The mercenary’s eyes betrayed a hint of disdain, but his words remained respectful. The Neutral Lands were home to countless hidden tigers and coiled dragons, especially among the mercenaries and assassins, where there were more than enough fighters whose true strength far exceeded their cultivation. Some individuals possessed unique abilities that, under certain circumstances, allowed them to unleash formidable power.
How could all these people be killed? Even if Qian Ye were a fierce tiger, he couldn’t withstand the relentless attacks of a pack of wolves. This mercenary and his team were nothing special in the vast Neutral Lands.
Of course, he was not foolish enough to say these things out loud. The most important thing was to save his life, and Qian Ye only wanted him to deliver a message. Perhaps he might even get those five thousand gold coins.
He slowly got up from the ground, seeing that Qian Ye had no intention of making a move, and was about to leave when Night Pupil suddenly said, “Wait, take off your clothes.”
The mercenary’s heart quivered, and panic crept onto his face. “This, this… isn’t very appropriate, is it?”
Night Pupil’s expression turned cold. “If you keep pretending, then you don’t have to go anywhere. After all, anyone can deliver a message!”
The mercenary abandoned any hope and took off his combat suit, handing it over to Night Pupil with a pained expression.
“What are the functions of this combat suit? Why does it allow you to traverse the Black Forest?”
The mercenary answered honestly, “This is a product from the Alloy Laboratory. It can shield against the perception of native species. In the Black Forest, as long as we don’t cause any damage, we won’t alert the forest. A basic set like this costs at least three thousand gold coins. Our team can only dare to move in the Black Forest because of such equipment.”
As he spoke, he glanced at Qian Ye, with a peculiar expression on his face.
This subtle change did not escape Qian Ye’s notice. He immediately asked, “What are you thinking?”
“Well, in the battle just now, you caused quite a bit of destruction. Why is the Black Forest still silent? Are you native species?!” As soon as he said this, the mercenary shook his head. “No, native species would never destroy the Black Forest. They would do everything in their power to protect it.”
Qian Ye casually picked up a piece of burning wood and handed it to the mercenary, saying indifferently, “Take a look.”
The mercenary sniffed the scent, and his eyes widened in shock. “This is wood from the Black Forest!”
He looked at the still-burning fire, and a thought struck him. “Could this place be built entirely with this kind of wood?”
Qian Ye did not answer this question but instead asked, “What is your name?”
“Luoke Wen, my code name in the mercenary world is Black Mosquito.”
Qian Ye patted him on the shoulder and said, “You should know what to say and what not to say when you return. Go on!”
Luoke Wen slowly left, only quickening his pace once he was sure that Qian Ye and Night Pupil had no intention of pursuing him. Reflecting on Qian Ye’s final words, though they contained no threats, he involuntarily shivered. He knew that if he talked too much upon returning, he might have to live the rest of his life incognito, or else he might lose his head one day.
Night Pupil patted Zhu Ji. “Go strip the combat suits from those three.”
Zhu Ji pouted. “Why don’t you go? You always give me the hard and tiring work. I’m still young!”
Night Pupil laughed and tapped her on the head. “Then what do you think is easy work?”
Zhu Ji’s eyes lit up. “Fighting! Fighting those talking creatures!”
“Go and do your work. Next time, I’ll let you fight.” Night Pupil finally managed to coax Zhu Ji into doing the laborious task with childlike persuasion.
Qian Ye shook his head. “It seems we must let her participate in the next battle.”
“She’s still young!” Night Pupil protested.
“If we don’t let her join, she will sneak into the battlefield herself. Do you think she will stay on the sidelines like this again? She will definitely remember what you said!”
“Ah, this…” Night Pupil was at a loss for words. Finally, she sighed, “Kids these days, really…”
Qian Ye smiled. “You must have been quite disobedient when you were a child!”
“Who says so? I’ve always been a lady!”
A bloodline princess with the Eye of Destruction, an embodiment of slaughter and ruin, who would become a duchess or even higher, with combat prowess far surpassing other major figures. And yet, she claimed to be a lady?
“Read fewer useless books,” Qian Ye scolded.
“Okay!” Night Pupil answered sweetly, looking innocent and harmless.
