Chapter 94

"Why...!" Ahri puffed out her cheeks in protest.

"This fish is not that fish."

"Sturgeon? Jadefish? I've never heard of them, but why can't we eat them?"

"... You'd better go find Lillia and Irelia." Chen Ce didn't know how to solve the problem, so he decided to deal with the people who were in trouble.

He pushed the bewildered Ahri away, not forgetting to add before leaving, "When Syndra is about to leave, remind her to do everything I told her to."

"I don't want to go see that wicked woman..." Ahri pouted and walked away looking unhappy—of course, she was just saying it.

With Ahri gone, Chen Ce was alone again.

He continued to wander around the military camp.

Then, he quietly slipped into an inconspicuous tent in a corner of the military camp.

A Shurima woman with skin that was a shade of Amazonian chocolate was sitting quietly inside.

Desert Rose Samira.

"It's been a long time, Samira."

"...Actually, I hope we never see each other again." Samira responded with a complicated tone, then went straight to the point. "I haven't gathered any useful intelligence lately."

"I know, after all, it was me who told you to stop the search," Chen Ce said casually.

"So, what brings you here?"

"No, I just wanted to see you first."

"..." Samira an eyebrow and almost instinctively turned her head to the side.

She really didn't want to be with this man, and she especially didn't want him to "see her."

She wanted nothing more than to kill the person who threatened Captain Indali's life.

But... Chen Ce doesn't seem to be planning to leave so soon.

He simply sat down on the ground.

"Sit here for a while, and I'll go back when the war officially starts... You shouldn't have any objections, right?"

"Tsk..." Samira let out a slight, displeased sound. "Do I have the right to tell you what to do?"

"Then I'll take my leave."

Chen Ce smiled and closed his eyes to rest.

Time ticked by, and the tense atmosphere between the two armies reached its peak.

Then, the moment the first war drum sounded, the Resistance Army cavalry regiment launched a charge.

Despite their numerical advantage, Noxus remained unfazed, with their heavy shield infantry pressing forward in close following of the cavalry.

Arrows from both sides rained down, and within just a few breaths, countless soldiers were wounded, fell to the ground, or even died on the spot.

The war has officially begun.

The sounds of fighting, cursing, clashing metal, and tearing flesh echoed across the battlefield, like a beautiful yet chilling symphony, celebrating the grandeur of war amidst the cycle of life and death.

Chen Ce slowly opened his eyes. He heard a very faint sound of footsteps.

It's highly likely that the elite squad that was supposed to charge into battle with him has come looking for him.

But... whether they genuinely wanted him to fight alongside them, or if it was for some other purpose... it's hard to say.

Fishing is all about seeing whether you catch a fish or some trash from the riverbed.

The bait has already been cast; whether the fish bite or not is up to them.

Chen Ce continued to wait quietly, while Samira, standing to the side, treated him as if he were invisible.

A moment later, a small corner of the tent was lifted.

The blinding sunlight streamed in.

Chen Ce turned his head, wanting to greet his "friends" who had come to find him first.

But... he didn't see anyone.

He only saw a shadow.

A shadow that, though unobstructed, continues to extend inward.

This was somewhat beyond Chen Ce's expectations.

But what surprised him even more was what happened next—

The eerie shadow stretched out a "hand".

Then, a sharp piece of metal flew out of the shadows at high speed.

Clang! A crisp sound rang out, and a noticeable scratch was left on the Black Stone Rune Greatsword that Chen Ce had drawn.

But the "metal" merged into the shadow and disappeared completely.

It's like... it's just a small shadow.

"An unexpected bonus... or were the fish just too panicked?"

Chen Ce looked at the shadow again, only to see the darkness on the ground gradually projected onto the tent, forming a strange human shape.

Immediately afterwards, a deep voice came from the shadows:

"The invisible blade is the most deadly..."

Chapter 102 You are not a fish, how do you know the bait isn't delicious?

Looking at the eerie black figure, Chen Ce immediately realized who it was.

Zed, the master of shadow magic, is the sole undisputed Master of Shadows.

This powerful ninja was recently accused of betraying his sect and murdering his master. The horrific tragedy, which originated from the temple of the former Order of the Kinkou, spread throughout almost the entire Ionia.

He was once an abandoned orphan who survived only thanks to the adoption of the former Eye of Twilight, Master Kusho. The latter not only gave him a decent life but also taught him many principles of life and powerful martial arts. Master Kusho's biological son, the current Eye of Twilight, Shen, also became his half-brother.

But he repaid this kindness with ingratitude—his master, whom he killed, was none other than his adoptive parent, Master Kusho.

In order to seize the dark magic secretly kept by the Order of the Kinkou, he cruelly murdered Master Kusho, and even gathered a group of followers to slaughter the Order of the Kinkou's temple, thus establishing his own sect— Order of the Shadow.

This emerging cult is powerful, but its methods are extremely cruel—like the Zerg. They always strive to leave no survivors on their missions, and their members are known for their extreme brutality.

