"Originally, I thought Snowey wouldn't be assigned a mission tonight, and that the ambush on that side might be compromised. But who would have thought that the situation would take such a turn, and they'd end up on a joint mission with Rhett's team? Truly, the heavens are on my side!"
A cold glint flashed in Gaspar's eyes.
"Rhett Green, for the humiliation you put me through before, tonight I'll make you pay back a hundredfold!" Gaspar seethed with hatred, recalling how he had been oppressed by Rhett not long ago. His anger was barely contained, and he even started fantasizing about how he would torture Rhett once he captured him tonight.
However, listening to Rhett and Snowey's conversation, his guilty conscience began to stir. A sense of unease crept over him, fearing that the two might somehow grow suspicious of him as they talked.
"Whoo~" He exhaled deeply, reassuring himself, "How could they possibly discover me? He's not omniscient!"
Soon after, the two finished their conversation and, without any further delay, led the troops to launch a full-scale attack toward the northeast.
The troops passed through several checkpoints, descended a two-kilometer slope from the defensive line, and arrived at the plains.
Shrouded in the darkness of night, they gradually reached the banks of the Bloody River. They ran along the riverbank in four columns, crossing barren brown land, wading through shallow streams, and traversing reed marshes...
Finally, when the night was at its deepest, the group arrived at a black forest.
The journey had taken the hundred-plus men four hours.
Now, under the pitch-black night, the black forest seemed darker than ever.
Dead branches swayed in the cold air, producing soft, mournful rustling sounds.
Rhett scanned the surroundings with a calm expression, thinking that Gaspar had indeed chosen a suitable place for his plot.
The forest was eerily silent, with only the pitch-black crows breaking the stillness.
Rhett and Snowey were at the front of the group, whispering to each other. Snowey said, "I'm familiar with the terrain ahead. Once we pass through this black forest, there's a thousand-meter-wide ridge like a black line. Beyond that ridge is a plain, but after the ten-thousand-man battle there a year ago, it has become a wasteland. It might not be as you remember."
"No problem, you can lead the way then," Rhett nodded.
"I suggest we rest here for a bit. Some of my men are injured and need to catch their breath after such a long run," Snowey said as he glanced back at his troops.
"Alright."
Following the orders of the two leaders, the hundred and fifty or so soldiers behind them took a brief rest.
Some took the opportunity to eat dry rations, others drank from their water pouches, and some even found a bush to relieve themselves.
Rhett, on the other hand, wandered aimlessly in the clearing. Though he appeared relaxed, his mental energy was fully focused, keeping a close watch on Gaspar's every move.
A few minutes later, he noticed Gaspar loosening his belt, seemingly preparing to relieve himself.
However, Gaspar suddenly walked toward a patch of black bushes and disappeared through them. This action didn't draw anyone's attention.
Even as his figure vanished into the bushes, no one seemed to notice.
"I'm going to relieve myself, I'll be back soon," Rhett frowned and said to Snowey before heading in the direction Gaspar had just disappeared.
Concealing his presence, Rhett quietly followed about fifty meters behind Gaspar, crawling on the ground. He observed the other man carefully sneaking forward, hunching over and glancing back now and then.
A cold smile played on Rhett's lips as his eyes darted around, wondering when Ambiru would show up.
Just a few seconds later, Rhett sensed a strange shift in the air.
No sooner had this feeling arisen than he heard a series of thudding sounds above—"thud! thud! thud! thud!"
Accompanying the thudding was the eerie "meow, meow" wails of pain coming from above.
Rhett looked up, noticing two flashes of cold light, followed by arcs of powerful battle energy.
Immediately, two cat claws, dripping with blood, fell about five meters to Rhett's left and right.
Then, two nightstalkers, propelled by powerful inertia, crashed to the ground. They screamed in agony, writhing and convulsing on the forest floor.
