Chapter 28: The Assassination Attempt

When Zhang Wen and Carlette left the Governor’s Mansion, it was already quite late. As the psychokinetic car drove out of the city center of Casares and gradually approached Almishus Academy, the number of pedestrians on the street rapidly dwindled. Half an hour later, when the car was only ten minutes away from Almishus Academy, Zhang Wen and Carlette could hardly see any pedestrians on the street.

Except for the psychokinetic streetlights standing like sturdy dwarves along the roadside, all they could see was a pitch-black and serene night.

Frankly speaking, not long after Carlette got into the psychokinetic car, she began to regret her decision. After all, this was Carlette’s first time being alone with a man!

The dim environment inside the car, combined with the scent of Zhang Wen constantly wafting into her nose, made Carlette feel increasingly flustered. Her head even started to feel slightly dizzy. Every movement Zhang Wen made caused her sensitive young heart to race.

At times, she couldn’t help but imagine absurd thoughts, like, “What if Zhang Wen suddenly hugged me right now?” Then she would get flustered and embarrassed by her own sudden thoughts, blushing furiously.

Fortunately, the lighting inside the psychokinetic car was extremely dim, almost pitch-black. This allowed Carlette to endure the ride. As the car drew closer to Almishus Academy and the familiar buildings gradually came into view, Carlette’s emotions finally began to calm down a bit. However, before her young heart could settle for long, Zhang Wen, who had been leaning back with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and sat upright.

In fact, the faint light inside the psychokinetic car was more than enough for Zhang Wen to see everything clearly. Throughout the journey, he had seen every anxious movement Carlette made. The reason he pretended to be resting with his eyes closed was precisely to help Carlette relax. However, just moments ago, a strong sense of danger suddenly struck Zhang Wen’s nerves.

Someone was targeting this car! Zhang Wen almost immediately concluded. Who could it be? Were they after him or Carlette? Sitting upright, Zhang Wen cast his gaze out the window while mentally analyzing the situation with rising tension.

If it had been before today, Zhang Wen could have been almost 100% certain that the target was Carlette, the governor’s daughter. However, after making a big impression today and ruining Governor Karajan’s plans, he could no longer be certain whose life the attackers were after.

“Mr. Zhang, what’s going on?” Carlette asked nervously when she saw Zhang Wen sit up and freeze like a statue.

“Shh!” Zhang Wen immediately put a finger to his lips, signaling Carlette to be quiet. But the next moment, Zhang Wen’s expression changed drastically again. He suddenly lunged toward Carlette, forcefully pushing her down onto the seat of the psychokinetic car.

“Ahh?!” Startled and embarrassed, Carlette let out a short scream. The embarrassing fantasy that had only existed in her mind moments ago had suddenly become reality, and her heart was instantly thrown into a chaotic mess. But immediately after, she heard the sharp sound of glass shattering from a heavy impact.

After the chaos of flying glass, Carlette, who had just been in a state of confusion, quickly regained her composure. The calm and decisive student council president of Almishus Academy returned to her in an instant.

“Are we under attack?” Carlette, still pinned beneath Zhang Wen, opened her eyes and quickly whispered.

“Yeah, exactly. There are three of them. All very skilled experts.” Zhang Wen rapidly explained to Carlette while bringing the psychokinetic car to a halt.

It would have been the stupidest decision to keep the car speeding during the attack. That would leave the people inside helpless and unable to fight back, and it would also give the attackers an easy way to kill them—by simply flipping the car and watching the targets perish inside. Zhang Wen, of course, would never make such a foolish mistake.

Soon, the powerless psychokinetic car slowly came to a stop by the roadside. “Stay here and don’t move,” Zhang Wen shouted to Carlette before opening the car door and rushing out first.

Zhang Wen knew that once the attackers saw him stop the car, they would immediately converge from their hiding spots. From the first wave of attacks, Zhang Wen had already determined that the attackers were probably martial artists at around the eighth level of physical techniques.

Fighting three eighth-level martial artists at once was indeed a daunting task for Zhang Wen. However, it was not impossible. Moreover, the ambush locations of these attackers were certainly at varying distances from Zhang Wen’s current position. If he could seize the opportunity to take them down one by one when they were not together, his chances of victory would be much greater.

