The scale of this operation was by no means small; almost all of the Marshall Autonomous Army members belonging to Dieyan City were dispatched, totaling at least two hundred people. Although it didn't seem like a lot, for the Violet Empire, the deployment of over a hundred regular troops just for internal friction was relatively rare, as in the current relatively stable political climate, those in power rarely engaged in open conflict outside of the negotiation table.
As for covert struggles, they were commonplace... if you accidentally got a sack thrown over your head by a few big men and were pushed into an alley, who could you blame?
The main force had already assembled near the border, and an additional tenth of the troops, smaller units, were responsible for cross-border reconnaissance. Their specific task was to search for places where prisoners might be held in the Fire Claw Territory and to release signals while causing as much Chaos as possible.
Fenrir Squad was one of these units; four other strong squads had received the same mission, and they would infiltrate and scout the Fire Claw Territory's border from several different locations.
As the captain, Ned was responsible for planning the advance and movement routes, while Mo Tan was in charge of the specific positioning and formation during the process, a task forcibly assigned to him by Ned.
"If we encounter combat, everyone, including myself, will follow your command." Ned nodded to Mo Tan, "You need to feel some pressure."
At this point, the six of them had crossed the border and officially entered the Fire Claw Territory's sphere of influence. Although the surrounding scenery hadn't changed, everyone couldn't help but feel nervous. After all, an unexpected event could happen at any second, and it was impossible not to feel any pressure at all...
Aside from the relatively calmer Ned and Salazar, Yinna, Krab, and the two players gradually entered a state of high alert, guarding against the danger that could appear at any moment.
"Relax a little." Mo Tan, also very nervous, whispered to the others, "Krab, you're a bit too far forward. Do you have some idea about Salazar's backside? Yinna, slow down a bit. At least let us see your back, otherwise, if there's a trap, we won't be able to provide support easily."
As a result, the elf ranger, with her exceptionally keen hearing, became even more nervous, nearly tripping after a sudden stop, and turned back to glare angrily at the certain priest.
To be honest, Mo Tan's mental fortitude wasn't great at the moment either, but he still forced himself to calm down. After all, excessive pressure or a certain level of nervousness could cause many negative effects, such as a sharp increase in stamina consumption, and over-concentrating would lead to a period of scattered attention afterward. In short, it was not a good thing.
Since he was trusted by everyone, he at least had to do his best.
That's what he thought...
"Black Vatican is right." Ned, walking alongside Yinna at the front of the team, raised his hand to signal everyone to rest in place for a moment, then turned back and smiled, "Our mission is just reconnaissance. Logically, there shouldn't necessarily be any conflict. The border isn't really suitable for habitation, and we haven't heard any intelligence about the Fire Claw Territory stationing troops nearby before. Maybe in the end, there's nothing at all."
Salazar, beside him, suddenly interjected, "But those orcs we encountered earlier were clearly warriors from the Fire Claw Territory. They crossed the border directly that time."
"And last night, they even rushed into our territory to slaughter and plunder!" Krab cracked his knuckles, panting, "God knows if those people are crazy."
Yinna, who had unscrewed her water skin and taken a sip, also sighed, "Moving with abducted people, or prisoners, wouldn't be very fast. Perhaps they really did secretly establish a stronghold near the border."
"Uh..." Ned was stunned for a moment, then nodded somewhat dejectedly, "You all have a point. If the Fire Claw Territory really did something like that, then now is indeed not the time to be blindly optimistic. However, everyone, please don't be too nervous. Some things... still need to be seen to be believed..."
Everyone was startled, and then they all felt that their captain was a bit off. In fact, Ned himself didn't even know what he was saying.
He looked somewhat haggard, and upon closer inspection, one could even see faint dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't rested well. Although he usually gave off a spirited impression, the occasional fatigue he showed was quite obvious...
"Captain," Yinna said softly, "How about we just stay here for a few hours and then retreat? This operation isn't just about the six of us."
