Infiltration

The date arrived at April 3rd, Monday. Today was supposed to be the start of the new school year at Lassos Noble Vocational Academy; it was also the third day Sean had been following the Garrison into the Southern Wilderness Great Swamp to suppress the bandits.

Since Lieutenant Colonel Merkel agreed to Sean's proposal that day, today was likewise the third day of the plan's execution.

On the first day of the plan, they only sealed off information and prepared for the subsequent steps; over the second and third days, the Garrison, following Sean's proposal, lured away a total of over two hundred Water Bandit main forces from different directions, and at this moment, they were still deep in the swamp, playing hide-and-seek with the bandits.

The smooth execution of the plan and the good results it achieved afterward left the few who were in the know, including Lieutenant Colonel Merkel, feeling quite energized.

Sean had also been busily preparing over these days; on one hand, he led the infiltration squad in specialized nighttime adaptation training; on the other, he arranged the squad's equipment and camouflage clothing through Lieutenant Colonel Merkel.

Apart from weapons, dry rations, and a few shields, Sean required all squad members to wear Water Bandit clothing and use pig's blood, mud, charcoal, and the like to disguise themselves as ragged, battered, and wounded fugitives.

That morning, after Sean and the squad members ate breakfast in camp, they were escorted by a battalion of soldiers to a hidden spot on the outskirts of the Water Bandit encampment; there, they would begin their mission of secretly infiltrating the bandit stronghold.

At this moment, behind the Garrison's several large ships, four Water Bandit fast boats that Sean had captured were being towed—these were the transport he had prepared for infiltrating the bandit camp. Of course, the fast boats had already undergone Sean's special treatment; the hulls were covered with sword and knife scars and traces of fire and smoke. Combined with Sean and his men's disguises, they looked exactly like a group of defeated stragglers.

Most stealth and infiltration missions are usually carried out late at night, because that's when people's vigilance is at its lowest. But here and now, that wasn't the best choice.

That was because Sean couldn't guarantee he could completely avoid all the Water Bandit group's eyes and ears and patrols. Rather than that, it might be better to infiltrate during the day; under the psychological contrast of the Water Bandits, using Vinson's identity as a bandit leader, they might have a better chance of fooling the bandit patrols.

After boarding the ship, Sean went alone to the cabin prepared for him and began cultivating the Knight Secret Method, so as not to waste any day's training opportunity. Fortunately, it was still early; before the squad set out in the afternoon, he still had time to rest and recover the mental and physical energy expended by cultivation.

Over an hour later, cultivation ended. Sean's attribute values became: Strength: 2.581, Constitution: 2.589, Agility: 2.8275.

Looking at his physical attributes, far beyond ordinary people, Sean showed a satisfied expression.

After that, Sean stayed in the cabin to rest until he was woken by Thor and Phil.

"Torr, what time is it?" Sean woke up, rubbed his temples, and immediately asked Thor.

"Young Master, it's just lunchtime now. In less than an hour, you'll need to set out..." Thor replied respectfully to Sean. He also told Sean the accurate information he had gotten from asking the soldiers; after all, while Sean was resting, they had been keeping a constant eye on the time, afraid of delaying their Young Master's important business.

"Mm..." Sean nodded, then got up and stepped off the bed. As soon as he stood steady, he thought about the infiltration squad soldiers' situation, so he asked Torr: "The squad soldiers... have their lunch been arranged?"

"Sir, while I was picking up your lunch, the soldiers were doing the same... They should be eating now..." Hearing Sean's question, Phil interjected to answer. At the same time, he raised the lunchbox he was carrying, then set it on the table, opened it, and began to set things up.

"Good..." Sean praised Phil, then came over and sat down at the table.

For this infiltration squad, Sean hadn't let Torr and Phil participate; after all, their training time was too short, and their personal strength was still somewhat lacking. But they still insisted on boarding the escort fleet and asked to see Sean off.

"This plan has been prepared in great detail, and the chances of success are high; so, you don't need to worry..." Sean sat down, smiled, and comforted the two. After a pause, he continued: "You two need to train hard. When there's another chance like this, I'll definitely bring you both along..."

"Yes," Thor and Phil answered in unison, their expressions tinged with disappointment but also hope for the future.

"Phil, after the mission ends, I plan to find time to teach you the family's secret Knight Secret Method. You must train diligently, but you can't reveal it to anyone else... Understand?" Sean looked at their expressions and then made a promise to Phil.

"Ah... Thank you, sir. I... I will definitely train hard. And... I won't tell anyone, please trust me, sir..." Phil said, his emotions surging as he repeatedly assured Sean.

Sean nodded to Phil, then instructed them both: "Go eat now, and come back to clean up afterward..." As he spoke, he pointed at the tableware on the table. Then he lowered his head to eat. The two didn't insist; they bowed to him and withdrew from the cabin.

After lunch, Sean sat for a little while longer, then took out the Water Bandit clothes for disguise. The clothes had several slash marks from swords and knives, along with various stains and pig's bloodstains; they looked not only very ragged but also gave off waves of foul stench.

