In the dead of night, a torrential downpour began over Xilin Town. Lightning illuminated the sky, casting a brilliant glow upon the dark, oppressive clouds. The rain, mixed with murky dust, fell relentlessly, the wind howling like the cries of spirits. Amidst this tempest, the bacteria on the corpses of the battlefield thrived in the humid atmosphere, releasing a foul stench.
At 4:13 AM, the second wave of the marauder's attack began.
Shan Ule, struck by an arrow in his eye, was tending to his wound while his second-in-command took over as the leader.
In this storm, with the ground slick with mud, galloping on horseback was highly impractical. The marauders dismounted and moved on foot, their forms ghostly shadows as they silently infiltrated the rain-soaked town.
In the shadowy veil of the rain, the second-in-command led the marauders with deadly quiet, their eyes cold as steel, alertly scanning their surroundings. Their sabers gleamed like fangs of a predator about to strike. With every step they took, ripples spread through the puddles beneath their feet.
Upon reaching the square, the second-in-command stretched out his hand, signaling to a marauder beside him.
The marauder immediately grasped the arm of his companion, and one by one, they silently pulled each other back, ensuring every man came to a halt in the darkness.
Forty-six seconds later, the entire band of marauders had ceased their movement, as silent as the grave.
With the flash of lightning, the second-in-command surveyed the dark alleys and the windows of surrounding buildings, his brow furrowed with confusion: Why had they not yet been attacked?
He had anticipated that the town's soldiers might have set up an ambush.
The square would be the ideal location for an ambush: archers in the windows above, soldiers emerging from the alleys, and a perfect spot for a flanking maneuver. There could be no better place.
Why was there no attack?
He stood in silence for a moment, then decided to take a risk. In a low voice, he commanded, "Light the fires!"
"Light the fires!"
"Light the fires!"
...
The order spread rapidly, and torches fueled by desert fire ignited, sending great serpents of flame rising into the storm, lighting up the surroundings.
In such darkness, starting a fire was akin to declaring one's position: "I am here—come and kill me!"
Yet, after revealing themselves, the marauders were met with an eerie silence, not a single bolt of a crossbow fired.
The second-in-command's confusion grew, and his brow furrowed further as he shouted, "Spread out, search the surroundings!"
The marauders infiltrated the town's buildings, searching every nook and cranny of the small town. They returned with a singular piece of intelligence: the town was empty, both the soldiers and civilians had evacuated.
"So, they are merely cowards," the second-in-command sneered, sheathing his saber. "Bring in the reinforcements, take the fallen brothers back to the arms of the Horse King."
The reinforcements, stationed outside the town, received the order and quickly began wrapping cloth around their horses' hooves, urging them to pull wagons to carry the fallen comrades back into the town.
The second-in-command approached the site of the fiercest battle, where Shan Gu's large body lay. The memory of the devil's smile and amber-colored eyes haunted him still.
Placing his hand on his chest to calm his frantic heartbeat, he gazed at Shan Gu's corpse and sighed, "Take him back to Dadan. May he find peace on the vast prairie."
Two marauders pushed the corpse cart forward, grasping Shan Gu's arms and pulling him onto the cart.
However, Shan Gu's body was too heavy. With his giant bloodline, his bones and muscles were several times denser than that of a normal man. His weight could be counted in tons, and no horse could carry him, so they had to use a land dragon instead.
Seeing his comrades struggling, the second-in-command shook his head in resignation, walked over, and helped lift Shan Gu's feet.
The three of them, their backs nearly breaking, finally managed to hoist Shan Gu's body onto the cart, and the bloodstains left behind were quickly washed away by the rain.
The second-in-command wiped the rain from his face, covered the cart with a tarp, and muttered, "It's too heavy. I hope the cart won't collapse."
After the bodies were dealt with, the marauders quickly disappeared into the storm.
Their base of operations was located 15 miles from Xilin Town, where their military tents were not conventional but rather horse-drawn carts with high wheels, covered with tarps.
This kind of military tent not only offered protection from the elements but, when danger arose, could be quickly hitched to battle horses and dragged away without the need for disassembly.
Speed was of the essence, enabling them to fight or flee at a moment's notice. This was the essence of the desert marauders' tactics.
Upon returning with the bodies, the camp's perimeter security was heightened, as Dadan Shan Ule was injured and night had fallen. The guards were now tasked with inspecting everyone entering the camp to ensure no enemies slipped in.
One of the guards walked up to the second-in-command, casting a glance at the corpse cart covered with a tarp. "Shan Gu?"
