In the Ming Dynasty, I became invincible simply by extracting memories!

That night, Shen Lian sat alone on the city wall, gazing at the silent lights on the sea. Yi Dong brought him a bowl of hot water, and Yi Xia was by his side. None of the three spoke; they simply watched the sea in silence.

Zhao Wenbao wasn't entirely wicked; he still harbored thoughts of repentance, yet he met a tragic end with a broken neck. In contrast, Li Gui, facing enemy swords and spears on the battlefield, was a true hero of unwavering integrity. But once he found himself in the gambling den, he utterly succumbed to greed and became a coward. A closer look at humanity reveals that we are all constantly struggling against our own inner demons and weaknesses. Now, both men have met their end, each paying an irreversible price for their past choices.

Shen Lian thought to himself that he was also melting little by little in the warmth of his comrades, letting go of the wariness and alienation of a transmigrator, and even feeling at one point that he had really integrated into this era, had really become a part of this army, and could live as an ordinary Ming person. But Zhao Wenbao and Li Gui also sounded an alarm for him.

Regardless of right or wrong, innocence or not, what remains for Shen Lian and his group is only the ruins of a large city that is in turmoil and on the verge of collapse.

Shen Lian took out Zhao Wenbao's unmailed letter from his pocket and read it again under the moonlight. The handwriting on the letter was crooked and shaky, as if he wanted to carve all the guilt and regret in his heart into the paper.

"Mother, your son is unfilial... I kowtow to you and apologize."

He never had the chance to go home again.

A night breeze blew from the sea, carrying a salty, fishy smell. In the distance, the lights of Wu Ping's fleet and camps resembled the eyes of a pack of wolves eyeing a piece of meat about to be devoured—Dacheng Fortress.

But Shen Lian knew that Wu Ping would not abandon Dacheng Suo just because he lost a few inside agents.

He mentally weighed the current situation over and over again. In reality, he only had two paths before him. The first was to call for reinforcements. Two days ago, Yu Dayou had already dispatched three convoys of fast horses to request aid from Chaozhou Prefecture, Huizhou Prefecture, and the Fujian Provincial Military Command. However, the nearest prefecture, Chaozhou, was nearly two hundred li away; even if reinforcements traveled day and night, it would take at least three days to arrive. And Dacheng Fortress couldn't hold out for three days. After several days of bloody fighting, over four hundred and twenty men had died, and countless others were wounded. Deng Cheng was seriously wounded, Tang Kekuan was unconscious, the artillery battalion had only thirty percent of its gunpowder left, fewer than twenty cannonballs, and all its arrows were exhausted. With its current strength, if Wu Ping launched another general offensive tomorrow, Dacheng Fortress could only hold out until noon at the latest.

The second option was retreat. Under the cover of night, they would abandon Dacheng Fortress and break out towards Chaozhou Prefecture. However, this route was also fraught with danger. Not only had Wu Ping and others deployed scouts outside the city, ready to pursue at the slightest sign of trouble, but even if they managed to escape unscathed, Dacheng Fortress, the gateway to Chaozhou, would fall into Wu Ping's hands, essentially giving him a natural military fortress. Wu Ping could hold the city, advancing to attack Chaozhou and Jieyang, or retreating by sea to Zhao'an. At that point, the entire situation in eastern Guangdong would be beyond repair.

Both paths are dead ends.

Shen Lian's gaze fell on the faintly visible "Wu" flag on the sea. He recalled a saying: "To catch the thief, first catch the king." Since they couldn't hold the position, they should at least prevent Wu Ping from attacking. Without supplies and gunpowder, the thousands of Japanese pirates were like trapped beasts waiting to be slaughtered. Tang Kekuan's plan was quite insightful; it just needed a suitable executor.

Once the thought took hold, it could no longer be suppressed. He didn't consult Yu Dayou. First, Yu Dayou would never agree; a trusted Imperial Guard on official business leading a few men into an enemy camp of thousands was tantamount to suicide in the eyes of any general. Second, this was a task only he could undertake; Tang Kekuan and Deng Cheng were already immobilized. Furthermore, he knew he possessed the ability to extract memories from his past life, enabling him to find a way out in dire circumstances.

