Chapter 176: The Artifact Ticket
Squad 5 failed in their capture, and the scarred man and his group scattered.
It was clearly no longer possible to use the previous method of waiting for them to return.
Moreover, they would likely sell off the goods quickly and leave the area.
Wu Heng returned to the tavern in disguise because he recognized the limping man. Glenda had previously identified his presence during her reconnaissance.
While everyone fled, the limping man, due to his condition, was slower and avoided detection by Squad 5.
Wu Heng had spotted him during his scouting of the room.
Instead of confronting or capturing him, Wu Heng disguised himself as a woman, posing as a mercenary to probe into the transaction.
When the limping man heard someone loudly boasting about having goods for sale.
He took the initiative to approach.
The limping man sat at the bar, eyeing the stout woman in front of him.
Hearing that money wasn't an issue, he dropped his impatient tone and said, "Our goods are absolutely reliable, priced well below market, but before I take you to see them, I need proof of your financial capability. Not just words, but real money."
The limping man shuddered as the woman gave him a flirtatious glance, quickly adding, "We only deal in goods, nothing else."
The flirtatious glance was a side effect of the artifact Wu Heng wore.
The wearer couldn't control it.
That's why Wu Heng chose to transform into a burly woman.
Not exactly ugly, but the kind of appearance that most men would find hard to appreciate unless they had certain peculiar tastes.
Wu Heng didn't respond, casually waving a hand.
Behind him, Barson tossed two coin pouches onto the table.
The clinking of silver coins echoed loudly.
"That's not nearly enough to buy our goods…"
The limping man's voice trailed off, his eyes widening at Wu Heng's next move.
Wu Heng laid out several shining gold coins, one after another, on the table.
The bartender, wiping glasses behind the counter, immediately changed his expression.
He quickly covered the gold coins with a cloth, saying, "If you two want to do business, take it upstairs to a private room. It's better to keep things simple here."
The tavern wasn't exactly the safest place for a transaction.
Mercenaries and gang members gathered here.
Even if they were just here for a meal or drinks.
The sight of so much gold could easily stir up greedy intentions.
A brawl could break out, and the tavern would suffer significant damage.
"Is that enough to buy your goods?" Wu Heng asked, collecting the gold coins and tucking them away.
The limping man, regaining his composure, quickly said, "Please wait, I'll inform my boss. We can discuss the details with him."
Wu Heng looked at him, his tone still calm, "Your boss isn't here? Seems like you're not very sincere."
"No, no, we were planning to meet here, but some unexpected events happened earlier. You understand, we're selling at a low price, so some things require discretion." The limping man explained.
Wu Heng nodded, "I'll give you the time it takes to finish a drink. If you're not back by then, I'll take it as a sign we're not meant to do business. Maybe next time."
The limping man, having seen Wu Heng's wealth, didn't want to miss this buyer. He quickly responded, "Don't worry, we're sincere. I'll be back before you finish your drink."
With that, he hurriedly left.
Wu Heng took another sip from his cup.
He signaled to the invisible ghost, Glenda, who swiftly followed the limping man through the wall.
Although the group had scattered, they still needed a base of operations to store their goods.
If he could locate that base.
The scarred man was likely there with the goods.
Wu Heng just needed to wait.
......
It wasn't unusual for wanted criminals to trade with gangs and mercenaries.
In fact, it was quite common here.
Otherwise, most wanted criminals, unable to enter the city and resupply, would have starved to death long ago.
Selling stolen goods through intermediaries was a means of survival.
Wu Heng sat at the bar, waiting for a while.
Several groups came into the tavern under the guise of customers, observed the situation, and left.
Before long, Glenda returned, slipping back into Wu Heng's body.
The images from her scouting filled his mind.
The limping man had crossed several streets.
He entered a courtyard in a residential area.
Inside, several people had gathered, including the scarred man.
The scarred man didn't look well—his arm was covered in blood, likely from a fight during his escape.
The limping man explained the situation at the tavern.
The scarred man sent out several people to investigate.
Wu Heng frowned slightly at the scene Glenda had shown him.
There had only been four or five people in the tavern.
But in the courtyard, there were nine, all armed to the teeth.
They looked tough.
"This won't be easy."
The number of enemies was high, and Wu Heng had already revealed a portion of his wealth.
Posing as a buyer to continue the transaction would be risky.
After considering his options, he stood up and headed upstairs.
He entered an empty private room, removed his disguise, and restored Barson and Bagdong to their original appearances.
Then they went back downstairs.
As they passed through the tavern.
The limping man was slapping his thigh at the bar, muttering, "Damn, they really left."
Wu Heng ignored him and led his group out of the tavern.
They headed in the opposite direction.
After crossing a street, they entered another tavern.
Duke and Marta were seated at a table, waiting in silence. When they saw Wu Heng enter, they immediately pulled out a chair for him.
Once he sat down, Duke quickly asked, "Captain, how did it go?"
"I found their location. There are nine of them, and they seem to be of decent levels." Wu Heng replied softly.
"What now?" Duke asked.
"The wanted criminal is a middle-aged man with a scar on his face. Our only target is him. If the others flee, don't bother chasing them. Just make sure we capture the main target." Wu Heng instructed.
The two nodded in understanding.
"There are a lot of them, and after Squad 5's botched attempt, they're on edge. Be careful, don't let anyone get hurt over this." Wu Heng added.
"Understood, Captain."
