Night Raid

If Bazel were around, Rein would probably choose to take a good rest, after all, he was quite tired after walking in the desert all day.

But now, he has to be constantly vigilant. In the wilderness, any carelessness could cost him his life.

He didn't go to sleep, but instead meditated in his tent.

When I opened my eyes again, it was already past midnight.

Around two or three in the morning, Frank, the temporary leader of the group and a Third Tier assassin, came over on time and called to him and Tam in the next tent, "Brother Nicholas, Brother Tam, wake up, it's time for us to change shifts."

"OK."

Rein had already opened his eyes when he heard the noise. Tam, who was next to him, also crawled out of the tent.

Captain Frank pointed to the firelight in the darkness to the west and said, "You two go to the west gate and relieve Tom and Jerry."

Both Rein and Tam nodded.

During the day, the terrain of this small town had already been scouted by everyone. The square town, although dilapidated, still had a general outline.

There are five sentry posts in the camp, each manned by two men.

There was a high point on the city wall, followed by the four cardinal directions. This arrangement ensured that any problem in any direction could be detected promptly.

Tam picked up the leather holster with the musket attached and hung it on his waist, then put on his boxing gloves and called to Rein, "Let's go, Nicholas brothers."

Rein nodded as well.

The two then walked towards the ball of fire, which was about seven or eight hundred meters away from the west gate.

The two figures gradually left the area illuminated by the campfire and disappeared into the darkness.

Tam shivered as he walked, probably because he had just crawled out of the tent. "You know what," he said, "The desert sun is really strong during the day, but it gets chilly at night."

Rein neither confirmed nor denied it, then casually replied, "A little."

Surprisingly, he didn't feel cold at all.

He cultivates the [Qi Master] sequence breathing method, his battle qi is continuous and long, and his ability to resist cold is quite strong. Especially now that his battle qi is three to five times that of others of the same level, he naturally doesn't feel that the temperature difference has much of an impact.

At this moment, Tam muttered, "This desert is so damn quiet. In other places, you can at least hear some animal sounds at night. There's nothing else alive here except us, it always feels eerie."

Rein raised an eyebrow slightly as he listened, his gaze unconsciously sweeping over his surroundings.

All around was pitch black, the desert shrouded in black mist. With only a few clouds in the sky, not a sliver of moonlight reached the ground. It was as black as ink, so dark that one could not see their own hand in front of their face.

Since it was only a few hundred meters, the two of them didn't bother to get any torches and walked over in the dark.

If it weren't for his enhanced perception due to his "Battle Doctor" sequence, he probably wouldn't have been able to see even a shadowy figure, and would only have been able to see that ball of fire in the distance.

Upon seeing this, Rein instinctively felt a sense of unease.

As if by conditioned reflex, I thought of the professional assassin courses I had taken in the "Weasel Bandit Group".

The instructors at the time said that midnight was when people were most tired, making it the best time for assassination operations.

But it was just a fleeting thought.

After walking two or three hundred meters, Rein and her group could see two figures leaning against the battlements, seemingly chatting and joking. They could even hear the idly clanging of steel blades, clang, clang, clang.

From twenty or thirty meters away, Tam called out to the two men, "Hey! Tom, changing shifts!"

What was slightly surprising was that the two people didn't seem to turn around, still turning their backs to them as if they hadn't heard them at all.

At this, both Rein and Tam stopped in their tracks, immediately becoming alert.

Are you asleep?

Impossible!

In an instant, the silence turned eerie.

Tam was an experienced hunter, and he knew perfectly well that something was wrong. He lowered his body slightly and prepared for battle.

His exceptional sense of smell allowed Rein to detect a faint, fishy odor in the air, completely different from the dry desert smell. He exclaimed inwardly, "No, there's a smell of blood!"

But it was too late!

By the time they noticed something amiss, the assassin, completely blending into the night, had already silently appeared behind them.

At that moment, a cold, viper-like dagger silently slashed across their necks!

The dagger was incredibly sharp, slicing through the skin as easily as cutting tofu, severing the trachea and arteries. A three-finger-deep wound would kill a person before they could even scream.

Rein felt utterly pissed off; this was the second time his Throat Slash.