Rhett could faintly see that the nightstalkers' wrists had been severed, and there were stab wounds in their chests, with flames of fire-attributed battle energy burning in the night—testament to the terrifying power of a peak-level Earth Knight like Ambiru.
The reactions of the nightstalkers made it clear: the fire-attributed battle energy continued to burn their bodies, spreading across their charred skin, causing them to scream in agony without end.
At that moment, Ambiru finally descended from the tree, his eyes cold as he looked at the nightstalkers on the ground.
Then he glanced at Rhett, a smile forming on his lips. "Rhett, you've done well! Gaspar indeed turned out to be a traitor. It seems Snowey's failed mission the other day is connected to him."
"By the way, Gaspar is still ahead..." Rhett suddenly remembered, looking in the direction Gaspar had fled.
"Don't worry, my men are already blocking his way," Ambiru reassured him.
Just as he finished speaking, Rhett heard a scream—"Ah!"
And then a faint but distinct voice, "What are you doing? I'm one of Snowey's men, here on orders for this mission..."
"Ah!"
Another scream, followed by silence.
Rustling sounds approached as two burly men and a stout woman emerged from the darkness, dragging the unconscious Gaspar like a dead dog, leaving a long trail in the leaf-strewn dirt.
The noise attracted the attention of the resting troops behind them. Footsteps approached in a rush, with Earth Knight Snowey arriving first. He was surprised to see Ambiru and the two men and one woman. "Ambiru, sir, you… you came here too?"
Then he saw Gaspar on the ground, along with the two nightstalkers, and his pupils contracted. A sense of dread crept into his heart, and his expression turned cold.
Rhett quickly issued an order, "Everyone, return to your positions and wait for my command. Do not leave without permission!"
Seeing the Deputy Commander Ambiru here, the soldiers, despite their curiosity and shock, could only obey the order and retreat.
"Commander Ambiru, Gaspar was colluding with the orcs?" Snowey clenched his fists.
"Yes," Ambiru said gravely, patting Snowey on the shoulder. "But don't worry. I won't let your comrades' blood be spilled in vain. I'll take him back for a thorough interrogation and try to extract valuable information."
"Sir, after the interrogation is over, I want to deal with him personally." Snowey's eyes turned blood-red as he glared at Gaspar, his murderous intent palpable.
"I promise you," Ambiru said. "But for now, you should return. I've scouted ahead, and the number of orcs is higher than expected. There are even a few fifth-tier orcs, far beyond what your forces can handle!"
Hiss…
Rhett drew a sharp breath. Fifth-tier orcs ahead!
Fortunately, he had contacted Deputy Commander Ambiru in advance. If they had continued over Black Ridge and fallen into Gaspar's trap, they would have lost their lives.
Snowey, hearing this, looked despondent. Last time, they had fallen into an ambush and barely escaped with their lives. This time, they were lucky to have survived and caught the traitor!
Rhett nodded. "Understood, Commander!"
He then walked over to Snowey, patted him on the shoulder, and sighed. "Let's head back. Today, we exposed Gaspar and thwarted the ambush. Your comrades didn't die in vain."
"Yes, Snowey, you should thank Rhett. He was the one who provided me with the intelligence," Ambiru added.
Snowey froze, then turned to Rhett with disbelief in his eyes. "How did you come by such classified information?"
Everyone's gaze turned to Rhett, curious for an explanation.
Rhett hesitated briefly, then gave the prepared answer. "I'm not entirely sure. Earlier today, while getting food in the mess hall, I felt something strange in my pocket. When I checked, I found this information written on what seemed to be an ordinary but specially made alchemical paper. Within a minute of my touch, it self-destructed."
Ambiru and his men were taken aback, exchanging puzzled glances. Rhett's explanation sounded far-fetched.
But after a moment of silence, they had no reason to doubt him and reluctantly accepted the explanation.
After all, no amount of speculation could lead them to the truth of Rhett's inexplicable golden finger.
