Chapter 238: Evening Party Riot (7)
Are you okay?
Yes, the effect of alcohol has worn off.
I had been affected by the smell of the alcohol from the shattered Molotov cocktail nearby, but a little rest was all I needed to recover. It was a mistake to have delayed our initial pursuit of the bandits, but I was still able to track the position of the sand ball I had attached to one of them.
In fact, this led me to discover the hideout of the enemies. Despite my blunder, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Decius and I headed towards that location. Along the way, we passed by individuals in conspicuous attire.
I overheard their conversation and couldnt help but tilt my head in confusion. Because these people were heading in a completely different direction from the hideout we were aiming for.
Their hideout is here? But they seem to be going somewhere else.
Could there be multiple hideouts, or is one of them mistaken? What should we do?
If we have little information to go on, lets stick to our original plan. Even if theyre mistaken, at worst well only miss out on an accidental achievement.
Understood. I guess not being overly greedy is one of your good points.
After accepting Decius flattery, we resumed our journey towards the expected location of the sand ball. It was situated in a corner of the slums within the royal capital, and it was clear that wandering around there in our clothing would make us stand out like a sore thumb.
Therefore, we decided to approach via the rooftops as we had done in the imperial capital. Although this would be more conspicuous in the daylight, with the sunset and darkness prevailing now, it posed no problem.
We soon reached directly above the location of the sand ball by traversing the rooftops and knelt on top of one. We refrained from breaking in immediately because we wanted to eavesdrop on the conversations inside. Considering there might be other hideouts, we thought it prudent to gather any information we could.
Okay. What about being followed?
No ones following us. Even if we were acting as servants and got used to a cushy environment, we wouldnt make such a blunder.
Sorry to disappoint you guys, but we made you commit that very blunder. It wasnt surprising, though. Our method of tracking was not a straightforward pursuit, but rather anticipating and getting ahead of the bandits by tracking their position from a distance.
How did the operation go?
Things turned out quite differently from what we anticipated, but the plan failed just as we expected.
I see.
..?
Failed just as we expected? That has an ominous ring to it, doesnt it?
While listening to the conversation taking place below, I narrated it aloud to Decius in real time. Although Decius couldnt pick up the sounds himself, this method allowed him to hear the internal dialogue simultaneously with me.
However, the words I first heard were alarmingly ominous. Failed just as expected? Did that mean they werent really aiming to improve the lives of the refugees but had some other motive?
But whats this different turn of events about?
There was this young lady we had taken hostage, but the kid with her was monstrously strong. He freed her in no time.
A strong kid? Whose side is he on?
I dont know. At least, Ive never seen the young lady before. Looks like well have to investigate.
Yes, we probably will. This strong kid intrigues me too. Perhaps some other organization is involved.
No, we had no such intentions. It seemed Leos strength was leading them to read too much into the situation. In reality, we had no backing whatsoever; in fact, we were almost certainly wanted by our former employers. But we couldnt just go in and clear up the misunderstanding. Let them keep their misconceptions.
So, whats next?
Proceed as planned. By now, the information that weve fled to a specific area in the refugee camp must have spread around. Next, the knights and guards mobilized to find the culprits will burn down that particular section. Thats the plan.
Well escape in the ensuing chaos. A plan that took two full years since our infiltration is finally coming to an end. Its been a long journey.
The plan was to burn down part of the refugee camp! And the knights and guards were to carry it out? Ah, I see. There must be collaborators among them, or perhaps they had bribed someone. They planned to start a fire and make it look like an accident.
Indeed. Its become quite an elaborate operation to wipe out our business rivals.
Its to catch them all in one go, so it cant be helped. By the way, did you know? It seems our organization isnt the only one involved in this operation.
Ive heard rumors. But you know, its common knowledge in this line of work that those who snoop around get eliminated. Lets just say you dont know anything, and I havent told you anything.
Got it.
It appeared that their ultimate goal was to eliminate those they referred to as business rivals. They had even incorporated setting fire to a section of the refugee camp into their plan.
The target was probably one of the criminal organizations that the vigilante groups leader, Crane, had mentioned. I was curious about which organization it was, but I thought it was rather excessive for a plan solely for that purpose. However, the conversation inside the building ended there and the two started preparing for their escape.
Should we go in? Ah, it looks like its started.
