bookrebus Chapter 396: Encountering a Pagan Musketeer, Trying His Best to Fail to Defeat
Chapter 396: Encountering a Pagan Musketeer, Trying His Best to Fail to Defeat
The night was like a huge black curtain, slowly covering the desert outside Akashi City. The battlefield that was noisy and roaring during the day was now filled with suffocating silence, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood and burning, which made people sick.
At this moment, several Kusha assassins moved slowly on the battlefield, clinging to the ground like lurking venomous snakes. They wore dark tights and had camouflage painted on their faces, blending in with the land swallowed by darkness.
The debris left by the day's battle became their best cover. Sometimes they hid beside the pile of corpses, sometimes they hid behind the half-collapsed siege cone. They held their breath and moved carefully. The sound of gravel rubbing against their clothes was so subtle that it was almost imperceptible.
In the distance, the twinkling lights of torches on the Akashic walls were faintly visible, and that was the silhouette of the garrison patrol. The assassins were like cheetahs lying in wait, patiently waiting for the best time to strike. When the footsteps of the patrol gradually faded away, leaving a brief silence, they quickly crawled forward for a distance, and then waited quietly again.
Finally, they arrived at the foot of the city wall. The towering city wall was like a silent giant, casting a huge shadow in the night, which made people feel oppressive.
The assassins exchanged glances, silently confirming their next move. The leading assassin gestured, and they followed the cold wall and carefully groped their way to the south.
The ground beneath their feet was uneven, and from time to time they could feel the armor fragments being crushed, making subtle clicks that were particularly harsh in the silent night, but were soon covered up by their slower movements. They were like ghosts in the dark, silently wandering around the edge of this heavily guarded city.
Under the cover of night, the assassins quickly arrived at the southern part of Akasi City. Unlike the towering city walls, this place was connected to a busy port. In order to facilitate the transportation of goods and the entry and exit of personnel, there were no tall city walls, but instead rows of sturdy wooden docks and dense sentries. The bright torches illuminated the port as if it were daytime, and patrolling soldiers came in groups. The sound of armor rubbing against each other could be clearly heard, and the air was filled with the salty smell of seawater.
Obviously, a frontal breakthrough was impossible. The leading assassin stopped and observed the surrounding environment from the shadow of a pile of goods. His eyes swept over the soldiers patrolling back and forth vigilantly, and finally fell on a deep water. He pointed to the bottom of the wooden platform extending into the sea at the port, and then pointed to the water surface, signaling his companions.
Without any hesitation, several assassins slid silently into the icy sea water. The night water was bitingly cold, soaking their clothes and making them shudder.
They tried not to make any noise, only showing a small part of their heads, and under the cover of night, they slowly approached the harbor like a few black fish.
They swam carefully to the bottom of a dock, where thick wooden boards supported the entire platform, forming a relatively hidden space. The assassins held their breath and pressed their bodies tightly against the wet wooden boards, with the cold sea water splashing on their cheeks. Through the gaps between the wooden boards, they could see the shadows of the patrolling soldiers' boots swaying above, and could also hear their low conversations and footsteps.
Time passed by minute by minute, and every second seemed particularly long. They were like crocodiles lurking in the dark, patiently waiting for their prey to approach.
Finally, when another patrolling group of soldiers walked away, leaving a relatively quiet gap, the leading assassin made a gesture. They gently reached out their hands, grabbed the edge of the wooden board, and climbed up with almost inaudible force. Their wet palms tightly grasped the rough wood, and their muscles trembled slightly because of the force.
In order to minimize the sound of water, they kept their bodies as close to the board as possible and slowly pulled themselves up, their movements gentle and slow, as if they were afraid of disturbing the sleeping beast.
When they successfully raised their upper bodies above the water, they immediately clung to the bottom of the wooden board like geckos. After making sure that there were no patrolling soldiers around, they carefully climbed ashore and immediately ran into a dark alley nearby.
When they reappeared from the dark and damp alley, in the dim moonlight, one could see that several assassins had taken off the dark tights they wore during the operation and put on coarse cloth robes commonly seen among local civilians.
