Deep in the Dungeon passage, several Bandit Archers stood in formation, craning their necks to watch the distance.
At the slightest movement, the Bandit Archers fired without hesitation, even loosing several arrows in succession.
But no enemy "screams" came from that direction.
Instead, after the rain of arrows, small stones wrapped in blood-red energy came flying toward them!
"Guwa!"
A bandit roared, and the cautious archers immediately scattered.
The next instant!
Boom!
Flames exploded outward, spreading rapidly.
Even though the archers had kept their distance and remained cautious, nearly half were still killed in the blast.
Some were wounded by the shock wave and fell to the ground, wailing.
The flames stirred up the dust inside the Dungeon, plunging the scene into chaos.
Before the smoke and flames had cleared, a figure charged out of them!
"Guwa!"
A Bandit Archer saw this and immediately roared a warning to the others.
But the scene was deafeningly chaotic, and there was no bandit leader to organize a counterattack. The bandits instantly fell into disarray, each reacting differently.
The newcomer swept both hands outward, sending small stones whistling through the air toward different spots.
The moment the stones landed, the same flames exploded again!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The cavern shook. More than a dozen bandits were torn apart in an instant, and the flames devoured everything around them.
A bandit at the very rear was terrified and turned to flee.
Before he could take a step, however, a tall figure caught up with him. A Short Blade tore through the air and swept across his neck.
Splat!
His head flew off. The bandit's headless corpse staggered a few steps before falling to the ground, twitching a few times, then dissolving into light.
"A perfect infiltration."
Wu Yu put away the Short Blade and surveyed the scene with satisfaction.
A golden barrier covered his body, blocking the archers' desperate counterattack.
He checked his remaining Spirit Energy. There was still 20% left!
"Not bad. It'll last a while longer."
Wu Yu smiled faintly.
Soon, all the bandits dissolved into light, leaving quite a few Cards on the ground.
Wu Yu set up some traps first, then went back to collect all the Cards the bandits had dropped.
There had been two waves in total, and most of the drops were [Beast Meat], [Vitality Pill], and [Silver Tael].
Wu Yu could not be bothered to count them and put all the usable Cards into his Inventory.
"Now, let's see how many times I can lure them out!"
He looked toward the Dungeon, his gaze sharpening slightly.
Bandits were not particularly bright, much less Dimwitted Bandits.
Wu Yu's "infiltration" went very smoothly. Along the way, he blew up several more groups of bandits that rushed out to provide support.
Firelight flickered as explosions echoed in the distance.
"I think... Inspector Liu's come to save us!"
Inside the Prison Cage, the blue-haired young man's face was swollen and bruised, and several of his teeth were missing.
"These natives don't have explosives. We really have a chance!"
Yu Tiezhu was beside himself with excitement, grabbing the cage door and shaking it violently.
"Big guy, stop being reckless!"
The blue-haired young man sighed and said, "Even if you break out of the Prison Cage, you'll still die if you run into the bandits!"
"I can't die!"
Yu Tiezhu's eyes reddened. Gritting his teeth, he said, "My daughter's still waiting for me! She needs to go to school, and she needs pretty little dresses!"
"Would you give it a rest?"
Looking exasperated, the blue-haired young man turned toward another Prison Cage nearby.
A girl wearing a JK Uniform was locked inside. She looked bedraggled, with dust covering her clothes and shoes.
"Cutie, you said it yourself. If we get out, you'll marry me."
"I'll do whatever Brother Kun says!"
The girl looked at him pitifully, her eyes brimming with tears.
Brother Kun immediately perked up and said, "Hear that? Those are definitely bombs!"
"What a racket. That's terrifying!"
Among the prisoners were also villagers, merchants, and guards.
They looked listless, nowhere near as spirited as the blue-haired young man and the others.
Before long, the explosions stopped.
A figure approached from the distance, gradually drawing closer.
Seeing that there was only one person, Yu Tiezhu and the others brightened.
"Lord Liu! Over here! Over here!"
Yu Tiezhu eagerly shouted.
The blue-haired young man also hurriedly called out, "Inspector Liu, I'm over here! Come save us!"
When the figure stepped into the light, they were all startled.
"Oh, you're quite a lively bunch."
Wu Yu smiled faintly, toying with a small stone.
"Young man! It's you!"
Yu Tiezhu exclaimed, then asked, "Were those explosions Lord Liu's doing?"
"No."
Wu Yu glanced at the people in the Prison Cages and understood.
Captain Lu wasn't here!
"You fought your way in?"
Yu Tiezhu froze, then said in astonishment, "You're that strong..."
"Oh, right, there are still plenty of bandits here. Be careful! Once they come back, they'll definitely swarm you!"
"Don't worry. This was a perfect infiltration."
Wu Yu smiled, walked over, and took out the Fine Dagger.
"Really?!"
Delighted, Yu Tiezhu immediately grabbed the Prison Cage and heaved with all his strength!
Crack!
The wooden door shattered. He tore the Prison Cage apart by brute force and stepped out.
"Quick! Over here!"
The blue-haired young man called out as well.
Yu Tiezhu did not refuse. He walked over and tore apart the Prison Cages one by one.
His muscles bulged, and his raw, forceful presence was rather intimidating.
The others stared in stunned silence. At last, a glimmer of hope appeared in someone's eyes. He hurriedly crawled out of his Prison Cage and asked hoarsely, "Are you a brother from Redfang Village?"
"Are you from the Merchant Caravan?"
Wu Yu looked at them and said, "The Village Chief asked me to rescue you. Where's Captain Lu?"
At these words, the others also lit up with surprise and joy. One by one, they struggled to their feet, their weary faces filled with hope.
"Thank goodness! The Village Chief hasn't given up on us!"
"I thought we were doomed. My older brother was swallowed alive by the Mountain Lord!"
"Those damned bandits! A bunch of animals!"
"Those Tiger Wraiths aren't human anymore!"
"Benefactor, Captain Lu was taken to the Mountain Lord. I'm afraid..."
With hope restored, the atmosphere around the cages immediately improved.
Everyone helped one another up. Apart from Yu Tiezhu and Chen Lingling, all of them were injured.
The blue-haired young man stepped out of his Prison Cage and put on a smile. "I never imagined you were this capable, brother. I, Xiao Kun, really misjudged you!"
"Brother, you're the best!"
He gave him a thumbs-up.
"Mm."
Wu Yu paid him little attention, merely glancing at the girl.
She approached with her head lowered, timidity on her dust-covered face. Her large black eyes were bright and lovely.
"Thank you, big brother."
"..."
Wu Yu looked her up and down, noticing her dust-covered clothes.
He turned to the villagers and the others.
"You should leave first. I've killed all the bandits outside, too."
"Run toward the exit and get back to Redfang Village as quickly as you can!"
With a savior arriving out of nowhere, no one dared argue. They thanked him profusely, all but falling to their knees before Wu Yu.
Knowing that bandits might return to Lostway Cave, they did not dare delay. They scavenged a few things from the surrounding area, then headed outside.
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