Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

Patrick nodded slightly, gesturing for him to come to his side, and then continued to wait patiently. After a while, a similarly thin man, but a head shorter than Ulterbandora, pushed open the door and entered. He glanced at the first man with slight surprise, seemingly astonished that he wasn't the first to fall.

“I am Dorsyat, my lord, here to obey your commands.”

Patrick nodded again and waved for him to wait aside, ready to welcome the last participant so they could truly immerse themselves in the activity.

This time, however, they waited for what could be described as a very long time, until the moon in the sky reached an unsettling height, but the planned third assassin still did not appear. Sending out two other people to search the surrounding area also failed to find any signs of approaching, which almost confirmed that he had failed to show up.

"...He may have been captured by those Black Crows, sir. We've had a very difficult journey here...The Imperial jailers are regaining control of this land, and their Emperor's henchmen are operating in the shadows. We face numerous dangers on this land..."

Patrick frowned:

Is there a risk that he might leak information?

“No, you can rest assured, sir.” Ultbandora quickly shook his head. “After suffering a few losses, we now take immediate action as soon as we are captured. His body should have been completely devoured by the parasites. Unless someone can interrogate his soul, the Imperials will not be able to get any information from him.”

Patrick hesitated. Such a change in circumstances for such a dangerous mission meant that the situation had become unstable, and this instability was often fatal... If it were for the sake of caution, he should abandon the mission immediately. Most failed assassins had sent themselves into the abyss because of one or two careless mistakes.

Seemingly sensing his thoughts, Ultebandura quickly spoke up:

"My lord, we have no more chances. The mission absolutely cannot be terminated, otherwise, if we have such an opportunity again, we don't know what price we will have to pay."

"...Alright, it seems we have no choice but to do this even with one less person. But first we need clear enough information, otherwise we'll just be going to our deaths."

“I’m prepared for this…” This time it was Dorsyat who spoke. “It’s certain that the target will clean up the water sources one by one. We just need to wait near a confirmed contaminated water source to get close… That’s not quite accurate. It’s certain that there will be a large number of elite soldiers protecting the target. Although we know the target’s whereabouts, it will be difficult for us to get close.”

Patrick nodded slightly. He knew, of course, that this mission was fraught with difficulty, even bordering on life-or-death. A single misstep could land him in grave danger... but he had no other choice, and he believed the two others had no other choice either.

He stared at the locations marked on the map in silence for a long time, then selected several places with his finger in succession:

"None of these will work... The terrain is too narrow and simple, there's nowhere to hide or retreat. This place won't work either, it's too open and flat..."

After much deliberation and considering only a few locations, the three of them racked their brains... but still couldn't find a truly feasible plan with a high success rate.

This near-helplessness can easily lead to despair, and they were no exception. But just as Patrick was feeling overwhelmed and disheartened, a sudden thought popped into his head, startling him, and then he suddenly understood:

"What if we use a powerful crossbow to snipe them from a distance?..."

The other two fell silent immediately, but their silence carried a similar sense of realization as his, and he also understood at the same time—they were used to relying on their extraordinary bodies to assassinate the targets assigned to them, and they had succeeded many times in doing so. Because of this, they subconsciously did not consider the methods that ordinary assassins would use—such as using a powerful crossbow.

This dangerous weapon is even powerful enough to pierce through iron armor and easily kill a lion. Moreover, it can achieve their goal from a great distance and give them enough time to retreat after succeeding... The more the group thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, but they also fell into an awkward silence.

In the end, Patrick was unwilling to waste any more time.

“Now that we’ve made the decision, let’s each go and prepare. As for the final location, let’s choose a village or town near this hill… Urtbandora, go and observe the site tomorrow and find a suitable place. We only have one chance; if we fail once, we’ll put ourselves in danger.”

"At the same time, don't forget to be careful with disguise. The Imperials' hounds and crows are hunting us down. Their eyes will be more and more numerous, while our eyes will be fewer and fewer."

In the darkness, the three silently exchanged glances and nodded, then, under the cover of night, quietly left. In the dark jungle, only a round-headed bird perched on a treetop witnessed this scene, turning its head and emitting continuous cooing sounds. Under the table, it was pinching a struggling mouse, about to be disemboweled.

