Chapter 331: Chapter 325, Demon Mask_i
A shapely woman appeared behind the group unnoticed.
The men had no idea when she had arrived.
Her slender waist and feminine aura helped diffuse the tense atmosphere significantly.
“So you brought a bitch to deal with us?”, sneered Lai Gou, tossing his cleaver nonchalantly.
It was clear that the woman had come prepared, blocking the only exit. However, could one woman possibly be a threat to his side?
Are you Lai Gou?” she asked calmly.
“Why? Looking for me?”, Lai Gou passed his torch to his henchman, rubbing his pockmarked scar, “Know me from somewhere? Speak up, at least I’d know who you are.”
While Lai Gou and the woman were talking, one of his henchmen, unseen by the woman due to Lai Gou’s shielding body, was slowly stretching his crossbow and loading the arrow.
“Duck!” the henchman shouted.
Lai Gou instantly bent down.
Wham!
The crossbow string twanged, and the released bolt flew towards the woman with a whistling sound.
All this happened so suddenly.
But the woman’s figure seemed to dissolve like scattered ink and disappeared.
The bolt passed through where she had just stood, shooting through the tunnel and beyond.
“What the hell, where did she go?”, Lai Gou and his men blanched, realizing they were up against a formidable opponent.
As they panicked, shadows began to stir.
A blade flashed out from the darkness, skewering a henchman through his chest.
“There you are.” The men lunged at the shadow, only leaving traces of their swords on the cave walls.
The henchman impaled on the sword slowly fell, already lifeless.
The battle was far from over.
The dimly lit cave became the woman’s battleground.
The men kept falling, struck at vulnerable parts of their bodies.
Each strike was lethal.
“Run, run out quickly.” Lai Gou yelled in panic, starting to flee.
The remaining two henchmen followed, throwing their torches on the ground and running out in desperation.
Thud!
A man fell as the woman lunged from the shadow.
Lai Gou felt the woman was right behind him and swung his blade around.
But all he heard was his own henchman screaming.
Looking back, there was neither the woman nor her shadow, only his blade slicing through his henchman’s belly.
Blood was gushing from the wound.
“Boss, take me… take me with you.”, clutching at his wound, the henchman pleaded with Lai Gou to leave with him.
“Damn it! Crazy bitch!”, cursed Lai Gou as he stumbled along in his effort to flee.
Now the daylight could be seen at the mouth of the cave.
Just a few dozen meters and he would be outside.
The horses were tied outside. Once he got out, he could escape far away from the crazy woman.
As Lai Gou sped towards the exit, he felt a sudden warmth at his ankle and fell forward.
As he tried to get up to continue fleeing, pain shot through his foot.
That’s when he noticed his foot had been slashed by the woman, probably severing his Achilles tendon and disabling him.
“Please, don’t kill me. I can give you…”, he began.
Bang!
A dull sound followed by a heavy blow at the back of his neck.
His eyes rolled back and he blacked out.
The cacaphonic clamoring in the cave subsided.
The woman dragged Lai Gou towards the exit.
After a while, a limping man staggered out of the cave.
Lai Gou and the woman were gone. Only a money bag sat on a stone by the entrance.
It was the agreed reward from the woman.
Frantically looking around, the limping man picked up the money bag and hobbled away.
Elsewhere,
Fang Hao’s team had arrived at the second map location, “Bandit Camp”.
Ten Bone Dragons circled the not-so-large camp.
Their gigantic, ashen heads peeked over the wooden walls, looking down at the terrified bandits below.
Bang!
The camp gate was roughly swung open and Gray Bear strode in, tailed by bandit underlings and dozens of skeletal soldiers.
“Who is the boss here?” Gray Bear roared.
The bandits in the camp all hid in their respective rooms, peeping through the cracks of their doors.
“Gray Bear, you’re breaking the rules,” came a man’s voice from the room in the center of the camp.
