Chapter 59: The Spy
Twenty minutes later,
“Let’s take a break.” Bannai, who had been walking beside them, suddenly stopped and turned to Mo Tan and the others, smiling lightly. “The aura of those wastes disappeared two minutes ago.”
At this point, the group of eight had already left the forest, and the surrounding terrain gradually became more open. Logically, this was not the time to rest. However, since Bannai had indicated there was no immediate danger, the already exhausted group naturally stopped to rest for a while.
Krab, Salazar, and Yinna were still in good condition, but Mo Tan and Shuang Ye’s stamina was now less than twenty percent, significantly affecting their movement speed and mental state.
Even worse off were Ned and the rescued Orc. Ten minutes ago, Ned had said he no longer needed Krab to carry him, partly because his injuries had improved significantly under Mo Tan’s unsparing treatment, and also because the bumpy ride had been too uncomfortable…
The Orc captive, covered in wounds and blood-stained clothes, was in an even more dire state, completely weakened. Salazar and Mo Tan had practically carried him all the way here.
As for Bannai… he showed no change, as if the previous battle and the Swift Travel had been effortless.
“We’re almost back in Marshall Territory.” Yinna gazed into the distance for a moment, then turned to the others and said, “But this location is a bit remote; it’s still quite a distance from the Autonomous Army’s temporary camp.”
Ned leaned against a rock and sighed, “I wonder how those who escaped earlier are doing.”
“They had ample time, and they didn’t look too weak, so they should have escaped successfully,” Salazar, who was in charge of the rescue mission, shrugged and then turned to Bannai. “Did you see them when you arrived?”
Bannai was currently standing there, toying with several blade fragments in his hand, looking completely unconcerned. “Didn’t notice, not interested.”
“Not interested?” Shuang Ye, who was meditating to speed up her magic recovery, suddenly looked at Bannai and asked, “Aren’t you here to save people?”
The latter nodded, smiling. “That’s right, I’m here to save people and get revenge. Both things are done now.”
“Revenge? Are you referring to that…” Mo Tan immediately thought of the Orc leader who had gone berserk, trying to fight this ‘friendly hero’ just now.
“Exactly, Karon Gu, the warlord of Fire Claw Territory.” Bannai nodded. “He and I had some minor grievances before, and he always wanted to kill me. It’s just that this idiot had terrible luck this time~”
Indeed, Karon’s strength was originally not far from Bannai’s. In a fair fight, the latter might even be slightly inferior. Unfortunately, fate intervened. Karon, who had been waiting for Bannai, first encountered the Fenrir Squad. In the subsequent battle, he didn’t constantly pay attention to his surroundings, which allowed Bannai to easily launch a sneak attack.
Otherwise, even with a planned attack against an unsuspecting target, the constantly vigilant Orc warlord would never have been preempted by potent poison, leading to him being severely wounded by Bannai within a few moves.
“As for saving people, haven’t I brought someone back?” Bannai, in a good mood, spoke a bit more, pointing to the Orc slumped on the ground not far away, and smiled, “And he looks quite intact.”
Ned couldn’t help but exclaim, “What about the others? Didn’t you say many were taken…?”
“That has nothing to do with you, soldier,” Bannai said indifferently. “The mission is over, both mine and yours.”
The mission is over?
Krab and the others were all stunned, completely confused about what he was saying.
Mo Tan and Shuang Ye, however, were deep in thought…
“Cough, cough!” The rescued Orc clutched his chest and coughed violently a few times, then wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He suddenly shook his head and, in a hoarse voice, said to Bannai, “No, there’s something else they can help with…”
“Tell me,” Bannai asked with a hint of curiosity. “What can they help with?”
“You guys… cough, cough…” The heavily wounded former captive looked at the Fenrir members. After another bout of dry coughing, he finally caught his breath and asked in a deep voice, “You are members of the Dieyan City Autonomous Army, right? You should know a bit about your comrades, shouldn’t you?”
Ned nodded to him. “You could say that.”
“That’s good.” The man grinned and said to Bannai, “The information I got this time is very accurate. I roughly know where the person Lord Buffy has been looking for is.”
The others were a bit confused…
Bannai was concise: “Speak.”
“I don’t know who exactly, but that person is in a certain squad of the Autonomous Army here in Dieyan City.” The Orc gestured to Ned and the others. “Then we can have these locals help us find that person.”
Bannai nodded slightly. “How specific is the information?”
He didn’t avoid Mo Tan and the others because this was a major secret known only to a few. To these foot soldiers, it might sound like gibberish, so there was no need to be cautious. Moreover, he might need their help later.
“Specific to the squad,” the man said with a solemn expression. “The squad’s name is—Fenrir.”
Everyone was startled, and Shuang Ye immediately broke out in a cold sweat…
The ominous Premonition was real!
“Oh?” The smile on Bannai’s lips suddenly became enigmatic. He put away the blades that had been spinning between his fingers and slowly walked to Salazar, who was closest to him. His eyes fixed on the white wolf emblem on Salazar’s chest, and he asked softly, “Ah, I’m truly rude. I haven’t even asked about your affiliations until now. May I ask who you are?”
He drew out his words meaningfully, and the light in his eyes grew colder and colder. His entire being was like a sharp blade about to be unsheathed, radiating chilling glints.
“We are… the Fenrir Squad of the Marshall Territory Autonomous Army stationed in Dieyan City.” Before Salazar could speak, Ned suddenly answered from not far away.
Bannai laughed heartily, clapping his hands. “Good, hahaha, that’s excellent. Then let’s make it quick and to the point…”
“What do you want to say?” Krab hadn’t reacted yet.