Yes, the refugee camp is burning That place is!?
Wait?!
We realized we couldnt extract any more information. But just as we decided to storm the building, the outskirts of the royal capital suddenly lit up. Undoubtedly, as the men below had mentioned, a criminal organization in the refugee camp was being clamped down upon by knights and guards.
It seemed like they were pretending to resist but were actually setting fires From atop the buildings roof, we could clearly see. The origin of the fire was near the childrens fortress walls where Chirik and others lived.
Unable to stay put, I heightened my fighting spirit and spiritual power before leaping from the roof. Decius seemed like he wanted to stop me, but he couldnt stop my moving body. With the little reason left in me, I covered the building the men were hiding in with sand, quickly turning it into a sturdy cage to prevent their escape.
And then without slowing down at all to match Decius speed, I ran through the royal capital with all my might. My clothing made it impossible to blend into the darkness, but my straightforward running speed would seem like a gust of wind to ordinary people.
!
Reluctant to go through the procedures for exiting the city, I covered only my fingertips with my exoskeleton and climbed the walls guarding the royal capital. As I drew closer, the areas ablaze became more distinctly visible than when I first saw them.
Apparently, their arson plan was well thought out. In the short time I moved, the burning area had clearly expanded. However, it was obvious from above that it wasnt a natural spread of fire.
If asked why I was so sure, there was only one answer. The area engulfed by the flames was a perfect square. It seemed carefully planned to ensure no one within the range could escape and to burn everyone inside thoroughly.
Hey, hey! What a terrible fire?!
Be careful not to let it spread!
Refugees are rushing in! What do we do?
Well be crushed by other refugees coming from behind if we stay like this! No choice! Open the gates! Ill take responsibility! Let those whove made it this far in!
Below me, the guards who were oblivious to the whole picture were desperately shouting, struggling to save lives. While some set fire to the refugee camp for their own agenda, involving innocent people, others were trying to help, albeit reluctantly.
If Chirik and the other kids had managed to escape from inside those walls, they might be among the evacuees. However, overwhelmed by too much information, even my heightened senses couldnt distinguish their presence and I had no idea whether they were there or not.
Moreover, they were supposed to be digging a tunnel connecting to the royal capital from inside the fortress walls. There was a chance they had escaped through it. Even if I went to help, they might already be safe, and by now they might be taking a breather somewhere safe.
However, that was merely my wishful thinking. One of the lessons I had learned on the battlefield was to always prepare for the worst. What if they were too late to escape? They would likely be roasted alive in those flames.
I absolutely wont allow that to happen.
I took a big leap from the top of the city walls, creating a sandy foothold in the air, and rode it straight towards the childrens fortress. The heat of the flames rising below, mixed with cries of anger and screams of despair, stoked my sense of urgency.
In an instant, I arrived right above the childrens fortress, but the sight of the battle unfolding there nearly made my blood boil. The reason was that armed soldiers were surrounding the walls, striking them with large mallets in an attempt to break them down.
However, my boiling anger rapidly cooled down when I noticed that each strike of the mallet scattered sand around. This was a sign that Chirik was reinforcing the walls with his sand spiritual arts. At least Chirik was alive. It may sound heartless, but knowing that alone helped me regain my calm.
To grasp the situation more accurately, I sharpened all my senses to their maximum from above. The soldiers were trying to climb the walls, but it seemed they were unsuccessful. The reason was the children clinging to the inside of the wall, stabbing spears through the gaps, and those waiting atop the wall, shooting crossbows from their vantage positions.
Among the soldiers, there were those skilled in spiritual arts who could defend against the bolts from the crossbows and attack the top of the wall. They used this advantage to counterattack, creating opportunities for the soldiers with mallets to try and break the wall.
It seemed that the wall was holding up surprisingly well, but it was clear that it was nearing its limit. The reason was that the inside of the wall was overflowing with many injured and dead.
Damn it! What a defense!
But theyre reaching their limit! Keep attacking!
Crossbow bolts were fired at the soldiers who were hammering the wall with mallets. In response, the soldiers hastily retreated backward to escape the bolts, but it seemed apparent that they were also nearing their limit.
Without a moment to spare, I used my sand spiritual arts to encircle the entire wall and built an even thicker barrier around it. As the soldiers stood frozen in surprise, I leaped down from above and landed on top of the newly formed sand wall.
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