Gray Bear followed the source of the voice and found its owner.
The man wasn’t tall, but he was built like a tank.
“Skin Monkey, so you’re the one who set up a camp here,” Gray Bear sneered.
Skin Monkey has been a notorious bandit for a long time, not lacking capable followers.
A month ago, Lyss City began its campaign to purge bandits in the surrounding mountains, and their base was destroyed, losing more than half of their forces in the process.
Fortunately, the scattered bandits in this area were quickly regrouped, and a new team was formed here to establish a new camp.
“Gray Bear, what is the meaning of this, what’s going on with these undead?” Skin Monkey asked coldly.
Gray Bear didn’t answer Skin Monkey’s question but continued to speak, “Skin Monkey, bandits can only get so far. This place will just be swept clean by the military again by this time next year.”
This statement was not only for Skin Monkey but also for those hiding in the rooms.
What good would establishing a camp do now?
By this time next year, it would still be cleared by the army of Lyss City.
“Oh? Does Gray Bear have a better idea?”
“My camp is now affiliated with Pruell City and belongs to an official village. If you follow me, we will no longer have to keep hiding,” Gray Bear bellowed.
Whisper!
The crowd began to murmur, speaking softly among themselves.
“So you’re here to poach my people, but Gray Bear, if you’re going to make up an excuse, make a good one. With these undead claiming affiliation with a human city, do you think we’re idiots?” Skin Monkey responded loudly.
Both of them were leaders. Despite his disadvantage, Skin Monkey was quite defiant against Gray Bear.
Just as Gray Bear wanted to explain further, Fang Hao and Anjia walked over.
“Why bother with him, Black Sword, bring him out,” Fang Hao gave a direct order.
Yes, Master,” Black Sword complied.
He made his way to the leader’s hall straight away and kicked Skin Monkey out dragging him to their feet.
[Human Warrior (Tier 6)].
Skin Monkey was only Tier 6, not as high as Gray Bear.
“I’ll give you to the count of three to submit or I’ll kill you,” Fang Hao said flatly.
Hearing the Skeleton Bird talk, Skin Monkey’s face instantly changed.
Before he could react, Fang Hao continued, “Alright, time’s up, kill him.”
Black Sword immediately raised his longsword, ready to strike.
“I’ll submit, I will submit….” skin Monkey wailed in panic, afraid that the sword would cut him down.
“Gray Bear, have him sign the slave contract. If anyone doesn’t toe the line, kill him,” Fang Hao instructed.
Anjia took a blank slave contract from her bag and handed it to Gray Bear.
He took it and promptly had Skin Monkey sign.
This time, Skin Monkey was quite obedient and did not utter a single word.
With this, Gray Bear gained two more leaders under his command. One was
Dark Wolf, now called Dog, and the other was Skin Monkey.
Afterward, things were much simpler, and all the bandits submitted.
The camp was also dismantled, with everyone moving to Gray Bear’s village.
All the money and materials from the bandits’ hideout were taken away; almost a hundred carts were filled with goods.
Fang Hao and his group got away with money and a black iron treasure chest.
Night fell.
Anjia and Black Sword, riding the bone dragon, returned to their territory.
The spoils this time weren’t significant, besides some gold coins from the bandits, there were just two treasure chests.
A golden treasure chest and a black iron chest.
Fang Hao, as a kneeling gray bird, could only bring the chests back for him to open.
Standing before the two chests,
Open the black iron chest.
[Received: Axe Blueprint, Black Iron Scythe Blueprint, Animal Collar Blueprint
12 Warfire Coins.] ’
Black Iron Scythe and Animal Collar were blueprints that he did not have.
Continued to open the golden chest.
[Received: Demon Mask (Orange), Glay Rolling Stone Skill Scroll, 3 Essence of the Abyss, 102 Warfire Coins, 8 Demon Stones.]
Orange equipment.
Fang Hao’s eyes lit up in an instant.