Standoff / Division

"Now everyone will get an extra portion of food."

Chapter 573 Standoff

Outcast once again coldly surveyed the crowd.

"Yesterday, I said that those who stay must obey orders... or leave."

Now I'm giving you all another chance.

If you don't want to stay, you can leave now.

However, I will not give them any food.

Don't look at me like that.

This place isn't far from Little Hill County; with your abilities, you can easily return."

"How could we go back now? It's like throwing our lives away!" someone in the crowd said discontentedly.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the person suddenly felt a sharp pain in his lower back, and then flew up and landed next to the outcast.

He looked at Outcast in horror, never expecting that even though he was hiding in the crowd, he was still discovered immediately.

"Say it, weren't you quite loud in the crowd?"

Outcast calmly said this as he picked up his revolver and inserted a brand new bullet.

"I... I didn't..." Before he could say anything more, the Paper Shredder suddenly ran over and whispered...

"Madam, there's a troop retreating this way from the direction of Little Hill County, and behind them is an army of unknown size."

Upon hearing the Paper Shredder's words, the man suddenly found courage for some reason.

"Haha, they've come to save me..." Before he could finish speaking, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

Looking down, he saw a large hole in his chest, near his heart, and an iron chain was piercing through it. Realizing he was going to die, the man convulsed for a moment before collapsing to the ground.

"Why are you talking so much nonsense..." Under the watchful eyes of those around her Suika calmly stepped on the man's body and pulled the chains out of his body.

Seeing the methods employed by the Rhodes Island group, those in the crowd with ulterior motives lowered their heads and dared not make any further moves.

Soon the group arrived not far from Rhodes Island and the refugee group.

Upon seeing the refugees ahead, the group hesitated for a moment and prepared to retreat in another direction.

"Hey sis, you've already led them all this way, and now you're just dragging them away? You're practically selling us out..."

Suika recognized the squad; it was a group from the Stormtroopers.

However, I didn't see Bagpipe inside, and the number of people didn't match the ones I had encountered before.

"It's impossible that the Bagpipe are gone because of me..." Suika muttered to herself before looking further back.

The pursuing force was a fully armed Deep Pool unit, numbering around three hundred men.

With their overwhelming numerical advantage, they thoroughly thrashed the Stormtroopers members, whose individual skills far surpassed their own.

After catching up, those people also discovered the group of refugees.

After hesitating for a moment, the commander of Deep Pool abandoned the idea of continuing to pursue the Stormtroopers and instead headed towards the refugees.

Faced with this situation, Outcast noticed that many people in the refugee group were beginning to feel anxious.

There was fear, and there was anticipation.

After all, this Deep Pool team was hidden in Little Hill County, and it was impossible for the refugees to be completely unaware of them.

Outcast patted Suika on the shoulder in response.

"Stop them and force them to negotiate."

"Why not just kill them all?" Suika pouted.

"This mysterious army definitely has a complicated relationship with the Tara people. I suspect that many of them are locals, and they may even be related to some kind of refugee."

If they were really killed, this refugee group would definitely run into trouble.

Block them and force them to negotiate.

"It's a good thing that someone wants to go back and go with them."

outcast said in a low voice.

"Learn!"

Suika understood what "outcast" meant, and being familiar with the plot, she knew that the other party's judgment was correct.

Most of the people in Deep Pool did indeed come from Tara, so they must be related to the people behind them.

Killing these people wouldn't be a big deal for Suika, but it would definitely cause resentment and resistance among many of the refugees.

Suika jumped onto a nearby tree, then picked up the Ibuki Gourd and took a big gulp, followed by a burst of flame that created a huge wall of fire in the path of her opponent.

The sudden wall of fire halted the enemy's advance and brought the Stormtroopers, who had realized their tug-of-war had failed and were putting the refugees in danger, to a stop.

Everyone looked toward the center of the battlefield, where Outcast walked over alone and stood on this side of the wall of fire.

A moment later, a black-haired man named Feline walked out from the other side, and the two faced each other across the fire wall.

"Are you the leader of this unit?" Outcast asked, looking at the other man.

"Yes, you invited me here alone. Is there something you wish to say?"

Mandragora wanted to attack the refugee group directly because she judged that the armed forces within the refugee group were not strong.

But the sudden appearance of the wall of fire changed her mind.

A powerful sorcerer can be far more lethal on the battlefield than a group of armed soldiers.

She didn't want to lose too many of her elite troops because of these refugees.

That's why he stepped forward when he saw Outcast appear on the other side of the firewall and invite him.

outcast looked at the other party

"Some of these refugees who escaped from Little Hill County do want to join you. I will leave them behind and take the rest with me. We will leave each other alone. What do you think?"

After thinking for a while, Mandragora finally agreed.

The reason is simple: her men, whom she had sent to flank the outcasts, reported that they had been attacked. She had intended to stall the outcasts until the encirclement was complete.

