Real Mount and Blade Game

Zhang Bo, Sun Zhiru and others felt a chill running up their spines. The sudden and forceful departure of the Kugit Guard was like throwing an ice spike into warm water, instantly piercing the false harmony.

The banquet hall was dead silent, with only leftovers and a frozen, awkward atmosphere.

The Wood Elf dancers stopped dancing, and the Blue Star maids stood with their hands hanging down, not daring to breathe.

The smiles on Yang Di and Zhang Song's faces had long since frozen, turning into cold scrutiny, like two cold probes, firmly locked on everyone in the Dehrim negotiation team, especially Zhang Bo who was the first to bear the brunt.

The satisfaction that still remained on the faces of Sun Zhiru and other negotiation experts was now replaced by great astonishment and displeasure.

They felt that Captain Kugit was too rude and reckless, and was simply throwing the face of his master into the ground!
But they also felt a little uneasy.

No matter how strict the military order was, he insisted on leaving despite the other party's warm hospitality and was so tough, which revealed an indescribable strangeness and determination.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Just when the suffocating silence was about to overwhelm everyone's nerves, a deliberately high-pitched, slightly stiff laugh broke the deadlock.

It’s Zhang Bo.

He forced himself to smile brilliantly, as if nothing had happened just now, and took the initiative to pick up the wine glass in front of him. The amber honey wine in it was rippling with small ripples because of the uncontrollable trembling of his fingers.

"Boss Yang, Manager Zhang, and several department heads!"

Zhang Bo's voice was filled with exaggerated enthusiasm. He looked around the room with a broad smile, as if to dispel all the gloom. "The people below are ignorant and only know how to follow orders. It's really a bummer! I'm sorry to have embarrassed you all! The party is only halfway through, how can we just end it like that?"

His eyes focused on Yang Di, with great sincerity:
"We haven't had enough of Mr. Yang's hospitality, the delicious food and wine, and the moving songs and dances! Come, on behalf of Lord Shen Mu and all the colleagues at Dehrim, let me toast to Mr. Yang! Thank you for your trust and support. We will always remember this friendship!"

As he spoke, he tilted his head back and drank the wine in the glass in one gulp, his throat rolling, using the swallowing action to suppress the panic in his heart.

He could clearly feel Yang Di's eyes that were almost spitting fire staring at him, and it was definitely not just because he was unhappy about the captain's departure.

Because he also noticed that Yang Di seemed to be becoming less and less trusting of him because of the departure of these Kugit guards.

But Zhang Bo couldn't explain anything at all.

After all, he couldn't control these Kugit guards or these human soldiers from the spiritual world.

How could there be any explanation at this time?
"Yes, yes, yes! Manager Zhang is right!"

Although Sun Zhiru was nervous, as the second-in-command, he had to bite the bullet and take the lead.

He also forced a smile and picked up his glass to agree, "Boss Yang, calm down. The soldiers are crude and only know how to charge into battle. They don't know the ways of the world. It's really rude! We are still here, and our feelings are still here. The mood of this banquet cannot be ruined! Come on, let me toast you a glass too! The negotiations this afternoon have yielded fruitful results, and the prospects for cooperation are broad. It's worth getting drunk!"

Upon seeing this, the other negotiation experts also quickly suppressed their uneasiness and speculations, put on smiles, raised their glasses, and talked together to smooth things over, praising the delicious food and wine, the graceful dance of the wood elves, and thanking the Green Leaf Group for its hospitality.

For a moment, the banquet hall was filled with the chaotic and noisy sounds of clinking glasses and slightly hurried laughter, trying to use the noise to cover up the chill and embarrassment that penetrated deep into the bones.

The muscles on Yang Di's face twitched violently, and the knuckles that were gripping the wine glass turned white from the force.

The anger of being deceived and the shame of being forced into a desperate situation in his heart surged like magma, almost breaking through the dam of reason.

He looked at Zhang Bo's face, which was pretending to be calm and with a "sincere" smile, and felt it was extremely ironic.

This kid... is he acting?
Or is he covering up his shameful betrayal?

But he is Yang Di after all, the hero who struggled and fought his way out of the doomsday.

He took a deep breath, which was icy cold and finally suppressed his anger that was about to explode.

To turn against each other now would be tantamount to cutting off one's own path to survival!

plan……

The plan must go on!

"Haha, it's okay, it's okay..."

Yang Di pulled up the corners of his mouth and forced a smile, but the coldness and inquiry in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

He slowly raised his glass, glanced at Zhang Bo, Sun Zhiru and others, and slowly said, "Zhang Bo... Sir, Deputy Chief Sun, and all the experts. Young people are passionate, and military orders are as heavy as mountains. I can understand... I can understand."

