Chapter 125: Won?

The sound of hooves thundered, filled with murderous intent. This time, the Staff Officer seemed truly enraged. He led the men in a ferocious charge, galloping over hill after hill with an overwhelming momentum. Their all-cavalry formation moved with the speed of lightning and the roar of thunder, yet they charged about like headless flies—fierce and swift, but entirely aimless.

After killing the negotiating bandit, the Staff Officer had immediately deployed tracker hounds, hoping to follow the scent to their lair. But after only a short distance, the hounds ran straight into a river, and the trail vanished. Undeterred, the Staff Officer refused to believe they had teleported; they must be nearby. He immediately ordered a search along the banks.

Believing he had identified the general area, the Staff Officer stopped splitting his forces. Using the site as a pivot, he led his men in a frantic, outward-spiraling search. At the speed of the Knights of Thunder, most bandits would be unable to hide even if they heard them coming.

But alas, the entire morning passed in vain. By midday, the mist deep within the Caludia Hills usually dissipates for a time. Standing atop a hill and looking out, the entire landscape was deathly silent, as if bandits had never existed here at all. Looking back, exhaustion was clearly written on everyone’s faces. The horses panted heavily; both men and beasts were soaked, not just with sweat, but with the pervasive dampness of the region.

The frustration of having strength with no outlet, of throwing punches only to hit air, was agonizing. Anger, anxiety, irritation, and unease were etched onto the Staff Officer’s face. He gripped his sword so tightly that the veins on his hand bulged. He desperately wanted a punching bag to vent his rage, but he held back.

"Staff Officer?" a man nearby asked cautiously. "What now..."

"Staff Officer," Colonel House said plainly, "let’s rest for a moment. If we keep riding like this, the horses won't hold up."

The Staff Officer had no choice. He sheathed his sword, his annoyance evident, but he could not ignore basic military logistics. He waved his hand: "Rest here."

The men let out a collective sigh of relief. Every cavalryman cherished his mount, and this reckless pace had been grueling. Many began wiping down their horses and letting them graze, while others instinctively set up a perimeter—tasks that required no guidance from the Staff Officer.

The Staff Officer, Colonel House, and several other officers sat under a small tree in a stifling, silent atmosphere. The trackers had lost the scent at the river; they could only search the surroundings. Could it be that they really had teleported?

"Is it possible their camp is underwater?" Colonel House finally broke the silence after a long pause.

"They aren't Mermen; how could they live underwater?" the Staff Officer reflexively retorted.

"Perhaps there is a tunnel under the riverbed, or a cavern connecting to it," Colonel House speculated.

Someone laughed dismissively: "A tunnel under the riverbed? Wouldn't it be flooded? How could anyone live there?"

"The tunnel wouldn't necessarily be deep underground; it could be a hollow in the hill’s cliff face, above the water level, with a U-shaped pipe connecting it to the riverbed," Colonel House explained.

The Staff Officer shook his head: "Could bandits possibly engineer such a thing?"

"Maybe it’s natural," House replied.

The Staff Officer had no answer. He lowered his head in thought, his brow furrowed, looking deeply troubled.

Colonel House had to ask again: "What is the Staff Officer worried about?"

"If it is a cave under the river, our cavalry advantage is nullified," the Staff Officer replied. "Underground, no one knows if it’s a real camp or a trap." Among the kidnapped were several Tier 6 experts who had seemingly been unable to put up any resistance. Although the Staff Officer was stronger, he felt completely out of his depth.

"Then what is your plan, Staff Officer?" House tossed the question back.

The Staff Officer fell into silence again, and the others followed suit, deepening the melancholic atmosphere to its limit.

Kevin had sent his parrot to eavesdrop and relay everything. Kevin was speechless at this Staff Officer’s competence. Among all the officers on the expedition, only Colonel House seemed to have any sense, but limited by his rank and position, he clearly couldn't say much.

These men might be personally strong and well-versed in rote tactical maneuvers, but their ability to adapt to the field was near zero. Yet, Kevin couldn't say anything more; the Staff Officer was already dissatisfied with him, so he could only worry deeply about the operation in silence.