Shen Lian looked towards Wu Ping's camp outside the city, where bonfires burned brightly.

Tonight, he will venture into the lion's den.

Shen Lian set off at midnight.

The moonlight was obscured by clouds, and the sea was pitch black, with only the campfires in the Japanese pirate camp flickering in the distance. Shen Lian, along with Yi Dong and Yi Xia, and two reliable local soldiers familiar with the waterways outside the city, one named Chen Lao Hai and the other He San, quietly rappelled down the city wall through a collapsed gap in the southeast corner.

All five men were dressed in dark short-sleeved shirts, their faces smeared with mud and ash, with short knives at their waists. Shen Lian also carried his two short guns, loaded with ammunition, and Fang Xuejian's last bag of gunpowder.

The mudflats outside the city were littered with corpses. The remains of two days of fierce fighting had not yet been buried and lay scattered haphazardly in the night, the air thick with the stench of blood and decay. Shen Lian stepped on the corpse of a Japanese pirate, slipped, and nearly fell. Yi Dong caught him from behind, their hands clasping tightly in the darkness before releasing.

Chen Laohai knew the local waterways like the back of his hand. He led four men past the Japanese pirate patrols and crept towards the pirate camp along a dry ditch. The ditch was lined with reeds, which provided perfect cover. In the distance, they heard a commotion from the pirate camp. They were drinking, laughing wildly, and shouting in Japanese that Shen Lian couldn't understand, probably celebrating their victory that day and thinking they could raze the city to the ground the next day.

"A bunch of beasts," He San muttered under his breath. His village had been massacred by Japanese pirates, and of his entire family of seven, only he remained.

Shen Lian patted him on the shoulder.

As they approached the Japanese pirate camp, Shen Lian stopped. A simple fence made of sharpened wooden stakes surrounded the camp, with sentries patrolling every few dozen paces, torches in hand. Inside, tents stretched as far as the eye could see, the campfires casting indistinct shadows. The largest tent in the very center, with a flag bearing the character "Wu" atop it, was likely Wu Ping's central command tent.

The tent was brightly lit, and figures could be seen moving about in the distance, clearly still discussing matters. If only I could rush in amidst the chaos and kill Wu Ping with a single blow—

Shen Lian suppressed the thought. A decapitation strike was too risky; the guards around the central command tent would undoubtedly be the tightest. Tonight's target was the supplies and gunpowder, not Wu Ping's head. As long as the supplies and gunpowder were burned, even if Wu Ping had three heads and six arms, he would have no choice but to retreat.

Shen Lian's gaze slowly swept across the camp, searching for the location of provisions and gunpowder. Normally, provisions and gunpowder should be stored at the rear of the camp, away from campfires and open flames.

"There." Shen Lian pointed in that direction. "Chen Laohai, He San, you two stay outside and provide backup. Yi Dong and Yi Xia, come in with me."

Chen Laohai grabbed Shen Lian's sleeve: "Lord Shen, I'll go in with you. General Yu saved my life from the Japanese pirates' blades. Dying here today is worth it."

The old fisherman's face flickered in and out of focus in the firelight, his eyes gleaming. Shen Lian patted him on the shoulder: "Stay outside and provide backup. If we can't get out, go back and tell General Yu that Shen Lian is determined to burn Wu Ping's supplies and gunpowder."

Chen Laohai's eyes reddened, and he loosened his grip.

Shen Lian led Yi Dong and Yi Xia towards the fence. They chose a gap in the sentry's patrol. Yi Dong was the first to vault over the fence, landing silently; Yi Xia followed closely behind; Shen Lian was the last to vault, but his clothes were caught on a sharp wooden stake, tearing a gash with a soft ripping sound. The three of them froze simultaneously, holding their breath. A sentry not far away stopped and glanced in their direction, the torchlight illuminating his suspicious face. He didn't look for anything, probably assuming it was just the sea breeze rustling the tents, and turned back to continue his patrol.