Despite this, having undergone rigorous training, they still remained highly vigilant, trying to avoid brightly lit areas when walking and moving forward under the cover of shadows.
The alleys were like the blood vessels of the city, and they looked even more eerie in the night, filled with the smell of dampness and decay. The assassins moved skillfully through them, their footsteps light and silent, as if blending into the darkness.
Taking advantage of the shadows of the corners and the low houses, they moved forward quickly and quietly. After walking around for a long time, they finally came to a relatively open place again. In front of them, the tall castle wall cast a huge shadow in the night, like a silent giant, towering. Between them and the castle, there was only a quiet street.
However, the scene on the street made the assassin leader frown slightly in the darkness. With the faint light on the distant city wall, he saw teams of soldiers patrolling back and forth along the street. They were wearing armor, holding spears that gleamed with cold light, and their steps were neat and steady.
This was not surprising, but in the night, the outlines of the soldiers' faces and some faintly visible patterns on their armor showed that they were Kushans.
"Hey, what do you do?"
At this moment, a shout suddenly came from behind them. The silent night was torn apart by this sudden shout. The assassin leader felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave. A chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. His body tensed up the moment he heard the sound, and his muscles were like bowstrings ready to be released. He could even feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up, and the blood in his body seemed to have solidified.
A man holding a dim lantern appeared at the entrance of the alley behind them. Although the light from the lantern was weak, it was enough to illuminate his face which was somewhat puzzled.
The man's shout was like a stone thrown into a calm water, instantly stirring up ripples. The soldiers patrolling not far away were immediately attracted over here. The torches in their hands jumped in the night, like flickering will-o'-the-wisp fire, and quickly moved closer. Soon, these soldiers surrounded the assassins, and the spears in their hands flashed a cold light and pointed at them.
The leading officer was a burly man with a stern face. He pushed through the crowd and walked up. His sharp eyes were like those of a hawk, carefully looking at these "civilians" who were simply dressed but looked nervous. His eyes seemed to be able to see through all disguises, making the assassins feel a little nervous. The officer's accent was thick with southern Kushan language. He asked in a deep voice:
"What are you guys doing sneaking around in the alley so late at night instead of staying at home?"
The assassin leader was thinking quickly in his mind. He suppressed his panic, forced a flattering smile on his face, and replied in the same fluent Southern Kushan language:
"Sir, you misunderstood. We are really struggling to make ends meet at home, so my brothers and I thought we could try our luck at the black market and see if we can buy some cheap food."
As he spoke, he carefully observed the officer's expression, hoping to get away with it.
"Ok?"
The officer did not relax his vigilance. His eyes were still fixed on the assassin leader's face, as if he wanted to find a flaw in his subtle expression. The assassin leader knew that words alone could not completely dispel the other party's doubts. He quickly took out a few silver coins from his pocket and quietly stuffed them into the officer's hand, with a flattering smile on his face:
"It's just a small gift, not a sign of respect. I really trouble you to be flexible. We promise we won't do it again next time."
The officer's fingers twisted the silver coin in his hand calmly, and the tense lines on his face seemed to relax a little. He uttered a slightly nasal "hmm~" with a hint of barely perceptible satisfaction in his voice, and then he scolded in a pretentious manner:
"Just this once, never again! Go away, don't let me see you hanging around here again."
The assassin leader was delighted, secretly thinking he was lucky, and quickly nodded and said:
"Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir! We'll leave right away, right away!"
As he spoke, he signaled his men behind him to follow him and prepare to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.
"It's okay. Bye."
The officer said casually, with a hint of impatience in his tone.
"Goodbye."
The assassin leader also responded subconsciously. However, the moment the word "goodbye" came out of his mouth, he suddenly realized that something was wrong. The officer had just spoken in southern Kushan language, but now the word "goodbye" had become Kushan language with a clear northern accent!
Almost at the same time, he heard the officer's roar from behind him, as if he had become a different person:
"Damn it! There are assassins entering the city! Capture them!"
Before he finished speaking, the surrounding soldiers immediately surged up like a tide, stabbing at them with their spears without hesitation. The darkness was instantly broken, and an unexpected battle was about to break out.
