Resolution

The sun gradually sank, dyeing the horizon a brilliant orange-red. The moon quietly peeked out, and golden and silver light began to alternate. More than a dozen carriages traveled along the bumpy forest path.

As the convoy proceeded in orderly fashion, a flag suddenly rose from the foremost carriage and swayed from side to side. It was the signal for the carriages to slow and stop, for everyone to dismount and eat, and for the horses to rest and feed. All the carriages gradually came to a halt, and the people in the convoy began whispering among themselves.

The guards spread out to keep watch. Some rotated into the carriages to rest, while the others gathered dry branches and leaves to start fires. Driven by the guards, the carriages found an open area and formed a circular defensive position. The guards even cut down some of the surrounding trees to ensure a clear field of view. Within minutes, flames burned in the center, and several torches were planted in the open ground outside the carriages for illumination and vigilance.

The soldiers stood guard around the perimeter of the convoy, while the others began taking food and water from the carriages. For a time, the entire camp became lively.

Using the carriages to block the view, the baron, Os, and Green quietly gathered together. All three were fully armed. Green wore Old Green's metal armor, carried a longbow on his back, held a longsword in his hand, and had a quiver full of arrows at his right side. The baron and Os were dressed much the same way as Green, both fully equipped for battle.

"I've been watching their movements. They've stayed at the rear of the convoy and haven't changed formation. They probably think they have us in the bag and haven't made any special plans." Green directly revealed the enemy's position.

"Good. Then we'll proceed according to Green's plan." The baron and Os nodded as well, indicating that they could begin carrying out the plan.

Under the baron's arrangements, more food and water, even some relatively precious delicacies, were brought out of the carriages. The others at the scene could not help drooling at the sight of it. Under normal circumstances, such food could still be found in the castle, but they were fleeing now. These things were incomparably precious, and even the baron could not enjoy them often.

The fragrant scent quickly spread through the air, reaching the people tailing the convoy.

"Damn it, these people really know how to enjoy themselves. They're already fleeing their territory, yet they're still living in luxury." White's face was full of resentment. "Captain, I can't take it anymore. Let's attack them directly!"

It was not just a young man like White. Even their captain was having trouble holding back. Their five-man pursuit squad could not carry much in the way of supplies, and all they carried were dry rations to fill their stomachs. They did not taste merely bad; they were utterly disgusting. Having gone so long without normal food, everyone unconsciously began salivating when they suddenly smelled that rich fragrance.

"Yeah, Captain Karl, it smells too good. According to the intelligence, they definitely can't beat us anyway. As long as we're a little careful, we can slowly get close and launch a surprise attack." The other two members of the squad, who had remained silent until now, could not help speaking up as well.

Seeing that all his subordinates agreed to launch the surprise attack early, and that even the most steady Dis had hunger in his eyes, Karl, the squad commander, gritted his teeth as he felt the hunger gnawing at his stomach.

"We'll attack early. Close the distance as much as possible, and don't expose yourselves."

Once Karl gave the order, the other four men's eyes lit up. In their eyes, the entire convoy was already theirs for the taking.

The squad slowly approached the defensive position formed by the convoy. Meanwhile, Green, the baron, and Os had already left the convoy and slipped into the forest. Under the chip's detection, the five men's concealment was completely useless.

Watching the five men succumb to temptation and prepare to attack early, Green smiled. They had indeed taken the bait. Man's first instinct was survival, and food was naturally the most crucial part of it. Pursuing them as a small squad, they certainly could not have brought much food.

"They took the bait. Let's circle around behind them." The three of them quietly began making their way around.

"Captain, we're at the closest distance. We can launch the surprise attack." The five pursuers soon reached the edge of the convoy's defensive position. Any farther ahead, and they would reach the guards on watch.

Just as the pursuers were about to launch their attack—

"Enemies! Defend at once!" A guard shouted from somewhere. The people at the scene immediately fell into chaos and gathered together. The guards instantly entered combat readiness and quickly retreated around the carriages.

"Damn it, how were we discovered?" Karl, as the captain, scanned the surroundings and found that his men had hidden well. There should have been no chance of exposure.