Salazar nodded, agreeing concisely, "Agreed."
Krab didn't say anything, but shrugged, indicating that he was fine with anything.
Mo Tan also opened his mouth, just about to speak...
"No!" Ned, however, flatly refused, "I'm fine. This operation concerns the lives of many people. If it's true, then we must do everything we can. This is not the time to be lazy!"
"But..." Yinna seemed to want to say something else.
"I agree with the captain's point of view." Shuang Ye, who had been silent until recently, suddenly spoke, "There are too many peculiarities about this incident. If we want to know the truth, we must continue the mission."
Salazar tilted his head and asked faintly, "Peculiarities?"
The others also cast puzzled glances at the quiet girl, waiting for her to continue.
Mo Tan, however, nodded thoughtfully.
"The Marshall Territory and the Fire Claw Territory, which had always been peaceful and without friction, suddenly experienced frequent incidents." Shuang Ye pushed up her glasses, "This isn't normal to begin with. The Burning Point Squad, which was originally on a routine patrol, was suddenly declared 'missing' within their own territory. Is it reasonable that the higher-ups mobilized a large force to search for them just because they were a little late returning?"
"Perhaps it's for 'Cordova Must Die'?"
Mo Tan muttered to himself...
Krab rubbed his large nose, "Isn't it reasonable?"
"It's not reasonable." Salazar, however, had already reacted, shaking his head, "At that time, the Burning Point Squad had only been out of contact for less than two hours, and the higher-ups immediately declared them missing and issued an emergency search order. This is indeed very strange. You know, we were often late before, so it shouldn't have been a big deal..."
Yinna looked at Salazar in surprise, "Wow!!"
The Lizardmen monk blinked, "What's wrong?"
"This is the first time I've seen you say so many words in one go!" Yinna exclaimed excitedly, "I thought you had a terminal illness that would kill you if you spoke more than fifty words at once."
Salazar: "......"
"And then?" Ned stopped the elf ranger's interruption, looking intently at Shuang Ye, "Anything else?"
"Are your heads all solid?" Shuang Ye said helplessly, "Of course there is more. For example, the seemingly overreactive judgment from above was actually correct. When we arrived, the Burning Point Squad had been completely wiped out, and we almost lost our lives. And the enemies were regular Fire Claw Territory warriors."
Mo Tan also nodded and interjected, "And those guys had strong hostility towards us."
"Exactly." Shuang Ye slightly narrowed her beautiful eyes, a playful smile on her lips, and whispered, "And then this matter was simply dropped after the captain reported it. Then, a few days later, people from the Fire Claw Territory suddenly came over to burn, kill, and plunder overnight. Don't you find that strange?"
Yinna was stunned by Shuang Ye's words, and finally nodded blankly, "I didn't think so before, but listening to you, it does seem quite strange."
Ned also seemed much more energized, nodding repeatedly from the side.
Mo Tan, meanwhile, looked at Shuang Ye, whose aura seemed to have broken through 1.6 meters, with a strange expression...
"The sole remaining witness was well protected, and the information he provided was unconditionally trusted." Shuang Ye lightly tapped her lips with her index finger, "Detailed death tolls, swift response measures, military actions that completely disregarded political impact, public opinion that spread throughout the city in a short time... Heh heh..."
The girl's eyes sparkled with a fervent light as she laughed, "I'm really interested~"
"Uh..." Yinna was startled by Shuang Ye's mysterious aura, then lightly jumped over and vigorously rubbed the other's small face, "Shuang Ye, you're so cool!"
"Mmm! Liwasou Lakai!" The flustered young mage struggled to resist, but was still bullied without any temper.
Ned walked over, picked Yinna up and moved her aside, then smiled at everyone, "Let's continue the operation!"
Mo Tan noticed that his condition seemed much better than before.
Also...
The young girl gently rubbing her cheek beside him, for a moment, made him feel as if he was looking at another version of himself...