It hesitated for a moment, but ultimately paid no heed, lowering its head to begin processing its prey with its sharp beak. Amidst the mouse's tiny, pitiful cries, the branches and leaves in the jungle rustled against each other, as if something was scurrying about inside…

Chapter 398 Misguided Intent (4)

The crossbow is an extremely dangerous weapon, for everyone—with just a slight pull of the trigger, the powerful crossbow arm is enough to send the short bolt flying at a terrifying speed, easily taking the lives of most creatures. Even heavily armored warriors can lose their lives to a crossbow bolt if they are not careful...

In a sense, this weapon easily bridges the gap between people, since whether you are a noble emperor or a lowly beggar, this thing treats everyone equally.

This is why, in any country, the crossbow is a strictly controlled weapon. Bows and arrows, which are simple to make and difficult to control, are extremely common. After all, people everywhere need them to hunt rabbits. However, once a crossbow is discovered, the person will be arrested immediately. It is quite difficult to obtain one, let alone on a whim without any preparation.

But if you have enough gold coins, that's a different story. In the dark corners of those cities and the rural outskirts, as long as you know where to find those people, you can naturally buy what you want by paying more money. Just be careful not to get your throat slit.

Ultbandora easily infiltrated the black market. He had already disguised himself, looking like a middle-aged man with a square face, completely different from his previous tall and thin appearance. His face was covered with scars of all sizes, making him look like a ruthless character who had been through a lot of bloodshed. This carefully chosen disguise saved him a lot of trouble.

Following them, they made their way through a maze of twists and turns, passing through passages that most people couldn't even imagine, and even crawling through a dog hole, until they finally found their destination—a dark and damp little house deep in the street.

He pushed open the door almost without warning, and the instant he entered, four or five strong men appeared outside the house, each holding a sharp blade and a short axe. Inside the house, four burly men were already waiting, each holding a weapon and with fierce expressions, surrounding him.

An ordinary person would probably be too scared to move in this situation, but he had expected it. After all, he knew very well that those who dared to do this business were definitely not kind-hearted people, and expecting them to trade fairly and follow the rules was wishful thinking.

"Are people no longer interested in gold coins?"

He calmly drew the short sword from his waist, expertly pointing the gleaming blade forward. He immediately retreated to the door panel to ensure he wouldn't be attacked from behind before speaking to the man who was clearly the leader.

The other man was a fierce-looking fellow with a thick beard, wielding a wood-chopping axe with a broad blade and a short handle, perfectly suited for fighting in such a narrow and dark place. He frowned, staring intently at the uninvited guest.

“I don’t do shady business. You’re some nobody who came from, and you’re asking to buy illegal weapons right off the bat… Who knows who you are? You might just cause us trouble. It’s better to just chop you up now. Nobody knows what we’ll be feeding the pigs tonight.”

"are you sure?"

Ultbandora raised an eyebrow:

"I definitely can't beat all of you, but I'm sure I can take two of you down with me before I die. Are you sure you want to risk two lives for this doubt?... Besides, you dared to attack without even knowing who's behind me. Aren't you afraid of retaliation later?"

The men, who had initially appeared aggressive, immediately hesitated... They weren't some deeply entrenched, old-school gangsters; those old-timers had already been thoroughly discredited and hardened by time. They were just a new gang gathered together by a few bold and wicked individuals, and they hadn't even started developing their criminal businesses yet.

This is precisely why their outward strength and inner weakness were seen by Urtbandora. He also knew very well that just a few words of intimidation were enough to make them waver and thus achieve his goal.

As expected, after hesitating for a moment, the leader decisively changed his mind and nodded to him:

"Alright, we don't want to provoke you either. I do have what you want here. Let's both keep our hands clean, do the business and then pretend we never met."

"Of course, that's why I'm here."

The leader nodded, then looked at someone next to him. The person quickly turned around, crawled into the gifts, rummaged through them slightly, and then took out something wrapped in a black cloth.

"This is an old thing used for hunting lions. It's a bit old, but it's still quite powerful. Ordinary armor is like paper in front of it. Its arm, which is wrapped with tendons and horns, is harder than my second brother. You have to step on it to pull it open. However, there aren't many arrows, only three. If you want them, it'll cost 30 gold coins, as long as the Imperial Dinar has enough large gold coins."

