NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26: Encirclement
Chapter 26: Encirclement
Someone had entered his room, and the landlord mentioned seeing a fur seller at his door.
These two events couldn’t help but be connected in his mind.
How would a fur seller know his location?
It wasn’t a thief, and it couldn't have been the fur seller.
The only one who knew his residence was the fugitive who had escaped.
A fugitive daring to come out during the day was truly audacious.
Wu Heng felt both tension and excitement rise within him.
Tension because the enemy had set their sights on him again, excitement because he had detected their intent.
He could use this opportunity to eliminate them and remove the threat.
He adjusted his backpack and said to the landlord, "I've got something to do, I'll be off."
"Alright, just don’t make a mess in the room with those furs. We can't handle it, and it'll just make the place a mess," the landlord added.
"I was asking for someone else."
He walked out of the crowded area, heading toward the central district.
It was most likely the fugitive; he still needed to inform the association.
There was an organization now; this wasn’t something he could handle alone.
……
At the Adventurer's Guild.
The hall was still filled with many adventurers.
Some were at the counter handing in quests, others were chatting in the rest area, and some were feeding their pets.
Judging by the gear and the pet, this was likely a ranger.
Karvina had once mentioned that rangers often tamed pets, and could temporarily share the pet’s vision and hearing.
It was a crucial means of scouting and gathering intelligence.
He glanced around the hall, then walked through the corridor directly to the squad's rest area.
Opening the door, he found the room empty.
He checked the training room, but there was no sign of Captain Oteluk or Karvina.
Not here?
Were they out on a mission, or just not in the guild?
If they were on a mission, they should have taken him along, so they must not be here.
Like Wu Heng himself, after the first mission ended, he hadn’t returned to this place.
He went to the office area in the hall and asked one of the staff, "Has Captain Oteluk been in today?"
Aside from field operatives like them, the guild had many staff members to handle other duties.
They were essentially clerical staff.
The staff member glanced at him and said, "Captain Oteluk and Miss Karvina left with the second squad at noon. They’re not here right now."
Damn, they went out at this time.
The second squad had five people, and the fourth only had three, including himself, and now he wasn’t even around.
What were they up to?
"Do you know when they'll be back?"
"Not sure."
"Do you know where the second squad took them?"
"It should be related to a mission."
Wu Heng nodded and didn’t ask further. He went to the notice board and glanced at the posted bounties.
The number of wanted criminals had increased.
He still didn’t recognize any familiar faces among the portraits.
Returning to the squad’s rest room, he sat on the sofa and began planning his next move.
The fugitive wouldn’t dare to be too conspicuous.
Most likely, they would act at night, and they probably wouldn’t bring too many people.
With the captain and Karvina absent, it didn’t mean he had no options.
If they were involved, he’d have a harder time using the rest of his skeleton warriors.
"Will they come for me tonight?"
If they didn’t come at night and just kept watching him from the shadows, it would be troublesome.
He should inform the guild first.
If nothing happened tonight, the guild could contact Blackstone Town to strengthen their patrols.
If they did come tonight, he could deal with the problem directly.
Even if it was a bit dangerous.
After deciding on his plan,
He left a note on the table, grabbed his backpack, and headed out.
……
Night fell.
Under the misty moonlight, a gray-feathered owl watched the departing patrol guards below.
Meanwhile, in a nearby narrow alley,
A voice said, "The guards have left."
Two more figures stood up.
They exchanged glances without saying a word, then dashed across the alley, staying low under the moonlight.
They entered the alley on the other side.
One of them directed the owl to land at the far end of the alley, while the remaining three quickly approached the door and began their work.
With a soft click, the door lock was easily opened.
The room inside was dim and silent.
The three cautiously entered the house, closing the door behind them.
They didn’t search around but headed directly to the bedroom.
The plan was simple: capture the target, find out where the item was, then kill him.
It was just that straightforward; they needed to finish before the next patrol passed by.
Entering the bedroom, they saw a figure lying on the bed and tightened their grip on their daggers.
Just as they were about to take the next step,
A sudden sense of unease and cold crept up their spines.
Years of experience instantly made them aware of the danger.
Without hesitation, they rolled to the ground.
Thud, thud!
Two bolts embedded themselves in their previous position.
As they steadied themselves, they swung their short swords backward, the sharp blades gleaming silver.
The blades collided with an iron sword swinging from behind, sparking brightly.
In the dimly lit room,
They could faintly see more than a dozen figures standing in front of them, blocking the door.
The cold moonlight streamed through the window,
Casting shadows of ribcages on the walls.
"Undead!"
Their eyes widened in disbelief.
Besides the first few figures wearing armor, the rest were bare-boned skeletons.
Had they come to the wrong place?
How could there be so many undead in this room?
At the same time, they realized that their target had been aware of them all along.
The target had been waiting for them to walk into the trap.
Even so, they didn’t panic.
Every fugitive was used to living on the edge, knowing that backing down would only lead to death.
Fighting to the death might still offer a slim chance of survival.
"Break through!"
One of them shouted.
At the sound, the other two gripped their weapons and charged forward.
Seeing them prepare for a desperate fight, Wu Heng stepped back and ordered, "Attack."
Whoosh!
Skeleton Teddy lunged forward, covering three to four meters in one leap, and pounced on the figure at the back.
At the same time, Sword One and Sword Two, along with more ordinary skeleton warriors, surged forward.
In an instant, the room echoed with the sounds of fighting and clashing weapons.
Thud!
The lead bandit kicked over the skeleton in front of him.
His gaze quickly scanned the room, locking onto a figure in the corner that hadn’t joined the fight.
A cold mutter, “Die!”
Dealing with the undead was tricky, but there was a simple solution: kill the necromancer, and the summoned undead would vanish.
With his target confirmed, he charged forward, sword raised.
Wu Heng watched him approach, raised his hand, and sent a ball of water flying at him.
The bandit slashed down, splitting the water ball, but the splattered acid began to corrode his face.
His advance faltered, and his movements became sluggish.
Thud!
A sharp pain pierced his chest.
Through his acid-blurred vision, he saw a figure holding a short spear that had stabbed into his chest.
"Damn it!"
The bandit cursed.
Just then, he heard a whistling sound by his ear. He tried to dodge, but his movements were too slow.
Thud!
Another blade sliced into his neck, sending blood spurting like a fountain.
The bandit’s body slowly collapsed to the ground. Sword One withdrew its iron sword and continued to attack the remaining enemies.
The fight in the rear also began to wind down.
The only bandit still alive, though covered in blood, was dragged forward.
"What were you looking for in my room?"