Trap

In the Giant Beast Bone Field shrouded under the mental field, a group of suddenly intruding outsiders would appear exceptionally conspicuous.

The search team led by that officer was so, and Kruger, disguised as a mercenary, was equally so.

They inquired about news regarding the magic array in the Bone Field. This matter was quickly noticed by some local residents. Under the influence of the mental field, the news that "several groups of unfamiliar faces are asking about things they shouldn't ask" was passed layer by layer to Count Bona's ears through specific channels.

After receiving the intelligence, the Yellow Codex realized almost immediately that the remnants of the Hand of Passage might really have fled in panic to the vicinity of the Giant Beast Bone Field.

These three outsiders with ulterior motives were highly likely the vanguards sent by the other party to scout or search for resources.

Since real cultists came knocking, it saved the trouble of preparing them itself. This way, there would be even fewer loopholes.

Thus, it called off Bona's arrangement to use a group of prisoners as the murderers who killed the search team. Instead, it had him send the intelligence of the three people to that officer, while preparing manpower to wait and reap the benefits.

...

In the original excavation site, workers shuttled like an ant colony, moving collected materials.

Kruger and two cultists hid in the dark, staring at those temporary warehouses built from logs and thick canvas in the distance.

There were scattered guards around the warehouses, but their vigilance didn't seem too high.

They had previously tried to purchase the required materials in the market and even the black market, but ultimately harvested very little.

Robbing the temporary warehouses here at the excavation site became the only choice.

Whether they could find enough needed materials in the warehouses was uncertain, but doing so would definitely expose their position and attract encirclement.

But the High Priestess's condition didn't allow him to move secretly and slowly.

Before the operation, Kruger lowered his voice, reminding the two accompanying cultists one last time: "Remember, rush in, only take things on the list, as fast as possible. After you get the things, ignore everything else, immediately evacuate according to the planned route and return to the hiding place. If the guards are alerted, I will buy time for you and block all pursuers, understand?"

The two demon cultists looked at each other and answered firmly together: "Understood!"

...

The heavy log warehouse door was pushed open by Kruger. Outside the door, two guards dozing while leaning on spears had already collapsed on the ground, neck bones twisted at bizarre angles.

The interior of the warehouse looked far more spacious than the outside. Rows of crude wooden shelves and stacked crates filled the space. Kruger and the two cultists behind him immediately dispersed to search.

The initial search made Kruger extremely anxious inside.

Not fearing being discovered or the subsequent pursuit; what he feared most was that the materials they needed weren't here, making everything empty talk.

Fortunately, good news came one after another soon.

"Found it, Blood Weeping Vine taproot!"

"I also found Giant Beast Bone Marrow!"

"Good!" Kruger was extremely excited.

Just then, from several shadowed corners inside the warehouse that seemed piled with sundries, as well as above the thick beams over their heads, several soldiers lying in wait within pre-drawn concealment magic arrays pulled the triggers of their crossbows.

The crossbow bolts were extremely fast, pointing straight at the vitals of Kruger and the other two!

At the instant the sound of breaking air rang out, the power of blessing surged within Kruger's body, forming a thin but tough dark gray light shield around his body. Several crossbow bolts smashed fiercely onto the light shield but were all bounced off.

But the other two cultists didn't have this kind of strength.

Crossbow bolts hit their vitals almost indiscriminately, pinning them onto the wooden shelves. Dark red blood rapidly soaked their black robes; they twitched a few times and made no more sound.

Heavy shelves were pushed aside. A squad of fully armed Empire soldiers filed out, rapidly occupying advantageous positions. The enchanted strong crossbows in their hands were cocked again, aimed at the only surviving Kruger.

"Trap..." Kruger's expression was ugly.

The leader was precisely that officer who visited Count Bona before.

He walked forward with steady steps, his gaze sweeping over the two corpses on the ground, finally landing on Kruger, whose surrounding dark gray light shield hadn't dispersed and looked like he was facing a great enemy: "Pity. If we used explosive crossbow bolts, this round should have taken you all down."

However, he was just saying it. After all, this place was ultimately Count Bona's property, and the materials in the warehouse were also valuable.

To capture three cultists, blowing someone else's warehouse along with a large batch of supplies into the sky... was unreasonable both emotionally and logically.

