Chapter 42: The First Shot (Part I)

The conditions Song Zining offered were indeed generous, even the major trading houses were tempted, considering whether they should expand their business lines. The risks in these businesses were not high, and the demand was endless. As long as they could produce warships at a reasonable price, there would be no shortage of buyers.

Moreover, the industries that Song Zining attracted, along with the existing trading houses in Nan Qing City, already formed a fairly complete industrial chain, from metal ingots to the precision equipment of floating warships. This was just the beginning, but the advantages it brought were obvious, and those who had authority in the trading houses understood this point.

Nan Qing City prospered under Ji Rui’s rule because of its relatively stable development environment and convenient transportation to all directions. However, despite Ji Rui’s ambitions, he could not completely consolidate all the mercenary groups within the city into one. Even if he could, he wouldn’t, for it would mean the emergence of a behemoth capable of rivaling the city guards. If such a mercenary group fell into the hands of outsiders, it would be hard to say whether Nan Qing City would still bear the name Ji.

But to the trading houses, it didn’t matter whose name the city bore. As long as there was money to be made, and it could be earned safely, that was enough.

The negotiations with the trading houses went smoothly, and Qian Ye had nothing to do during the entire process. After being idle for two days, Qian Ye decided to gather several dozen mercenaries and form a caravan heading to Guan Lan City.

Guan Lan was a large city, and the demand for caravans going there was endless. While Qian Ye’s caravan was still selecting members, many trading houses caught wind and requested to join.

Most of the interested parties were medium-sized trading houses, looking to transport goods that could fit in one or two trucks. Many were still observing, wanting to see how powerful Dark Flame truly was. In the eyes of experts, the current Dark Flame was just a motley crew, far from the standard of an elite mercenary group. Their willingness to take the risk was mainly due to Qian Ye’s personal presence.

Qian Ye ultimately selected thirty cargo trucks, along with ten troop and armored trucks, and left Nan Qing City, heading grandly towards Guan Lan.

The wilderness was harsh, with sudden storms occurring frequently. This was due to the landmass being too small, making the protective layer relatively fragile. When the void storms outside became too intense, they would cause corresponding natural disasters within the landmass.

Therefore, not far from the city, the roads on the wasteland gradually disappeared. These so-called roads were merely tracks pressed by passing vehicles, constantly eroded by storms and often interrupted.

The convoy did not move fast, especially the heavy cargo trucks, which moved at a speed only slightly faster than a person’s jogging. It took about three to four days to travel from Nan Qing to Guan Lan City.

An entire day passed in the desolate wilderness, but Qian Ye was not anxious. He sat alone in a troop carrier, silently cultivating the Yao Chapter. Among his various cultivation techniques, only the ancient scroll of the Song family could not be hurried; it required a slow, steady, and painstaking process.

The mercenaries, however, were not as relaxed as Qian Ye and remained vigilant. The veterans who often undertook escort missions knew well the dangers lurking in the seemingly calm wilderness. Enemies might be hiding in dark corners, or even outside Guan Lan City.

In the morning of the second day, a cloud of dust suddenly rose on the distant horizon. The veteran lookout in the lead vehicle immediately stopped the convoy and sounded the alarm whistle. The convoy instantly fell into chaos, but fortunately, people had encountered similar situations before. A respected elder from a trading house quickly stepped forward, directing the heavy cargo trucks off the road, forming a circle nearby, and raising the flags of each trading house to identify themselves.

The mercenaries, on the other hand, acted differently. Two armored troop carriers moved forward, while the regular troop carriers pulled back. The mercenaries jumped out of their vehicles, dispersing to both flanks, securing advantageous positions.

On the roof of the lead vehicle, Ice Wolf held a telescope, looking in the direction of the rising dust. Suddenly, he heard Qian Ye’s voice: “Why are you so nervous?”

Ice Wolf shivered. Unlike the small leaders, he had personally witnessed Qian Ye’s wrath, slaughtering Gale’s Fury. He handed the telescope to Qian Ye, saying, “In this area, such a commotion is most likely the forces of the Wolf King.”

Qian Ye did not take the telescope, simply gazing at the distant dust, and said, “It is indeed the Wolf King’s forces.”

“Really the Wolf King?” Ice Wolf’s expression was complicated, and he said with a heavy heart, “Then we must be cautious.”

The Wolf King’s reputation was not good, and even within his own territory, his forces often turned to banditry. Out in the wilderness, with no one around and with dozens of trucks full of goods, it was a tempting target, though not necessarily a rich one.

“Battle readiness for all!!” Ice Wolf was the tactical commander for this trip. If Qian Ye did not give instructions, he was responsible for the entire mercenary group’s deployment and defense. After issuing the order, he thought for a moment and added, “Be smart, don’t make it too obvious! Those on the flanks, hide yourselves, and the vehicles behind, clear the main road.”