Almost at the same time as the officer's roar, the assassins' disguises collapsed instantly, like dormant poisonous snakes suddenly jumping out. They were well-trained and reacted as fast as lightning, not giving the soldiers a second chance to react. The various weapons hidden under the wide robes were instantly exposed, flashing a terrifying luster under the dim light.
The assassin leader took the lead. A scimitar appeared in his hand. The blade was as cold as a crescent moon, and it made a slight hissing sound when it cut through the air. He jumped back flexibly, dodging the two spears that were stabbing at him. At the same time, he swung the scimitar in his hand, bringing a sharp gust of wind, and directly cut off the neck of a soldier. Blood gushed out instantly, staining the stone slabs on the ground red.
The other assassins were not to be outdone, they worked in perfect harmony, like a precision killing machine. One assassin threw out a steel chain with sharp barbs at the end, which flexibly wrapped around a soldier's neck like a venomous snake and tightened suddenly. The soldier only had time to let out a painful roar before collapsing to the ground.
Another assassin wore a pair of special leather gloves with sharp steel claws embedded in the knuckles, reflecting the cold light in the moonlight. He pounced on a soldier like a beast, deftly avoiding the stabbing spear, and fiercely grabbed the soldier's chest with the steel claws of both hands, easily tearing apart the armor and flesh, bringing about a bloody storm.
However, as more and more soldiers gathered around them, the dense spears pressed forward like a forest, and the assassins' space for movement was constantly compressed. Although they were agile, two fists could not beat four hands, and loopholes began to appear in their defense line.
Finally, one assassin failed to dodge and was pierced by several spears at the same time. He groaned and fell down helplessly. Then, another assassin was pierced in the shoulder by a spear while blocking. The blood stained his clothes and his movements became sluggish.
Finally, most of the assassins fell, leaving only the assassin leader standing alone on the ground covered with corpses. His robe was stained with blood, and it was hard to tell whether it was his own or the enemy's. Dozens of soldiers' bodies lay around him, their faces still showing the fear and pain before death.
The remaining soldiers witnessed all of this and were shocked by the hellish scene before them. They held their spears but seemed to be nailed to the spot and dared not move forward easily. The air was filled with a strong smell of blood, which was nauseating.
In this suffocating stalemate, a burst of hurried footsteps came from the periphery. The soldiers automatically made way for a group of soldiers wearing armor that was obviously different from the Kusha soldiers. The leading officer was tall and had a stern face. He first whispered a few words with the Kusha officer who had just commanded the battle, as if asking about the situation. Then, he waved his hand, signaling his soldiers not to act rashly, and then walked into the center of the crowd alone and stood in front of the assassin leader.
The assassin leader stared at the pagan officer in front of him with sharp eyes. He could feel the dangerous aura emanating from him. He held the scimitar tightly in his hand, and the blade flashed a cold luster under the dim firelight. He knew that he was in a desperate situation, but he still remained highly vigilant.
The pagan officer slowly drew the sword from his waist. The blade was long and sharp, reflecting an unsettling light. The assassin leader also moved. The scimitar in his hand danced like a snake, sometimes across his chest, sometimes pointing diagonally at the ground. The changes were unpredictable, making it difficult to determine the direction and target of his next attack. His body swayed slightly, as if he was looking for the best opportunity to attack.
At this tense moment, the pagan officer suddenly moved at lightning speed!
His right hand did not swing the sword, but with lightning speed, he took out a black tubular object that the assassin leader had never seen before from a leather bag on the outside of his thigh. The object was black and radiated a metallic luster, with a small hole on the top, facing the assassin leader's head.
"boom!"
A deafening roar echoed in the street, and a puff of white smoke gushed out from the front of the black tubular object. The assassin leader's body shook violently, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face. He didn't even understand what was happening, and fell straight back, falling heavily on the cold stone slab. In the center of his forehead, a shocking blood hole appeared, and blood gushed out, staining the ground red.
The soldiers immediately rushed forward and surrounded the assassin leader who had fallen to the ground. The officer blew away the white smoke from the front of the black tube in his hand, a scornful smile appeared on his lips, and he said with a disdainful tone:
"Fancy."