Mercenary Harem in Murim Novel

Chapter 74: Chapter 74 – Strange Village

Morning arrived. Leo woke up and exited the room with Chiaki after washing his face. He felt really great and fresh. That was until he listened to what Jack and Shui did last night.

"... I won't ask why you two did something so stupid." He said, frowning. "But you will drive today. Understood?"

"Yes, yes. No problem." Jack bowed his head in apology. "Sorry, Leader."

"Good."

Leo nodded and patted his shoulder.

Chiaki looked at the two guys and clicked her tongue.

"They waste a fine specimen." She whispered quietly as she followed Leo, and he pretended that he didn't hear that.

'What specimen?' He asked in his mind. 'Knowing more might traumatize me, so I won't ask.'

He looked at the map and the location of their next destination.

According to the epigraph, it was located in a small village. They had covered one third of the journey already, and the super moon would appear in ten days.

"Oh yeah, Leader. We heard something interesting." Jack said, leaning his elbow on the table. "Last night, in the tavern, I heard Wudang Sect has recruited more than 500 disciples."

"Really?" Leo raised an eyebrow.

"That's a lot." Zhen said, surprised. "Wudang Sect is known for their strict selection. Why would they recruit so many people?"

"There is only one possibility." Shui crossed his arms and raised his head.

"Humans wave tactic." Chiaki finished his words.

"What's that?"

"It's a common strategy in our place before where they used numbers to overwhelm other factions. No matter how strong the faction was, if they were surrounded by thousands or even ten thousand soldiers, they would fall."

Leo explained to Zhen, who seemed to be confused.

This tactic wasn't used in Central Plains because it was disrespectful, cowardly, and considered inhuman. Disciples were important and family members.

No matter how weak or strong the sect was, no sect would ever use human wave tactics. Except for the Demonic Faction.

"If that's true, then Wudang Sect's position would be threatened. There is a chance the sect might fall or be severely weakened. But why would the sect do that?" Zhen asked.

"To obtain the epigraph." Leo replied.

It was the only reason why the sect would recruit so many people and risk their own. The epigraph was just too valuable for them to skip.

"Change of plan. Let's head out now and skip the next city. We have to lay some traps around the entrance before anyone arrives." He eventually decided and stood up, "The fight of epigraph might be more fierce than I expected. We will steal the start and enter the ruin first before anyone else."

Everyone nodded and headed outside the city. Once they were out, he opened the capsule and took out the Humvee. Leo sat on the driver seat, and Chiaki took the passenger seat. The others sat in the back and waited for the next journey.

As they started the engine, a group of people looked at them. They left immediately without wasting any time.

Around 1,600 KM was left. The two-third of the path left were mostly mountain area filled with bandits. The main road wasn't really safe either, which would slow them down if they were normal travelers.

Fortunately, they weren't normal.

When night arrived, they already covered another 800 KM. Only halfway was left to their destination, but this was when things went pretty troublesome.

Bandits became very active at night. They were drawn to the Humvee's bright light and prepared many ambushes.

Zzt!

"Another kill." Jack, who moved on top of the Humvee, reported in a calm voice. "I scanned a group of 5 people hiding 300 meters away. 75% possibility of being bandits. Requesting permission to shoot, Leader."

"Permission granted. Incapacitate them." Leo replied, smiling.

Zzt!

Within seconds, five screams rang in the air, and the bandits ran for their life.

"Well, that's done. Good job, Jack." Leo said. "We shouldn't kill any of them. They will be useful to keep our enemy in check. Chiaki, have you prepared the mini-Cocos?"

"Yes. I spread them every 250 meters. They will give me a signal if they detect a large group of people."

"Good. Shui, change with me. I am a bit tired driving."

"Got it."

The driver changed, and Leo leaned on his seat, closing his eyes.

The Humvee continued driving while Jack and Shui took turns at night. They also rotated the sleeping shift. Only Zhen refused to sleep at night, saying that he would be fine and the least thing he could do was to have a night watch because he couldn't drive.

It was a long night, but it wasn't uneventful.

Jack had a few fights, and Shui used his sword to stop bandits from attacking them. Chiaki commanded Coco to spew some mini-Cocos on the way, spreading them everywhere to collect information.

Finally, they could rest easy when the morning arrived. Leo drove the Humvee again after refilling its fuel with water.

It was a quiet day, and they didn't run into any bandits or anyone. They reached the small village in less than two hours and immediately parked the Humvee near the entrance.

"We are already close. For now, let's stock our food and water in this village and head to the ruin immediately." Leo gave out command naturally.

It was a small village, but it was filled with fields and rice paddies. It was surrounded by a wooden wall and had a big gate.

For some reason, the gate was closed and no one peeked to see what kind of thing made a roaring sound, which was strange.

Everytime Leo approached settlement, his vehicle, either it was his bike or the Humvee, would attract attention. Not to mention, his smart lenses didn't detect any life around the gate.

"It's strange." Zhen suddenly spoke, attracting the other's attention. "I can feel ominous Qi from inside. Something is not right. There are too many of them."

"Should we investigate, Leader?" Shui asked.

"Hmm, we need to refill our water at least, so there is no choice but to enter." He said, turning to Chiaki. "Do you still have enough Nanites? Spreading mini-Cocos surely took a lot from you."

"Yes... I have 60% left. I can still spread around 1,200 mini-Cocos. And I also still have a Nanites capsule to restore 20% of my Nanites immediately in case of emergency."

"Then keep your Nanites and stay behind." He said, taking out his handgun. "Jack, stay here with Chiaki and protect the Humvee. Shui, you come with me. And Mr. Zhen, may I require your assistance to detect where the ominous Qi is located?"

"Certainly." Zhen cupped his hand and nodded.

"Understood, Leader." Shui nodded firmly.

"I will follow as well." Chiaki insisted.

"No, Chiaki. Stay here. You have to take care of Jack. If anything happens, you can help us escape with Coco. I trust you to secure our escape route with Jack. It's an order."

"... Roger. I will obey, Leader." She reluctantly obeyed, not wanting to make Leo worried.

"Alright, let's move."

Afterward, the group entered the village with Zhen leading the way. They climbed the wooden gate with the help of a rope.

As soon as they arrived on top of the gate, Leo's eyes were filled with horror and despair. Your next read awaits at M V L

"What... is this?"