Sun Busong quickly wrote out a long list of materials.
It included ten Ogin Ingots, ten Life Essences, and ten Air Essences!
If this hadn't been Goblin territory, Sun Busong wouldn't have dared put those things on the list. The Goblins were neutral. He had bought up all the Alliance's Ogin Ingots last time, but the Horde still had some.
The captain took the list and looked it over. As a Warrior, he knew exactly what Ogin Ingots were used for. But he didn't want to bring it up now—and he couldn't.
"Hmph! Let him strut around for another couple of days."
After that, Sun Busong threw himself into the tense work of making potions. The Korson men got their drinking water from a spring in the underground secret base. The logistics storeroom was right next to it, so the area was very heavily guarded. Sun Busong had already scouted it when he went to kill the Korson Special Forces last time. There were at least thirty soldiers lying in wait there.
They had lunch promptly at noon every day. Sun Busong had two options. The first was to pour a large quantity of potion into the spring. That wouldn't be too difficult, but there was no guarantee every soldier would drink the Sleeping Potion.
The second was to mix the potion directly into their food. If that worked, then everyone except those on guard duty would be knocked out.
But Sun Busong didn't need to worry or think about that. The captain already had someone picked out for the job.
As it turned out, the captain's informant was Bookworm Herold. He was Korson's logistics officer and knew everything that went on in their camp.
"You have to make enough Sleeping Potion before noon today. I've already made arrangements with my informant. We'll all go in together, and once they're asleep, we'll kill every last one of them in their beds. Hahaha! Let's hope they're having sweet dreams! Hahaha!"
The captain thought victory was already in his grasp. He and Major Korson had fought side by side for years. The two of them had rebelled against Stormwind together and set up a base here. But since Korson had outranked him, he had seized sole control of the military and sidelined the captain.
But Captain Duo Lun wasn't someone to be underestimated. His rank might have been lower, but his class level was higher, and he was stronger.
He was a max-level Elite Warrior, with a group of loyal followers under his command. After the two fell out, they became bitter enemies. Now that he had a chance to take down Korson, the captain felt his opportunity to rule had come. Are kings and nobles born to greatness? Once he killed Korson, he would take down Varian Uryen, too. He would become humanity's savior—the new king of humanity!
Sun Busong worked tirelessly. In just three hours, he had made enough potion to put 3,000 soldiers to sleep!
"Captain, I've finished my task, but I've been working beyond my limits for three hours. I don't have an ounce of strength left, so I won't be joining the battle. I'll stay in the storeroom and wait for news of your victory!"
Sun Busong's face was pale, and he looked so sickly he might collapse at any moment.
The captain was already imagining himself in his royal finery. He didn't care what Sun Busong said.
"Once we've killed them all, you'll have earned yourself a great merit. I'll make you a major!"
The captain led the main force out, leaving only a few dozen men to guard the supply storeroom. Once they were gone, Sun Busong made an excuse to slip out and meet up with Luffy and the others.
"What are you up to this time? You've only been in Stranglethorn Vale for a few days, and you've already sent someone to tell me you've got a huge surprise for the Brotherhood! Well, I'm here now. Where's this huge surprise?"
The two met in secret and shared a bear hug before getting down to business.
"This time, there's more than one surprise. If things go smoothly, this place will be ours from now on. Hahaha!"
Sun Busong beamed and patted Luffy on the shoulder. Just as Luffy was about to ask him what he meant, Sun Busong cut him off. "But let's be clear from the start: I want half the spoils this time!"
Luffy didn't know what half would amount to, so he readily agreed.
Once Luffy learned what had happened and heard Sun Busong mention two more Gold Mines, he regretted it!
Though Sun Busong had played a part in stirring up the two rebel armies in Stranglethorn Vale and getting them to fight, occupying the mines afterward wouldn't be a job for just one or two people.
Even a single Gold Mine would take at least a thousand men to operate, transport the ore, stand guard, and deal with the local Goblins. And according to Sun Busong, the last mine was guarded by a large number of Petrified Lizards. That would cost a great deal of manpower and resources, too.