After a two-hour rest and lunch, the Staff Officer finally made up his mind. He stood up and ordered: "Move out. We’re going back to the place where we lost the trail. Everyone into the water to search for caves."

Orders were absolute. With a single command, the squad leaders began to mobilize. They couldn't ride their horses or wear armor in the water; they had to strip down, carrying only their swords. Horses and armor were left on the bank; one-third of the men went into the water, while two-thirds kept watch from the shore.

The river was shallow, only two or three meters deep, but the water was murky, filled with greenish algae. There were no magical beasts, making it relatively safe.

The Staff Officer and the officers stood on the bank, watching the water with grim expressions. Occasionally, a soldier would surface for air or a burst of bubbles would rise, making the water even cloudier. All soldiers who entered the water had been promised commendations, which was their primary motivation.

Suddenly, with a splash, a soldier surfaced and wiped his face: "Staff Officer, I found a hole down there. It seems very deep, at least this big!" The soldier stretched his hands as wide as possible, enough for several people to squeeze through at once.

The Staff Officer’s expression changed, and he exchanged glances with the other officers. Logically, finding the enemy's lair should be cause for celebration, but he looked incredibly conflicted and reluctant.

"You lot, go together," the Staff Officer ordered, pointing at a few others. "Go and verify it."

"Yes!" The men dove in. A moment later, they surfaced: "Staff Officer, it's real. It really seems to be a tunnel."

"Hmph!" The Staff Officer sighed internally. In the Knights of Thunder, the commander always led the charge; they were the sharpest blade and the source of morale. Sending soldiers in could be passed off as reconnaissance, but now that the result was confirmed, the Staff Officer had to be the first to enter.

It was the tradition of the Knights of Thunder; otherwise, he would lose all authority. But this dive was truly perilous. The Staff Officer wasn't stupid—he knew these bandits were not ordinary.

"Staff Officer," the parrot suddenly spoke up, "I must remind you: do not go in! It is undoubtedly a trap."

The Staff Officer flared up: "Undoubtedly a trap? How could you possibly know that?"

"Staff Officer, think about it. Every move we make is in their hands. Do they not know about this riverbed cave? The space is narrow, we are underwater, and we have no mages to assist. Losing our horses and armor—could there be a more disadvantageous situation?" Kevin, listening from afar, couldn't help but want to curse.

"Shut your mouth!" the Staff Officer roared. "Disturbing the morale of the troops—say one more word and I will have you court-martialed!"

Kevin, far away, held his head in silence. He spoke up only because he couldn't bear to watch, but the Staff Officer had developed an unconscious habit of opposing him for the sake of opposition.

"Brothers," the Staff Officer finished his outburst, his spirit rallying, "these bandits have kidnapped over sixty of our brothers, and their lives hang in the balance. Can we ignore this?"

"No!" the soldiers raised their weapons.

"Then we have no time. We might still save them if we rush in! Colonel House, take 20 men and stay on the bank to coordinate," the Staff Officer gritted his teeth, kept his armor on, and leaped into the water: "The rest, charge with me!"

"Yes!" Morale ignited instantly. The soldiers, not known for deep thinking, were whipped into a frenzy by the atmosphere.

Kevin closed his eyes, unable to bear the impending slaughter. He considered using the parrot to ask Colonel House for his thoughts, but fearing further damage to morale, he stopped himself and focused on his own preparations.

The Staff Officer led the charge, his longsword slicing through the water. A cyan aura erupted, revealing him to be a Tier 7 warrior. When he was serious, he was not to be underestimated. The cyan aura enveloped him, protecting him from arrows, blades, or common traps.

He carved a path, and in the blink of an eye, he passed through the waterway, followed by several elite Tier 6 experts. The cave entrance did have some mechanisms, firing fishing nets to block them, but the aura tore through them before they could even get close.

Amidst the splashing water and flashing cyan light, the Staff Officer leaped out. Before he could even stand, a cold light flashed as countless arrows flew from all directions.

"Ha!" The Staff Officer let out a roar, and the arrows were all deflected. The raggedly dressed bandits around were stunned and dazed. The Staff Officer showed no mercy; his sword aura swept out like a crescent-shaped boomerang, and within a blink, six bandits were decapitated.

A Tier 7 expert could easily utilize higher-level combat techniques; against bandits with only red-tier auras, it was an absolute massacre.