That familiar silky smooth feel is back, it's so addictive!

It wasn't his fault for not being careful enough; the environment was simply too perfect for assassination. The rustling of the sand and dust masked their footsteps, and the pitch-black night concealed their figures. As fellow Second Tier Transcendent, unless they were specialized Perception Extraordinary, it would be truly difficult to spot the "ghosts" hiding in the darkness.

The most important thing is

Rein thought that in this desolate place hundreds of miles deep in the desert, it would be reasonable to call them monsters, but where did these professional assassins come from?

In the instant his Throat Cut was slit, a multitude of thoughts raced through his mind.

A very professional assassination technique; clearly, they came prepared!

"Could there be a mole within the organization?"

Rein immediately realized.

Throughout the day, they encountered no trace of other hunting teams in the desert. Before setting up camp, they had specifically observed the surrounding environment and confirmed that their hunting team was the only one present within a radius of several miles.

While there's a 1% chance that a hunting party might have stumbled upon them in the dark, there's a 99% probability that these assassins were specifically tracking them down!

But that's strange.

Along the way, they deliberately cleaned up any traces left behind during their journey in order to prevent being followed.

Moreover, although the temporary Scavenger Gang formed by the "Redwood Merchant Guild" is still in the process of getting to know each other, most of the members have extensive experience in wilderness survival. It would be virtually impossible for a stranger to follow them without being detected.

But the fact is, a group of assassins did come and killed people.

This means

Someone in this group may have left marks along the way, revealing their whereabouts! Then the assassins followed the marks and made their move at night.

A simple phantom thief attack would never target a team that's still exploring and hasn't made any progress. Besides, this team isn't weak; it has two Third Tier Extraordinary!

"Avengers!"

Upon realizing this, Rein immediately understood that this might be an enemy coming to cause trouble for the "Redwood Merchant Guild"!

Tam beside him was probably dead; warm blood was still splattered on Rein's face.

Rein didn't know how many enemies were lurking in the darkness, nor did he know who the traitor was within his own ranks. Therefore, he didn't retaliate. Even though he was confident he could have easily taken down the two assassins in that split second.

Although the wound on the neck was still horrific, the trachea, major blood vessels, and nerves had been stitched up with Gang Line the moment the wound was made.

He slumped down, just like Tam, who had died beside him.

The two assassins ignored the two "corpses" on the ground, believing that Throat Slash meant certain death.

Although he noticed that Rein's body seemed to still have some strong signs of life, he didn't pay much attention to it.

Because at that moment, a battle had already broken out not far away.

This shift change involved Captain Frank, a Transcendent Third Tier Transcendent! Those guys trying to assassinate such a High-tier Extraordinary, who is also a professional assassin, won't have it easy. The stealthy assassination attempt was foiled, immediately sparking a major battle.

"Enemy attack!"

This loud shout was like cold water being poured into a pot of boiling oil, instantly setting the entire camp ablaze.

At that moment, Rein heard the two assassins who had just attacked him mutter under their breath, "Damn it, we've been exposed. Prepare to kill them outright!"

Then, a gentle breeze swept by.

The light, hurried footsteps grew fainter and fainter as the two assassins dashed toward the camp.

When he heard no more noise, Rein quietly got up. The wound on his neck had turned into a thin line of blood and was no longer a problem.

He glanced at Tam's corpse lying on the ground beside him, his face grim. "An inauspicious start."

If it were any other merchant guild, he might have stood by and watched, since this kind of "vendetta" was no longer within the scope of his hunting contract's duties. But this "Redwood Merchant Guild" was a subordinate guild of Canossa, so he had to go and check it out no matter what.

Moreover, since the other side came prepared, they must have known there were two Third Tier Extraordinary in the camp. Their willingness to attack clearly indicates they were confident of killing them.

If the entire guild is wiped out, Rein alone won't be able to escape very far. Facing this group of assassins alone is not a good option.

Thinking this, a cold glint flashed in Rein's eyes as he switched to the [Karnap's Sacred Gauntlets]. Then he pulled up his hood, disguising himself as a professional assassin, and stealthily made his way towards the camp.

"Bang, bang, bang"

The sounds of gunfire were as intense as firecrackers.

