Originally, Hoffman didn't want to be enemies with the Duke's family, but since Dick replaced David as the new governor of Lagug, the black market channel for cold iron ore has disappeared.
This also made Hoffman very dissatisfied with Dick.
061. Advanced Technology for Creating Panic
No matter how those profiteers were dishonest, at least in the territory of Laguge, most ordinary people had a positive view of Dick, the new governor, because their lives had become better. Especially with the contrast of the previous governors, he seemed particularly wise and powerful.
But many times, good people are hated more precisely because they block the bad guys' financial path.
Therefore, since the beginning of spring, people have been trying to assassinate Dick.
The killers include remnants of bandits and escaped cultists. These scum are like fruit flies bred from a garbage dump. They cannot cause any substantial harm to Dick, who is surrounded by many experts, but just seeing them fly past him every now and then is disgusting enough!
In addition to these minor characters, there are occasionally one or two guys with decent skills. They are not necessarily here to assassinate Dick, but more like some kind of test.
This made Dick very annoyed. Every time he went out, he had to bring a bunch of people with him. At the same time, he had to strengthen the protection of non-combat personnel such as Ruby Tong and Shizuka Marikawa.
Dick was attacked again while out on an inspection that day, and the enemy's tactics had obviously been upgraded. The weapons were changed from poisoned daggers to powerful black powder bombs.
But the most outrageous thing is that the murderer did not personally go into battle to die with Dick. Instead, he hid a bomb with a simple timer in a bread basket and then tricked an innocent little girl into bringing it to Dick.
Fortunately, Xia, who was on duty as a guard, was alert enough and noticed that the little girl was having difficulty carrying the basket. She intercepted the bomb in time and threw it into a nearby river before it exploded.
Apart from the fish and shrimp in the river, the attack caused no casualties.
After returning to the castle, Dick called Tia immediately.
Today's attack made him smell something unusual. The enemy's level was obviously not the same as those minions before.
The key is that this terrorist attack-style method is very "Earth-style"!
"This matter must be thoroughly investigated. I want to know who is behind this."
"clear."
After leaving Dick's office, Tia returned to the intelligence department's office. The little girl who was tricked into delivering the bomb during the day was still being interrogated.
In fact, everyone knew that the child was being used by someone, so after bringing her back, they did not make things difficult for her or use methods like treating criminals. They just asked her about what happened and what were the more noticeable physical features of the person who gave her the basket.
Seeing that her stomach was growling with hunger, Lily brought her some biscuits.
The little girl turned her nervousness and fear into appetite. She looked weak, pitiful and helpless, but she was a very good eater!
"How's your question?"
"There is not much valuable information. We can only confirm that the criminal is a male of medium build with a very thick beard on his face. It is very likely a disguise prop."
Lily said as she took out a sketch based on the little girl's description. It could be seen that most of the suspect's face was covered with hair, and few facial features could be seen. It was obvious that he was intentionally concealing his true appearance.
The village where Dick was attacked happened to be on the main road, so outsiders often passed by to rest. The villagers were accustomed to seeing unfamiliar faces and did not pay much attention to them.
For Tia, the investigation of this terrorist attack was very difficult. Her intelligence department was established not long ago, and the first batch of trainee agents she recruited were still in the training stage. She had not yet established a usable intelligence network in the local area.
Dick also knew that the intelligence department was in its infancy and not very useful, so he allowed Tia to freely mobilize the resources of the Governor's Office, and even he, the governor, could lend them to her.
To put it bluntly, if there are not enough clues, you can use dick as bait to fish.
However, soon that night, a second explosion occurred in a tavern on the north side of the town of Lagog. Because it was close to the military camp, it was often frequented by soldiers on leave.
At the time of the explosion, the tavern was nearly full, with more than two dozen soldiers present.
The bomb exploded in the center of the tavern hall, killing eight people on the spot and injuring more than twenty people.
Upon learning that a terrorist attack had occurred in the city, Dick, who was eating dinner, suddenly lost his appetite. He stood up and wanted to go to the scene to check it out himself, but was stopped by Rita, because this might very well play into the enemy's hands.
"What are you afraid of? I have a lot of amulets that can save my life! And you guys are here to protect me. As the governor, I shouldn't hide at this time!"
Seeing Dick insisted, Rita did not stop him, but called all the main combat forces in the castle, and asked Tia's intelligence department to carry out secret surveillance.
Aren't you short of clues to track down? Maybe you'll have them this time.
Soon, Dick arrived at the scene of the explosion. The sheriff and the private army that was dispatched in an emergency had already blocked the tavern. The townspeople who were frightened by the explosion were outside the cordon, surrounding the tavern in three layers. Some of them were just there to watch the fun, while others were worried, especially the residents near the tavern, whose houses were also affected by the explosion and many people were slightly injured.
When Dick arrived at the scene, he saw Shizuka Marikawa who was rescuing the wounded. The usually cute and gentle blonde female doctor now looked extremely focused and serious.
Seeing Shizuka Marikawa saving people, Dick smiled knowingly at first, but then became alert.
