Bloodshed! Attackers in the Night

Field spat out the half-chewed apple in his mouth and burst out laughing.

Someone had actually dared to get it on with an ugly female monster. That was ridiculous.

Just like people in the modern world, as long as it was female, someone would be into it.

Wiping away the tears his laughter had squeezed from the corners of his eyes, Field grew curious.

Would corruption create reproductive isolation between humans?

"Poor Steel Fork eventually died from festering wounds in his groin. His big pecker turned into a disgusting lump, and he suffered terribly at the end. Corruption is the devil's curse to begin with. Steel Fork may never reach heaven now. Apart from those chosen by the gods, I doubt any creature can resist the curse."

Field closed the book. Its pages were full of subjective impressions, putting him off reading any further for the moment.

"Lucas could only be considered an adventurer or an explorer. As a scholar, he lacked rigor. Not every living thing is incapable of resisting corruption. Plants can, at least."

Field recalled the green plants collected in Rum Village. They were neither lumps of flesh nor tentacles.

"Ah!"

A scream rang out beyond the window. Field's hand jerked, nearly tipping over the teacup he had raised to his lips. If the steaming tea spilled, not only would it scald him, but wet clothes were also very hard to dry in Nightfall Territory.

Field glanced at the Mini-Map. There were no skull icons.

"Looks like another idiot needs a beating for failing to keep it in his pants." Field rubbed his temples. With all the slaves crowded together, violence and coercion were bound to occur sooner or later. Even a whip could hardly change their nature.

Slaves had no right to mate, though most of them could not even get enough to eat and had little interest in carrying on their bloodlines.

"My lord!"

Hurried footsteps sounded in the corridor, and the manservant Clay Pot knocked urgently on the door.

"Come in. What happened?" Field went to the window and glanced outside. It was still pitch-black. Torches had been raised downstairs, but all he could make out were panicked faces beside them.

It seemed the situation was more serious.

Clay Pot prostrated himself on the floor and said, trembling, "My lord, our territory is in serious trouble!"

Anxiety surged through Field, but he remained composed. "Calm down. Tell me what the trouble is."

"Bandits! Armed bandits attacked our territory!" Clay Pot was still young, after all, and could not contain his terror. The hands braced against the floor shook as though he had Parkinson's. "A few slaves went to relieve themselves in the fields, and bandits suddenly rushed out of the Gray Fog and attacked them. They killed two with spears and carried off a female slave!"

Field hurried a step forward and asked in surprise, "They chose to retreat instead of continuing the attack?"

"Yes. They left immediately."

"Fucking hell!" Field cursed angrily.

If they could retreat, they had to possess some intelligence. I could still run into bandits in this toxic, godforsaken shithole? Could anything be more ridiculous?

Perhaps it was my "lovely" stepmother and siblings.

That was possible. If they learned about the Chosen One, things would get dangerous.

Field checked the Mini-Map again, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

It reminded him of Connor's cavalry. Exclamation marks had only appeared once they came within a certain distance.

Apparently, the Mini-Map's warning range was limited. It could only detect Chosen Ones and Corrupted Creatures from farther away.

"Notify everyone else and have them take shelter on the first floor of the main Winery building. I'm going after them." Field took a longsword from the rack and hurried downstairs.

Ashina was already downstairs examining the bodies. When she saw Field coming down, she immediately apologized, looking distressed. "I'm sorry your rest was disturbed. Letting the enemy enter the territory was a failure on my part."

"It wasn't your fault. The territory doesn't even have walls yet. Enemies slipping in is hardly impossible."

Ashina had spent the entire day fighting bloody battles. It was perfectly normal for fatigue to have kept her from noticing the enemy.

Field crouched down and pulled open the corpse's ragged, sour-smelling linen clothes. He immediately tilted his head in confusion. "The wound in the abdomen was actually thrust upward. Were those bandits dwarfs?"

"It certainly is strange." Ashina rubbed her smooth chin and bounced her leg rhythmically, making the pale flesh of her thigh tremble slightly. These little movements helped her concentrate. "They might not be human. Perhaps they're those annoying dwarves."

Some of Field's anxiety faded. Things might not be too bad, or at least not life-threatening.

"Ashina, can your wolf pick up the enemy's scent?"

Using a giant Dragon-Breed Wolf as a dog sounded pretty ridiculous.

Ashina slapped her forehead. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Take me with you. I need to see what bastards dared attack my territory." Field gritted his teeth. He was nowhere near as kindhearted as the body's original owner. "I'll chop their damned heads to pieces."

By now, Ashina knew Field's temperament well. She smiled. "Of course! I will be your sword!"

The giant wolf sniffed the bodies a few times, then turned its deep-blue, slit-pupiled eyes toward the northeast of Nightfall Territory.

"The enemy fled that way."

Good. They hadn't headed south. The enemy really might not be human.

Clink, clank!

A dozen or so slave guards rushed out with their clothes in disarray. Many were still pulling on their armor, looking bleary-eyed. Field's mouth twitched. He wanted to berate them but held back. He could not expect soldiers of this era to obey orders as promptly and strictly as Huaguo's army. Without a doubt, the guards had been sleeping soundly. Even now, when Field was ready to leave, most were still in dreamland.

"Guard the territory. Don't let the enemy double back and catch us off guard."

Field had no intention of taking them along anyway. Speed mattered most in a pursuit. By the time the troops had assembled, the enemy might have vanished without a trace.

"Still, discipline training needs to go on the agenda."

A lax army had no fighting power. It could not even protect its own territory.

Ashina pulled Field onto the giant wolf. With Field's Mini-Map, their chances of being ambushed would be greatly reduced.

It was steadier than a horse's back. As soon as Field straddled the giant wolf, his first impression was how comfortable it felt.

Riding a horse was not difficult. A horse's back was broad, and once riders learned to hold themselves steady and got used to it, they would be amazed to find it easier than riding a bicycle. After all, bicycles had no intelligence. Plenty of expert riders could even sleep on horseback. Ashina's Dragon-Breed Wolf was steadier still. The jagged scales on its back did not poke its riders; they automatically drew together, fitting as seamlessly as a piece of modern craftsmanship.

"Move out!"

With Ashina guiding the giant wolf, the two swiftly plunged into the Gray Fog.

Their surroundings rapidly blurred, and fierce wind whistled past their ears. The wolf's running speed was astonishing. It was practically a subway train!

In just four minutes, Ashina found the enemy in a dense, corrupted forest.