But Luffy had already agreed to Sun Busong's terms. It was too late to take them back now.
"You really got me again." Luffy shot him an annoyed look.
Sun Busong played dumb. "Come on, Chief. The Brotherhood got its start mining. I've just found you three Gold Mines, and you're still unhappy?"
Luffy couldn't be bothered to waste his breath arguing. He cut straight to the point. "We'll split the spoils the way you said. But the Brotherhood won't take part in capturing the Crystal Mine Cave. If you can take it, we'll provide the people and resources. We'll handle the mining, guarding, and transportation!"
"Tch! You sure don't like taking a loss!"
But then Sun Busong thought of the level-45 Rare Elite Golden Scale Lizard in the Crystal Mine Cave. He had to kill it, but with his current attack and defense, it would be dangerous. He needed a helper. His damage output was good enough, but he was short on healing!
"Fine! I'll figure out the Crystal Mine Cave."
"Now that's the spirit!"
The captain and his men arrived at the entrance to Major Korson's secret base.
"How did it go?" Captain Duo Lun arrived at a secret meeting spot, where a Magic Professional had been waiting for him for some time.
The man before him was the captain's informant: Bookworm Herold. He was in charge of logistics for Korson's camp, and he held the rank of captain, too. It was baffling that an officer of equal rank had become someone else's informant!
"Everything's gone smoothly. I've put all the potions in their food. This mine has four main tunnels and seventeen side passages. Once you're inside, follow my markings. Find our people, and they'll lead you to the deepest part of the mine, where you can kill Korson."
The captain trusted Bookworm Herold. He patted him on the shoulder and smiled. "Today, we'll wipe away our old humiliation and take back everything that was ours."
"You don't need to go inside this time. I'll take the men. Two hours will be more than enough to kill everyone in there!"
Bookworm Herold seemed to disagree. His face filled with pity as he said, "These soldiers haven't done anything wrong. They're just following Korson's orders, and most of them used to fight alongside us!"
"What do you mean, 'fight alongside us'?" The captain's tone turned hostile, and his voice rose.
"They're all traitors! In every battle we fought, wasn't I the one who charged to the front and drew the enemy's fire for them? And when we retreated, wasn't I the one who stayed behind to cover them? But what did they do? They betrayed us for profit and sided with that bastard Korson. They deserve to die!"
"Ah!"
"But I still hope you'll show some mercy. There's no need to kill people who have nothing to do with this, is there? Once we've taken the mine, we could put them to work instead!" Bookworm Herold kept trying to talk the captain out of killing so many people.
The captain frowned and pressed his lips together as he considered it. Then he let out a long breath. "Fine! I'll listen to you. I'll only kill Korson's trusted loyalists!"
When Herold heard this, a faint smile appeared on his face. "Then let me thank you on their behalf."
"Hahaha! You and I don't need to stand on ceremony. All right, it's time. Once I lead the men inside, you can return to the camp in the north. Here's the storeroom key. The fellow who made the Sleeping Potion should still be resting inside. Go in and take him into custody. I want the formula he has."
"Mm, understood. See you later, then!"
"Hahaha! Right, see you later!"
Captain Duo Lun took all his men—more than five hundred of them—and charged into Korson's secret base as fast as they could. Since Korson's men had eaten lunch laced with Sleeping Potion, many of them were killed in their sleep.
"You three, each take a hundred men. Find our comrades wearing red armbands and have them lead you in. Remember, leave no survivors!"
"Yes!"
"The rest of you, follow me. We're going straight to Major Korson. It's been a long time since I had a good heart-to-heart with him!"
Time flew by. Five minutes later, Captain Duo Lun's men had charged into the four main tunnels of the secret base and were slaughtering their way through. The men lying asleep on the ground were like chickens and ducks waiting to be butchered, and the attackers slaughtered them without mercy.