"We can only force our way through now. Everyone, charge!" A surprise attack turning into a frontal battle made an enormous difference.

To facilitate their pursuit, none of the five men wore armor, only a thin layer of leather armor. In a frontal fight, they might easily crush the guards, but guards armed with bows could still injure them. With those shields added into the mix, they would face even more trouble. The entire squad might suffer losses. Death was unlikely, but the risk of injury had risen sharply.

The five pursuers rushed out of the forest. Relying on the explosive force granted by their breathing techniques, they rapidly closed in on the guards like cheetahs.

If they had been ordinary guards, seeing five Knight Level experts charging at them, along with the oppressive aura released by their Life Seeds, the more timid ones might have fled outright.

As captain, Karl quickly noticed that something was wrong. The enemy guards were far too calm, as though they had known from the start that his side would launch a surprise attack. Especially after the squad rushed from the forest, the tension on their faces had actually eased slightly.

We've fallen into a trap. Karl's heart trembled, and he forcibly stopped in his tracks.

"Retreat! It's a trap!"

After saying that, Karl immediately prepared to turn and flee. Though the other four did not know why, they still obeyed Karl's order, stopping at once and preparing to leave.

"Loose arrows!" Just as Karl's words fell, another voice rang out from between the carriages.

The previously sealed carriage windows were pulled open in an instant, and arrows rapidly shot out from within, flying straight at the five men. They were the guards who had rotated off duty. In Green's plan, they were responsible for the most important link.

Despair appeared on the faces of the five attackers. They were in the crucial moment of turning around, with their old momentum not yet spent and their new force not yet gathered. They could not mount any effective resistance at all.

"Thwip, thwip, thwip!"

Arrow after arrow pierced the five men from Saladin's group. However, with night falling, even though torches provided illumination, the guards' accuracy was not very high. Of the five, only three were struck. Two had their hands pierced, while one had his thigh pierced. The two whose hands were pierced had been extremely decisive. Seeing the arrows about to strike their bodies, they directly raised their arms to block them. Otherwise, the arrows would have pierced their bodies.

Karl, the captain, was not hit. As the first to notice that something was wrong, he had more time to adjust and could take evasive action.

Karl made a snap decision. He rushed toward the man whose thigh had been pierced, grabbed him, slung him over his shoulder, and ran toward the forest.

The other three also quickly ran toward the forest. The guards held bows, which could not fire continuously. Before the four runners entered the forest, they encountered no further obstruction. Only when they looked back and saw that the guards were armed with bows did they breathe a sigh of relief. Then they turned forward again and ran with all their strength.

Seeing the forest right before them, relief after surviving disaster appeared in the four men's eyes. As long as they entered the woods and regrouped, they would sooner or later destroy this convoy. Just as the five men viciously considered how to torture the people in the convoy—

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" Five arrows tore through the air. The four men running ahead were pierced without suspense. Even the man slung over Karl's shoulder took an arrow in the buttocks.

These arrows were completely different from the guards' arrows. Not only were they incredibly fast, but every arrow was aimed at the targets' chests. The pursuit squad had focused all their attention on the guards behind them and had never imagined that an ambush lay ahead.

"Thud, thud, thud, thud!"

"Argh!"

Four consecutive sounds of bodies hitting the ground rang out, accompanied by a scream.

Each of the four people lying on the ground had an arrow lodged in his chest, with half the shaft buried in his body. At that moment, Green, the baron, and Os slowly emerged from the forest.

The four injured men directly pulled the arrows from their chests, took out some unknown medicinal powder from their clothes, and poured it over their wounds. The heavy bleeding quickly stopped, but judging by the bright-red blood scabs, the wounds would likely split open again with even the slightest movement.

Karl, the captain, covered his wound with one hand and looked at Green and the other two. As Knight Level warriors, their vitality was already extremely tenacious. Such injuries would not pose a fatal threat.

"How did you discover us?" Karl asked the three of them in an incredulous tone.

"We discovered you the moment you arrived. So, were you satisfied with the performance we prepared for you?" Green said with a smile as he looked at the injured five men.