“Hey, three eighth-level martial artists. These guys really spared no expense,” Zhang Wen slightly lifted the corners of his mouth, muttering to himself. Then, like a ghost, he suddenly vanished from his original position.

“Where did he go? Did any of you see him?” The three attackers, positioned in a triangular formation and sprinting toward the psychokinetic car from different directions, simultaneously noticed that Zhang Wen had disappeared right under their noses. Shocked, the three attackers almost simultaneously stopped in their tracks, asking their companions through their psychic communicators.

Then, the same question coming from their companions instantly sent a chill down the attackers’ spines. They could clearly feel that they, the original hunters, had unknowingly switched places with the prey. Now, the prey had become them! And what they were facing was an invisible hunter!

“What do we do now?” The previously confident “hunters” panicked and anxiously asked through the communicators.

“No matter what, we must first gather together. Rush to the car as fast as we can! There are two people in that car. If that guy only came out alone, he can’t have gone far. Besides, his physical technique level isn’t high; the only scary thing about him is probably just his speed. As long as we stay together, he won’t be able to do anything to us! Moreover, we can also use the woman in the car as a hostage!” The leader of the attackers still had some sense. He quickly came up with a fairly convincing plan.

“Roger that!” Receiving the leader’s order, the other two attackers immediately steadied their nerves. They both responded affirmatively and, according to the leader’s instructions, rushed toward the car with all their might.

“Good,” the leader nodded in satisfaction and started moving forward, rushing ahead. However, he had not even managed to run a few steps when a scream filled with terror instinctively made him stop in his tracks, his entire body tensing.

“Ahh… Help… Help me!” When the hair-raising scream sounded again, the leader of the attackers was horrified to realize that the scream was coming from the psychic communicator right next to his ear! It was the voice of one of his subordinates!

“Help… That guy is a ghost… He’s a ghost! Ah! Don’t kill me!” The terrified screams from his subordinate nearly made the leader unable to breathe.

In the leader’s mind, his subordinate was a vicious and ruthless brute. Yet even such a person had been scared into screaming like this! What kind of terrifying opponent were they dealing with? How had the intelligence provided by their superiors been so wrong? Hadn’t they said their target was at most an eighth-level martial artist?

The leader of the attackers was filled with fearful thoughts, but the screams from his comrade continued for about ten seconds before abruptly cutting off. A gentle evening breeze passed over the leader’s body, and he suddenly shivered, then dashed forward like his clothes were on fire.

“One,” Zhang Wen softly said after dropping the corpse whose neck had been twisted, and his body vanished again into the shadows of the alley.

The pitch-black night and the chaotic alley—this environment was practically tailor-made for Zhang Wen! Relying on the speed he had cultivated after practicing the Spring Water Technique and the “Night Shadow” technique he had learned from Shura, Zhang Wen had not even let the eighth-level assassin see his shadow from start to finish while killing him!

After eliminating one opponent, Zhang Wen quickly approached his second target. This time, the leader of the attackers heard no sound through the psychic communicator. When the leader could finally see the parked psychokinetic car with his own eyes and excitedly called out to his second subordinate, he was horrified to find that his call received no response.

“Robby! Robby!” The leader frantically shouted his subordinate’s name, but the psychic communicator only emitted a blank static noise. The leader immediately realized that his second subordinate was also gone.

Then, where was that terrifying guy now? In other words, he was… just as the leader thought of this question, he suddenly realized that a sharp dagger had silently extended from behind him at some unknown moment and was now tightly pressed against his throat. The leader’s entire body was instantly soaked in cold sweat.

Frankly speaking, this leader of the attackers was not a coward. Even facing the blade of a tenth-level expert, he had the guts to charge forward without blinking. However, now he was almost scared out of his wits!

“Kokko… kokko…” An unprecedented sense of fear involuntarily made him tremble.

“Who are you people? Why are you attacking me?” Zhang Wen firmly pressed the dagger against the leader’s throat and softly asked in his ear. He was quite satisfied with the result of his deliberate actions. Visible terror was limited, but invisible terror was the scariest—this truth, proven countless times in horror movies on Earth, was evidently just as effective in this world.

