Mobilization

More than ten days later.

The weather grew colder and colder. Since winter had officially begun, three heavy snowfalls had already come, and outside, even dripping water froze into ice.

Yet despite such bitter cold, Zhou Ming was not lying at home recovering from his injuries. Instead, he appeared in a patch of Small Woods ten miles west of Glan Territory.

In the middle of a path through Small Woods, a huge pit had appeared.

The pit was about three meters across, with a bottom so deep it could not be seen. Its egg-shaped walls had been dug smooth and even; once water was poured over them and froze, anyone would uncontrollably slide toward the center of the pit.

"Ryan, we dug the pit according to your design. Not bad, right?"

Standing at the edge of the pit, Great Thief Jero spoke to Zhou Ming, who was wrapped tightly in a sheepskin coat.

Zhou Ming stepped forward and peered down, then shook his head. "It isn't deep enough. It needs to be at least as deep as two grown men standing on top of each other to make sure the people inside can't jump out. This pit is still a little short. To be safe, dig it deeper."

"I've already been digging for three days! And you want me to keep going? It's frozen solid out here. Who can even dig in weather like this? This is good enough!" a burly man holding an iron pickaxe complained from the bottom of the pit.

"Dig when you're told to dig. Why are you talking so much?"

Dwarf Dom, who was also swinging a pickaxe at the bottom of the pit, kicked the burly man. The man immediately shut his mouth and lowered his head to continue digging.

"Jero, have all the other things we need been prepared?" Zhou Ming asked.

"Everything's ready. We can use it anytime."

"Good! Finish digging this pit quickly. In a few days, it'll come in handy."

Three days later.

On the streets of Rose Town, a person appeared whom none of the townsfolk had expected to see.

Little Ryan had not died. Instead, supported by Young Master Donny and his sister Alice, he appeared at the town market.

Not only that, Little Ryan bought quite a few gifts from traveling merchants and went door to door, giving them to familiar neighbors. He told them that in three days, they would be leaving Glan Territory for the royal capital to study. They might never return to Glan Territory again, so this farewell would probably be their last meeting.

The neighbors were all reluctant to see him go. They said the weather outside was so cold and the snow so heavy that he should wait until spring before leaving. Besides, his injuries had not fully healed. Such a long journey and constant travel would not be good for his recovery.

Zhou Ming declined their advice one by one and urged his neighbors to take care of themselves. His luggage had already been packed, and he would definitely leave Glan Territory in three days. He hoped they would all stay well.

Inside a room in Butler Brunode's home.

"Three days from now? Are you sure you didn't hear wrong?"

"I definitely didn't hear wrong, Young Master Baum. I heard Ryan say it myself. And recently, he sold all the cattle and sheep at home and transferred the house to someone else. He can't possibly not leave in three days!" Servant said.

Bang!

Baum slammed his fist heavily onto the table and said through nearly clenched teeth, "Ryan! This time, I'll make sure you die without a burial ground!"

Three days later.

At the gates of Glan Territory Castle.

"My poor son, if things don't go well outside, you must come back to Glan Territory. Even if your mother has nothing left, I don't want anything to happen to you."

Madam Madeline wept bitterly as she held Donny's hand reluctantly, wanting only to look at him a little longer.

"Mother, I'll definitely be fine. Goodbye, Mother!"

With reddened eyes, Donny bit his lower lip, cracked the whip, and drove the carriage away from the castle without looking back.

On a small road outside Rose Town, Donny met up with Zhou Ming and Alice, who were waiting at the roadside with their packs. The two got into the carriage, and the three of them headed west along the main road.

The carriage crossed flat farmland and had just entered a dense forest when a small pit that had suddenly appeared in the road trapped one of the carriage axles.

"Hyah! Hyah! Hyah!"

Donny struck the horses several times with his whip, but the carriage did not budge. Just as he anxiously prepared to get down and inspect the problem—

"Young Master Donny, don't waste your effort. You aren't getting through this road today!"

A cold voice came from the woods nearby. More than a dozen servants carrying swords, wooden clubs, and other weapons gathered with sinister smiles under the lead of a fat man, surrounding the carriage.

"Baum, what are you trying to do? I'm still the second young master of Glan Territory. It's not your place to act wild in front of me!"

Seeing that Baum had come with ill intent, Donny shouted sternly.

Baum wagged a finger and smiled. "Young Master Donny, of course Baum won't do anything to you. But the two people in the carriage..." His expression abruptly turned exceedingly vicious as he clenched his fist. "They belong to me, Baum! I'll drag those two vermin out and torture them with the cruelest punishments in the world. I'll make them wish they were dead. I'll—"

"What are you going to do, Mr. Baum?"