“What I want to say is~” Bannai glanced at him and sneered, “Fire Claw Territory has planted a spy among us. That fellow has been continuously collecting highly confidential information and is extremely well-hidden, never revealing any trace. But the reliable intelligence finally obtained indicates that this person is among the Fenrir stationed in Dieyan City. What do you all think about this?”
Mo Tan had by now connected all the inconsistencies and sighed, “The ‘reliable intelligence’ you just mentioned, that’s the important rescue target next to us, isn’t it?”
“Exactly.” Bannai was no longer indifferent as he had been. His attention was as focused as it could be. He slowly scanned the members of the Fenrir Squad, and said unhurriedly, “Now what I want to know is, who exactly is that person?”
His gaze finally settled on Krab.
And the others also subconsciously glanced at the Orc giant who still seemed to be clueless about the situation.
Leaving aside other things, just the phrase ‘spy planted by Fire Claw Territory’ made Krab the prime suspect.
It should be noted that unlike Fire Claw Territory, which was mostly composed of Orcs, the Marshall Autonomous Army had a much more even distribution of races. And in the Fenrir Squad, Krab was the only Orc!
But no one was willing to believe it. Not to mention the two players, even the NPCs Salazar and Yinna couldn’t believe that Krab could be a spy. They all felt that if this big guy could become a spy and easily infiltrate the Marshall Army, then the threshold for the ‘spy’ profession was far too low!
You know, when Krab was asleep, he could even tell you clearly in his sleep-talk about how many times he had been spanked as a child. This guy, a spy?!
“Impossible!” Yinna almost immediately exclaimed as soon as she turned her gaze to Krab. “It can’t be him!”
“Exactly.” Salazar also shook his head. “This idiot doesn’t have the brains for that.”
Bannai completely ignored the two, walking straight up to Krab and saying softly, “Confess or point out. One life for five lives.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Feeling the chilling killing intent emanating from Bannai, Krab retreated several steps, completely flustered. “What spy, what confession, I don’t know anything!”
Two streaks of blood suddenly appeared on his face. Krab didn’t even see what happened, only felt a chill accompanied by a stinging pain from his cheek. Bannai in front of him was lightly licking the bright silver blade stained red, his face ashen…
“It’s not impossible if you don’t want to choose either,” the Marshall Family’s personal assassin said softly. “I’ll just kill you first, and then slowly question them one by one.”
“It’s me…”
Just then, Ned slowly stood up and smiled at Bannai, “The person you’re looking for is me. Do it.”
“Captain!?”
“Impossible…”
“What are you saying?”
Yinna, Salazar, and even Krab all stared with wide, disbelieving eyes, while Shuang Ye and Mo Tan simultaneously showed knowing, bitter smiles.
Considering all the abnormal behavior before, this was not surprising…
“You?” Bannai turned and walked in front of Ned, sizing him up. “Evidence?”
Ned spread his hands. “Do I need evidence if I confess myself?”
Bannai licked his lips and sneered, “I can tell from your accent that you’re from the eastern part of Marshall. While it’s not impossible for you to have defected, to be cautious and to prevent you from taking the blame for other team members, I still need a reason…”
“A reason, alright.” Ned nodded, then took a step forward and whispered something into Bannai’s ear. He then stepped back and said in a deep voice, “Is that enough?”
Bannai gave him a satisfied thumbs-up, then said indifferently, “Given your cooperation, I can allow you to leave a few last words or something.”
“Captain!!” Yinna was almost frantic. “What on earth are you doing?!”
Salazar finally lost his composure, glaring at Ned and shouting, “Ned! What on earth are you going crazy about?!”
“Captain, you can’t possibly be a spy! And from Fire Claw at that…” Krab desperately shook his head, muttering, “I’m more like one than you!”
“Shut up, all of you!” Ned suddenly roared, using the authority accumulated over a long time to make Krab and the others habitually shut their mouths. Then he said to Bannai, “I don’t need any last words. Do it.”
“Oh?” The assassin, who could probably kill Ned with a casual flick of his hand, was in no hurry. Instead, he asked with interest, “Are you worried that if you say too much, I might… eliminate your team members?”
He drew a finger across his throat. “Wipe them all out?”
Ned merely remained silent.
“Tsk tsk, boring.” Bannai chuckled, three crescent-shaped silver blades springing from between his fingers. He shook his head and said, “What a pity, I was actually planning to spare your life~”
Of course, he never had such an intention, but that didn’t stop this assassin, who enjoyed tormenting his prey in various ways, from saying it casually. In many cases, such words were enough to break the opponent’s psychological defense, allowing him to enjoy the maximum pleasure during the killing.
But Ned was clearly not a suitable prey. Bannai saw nothing in his eyes that could please him, so he let out an irritated cold snort. “You can die now!”
Ned closed his eyes. In that instant, he thought of many, many things…
It is said that everyone feels time slow down immensely just before death. Perhaps such words always seem a bit unrealistic, after all, no dead person would suddenly jump up and tell you their dying sensations. But on closer inspection, this idea is not without merit…
The speed of thought far surpasses everything, and the survival instinct of intelligent life may very well cause it to sink into the realm of consciousness and thought in that fleeting moment before death, thereby gaining some time that would normally be almost impossible to exist.
Ned remembered his happy childhood home, his inseparable playmates, the smiling faces of everyone in that small coastal town, and… the constant whispers echoing through the city on a certain night, and the bad news he heard the next morning.
One-third of the citizens had vanished as if they had evaporated from the earth.
This included Ned’s father and his best friend…
After months of anxious waiting, the only feedback he received was a dismissive ‘can’t be found.’
His mother, unable to accept this outcome, went mad. And Ned, though still young, secretly vowed that he would uncover the so-called truth…
Ten years later, after much hardship, he finally found a clue, and the end of all leads pointed directly to the owner of this land…
The Marshall Family.
Chapter 57: End