Love and passion, cutting up the wasteland.

“I hope they go and come back soon.”

Lu Meng knew that Lin Ji was talking about the Turtle, but there was something else behind his words.

"One last question, how did you realize that I was not that old man?" After resolving these heavy matters, Lin Ji's tone suddenly returned to its initial briskness. The woman blinked her eyes with doubt in her eyes: "I think my ventriloquism skills are already perfect."

"You mean..."

They met for the first time in the secret room.

At that time, Lin Ji failed to interrogate the person, so he had to kill the guard of the secret room and pretended to be old, sick and injured.

Confused Lu Meng who just came in.

She was confident that she had done it perfectly: the wound was small when the knife fell, she sprinkled medicine powder to remove the blood, and even hid her body behind the cover... every detail was the result of her skills and professional training of the Black Claw.

But the other party's reaction was so fast.

It seems like I never believed it.

Although he later found out Lu Meng's true identity, Lin Ji felt that it was not so outrageous that she recognized him at the first sight in the dark - are war-level people so unreasonable?

That’s it for others.

She grew up under the guidance of another war-level master, and even her teacher was sometimes fooled by her.

So Lin Ji guessed:

The other party must have some unique secret skills.

It’s better to find out more to prevent any accidents next time.

"..." Lu Meng hesitated for a moment, as if hesitating whether to say it or not, and finally said: "Did you kill him by stabbing his throat?"

"Yes." Lin Ji nodded.

"That's right," Lu Meng said, "which means you didn't have a chance to check the guard's vocal cords after he died."

"Vocal cords..." Lin Ji's pupils gradually dilated.

"Yes, the guard is a mute."

Lu Meng calmly gave the conclusion.

The manager Dunn specially selected such an old man to guard the secret room for him, and used surgery to transform the inner wall of his throat so that he could only breathe and swallow but not make any sound, so that he would never say anything inappropriate.

The reason why there were no clues in the room was that after years of reading, all the truly confidential information had been memorized in his mind.

"..."

Lin Ji held his forehead.

It was so embarrassing that it was painful.

No wonder...

She wondered why the other party would rather die than confess.

It turns out that it's not tough.

But I can't open my mouth at all!
Of course, the guard was tough at first and tried to attack and threaten her...but when she really kept silent when being tortured, it was no longer a question of whether to confess or not.

This made Lin Ji both competitive and admiring, so he decided to just cut off all ties with him and give him a quick death.

Later he began to speak.

That's directly exposed!

No wonder Lu Beiyou asked himself if he had ever tried to take a piece of paper...

"Wait!" Lin Ji suddenly realized a question, "How do you know he is mute?"

She was indeed careless... But if the nameless man was really a guard, it would be fine, but the fact is that "Xiaolu" was just his disguise. They sneaked into the lower city together. There is no reason for the other party to have access to so many details and know them better than herself.

“You just said…”

Lu Meng smiled: "This is the last question."

After that, he kept silent no matter what Ren Linji said, which made the woman very upset.

Until separation.

Dumb...

He repeated the word in his mind.

This reminded Lu Meng of the news he had received from Huang Xiang - the Hunter Gang's slave ship.

As a drifter, Huang Xiang used to work as a boatman at the dock to make a living.

Logically speaking, with all the ships coming and going, it would be impossible for him to tell them all apart.

But just as Lu Meng was certain.

Huang Xiang really remembered that slave ship.

Because what happened at that time was so shocking, some slaves escaped from the ship, killed the guards of the Hunter Gang, and caused a big commotion at the port dock.

However, it was suppressed in the end.

The slave owners of the Hunter Gang were not angry. Instead, they laughed out loud and were overjoyed. If this reputation spread, it would prove that their slaves were of high quality and each of them was a first-class gladiator.

It can also sell a lot.

There are even conspiracy theories that this is a marketing strategy used by hunters to help themselves.

——If the matter ended there, it would not have been remembered nearly ten years later.

The key lies in that slave.

It was a soldier bee, bought by a then-unknown peddler from the Merchants Guild.

Time passes.

The slave has become the marshal of the empire.

"Blood in the eyes..." High-ranking Inquisitor Waltner muttered.

The north and south of the Iron Valley are mountains made of molten iron, and there are dead Narko machines everywhere. If you want to pass through the United Cities and the Holy Kingdom, this canyon is a must-pass place.

Unless you want to cross the cannibal plains further north or the mysterious black desert and land of death - that would be tantamount to suicide.

The Shield of Oakland guarded by Varnut is not just a fortress, but a series of city gates built throughout the Iron Valley, firmly guarding the throat between the United City and the Holy Kingdom, protecting believers from the invasion of darkness.