The bar bombing was obviously a terrorist attack, just like the assassination during the day. We cannot rule out the possibility that there are still terrorists at the scene. If they still have bombs in their hands and happen to notice the medical staff who are saving lives at the scene, they might attack again.
Almost at the moment when Dick thought of this possibility, a sneaky figure flashed across the nearby roof and threw a smoking ball towards Dick.
"careful!"
The first one to discover the enemy attack was Bai Qiangdai, who was always within one step of Dick. She drew the sword at her waist and threw it into the air, cutting the flying explosive in half. The container broke, causing the black gunpowder inside to be blown away by Dick's instant wind magic, which greatly reduced the power of the explosion and turned it into a firework in mid-air, without hurting the innocent people on the ground.
Seeing that the attack failed, the black shadow turned around and ran without hesitation. Dick raised his hand to signal the people around him not to chase him. The next thing should be left to Tia's intelligence agency.
At this time, the assassin was running and jumping on the roofs of the town with his extraordinary skills, showing physical fitness that was no less than that of a mid-level warrior.
According to the combat rules set by the "instructor", these agents must never linger in battle. Regardless of whether the attack is successful or not, they must evacuate the scene as quickly as possible. After repeatedly confirming that they are not being tracked, they must change their clothes and go to the safe house to reunite with their teammates.
In terms of his own strength, their instructor is just an Earthling who cannot practice martial arts, but when it comes to assassination and sabotage, he does have a lot of vicious tricks.
For example, in this assassination attempt, after the attack during the day failed, they immediately adjusted their strategy and instead bombed a tavern to create panic in the local area.
It’s a pity that the dwarf governor has many experts around him, otherwise the bomb just now would have been successful.
After circling around repeatedly and changing clothes twice, the assassin successfully escaped from the town according to the pre-planned evacuation route and hid in a mill in the suburbs. This was the temporary stopover for their "action team" after sneaking into Laguge.
After entering the mill, the assassin jumped onto the beam and nimbly entered the roof attic. As soon as his feet touched the ground, a dagger stretched out from the shadow on the side and silently pressed against his throat.
"Password."
"Brother, it's me."
"Say the password!"
The man with most of his body hidden in the shadows spoke in a cold tone, revealing a hint of displeasure. The assassin knew that he had violated the instructor's rules and made the elder brother who always respected the instructor unhappy, so he quickly added the command.
“Life has a price.”
After hearing the assassin's command, the man in the dark retracted the dagger. Then a dim light was lit in the pitch-dark mill attic, illuminating the figures of the other two people around him. They were holding powerful crossbows in their hands.
"Next time you come back and don't tell me the password, you'll be nailed to the wall!"
After warning the other party fiercely, the man who was the leader of the operation asked the assassin to report the situation. After learning that he had bombed the tavern, he did not leave the scene immediately, but hid on a nearby roof, thinking of dropping another bomb to kill the doctor who came to rescue. The leader's brows furrowed.
"Idiot! Who told you to change the battle plan without permission? I told you to leave after placing the bomb, but you insisted on doing so. What if someone targeted you?"
"Boss, I'm trying to win credit for our team. You didn't see it because you weren't there. The female doctor who came to rescue us was from Earth. She was super pretty and had big breasts! I couldn't fault her temperament. I wanted to blow her up, but then that shorty governor also showed up. I couldn't let this assassination opportunity go!"
"So did you succeed?"
“Almost.”
The team leader looked hatefully at his subordinate who acted on his own, and was so angry that he could not contain himself, but he could not deny that the opportunity described by the other party was indeed very good.
It’s a pity that the other party has an expert on their side who has thwarted their assassination attempts twice.
They infiltrated Lagug this time with a total of four teams of agents, each with their own mission. Their team was specifically responsible for carrying out assassinations. According to the instructions given by the instructor before they set out, if the assassination of the top leaders was not successful, they would turn to the middle and lower levels and civilians.
Explosions in dense crowds are the best way to create panic.
This was not the first time they had done a similar task. They were very experienced and had never failed.
However, in the previous missions, the targets were all small lords who had no decent masters around them. Because they were playing a game of bullying, they could naturally act as if they were in an empty space.
But the situation this time was obviously different. The governor was protected by capable people, but his subordinates acted on their own and ended up failing.
This made the team leader more and more worried, and he always felt an ominous premonition lingering in his heart. So after thinking it over, he decided to be safe first and planned to abandon this base and move immediately!
But just as he was about to tell his men to pack up, the team leader suddenly became alert because the sentries outside the stronghold seemed to be silent...
The author says:
Author's words: Give up on the work and rest schedule and just let nature take its course.
062. Reward the Armies with the Governor
There are two sentries outside the stronghold, one active and one passive. The active sentry is actually a bait, while the passive sentry will imitate the call of a night owl every half an hour to report the current situation.
Therefore, when the team leader realized that the time was up but he did not hear the cry of the night owl outside, he knew that something was wrong.
The opponent's reaction speed was far beyond their expectations.
"You idiot, you chase..."
Before the team leader could finish his words, several metal cans spewing thick smoke flew in from the ventilation vents in the mill loft. An agent who was too close to the ventilation vents was unable to dodge and accidentally inhaled a mouthful of thick smoke. He immediately fell to the ground, twitching all over.