This is why, although the Cult of Order of the Shadow dedicated itself to resisting the Noxus invaders during the war, they were never accepted by most Ionia. Most believed they had betrayed the faith of the Spirit of Ionia.

They couldn't even establish any cooperative relationship with Ionia's largest Resistance Army organization— the Placidium Resistance Army led by Irelia.

Ultimately, it stems from differences in beliefs and ideologies.

Most Resistance Army fighters could not condone the Order of the Shadow Order's cruelty, and the Order of the Shadow could not accept Irelia's "weakness" and "womanly compassion."

This is probably how the outside world views the Cult of Order of the Shadow and Zed.

However... Chen Ce could not completely agree.

The Order of the Shadow Cult is generally like this, but Zed is not entirely as cruel as outsiders say.

Knowing most of Runeterra's secrets, he knew that Zed didn't actually kill Master Kusho to obtain dark magic.

On the contrary, it was Master Kusho who wanted to seize dark magic.

Blinded by the powerful force of dark magic, Master Kusho manipulated the then-junior "Jack" into staging a grand drama.

The robbery was indeed cruel, but his "betrayal" and "lack of principles" were not.

He did not quite agree with the Order of the Kinkou's "balance concept," but he would never do something as despicable as murdering his own master.

They would never betray Ionia.

His love for this land was no less than that of any native Ionia.

Therefore, Chen Ce was quite surprised when he saw this "shadow assassin".

How could fishing for someone who betrayed Ionia have resulted in catching a giant shark?

Although he already knew that Zed and Glick had a "secret meeting"—the biggest discovery Samira had made since infiltrating the Resistance Army —how could Zed betray Ionia?

Could it be that he was manipulated by Glick?

Are you going to kill me?

Chen Ce gently shook his arm, and the broken Black Stone Rune Greatsword was reassembled, leaving only a scratch mark on the blade from the [Shadow Blade].

"Did Glick send you?"

"..." The assassin in the shadows remained silent, seemingly unwilling to answer this pointless question.

The questions of a dying person are meaningless.

Moments later, the shadows on the tent walls began to stretch downwards, like an invisible hand trying to grip the two people inside the tent tightly.

Chen Ce cautiously retreated, while Samira beside him frowned deeply—she had never seen such a bizarre skill before.

"What is this thing..." Samira gripped the revolver at her waist, but felt no confidence whatsoever—would gunpowder really work on the Shadow?

Rather, it's more accurate to say that the bright light produced by the gunpowder explosion creates even more "shadows."

"The Master of Shadows, Zed," Chen Ce explained softly, "The master of the Order of the Shadow Cult."

"He's here to kill you?"

"I'm afraid they don't want to let you go either."

"...It's really bad luck to work for you." Samira a deep breath, the technological blade on her back silently pressed against the tent wall. "Honestly, you're the worst client I've ever had."

"Then I should feel honored." Chen Ce shrugged.

The next moment, the two of them suddenly sprang into action.

Samira pushed the gunpowder on the back of her knife without hesitation. After a loud bang, the blade tore through the tent, and dazzling sunlight shone in instantly, dispelling the eerie darkness.

The moment the dark figure leaped out of the shadows, Chen Ce activated [Counter Strike].

"Foolish..." The physical form of the calamity finally appeared, and a sharp hidden blade stabbed straight at Chen Ce.

Clang--!

Counter Strike successfully blocked the hidden blade's attack.

Just as Chen Ce was about to press his advantage, the "calamity" in front of him suddenly transformed into a phantom-like shadow, like an ink painting.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of gunpowder exploding came from Samira's direction.

Bang bang bang--! Several bullets were fired in succession, Samira, with her superb marksmanship, was certain that she had not missed.

But the truth is that her bullets didn't hurt anyone.

A strange figure emerged from the shadows beneath her feet, a sharp hidden blade pointed directly at her throat.

At that speed, she had absolutely no chance to react.

Fortunately, Chen Ce, who had anticipated this, arrived in time—the whirlwind energy of the Black Stone Rune Greatsword shot out from a distance, once again forcing back the impending calamity.

Then, everything around returned to its original silence.

Chen Ce warily surveyed the shadows around him, every slight movement causing his nerves to tense up.

In the end, he decided to temporarily avoid confrontation—he had many backup plans to fight Zed to the death, but Samira did not.

A novice AD carry is no different from a lamb to the slaughter in front of a fully equipped Zed.

"Go first."

Before the shadows could strike again, Chen Ce grabbed Samira's hand and ran towards a place with as little shadow as possible.

The latter knew that the guy hiding in the shadows was someone she couldn't handle, so she didn't try to be competitive at this moment and simply ran away.

Soon, the two ran from one corner of the military camp to another.

But they didn't encounter a single person along the way—the situation on the front lines was intense, and naturally no one would stay behind in this forward-positioned military camp.

The logistics troops and the soldiers who had not yet rushed to the front lines were all waiting for orders in the rear camps.

This was originally part of Chen Ce's "fishing plan"—fishing is easier when there are fewer people.