He took it, shook off the black cloth, and carefully examined the powerful crossbow, which was as long as an arm... This crossbow was used to hunt the lions that roamed the southern forests. The paint was peeling and the crossbow arm was bent forward. There were white ram horns attached to the back and thick sinews in the front. The string was as thick as half a finger, and the crossbow mechanism was polished brass.

This is not a particularly exquisite weapon, but it is sturdy and reliable enough, and its power should not be underestimated... But no matter what, it is definitely not worth 30 gold coins, not even three.

He checked the crossbow's condition, stepped into the lower ring, pulled it open forcefully, and after confirming that the force and elasticity were satisfactory, slowly put it back in. Then he wrapped it again with the black cloth before raising his head.

"Okay, deal."

The gang leader's face immediately showed surprise and regret, and at the same time, a chilling greed quickly welled up:

"No, I misspoke, it's 50 gold coins!!"

"make a deal."

"!! 70!"

"make a deal."

The gang leader's face now showed only surprise, followed by greed and malice.

"No, that's not right. I want all the money you have on you!"

Almost everyone present was stunned by the terrifying amount. The previous asking price of 30 gold coins was just an exorbitant demand; who could have imagined that the other party would agree so readily? This made them think of even more...

Realizing that the other party might have enough money to live comfortably for the rest of their lives, no one could remain calm. Heavy breathing and red eyes communicated with each other, and the axe in their hands creaked as they gripped it. They were no longer the worried people they had been before, and they didn't want to think about anything except money.

This time, Ultbandora wore a very hesitant expression, mixed with just the right amount of annoyance, as if the other party's words had crossed his bottom line, making him consider whether to cancel the deal... But in the end, he sighed, his face ashen, and looked up:

"...Fine, I'll give it to you, but I hope you won't push your luck. We're not people to be trifled with."

As he spoke, he pulled a bulging bag from his pocket, which made a crisp sound when he shook it in his hand, and then gestured for one of them to come over and take it.

Without hesitation, the gang leader stepped forward, even tucking his axe into his belt, and reached out to grab the money bag—he wouldn't allow anyone else to touch the money inside.

The bag was as heavy as he had expected. He had no idea how much gold was inside, which made him grin from ear to ear, revealing his yellowed teeth. He couldn't wait to open the bag and take a look.

But when the bag was untied, it didn't emit a bright golden light. In his stunned gaze, he saw only small pieces of broken tiles, piled up in various sizes, looking like tiles from someone's roof had fallen to the ground and been collected into this bag.

"How dare you play me! You bastard!"

Enraged, he reached for the axe at his waist, determined to chop the man into mincemeat. But the moment he looked up, he was drenched in hot blood, and then, as if punched hard, he was thrown backward.

In his vision, which made him wonder if he was dreaming, he only saw two of his men with their necks mostly severed, and the figure wreaking havoc among his own men—he only saw the other's hand move a few simple movements, like swatting away flies, while his men were already cut to pieces. The foul-smelling entrails spilled onto the ground like slaughtered livestock, and blood gushed from their severed necks like a fountain…

To him, the gangsters' counterattacks were as ridiculous as dancing children—these guys weren't even very good at fighting, wielding machetes and axes in a straightforward, reckless, and chaotic manner. A veteran who had fought for two years could easily kill them one by one with just a shield, and a little blood would completely throw them off balance.

In the span of a few breaths, he had already slit the throat of the sixth man. The remaining three turned and fled, including the leader. Unsurprisingly, they collided violently at the narrow opening that could only allow one person to squeeze through, desperately pushing and squeezing each other, using the most vicious curses and beatings to try to drive each other away and escape.

Whoosh! Pfft!

The crossbow bolt flew with a deep, resonant thud, piercing another man's head right before the gang leader's eyes and pinning his head to a wooden board. The crushed skull and splattering blood flew into his eyes, causing him to let out a scream that was not human, and he suddenly curled up to the side.

This gave the remaining person an opportunity, and he suddenly squeezed out of the hole. At that moment, his face was filled with the joy of surviving a disaster, and his steps became much lighter.

incite!!

The crossbow bolt pierced his throat and emerged from the front. The sole survivor stared in fear and surprise at the arrow tip protruding from under his chin. He tried to say something but could only cough up bloody foam. Finally, he collapsed forward, convulsed and crawled for a while before stopping.