"Kill!" The officer waved his hand, and the soldiers fired crossbow bolts again.

While blocking with the dark gray light shield, Kruger didn't forget to take the found materials from the two dead cultists during the intervals of dodging.

Solely discussing individual strength, that Diamond-rank officer opposite was definitely not Kruger's opponent.

But at this moment, surrounding him were over a hundred well-trained Empire regular troops cooperating tacitly, crossbow bolts, blade edges, and mages who hadn't acted yet.

In the distance, more footsteps sounded from far to near, obviously reinforcements rushing over. All this made Kruger dare not linger in battle at all.

However, after Kruger managed to rush out of the warehouse with difficulty, what he encountered were mages who had been waiting for a long time.

"Earth Bind!"

"Touch of Ice!"

Even as Kruger struggled desperately, facing the thoroughly prepared Empire soldiers, he was inevitably entangled in place.

"Meow—!"

"What?!"

Two mages focused on casting spells only felt the earth beneath their feet churn violently. Too late to react, the solid ground suddenly turned into waves of soil, instantly swallowing them!

The soil rolled back and compacted, leaving only two slightly raised mounds and half-exposed staffs outside.

Simultaneously, a petite and agile figure rushed out from the edge of the churning soil wave!

She ran on all fours, posture like a true beast, speed so fast it pulled out afterimages.

As she ran, the ground rumbled. Earthen walls just high enough to cover her rose from the ground, blocking arrows and magic shooting over.

In the blink of an eye, that figure had darted to Kruger's side.

At this moment, her hood slipped slightly, revealing a pair of light-colored cat ears trembling slightly due to intense exercise.

"Why did you come?!" Kruger said surprised.

"The High Priestess woke up briefly; she said there is a powerful mental field here!" The Cat-person Priest spoke extremely fast, amber vertical pupils staring tightly at the enemies encircling them. "I was worried you guys had an accident, so I came over!"

"Mental field?!" Lightning seemed to flash across Kruger's brain.

That's right, that lingering strangeness after stepping into this place was because of this!

The Cat-person Priest let out a short "meow" again. Mana poured underground, and a bridge composed of soil broke through the earth, extending toward the outside of the excavation site.

"Stop them!" The officer's roar came. Soldiers tried to rush up to destroy the earthen bridge or intercept.

"Rise!" The Cat-person Priest clenched her teeth, fine sweat seeping from her forehead.

With her urging, more earthen walls and sharp stone spikes rose abruptly on both sides of the earthen bridge, temporarily blocking the pursuers.

Kruger didn't hesitate, scooping up the Cat-person Priest who was somewhat weak from continuous spellcasting, sprinting wildly along the earthen bridge.

The officer furiously swung his sword to shatter the earthen wall in front of him, leading elite personal guards to rush out of the earth barrier, but those two figures had already run far away.

"Bastards!"

Just then, Count Bona's troops arrived tardily.

The leader was precisely the former mercenary captain, Canggu.

The soldiers under his command poured into the battlefield appearing somewhat "flustered," seemingly wanting to coordinate interception.

"Why come so late?" The officer was angry, but quickly suppressed his emotions, taking out a communication crystal from his bosom. "You go chase; I'll send a signal to notify..."

Splurt!

Before his voice fell, a section of short blade edge with a blood groove pierced precisely into the gap of the armor on his chest without warning, penetrating the heart, and poking out half an inch of bloodstained blade tip from his back.

The officer's movements froze. The communication crystal slipped from his powerless fingers, falling into the dust.

He turned his head in disbelief, eyes reflecting Canggu's indifferent face close at hand, ears hearing the roars and screams of his own subordinates suddenly attacked.

"You... you guys..." The officer opened his mouth, blood gushing from the corner of his mouth. "Actually dare... betray... the Empire..."

Canggu twisted his wrist violently. The short blade churned in the internal organs, completely cutting off all vitality.

"Empire? No, we are just cleaning up all uninvited guests."

Meanwhile, the Cat-person Priest being carried by Kruger suddenly shouted a reminder: "Careful! There's something ahead, meow!"

"What?" Kruger discovered nothing but still covered both of them with a shield immediately.

In the next moment, the shield vibrated, forcing Kruger to stop in place.

And in front of the two priests, a round figure slowly emerged from the air.

"It's... Puchi?"

(End of Chapter)