In a sense, Biskun is more dangerous.

With the strategic advantage of the Oakland Shield, the perseverance of the Knights, the surging and fanatical spirit of the Crusades... Varnate was still able to achieve successive victories on the Iron Valley front despite facing two United Cities generals, and even advanced to the Flying Desert and the United Cities.

Such prestige enabled Varnat to suppress another high-ranking judge, Seta, in the country, forcing the other party to return from Kirishima early.

To prepare for the unexpected.

Heavy rain fell in the Iron Valley, and the rain washed over the Holy Knight's armor, instantly emitting a pungent smell. This was the acid from the Black Desert, the curse of darkness.

The skin of every paladin was red, even Varnat felt a burning sensation... But now, the entire army did not dare to go back to take shelter from the rain. They stood on the city wall fortress as if they were trying to hold their ground but also to escape.

Staring down blankly.

There was only one person who was also bathed in the acid rain.

Behind him were destroyed city gates, collapsed city walls, burned barracks, and the remaining blood dyed the gray tones of the Iron Valley into red, which even heavy rain could not wash away.

Marshal of the Empire.

Blood in the eyes.

The warrior army of the United Cities was still far away, arriving too late and completely unable to keep up with his pace.

The entire army did not come to fight - they were just here to clean up the mess.

One person breaks through.

Today, Varnat is defending the last pass of the Oakland Shield. It is indeed the oldest and the most solid. Legend has it that it is a miracle bestowed by the Lord of Light to kill Narko... But behind it is an undefended and open plain.

Wangling, the pride of Auckland.

Varnat shuddered at the thought that if the final pass fell, this sacred land would be defiled and profaned by tens of thousands of pagans.

"Blood in the eyes!" Shouting to the enemy in front of the battle, even if it was just to communicate, was a taboo. It would shake the clean and pious hearts of the Oakland warriors. However, Varnat had to do so: "You broke the agreement!"

Not only was this monster transferred away from the Bast front, he even stopped caring about the rebellion in the north and intimidating the domestic nobles.

Just go south like this.

Finally, an offensive was launched on the Iron Valley.

Varnath's words were filled with anger, to cover up his awe.

The marshal raised his head. The acid rain hit his dark purple skin. After brushing off one layer of blood, there was still another layer. The cold lights flashed in his eyes like stars in the sky. However, to the people on the earth, they were much more dangerous than the stars.

That is the crossbow formation on the city wall.

The Holy Nation considered the harpoon cannon to be a demonic machine driven by the Dark Engine and banned it, replacing it with the pinnacle of conventional armaments.

Eyeblood had already completely entered the coverage of the crossbow formation and also entered the field of vision of the Holy Nation archers. The Hive Tribe has always been known for its thin physique, but Eyeblood's physique is like a giant of the Shek Tribe, with muscles bulging all over his body, squeezing out from the gaps in his armor.

This gorgeous and precious samurai armor didn't seem to be protecting him.

More like bondage.

From the dark purple skin of Eye Blood, it could be seen that he was not an ordinary wandering bee man, but came from the Southern Hive, which was said to be absolutely untamable, had no civilization, and only knew how to kill. But even among the Southern Hive, no one had ever behaved so cruelly.

"Blood of the Eyes..." Hearing Varnate's rebuke, Soldier Bee seemed a little dazed. He repeated the name, and then realized that he was being called.

Seeing his appearance, the High Inquisitor breathed a sigh of relief, but he still tightly grasped the Paladin's Cross that had accompanied him through hundreds of battles.

But in the next moment.

A loud explosion ripped through the battlefield.

"kill!"

It was a roar like that of a mad dragon, as if the wind and rain were compressed together and blew into everyone's eardrums. Before the paladins had time to feel the pain, they had already seen the purple lightning - the blood of the eyes rushing towards them!

Varnath was also shocked.

He knew how powerful Eye Blood was, but he didn't expect him to be so brutal.

Endless rain of arrows shot out from his trembling hands and fell from the sky, carrying corrosive green smoke. Mu Xueyan didn't care at all and even ran into them head-on, letting them fall on him.

As a bee man, he could not wear a warrior's antler helmet, but his skin seemed tougher than steel, completely beyond the limits of biological beings.

The arrow passed by without leaving any trace.

The Paladins and Sentinels could only watch as Eyeblood crashed into them, before collapsing with a loud bang and falling rubble - it was a watchtower, and it could be said that the tower had actually been renovated over countless generations and was as solid as a fortress.

Just like a satellite city, even if a large army is besieging it and siege equipment is deployed, it can still delay and contain the enemy for the sake of the barrier of the Oakland Shield.

But it just collapsed.

In an instant.