Urtbandora put down the crossbow with satisfaction—he was now quite certain that it would help him easily kill a target a hundred paces away, as long as the target was not wearing heavy armor.

The last remaining gang leader was so terrified he couldn't move. His eyes were glazed over, his face was pale, and his hands and feet were trembling. He was too weak to speak. Ultebandora walked up to him, grabbed his hair, and dragged him forward forcefully.

At that moment, the strong man screamed like a frightened child, struggling desperately. Then, when a hard leather boot slammed into his stomach, he stopped moving completely and was dragged to the toilet like a dead pig.

"Pee-pee—"

He held up a finger to signal the other man to be quiet, then kicked him in the knee, forcing him to kneel beside the toilet. The strong man didn't struggle at all, just trembled as he let him grab his hair and pull it back, exposing his taut neck.

After doing all this, he slightly bent his wrist, and then, with the twitching of muscles and the changes in bones, a sharp, sturdy bone blade with serrations and barbs emerged from the gap between the ulna and humerus. He gently pressed it against the other person's skin and pulled it back lightly.

This simple action immediately caused terrible damage. The bone blade easily sliced ​​through flesh and cartilage, tore apart all the soft tissues that stood in its way, and even made a deep cut on the neck bone, almost directly severing the opponent's head. A large amount of blood was also splashed into the toilet dug in the ground in front of them without any obstruction.

While the other person was still struggling and convulsing, he simply let go, letting the guy fall headfirst into the stinking outhouse. After a brief struggle, he was completely submerged inside...

He then did the same thing, throwing all the other corpses in—fortunately, the toilet was dug deep enough and contained enough contents to bury all the bodies…and the stench of the excrement also largely masked the smell of the rotting corpses.

As for the bloodstains on the ground, simply find some loose ash from the wall and sprinkle it evenly on top, then sweep it a few times with a broom to perfectly cover them up... at least for a short time, there won't be any flaws.

"Thank goodness you picked a good spot, otherwise I'd still be having a headache for a while..."

He chuckled, then kicked the bag full of tiles into the toilet. He then hid the black cloth covering the crossbow in his clothes, turned, and walked out. As he left, his appearance rapidly changed because he had put on a fake beard and removed the paper padding from his face. He also changed the side of his cloak, exposing the patterns underneath.

Chapter 399 Misguided Intent (5)

Tosalis... It's the name of a fortress, a nail deeply embedded in the western mountains of the empire, firmly strangling any possibility of the western nations trying to fortify the region, making it a weak point in some sense.

This place was a thorn in the side for every Western king. Throughout history, they had assembled allied forces to try to destroy the fortress more than once, but without exception, they all failed. The best outcome was that they would suffer heavy losses and then retreat, while the worst outcome was that they would be completely defeated by the Empire's reinforcements right under the fortress, suffering countless losses... There were even instances where two kings died in the chaos of battle, and their heads were cut off by the Empire as spoils of war.

After several consecutive failures, the king and dukes' confidence was severely shaken, and they dared not make any rash moves. Even when they made a few more attempts, they were always on edge, like cats offering their paws, ready to retreat at any moment. But this place was just too crucial and an eyesore, a real thorn in their side. So even though they knew the Empire's intentions, they could only obediently allow a large amount of their military force to be tied up here.

Salanod is the front line against the Empire, but other kingdoms can't stand idly by either, and they send reinforcements every time they fight the Empire.

According to ancient tradition, the king of Salanod often becomes the de facto commander of the allied forces due to his long-term dedication and perseverance. This is also because the country has fought the most battles with the empire and is the most experienced. It is the choice made by the countries after suffering losses several times.

Today, the allied forces of the various nations have once again gathered on the vast plains of the Kingdom of Salanod, and the commander of the allied forces, Redbeard Yotsero, has finally met the nobles he needs to lead... although this meeting is not particularly pleasant.

Yotserlo the Redbeard was never a mild-mannered man. He was known throughout the region as the Butcher, not only because he was ruthless towards his own people, cutting off fingers for stealing more than 10 copper coins, but also because he was ruthless towards his opponents, resorting to murder, attacks, threats... He never hesitated to use any means necessary, and in most cases, he would clean up their messes. Only those opponents who lost their families truly revealed his cruelty. He ruled the entire kingdom with absolute bloodshed and fear, making him an absolute tyrant.