“The rendezvous point is in the South District!”
The stalker was a tall, thin man. After removing his hood, his sky-blue hair shimmered softly under the sunlight. He now showed extreme humility before Wu Ming: “Please follow me!”
Wu Ming calmly walked behind him, deeper into the South District. As the crowd thinned on both sides of the road, they finally reached a garbage dump. Wu Ming smiled and said, “You’re a mercenary, right? From the Wolfheart Mercenary Company, under Alfred?”
“How did you know?”
The tall man’s expression immediately turned highly alert.
“The mercenary aura on you can never be washed away completely!”
Wu Ming drew his long sword, gazing ahead: “One, two… Hmm, seven archers in total. I bet you’ve brought military-grade crossbows too. To ambush a knight, that’s definitely sufficient!”
“He found us!”
The tall man immediately leaped aside swiftly and shouted, but he still couldn’t escape a silver flash of sword light.
After running a few steps into the ambush zone, a jet of blood sprayed from his back as he collapsed limply onto the ground.
“Kill him!”
With the loud shout, more than ten people emerged from around, wearing leather armor and wielding various weapons like javelins, long swords, and war hammers.
“So it’s really Wolfheart!”
Such an ambush would indeed be troublesome if Wu Ming had unknowingly walked into it.
But now?
With a swing of his sword, two mercenaries screamed and flew backward.
Swish!
Wu Ming became a blur, not bothering to engage the mercenaries further, and instead dashed toward higher ground.
Whoosh!
Several arrows whizzed past his ears, lifting strands of his hair.
He sprinted up the garbage hill and immediately spotted a depression where four mercenaries were stationed. Three of them had their bows drawn, while the fourth held a crossbow, staring at Wu Ming with terrified eyes.
“Die!”
Facing those who wanted his life, Wu Ming naturally showed no mercy. With a horizontal slash of his sword, he cleaved an archer and his bow in two.
Clang! Clang!
With a reverse slash, two archers clutching knives fell to the ground, their hands clutching their throats.
“Spare me! Please spare me!”
Witnessing this scene, the mercenary with the crossbow finally completely collapsed, begging on his knees.
“What use do I have for you?”
Wu Ming ended his life with one slash, then picked up a longbow, quickly drawing an arrow and releasing it down the hill.
Whoosh!
A pursuing mercenary fell to the ground, an arrow quivering in his neck.
With the longbow, combined with his sharp observational skills, each arrow he fired was almost guaranteed to claim a life. Coupled with his extraordinary arm strength, he could rapidly fire successive shots. After just a few volleys, the mercenaries below shouted in fear, no longer dared to advance, and scattered in panic.
“They’re just mercenaries after all—poor willpower and lack of sacrifice…”
Wu Ming shook his head. With their weapons and strength, if they had been fearless and willing to sacrifice themselves, even without luring him into a trap, they might have caused some trouble.
But now, they were defeated one by one and even started to collapse—this was the biggest difference between mercenaries and regular troops.
“Also… if Alfred were here, his strength alone would be enough to hold me back…”
Wu Ming had now identified another weakness of his opponent—cowardice!
It was understandable, after all. Alfred had already gained the favor of Count Bluehill, and a noble title was inevitable.
Even if all the attackers were wiped out, if they could inflict some injuries on Wu Ming or at least exhaust him significantly, it would be worth the cost.
Sacrificing subordinates to gain benefits was almost instinctive for nobles.
Now Wu Ming was certain that this Alfred was almost indistinguishable from those blue-blooded nobles.
“And the aura similar to Beatrice earlier—could he also be a blue-blood… who became a mercenary leader? Perhaps a descendant of a noble family who lost their lands, or a disinherited second son?”
Wu Ming stepped forward and examined the fallen mercenaries.
Although a few archers and mercenaries had escaped, it did not affect the overall situation in the slightest. Moreover, with his ability to hide, it was practically a dream for them to ambush Wu Ming.
“But… Alfred, since you’ve given me such a gift, how could I not return the favor?”
Wu Ming’s eyes darkened as he gazed toward the city.
His principle had always been an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. As for gathering evidence and reporting to the city guard?
Heh… that would be too naive. Even if all the local officials were as clean as angels, for Count Bluehill, who was more valuable—a hundred-man mercenary company led by a knight, or another outstanding knight? The answer was obvious.
…
The location of the Wolfheart Mercenary Company was quite easy to find.