“We… were just following orders. The person above only told us to attack a psychokinetic car at this time and location. There are two people on the car, roughly at the seventh or eighth level of strength. As for why we are attacking or who these people are, we don’t know!” The pale-faced leader of the attackers spilled everything without hesitation, like a beanbag. However, judging from his answer, it was clear that his willingness to speak so freely was probably half out of fear and half because he knew very little, so even if he spoke, it wouldn’t matter much.

“Superiors? Who gave you the orders?”

“I don’t know, really. I’m just an ordinary bounty fighter. I was caught by the throat and had to be blackmailed. Every time there was an operation, I would see a note left by that person at my place. I’ve never seen him in person! I swear, every word I say is the truth!”

“Hmph! So, you’re completely useless to me?” Zhang Wen coldly snorted, his icy voice ringing in the leader’s ear.

“No, please… don’t kill me!” The leader was already nearly collapsing to the ground.

Frankly speaking, courage is a very interesting thing. If Zhang Wen hadn’t initially instilled fear in this leader’s mind, even if he had placed the dagger at his throat, the leader might not have blinked. However, once he was controlled by fear, he could no longer muster any courage.

With the keen senses granted by the Spring Water Technique, Zhang Wen could sense from the leader’s body temperature and heartbeat speed that he was indeed telling the truth.

Faced with a completely defenseless, clueless underling, Zhang Wen was too lazy to even consider killing him. Bounty fighters like this leader were countless in the Empire. Even if Zhang Wen killed this one, the enemy could easily control ten or eight more to deal with him. Additionally, Zhang Wen vaguely sensed that there was someone else hiding in the shadows, secretly observing the scene.

In such circumstances, Zhang Wen thought it better to let the prisoner go, at least to create a little trouble for the hidden enemy.

“Alright. I won’t kill you, but whether you survive or not is entirely up to your own luck.” Having made his decision, Zhang Wen quickly whispered in the leader’s ear, then suddenly withdrew the dagger pressed against his throat and struck him hard on the neck.

Pak! The leader, hit by Zhang Wen, unsurprisingly fainted. Zhang Wen immediately discarded the dagger without even glancing at the man and resolutely returned to the psychokinetic car. A minute later, the psychokinetic car, with two shattered windows, started moving again, speeding toward Almishus Academy.

After the psychokinetic car disappeared into the night, three figures suddenly emerged from both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the attacker leader.

Among them, the man and woman standing together were none other than Elmhawk Captain Reimund and his female adjutant, Isaya, who had been attending the banquet at the Governor’s Mansion earlier. The other man was also dressed in the same Elmhawk uniform as Reimund. However, his physique was slightly more robust, and his silver hair was tied back with a headband, casually draped behind him.

“Oh! Isn’t that Captain Mula? Why have you come here instead of continuing your investigation into Almishus Academy’s security situation?” Reimund, wearing his ever-present eerie smile, cheerfully addressed the silver-haired man.

“Tch! I will naturally investigate Almishus Academy’s situation. You don’t need to remind me, you smiling tiger. Besides, this isn’t just your affair anymore.” The silver-haired man irritably raised his head at Reimund but pointed his hand toward the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street, “I don’t know what orders the Emperor gave you. But I was officially assigned to be responsible for Princess Sophia’s safety. Now, a major assassination attempt on the governor’s daughter has occurred within thirty imperial miles of Almishus Academy. Don’t tell me you expect me to stand by and do nothing?”

“Hehe, Captain Mula, no need to get angry. I’m not trying to chase you away. However, this guy is closely related to the secret orders I received. I’d like to check him first. I hope Captain Mula won’t object?”

“Fine, check him. But the man must come with me.” The silver-haired man generously waved his hand and hoisted a massive greatsword, almost as tall as himself, onto his shoulder.

“Hehe, Captain Mula is still as charming as ever… If there’s an opportunity, I’d really like to have a duel with you.” Reimund’s eyes lit up slightly at the sight of Mula’s sword movement, but he quickly regained his composure and said with a smile.

Then, before Reimund’s voice had fully reached Mula’s ears, his figure had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader in an instant.