The flares shot into the sky, illuminating this ancient desert city.

Rein saw more than a dozen men dressed as assassins, hiding behind cover and firing into the camp.

Instead of charging directly into the camp, he climbed the ruins of the city wall to assess the situation. Who was the mole, and how strong were the attackers?

This is the highest point in the city. The bodies of the two sentries lie on the ground, their blood flowing everywhere.

Then Rein saw an assassin hiding behind the battlements, sniping at the camp below with a long-barreled musket.

That guy's senses were extremely sharp. As soon as Rein climbed onto the wall, he realized something, then turned around and was shocked to see a "stranger" behind him.

Clearly, although Rein's hooded outfit looked similar to those of the attacking assassins, he was still easily recognized by the enemy.

The assassin decisively turned his gun around and immediately pulled the trigger at Rein.

"Bang!"

Gunfire erupted from the muzzle.

But then came a loud "bang," almost simultaneously with the gunshot. Rein dodged the fatal blow and charged forward, bracing himself against the musket.

The assassin, seeing that the approaching figure showed no signs of being hit or falling, tried to discard his gun and draw his dagger in self-defense. But after firing, his body stiffened for a moment, and before he could draw his dagger, a large, iron-like hand gripped his throat.

With a cracking sound, Rein snapped the assassin's neck with his Monstrous Strength. The man didn't even struggle; his body slowly slumped down.

Ignoring the assassin's corpse, Rein seized the high ground and began to observe the battle situation in the underground camp.

At this moment, the camp inside the ruins was in complete chaos.

Two rounds of sentry duty have likely resulted in the assassination of at least a dozen members of the hunting team.

There were fewer than twenty people left in the camp, and everyone reacted immediately after Captain Frank's loud shout.

The number of enemies was unknown, and the group didn't blindly expose themselves. The corner of the city they had chosen earlier offered plenty of cover, giving them opportunities for defense and counterattack.

Large-caliber muskets were quite lethal to low-level Transcendent, so everyone pulled out their muskets to return fire, and a fierce gunfight broke out in the camp.

Outside the city, two bright, light-colored figures were locked in fierce combat, their battle taking them far from the ancient city. It was Captain Frank fighting against a Third Tier enemy assassin.

"There are at least sixteen enemies, including one Third Tier."

From his vantage point, Rein had a commanding view of the entire area and, following the flashes of the muskets, located the assassins.

Thump, thump, thump, thump

The gunfire grew increasingly intense, but thanks to the cover, the assassins were unable to defeat the "Redwood Merchant Guild" team for the time being.

Inside the camp, Catherine also emerged from her tent, firing two fine muskets at the cover intermittently. Despite the danger, this pampered and beautiful president showed little panic, and her marksmanship seemed quite good.

Beside her, Gannix's slightly immature face clearly showed his unprepared nervousness.

Rein stared intently at everyone in the camp, observing their expressions and reactions.

Now that the war has begun, if there really is a "traitor" inside, he will definitely be exposed at this time!

Surprisingly, almost no one showed any unusual behavior; they were all focused on firing at the enemies on the perimeter.

Rein couldn't help but think, "Could the 'mole' be Captain Frank from outside? But that doesn't make sense; there's no point in throwing a match now."

Just as he was wondering, Thomas, the captain of the merchant guild's guard and Third Tier "Jungle Hunter," braved a hail of bullets and rushed to Lady Catherine's side, urgently saying, "Guild Master, if this continues, our camp will be breached sooner or later. I'll lead you and the young master to break through!"

It was only natural that the captain of the guard would choose to protect his employer first when faced with a crisis.

For some reason, Catherine's face froze. She was about to say something when her face immediately lost all color.

Before anyone could react, Thomas suddenly pulled out a dagger and stabbed Catherine in the chest!

This scene was clearly seen by Rein on the high platform. His pupils contracted sharply, and he exclaimed in his heart, "This guy is the traitor!"

"How could it be him?!"

He had suspected everyone, but he never imagined that the Chamber of Commerce's guard captain would be the mole!

Moreover, with this stab, President Catherine's body was pierced through, and blood soaked a large area of her robes at the chest. It was too late to save her!

There will be a third update, but it will be later, around dinner time.