The second-in-command nodded.
They were all old comrades. The guard, about to let them through, suddenly felt an inexplicable unease. He pointed at the tarp and said, "Let me see."
Reluctantly, the second-in-command complied.
The tarp was lifted, revealing the bloated, grotesque body, nearly filling the cart. Its arms were thicker than a fierce tiger's thigh, covered in lethal slashes.
After confirming it was Shan Gu, the guard nodded. "Proceed."
The second-in-command pushed the cart toward the main tent.
Inside, Shan Ule stood, his right eye recently removed and wrapped in thick bandages.
当他仅存的一只眼睛看到弟弟的尸体时,一阵悲伤和愤怒涌上心头,恐惧的气氛笼罩着他.
山乌勒心情沉重地走向车子,掀起防水布,手上青筋暴起.
车里的脸是那么熟悉,山乌勒浑身颤抖,紧咬牙关,低声说道:"对不起,我没能保护你..."
入侵小队中,一名女子走上前来,目光紧张,"山乌勒,你派人去西林镇周围二十里地巡逻,我向你保证,杀害你弟弟的凶手没有逃走."
悲痛欲绝的山乌勒继续抚摸着弟弟的额头,眼里仍闪烁着泪光.
女人不耐烦了."时间不多了!我们必须——"
毫无预警地,山乌勒 (Shan Ule) 抓住了她的喉咙,用一只手将她举到空中.
他的手就像一把钳子,灼热而坚硬,扭着她的脖子,让她发不出声音,她的身体徒劳地拼命挣扎.但在他的面前,山乌勒却如山岳般不可动摇.
随着一声令人作呕的"啪"的一声,女人的脖子在压力下断裂了,她的眼睛翻白,身体痉挛了一下,然后就不动了.
山乌勒随意地把她扔到一边,面色冷峻,"把她拖走,喂给我们的猎犬."
等到女子的尸体被丢弃,山乌勒的目光扫过剩余的众人,最后落在了李敏卡的身上,原本阴沉的脸上,此刻却被阴森的神色所取代,"我弟弟为你而死,我要求额外的赔偿,至少一千银月."
空气中弥漫着沉重的寂静.
这些轮回者虽然没有得到很大程度的强化,但他们的领导者是李明卡,他是一个智力超群的人,懂得如何利用轮回世界中的"当地力量",操纵他人不费吹灰之力就完成任务.
但这次,他的阴谋被提前识破.第一波劫掠失败了,现在又有一名战友牺牲.局势迅速失控.
没办法,只好忍受.
哪怕那个女人曾经是他的爱人...
损失可以弥补...但生命一旦失去就永远消失了.
李敏卡额头冒汗,呼吸有些急促,他强忍着心中的郁闷,小声说道:"我会给你补偿的,只要你能在三天之内杀了西林镇的文官..."
"他必死无疑."山乌勒摆摆手,示意其他人离开帐篷,"把山古的尸体带到庇护所去."
...
黑夜徘徊,黎明即将来临.
雨如黄豆般落下,冲洗着荒凉的大地,雷声轰鸣,犹如战鼓敲响.
圣殿内,气氛肃穆,丝毫不受外面风暴的影响.部落的萨满巫师们已经结束祈祷,悄然离去,只留下几根摇曳的小蜡烛,在墙壁上投下颤动的影子.
当太阳升起的时候,部落的勇士们就会回到马王的怀抱,驰骋在辽阔的天空平原上.
而无神的恶魔将会再次崛起.
阴暗的角落里,一块宽大的裹尸布开始颤动,露出了一只肿胀粗壮的手臂.
山姑的身子扭动着,脸色铁青,缓缓坐起,烛光映照着他身上的无数刀痕,他的皮肉开始抽搐,骨头嘎吱作响,仿佛有什么活物要从他的尸体中挣脱出来.
嘶的一声,一把钨钢匕首撕破了他的后背,轻松向上划去,在空中划出一道血痕.
在肉体与骨骼扭曲的声响中,面带微笑的恶魔从尸体背后钻了出来,他吐出了用一百点尊敬换来的深潜氧气丸,缓缓站起,身上血迹斑斑,泥土飞溅,衣服被染成了殷红.
烛光摇曳,照亮了他琥珀色的眼眸,如梦如幻,恍若隔世,修长的身躯屹立在血海之中,苍白的肌肤泛着近乎透明的光泽,如同被晨露亲吻过的白色花瓣,纯洁,无瑕...
寒冷,仿佛失去了冬天的雪.