Chapter 276 - 162: Creating Chaos (3)
"I don’t think so... It’ll be a problem if they see us." Zhao Tang pointed to the lords still waiting in line.
"What’s the big deal... Just say you’re going to the restroom, or going out to check on the battle."
...
As the two went back and forth, a series of massive explosions suddenly erupted outside the main camp.
The Hero Guards outside the camp immediately grew alert, scanning their surroundings.
"Oh, right. You said you could take us to sign the contract, didn’t you?"
"Right!"
"Come on, let’s go check it out."
Zhao Tang beckoned for the others to follow, then pulled Liu Jie along as he headed out of the main camp.
"You guys, stay here and save our seats. We don’t want to come back and find them taken."
As they left, the lords made sure to find an excuse to leave their newly promoted, Exceptional-grade heroes behind in the main camp.
They had just stepped out of the main camp when several Hero Guards blocked their path.
"What are you doing?"
"It’s dangerous outside. We’re under attack. It would be safer for you lords to remain in the main camp."
As time wore on, security outside the camp tightened. The Hero Guards stationed there were becoming less courteous toward the lords.
"We’re going to check on the battle and use the restroom."
"Yes, yes, yes, I’m taking them," Liu Jie interjected. He then leaned in and quietly whispered the password to the Guard.
"Go on." After confirming the password and realizing they were friendlies, the Guards let them through.
Zhao Tang and the other lords hurried out of the camp.
Outside the camp, flames shot toward the sky. Figures could be seen everywhere, battling the blaze, and people occasionally sprinted through the firelight.
Zhao Tang got his bearings, then led the group in a run toward the rear of the camp.
"Hey, Old Zhao, this way! Why are you going over there? Follow me!" Liu Jie yelled, seeing that Zhao Tang and his party were heading in the wrong direction.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot about you."
Zhao Tang ran over to Liu Jie with a smile and threw his arms around him. In the moment of Liu Jie’s stunned surprise, Zhao Tang produced an anesthetic needle and jammed it into his back.
The potent anesthetic instantly paralyzed both Liu Jie and the Eye Demon on his back.
Zhao Tang then propped up Liu Jie’s body. He and his hero guards supported Liu Jie between them and ran quickly toward the rear of the camp.
-----------------
Meanwhile, Xiong Da and his men saw the sudden glow of fire from the main camp in the distance, and heard the far-off sound of explosions.
He immediately ordered the Xiong Family Cavalry to charge toward the camp.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
"Password! Password!"
Seeing Xiong Da and his Cavalry reappear, charging toward the camp without the slightest sign of slowing, the sentry assumed they must have the password and yelled for it.
"No time! The camp is under attack, we have to provide aid."
Xiong Da swept past the sentry’s position like a gust of wind, leaving only that curt reply in his wake.
The Cavalry charged past the sentry post, the sound of their hooves fading into the distance, leaving the sentry at a loss.
’If they were enemies, why just charge the checkpoint? They hadn’t even killed him, an ordinary sentry.’
’But if they were allies, why didn’t they have the password?’
"What do you think we should do?"
"Hey, An Wei, are you still there?"
"An Wei—?"
’Is he gone?’
’He must have gone back to report it. Great. Now it’s not my problem anymore.’
’Sigh... I don’t know what’s gotten into An Wei, either. Ever since he went with our lord to Lord Mei’s territory, he’s seemed a little different. He doesn’t look any different, but something just feels... off. He seems more distant.’
The sentry muttered to himself and, feeling reassured, went back to his duties.
What he failed to notice was that in a patch of grass not far from the sentry post, a soldier lay dead.
That hidden sentry—An Wei—had been silently assassinated by a member of the Demon Race while Xiong Da was waiting for his opportunity.