Deep Rock City was not a normal city. It was carved out along a mountain. The terrain was uneven, and there were a few cracks separating the city area, connected by bridges.
Below the bridge was a long and narrow rift valley that was six to seven meters deep. The bottom of the rift had been carved out to form a sewage river. On the rock wall beside it, there were a few dark caves. From the bridge, one could only see the entrance of the caves at a slanted angle. They could not see the situation inside the cave at all.
At this moment, one of the caves was filled with people. The captured craftsmen and hunters had been transferred here by Cole and the others. They were packed like sardines in the not-so-wide cave but only dared to talk at a volume close to a breath.
“These caves are where dirty creatures gather. There’s a sewage river at the entrance, and the stench is unbearable. From time to time, sewage will seep in, and even the poorest of the poor are unwilling to live here. Without a special reason, outsiders won’t know about the situation of these caves. Moreover, we can’t be seen from the bridge at all. Unless those bandits jump off the bridge on purpose, it’s impossible for them to find us easily.”
Weber explained the benefits of the hiding place in a low voice. He sat on the ground that was extremely oily after being soaked in dirty water for a long time, completely not minding the stench in the cave.
“Fortunately, I have you locals to guide me.” Cole casually flicked away a small rat without changing his expression.
After experiencing too much hardship in the wild, the hunters had no problems completely ignoring the stench here.
The craftsmen did not have such tenacity. From time to time, some of them would retch from the stench, but they were afraid that the noise would be too loud, so they could only suppress it with all their might. Feeling the greasy soil under their buttocks, they felt that they were no longer “pure.”
“I wonder if Jace can find his way here. I left him a cryptic special code in the bunker. I hope he understands it.”
Cole whispered to his partner.
Weber’s curiosity was reignited. He interrupted in a low voice, “The hunter who went out to scout is called Jace? Does he have a surname?”
“He doesn’t have a surname. Why?” Cole turned around.
“Nothing… Will he be okay going out alone to scout? How many times has he been enhanced?”
“Don’t worry. He has been enhanced three times, and he’s an elite compared to others at this level. With his strength, those bandits won’t be able to catch him.” Cole smiled.
“… If I remember correctly, your Imperial Hunter’s regular hunting team usually doesn’t have two members who are enhanced thrice. All those with three enhancements and above are captains.” Weber was puzzled.
On the way, Cole and the others revealed their identities as hunters of the Empire to reassure everyone.
Weber was a freelance hunter. After so many years of living and mixing around, he had met his share of Imperial Hunters and also knew the composition of their teams. At this moment, he could not help but feel strange about the illogical structure of this team.
“Jace has just joined the Imperial Hunters not long ago. He’s still learning our hunting methods, so he doesn’t have to lead a team for the time being. However, he’s learning very quickly. This time, we went out to hunt a fatal-risk beast. After returning to the capital, Jace will probably start leading a team.” Cole explained in a low voice.
“Not long ago? He learned quickly?” Weber subconsciously grasped the two words he cared about and couldn’t help but ask, “Where is that Jace from?”
Cole said the name of a small village that Weber didn’t recognize before suddenly reacting and asking suspiciously, “Why are you asking so many questions?”
“I just find him a little familiar. Perhaps we’ve hunted together before.”
Weber tried to come up with an excuse, but the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. This man sounded more and more like Jason.
Is he Jason in disguise? Weber couldn’t help but make such a bold guess, but in the next second, he denied it.
Jason was dead. His jaw was even gone at that point. It couldn’t be fake if he saw it with his own eyes.
The dead couldn’t be resurrected. This was common knowledge that even the uncultured Subterraneans knew. His imagination was going too wild.
“Stop chatting!” At this moment, the expression of the leader of the hunter team suddenly changed. He quickly shushed everyone to be quiet.
The dark cave suddenly became silent. Only the sound of breathing could be heard, as well as the sound of the sewage river flowing slowly outside the cave.
After a few seconds of tension, Zhou Jing suddenly flipped over the top of the cave and landed on the ground.
“It’s me!”
He carried Lynen before retracing his steps to look for his teammates, knowing that his companions would definitely leave some secret code. After searching the bunker, he found the message that Cole had carved in the team’s secret code, and then he came all the way here.
Cole and the others were relieved to hear a familiar voice.
“How’s the situation?” The team leader hurriedly asked.
“I fought with those bandits and killed six of them. Their strongest is only Dorton at three enhancements. However, there are still more than twenty bandits left. They’re basically in a group now. They should be searching for your locations.”
Zhou Jing explained briefly as he put down Lynen.
Only then did Cole notice the person he had brought with him. “Who is this person? Is he a bandit you caught?”
“No, this person is a civilian. He was chased by the bandits and fainted when I saved him. Let’s settle him here and protect him together.” Zhou Jing did not intend to reveal Lynen’s sorcerer abilities.
Cole and the others nodded and had no objections. There were already so many people anyway. It didn’t matter if there was one more added to their list.
“There are still more than twenty bandits. What do you plan to do? Do you want to get rid of them together?” The team leader asked Zhou Jing for his opinion.
“Don’t worry, they’re not that strong. I can kill them alone. They can’t surround me.” Zhou Jing pondered a while before he continued, “How about this? You guys continue to protect these people in case anything happens. Wait for me here. I’ll go and kill them all.”
