Stirring Up Trouble

In the end, Lin Ze paid a heavy price: three Death Soldiers.

With the Proxy Function, the Death Soldiers could indeed gain Lin Ze's strength.

But at any given time, only one person could enter the Proxy State.

When that pack of First Order Magical Beasts spotted them, the other two Death Soldiers, who hadn't entered the Proxy State, were killed instantly.

Thanks to their powerful bodies, Magical Beasts were naturally stronger than human cultivators of the same level.

Even a Dou Zhe had to be cautious when facing a First Order Magical Beast.

And these Ordinary Death Soldiers had no cultivation at all.

Controlling A-Eighteen, Lin Ze unleashed his full strength and managed to grievously wound a First Order Magical Beast.

But he soon met his end amid the Wolf Pack.

"Phew!"

In his room, Lin Ze let out a long breath.

The feeling of the Fire Wolf Fang piercing his skin still hadn't faded.

Through the Death Soldier's body, Lin Ze had experienced what it was like to stand on the brink of death.

"That was an awful feeling!"

Lin Ze could have switched from full control to Semi-control to avoid the pain and the feeling of being close to death.

But after a moment's hesitation, he decided to keep using full control.

He would experience every sensation the Death Soldier felt before dying.

Lin Ze believed he didn't need to recklessly put himself in danger.

But when he had no choice but to face danger—even the brink of death—he absolutely couldn't afford to crack.

And through full control, he could experience that feeling of being close to death again and again.

It was both an adjustment and a trial by fire.

If other people wanted to strengthen their will amid such a life-or-death crisis, they really would have to stake their lives on it.

But Lin Ze didn't.

It might not be as effective, but it still helped.

After taking a few deep breaths, Lin Ze calmed himself.

"I just lost three Death Soldiers at once. I haven't taken a hit this bad since I awakened the Bronze Mirror!"

Lin Ze's resolve hardened.

He would get revenge. He had to!

Though Lin Ze didn't know the full story behind what had happened, one thing was certain.

The Wolf Head Mercenary Group was definitely involved!

Now that he had a clear target, things would be easier.

Just as Lin Ze was thinking it over, a series of alarms suddenly rang out across the town.

In towns and cities near the Magical Beast Mountain Range, such alarms were very common.

They meant that Magical Beasts were attacking!

The squad leader of the Empire Garrison Squad stationed in Fire Wolf Town immediately organized the troops to repel the beasts.

But a small town like this had few imperial troops, so they put out a commission to the mercenaries.

Anyone who took part in the defense would receive a reward.

In an instant, all of Fire Wolf Town sprang into action.

Lin Ze leaped onto a rooftop and looked beyond Fire Wolf Town. Red fur flickered into view among the trees.

He didn't respond to the call to help defend the town.

As far as he was concerned, unless a High-Tier Magical Beast attacked, these beasts wouldn't be able to take Fire Wolf Town.

His target was the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.

The Wolf Head Mercenary Group had approached Fire Wolf Town, clearly intending to divert the disaster toward others.

They might even come close to the town—or enter it—to seek shelter.

Lin Ze planned to use the Death Soldiers to find them so he could make his next move.

He told the Death Soldiers what the men looked like and sent them out to search separately.

Since they were ordinary people with no cultivation, no one would force them to help defend the town, even if they wandered around.

Before long, they found the men from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group at a remote part of the defensive line.

Lin Ze used all his Death Soldiers to keep an eye on them.

It was difficult for ordinary people to tail cultivators, but Lin Ze made the most of his numbers.

Only after the Wolf Pack left dozens of corpses behind did they finally retreat, seemingly unwilling to go.

"Damn it, are those wolves crazy?"

"Exactly! Why would they attack a town out of nowhere?"

"One of those little bastards nearly bit me. I was lucky to make it out alive."

The surviving mercenaries chatted among themselves about the sudden attack by the Wolf Pack.

Meanwhile, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group slipped away quietly and eventually took shelter in a house in Fire Wolf Town.

Watching through a Death Soldier's eyes, Lin Ze saw the men visibly relax as soon as they entered the house.

"You've done so many bad things. There's no way I'm letting you hide in peace."

Lin Ze left four or five Death Soldiers nearby to keep watch. He sent the rest to places like taverns, where information traveled fast, and had them pretend to vent after drinking.

They began spreading the word that the Wolf Pack had attacked because the neighboring Wolf Head Mercenary Group had diverted the disaster toward Fire Wolf Town.

Even if Lin Ze couldn't deal with those men himself, someone else would be willing to.

Though the Wolf Pack's attack had been repelled and Fire Wolf Town was safe, the mercenaries who defended it hadn't escaped unharmed.

If the attack had been an accident, the mercenaries could only swallow their losses.

But if the Wolf Pack had attacked because of human interference, then the injured mercenaries would demand an explanation.

The Death Soldiers spread the story by pretending to let it slip while drinking.

On the one hand, this targeted the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. On the other, it was a way of stirring up trouble and seeing what happened.

Only by dragging the Wolf Head Mercenary Group into the matter could Lin Ze uncover the full story.

Lin Ze had one Death Soldier act as the source of the information and the others spread it.

If only one person grumbled about it after a few drinks, people would just laugh it off.

But if a dozen people repeated the story, each telling it as if they knew all the details, it was bound to make people wonder.

Could it really have been the Wolf Head Mercenary Group?

A lie repeated by three people became the truth!

The voice of the crowd could sway the world!

When everyone told the same story, even a lie could become the truth.

And this story was true to begin with!

Once the rumor spread widely, it would draw the attention of the mercenaries in Fire Wolf Town, even if it failed to attract the Empire Garrison Squad.

After all, the Mercenary Groups from different towns usually kept to their own territory.

If the Wolf Head Mercenary Group really had caused this, it would be like barging onto Fire Wolf Town's turf and slapping its Mercenary Groups in the face!

Sure enough, after the Death Soldier who'd started the rumor finished his tenth cup of wine, an important figure finally came looking for him.

A burly middle-aged man approached with several companions. He was dressed like a mercenary, and a prominent scar marked his face.

The middle-aged man stopped in front of the Death Soldier.

"Brother, did the story about the Wolf Head Mercenary Group come from you?"

Lin Ze had already stationed Death Soldiers nearby. As soon as he noticed what was happening, he took control of the Death Soldier.

With full control, a wave of drunkenness surged through him.

Lin Ze didn't suppress it. Instead, he spoke with a slur.

"Of course. I used to hang around Qingshan Town before coming to Fire Wolf Town. I've seen those guys wearing the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's insignia."

"I saw those bastards with my own eyes. The Wolf Pack was chasing them, and they ran straight for Fire Wolf Town."