"Let's go." Mo Tan temporarily pushed aside the jumbled thoughts, then began to instruct everyone, "Yinna, scout ahead, but don't go beyond fifteen meters from the captain as the center. Shuang Ye, follow behind the captain. Salazar, on the right. I'm on the left. Krab, bring up the rear..."
Fenrir Squad began to advance again.
...
Marshall Territory, near the border.
The Autonomous Army warriors had finished setting up a makeshift encampment and were now resting in small units scattered around. The second batch of search teams had also departed not long ago, and some senior military officers were moving back and forth through the not-so-dense crowd, continuously issuing upcoming orders and arrangements.
In the center of the encampment, a thin middle-aged man was crouched over a temporarily brought-in map table, his snake-like sharp gaze constantly shifting among the Autonomous Army warriors in the distance.
He had short, gray hair, wore a faded leather armor, and a scar ran across his face from his temple to his jaw, making his originally somewhat refined face appear a bit menacing.
"Sir, the second search party has already departed." The Lizardmen officer, Gart, stood respectfully behind the man, his head bowed as he whispered, "According to the predetermined plan, the third search members will..."
"Forget it." The man suddenly mumbled in a low voice.
"Huh?" Gart was startled, "You just said..."
The middle-aged man stood up, stretched his body with both hands raised, then turned back and revealed a gentle smile, "I said forget it, no need to send a third group."
Gart nodded, then asked, "Then the subsequent..."
Hiss!
A streak of blood appeared on his face. The Lizardmen's normally defensive scales offered no protection. A slight coolness accompanied by a faint stinging sensation made Gart's eyes widen in terror.
"Your efficiency is too poor." The middle-aged man, gently licking the blood from his fingertips, chuckled and shook his head, "I've already wasted a lot of time on the road. If this continues, let alone rescue, we might not even be able to collect the bodies. So..."
He jumped off the map table, turned, and patted Gart's cheek, "The predetermined plan is canceled. I'm leaving immediately. You and the remaining people just need to wait here, understood?"
"Yes... Yes!" Gart immediately said tremblingly, "As you command."
"I was going to get my revenge anyway." The man toyed with a silver blade that had appeared between his fingers at some point, his calm tone concealing a chilling killing intent, "Now, I can't wait any longer..."
The chill gradually receded. When Gart, trembling all over, raised his head, the man had already disappeared.
The Lizardmen officer, scared into a cold sweat, shivered and quickly found his subordinate, telling him to inform the others that the subsequent plan was temporarily canceled. Then he immediately went to an unnoticed corner, took out paper and pen, wrote a few lines, and placed it on an ice-blue tray.
...
Fire Claw Territory, border.
Karon Guy, who had been quietly leaning on a stone chair, suddenly felt an inexplicable unease and abruptly stood up.
"Lord Karon?" The orc officer beside him cautiously looked at him and asked softly, "Is something wrong...?"
Karon narrowed his blood-red eyes and said in a deep voice, "Is there any new message from the Chief's side?"
"There is." The other party smiled bitterly, "The Chief has sent messengers for the third time, telling us to bring that bastard back as soon as possible, and also..."
"And what?"
"What about the merchant caravan?" The officer glanced at the south side of the camp and whispered, "We can't keep them detained here forever, can we?"
In that direction, about twenty people were gathered, looking distressed. They were dressed quite decently, and there were a few mules and a cart of goods nearby.
Karon sat back down, closed his eyes, and snorted, "We'll release them naturally once we leave. It's their bad luck to be busy doing business across the border at this time. What's wrong with detaining them for a few days?"
"Yes." The officer's reply was listless, and then he spread his hands, "But these people eat a lot. More than half of the game we've hunted these days..."
"Shut up!"
"Yes..."
"Wait one more day. If there's still no movement from that side..." A fierce glint flashed in Karon's eyes as he looked at the cage not far away, "Then kill this guy. We'll just take his head back."
...
Ten minutes later, a graceful figure appeared on a nearby treetop.
"Target sighted!"
Chapter 54: The End