Shen Lian breathed a sigh of relief and gestured to Yi Dong and Yi Xia. The three of them, crouching low, continued to sneak towards the rear of the camp, using the shadows of the tents as cover.

However, after venturing no more than a hundred paces into the heart of the camp, the three completely lost their way. The Japanese pirate camp was filled with tents scattered haphazardly, all identical gray-white curtains, making it impossible to distinguish east from west. Even worse, the area was riddled with hidden sentries, with silent Japanese pirate guards lurking everywhere.

Shen Lian's heart sank. He realized he had been careless, that damned overconfidence. Wu Ping, who had been able to roam the seas for so many years, was no ordinary bandit. This camp, seemingly chaotic, was actually a well-organized military tactic, rife with killing intent. When he observed from afar earlier, he had only noticed the visible patrols, never expecting the hidden sentries to be so densely packed.

Yi Dong crawled over: "Young Master, we can't get out. There are sentries hiding." Yi Xia also quickly shielded Shen Lian behind her.

Before they could finish speaking, two Japanese pirate sentries suddenly emerged from behind a tent about ten paces ahead, carrying torches and heading towards their hiding place. With sentries in front, hidden agents behind, and ambushes on all sides, the three were trapped in a desperate situation.

Shen Lian's mind went blank. At this moment, the slightest movement would cause Japanese pirates to swarm in from all directions. Forget about burning their supplies; it would be a pipe dream if the three of them could even survive with intact corpses. He forced himself to calm down, his gaze sweeping around, when it suddenly landed on a lone Japanese pirate patrolling to his left. The man was alone, his back to them, and a few steps away from the sentry.

"Yi Dong and Yi Xia, capture the one alive and leave him for me." Shen Lian pointed.

The two women instantly understood his meaning. Yi Dong's figure flashed, skimming the ground like a ghost, while Yi Xia flanked him from the side. The two worked together seamlessly; before the Japanese pirate could turn his head, Yi Dong's short knife was already at his neck, and Yi Xia simultaneously covered his mouth, dragging him into the shadows of the tent. The entire process took no more than three breaths, without uttering a single unnecessary sound.

Shen Lian slammed his right hand down on the Japanese pirate's head, and his memory extraction ability was activated.

In an instant, countless fragmented images and sounds flooded his mind like a tidal wave.

Shen Lian gasped for breath, cold sweat beading on his forehead. This extraction was even more mentally taxing than before. The Japanese pirates' minds were filled with brutal images of murder, arson, rape, and plunder, forcing Shen Lian to suppress the urge to vomit while reading the images. But it was worth it; he had found the core location of the grain storage.

"Follow me. Turn right thirty paces ahead, avoiding those two sentries. Climb along the stinking ditch behind the cooks' camp to the supply depot; there's a way out."

After climbing for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, they approached several tents. Each tent was surrounded by at least seven or eight sentries, patrolling back and forth with torches, making the defenses much tighter than the outer perimeter. A row of wooden barrels was piled up at the entrance of the tents, and Shen Lian immediately recognized the markings on the barrels: black background with red characters that read "saltpeter," "sulfur," and "charcoal." Those were gunpowder.

Shen Lian hid behind a tent. The curtain was lifted slightly, revealing sacks piled high inside. The sacks were printed with the words "Zhao'an Meiling," indicating that they were grain supplies that Wu Ping had brought from his stronghold.

Shen Lian's heart was pounding. He'd found it.

He took out a gunpowder pack and a tinderbox from his pocket and whispered to Yi Dong and Yi Xia, "I'll go burn the grain fodder. You two go blow up the gunpowder depot. Once the fire is lit, rush out immediately and don't look back."

Yi Dong grabbed his wrist: "Let's go together."

"Splitting up will increase the success rate." Shen Lian brushed her hand away. "Don't worry, I'm tough."

