Trunks' expression was extremely distorted as he rushed in front of the girl like lightning. He reached out a hand to touch the necklace of crystal shards around her neck. He said in a choked voice, "Annie, it's definitely you!
The original members of the Rainbow Sickle mercenary band all gathered around Trunks and looked on with confused looks. Grant, who had been thrown into the air by Han Shuo, couldn't help but say, "Chief, Miss Annie doesn't look like that!"
"It's definitely Annie. The crystal necklace I gave her and the black mole behind her left ear are proof that she's Annie!" Trunks' voice was thick with tears as he held the girl, sobbing with joy.
The mercenaries, who had been sceptical, cheered when they heard that Trunks had confirmed her identity. They used their mallets to beat each other's chests, as if to express their excitement and happiness through pain.
"Annie, Annie, what's wrong? Why can't you speak?" Trunks asked desperately when he noticed that the girl in his grip wasn't moving and was as still as a marionette.
"Allow me!" Han Shuo rushed in front of Trunks and placed his right hand on Annie's back. A beam of black light entered her body and removed the restraints.
The girl's head lolling to the side, colour suddenly returned to her cheeks. She seemed to feel Trunks' trembling as her long eyelashes fluttered, suddenly opening into bright eyes as she looked at Trunks in bewilderment.
It only lasted a moment. Immediately, a shrill scream came from the girl's mouth. She struggled violently, throwing punches and kicks at Trunks. She struggled fiercely and cursed loudly, "Damn it, who are you? If Janet knew, she'd kill you for sure. Let me go, let me go!"
But the girl didn't seem to have practised any martial arts. Her punches and kicks didn't do much damage to Trunks when they landed on him. Trunks let go of the girl in confusion, "Annie, don't you remember me?"
"Who's Annie? I'm Betty. You must have the wrong person. You're crazy!" The girl dodged Trunks and looked angrily at Han Shuo. "You evil robber, what do you want with me here?"
Han Shuo didn't answer as he looked at Annie with deeply furrowed brows. Linley looked at the deeply emotional and dejected Trunks, "Trunks, you're not recognising the wrong person, are you?"
Shaking his head hard, Trunks said, "I gave her the crystal necklace, and the black birthmark on her ear is still there. That's definitely Annie, but I don't know why her appearance has changed and why she doesn't remember me."
"Then there's nothing wrong with her. These marks mean it must be her. Memories are sometimes forgotten after an enormous stimulus, and some magic potions can be used to change one's appearance." Han Shuo said calmly.
"That's right. That must be the case. Where did you find it?" Trunks immediately agreed when he heard Han Shuo's answer.
"You fools, what are you going to do with me? Hurry up and let me go or Janet will never let you off the hook!" The normally gentle girl became a little frantic at the dangerous circumstances and made quite a fuss.
"I grabbed it out of Janet's hands. It looks like we won't understand what's going on until we find Janet. I need to talk to her anyway."
"Annie, where did you get that crystal necklace?" Trunks asked in a shaky voice as he walked over to the girl and pointed to the necklace around her neck.
"How should I know? It's mine. You must have the wrong person. Please, let me go. I can get Janet to let you go too." The young girl seemed to feel Trunks' affection for her and begged pitifully.
"Do you remember your childhood, the affairs of your youth?" Trunks' eyes gleamed as he looked at the girl and asked her anxiously.
Shaking her head like a rattle drum, the girl cried, "I don't remember, I don't remember anything and I don't want to. Let me go!"
By now, even the original members of Rainbow Sickle's mercenary band could see that she had indeed lost her memory, and were sure that this had to be Annie, who'd been missing for three years.
"I'm going to find Janet and get to the bottom of this. Uncle Grant, take two small teams and come with me." Trunks gave Grant an order with a determined look on his face, then spoke softly to Annie, "Annie, stay here for now. They'll take care of you just like before."
"I'm not Annie, let me go!" Annie wanted to cry when she saw that Trunks was about to leave.
"Come on, let's do it all tonight." Wiping his eyes, Trunks couldn't bear to look at the sobbing Annie and glanced at Han Shuo as he walked down with large strides.
There were 20 people in each small team, as well as Odysseus' crew, Han Shuo and Gilbert walking along the flat ground. They climbed up the previously formed stone stairs and climbed out of the cliff.
"Why did you leave in such a hurry last time?" Odysseus asked Han Shuo with a smile as Gordon and Aphrodite also chattered away.
"It couldn't be helped. I had a lot to do last time, and that Ferguson was on my tail, so I had to leave." Han Shuo smiled apologetically at Odysseus and explained. He looked right and left and saw that no one was paying any attention to him. Odysseus couldn't help but ask a question in a low tone.
Han Shuo nodded and said quietly "Yes".
Odysseus was delighted and chuckled, "You are amazing to have created such a large band of mercenaries. We were only willing to join after Trunks said that the boss in the shadows was you."
Patting Odysseus's shoulder, Han Shuo smiled faintly and nodded, not saying much. The friendship of life and death that Han Shuo had forged with them in the Dark Forest was indeed becoming useful.
"A merchant happened to discover a silver mine in the mountain valley. It is said that there is even mithril inside. All of the powers in the Valley of Sunshine have fought several times for possession of this silver mine. . I've received word that Laureton of the Cairo mercenary band will also cross over tonight. The Cairo mercenaries have occupied all the high ground in the valley and it'll be difficult for the other powers to fight them.
"Laureton has left the valley for Mithril this time. The other power won't let him off the hook either, so there will certainly be a fierce battle at the silver mine tonight. I've come back to take a few men and watch the show and see if there are any advantages. Trunks explained as he emerged from the misty flats above ground.
Startled, Han Shuo said, "Silver mines are rare enough to begin with. Mithril is the ultimate material for forging weapons and armour. No wonder everyone's going crazy for it. When such a mine is discovered, its value is truly incomparable. Therefore, all the factions in the valley will want a share of the profits. The merchant who discovered it was killed the first time, but unfortunately, the news had already spread". Trunks nodded in agreement.
"Come, let's have a look as well. If there are no accidents, Janet will appear there as well." Han Shuo thought for a moment and suggested to Trunks.
"Mm, I thought exactly!" Trunks replied.
The group of about thirty people left the cliff in silence, following Trunks' instructions.
The mercenaries that Trunks had brought with him were mostly the experienced, extraordinary members of the Soul Destroyers. They checked their equipment and looked around carefully, carefully avoiding the other groups of people along the way.
As the sky darkened, before the crescent moon rose into the night sky, Trunks stopped in front of a boulder and pointed to a valley filled with ivy vegetation in the distance. "There it is, I think all the powers in the valley have arrived. The smaller powers like us who want to take advantage of the situation will also be very numerous. It'll be a bit impossible to hide without being discovered.
"The others stay here. You, me and Gilbert will go in first. Just follow me and be careful. No one will discover us then." Han Shuo turned his head and calmly gave Trunks his orders.
Trunks had seen Han Shuo's miracles before. He immediately turned back to the others and said, "Uncle Grant, you stay here and hide for now. We'll scout ahead. I'll signal you if anything happens."
As experienced mercenaries, they wouldn't have any objections to their chief's orders once they started their operations. Grant nodded and said quietly, "Understood."
"Follow me!" Han Shuo called softly, lowering his body to be level with the bushes. He took a step outside and sent the three Yin Demons out around him, keeping an eye on any movement around him.