Ambiru fell into contemplation, his mind racing with possibilities that diverged far from the truth. He planned to investigate further upon returning.
"Thank you, Rhett!" Snowey said sincerely, bowing deeply.
Rhett quickly helped him up, humbly saying, "No need to be so formal. I was just the messenger. I believe that if you had received such intelligence, you would have reported it immediately too."
A glimmer of gratitude flashed in Snowey's eyes. He pounded his chest with a fist and said solemnly, "No matter what, I owe you one. Once the war eases, we must sit down and have a drink together!"
"A small matter!"
"You all head back first. We didn't deal with that small group of orcs by the ridge earlier to avoid alarming them. It's time to settle that!" Ambiru's eyes flashed with cold light.
Rhett thought for a moment and added, "By the way, Commander Ambiru, there's something else I think you should know. I recalled that half a month ago, I heard that Gaspar seemed intent on keeping his son off the battlefield. That struck me as suspicious. It might be worth looking into during the interrogation."
"Oh?" Ambiru's eyes narrowed as he turned serious. "I'll keep that in mind. You all should head back now."
"Norbert, Balentine, Crowley, Alek, Jennifer, follow me and prepare to move out!" Ambiru called out into the air.
Instantly, two dark figures darted out from unknown corners. Ambiru took the lead, charging toward the distant ridge that looked like a black line in the night. Behind him, five powerful figures, each at least at the fifth level, followed like wisps of smoke.
Rhett silently watched for a moment before saying, "Let's go, we're heading back!"
...
The return journey was uneventful.
Back at Castle No. 1, Rhett, his two sons, and McCoff chatted for a while before settling down. Some began meditating, while others went to sleep.
The day passed peacefully from moonset to moonrise, with time spent in quiet meditation.
Late the next night, Rhett had already gathered his troops in the square, ready to set off for a patrol in a designated area.
But then, Ambiru appeared from around a street corner a hundred meters away, one hand behind his back and a heavy expression on his face. He waved to Rhett from afar.
Rhett's heart sank with a sense of foreboding, and he hurried over.
"Commander Ambiru, is something wrong?" Rhett asked.
"Yes, the results of Gaspar's interrogation are in." Ambiru's face was dark.
"Uh… isn't that good news? You don't seem pleased," Rhett said, noticing Ambiru's heavy mood.
Ambiru remained silent for a moment before saying, "While we did extract some useful information, such as orc squad activities and upcoming missions, we also learned that the royal bloodline reinforcements are from two royal tribes. Apparently, their high-ranking members made a wager over some mysterious item. It's perplexing." He shook his head.
Rhett listened quietly as Ambiru paused and then continued, "If that were all, it would indeed be good news. But during the interrogation, when we pressed Gaspar about his son's whereabouts, it took three hours before he admitted that his son had been kidnapped by the orcs."
This revelation shocked Rhett.
He hadn't anticipated this twist—small changes in their actions had evidently altered the course of events.
He quickly asked, "But his son didn't come to the front lines, right? How did the orcs manage to kidnap him?"
"That's exactly what worries me," Ambiru replied, clenching his right fist, concern etched on his brow. "Logically, the orcs couldn't have broken through the defensive line to reach the rear. So, I suspect there might be traitors within our ranks in the rear! Of course, it's also possible that a powerful orc bypassed our defenses, but that seems highly unlikely. Sending a powerful warrior, risking death, just to turn Gaspar into a spy? That doesn't sound like something the orcs would do."
"Hmm, could it be that kidnapping Gaspar's son was just incidental? Maybe the orcs had another objective?" Rhett pondered aloud, scratching his head.
"We can't rule that out. The fewer clues we have, the more possibilities arise! The only thing we know for sure is that Gaspar's son was kidnapped in the rear and then appeared among the orcs on the front lines!" Ambiru mused, stroking his chin. "There are too many risks, and we can't be sure if there are other spies among us. You must be extra cautious in the coming days!"
...