He paused deliberately, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, full of inexplicable meaning: "The important thing is... the 'trust' between us is still there, and the basis for cooperation is still there, right? Come on, have a drink!"

He drank the wine in the glass in one gulp. The spicy liquid passed through his throat, but it could not dispel the chill in his heart and the feeling of being fooled.

Zhang Song managed his facial expression better than Yang Di.

He quickly regained his seemingly gentle yet distant expression, and raised his glass to smooth things over: "That's right, we are all family, so there is no need to worry about minor incidents. Everyone, continue, continue! Musicians, keep playing! Dancers, don't stop!"

He waved his hand, trying to liven up the atmosphere again.

The sound of stringed instruments and orchestras rang out again, but the melodious and lively sound seemed to be covered by a layer of shadow, becoming vague and uncertain.

The wood elves began to dance again, but their movements were obviously more restrained, their eyes were wandering, and they dared not look directly at the core figure in the field.

The Blue Star maids were more cautious when adding wine and serving food, for fear of triggering anything again.

The atmosphere at the following banquet became extremely weird.

As the cups clinked and the laughter continued, Yang Di and Zhang Song began to toast several young negotiation experts who seemed to be able to make breakthroughs more easily. They talked about insignificant details of "future cooperation", such as the transportation routes of certain materials and the possibility of integration of certain industries. The topic was intentionally or unintentionally guided to the details, as if the "friendly negotiations" on core interests at the negotiation table in the afternoon were a done deal.

Sun Zhiru and several experienced experts tried their best to cope with the situation, agreeing with any topic raised by the other party, no matter how empty.

They had smiles on their faces, but they were calculating rapidly in their minds.

The unusual departure of the guards was like a thorn in their hearts. Combined with the fact that their master was still chatting and laughing but with a coldness hidden deep in his eyes, they felt an ominous premonition, but they couldn't explain it clearly. They could only blame it on the recklessness of the Kugit team that angered them.

Zhang Bo became the center of everyone's attention.

He sat there, maintaining an impeccable social smile on his face, clinking glasses with every management director who came to toast him, and speaking appropriately.

However, only he himself knew that every time he raised the glass, his muscles had to exert all their strength to control the unnatural trembling;
Every time I look into Yang Di or Zhang Song's eyes, I need to mobilize all my energy to maintain that "sincerity" so as not to be broken down by that penetrating gaze.

Yang Di's gaze was like an invisible needle, piercing him from time to time.

Zhang Song's words were always full of hidden meanings: "Mr. Zhang Bo is deeply trusted by Lord Shen Mu and is entrusted with such an important task. He is really a young and promising man... His ease and composure really impresses us old guys."

The words "deeply trusted" and "at ease" sounded full of bitter sarcasm in Zhang Bo's ears.

Time flows by torturously amid the clinking of wine glasses and false laughter.

The richer the feast, the more decadent the singing and dancing, the heavier the uneasiness and suspicion in the air, like a poisonous vine spreading quietly in the depths of the night, tightly entwining the hearts of everyone present. Zhang Bo's heart pounded heavily in his chest, and every beat reminded him: the storm was coming, and they had lost their most powerful protective shield.

The lie of "everything is going well" is crumbling in this night shrouded by the rules of the dead.

As a prophecy mage, Zhang Bo finally discovered that there was a feeling that something was quite wrong looming in his heart.

This made Zhang Bo feel even more excited.

It's as if...

A big crisis is coming!

"Could it be that Yang Di and Zhang Song suspected that I had betrayed them, and then they don't want to play the role with me anymore, and want to overturn the table completely and fight to the death?" This thought came to Zhang Bo's mind.

This made his heart beat even faster.

"No, absolutely not! After the banquet, I must have a good talk with President Yang and Zhang Song about what happened! I must analyze with them exactly what happened!" Zhang Bo's heart was beating so fast that his hand holding the cup trembled slightly.

The forced smile on Zhang Bo's face was now like a mask stuck on the ground, and every slight twitch seemed extremely laborious.

Cold sweat, fine and icy, oozed uncontrollably from the corners of his forehead, slid across his temples, and left tiny wet marks.

The knuckles of his fingers holding the wine glass turned white from the force he exerted, but he still couldn't stop the barely perceptible yet clearly visible trembling. The amber wine swayed restlessly in the glass, reflecting the panic he was trying hard to hide deep in his eyes.

Yang Di's gaze was like an ice spike tempered with poison, taking in Zhang Bo's entire appearance.

That sweat, that trembling, where is the guilt for escorting the departure?

It's obvious that he has something to hide!
"He's scared!?"

