Lying in Wait

Angela always keeps her word.

This is undoubtedly a good quality, but it also depends on the content.

It wasn't until the caravan began its journey that the warriors who had been guarding the perimeter came to their senses. They couldn't fathom how these seemingly unremarkable mercenaries had managed to defeat the guards inside. However, they were, after all, the nation's regular army, and their duty was to perform their duties. So, when the caravan appeared before them, these warriors chose to faithfully charge forward, attempting to force them back into the village, just as before. Because this caravan was flying the banner of the City of a Thousand Towers, there were special orders not to go too far. After all, a caravan of this size must be an important merchant activity for the City of a Thousand Towers. Although Kudel and Lalia were now on the verge of war, they had no intention of antagonizing the City of a Thousand Towers. Otherwise, Kudel's soldiers would likely have wiped them out the moment they encountered this caravan.

But this time, Kudel's soldiers were unable to push the mercenaries back as they usually had.

With a slender, delicate hand, she easily deflected the thrusting sword, then grabbed the soldier's wrist in a backhand motion. Amidst Angela's triumphant smile, the soldier, his wrist shattered, let out a piercing scream. But the next moment, Angela slapped him hard across the face, silencing the "noise" and sending the soldier's head flying. It rolled several times on the ground before slowly settling down.

"Useless trash, I thought it was something fun, but it's nothing special after all... Hehehe..."

Angela a low, cold laugh as the headless corpse, its white bones exposed and blood gushing, lay on the ground. Those around her shuddered at the gruesome method of killing. For these soldiers, death had never been a source of fear. After all, being a soldier was a risky profession, so death was naturally predictable. They might not be afraid of dying in battle, but facing an opponent who took pleasure in their own deaths, it was hard to say whether these soldiers could maintain their fighting spirit.

Because Angela's methods of killing were so bizarre, both sides stopped fighting shortly after the battle began. They stared uneasily at the girl before them, completely unsure of what to do. Angela's ghostly movements were far beyond the soldiers' ability to keep up, not to mention the unimaginable methods she used to kill, which brought unprecedented shock. In fact, the main reason was that, having been traveling for days, Angela hadn't had an opportunity to be alone and intimate with Li Lin. Accumulating considerable pressure, she chose to vent in another way. Since the human before her had chosen to die, she naturally wouldn't be polite.

"You monstrous monster...!!"

Seeing his comrade killed, a soldier's anger overwhelmed his fear. He roared and brandished his longsword, Angela. But the little girl moved swiftly; everyone only saw a blur before Angela a short distance in front of the soldier, a small, soft object nestled between her hands. The Angela, on the other hand, had a gaping, bloody hole in his throat. His desperate attempts to breathe became futile. He stumbled forward a few steps, but before reaching Angela, he collapsed to the ground, his body slowly convulsing as he died.

"Hmph, you can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth."

Angela casually tossed the soft, fleshy object onto the ground, took out a handkerchief to wipe her small hands, and then her bright red eyes swept across the entire battlefield. Those who were looked at by her couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines, and at the same time, they secretly prayed that they would not become her next target.

The mercenaries stood awkwardly to the side, utterly helpless. In fact, the warriors completely ignored them, their attention solely focused on the terrifying girl. For these battle-hardened veterans, death was not frightening—but now they finally understood why, because they had never met anyone who could tell them just how terrifying death truly was.

Who's the next idiot?

Angela wiped the blood from her hands and spoke again with an excited and expectant smile. Her innocent smile was as harmonious and beautiful as if she were looking forward to receiving a birthday present from her family, but compared to the content of her smile, this huge contrast was all the more terrifying.

At this moment, the mercenaries had begun to learn from Li Lin, pretending not to hear anything. They "dutifully" protected the carriage and goods, while tacitly agreeing not to attack the warriors. Although they were experienced mercenaries, they were still too reckless in dealing with warriors. They had also gleaned some information from Li Lin and the mercenary captain's conversation: these soldiers who dared to cross the border into Lalia were certainly not inexperienced rookies. Although mercenaries risked their lives for money, their lives were still important. It was simply a losing proposition to recklessly engage in battle with those who already lived on the brink of death. Therefore, they were now very "professionally" protecting the carriage, refusing to take another step forward. Of course, their real reason was that they were afraid of disturbing Angela's enjoyment and worried that she might target them.