A voice came from the carriage, interrupting Baum.

"I'm going to kill you!" The instant he saw Zhou Ming in the carriage, the fat Baum's eyes turned red. Holding up a shortsword, he charged at him with a savage expression.

Puff, puff, puff, puff, puff, puff!

Before he could reach the carriage, sharp sounds rang out. Fat Baum discovered that the dozen or so servants he had brought were screaming as they fell into the snow. Even a crossbow bolt had pierced his own chest.

Unprecedented agony flooded Baum's mind, yet the bone-deep hatred in his heart allowed him to remain standing as he watched his enemy draw closer and closer.

"Mr. Baum, when it comes to enemies, the best way to repay them is to kill them immediately instead of wasting so much breath."

Zhou Ming whispered in Baum's ear, gripped the half of the crossbow bolt protruding from his chest with his left hand, and shoved it into Baum's heart.

"Aah!"

With an unwilling roar, Baum collapsed to the ground.

Clap, clap, clap!

A round of applause sounded as Jero, dressed in snow camouflage, walked over. Clapping his hands, he said, "Wonderful, truly wonderful! Kid, it was exactly as you predicted. That fellow really couldn't wait to come and die. Fourteen people in total, and we got them all."

"Why aren't you cleaning this place up and moving to the next location? We have to finish everything today!" Zhou Ming snapped at Great Thief Jero.

"Yes, yes, yes. Johnson, bring a few men over and carry this corpse away..." Great Thief Jero hurriedly ordered.

On the other side, Donny also unharnessed the horse from the carriage. He exchanged a glance with Zhou Ming, nodded, mounted the horse, and galloped toward the castle.

At the castle gates.

A fast horse came racing over.

"Brother Edward, something terrible has happened! A band of thieves came from the west of the territory and killed Baum! They stripped Baum naked and hung his body from a tree!"

"What?"

Inside a room warmed by a fireplace, Edward had been drinking ale with two knights. Upon hearing the news, he was shocked. He immediately put on heavy armor, mounted a warhorse with his two subordinates, and followed Donny to Small Woods, where Baum's corpse had been found.

"Brother Edward, look. Baum's body is on that tree."

After dismounting, Donny pointed at a thick tree.

Sure enough, a naked corpse hung from one of its branches, frozen stiff like a dead pig. The body swayed back and forth as though mocking something.

Edward and the other two knights dismounted and approached the corpse. After confirming it was Baum's body, the veins on Edward's forehead bulged.

"Damned thieves! I'll grind your worthless bones into dust!"

"Move!"

A voice rang out abruptly. The ground beneath Edward suddenly caved in, and before he could react, he and the other two knights fell into the great pit.

"Not good, it's a trap!" someone cried from within the pit.

"The prey has taken the bait! Get them!"

At the command, more than twenty thieves lying in ambush in the nearby woods charged out together. Some carried thick Wolf Tooth Clubs, some held sacks filled with lime powder, and several burly men worked together to carry over a massive log.

"Throw the lime!"

Countless clouds of white powder were tossed into the pit. The three men inside looked up, and a burning pain immediately struck their eyes, blurring their vision.

"That one is climbing out! Smash him with the Wolf Tooth Clubs!"

The agile Edward stepped on Knight Vincent's back and was just about to leap out of the pit when several enormous Wolf Tooth Clubs smashed heavily into the helmet on his head. Pain and dizziness overwhelmed him, and he fell back into the pit.

"Is the log ready? Hurry and hoist it up!" Great Thief Jero, who was directing the operation, called anxiously.

"It's ready, it's ready! The log is set. Pull it up!"

It turned out that after Baum's body was lowered, the rope that had hung it was immediately tied to a massive log weighing more than five hundred pounds. The log was positioned directly above the center of the pit. More than ten burly men pulled it over three meters into the air before letting it fall freely.

"Aah!"

A miserable scream came from the pit. Some unlucky man had been smashed into a lump of flesh by the log.

"Ready, release!"

"Aah!"

"Ready, release!" The log was hoisted high again.

"Donny, you bastard... Aah!" Edward's scream also came from the pit.

Standing some distance away, Donny trembled violently upon hearing that voice. He kept muttering, "It's not my fault. You forced me. You forced me..."

The log was raised and dropped dozens more times. Only when no more sound came from the pit, and the thieves saw that all that remained below was a mass they could not tell was bone or flesh, did they finally cheer in celebration.