After some discussion, everyone agreed that dusk was the best time to act. For one, it was dinner time at the docks, so the defenses would be a little lax. For another, the rain had just stopped. If they went early in the morning, everyone would probably be covered in mud by the time they reached the docks, which would be miserable.
After lunch, the sky had already darkened. They donned their equipment, sharpened their weapons, and headed for Jerod's Dock under the guidance of a Makrolen Family guard.
The journey was not far. In just half an hour, the docks came into view in the distance.
It was already dark, but they could still vaguely make out several Brotherhood members in leather armor patrolling near the docks. It seemed the enemy took this place seriously.
"What should we do? It looks like we can't avoid alerting them." Li Shaolin asked Tommy beside him.
Tommy waved a hand, signaling everyone following them to stop. "Let's wait and see. Sigh, too bad we don't have a Rogue."
Everyone crouched in the grass and quietly waited for an opportunity.
After crouching for only a short while, Li Shaolin's legs began to ache and go numb. Just as he was about to stand and stretch them, his mind suddenly tensed. He felt someone watching him. He quickly looked up, but there was no sign of anyone. It seemed nobody was there.
No, the grass over there was swaying slightly.
Startled, he kept his expression calm and cast Detection toward the edge of the grass.
A faint light flashed, and a white name appeared: Shock, Rogue, Level 10.
Good. He was also a professional. What Li Shaolin feared most right now was running into that knife-wielding child who came and went like a ghost in the night.
He did not know what this fellow was sneaking around here for, but he was not with the Defias Brotherhood. If he were hostile, Detection should have shown his name in red.
Li Shaolin casually took out the Book of the Dead, flipped open a page, and tapped it with one finger. The Clay Golem emerged. He made a silencing gesture to the others, picked up a small stone from the ground, and lightly tossed it over. At the same time, the Clay Golem turned into sludge and flowed toward the target.
A golem itself was formed from earth and could freely switch between hard clay and soft clay forms. In hard clay form, its punches carried tremendous force, capable of tearing flesh and shattering bone. Soft clay form had its advantages, though: it moved silently and could withstand great pressure. When Li Shaolin had fled from Skinner's home, he had used it in soft clay form to catch him from below.
Smack! The stone struck the Rogue, immediately revealing a figure.
Shock was startled and was about to flee, but the golem had already reached him, slowing his movements. If he struggled too forcefully, he would likely alert the patrols.
Li Shaolin beckoned to him, signaling that they meant no harm and calling him over.
Shock hesitated, but he still walked over quietly, his dagger clenched tightly in his hand.
"Hello, I'm Tommy from the Stonemason Family. May I ask who you are?" Tommy and the others had noticed him as well. Though Shock was dressed like a professional and they remained wary, they did not show hostility.
"Hello. My name is Shock, a Level 10 Rogue. I was ordered by SI:7 in Stormwind City to come to Jerod's Dock on business." Shock nodded as he answered, while looking at Li Shaolin in surprise, apparently unable to understand how he had been discovered.
Li Shaolin nodded at Tommy, indicating that the Rogue was telling the truth.
Tommy then explained why they had come.
Shock pondered for a moment before saying, "According to SI:7 scouts, these Defias members are transporting large amounts of contraband from here to Westfall and the Redridge Mountains, causing tremendous economic losses to the kingdom. My mission is to find the Dock Master's shipping schedule." After a pause, he added, "They seem to have a high-level Rogue stationed here. Three of us Rogues were assigned to this mission. The other two were assassinated as soon as they entered the master's room. Fortunately, I was responsible for watching outside and narrowly escaped. I've been waiting here for a whole day and still don't know what to do."
"A high-level Rogue?"
Shock nodded. "Yes. He should be an expert personally sent by VanCleef. I have no idea why he is here. Oh, and the Dock Master is a Goblin."
Li Shaolin suddenly recalled what had happened at the mine. Hadn't that masked child casually killed a Rogue back then? He had been wearing a silk mask, and afterward the Golden Golem had killed another one. Could those have been the scouts sent by Jerod's Dock?
With that thought, he hurriedly asked, "When did you enter the docks? Also, did anything unusual happen here last night or during the day?"
Shock thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it, I do remember something. Last night, it seemed like two people left the docks through the rain. Right, we entered at dawn yesterday."
So that was it. VanCleef must have assigned several Rogues to help with something, and when the Dock Master wanted information about Fargodeep Mine, he had sent two of them there to investigate.
Li Shaolin had intended to take out the Red Silk Mask and ask about it, but after considering it, he decided against it. If word somehow leaked to the Defias Brotherhood, and they learned that he had killed two high-ranking members, he would be in serious trouble.