They swept through the base with ease. Only a few groups of Korson Special Forces put up any resistance. They were all sentries who had eaten their own rations and skipped lunch. But when they spotted the enemy and raised the alarm as loudly as they could, the people who had fallen asleep still wouldn't wake up!
"Hahaha! Kill them all! Leave no one alive!" The captain had gone blood-mad and was becoming a little unhinged.
The Sleeping Potion was about to wear off. The captain's troops had already reached two-thirds of the way through the secret base. Major Korson was in its deepest section!
The deepest part of the secret base.
"Hm? What are you all doing? Lying on the ground asleep? Have you forgotten you're officers? If ordinary soldiers saw this, how could you expect them to respect you?"
Major Korson felt as if he had dozed off for a moment. When he opened his eyes, he saw seven or eight men lying beside him. They were all his trusted followers, the heads of various departments in Korson's rebel force, as well as several deputy leaders.
"Something's wrong! Major, someone must have drugged us!" one of the deputy leaders suddenly realized. His shout jolted the others.
How could everyone have fallen asleep after lunch?
"Quick! Check the other areas and take your weapons!" Major Korson was instantly drenched in a cold sweat. A terrible feeling came over him, and he hurriedly began issuing orders.
But just then, shouts and cries of battle rang through the tunnels. The captain and his men were almost here.
At the same time, the captain sensed something was wrong. The enemies who should have been lying still on the ground, waiting to be slaughtered, had suddenly all woken up!
"Move faster! They're still groggy, so hurry and finish them off!"
Things had changed, but Korson's forces had already taken a devastating blow. In just ten minutes, the 200 men with the captain had killed at least 1,500 of Korson's soldiers! They had to push in now. This chance was hard to come by, and there was no turning back for him anyway..
"Report! Report, Major! It's Captain Duo Lun's rebel force! They've broken in, and they're less than 500 meters away!" A Korson elite reported to the major in a panic.
"So it was that bastard!" Flames of fury rose in Korson's eyes. If the enemy had made it this far, then the other soldiers in the base must already be dead or badly wounded. "Fedo, Baron!"
"Here, Major!" The two deputy leaders gripped their weapons and took up fighting stances.
"You two, come with me. We'll take on Captain Duo Lun. Everyone else, return to your posts and rally the remaining Chariot Soldiers for a counterattack. Today, only one side is walking out of here alive!"
Major Korson was a level-50 Elite Level Assassin, while Fedo and Baron were level-45 Elite Warriors. The other leaders and deputy leaders were around level 45 as well. Their forces had suffered heavy losses in the surprise attack, but their high-level fighters were unharmed.
Captain Duo Lun had fewer than five hundred men left, while Major Korson still had more than three hundred. In terms of fighting strength, they were evenly matched.
Now it came down to who would survive.
It was five o'clock in the afternoon.
Sun Busong was asleep in a shelter near the storeroom. He was exhausted. Starting at midnight, he had taken Humar to the mine to kill Blood Trolls, working all night. During the day, he had met with Sergeant Yuwa, then made the Sleeping Potion.
And after all that, he still hadn't been able to rest. He'd also had to meet Luffy and haggle with him.
Once everything was settled, he had brought Luffy and the other experts from the Brotherhood to lie in wait for Captain Duo Lun here. Why was he so sure Captain Duo Lun would be the one to come out on top?
There was only one reason: Duo Lun was a level-60 max-level Elite Warrior! He was one of the few max-level professionals Sun Busong had encountered in this world.
Besides, Sun Busong wasn't sure Captain Duo Lun's forces would win. He had come here because he was absolutely certain that Captain Duo Lun couldn't die at Korson's hands. If a max-level Elite Warrior wanted to escape, no one else could hold him down.
The fighting had already been going on for several hours. By his reckoning, Captain Duo Lun should be back soon!
Thanks to everyone who voted for the book!
I hope you'll share your thoughts on this book. I'm determined to finish this novel, even if it doesn't get signed.
Just like the anime we watched back then, Mitsui Hisashi dropped to his knees and wept as he cried to Coach Anxi, "I want to write a novel!"
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