After a brief discussion, they paid the bill and left the tavern.
They headed toward the courtyard where the wanted criminals were hiding.
......
Whoosh Thud.
A sharp arrow shot out, instantly piercing the lookout leaning against the alley wall.
Blackfeather, the trained beast flying overhead, swooped down.
It snatched the ranger perched on the rooftop, biting his head clean off.
"Charge in!" Wu Heng ordered.
The group no longer held back, rushing into the alley.
Duke slammed into the wooden door—Bam! Bam!—and after two hits, the door flew open.
The moment it opened.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
A volley of arrows shot out from inside the courtyard.
Duke's plate armor deflected two arrows before Wu Heng pulled him aside.
The rest of the arrows clattered against the wall behind them.
After the volley ended.
Barson and Bagdong quickly appeared at the doorway, firing their guns at the archers.
Bang, bang, bang!
Bullets rained down on the archers, returning fire through the narrow courtyard gate.
"Smoke grenades!" Wu Heng commanded.
Duke pulled out several smoke grenades, quickly lit the fuses, and threw them over the courtyard wall.
After a loud curse from inside.
Bang, bang!
Thick smoke filled the courtyard.
Followed by the sound of violent coughing.
"Charge!" Wu Heng ordered again.
Barson and Bagdong, rifles in hand, stormed in and began shooting at close range.
Screams filled the air.
As Duke wrapped a scarf around his face and prepared to charge into the melee.
Marta suddenly said, "Captain, the scarred man is trying to escape over the south wall with two others."
Wu Heng reacted quickly, "Let's go, we can't let him get away."
Rounding the corner, they saw the scarred man and his two companions jumping down from the wall.
Duke roared and charged before they landed.
Thud, the impact was heavy.
He knocked the scarred man back two or three meters.
Duke raised his battle axe and brought it down.
The scarred man's expression darkened as he drew his sword to block. The axe clanged off the wide-bladed longsword, deflecting to the side.
The scarred man kicked Duke away, eyes filled with killing intent.
Wu Heng leveled his pistol and fired several shots—Bang, bang, bang—hitting the other two men in the chest and head before they could regain their footing, killing them instantly.
Seeing his comrades fall, the scarred man turned to flee.
Wu Heng extended his hand and clenched his fist.
Crack, crack!
A massive white bone cage erupted from the ground, trapping the scarred man inside.
"Squad 12," the scarred man sneered.
"Surrender, you have nowhere to run," Wu Heng said.
The scarred man laughed coldly, "If it were another squad, I might be in trouble. But you lot? You're not up to the task."
In the next instant, a scroll appeared in his hand.
Flames erupted along his sword as he swung it in a wide arc.
Boom!
The blade struck the bone cage.
The entire structure began to shake violently.
"Kill him." Wu Heng ordered.
"Aargh!" Duke roared, charging forward with his battle axe.
Wu Heng opened a gap in the bone cage, allowing Duke to slip inside and engage the scarred man.
Marta leaped onto the wall, her bowstrings vibrating like a harp as she fired arrows through the gaps in the bone cage, aiming for the scarred man.
Wu Heng maintained the cage, firing a few shots from his pistol.
But the scarred man's movements were too swift, and his duel with Duke made it difficult to land a clear shot.
He holstered the pistol and focused on casting his spells.
[Weakening Ray] and[Disease Ray] hit the scarred man instantly.
The scarred man's expression turned grim. He deflected Duke's battle axe, then tore two more scrolls.
In the next moment.
His negative status effects vanished, and a burning ring of fire expanded from his body.
It sent Duke flying back and set the bone cage ablaze.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Arrows whistled through the air, and the scarred man rolled to evade them.
Meanwhile, Barson and Bagdong climbed over the wall from the other side of the courtyard.
"Get in there and kill him." Wu Heng commanded, opening a passage in the bone cage.
The two rushed in.
The three of them surrounded the scarred man.
Duke wasn't a match for the scarred man alone, and even with Wu Heng and Marta's help, they couldn't finish the fight quickly.
But Bagdong was a Level 12 class professional.
His strength wasn't necessarily inferior to the scarred man's.
Once Bagdong joined the fight, the battle quickly turned in their favor, and they began to overwhelm the scarred man.
In the midst of fierce combat.
Bagdong shattered the scarred man's throat with a punch.
Barson drove his dagger into the man's heart from under his ribs. The scarred man's eyes remained fierce, but his body slowly collapsed.
He died in the bone cage, eyes wide open.
Wu Heng received a notification that his experience had increased.
Signaling the man's death.
He dispelled the bone cage.
The group slowly dragged the body over.
Wu Heng glanced around and said, "Move all the bodies into the courtyard."
They dragged the corpses into the nearby courtyard.
The ground was littered with bodies.
During the chaotic battle, no one had escaped; they all lay dead here.
Wu Heng looked over the corpses and said, "Duke, stand guard at the alley entrance. If anyone comes by, tell them we're conducting a mission. Marta, check their goods. See if there's anything valuable."
"Got it, Captain."
The two left to carry out their tasks.
Wu Heng knelt by the scarred man's corpse and began stripping away his equipment.
Aside from the armor and weapons, the man had over 200 silver coins, a scroll.
And a strange item…
[Ghost Train Ticket (Artifact) ]
(Description: With this ticket, you are entitled to one ride on the legendary Ghost Train, a key artifact for unlocking the train's secrets.)