Thoughts were swirling in Yang Di's mind, and murderous intent was about to burst out: "He was afraid that we would find out that he played both sides, and that we would see through his trick of betraying Lu Ye and joining Shen Mu! This cold sweat is the panic of fear of being exposed! This trembling is because he knows that he has chosen the wrong side, and it will be over soon!"

On the surface, Zhang Song was still talking in a graceful manner with a young expert next to him about "trade route optimization", but out of the corner of his eye he accurately caught the uneasiness that Zhang Bo instantly revealed.

He was more calm in his examination than Yang Di, but in the face of Zhang Bo's obviously excessive physiological reaction, the balance in Zhang Song's heart completely tipped towards the worst guess.

Their eyes met briefly across the noisy banquet.

No words were needed, Yang Di's eyes were filled with rage and urging to "take action", while Zhang Song gave the order "the outer garrison must be notified immediately and raise the highest alert."

Zhang Song tilted his head slightly, and was about to whisper an order to his confidant standing behind him, asking the defenders to immediately impose martial law and prepare for counterattacks, and never give Dehrim or Shen Mu any chance to cooperate from inside or outside - especially to prevent the already evacuated Kugit guards from suddenly launching an attack!

Although these are just their speculations, they still have to be careful based on such speculations.

at this time--

"Woo——!!!"

A shrill and long horn sound suddenly tore through the originally peaceful night sky of the village!

The sound penetrated the exquisite wooden walls, drowned out the forced music and laughter in the hall, and exploded deep in everyone's eardrums like the horn of death!

The wine glass in Zhang Bo's hand fell to the ground with a "bang", and the wine and fragments splashed!
The blood color on his face instantly faded, leaving only a deathly gray, and his pupils shrank sharply due to great fear.

"Here it comes...it's coming..." The cold shudder brought by the intuition of the prophecy mage instantly overwhelmed him.

This sound is the sound of the horn blowing, launching the general attack!
The expressions on Yang Di and Zhang Song’s faces also froze instantly!
However, before the sound of the horn faded away in the stunned air...

"Enemy attack!!!"

"Enemy! There is an enemy!!"

"what--!"

"The sound of horses' hooves! Cavalry! Lots of cavalry!"

"Hold on! Shoot! Stop them!"

"The city wall was breached!!!"

Heart-wrenching cries, desperate screams, the piercing sound of swords clashing, and the sound that came from far away, like thunder rolling and surging tides, becoming clearer, more dense, and more terrifying -

The sound of thousands of galloping horses was like a series of heavy hammers, smashing the last bit of false calm that the banquet hall was barely maintaining!
This is no longer a commotion in the outside world, but the entire Green Leaf Group. This seemingly peaceful and harmonious wood elf village is burning, bleeding, and being ruthlessly trampled by war and iron hooves!

The entire banquet hall seemed to be thrown into an extremely cold ice cave in an instant!

The sound of stringed instruments suddenly stopped, and the strings in the musician's hands broke!

The graceful movements of the wood elf dancer were frozen in a posture of fear, and the gauze sleeves fell limply!

The Blue Star maids screamed and squatted down with their heads in their hands.

The negotiation experts who had been polite just now were all pale and dumbfounded.

Dead silence.

A deathly silence that was colder and more desperate than when the Khurgit guards left enveloped everything.

Everyone's eyes, including the unbelievable and horrified eyes of Sun Zhiru and others, subconsciously turned to Zhang Bo!
All the anger and suspicion in Yang Di's eyes completely turned into murderous intent and a kind of rage of being played with in the palm of one's hand at this moment!
He stood up suddenly, and his strength was so great that he knocked over the long table in front of him, and precious utensils and dishes fell to the ground with a crackling sound.

"Zhang Bo!!!"

Yang Di's voice was like the cold wind of the underworld, and every word was filled with ice. "You are a traitor who betrays his master for fame and fortune! Is this your sincerity in the negotiations?! Is this what you call 'trust'?!"

He drew the sword from his waist, the blade flashing a fierce light under the magic lamp, and pointed it directly at Zhang Bo, whose face was pale and his whole body was shaking like a sieve.

All disguises were torn to pieces!

All doubts were confirmed by the cruel reality!

In the minds of Yang Di and Zhang Song, this sudden and fatal attack was the signal sent by Zhang Bo, the "traitor"!

It was after he "sent away" the Kugit guards that he faced the fatal blow!
Dehrim's "betrayal" and sneak attack has begun!

And they were sitting in the banquet hall, and because of Zhang Bo's performance, they almost lost their last vigilance and reaction time!
Under the cover of the undead rules as night falls, it is a cold night of killing.

It actually landed in his Green Leaf Group, his Wood Elf Village! (End of this chapter)