A white light flashed, and the bluestone bricks, each as long as a person, broke into two pieces one after another. The dust raised could not even be extinguished by the rain, and the screams of the sentries followed.

Then it stopped abruptly.

A white and purple human figure jumped out from it.

People also saw the weapon in his hand.

"Inscribed Blade!" the Paladin exclaimed.

"Inscribed Blade..." Varnat gritted his teeth.

The sharp weapon in Mu Zhixue's hand that can cut through iron like mud is undoubtedly Ming Blade.

In the Holy Kingdom, only the Phoenix, who was born as a king, and the Sword Guardians and Flame Guardians are qualified to hold them; in the United Cities, they are regarded as the private property of the great lords and the symbol of the top families.

Now, have the pagans finally figured it out? They decided to give the inscribed blade to this slave-born imperial marshal, so that this captive monster could finally have his own sharp teeth.

However, Varnat also noticed that the inscribed blade in Eyeblood's hand was not made like an ordinary saber. Its curvature was twisted and strange. Rather than being used to kill people, it was more suitable for piercing and breaking the shells of certain creatures.

This is an extremely niche weapon.

Desert Knife.

Varnat has only been seen in the hands of certain hunters and despicable smugglers.

The latter is used to hunt blood spiders.

But no matter what! Even if it was just an iron rod of the Inscribed Blade grade in the hands of Eye Blood, it would be enough to overturn the world. The Pagan Empire made such a decision, and it seemed that it was really determined to capture the Shield City and break through the Iron Valley.

With a puff of blood in his eyes, the long knife pierced through the iron wall and hung this horrifying monster on it. People could already see his face clearly. He was covered with scars, the largest of which went through his entire cheek and all the way to one eye socket.

——It’s hollow inside.

It is said that when he was a captured slave, he broke free from his restraints, grabbed a knife and slit the throat of a nobleman, and his blood splattered into it.

In order to punish him for his rebellion, his master cut off his bloody eyeball alive.

An eye for a life.

From then on he was named Eye Blood.

The guards on the city wall subconsciously took a step back; fear overwhelmed the piety of these believers.

Varnat raised his sword.

He knew that the Oakland Shield alone could not stop the monster Eye Blood. The only one who could stop it was... no, no one could stop him.

The high-ranking judge smiled self-deprecatingly. The Holy Lord was born a king, but he and Seta relied on their martial arts and cunning to reach their current position step by step, second only to one man with great power.

But no matter how conceited Varnath was, he would never think that he could rival the Blood of the Eyes.

His persistence.

But it was just to die for the country.

"Woo——"

But at this moment, a melodious horn sounded from outside the city, resounding throughout the Iron Valley.

The United City army finally arrived.

Leading the army was another general, wearing neat and elegant armor, obviously of noble birth.

He looked at Mu Zhixue's back, his eyes full of indignation, but he didn't dare to show it at all.

Varnat was stunned for a moment.

After fighting for so long, he knew that this was the signal for the United City to withdraw its troops.

Sure enough, Mu Zhixue, who was about to climb up the city wall, suddenly stopped. He drew out his long sword and jumped down, turning his back to the alert and fearful paladins, and walked back step by step as if they did not exist at all.

The marshal did not return to the army.

Instead, he stopped in the open space between the two armies, next to a waiter who was covered in black.

The waiter saluted and bowed slightly in the direction of Oakland Shield and Varnat.

Varnat read his lips.

"We have not forgotten our promise to you," said the waiter, "the president never forgets."

At the same time, a group of envoys carrying gifts stood out from the crowd and arrived at the ruined city.

The High Inquisitor was silent for a moment.

Give the order to open the door.

He knew that he had no right to refuse.

The Oakland Shield held.

But the battle situation on the Iron Valley front will inevitably undergo earth-shaking changes.

Throughout this process, Blood of the Eyes remained silent. He held his long sword upside down, facing the direction of the United Cities army, accepting the cheers and admiring gazes of all the warriors - he was able to become the marshal of the empire from a slave. He was iron-blooded, loyal, silent, and incomparably powerful... Blood of the Eyes was the perfect role model for all soldiers.

This just confirms the imperial propaganda.

As long as you work hard, you can achieve a lot.

But Eye Blood just stood there, motionless so much that acid rain accumulated in the empty eye sockets and flowed down, while the only remaining eyeball did not reflect anything.

A cloudy grey.

Like he has no mind.

All the warriors could not see that under Muzhixue's armor skirt, he was not wearing military boots. Instead, he was wearing a specially made shackle chain that was tightly fastened on his feet.

Old, rusty, but indestructible.

From the beginning, it has never been taken down.

And it was under such constraints that he single-handedly flattened the entire Iron Valley.

(End of this chapter)