"Hahaha, I never thought our hiding skills were that bad. We were discovered the moment we arrived." Green's response to that was that they had hidden well; unfortunately, he had an unfair advantage.

After hearing Green's words, Karl lowered his head and fell silent.

"However, do you think this is enough to defeat Knight Level warriors?" Karl, who had been covering his wound, suddenly raised his head and lunged at the three men before him. His speed increased by several degrees, even faster than when he had approached the convoy.

In Karl's view, as long as he dealt with the three men before him, the others were nothing to fear. Even injured, he could easily handle them.

The other three also charged at Green and the others the instant Karl made his move.

Facing Karl and the others rapidly closing in, Green and his two companions did not move at all. They simply watched them with smiles on their faces.

"Thump, thump, thump, thump."

The four men who had been sprinting suddenly felt their limbs go weak and fell stiffly to the ground.

"Poison? Impossible. How could a Knight Level body be poisoned?" Karl's eyes were full of disbelief. Knights possessed exceptionally powerful bodies, and the rejection properties of their Life Seeds were extremely strong. Poison was nearly useless against them. Furthermore, Knight Level warriors had tremendous resistance. Even if they were poisoned, it should not have robbed them of their ability to move in such a short time.

"How does it feel? Not pleasant, right? This is a mixed toxin I specially formulated. Even Knight Level warriors can't withstand it. It won't kill you, but it can render Knight Level warriors unable to move for a short time." Green kindly explained to the enemies lying on the ground.

Green had created this poison back at the castle. After having the butler Basel collect poisons, he gathered poisonous mushrooms, snake venom, and toxic plants in the forest, then used the chip to calculate the proportions and create the mixed toxin. Its toxicity was powerful, and it had potent neuromuscular paralytic effects. Once it entered the bloodstream, even Knight Level warriors would be unable to rise for a short time.

After Green finished speaking, Karl lowered his head as well. Of course, he did not want to, but the toxin left him unable to raise it.

The guards quickly surrounded them and used iron chains to bind the five men to trees. Except for the one with the arrow in his buttocks—he was hung up instead. Green glanced at his wound and felt a chill run down his spine.

"Truly unlucky."

Green's arrow had struck him in the buttocks. The instant the man carrying him fell, the arrow in his backside hit the ground first and was driven even deeper. In the end, it pierced all the way through his lower body and emerged from beneath his groin, right around his balls. After suffering such immense pain, it was no wonder he had screamed once and then stopped reacting entirely.

After interrogating the five captives, Os obtained definite information.

As for refusing to answer, these five men were not that tough. After hearing Green mention such tortures as flaying, death by a thousand cuts, and being cut in half at the waist, their resolve had already begun to waver. When Green brought up castration, they answered with astonishing speed.

The five men now only begged for a quick death and hoped they would not be tortured.

The five men were named Karl, White, Dis, Hank, and Terris. They belonged to Saladin's First Legion Elite Reconnaissance Squad.

First, this squad had indeed come to pursue the fleeing nobles. However, Saladin had sent out more than just this one squad. More than a dozen squads were pursuing along different routes. In addition, there were ordinary soldiers following behind. Those ordinary soldiers were mainly responsible for transporting valuables back. They did not take part in combat and were simply marching normally.

It was unclear whose luck had been worse. Most squads consisted of one or two knights leading three or four Knight Apprentices. Only the squad pursuing Green consisted of five Knight Level warriors.

How should they deal with these five men?

If you don't pull the weeds out by the roots, they'll grow again with the spring breeze. The baron directly ordered the five men beheaded. After confirming their deaths, they dug pits on the spot and buried them. Interestingly, White, whose lower body had suffered severe damage, had seemed relieved earlier. But considering that once he woke up, he had done little but stare at his lower body and howl in agony, death might truly have been a release for him. After all, the arrow inside White's body had never been pulled out during the final hours of his life. Every breath and movement brought unimaginable pain.

After dealing with the pursuers, the baron reassured everyone and immediately resumed the journey. Under these circumstances, no one had any desire to rest. They only wanted to keep traveling and escape the danger.