Qian Ye couldn’t do much about her and went to collect the spoils from the three bodies. Then, together with Night Pupil, they studied the specially made combat suits. These suits were made of a special fabric, exuding a faint, almost imperceptible scent. Qian Ye discovered that this scent was similar to the core of the ancient trees in the Black Forest. Perhaps because of this, the native species perceived the wearers of the suits as natural inhabitants of the forest, thus ignoring them.
The rest of the loot included gold coins, ammunition, and supplies, nothing particularly special. Though the combat suits were useless to Qian Ye and Night Pupil, they could be sold for a considerable sum. Slaughtering this small mercenary group yielded a decent harvest, reaffirming that fighting and plundering were the surest paths to wealth.
After sorting out the loot, Night Pupil asked, “What’s next?”
Little Zhu Ji looked at Qian Ye eagerly. Her eagerness was justified; the next battle would be her first official engagement, a rite of passage proving her worth as a warrior.
Qian Ye took out a map and studied it for a while, but couldn’t come up with a plan.
They knew little about the desolate lands, familiar only with the area around the town. Their knowledge of the Neutral Lands and the Wolf King came mainly from the townspeople and the Xue brothers. The maps they found on the mercenaries didn’t help much, as the unfamiliar terrain and names made formulating a plan challenging.
Qian Ye regretted letting Luoke Wen go so quickly. He should have asked more about the surroundings.
Night Pupil drew a line on the map and said, “We’ll follow the outer edge of the Black Forest, heading northwest. Since the mercenaries and assassins are rushing here, they won’t arrive at the same time, allowing us to pick them off one by one.”
Qian Ye pondered, “How do we know they are after us?”
Night Pupil replied indifferently, “This area has been turned into a no-man’s-land by the Wolf King’s army. If we encounter killers and adventurers, why do you think they’re here? Anyone we meet here is either part of the Wolf King’s forces or mercenaries who want to kill us. Killing them can’t be wrong.”
Qian Ye nodded.
Night Pupil looked at him and said, “I thought you would stop me, considering some might just be unlucky and end up here.”
Qian Ye said, “If you already said they’re unlucky, then being mistakenly killed is also their bad luck.”
“That’s not like you.”
“Anyone who wants to kill us, if they fall into our hands, will claim it was a misunderstanding. I will never put your safety at risk for some misplaced sense of compassion.”
Night Pupil’s gaze returned to the map, as if hesitating to look at Qian Ye. “Then, let’s set off.”
The once-silent Black Forest was now filled with explosions and gunshots.
On the edge of the Black Forest, three indistinct figures advanced cautiously. They maintained a safe distance from each other but could support one another in critical moments, a testament to their well-honed teamwork.
The leader suddenly gestured, and the three halted, concealing their presence, leaving only a faint, blurry shadow. After a moment, the leader moved slowly toward the forest’s edge, using an ancient tree for cover, and peered out.
At the sight, his breath grew slightly disordered, and his figure became more distinct.
His companions, alarmed, immediately assumed combat stances. Any slight oversight on the battlefield could lead to disastrous consequences.
Fortunately, nothing happened. The leader quickly regained his composure and signaled the others to come and look.
They too approached the forest edge, hiding behind a tree before peeking out. They were extremely cautious in any situation.
Despite their preparedness, they nearly lost their composure at the sight.
On a hill outside the forest, dozens of wooden stakes stood, each with a body hanging from it. These people wore the same uniform, clearly belonging to the same organization. The markings on their combat suits were the source of the trio’s shock.
The three swiftly retreated deeper into the forest, gathering under a tree and using writing boards to communicate.
“It’s the Predator Mercenary Corps!”
“Right, I saw their captain’s body.”
“By the number of bodies, the entire Predator Corps was wiped out here.”
“Did they come for the bounty too?”
“Obviously, who else would come to this godforsaken place?”
“So, they likely died at the hands of the target.”
“Possible. Displaying them like this is either a warning to others or a challenge to the Wolf King.”
“Both, I suppose. Anyone who dares to kill Garry doesn’t fear the Wolf King.”
“We need to reassess the risks of this mission.”
“My vote is to retreat.”
“I agree.”
“Agreed.”
As they decided to retreat and began to fade into the shadows, a voice suddenly rang out, “I disagree.”
The three were shocked and turned to see Qian Ye standing nearby, his smile neither warm nor cold. The gun in his hand was ominously large.
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