Pak! With Reimund lightly lifting his hand, the body of the unconscious assassin leader began to float as if controlled by some mysterious force. Then, Reimund flicked his fingers, and the clothes on the upper part of the assassin leader’s right arm were neatly sliced open in a square shape, as if cut by a knife. Reimund casually glanced at the exposed area on the assassin leader’s arm but immediately showed a disappointed expression.

“Tsk, just a minor fish hardly worth mentioning. The guys from the Society are really careful, not letting anyone catch even the slightest clue. Well then, he’s yours.” Reimund murmured lightly, casually retracting his extended index finger. The unconscious assassin leader immediately fell heavily back to the ground, his head making a crisp “thud” upon impact.

“Hey! Be careful! If you knock him into an idiot, you’ll have to take responsibility.” Mula complained discontentedly, then in a flash, his figure appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader. He grabbed the leader’s arm and hoisted him onto his shoulder in a few quick movements.

“Don’t worry. I know exactly what I’m doing,” Reimau said with a smile. By the time the last word of his sentence reached Mula’s ears, he and the beautiful female aide had already vanished without a trace from the streets.

“Captain, why would the people from Jishe attack Zhang Wen and Carite? Aren’t they afraid of stirring up the grass and alarming the snake, making us discover their existence prematurely?” Sitting inside the psychokinetic vehicle heading back to the governor’s mansion, the beautiful deputy officer Isaiya asked Lei Miu seriously.

“Hehe, Isaya… Isaya. Don’t bring those bad habits you had when serving your previous commander into my presence. If you have something to say, just say it plainly. Are you questioning my intelligence by asking me such a stupid question?” Leim smiled, staring at Isaya with a gaze so intense it felt almost tangible, momentarily leaving the remarkably capable and beautiful deputy officer at a loss for words.

“Hehe, do you really think there’s any need for us to worry about ‘tip-toeing’ around those guys from the Jishe? Although the Emperor did issue me secret orders this time, if they really had no idea about our true purpose here, they probably would’ve already been eradicated by the Emperor long ago. How could someone who has opposed the Emperor for so many years not have their own intelligence network?” After a long while, Lei Miu finally withdrew his piercing gaze, returning once again to his usual unsettling, eerie smile.

“I’m sorry, Captain Raimu. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya still expressionlessly apologized to Raimu, and then continued, “As you just said, we know what the Society is trying to do, and the Society also knows what we’re aiming for. Therefore, I believe the purpose of the Society’s attack this time on Zhang Wen and Caritate was to muddy the waters of this competition. At the same time as Zhang Wen and Caritate were attacked, I’m afraid that the delegation from Themis Academy and Governor Karayan will also suffer similar assaults. Their next move will certainly be to have their puppets issue further attack declarations. This way, they can force the two academies to cancel or postpone the tournament, thus entering the Sandra Forest ahead of schedule.”

“Once the students and teachers from the two academies enter Sandra Forest, we will face many unknown troubles in our attempt to confront the Society. The most worrisome scenario is that, if pushed into a corner, the Society might take people from the two academies hostage. Therefore, Captain Remu, I believe we should act now and try to organize the two academies to enter Sandra Forest ahead of schedule.” Essia said seriously to Remu.

“Hehe, stop the two academies from entering the Sandra Forest ahead of schedule? No, we won’t do anything.” However, as soon as Isaya finished speaking, Leimue immediately shook his head with a smile.

“W-what do you mean, do nothing?” Isaya was confused by Lemy, and even his serious face showed a hint of bewilderment.

“That’s right. Why would we want to stop them from entering the Sandra Forest? If our only goal was to sabotage the Society’s operation, we could have simply informed the two academies to cancel their visits this year. Why go through all this trouble, using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us all the way to the planet Casares?” He chuckled. “Isaia, what Her Majesty truly wants is the heads of those from the Society. If we were to block the people from the two academies, the members of the Society aren’t fools—they wouldn’t recklessly rush into the forest to their deaths.”

“But, but if we just leave them alone, then the teachers and students from the two academies…”

“The secret order given by His Majesty merely instructed me to bring back the heads of the Society members. As for the caretaker of those little brats, let someone who enjoys playing that role take care of it. Otherwise, let’s just expect them to either have extraordinary luck, or deliver something impressively unexpected.” Raymoo said as if no one else was present, his smile growing increasingly chilling.