On the afternoon of April 3, Sean led the squad cautiously toward the Water Bandit Camp. Within the Swamp Wetland, they used the crisscrossing waterways to carefully avoid the water bandits' patrols.
To remain hidden, Sean had no choice but to proceed with extreme caution. He constantly directed the boats to take detours and occasionally hid in concealed spots to wait. Finally, just before sunset, they arrived at a dense patch of reeds less than three kilometers from the Water Bandit Camp.
Before Sean lay a relatively open stretch of water that extended all the way toward the Water Bandit Camp. From afar, they could vaguely make out the outlines of the buildings within the camp.
But if they crossed the open water ahead, they would inevitably be discovered by the Water Bandit Patrol. Sean immediately ordered the squad to hide and rest there. Once the sun had fully set, they would use the darkness and Vinson's identity as a water bandit leader to try to bluff their way through.
"Vinson, describe the terrain around the Water Bandit Camp for me again..." Sean asked Vinson beside him in a low voice.
"Yes, my lord. Beyond this stretch of water is the Water Bandit Camp... There's a small hill beside the camp where we can hide, and it's not far from the Water Bandit Prison..." Vinson immediately replied. At the end, he pointed at the small hill beside the camp and offered his opinion.
Vinson added, "My lord, the water bandits have a sentry post on that small hill, responsible for watching the entire area of water. However, if we make a slight detour, we can approach from land..."
"Very good, Vinson... Also, how far is the Granary?" Sean praised Vinson first before continuing his questions.
"The Granary is on the other side of the camp. If possible... my lord, we can first infiltrate the woods on the small hill, then send men to quietly circle around to the Granary..." A faint smile appeared on Vinson's face as he answered quickly in a low voice. As he spoke, he pointed out the Granary's approximate location so Sean could understand him.
"Mm... Are all three of you familiar with the situation inside the Water Bandit Camp?" Sean fell silent briefly, the idea of splitting up flashing through his mind. He immediately turned to Vinson and the other two men to confirm it.
"Yes, my lord. The two of them, like me, have lived in the camp for many years... They are also very familiar with the camp..." Vinson answered at once. At the same time, his two trusted men nodded repeatedly, eagerly agreeing with him.
"Very good... Go get some rest. Once the squad reaches the small hill, we'll discuss the details of the operation," Sean said after a moment's consideration.
Time slowly passed, and at last, the final trace of sunlight vanished completely from the sky. Yet Sean did not immediately give the order to move out. Instead, he watched the distant fires gradually light up.
After waiting for nearly another half hour, Sean finished a simple meal of dry rations and finally reached the Water Bandit Patrol's shift change. He immediately ordered the flotilla to set out. Soon, four Water Bandit Speedboats left their hiding place and headed toward the Water Bandit Camp.
"Who goes there?" After Sean's boats had traveled nearly halfway across the open waters, their luck for the day finally ran out. They inevitably encountered two Small Boats from the Water Bandit Patrol. A wary voice called out from afar.
"Damn it, it's Vinson... Which bastard is leading you lot?" At Sean's signal, Vinson immediately stepped forward to answer. In his usual crude tone, he arrogantly threw the question back at the Water Bandit Patrol.
"Vinson..." The water bandits' Small Boats approached, their occupants holding up torches as they tried to see Sean and the others clearly. But when they saw Vinson standing at the bow, along with his arrogant and impatient expression, someone immediately said ingratiatingly, "Boss Vinson, you're back..."
"Damn it, it's you, kid. What, did you think your Uncle Vinson was supposed to die at the hands of the army?" Vinson recognized the other man as well and cursed viciously. At the same time, he waved his bandaged hand, showing that he had just escaped the army's encirclement.
"N-No, Boss Vinson. Why did you come back at this time?" The other man was clearly somewhat cowed, but he still asked in confusion. He also looked toward the boats behind Vinson and spotted two other familiar faces, equally bedraggled.
"Damn it, you think I wanted to? Those cursed soldiers had me trapped with nowhere to go. Hahaha... But in the end, I still got away..." Vinson laughed loudly. Gradually, he got into character, as if he had truly turned back into the crude water bandit leader he once was. Then he cursed again, "Damn it, do you have anything to eat? Bring it over so I can fill my stomach..."
"Boss Vinson, the brothers all... all came without food. How about... you head back to camp..." The other man had completely believed Vinson by now. Hearing him curse without pause, the minor leader of the patrol only wanted to get far away from him as soon as possible.
"Damn it, useless trash. Get the hell out of here!" Vinson immediately flew into a rage at the answer.
The other side could only silently turn around and prepare to leave, as though afraid Vinson might suddenly feel like continuing to berate them.
"Damn it, keep your eyes peeled and patrol the outer perimeter properly!" Vinson suddenly remembered Sean's earlier instructions. He needed to send the patrol away from the camp so they would not spread word of his return. Then he continued cursing, "If I find out you've been slacking off, just wait and see how I deal with you..." Finally, Vinson added one of his signature crude threats.
"Y-Yes, we'll patrol carefully... We will..." Without giving Vinson another chance to speak, the Water Bandit Patrol's two Small Boats quickly sailed toward the waters farther out on the perimeter.
"Well done, Vinson." After the other side had left, Sean praised him quietly. Then he said, "Keep moving..."