Before her plan could succeed, both squads were wiped out.

Moreover, the message coming through the headsets indicated that both flanking squads were attacked by a mysterious force in a very short time, and they were all killed before they even had a chance to react.

This indicates that the opposing team contains at least one or two top-tier sorcerers who are highly skilled in assassination.

Since the plan had failed, she had no choice but to agree.

After all, her senses told her that she was completely locked onto by the other party, and that if she made even the slightest irrational move, she could lose her life on the spot.

Considering the identity of the other party, Sankta, and the conspicuous and exaggerated musket at her waist, Mandragora felt a chill run down her spine at the strength of this old woman.

When did Little Hill County acquire such an elite and frightening force?

She looked at the outcast

"I can agree with your opinion, but could you tell me which faction you belong to?"

"Caster, Gaodoting, or some other grand duke?"

Outcast pulled down the brim of his hat.

"No, we don't belong to any Victoria faction; we're just unlucky souls who got caught up in your fight by accident."

Chapter 574 Division

Hearing Outcast's words, Mandragora clearly didn't believe it. The enemy's demonstrated strength was more than enough to annihilate an unprepared force if they were well-prepared. Who would believe that they were accidentally drawn into the war?

"Accidental?"

It was just a coincidence.

Since you've agreed to my plan, madam, please step back a bit. I'll leave those who wish to stay where they are, and you can pick them up after the flames die down.

Of course, I also hope that you will stop testing us, madam. After all, although I do not wish to have a conflict with you, it does not mean that we are powerless to resist."

Suika's voice came through Outcast's earpiece. She told Outcast that someone had tried to flank from both sides, but was wiped out by Shanghai, which she had arranged.

She looked at Mandragora on the other side of the wall of fire and said calmly.

"Can."

Seeing that the other party had agreed, Outcast turned and walked back to the group.

Watching Outcast's retreating figure, Mandragora considered launching a sneak attack, but before she could act, she felt a chill run down her spine.

A terrifying gaze was fixed on her, and she sensed that if she made any irrational move, she would be torn to shreds in an instant.

Look in the direction of your gaze.

At the top of the mountain, a young girl sat suspended in mid-air, one hand supporting her chin and the other holding a gourd.

After noticing that he was being watched, he raised the gourd and shook it slightly.

They've been discovered.

Mandragora shuddered and involuntarily took two steps back.

"Hehe!"

A girl's laughter reached my ears, a mixture of mockery, regret, and perhaps satisfaction with her tact.

When she looked up at the mountaintop, the girl's figure had already vanished without a trace.

Mandragora bit her lip hard, trying not to show her fear.

Even a simple glance was enough for her to know that the girl was so terrifying that she could not defeat her.

She even suspected that the leader might be completely defenseless against the other side.

On the other side, Suika jumped down from the tree and came to Outcast's side. The two looked at the silent line of refugees ahead.

outcast said

"I made an agreement with the commander of that army: if you want to stay, stand on the left and stay here. But whatever happens after that is your own choice."

If you don't want to stay, stand on the right and leave with me in a bit. I promise to take you to a safe place to recuperate.

Let's begin.

After speaking, Outcast looked at the crowd and fell silent.

After a brief commotion, the crowd began to split, and Jane, a staunch supporter of Rhodes Island, unhesitatingly stood on the right.

Because many people there had families with them, the distribution wasn't very fast.

Many who wanted to stay hesitated when they saw the elderly and women and children who wanted to stay away from the battlefield. In the end, most of the young and middle-aged people chose to stay on the left.

Most of the wounded, the elderly, children, and a small number of middle-aged people chose to follow Outcast and the Rhodes Island group.

The team has now successfully split into two groups.

outcast said

"I'll give you ten minutes to think it over and rest. We'll set off in ten minutes."

Ten minutes later, everyone picked up their bags and continued on their way under the silent gaze of the other person.

Suika glanced around and realized that her side actually had more people than those who stayed behind, about six to seven hundred.

However, those who stayed behind were mostly healthy young adults, while those on this side were mostly the elderly, the weak, and the disabled.

This choice of Suika is not difficult to understand.

After being shelled by the local garrison, the conflict between the Tara people and the Victoria side has become so acute that it is irreconcilable.

Young people are hot-tempered, and being treated this way by Victoria, they naturally want to retaliate.

Therefore, joining Deep Pool is the best option.

If Tara chooses to go independent, then Deep Pool might be able to gain even more honor and wealth as an initial public offering (IPO) stock.

To put it bluntly, it's a matter of hatred and self-interest. Since both sides are benefiting from the situation in Deep Pool, these young and middle-aged men will naturally choose to side with them.

Many of those who left with him did not want to be on his side, but were forced by circumstances.

As wounded, their presence would not bring any benefit to Deep Pool; on the contrary, it would require Deep Pool to spend resources to treat them.