Sean frowned, carefully trying not to let his nose suffer. He had to forcibly suppress the urge to throw them away immediately and reluctantly pulled them on. Then he tightly wrapped his Knight sword in rags, grabbed his other gear, and left his room.

Soon, Sean arrived at the large cabin where the infiltration squad was resting. Sergeant Donnie was inside, urging the soldiers to change into the Water Bandit clothes.

Sean casually glanced over the soldiers' disguises and immediately spotted several flaws. So he whispered a few instructions to a soldier. After hearing Sean's orders, the soldier immediately turned and left the cabin.

A moment later, the soldier returned carrying two wooden buckets. He placed them respectfully in front of Sean, then stepped back to rest at Sean's wave.

The buckets contained charcoal ash and mud, which Sean had specifically asked the earlier soldier to find, for the soldiers to smear on areas like their necks that the clothes couldn't cover. So he called the soldiers together and, in front of them, personally demonstrated on himself.

Originally, although the soldiers wore Water Bandit clothes, their clean, uncovered body parts looked out of place and would arouse suspicion among the bandits. Sean had considered this and had the soldiers bring charcoal ash and such.

After that, the soldiers followed Sean's example and began disguising themselves. Afterwards, they checked each other to see if anything was off. Of course, some soldiers overdid it; Sean pointed it out and personally "applied makeup" for them. He also stopped Vinson and his two men from trying to apply makeup to themselves.

After all, from now on, Vinson was the "leader" of their group; if his face was too dirty, it would make the bandits suspicious. Soon, except for Vinson and his two men, Sean and the other twenty-six officers and soldiers had completed their disguises. They now looked like beggars, giving off the feeling of people fleeing for their lives.

"Sean, you... hmph, you really have a way." Major Sunny, who had arrived at the cabin at some point, said to Sean with a smile.

"Sir... is it time?" Sean nodded to Major Sunny and then asked, though his current appearance was rather unsightly. Major Sunny had been specially sent by Lieutenant Colonel Merkel to escort Sean and his men to the starting point; of course, if an accident occurred along the way, he could decide based on the situation whether to abort or continue the mission—this was also a way to protect Sean and the others.

"Mm, I was a bit worried earlier... but it looks like you're all ready..." Major Sunny replied with a full smile.

"Heh, sir, when we get near the starting point, have someone carefully check the surroundings first..." Sean rubbed his nose awkwardly, then changed the subject.

"Haha, don't worry. I've already sent people ahead... After that, you can set out..." Major Sunny laughed heartily at Sean's embarrassed face, but there was no mockery in his laughter. Then he sobered and said solemnly to Sean: "Safe journey, and be careful in everything..."

"Thank you, I'll stay vigilant at all times..." Sean replied seriously. At this moment, the two exchanged well-wishes like friends.

"Mm, I'll be waiting for your good news..." Major Sunny didn't mind the mud on Sean's clothes and patted his shoulder encouragingly.

"Young Master, you must come back..." Torr also came to Sean's side at this moment, his tone full of worry.

"Don't worry, they're just a few Water Bandits... You two wait peacefully on the ship..." Sean said to the tense Torr and Phil in a relaxed tone to comfort them. Then he patted their shoulders and asked Major Sunny to look after them on his behalf.

Just then, a non-commissioned officer hurried over. He whispered something in Major Sunny's ear, and Major Sunny silently nodded to Sean. Sean understood—it was time for them to set out and infiltrate the Water Bandit camp.

After that, Sean led the infiltration squad officers and soldiers aboard the captured and disguised Water Bandit fast boats, slowly disappearing from Major Sunny and the others' sight. Only when Sean's boats were completely out of view did Major Sunny order the fleet to return. Later, he would join Lieutenant Colonel Merkel in commanding the soldiers who had surrounded the Water Bandit camp from afar, launching the general assault.

Over two hours later, under Vinson's guidance, Sean bypassed the outer warning posts of the Water Bandit camp and smoothly reached a spot less than ten kilometers from the bandit stronghold. But going any further, it would be hard to avoid the bandit patrols.

The group steered the four Water Bandit fast boats and hid among the dense reeds. Sean said to Vinson: "Once we're discovered, you and your two men step forward immediately to deal with the patrol. Understand?"

"Sir, this... I... what should I say?" Vinson was a bit nervous—after all, anyone would be uneasy at a time like this.

"Idiot, use your usual tone and attitude. Relax, relax..." Sean scolded impatiently.

"This... I..." Vinson smacked his lips, wanting to say something but feeling it was inappropriate. He just stammered.

"You, speak," Sean said, skipping Vinson and pointing at another Water Bandit behind him.

"Vinson old... Vinson, he usually talks very roughly..." Vinson's trusted man was a bit nervous facing Sean. He started to say "Vinson boss" as before, but remembering that Vinson was now going to be this young man's servant, he quickly corrected himself.

"Right, Vinson. When you run into a Water Bandit patrol for inspection, curse them out—the nastier, the better. Remember, in the end, you have to make sure the bandits continue their patrol and don't have time to go back and report..." Sean organized his words and taught Vinson how to handle it.