Then, a strange scene unfolded.

A little girl walked slowly ahead, laughing softly, followed closely by a large caravan of carriages. The warriors who had initially surrounded the caravan, now retreated slowly, their faces filled with surprise and fear. It was as if they were facing a ferocious dragon, driving these poor lambs to a dead end.

"Incite!"

An arrow shot out from the bushes like lightning, heading straight for Angela. The little girl simply extended her delicate, white hand; without any visible movement, the arrow, already too fast to see, landed in her palm. Angela then flicked it back. The arrow returned along its original trajectory with even greater speed. Another brief scream rang out, and an archer, clutching his cheek, fell from the tree. The hard arrow had pierced his chin from below, then emerged from the top of his head. The crowd watched in silence as the unfortunate man rolled violently on the ground, screaming, smearing blood everywhere, before finally stopping, a chill running through them all.

Long-range attacks are also ineffective.

"Stupid piece of trash."

Angela opened her velvet folding fan, concealing the corners of her smiling mouth.

"You think you can harm me? You're dreaming... So, who's next?"

There's no chance of winning.

Everyone can clearly sense this.

Faced with this girl, they had no hope of victory, no, not even a hope of survival.

Right now, the only thing that can drive their bodies to move is the human instinct for survival, the only instinct that compels them to take action even in the face of doomsday and despair.

That's about enough.

Observing the situation before him, Li Lin waited idly while secretly pondering.

Kudel's soldiers' arrival in Lalia was certainly not for any good, and encountering a caravan from a third country here would definitely negatively impact Kudel's strategy. Given this, Kudel's appearance this time was extremely cautious; otherwise, they could have simply disguised themselves as bandits and wiped out the entire caravan. However, armies are inherently intertwined with politics, and judging from the other side's actions, they clearly didn't want to provoke the City of a Thousand Towers. Angela's actions would undoubtedly force them to make a decision, and of course, Li Lin Angela to do this in the hope that this decision would be in his favor.

The caravan continued its slow advance, drawing ever closer to the cave entrance. The soldiers, however, remained steadfast, maintaining their perimeter. Like the mercenaries, they seemed determined to complete their mission with a highly "professional" attitude, while avoiding provoking the girl at the head of the procession—a woman as beautiful as an angel yet as terrifying as a devil. Occasionally, two or three unaware of the situation would be immediately killed by Angela, serving as a warning to the others.

As the caravan drew closer to the cave entrance, the atmosphere on both sides grew increasingly eerie. The mercenaries, on the other hand, breathed a deep sigh of relief. They knew that once they entered the relatively narrow cave passages, their numerical advantage would diminish. Moreover, this was Dark Elf territory; what ordinary person would dare to rush in?

For the soldiers, however, the tension was mounting. Their orders were to ensure the caravan didn't enter the Black Road. But it seemed they were determined to go in, and they couldn't stop them. If they went to intercept them, they would surely be killed by the little girl; if they didn't, returning would mean disobeying orders and being beheaded.

Whether you stick your neck out or not, you'll still get stabbed.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, but Li Lin made no move. He continued to stroll leisurely in the center of the caravan, waiting. He knew very well that now that things had come to this point, the other party could no longer ignore them.

Sure enough, soon the soldiers surrounding the caravan stirred, then they quickly put away their weapons and respectfully lined up on both sides.

Please wait a moment.

Then, a soft, pleasant voice rang out. Accompanying the voice, a knight in light armor appeared before the caravan, standing there with a smile on his face. Angela narrowed her eyes, carefully examining the man before her, then looked away and stopped in her tracks.

"I am Roni, commander of the Third Battle Corps of Kudel. I'm very sorry, but this route has been requisitioned by Kudel as a military passage, and ordinary caravans are not allowed to pass."

"If I remember correctly, this should be Lalia's territory."

Li Lin's voice came from outside, and Angela respectfully lifted her skirt and stepped aside, giving her mistress enough space to stand out.

"Furthermore, you can't just say whatever you want about the Black Road."

Li Lin slowly walked out of the caravan and approached the knight.