Encirclement and Annihilation

Black Rock City, southern district.

At the street end stood a massive compound spanning over a hundred meters in both length and width.

This was the headquarters of the Dragon Head Mercenary Group!

In the past, the place had bustled with voices and activity. Now, however, the streets were a mess, the surrounding shops seemed to have shut their doors long ago, and a faint breeze carried a touch of desolation.

Outside the gates of the Dragon Head Mercenary Group, the savage blood-red banner that had once stood at the entrance had fallen limply to the ground...

The red dragon banner representing the Dragon Head Mercenary Group was being trampled beneath a young man's foot.

"My lord! Everyone from the Dragon Head Mercenary Group has been surrounded on the training grounds. With their leader Meng Long there, we can't take them down..."

Zhang Fang, a seven-star Dou Shi and Deputy Commander, bowed to Mo Tang.

"Let's go meet this Leader Meng Long!" Mo Tang clasped his hands behind his back and strode into the Dragon Head Mercenary Group's compound.

On the spacious training grounds, dense masses of people stood divided into two sides. Their locked gazes were filled with undisguised killing intent.

"Leader, the rear gate has been surrounded too. We have nowhere left to go." A somewhat bedraggled mercenary squeezed in from behind and spoke to Meng Long in a low voice.

"So it really is... The Mo Clan has been utterly ruthless!"

Meng Long clenched his fists tightly and drew in a breath of icy air, doing his best to keep his rage from devouring his reason.

Though he was the leader, his strength fell short of his younger brother's. He was merely a one-star Da Dou Shi.

The Dragon Head Mercenary Group might have been the largest mercenary group in Black Rock City, but compared with those powerful clans and guilds, there was still a considerable gap.

While the Mo Clan had no top-tier experts in Black Rock City, they simply had too many people...

They had more than a dozen Dou Shi-level strong individuals alone. Add the three Deputy Commanders above six stars, and dealing with their mere hundred mercenaries would be as easy as turning a hand!

"Still no news from the Second Leader?"

Deep concern filled Meng Long's eyes as he asked a Dou Shi-level squad captain beside him.

The man shook his head slightly. "No. I happened to hear before that the Second Leader left at Lin Yuan's invitation..."

Meng Long's expression darkened. He smashed the spear in his hand against the ground and snarled, "Damn it! This was a trap set by the Mo Clan and Lin Yuan! They lured my second brother away first, then took the chance to surround and kill our Dragon Head Mercenary Group!"

"I'm afraid my second brother is already in grave danger..."

Well, although his guess differed somewhat from the truth, the outcome was the same.

"Leader, let's break out... They may have more men, but you're a Da Dou Shi. With the three of us brothers, we can definitely charge our way out!"

On the other side, a lean middle-aged man suddenly lowered his voice and spoke into Meng Long's ear.

This middle-aged man was one of the Dragon Head Mercenary Group's three Dou Shi.

The moment he spoke, strange looks flashed across the faces of several people nearby.

Those who could stand beside Meng Long now were all his trusted men, as well as the Dragon Head Mercenary Group's most elite force.

If they truly followed the middle-aged man's suggestion, they could indeed break out. But afterward, they would have no place to stay within Black Rock City or for a hundred miles around...

The Dragon Head Mercenary Group, the fruit of more than ten years of their labor, would also be reduced to nothing in an instant!

At that thought, Meng Long felt utterly unwilling!

Just as he hesitated, he suddenly saw a young man slowly approaching them amid the escort of the Mo Clan Guards...

"Who is that?"

The question instantly rose in Meng Long's mind.

Although Mo Tang had been in Black Rock City for several days, he usually kept a low profile. Furthermore, Lin Yuan had deliberately downplayed his presence, so many people had never seen him.

As Meng Long watched the young man approach, he immediately furrowed his brows and said in a deep voice, "Who are you? Where is Lin Yuan? Tell him to get his ass out here! How much have our Dragon Head Mercenary Group helped your Mo Clan over the past ten years? And now you repay kindness with enmity and want to wipe us out!"

Mo Tang gave a cold laugh. "Repay kindness with enmity?"

"You think you're worthy of talking to me about 'kindness'..."

"If I remember correctly, your Dragon Head Mercenary Group was nothing more than a third-rate mercenary squad in all of Black Rock City back then...

If not for the support of my Mo Clan, how could you have come this far?"

Ten years ago, when the Mo Clan had just become the foremost of the Four Great Families because of Mo Cheng's rise, the previous Mo Clan head personally sent a Trade Caravan to open up trade routes in Black Rock City.

At the time, the Mo Clan's influence in Black Rock City had been negligible, and every step forward had been exceedingly difficult.

In the end, Lin Yuan came up with a plan. He cooperated with several local mercenary squads that lacked strength but had potential, starting from the surrounding towns and encircling the city from the countryside...

Step by step, starting from nothing, the Mo Clan finally established a foothold in Black Rock City.

Thus, although Lin Yuan wanted to hollow out Mo Tang's authority, his contributions to the Mo Clan could not be erased.

Moreover, his abilities were quite exceptional... It was only that over the years, his former ambitions and shrewd competence had long been worn away by luxury. All that remained was an old watchdog guarding the bone in its own bowl...

The reason Mo Tang had not killed him was precisely because he recognized his past merits and abilities. For now, he would give him a warning and see whether he could awaken the old dog's wild nature again... Even if he could not, keeping him around to guard the house would still be useful.

Meng Long's eyes turned bloodshot. The smile on Mo Tang's face looked unbearably glaring to him.

"You little brat, if not for our support back then, your Mo Clan would have slunk out of Black Rock City long ago!

Today, I'll show you that without our Dragon Head Mercenary Group, your Mo Clan is nothing...! Kill them all!"

Upon hearing their leader's command, the surrounding mercenaries immediately gripped their weapons tightly. Then, with a collective furious roar, they charged savagely at the Mo Clan forces.

Although the disparity in their numbers was immense, they were trapped beasts now. Their ferocity had instead been stirred, and as they fought desperately, the Mo Clan Guards found themselves unable to hold them back for a time...

Mo Tang narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Don't let a single one get away!"

"Yes!"

The three Deputy Commanders answered in unison, then immediately wielded their long blades and iron fists as they joined the battle.

The Dragon Head mercenaries were fierce, but with the addition of three high-level Dou Shi, their momentum was suppressed in an instant. Then, under the enormous gap in strength, they gradually began to collapse.

Meng Long, who had given the order, did not make a move. His expression shifted uncertainly as he watched everything unfold.

When he saw his mercenaries gradually failing to hold on, his eyes abruptly hardened. He turned and prepared to charge toward the weakest side of the encirclement...

"Heh, I've been waiting for you!"

With a cold laugh, Mo Tang suddenly clenched the Sharp Spirit Blade in his hand. He stomped fiercely against the ground, and with an explosive bang, a pit was forcefully stamped into the hard stone beneath his feet.