Section Sixty-Two: Pressing Forward

Yang Wentian was in a foul mood.

Not because of victory or defeat. On that score, he now had complete faith in Wang Luo. What truly troubled him was his own gain.

The force had grown to this point, and although his own command had also expanded, he still only had five hundred men. Compared with Zhou Yingxiong, whose subordinates had swollen to three thousand, the disparity was far too great.

And there was no decent excuse to be found...

Wang Luo would certainly never agree to turning the scout unit into a three-thousand-man formation. Yet Yang Wentian also could not bear to give up this troop, made up of the bravest and boldest soldiers in the entire army.

Compared with commanding a battle line, this kind of work suited him far better.

While he brooded, a scout came hurrying up ahead and bowed low.

“My lord, we have spotted a small detachment of Han troops up ahead.”

“Oh? How many?”

“More than ten. They do not look like garrison troops. They seem more like outsiders.”

Could it be a scouting party from the Han reinforcements?

Yang Wentian’s spirits lifted at once.

“Gather everyone nearby. We’re going to take them!”

---

“This man is sowing confusion with his lies. Execute him at once!”

At Groo’s command, a soldier beside him raised his blade and brought it down.

Blood burst outward, and yet another head rolled to the ground.

Most of the surrounding soldiers kept their heads lowered. The few who dared to look were all pale with terror.

“From this day forward, anyone in the camp who raises a private commotion or shakes the army’s morale will be cut down without mercy!”

The execution was over. Dozens of Han soldiers assigned to the task formed ranks and withdrew.

Gariville looked at Moronov, but the other man merely shook his head.

Again.

Looking back now, since entering this space, there had actually been countless opportunities in countless situations.

But some he had failed to recognize and let slip away. Others he had mistaken for opportunities, only to find they were traps. And sometimes, with just a little hesitation, a little more thought, they had vanished in an instant.

Gariville clenched his teeth, writhing in pain and regret.

If only he had been quicker this time. Whether he had come sooner or acted sooner, it would not have come to this.

Of course, he had never considered what punishment would await him for stirring up rebellion before the army arrived. He had not considered that, even earlier on, the army had not yet arrived and the propaganda had not been effective enough. And if he had sent a small force over while handling the cleanup work, then the matter of Bai Erjin might have surfaced on this side as well. None of that had crossed his mind.

All he could think and feel was the fact that he had failed once more, and the fierce pain that followed from it.

---

Moronov walked up beside him.

“What do we do next? Keep going, or retreat?”

How would I know?

Gariville almost shouted the words.

In the end, though, he only shook his head and said in a dispirited voice, “I don’t know. Report the situation back. We’ll wait for orders from above.”

---

“The plan is going smoothly.”

“Yes. Wang Luo did not say much. He simply had her live separately. The one delivering her meals now is a soldier. I can’t arrange anything at the moment. Can Getini handle it? All right.”

“Also, the time is almost up. I hope my work will satisfy you. Yes, it’s already starting to itch. When exactly will Bloom lift the curse for me?”

“I’m telling you, if it comes to it, we can both walk away! Don’t think I’m worthless just because you’ve got Getini! I’ll go tell him about your plan right now! Then let’s see how you’re supposed to carry it out!”

“Captain? No, no... that was a joke just now. I was talking to Black Fiend... Yes, I found them. Yang Wentian’s men have already returned, and he is on his way back as well. Once they set out, I’ll keep reporting their position at all times. So... as for compensation, I hope it can be reduced a little.”

“Understood. I’ll do better from now on too.”

Charles hung up the phone and stood there in a daze for quite a while. Then he lifted the kettle in front of him and smashed it hard against the tent wall.

“Bitch! Bastard! Filthy vermin!”

Well, when he had accepted those benefits in the first place, he should have known there would also be restraints to match them.

Truly, he had always thought himself a clever man.

---

“You mean we’ve found traces of the Han reinforcements?”

“Yes. We captured several Han scouts. According to them, the force here is an advance guard of about three thousand men. After discovering our position, they set up camp nearby first and are waiting for the rear column. Their commander is Lu Zhi, and their total strength is about ten thousand.”

“How far are they from us now?”

A pause.

“I had someone check... here!”

After that, both Wang Luo’s and Yang Wentian’s voices vanished.

A brief silence later, there came the faint scratch of a pen moving across paper.

“That man likes to write things down when he thinks. He was like that before.”

---

Inside a small room in the mobile team space, two women sat wearing headphones, listening to the enemy commander’s conversation.

One was Lin Feirui. The other woman was slightly shorter and slimmer, with pale violet hair tied into a ponytail. A few freckles dotted her face, giving her an alert, capable look.

“What a lousy habit,” Lin Feirui said lazily. “Do you think this trap will work?”

“Yang Wentian’s attributes, skills, and experience are all below average in this space. Even if the other side really only has three people, his status wouldn’t be very high. You don’t actually expect that by casually setting a trap, they’ll all walk into it and then let you kill them, do you?”

“Still worth trying.”

Lin Feirui pulled her into her arms. The other woman curled her lips but snuggled closer.

“According to Getini, our enemy seems to have the ability to tell truth from lies. If that’s really the case, then he should be able to tell that Yang Wentian is telling the truth. There really is a Han army camped there. They really are only the advance guard. And the main body of the Han army really is still some distance away.”

“And if he... is the same kind of person as you, and can sense danger?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

Lin Feirui toyed with her hair.

“This time we’re using lamp oil traded from the Han army. Even if they don’t come, we can dig it up and use it again. Unlike last time with Charles...”

“Speaking of Charles, what are you planning to do with him?”

Lin Feirui was silent for a moment.

When she felt the other woman slip out of her embrace and then settle against her in a more comfortable position, clinging to her, Lin Feirui smiled and rubbed noses with her.

“Why does this always happen?” Lin Feirui’s tone turned mournful. “Things were so pleasant when we were getting along before. Why does it always end in betrayal this time?”

“Zero Two won’t. Ling’er will always stay by Sister’s side.”

After that came a brief kiss, the release of restraints, the rubbing of bodies, the exchange of fluids... Once every step had been completed, the captain of the Wu Zhou team gave her answer.

“I forgive him. After this victory, Bloom’s parasite will be removed and replaced with a debt parasite. Let him live well with everyone else.”

“Big sister really is as magnanimous as ever,” the woman called Ling’er murmured quietly from the side. “Just now, they spoke again over there.”

“What did they say?”

Lin Feirui was still lounging lazily in place.

“Something about not needing to frighten ourselves... seizing the opportunity, concentrating superior forces to strike isolated enemies... victory belongs to the brave in narrow roads... that sort of thing.”