"Is this the trap?" the Staff Officer sneered, striding forward while observing his surroundings. The cave was large, lit by torches on the walls. Dozens of bandits rushed toward him with axes. In the distance lay a pile of pale corpses, seemingly stripped and discarded.

"You slaughtered the captives?" The Staff Officer was furious, though he had been mentally prepared. He couldn't believe it—many of the captives were Tier 6 yellow-aura experts. How could these bandits have captured them? He would almost rather believe his soldiers had betrayed him; that would at least make sense.

For a long time, individual strength had been the measure of a person's worth, and those with higher auras felt more secure. While the weak defeating the strong existed, it was rare. Now, that standard had been shattered on a massive scale. As a master of aura, he found it incomprehensible and felt a growing, profound unease—an anxiety that his own power could no longer protect him.

He felt a faint, chilling realization: if one could be killed by such fools despite being strong, what was the point of practicing aura at all?

"Hahaha!" One of the bandits jumped out, mocking them: "We are the protagonists! It’s normal for the protagonist to defeat the strong when they are weak! Hahaha!"

"Hmph!" The Staff Officer gritted his teeth, his blade flashing. The bandit was torn apart in an instant. Even the Tier 6 soldiers behind him hadn't had time to react, looking at their commander in shock.

"The Staff Officer has great skill," someone flattered.

"Is it over? So fast?" Someone remained wary.

Others walked toward the pile of corpses, weeping: "These are from our squad."

One man even kicked a bandit’s severed head away in frustration: "F*ck! Putting us through all this trouble!"

The men were in varying states of mind, searching or moving the bodies. They had seemingly won, but no one could smile. The Staff Officer sat numbly in the middle, lost in thought.

Suddenly! A loud boom shook the cave. The entire hill shuddered, and the walls began to collapse, with countless stones and slabs raining down from the ceiling. The men descended into panic.

"The cave is collapsing!" "Quick! Get back to the water!" "Don't panic!" "Should we take the Staff Officer first?" "The water passage is blocked!"...

Desperate cries rang out. In the blink of an eye, the torches went out, plunging them into darkness. The men erupted with their auras for light, but all they saw was the entire ceiling crashing down with thunderous force.

Outside, Colonel House was completely helpless. They watched as the entire hill sank three to five meters. The massive vibration caused the ground to quake, and debris rolled down the slopes. Because of the dampness, there was no dust, but a wave of air still hit them.

"Staff Officer!" they could only shout.

The hill did not answer.

"Colonel House," the parrot spoke, "retreat. Don't think about saving anyone. The bandits are surely watching from the shadows, and there are only twenty of you left—it's extremely dangerous. Retreat, bring reinforcements, and I will wait for you here."

Colonel House frowned in silence, the guards looking at him anxiously.

Suddenly, a streak of cyan light burst from the ground. Everyone was overjoyed. The Staff Officer had managed to break out of the collapsed cave using his aura—truly worthy of a Tier 7 expert.

Several soldiers rushed to meet him: "Staff Officer! Are you alright?"

The Staff Officer was covered in dirt, his hands shaking, barely able to hold his sword. Seeing their concern, he couldn't help but tear up.

"We... we won..." he said with great difficulty.

"We won? That's great!" Some soldiers started to celebrate, but sensing the atmosphere, they quickly fell silent. Colonel House just looked at him, saying nothing.

"Help me up," the Staff Officer said. "We killed all the bandits inside. I just didn't expect them to collapse the cave at the last moment, trying to take us with them."

Colonel House nodded: "Let’s retreat then." Whether it was true or not, only the Staff Officer knew, but everyone preferred to believe it. Only one person was an exception.

The parrot spoke again: "May I interject?"

"Shut up!" The Staff Officer was visibly tense. "Remember, we won. The mission is complete. Retreat now. You can return to your master."

"Yes, sir." The parrot gave a salute and flew toward Kevin.

"Can you come and pick me up?" Kevin asked.

The parrot replied: "Sorry, sir, I am already on my way back. I cannot relay any more messages."

Kevin sighed. The catapult couldn't be easily withdrawn; this was the worst possible outcome. A brutal battle awaited him.