Zhang Heng jumped from the balcony and landed gently on the ground.
On his left, Lucilla's Domus was still singing and dancing. The musician plucked the strings of the Lyra, and the melodious sound of the instrument accompanied by the laughter of the banquet came from the other side of the wall. It was as if the joy would never end.
But in contrast, the streets outside were much quieter.
It was now past midnight, and there were basically no pedestrians outside.
This was not good news for Zhang Heng because assassins preferred chaotic environments. Those crowded bazaars, arenas full of guests, and taverns and brothels … These places could easily make an assassin disappear.
Fortunately, the moonlight tonight was not too bright, and the night provided Zhang Heng with some camouflage.
Zhang Heng did not go to Altrus immediately. Instead, he went back to the southeast city first and changed into a set of black clothes that were more suitable for night operations. Just as he was replenishing the arrows in his quiver, he heard footsteps coming from the corridor.
The footsteps were very light. If it weren't for the fact that the floor of this apartment was in disrepair, even with Zhang Heng's hearing, it would be difficult for him to hear it through the door.
These were the standard footsteps of an assassin.
Zhang Heng was not surprised. It was no secret that he was forming a new force in the southeast city. What's more, the Hounds had the Hive to collect intelligence for them. After Zhang Heng had a hunch that his identity might be exposed, he asked Marcus to arrange several safe houses for him in the southeast city. But now it seemed that the Hounds knew the locations of these safe houses.
In addition to ambushing assassins at his residence, the Hounds had also arranged people to ambush him here.
The footsteps in the corridor finally stopped outside his house, but Zhang Heng acted as if he didn't hear it. He was still counting the arrows in his quiver, and he even packed two figs to eat on the way.
After that, the assassins in the corridor were probably ready. They quietly unlocked the door, but when they rushed into the house, they found that there was no one inside. They could not help but look at each other.
In the opposite room, Zhang Heng slowly put on his hood and looked behind him to make sure he didn't miss anything. He then leaned out the window, climbed the khaki brick wall to the roof, and jumped from the roof to the slightly shorter apartment building next door. After that, he returned to the ground, flashed into a dark alley, and disappeared completely.
The safe house that Zhang Heng arranged through Marcus was meant for the Hounds. After that, he asked Soap to find a few trustworthy locals, and they quietly rented the house next door. This was where Zhang Heng could hide in times of crisis.
After shaking off the assassin behind him, Zhang Heng set off to the first place he was going to tonight.
The Roman Forum.
Just like all cities had a city center, Rome was no exception. Its city center was in the Roman Forum.
More than a dozen centuries ago, this place was just a barren swamp, full of mosquitoes and uninhabited. There were even Romans who buried their dead relatives here. However, after a few centuries, the water in the valley was diverted away by the large drainage, turning the swamp into hard land.
At that time, Rome was still in the republican era. People paved roads, built temples, and basilicas here, making the place more and more prosperous. Gradually, a huge square was formed. During the imperial era, due to the continuous expansion of the territory and the explosion of the city's population, the original Roman Forum could no longer meet the needs. So five new squares were built around it.
But there was no doubt that the Roman Forum was still the most central area. The former emperor, Mark Aurelius, once delivered a eulogy in memory of Julius Caesar here. The gilded pillar in front of the podium was the starting point of all roads out of Rome. It was also the end of the proverb, "All roads lead to Rome."
However, Zhang Heng was not here to visit tonight. He walked through the huge arch built by Augustus and passed through the center of the square, where a grape tree, an olive tree, and a fig tree were planted. They were also known as the sacred trees of Rome. Zhang Heng looked up and saw the temples located on Capitoline Hill, where the gods of Rome were worshiped.
The two most magnificent temples stood on the top of the hill, one on the left and one on the right. They were the temples of Jupiter, the King of Gods, and Juno, the Queen of Gods.
Zhang Heng knew that Altrus was in one of these two temples. Without wasting any time, he walked up the wide stone steps.
During the day, the Roman Forum was the busiest place in the entire city of Rome. It was packed with people, and devout believers lined up in front of large and small temples. Beggars would take the opportunity to ask them for food or copper coins. Vendors would sell their goods at the stalls around the square, and Basilica would always be filled with a wonderful war of words …
But now, after entering the world of night, everything returned to silence. Only the sacred fire of the Temple of Vesta was still burning.
Zhang Heng did not encounter any obstacles along the way, and he quickly climbed to the top of the mountain.
After hesitating for a while, he first went to the Temple of Jupiter on the left. The flame on the altar had been extinguished, leaving only some charred bones and garlands around it. Zhang Heng walked around the altar and came to the closed bronze gate. He then threw the stones he picked up on the way to the gate.
After a while, the bronze gate slowly opened. A young priest rubbed his eyes and poked his head out from the inside. He looked around but did not see anyone outside. Then, he shifted his gaze further away and saw an owl standing on top of the wall. He could not help but lower his head and curse at it. "That's right. That's right. That's right.
Owls had always been a symbol of bad luck in Rome, so it was not a good thing to see an owl.
The young priest did not dare to look around anymore. He retracted his body and closed the gate again. However, what he didn't notice was that while he and the owl were staring at each other, a figure above his head quietly slipped into the temple.
Zhang Heng had been practicing stealth during this period. With the blessing of the Heart of Kreis, even if he passed by an ordinary person, it would be difficult for him to be discovered as long as he was not seen.
Zhang Heng was not in a hurry. He waited in the shadow of the ceiling for a while until the young priest walked back to his residence. After that, he returned to the ground and walked to the marble statue of Jupiter.
Zhang Heng's eyes were not on the lifelike statue that could be called a work of art. Instead, he was looking at the stone pedestal under the statue. He squatted down and touched the vent below.
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