Caught

He had missed!

Gary's punch happened to be blocked by the fat Night's Watch man's raised right arm.

The fat watchman's arm bent backward, completely deformed, exposing flesh and white bone. He stared at Gary in terror, as though looking at an utterly horrifying monster.

Gary knitted his brows, about to press his advantage.

But the fat watchman turned and ran. Knowing exactly where to look, he found a thin cord on the wall and pulled it, his eyes full of terror.

"Ding, ding, ding..."

Bells immediately rang throughout the tunnel, the sound spreading deep inside.

At the same time, an iron portcullis dropped from above, forcibly separating the two.

The fat watchman laughed wildly. "Filthy Wildling, just wait to die!"

Gary walked up to the portcullis, tested his grip, and grinned. "I can't lift that solid wooden gate outside. That thing's too heavy. But this iron portcullis, I can give it a try."

He crouched confidently and gripped the portcullis with both hands. "Up you go!"

He actually lifted the iron gate, which weighed nearly a thousand jin. It was no easy feat, though. His arms kept trembling, and he looked as though he could not hold it up for long.

After raising the gate, Gary quickly shifted his body through to the other side.

Bang!

He lowered the iron gate again, and it slammed heavily onto the ground.

Once inside, Gary steadied his breathing and slowly walked up to the fat watchman.

First, he snatched the fat watchman's sword, then asked in puzzlement, "Were you scared senseless? Why didn't you run?"

The whole process, from lifting the gate and coming through to lowering it, had taken at least a minute. Yet the fat watchman had not seized the chance to escape, instead waiting in the same spot.

The fat watchman's face was deathly pale, and he dared not resist. The fat on his face kept quivering along with his trembling body. He said shakily, "There's another wooden gate at the other end of the tunnel, and it's closed now. The mechanism that opens it is outside the tunnel. We can't get out."

"No wonder you didn't run. So you can't get out." Gary considered for a moment. "Since we can't leave, let's wait for someone to come. They can help me find Benjen while they're at it."

The fat watchman forced a smile. "I suggest you leave here quickly. You killed a man of the Night's Watch. Whoever you're looking for, it won't help."

Not far away, the tall watchman lying on the ground had stopped breathing altogether.

This was Gary's first time killing someone.

Some psychological discomfort was inevitable.

But he had prepared himself for this long ago. Living in the chaotic world of Game of Thrones, how could he possibly avoid having blood on his hands? He would adjust slowly. He would get used to it eventually.

Facing the corpse, Gary pressed his palms together. "Brother, you wanted to kill me too, so this counts as self-defense. I hope you're reincarnated soon. Don't blame me."

Then he returned to the fat watchman and smiled. "You fat bastard, I'm not bloodthirsty. I'll spare your life."

He raised the iron sword he had confiscated from the fat watchman and struck him on the head with its scabbard.

Smack!

The fat watchman's vision went black, and he fainted on the spot.

The entire tunnel was only a few hundred meters long, and no one else stood guard along the way. Gary reached its end without trouble.

The fat watchman had not lied. There really was another wooden gate here, just as thick and heavy as the one outside.

Gary tried lifting it. Once he confirmed that he could not, he sat lazily on the ground. There was quite a commotion outside; someone would surely come open the gate soon.

Sure enough, less than five minutes later, a clamor of footsteps came from beyond the gate. A few breaths later, the wooden gate began slowly rising...

The men of the Night's Watch outside stood ready for battle, surrounding the tunnel exit so tightly that nothing could get through. The watchmen at the front held wooden shields and stood in a neat row, protecting the archers behind them.

As for those archers, they had already drawn their bows and nocked their arrows, aiming at the tunnel exit.

Everyone was extremely tense, their eyes fixed intently on the slowly rising wooden gate. Tonight, the old bell, which had not rung in hundreds of years, had actually sounded.

They all knew what that bell meant. It signified that "the enemy has breached the castle."

Tonight, a fierce battle was inevitable... Huh? A child?

The watchmen were all dumbfounded. They had assumed the tunnel must be packed with Wildlings, never imagining that there would only be a single Wildling child holding a sword.

"A Wildling child? How did he get in?" The middle-aged man in the lead strode up to Gary and demanded sternly.

The man had graying curls. Though older, he had eyes as sharp as knives. Wherever his gaze fell, it sent chills through people. Although he too wore black clothing and armor, his armor was not ordinary wicker armor, but iron armor of a higher grade.

He peered into the tunnel and discovered that both barriers were closed. Then how had this little brat made it here? Could he walk through walls?

"A traitor?!"

Having reached that conclusion, the man demanded again, "Speak. Who opened the gates for you? Who's your accomplice inside?"

Gary alertly retreated a few steps, keeping a safe distance from the man. Then he feigned timidity and said, "I don't have an accomplice. They opened the gate for me themselves. They also wanted to steal my gold coins. I only hurt them to protect myself."