After another discussion, Shock's presence naturally solved their intelligence problem. According to him, there were around ten Defias dockworkers at the docks, two private bodyguards for the Goblin Overseer, and two or three mysterious high-level Rogues. The rest were ordinary civilians hired from nearby, so they were nothing to worry about.
The Defias dockworkers were roughly as capable as farm guards, which happened to match the number of people Tommy had brought. They were the ones patrolling outside in groups of two and three. As for the two private bodyguards, they might be troublesome. Ordinary guards could not handle them. According to Shock, they should possess the strength of Level 9 human warriors.
"Then let's take out those three patrolling outside first." Tommy drew his greatsword, barely able to restrain himself.
"That works." With no other options, Li Shaolin could only agree. Those Defias workers patrolled in shifts around the clock and would not be resting.
After making a circuit, the three patrolling workers gradually approached them.
Shock leaped and entered Stealth. At the same time, Tommy raised his greatsword, ready to charge. White light flickered in Li Shaolin's hand as Bone Fang condensed and danced around his fingertips.
Buzz! One patrol worker was knocked unconscious by Shock's Sap. At the same time, Tommy snorted and sprang forward, bringing his greatsword down in a fierce slash!
Whoosh! An archer among the guards loosed an arrow, striking one of them squarely. Affected by the shot, the man had no time to defend against Tommy's greatsword and was cut down on the spot. At the same time, a shadow emerged from the darkness, a dagger flashing as it cut into another worker's spine. With one swift slice, blood gushed out and he collapsed at once. For a Level 10 Rogue like Shock, killing farm-guard-level opponents was effortless.
Two had been dealt with, but the first man struck by the arrow let out a shout before dying, alerting the other members of the docks.
Tommy casually swept his blade, cutting down the worker who had been knocked unconscious. He pointed his greatsword forward and shouted, and the others behind him charged after him.
The wooden doors of the dock lodgings opened, and several Defias dockworkers poured out. They all wore red burlap masks, soft armor, and carried short blades.
Tommy swung his greatsword and led the others to meet them. Shock vanished again, apparently entering Stealth, leaving Li Shaolin alone at the rear.
Li Shaolin hurriedly called the Clay Golem over to protect him and put up Bone Shield. Only then did he lock onto his targets with magic and pick them off one by one.
Fortunately, a group of people protected him at the front, so he did not have to fear enemies getting close. In the blink of an eye, three people had already been wounded by Li Shaolin.
The docks immediately descended into chaos. The civilians living there saw the fighting break out and fled in every direction, filling the area with panicked cries.
Li Shaolin was happily picking off targets when a ripple suddenly appeared beside him. A dagger abruptly emerged and slashed toward him!
Smack! The dagger struck Bone Shield. As one shield shattered, a figure appeared, wearing a Red Silk Mask!
The moment he appeared, he showed no panic at all. His dagger stabbed again, and before Li Shaolin could react, smack, another Bone Shield shattered!
Tommy saw Li Shaolin under attack and forced his opponent back with a slash before rushing over. The heavy sword tore through the air, striking like lightning.
The Rogue's figure swayed. He seemed to abandon Li Shaolin as his dagger turned toward Tommy instead.
"Good!" Tommy shouted, preparing to block. A greatsword against a short dagger gave him an innate advantage, so he had nothing to fear.
But the dagger merely brushed past the greatsword like a dragonfly skimming water, then slashed back toward Li Shaolin!
Smack! The last Bone Shield shattered!
What a beautiful feint. The slash left Li Shaolin sweating, and he secretly cursed at the danger.
He did not know whether this Rogue's level was simply too high or something else, but the Clay Golem's slowing effect barely hindered him. He raised his dagger again and stabbed at Li Shaolin!
Screech, screech! Two spinning Bone Fangs flew out, but the Rogue knocked them aside with his dagger, sending them crashing down!
The wind howled, and white light flashed.
With his life in danger, Li Shaolin could not worry about anything else. He flipped open the Book of the Dead, and the Skeleton General blocked his path.
A look of surprise seemed to flash through the Rogue's eyes. He did not know how the person before him had appeared, and Tommy was closing in as well, ready to attack from both sides.
Green light flared around the Rogue. Damn, he had activated Evasion again. The gap between him and Tommy was too great, so he ignored Tommy outright. With a slight hook of his right hand, he slipped around the Skeleton General's Bone Blade. Green light flashed from his left hand as another dagger left its sheath and slashed toward the Skeleton General's neck.
To his surprise, the Skeleton General neither dodged nor evaded, its Bone Blade still sweeping across! At the same time, Li Shaolin began chanting, and Venomous Dagger was applied to it!
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