The gunfire continued to rage.
Blood and fire intertwined, making the battle look extremely fierce.
But Jiang Qiao wasn't interested.
Ninggu City had more people, after all, and possessed the home-field advantage. Although the bandits who had entered the city were elite, they had already been split up and surrounded. Their defeat was only a matter of time.
What truly interested him was the purpose hidden behind this seemingly reckless operation.
The bandit chief had originally been quite timid.
Why had he suddenly become emboldened and even declared that he would make Ninggu City change masters?
This obviously couldn't have been his own idea.
That meant the problem lay with the newcomers.
"Looks like a diversion?"
"Using this chaos to cover up some actions they don't want anyone to know about?"
Jiang Qiao moved.
He changed his posture.
His gaze casually swept across a courtyard in the distance.
The courtyard's main gate stood open.
Large and small bundles were scattered along the way. It seemed the owner had fled in a panic, wanting to take some belongings along but abandoning them in his haste.
That was normal.
The sudden escalation of the battle had forced them to change their plans. They had discarded unimportant things and prioritized saving their lives.
It wasn't only ordinary people.
Defeated soldiers on the battlefield did the same.
It was called throwing away one's helmet and armor.
But what wasn't normal was...
Jiang Qiao's gaze flickered. He saw that the courtyard floor was covered in fallen leaves, and most of the flowers and plants had withered. Some bell-shaped objects still hung from the bare branches.
It looked as though the place had been abandoned for a long time.
Yet the things left on the ground clearly told him that people lived here.
"Old Yang."
"Do