The man sneered. "You said that so fluently. It must be a lie you memorized beforehand." He waved a hand, assigning several watchmen beside him. "You lot, go inside and take a look. Check whether any other Wildlings are lying in ambush."

Those four or five watchmen were uneasy. Moving together, they cautiously raised their wooden shields and advanced slowly into the tunnel.

Gary shouted, "I'm looking for Benjen Stark!"

The man's expression darkened further. "Don't try to claim connections. Whoever you're looking for, it won't help!"

As Castle Black's First Ranger, Benjen held a high position. His duty was to lead the rangers under his command in patrolling beyond the Wall.

Thus, the rangers inevitably had some contact with the Wildling tribes in the Haunted Forest.

The man thought Gary was acquainted with Benjen and, having caused trouble, now wanted to drag Benjen out to save him.

Gary considered ways out of his predicament. He was confident he could kill the man before him. But what then? Be shot dead in a hail of arrows?

As for taking the man hostage... well, Gary was only twelve now, almost two heads shorter than the man. Only by stretching his arm straight could he barely place the sword against the man's neck.

Such a move, riddled with openings, would surely invite a counterattack from the man.

There was no helping it. The other side had too many people. If he wanted to live, he could only surrender.

The man seized the sword Gary held and recognized it as a standard-issue Night's Watch sword. He rubbed his forehead, restraining his anger. "Lock him in the dungeon..."

Just then, the watchmen who had entered the tunnel sent someone back to report. "Master-at-arms, the two brothers on night duty-one dead, one injured..."

The man could no longer contain himself. Flying into a rage, he kicked the messenger to the ground.

"I tell you to train hard every day, but all you do is slack off! What a joke! Two grown men couldn't even handle one Wildling brat?! Useless! Good-for-nothing fools!"

The man was the Night's Watch master-at-arms. Not only Castle Black's garrison but most of its rangers had been trained by him. His rank was not high, but his standing was far from low.

Moreover, this master-at-arms seemed to have an extremely strong sense of honor. Having someone under his command killed by a "Wildling child" made him feel more humiliated than ever before.

He approached Gary, a cold gleam in his eyes. "Whatever your purpose, Wildlings are forbidden to set a single foot inside the Wall! That is an ironclad rule! And now you've killed one of our men."

Gary still tried to explain. "It was an accident..."

But the master-at-arms grabbed his collar and said viciously, "Rules are rules. I'll hang you along with that fat fool who neglected his duty!"

Gary sensed intense hostility in the master-at-arms's attitude. He did not know why the man hated Wildlings so much. But he knew that unless he found a way out now, the master-at-arms really would hang him.

He wiped the spittle from his face and argued calmly, "Master-at-arms, I didn't force my way in. Your Night's Watch men opened the gate and let me in themselves. I was the passive party here. What did I do wrong? Does the Night's Watch not listen to reason?"

The master-at-arms scoffed. "Were those two out of their minds, opening the gate for a little Wildling like you? Unless they were your accomplices. Once they opened the gate, you killed them to silence them! Speak. Why did you sneak into Castle Black?"

Gary rolled his eyes and chose silence.

Just then, another group emerged from the nearby castle. They were Castle Black's Lord Commander, Jeor Mormont, along with Benjen and his rangers.

"Alliser, what happened?"

Jeor Mormont was older than the master-at-arms, his hair and beard already white. Yet he was the most powerfully built of all the watchmen. His burly frame was like a mountain, making people feel deeply oppressed.

Beside Jeor Mormont stood a young man with long brown hair. He wore black leather armor with rows of iron plates neatly sewn onto it. This kind of scale armor offered both warmth and protection. Its workmanship was elaborate and its price high, well beyond what an ordinary family could afford.

The corners of Gary's mouth lifted slightly. He recognized the young man as Benjen Stark at a glance!

Although this man was considerably younger than Benjen in the television series, his handsome features stood out all the more among the surrounding assortment of ugly faces. Coupled with the aristocratic elegance he exuded, he was clearly of high birth.

Thus, Gary had recognized him in the crowd with almost no effort.

The master-at-arms, Alliser, immediately left Gary and approached Jeor Mormont to report the situation to his direct superior.

The situation was actually very simple. Two watchmen had opened the gate and let Gary in of their own accord. After entering, Gary had fought with the two watchmen, leaving one dead and one injured.

As for the reasons behind it, Alliser did not know and could only offer his own conjecture.

But after hearing Alliser's speculation, Jeor Mormont shook his head. "That doesn't make sense. If both men on night duty were his accomplices, why would they ring the alarm bell?"

Alliser could not understand that either. "Perhaps they suddenly regretted it?"

Jeor Mormont turned and looked Gary over again, praising him. "Such a young child, yet he defeated two grown men on his own. Good. A born warrior indeed."

He approached Gary and asked, "Which tribe are you from? Why did you sneak into Castle Black?"