As a newly emerging public figure, Alfred generously rented two adjacent inns to accommodate his mercenary brothers, spending money as if it were water.
They were also the favorite customers of nearby small merchants, chefs, and even courtesans.
However, today the Wolfheart Mercenary Company was unusually quiet. The all-night feasting had disappeared, replaced by a heavy atmosphere and occasional curses.
The merchants, as clever as mice, had disappeared without a trace overnight, and even the courtesans had vanished. By dusk, the streets were completely deserted, appearing quite desolate.
This heavy atmosphere even affected the surrounding residents, many of whom locked their doors and windows tightly, crawling into bed early, trembling with unease.
Unexpectedly, nothing happened that night, which relieved many people.
…
Creak!
Inside the inn, in a room second only to Alfred’s.
A female mercenary had just returned here when her body stiffened. She took a deep breath, closed the door behind her, turned around, and saw the sudden appearance of Wu Ming. A faint smile appeared on her face: “William?”
Her voice was low but confident.
“Second-in-command of Wolfheart, widow of the former captain, current deputy captain—Black Spider Tana!”
Wu Ming sat casually on the chair, his sword still sheathed, raising an eyebrow: “You should have called people immediately, considering I’m your enemy!”
“I want to clarify one thing—you’re Alfred’s enemy, not mine!”
Tana smiled charmingly, her red lips forming a subtle curve as she sat beside Wu Ming, exuding a fragrance: “Besides… if I screamed loudly, I’d probably die immediately, right?”
She licked her lips: “I’m actually quite curious how you got in here. Are you an assassin?”
As she spoke, one of her delicate hands had already started to wander toward Wu Ming’s chest.
“Behave yourself!”
Wu Ming admitted that the Tana in front of him was beautiful, but he had come here for business: “Although I like the vibrant colors of spiders, I have no desire to dance with them and risk being injected with a black widow’s venom!”
As a female mercenary who had risen to this position, Tana relied not only on her beauty. In terms of ruthlessness, she was likely more than a match for ordinary men.
“What a pity… I was hoping to experience your bravery outside the battlefield!”
Tana expressed regret, stopping her actions but still speaking teasingly.
“As far as I know, Alfred wasn’t always the captain. Before him, the captain was your husband… but after his death, Alfred took over the entire mercenary company—and you as well!”
Wu Ming looked deeply at Tana: “Want revenge?”
“You’re so direct…”
Tana was momentarily stunned, then asked, “What other choices do I have?”
Truthfully, although she had a few loyal mercenaries under her command and some influence among the lower ranks, it was far from matching Alfred’s power.
With his continuous purges and placement of loyalists, Tana’s control over the company had been steadily decreasing, forcing her to become Alfred’s mistress to protect herself using her feminine assets.
“Of course… I don’t expect you to act now…”
Wu Ming had no trust in this woman at all, and whether she truly missed her deceased husband was highly questionable.
“I’ll only guarantee one thing—Alfred will die in tomorrow’s semifinal!”
His voice was cold: “All you need to do is seize this opportunity!”
This was an ambitious woman, a beautiful black widow, but Wu Ming had no intention of controlling her. He merely planned to offer temptation, luring the spider to strike.
Tana was indeed immediately intrigued.
Today, Alfred’s trusted subordinates had suffered heavy casualties, shaking his foundation. If he were to die, the first to learn of the news and already prepared would indeed have a chance to take control of the mercenary company!
Although killing Alfred was extremely difficult for many, Tana had confidence in William.
Based solely on his display of skill today and Alfred’s wariness of him, she was willing to bet on this game.
Of course, her biggest advantage was that all of Wu Ming’s plans hinged on Alfred’s death, and until then, Tana faced no risk.
Appealing to emotions was merely a last resort. Wu Ming chose to tempt this woman with benefits.
“So… what do you want?”
Tana’s eyes seemed to burn with flames.
“Many things… including everything that belongs to Alfred personally, and the auction prize obtained last time…”
Wu Ming smiled slightly, stating his conditions: “Believe me, what you gain will far exceed this!”
“What about the Count’s interference? The Wolfheart Mercenary Company has practically been selected for recruitment!”
“He only cares about your company’s strength; who becomes the captain is not important…”
Wu Ming replied: “If handled skillfully, you might even gain a noble title!”
Launching a sudden attack on Alfred might provoke hostility from other forces, but once Wu Ming had clarified all these loose ends, Alfred’s end would arrive.
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