Baine returned to Thunder Bluff, where servants had prepared a bath. Baine lay comfortably in the large tub, where servants served him delicious Pandaren meat and chilled wine.
Tauren also eat meat.
Baine was enjoying the massage from his servant, swaying his head and humming a little tune as he ate the delicious roast meat, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Suddenly, Baine felt a chill. His eyes darted around, and he quickly stood up, wrapped himself in a towel, and waved his hand, saying:
"You may all leave."
After the servants left, Baine said coldly, "Vol'jin, how dare you come to my territory."
With a hearty laugh, Vol'jin appeared near the bathtub, grabbed a piece of roasted meat, and popped it into his mouth.
"Baine, I'm of the same generation as your father Cairne, you should call me senior."
"Traitors have no right to call themselves seniors." Baine scoffed. "You betrayed the Warchief, you betrayed the Horde, you betrayed Azeroth."
Vol'jin said calmly, "I, the traitor, am living quite comfortably. I personally witnessed you being brutally beaten by the Orcs from the logistics department that day; you've completely disgraced the Tauren."
Baine, pale-faced, roared, "You were following me!"
Vol'jin chewed on his roasted meat. "You've already been beaten by the Orcs, are you still afraid of being seen? The Orcs trampled on your dignity, and you're keeping it a secret for the sake of dignity."
Baine scoffed, "Vol'jin, don't think I don't know your background. To curry favor with the Orcs, you gave the entire Darkspear Tribe to Orcs to be devoured, including your father Sen'jin. Dignity? Hmph, you're nothing but Thrall's lackey."
Vol'jin Anjing for a moment. After a long silence, Vol'jin squinted and said, "Baine, you sent the servants away because you were worried that our meeting would arouse Garrosh's suspicion. So you'd better show some respect. If I yell and shout, the guards will rush in, and you're dead. Garrosh will definitely turn your head into a chamber pot."
"Damn it," Baine cursed. "Fine, Vol'jin, what brings you here? I don't have time for your nonsense."
Vol'jin chuckled coldly, "Baine, I saw all those Meat Cattle. If someone reports this to Garrosh, guess what will happen?"
Baine was startled, then smiled slightly and said, "Who knows? I can't fathom the Warchief's thoughts."
That's true. Warchief Garrosh's temperament has become increasingly unpredictable and volatile. People say that this is the nature of an emperor, and that the Warchief is the chosen one.
Others disagree, arguing that this is merely an excuse for Garrosh's reckless and blunder-filled behavior.
Vol'jin lowered his voice. "I have a way to help you resolve the Warchief's suspicions once and for all."
Baine looked at Vol'jin skeptically. "You have a way to make the Meat Cattle stand up?"
Vol'jin shook his head, took out a golden box, opened it and found gray powder inside, emanating an ominous aura.
Baine took a step back in fright and whispered:
"Is this Plague?"
Vol'jin nodded. "This is Plague that the Fel Orcs collected from Outland. Hundreds of years ago, the Orcs suffered a great Plague that killed countless people. It was said that the Draenei were responsible, and it was the Draenei who helped to resolve the Plague. However, some samples remained. This Plague is extremely terrifying; it can turn Orcs into dust in an instant. The dust floats everywhere in the air and cannot be stopped."
Baine quickly covered his mouth and nose. "Quickly close the box!"
Vol'jin chuckled and said, "It's alright. The Plague in the box has been treated by the Burning Legion, and its spread has been greatly reduced. It can only be transmitted orally, and it only works on Orcs. Even if you ingest the Plague, you'll be fine."
To verify his claim, Vol'jin picked up a small amount of powder with his little finger and put it in his mouth.
Baine breathed a sigh of relief, but still kept his distance from Vol'jin, and asked, "Why are you telling me this?"
Vol'jin placed the box beside the bathroom. "Just mix the powder into the Meat Cattle's feed, and the Orcs eat the Meat Cattle will become carriers of the Plague. But don't worry, the incubation period for this Plague is about a week, so they shouldn't suspect you. Besides, the Orcs are all dead, so what can they do if they suspect you?"
Baine asked skeptically, "Isn't Thrall worried about suffering from the Plague?"
Vol'jin, prepared for this, replied, "Fel Orcs possess Fel within them, Thrall has also fused with Fel. This Plague is most vulnerable to Fel."
Baine fell into thought, Vol'jin said meaningfully, "Whether you use the Plague or not is up to you, Baine. When you're desperate, it might be your only option."
With that, Vol'jin threw out a cloud of smoke and disappeared.
Baine sat motionless by the bath, pondering for a long time before finally making up his mind and ordering the Plague to be destroyed.
Baine doesn't yet have the guts to betray Garrosh.
The Crossroads.
Vol'jin was hiding in the safe house, overseeing the entire operation and gathering intelligence on Orgrimmar and Thunder Bluff.
A trusted aide asked suspiciously, "My lord, why not give the Plague to me? I'll risk my life to mix Plague Garrosh Garrosh's food."
Vol'jin shook his head, saying mysteriously, "There's no such miraculous Plague. I was just deceiving Baine."
The confidant was stunned, only to hear Vol'jin chuckle and explain, "The Meat Cattle incident isn't enough to make Garrosh suspect Baine, but if Garrosh knew that Baine possessed Plague capable of killing all Orcs, whether it's true or not, Garrosh wouldn't let it go easily. If Baine were smart, he would have already fled for his life."
After Baine destroyed the Plague, he was filled with unease and couldn't sleep well for several days.
As the chieftain of the Tauren, Baine is definitely not stupid; even if he were, someone would teach him how to be a proper chieftain.
For example, planting spies in Orgrimmar.
A few days later, Garrosh's most beloved Kobold concubine delivered intelligence.
Garrosh learned that Baine possessed the Plague that would destroy Orgrimmar, Thunder was enraged. He teleported from the Vale of Eternal Blossoms to Orgrimmar overnight and led his troops to Thunder Bluff.
By the time the intelligence arrived, it was too late. In the night, Baine, having received the intelligence, awoke from his sleep and was just dressed when countless Wyverns, obscuring the moonlight, descended from the sky carrying the Kor'kron elite. They slaughtered Tauren they encountered and stormed Baine's chieftain's tent, leaving Thunder Bluff awash in blood.
Before Baine could even step outside, the chieftain's tent was already surrounded.
Garrosh, Gorehowl, strode in with a ferocious expression, grinning maliciously:
"Baine, you're quite something. The Meat Cattle can't walk upright because you introduced the Plague, didn't you? Are you here to avenge your useless father?"
Baine trembled with fear and immediately knelt on the ground. "Warchief, listen to me, this is all Vol'jin's conspiracy, you must believe me!"
Garrosh glared at him. "So that's how it is. It really was Vol'jin who sent you the Plague. You colluded with Vol'jin; aren't you just admitting it?"
"No, no, that's not it. The Plague that Vol'jin gave me has been destroyed." Baine was on the verge of tears.
"So the Plague really does exist," Garrosh said coldly.
Baine then realized that the more he explained, the more mistakes he would make, so he stopped arguing and whispered:
"Warchief, you should consult with the Dark Lady Sylvanas before coming to take me."
"What do you mean?" Garrosh didn't understand.