When the team leader saw this, he was shocked!
Not only had all of them learned martial arts and received tactical training from Earthlings, their bodies had also been specially strengthened. Through long-term use of alchemical potions, they had acquired a far greater resistance to poison than the average person, and ordinary toxins had no effect on them at all. However, the poisonous smoke used by the opponent could paralyze their people in an instant, so it was obviously not ordinary stuff.
Without giving it any more thought, the team leader immediately drew his sword and yelled at the remaining subordinates.
"Break the wall and kill your way out!"
After hearing the boss' order, several agents broke through the mill roof and jumped outside. As soon as they went out, they heard a "swoosh" sound and a row of crossbow arrows flew towards them.
Two unlucky guys who happened to run into the muzzle of the gun were shot into hedgehogs by the rain of arrows before their feet even touched the ground.
He is just a mid-level warrior. No matter how good his skills are, he is still a mortal and his kidneys cannot withstand the armor-piercing arrows.
Seeing that two of his teammates were killed and one was paralyzed in an instant, and all the sentries were removed, the entire action team was left with only himself and the idiot who was leading the enemy without knowing it. The team leader wished he could get ahead of the enemy and chop this idiot who betrayed his teammates into two halves with a sword.
"Boss!"
"Run, run in different directions!"
Without thinking too much, the team leader had no intention of fighting anymore. He was the only high-level warrior in the team and the one who had the best chance of escaping, so he turned around and ran without hesitation. But he had only taken a few steps when he was blocked by two female knights, one black and one white.
Seeing this, the team leader wanted to force his way in by force, but the moment they fought, he was defeated by a seemingly easy move by the female knight in black armor, and he was beaten to the point of crawling on the ground in a very embarrassed manner.
"Want to run? I think you're overthinking it!"
Pointing the tip of the gun at the stunned guy, a mocking smile appeared on Hei Qiangdai's lips.
In order to catch this group of terrorists, they dispatched a very luxurious arrest team this time. As the commander-in-chief of the operation, Tia asked Xia and Ayane to track the target while immediately borrowing troops from the private army. A total of 200 people were brought in to surround the mill where the terrorists were.
Kasumi and Ayane quietly eliminated the light and dark sentries on the periphery, then threw the disabling gas bombs prepared by Lily into the mill attic through the ventilation duct, forcing the terrorists to flee in a panic.
It was not until then that the operation team leader finally realized how serious the empiricist error they had made in intelligence was!
In the eyes of ordinary people, Dick was just an unwelcome bastard of the Duke's family. He was exiled to a cold and bitter land because he did something ridiculous that disgraced his family's reputation in the imperial capital. He was lucky to have one or two high-level retainers under him, and he couldn't form a decent team.
According to the intelligence they had collected before, this kid relied on unexpected strategies to win in both his dealings with the former Governor David and the subsequent anti-bandit operations.
This at most means that he has some good counselors around him, presumably summoned Earthling slaves. This is similar to Count Hoffman, who also has a think tank composed of Earthlings, and the agent instructor Yizhak is one of the members.
But the people on Earth are only outstanding in intelligence, but their individual fighting power is very poor.
However, the local strongmen in this world, whether magicians or warriors, are far from being so numerous that they can be seen everywhere.
The middle and lower class nobles can usually only employ middle and lower level people. Occasionally there are lucky ones who can get the favor of those with high level or above power, and they have to be treated as guests of honor and kept in the house like ancestors.
It was precisely because of the influence of these "common senses", coupled with Dick's intention to let the people around him hide their strength, that the opponent made a serious misjudgment.
The team leader wanted to send this information out, but when he looked at the female knight blocking the way in front of him and the three "masked female assassins" who appeared behind him, he knew that he could not escape this time.
However, he did not intend to surrender, but to fight to the end, out of loyalty to the count and for the sake of his family.
"My Lord Earl, my mission... cannot be completed!"
Back at the castle, Dick was scolding Shizuka Marikawa when he received the news that the operation went well.
When the explosion occurred in the evening, Dr. Natasha was not at the clinic. Shizuka, regardless of her personal safety, left the clinic guarded by guards and ran to the scene to rescue the wounded.
From the perspective of medical staff, this is understandable. After all, some seriously injured patients do need to receive appropriate first aid on the spot before they can be transferred to the hospital more safely.
But this big-breasted blonde girl obviously neglected her own safety. If Dick hadn’t brought people to the crime scene in time, she would have been in big trouble!
After all the injured were properly sent to the clinic and given appropriate first aid, Dick dragged Shizuka Marikawa back to the castle, poked her on the forehead, and gave her a good scolding.
After being scolded, Shizuka Marikawa looked aggrieved, but she also knew that Dick was concerned about her safety, so she pleaded to Dick pitifully.
"I know I'm wrong, why don't you punish me, Dick-kun? You can do whatever you want."
"..."
Shizuka Marikawa looked at Dick with her big watery eyes. There was aggrieved feeling in her eyes, but also a hint of expectation that could not be concealed. It was obvious that she was looking forward to being "punished (tiao) (jiao)" by Dick.
