing just an army anymore," Wei Yun said. "This is sabotage. Assassins. Informants."
"They know they can't beat us in open war," Teng muttered. "So they'll try to rot us from the inside."
Lü Bu opened his eyes.
"Then we learn to fight in the dark."
SYSTEM TRIGGERED
[New Tactical Option Unlocked]
🗡 "Counter-Espionage Operations"
📍 Assign loyal men to investigate and eliminate spies.
📍 Establish an inner guard: The Black Watch
Reward: Increases city safety and reveals enemy movements
Risk: Failure may cause political unrest or civilian fear
Lü Bu selected the option:
✔ Form the Black Watch – Elite Internal Guard
The First Strike
That night, Lü Bu personally led a squad through the back alleys of Zhaoling.
He wore no general's armor—just black leather, a scarf over his mouth. He moved like a shadow, blade silent at his hip.
In an abandoned shop near the well, they found them.
Four men in southern garb, maps and poison tucked into their cloaks.
One of them lunged.
Too slow.
Lü Bu's glaive moved in a blur—one cut, one body down.
The others fled.
But the Iron Core chased them down by morning.
Zhaoling breathed easier.
But the lesson was clear: the war had come home.
The People Watch
As dawn broke, the people saw their warlord walking through the market, bloodstained but calm.
He stopped to speak with a blacksmith.
Helped lift timber near the barracks.
Nodded to a child who stared at him wide-eyed.
They whispered in awe.
"He protects us in the day… and at night."
"He fights with us. Bleeds for us."
"This is no ordinary man."
And in those quiet moments, Lü Bu's legend grew.