Yi Dong looked at Shen Lian, hesitating several times as if he wanted to say something, his brows furrowed with unconcealed worry. Finally, he took a gunpowder pouch from his waist, solemnly placed it in Shen Lian's palm, and earnestly said, "Young Master, take an extra one, just in case."

Shen Lian took it and nodded. The three of them exchanged a glance in the shadows, then went their separate ways.

Shen Lian crept towards the supply tent. Just then, the sentry turned to patrol in another direction, and Shen Lian seized the opportunity, crawling close to the ground. The tent's canvas was thick; he drew his short knife, cut a slit in the bottom of the tent, and crawled inside.

The tent was piled high with sacks, stacked one on top of the other, almost reaching the top. Shen Lian cut open a sack, and white rice spilled out. He cut open a few more, confirmed they were all filled with grain, then stuffed a gunpowder pack deep into the pile and lit the fuse.

The fuse hissed and burned, emitting a faint red glow in the darkness. Shen Lian crawled out of the tent through the knife's edge and ran desperately outside.

He had only run a dozen steps when a deafening roar came from behind him.

The gunpowder depot exploded.

The gunpowder packs on the other side, belonging to Yi Dong and Yi Xia, exploded first. In an instant, a huge fireball rose into the air from the location of the gunpowder tent, illuminating the entire camp. The blast wave uprooted the surrounding tents, scattering fragments of wooden barrels, tent canvas, and human remains everywhere. Immediately afterward, the grain tent that Shen Lian had lit also exploded. The gunpowder packs ignited the sacks, and flames leaped from inside the tent, engulfing it in the blink of an eye. Flames licked at the adjacent tents, and sacks of grain burned one after another, the flames shooting into the sky, reddening half the night sky.

The Japanese pirate camp was instantly thrown into chaos.

Awakened, the Japanese pirates rushed out of their tents, some shirtless, some wearing only trousers, knives in hand, unsure where to strike. Some shouted, "Fire!" others, "Ming army attacking the camp!", while others ran around like headless flies. Flames spread from the supply area, igniting tent after tent, billowing thick smoke that blotted out the sky.

In the chaos, Shen Lian ran desperately towards the outside. Suddenly, a Japanese pirate rushed out from the side, raising his sword to slash at him. Shen Lian dodged to the side, and with a backhand strike, plunged his sword into the pirate's stomach. The man screamed and fell to the ground. Shen Lian didn't have time to pull out his sword and continued running.

After running a few steps, he inexplicably turned back to look towards the direction of the central command tent. In the firelight, he saw Wu Ping being escorted out of the tent by several guards. The short, wiry warlord stood in the firelight, watching the flames soaring into the sky, his face ashen, but without panic. He turned and gave a few instructions to those around him, then strode towards the fleet on the shore; he was retreating.

Yi Xia's voice came from behind: "Young Master Shen! Over here!"

Shen Lian turned his head and saw Yi Dong and Yi Xia running towards him. Yi Dong's face was blackened by the smoke, and a section of his hair was singed; Yi Xia was covering the wound on her shoulder, and blood was seeping from between her fingers.

The three men met up and rushed out of the camp. The fire behind them grew larger and larger, and the explosions from the gunpowder depot continued to ring out—the remaining gunpowder stored there had been ignited by the flames. Each explosion shook the earth.

As they scaled the fence, Chen Laohai and He San were already anxiously waiting. The five of them ran desperately towards Dacheng Suo along the path they had come from. Behind them, the Japanese pirate camp had become a sea of ​​fire, flames shooting higher than the masts and turning the sea surface a fiery red.

On the city wall, Yu Dayou and Deng Cheng gazed at the towering flames. Lying on a stretcher, Deng Cheng grinned, but as he laughed, tears streamed down his face: "Damn it... that Imperial Guard, he's got guts..."

Tang Kekuan also woke up, murmuring, "Good fever... good fever..."

One by one, the soldiers on the city wall stood up, and something shone in their eyes—a renewed hope in the face of despair. Everyone present held their breath, their hearts heavy with unease, their gazes fixed on the raging flames.

Everyone stared intently at the blurry figure approaching from afar in the flickering firelight.