These orders were to avoid provoking the Wolf King’s forces. Once they were provoked, the outcome could be unpredictable. Ice Wolf himself was a Level 12 warrior, not weak, but years of caution had worn down his boldness. He genuinely did not want to directly confront the Wolf King’s forces.

However, Qian Ye did not think that way. He stood with his hands behind his back, not turning his head, and said, “Prepare for battle.”

This command left all the mercenaries stunned, and Ice Wolf was also astonished, asking, “Sir, why?”

“Of course, to ambush the convoy,” Qian Ye said calmly.

“Ambush…the convoy?” Ice Wolf thought he had misheard. To ambush the Wolf King’s convoy right on his doorstep? For most, it was a miracle if the Wolf King’s men did not attack.

Ignoring Ice Wolf, Qian Ye issued the second command: “Block the road, prepare for battle. Who doesn’t want to fight, try me!”

Qian Ye did not need to explain the consequences of avoiding battle; in the mercenary world, fleeing meant a lifetime of pursuit. In Qian Ye’s domain, this rule was even more severe; anyone who dared to avoid battle would likely die at Qian Ye’s hands first.

Ice Wolf sighed, turning to give orders, “Bring the troop carriers up, block the road. You two, take your men to the flanks, wait until they get close, then attack. The rest, follow me to set up a defensive line in the middle.”

Once his orders were given, the mercenaries began to move. Qian Ye glanced at Ice Wolf, causing him to shiver.

Qian Ye had brought veterans who had been through numerous battles, and they quickly set up a simple defensive line. They hid behind cover, gripping their weapons, watching nervously, some even sweating on their foreheads and palms. There was no help for it; the Wolf King’s intimidation was long-standing, and this action was like slapping the Wolf King in the face.

After setting up the defenses, Ice Wolf finally couldn’t hold back and gently reminded, “Sir, ambushing the convoy is easy, but what happens after? How will the Wolf King react? He won’t let this go easily.”

To his surprise, Qian Ye smiled and said, “If not, why do you think I organized this caravan?”

Ice Wolf’s heart skipped a beat. He finally understood; Qian Ye was not here to open a trade route but to create trouble for the Wolf King.

By now, the dust in the distance had reached the sky. An armored troop carrier burst out of the dust, followed by more armed trucks, roaring along the rugged road. Several kilometers behind them, a convoy of heavily loaded cargo trucks was slowly moving. This convoy was protected by only two armed trucks, with a total of just over a dozen warriors.

This was normal. Although the wilderness was dangerous, the biggest threat was the Wolf King’s forces. Seeing the Wolf King’s emblem on the trucks, who would dare to challenge them?

So the armed convoy went ahead, scouting for opportunities. They had done this many times before and were quite proficient.

The lead armored truck had already spotted the roadblock and the defensive line. The tall wolfman on the truck’s front hardly believed his eyes. Who dared to block the Wolf King’s convoy in this place?

He was a brutal man, snatching the gun from a nearby companion and aiming it at the blocking convoy, ready to fire once in range.

Before they were in range, Qian Ye said, “Fire.”

Ice Wolf exclaimed, “What?”

“I said, fire.” Qian Ye repeated, then without waiting for a response, he took a long-range sniper rifle from his back and aimed at the wolfman on the truck’s front.

“But, sir, they may not intend to—”

Before Ice Wolf could finish, a pair of light wings appeared behind Qian Ye, and the sniper rifle unleashed a long stream of origin power flame. The gunshot thundered!

In the roar, the wolfman’s head exploded into a bloody mist, and his headless body fell backward!

As the gunshots rang out, the soldiers on both sides instinctively began to fire wildly, and the battlefield erupted in a cacophony of gunfire and flashes. However, neither side was yet within range.

The Wolf King’s men were always arrogant and fierce. They roared, pushing the engines to the limit, and the armed trucks charged like wild beasts toward the blockade. The distance between the two sides was less than a thousand meters, and in a moment, they entered firing range. Under the barrage of gunfire, casualties began on both sides.

Qian Ye stood firm, his wings reappearing, and a faint golden glow enveloped the sniper rifle. With another thunderous gunshot, an armed truck exploded into a fireball, and the wolfman lord inside was torn in half, dying instantly.

Qian Ye moved his rifle, and with a third shot, a central wolfman baron in the charging group fell.

After firing three shots, Qian Ye put away the sniper rifle, carrying it on his back, and stood with his hands behind his back, clearly not intending to fire again.

Ice Wolf watched in terror. Qian Ye’s casual three shots had killed three titled wolfmen, including the leading baron, with a single shot. What kind of power was this?

Now, only a viscount remained. Ice Wolf understood this was his task. Sighing inwardly, he drew his sword and shield, facing the hail of bullets, and charged forward.