Attack on the Gold Coast

In the gloomy Stockade, dim yellow lights flickered. A breeze blew through, snuffing one out at once. Here, apart from gray walls and cold-hearted prison guards, everything was a rarity.

The dampness after the rain, mingled with the smell of dried blood, filled the surroundings with the scent of death.

Joseph was locked in this cell alone, the foul air stifling him until breathing became somewhat difficult.

"Tap, tap, tap."

The sound of leather boots came from outside. Half a minute later, a middle-aged man wearing black battle armor appeared before him.

Mathias Shaw was clearly also extremely uncomfortable with this place, its strange smell, and the faint light that failed to stir even the slightest ripple on the walls.

Shaw pinched his nose lightly with his left hand and said, "I hear your code name is 'Big Beard.' Is that right?"

Joseph said nothing.

"I've never heard of such a band of brazen, lawless bandits before. You must have appeared only recently." Shaw seemed to be talking to himself. "Tell me, where did your group come from?"

There was still no response.

"Your accomplices have already confessed. As long as you give me an honest, complete account too, I might be able to let you out right now and give you your freedom."

Freedom? Joseph clearly longed for freedom, but he knew even more clearly that a human body could not crawl out through a dog's hole.

At that moment, the prisoner before Shaw raised his head and met his eyes. Shaw was surprised to discover that there was no cowardice in that gaze, no plea for mercy, only... silent contempt.

He gave a muffled snort, turned, and left the cell.

"Keep beating him." Then came another burst of leather whips tearing into flesh.

Shaw was somewhat frustrated as well. Whether he threatened these prisoners or held them separately and offered them inducements one by one, not a single one had been willing to reveal detailed information about themselves from beginning to end.

A month passed quickly.

Throughout that month, the Kingdom of Stormwind took no military action against Westfall, proving that Felix's earlier concerns had been unnecessary.

Varian had no determination to wipe them out.

Since the Brotherhood had not drawn Stormwind City's attention, their next operation could proceed according to plan. Their next target was the Gold Coast Quarry.

As their inside man, the miner Johnson, and his companions kept passing more detailed intelligence to VanCleef, the Defias Brotherhood carried out its final mobilization, and all the rogues prepared for battle.

A tense, excited atmosphere filled every corner of the camp.

Although some rogues had trained for more than a month, they had never taken part in combat. The approaching battle left them anxious and afraid.

"Brothers, everyone, relax a little." Felix bolstered their confidence in the battle. "According to the intelligence we've received, neither the miners nor the garrison at the Gold Coast Quarry are in particularly good shape."

"What basis do you have for saying that?" someone beside him asked.

"Just a few days ago, I personally infiltrated the quarry and verified the accuracy of the intelligence our inside men provided." Ever since the wind elements had decided to lend him a hand, Felix had discovered that these ordinary Stormwind City soldiers could no longer do anything about him.

As far as these soldiers were concerned, Felix "rode the wind" and "came and went without a trace." Slipping in and out was as easy as going home.

"There's little need to say much about the miners," Felix said. "They do extremely heavy physical labor, but the quarry's management hasn't provided them with food containing enough calories. Their wages haven't been paid properly for a long time either, just like our situation back then."

Everyone fell silent for a moment. They all knew this meant the miners could be won over. They might help the Defias Brotherhood take the quarry by coordinating from inside and outside.

"The troops are equally dissatisfied. They have to guard against unrest among the miners while also supervising them to make sure they work diligently. On top of that, they have to scramble to deal with all kinds of tedious inspections, patrols, and so on. And their wages for the last two months haven't been paid in full either."

"Therefore, we'll attack the Gold Coast Quarry tonight!"

At those words, everyone was startled. Wasn't this attack plan a little too sudden? But only this way would potential wavering members within the Brotherhood have no opportunity to leak word.

That night, the moon was dark and the wind was strong.

VanCleef personally led the force, and the many Defias rogues charged toward the Gold Coast Quarry, ready to take it over and confiscate Earl Ridgewell's ill-gotten gains.

Under cover of darkness, VanCleef, in Stealth, circled directly behind the quarry's sentry post and first eliminated the hidden sentries concealed in the dense woods.

Immediately afterward, Felix, Lightfinger, and the others also swiftly and cleanly dispatched the visible sentries guarding the perimeter.

Thus, before these sentries could send any signal at all, every one of them had fallen at the hands of the Defias Brotherhood. The group then continued advancing toward the quarry entrance.

Felix was the first to charge into the quarry. Wielding his sword, he pierced a soldier's carotid artery through the gap at his neck, and blood instantly gushed out like spring water.

Only then did the sleeping defenders nearby awaken from their respective pleasant dreams, only to face a terrifying nightmare together.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"Holy Light, where did these people come from?"

Many soldiers were still groping for their weapons in the darkness when they took a Kidney Shot or Backstab, their arms cut off by the rogues charging in, or even brutally subjected to Garrote on the spot.

With the Cruel Barb in his hand, VanCleef viciously pierced an officer's neck and roared, "Victory belongs to the Brotherhood!"

"Victory belongs to the Brotherhood!"

These soldiers' equipment was actually far better than that of the Defias Brotherhood, but their fighting spirit and discipline were nowhere near comparable.

After working for so long, they'd received so little money, and their officers had withheld half of it. Was it worth risking their lives for Earl Ridgewell?

They couldn't risk their lives. How would they earn money if they did?

Empowered by the wind elements, Felix raised his sword with astonishing speed. The blade swept forward wrapped in a current of wind, violently tearing open the silvery-white armor of the soldier before him.

He was only an inexperienced recruit.

He had chosen to risk his life for Stormwind City only because he had heard that joining the army would let him eat his fill. Unfortunately, the goddess of fate had not favored him.

In just a brief instant, the blade, wrapped in flowing air, sliced through his skin, neck, and head.