"Thank you, my lord. That was... really tense..." Vinson moved closer as he spoke. When he finished, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
Sean patted Vinson on the shoulder and smiled at him without saying anything more. Their boats then successfully circled around to the riverbank near the small hill. After properly hiding the Water Bandit Speedboats, Sean led the soldiers, carrying weapons, bows, and other equipment, toward the woods before the small hill.
Led by Vinson, Sean and the others found a concealed place in the woods to stop and rest. Sean took out his pocket watch and checked the time, then quietly said to Sergeant Donnie, who had come over, "There are still three hours until the planned time. Send a few sharp soldiers to keep watch around us. Remind them that if they spot anything, they must immediately use bird calls as a warning." He watched Sergeant Donnie acknowledge the order and leave.
During their adaptation training, Sean had instructed the squad's soldiers to use the number of bird calls to convey different kinds of information whenever they discovered enemy activity. It was something he had learned from television dramas in his previous life, and it was clearly not a common method in this world.
"Rest where you are. Stay alert," Sean quietly ordered the soldiers around him.
After Donnie passed along Sean's order, several soldiers nimbly left the squad and soon disappeared into the woods.
Sean then called Vinson and Donny over and said, "Donny, take Vinson and the others to set fire to the Granary. Be especially careful... If you truly cannot get close to the Granary, then set fire to any building you can find and create chaos..."
After hearing Sean's words, Donny and Vinson immediately nodded to show they understood.
"Whether you succeed or fail, once my side begins the rescue, you must withdraw and return to the place where the boats are hidden to rendezvous. If something happens... no matter which side encounters trouble, once midnight passes, leave immediately by boat." Sean gave the instructions in a stern tone.
The two men nodded with determined expressions, and the woods soon fell into utter silence.
Soon, it was around ten o'clock at night. After receiving Sean's approval, Sergeant Donnie led Vinson and ten soldiers out of their hiding place. They would disguise themselves as a patrol and cautiously approach the water bandits' Granary.
Sean ordered the remaining soldiers to change into black night clothes and prepare to infiltrate the Water Bandit Prison to rescue the trapped Noble Cadets. At the same time, everyone wrapped their weapons in cloth to prevent them from reflecting moonlight.
Twenty minutes later, after the soldiers had prepared for the attack, Sean led them slowly and stealthily toward the edge of the Water Bandit Camp.
The Water Bandit Camp was quiet at this time. Only the occasional passing patrol produced faint footsteps. Under the dim moonlight, Sean and the others silently arrived outside the prison's courtyard wall.
Sean signaled the soldiers. Two of them immediately turned and concealed themselves at the road entrances on either side to stand watch. Then one soldier pressed his back against the courtyard wall and crouched slightly, preparing to boost Sean over it.
Sean lightly used the soldier's support to vault onto the wall without making the slightest sound. He carefully poked his head over and observed the empty courtyard before waving to the soldiers below, signaling for them to climb onto the wall in pairs.
Finally, with the help of ropes, the soldiers successfully infiltrated the courtyard containing the prison. Sean signaled for them to split into three groups according to plan. He would personally lead a group to attack the prison, one group would seize and guard the main gate, and the other would head to the water bandits' guards' room. Vinson's two subordinates would respectively guide Sean and the group heading to take control of the water bandits' room.
Everything proceeded according to plan. Sean led his men carefully and quietly toward the cell block. Along the way, he silently dealt with two groups of four water bandit guards. Only when they reached the entrance to the cell block did Sean and the others stop.
Sean signaled for the soldiers to prepare themselves. Only then did he have Vinson's subordinate step forward and knock on the door.
Knock, knock. After two light knocks, faint movement came from inside. Then a complaining voice asked, "Who is it..." As he spoke, slow footsteps approached the door.
"It's me," Vinson's former subordinate replied calmly.
The water bandit on guard tonight shook his still groggy head. He looked at the second water bandit, who was still sprawled across the table sleeping soundly, then irritably got out of his chair and walked to the door. Anyone woken by someone else would be in a bad mood. At that moment, a strange yet vaguely familiar voice came from outside.
Even so, not the slightest suspicion arose in his muddled mind. He casually opened the locked door. The instant it opened, before he could utter the complaint he had prepared, a dim flash of sword light passed before his eyes. Then, amid a dizzying whirl, he saw a headless corpse that felt strangely familiar slowly collapsing to the ground.
Dressed entirely in black, Sean beheaded the first water bandit the instant the door opened. He then quickly stepped past the corpse and lunged at the second water bandit, who was waking up. Before the second man could fully awaken, Sean ended him with a single stroke as well.
Sean felt somewhat speechless. He had clearly made no sound when dealing with the first water bandit, yet the second had still woken up. Although the man had not managed to react at all, it still annoyed him somewhat. Perhaps this was the so-called instinct one felt before death.
The soldiers who followed Sean swiftly into the room immediately locked the door behind them. Then, under Sean's command, aside from the soldiers left to guard the entrance, everyone else followed behind him and began searching the entire cell block.
The water bandits' cell block was not large, containing only a little over twenty cells. Sean soon saw through the gaps in a cell's bars a youth wearing a filthy, tattered knight trainee uniform, curled up in the dark, damp cell.
At that moment, the young master seemed trapped in a nightmare, his entire body trembling slightly. Sean directly swung his sword and cut through the iron lock. The faint sound spread through the entire cell block, waking the imprisoned water bandits one after another. Their eyes held fear, but also hope.
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