Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

Even though they gathered late at night, the empire's civilians maintained a certain level of discipline and order. Many took out copper plates and wooden hammers from their houses, striking them forcefully to produce sharp sounds while shouting loudly:

"There's a thief! There's a thief! Get up! Get up!"

It was as if a torch had been thrown into a warehouse full of thatched roofs. Dense flames quickly spread from the block, and people were shouting "Catch the thief!" everywhere, and gatherings of people wielding gleaming swords and knives.

The patrolling troops in the city reacted immediately and began to organize the awakened civilians, leading them to cordon off the affected area. Dozens of strong men carrying torches searched for suspicious persons on each street, led by soldiers, and every lone person was stopped and questioned.

Such situations have occurred at least a hundred times since the city was founded. The Imperials, who train there annually, know exactly what to do. Any audacious, foolish bandit will pay a heavy price for their ridiculous actions—they may think they can do whatever they want as long as they evade the garrison patrols. But they never imagined they would be facing the entire neighborhood's men…

Over time, those in the empire who still dared to engage in this particular industry learned to stay as far away from cities and villages as possible, instead robbing passing travelers and caravans in densely forested, sparsely populated areas—although the presence of local garrisons made this behavior extremely risky.

Residents in other parts of the city need to stay indoors. The neighborhood where the alarm was triggered needs to be immediately placed under lockdown to prevent the chaos from escalating and the thieves from escaping.

Meanwhile, Christia had already drawn her longsword and rushed towards the renowned pie shop in the neighborhood without any hesitation... The unease that had been lingering in her mind finally materialized at this moment; something had indeed happened there!

The sound of rapid footsteps echoed through the surrounding streets, like a vast army marching forward. After a brief exchange, the gathered civilians pinpointed the exact location of the sound and, led by the patrolling soldiers, quickly approached it.

In this process, teams continued to block off streets and intersections, turning the area into a giant spider web, determined to make their prey unable to escape.

The hunt, unique to the Imperials, was underway. After turning several corners, they finally spotted the small shop with a huge earthen stove outside its door…

Without any hesitation, the leading officer kicked the door open, breaking the bolts that were blocking the way in two. Soldiers and civilians filed in, shouting as they went.

No matter how loudly they called the shop owner's name, no one responded until they rushed into the bedroom, whereupon everyone fell silent...

The shop owner, with a long beard, lay on the ground, blood seeping from his chest staining a large area of ​​the ground. The copper alarm plate and wooden hammer he used to sound the alarm were lying on either side of him. His face was calm and peaceful, as if he were just asleep.

His wife, a woman with a simple and lovely face, also lay motionless on the bed—a sharp blade had cut open her throat, and she had bled to death in no time.

…………

The silence lasted only a moment; in the blink of an eye, angry roars and shouts echoed in all directions. The horrific scene they witnessed ignited the fury of both soldiers and civilians. Everyone was shouting for the killer to be caught. They searched every corner of the house, moved every bundle of firewood, and began looking for any place where someone could hide.

The surging emotions drove everyone to search for the possible murderer, almost causing the situation to spiral out of control. At the critical moment, the only imperial officer present restrained people's behavior and prevented the siege from developing into a riot.

Meanwhile, news of the situation in the city had already reached the military camp...

-----------------------

Tersolius had just fallen asleep, and the fruitless search over the past few days had made him somewhat worried. So he made extra preparations today, planning a big operation for tomorrow. But unexpectedly, a clue suddenly appeared in the middle of the night, pulling him out from under the wolfskin rug.

After listening to the soldiers' report, he immediately decided to launch the operation ahead of schedule. As the order was given, all the soldiers who had just gone to sleep were woken up, and three thousand-man squads marched out of the camp and quickly entered the city.

He certainly had no intention of sleeping. To guard against any tricks the other party might have up their sleeve, he even brought along the doctor who had just woken up. Then he went to the center of the city to personally direct his soldiers to hunt down this cunning man and bring him to him before dawn.

This is not a difficult task, since prey that exposes its tracks is always destined to be hunted down, because they have nowhere else to go.

………………

A noisy commotion came from outside, each voice filled with anger and undisguised malice. The guard dogs, leashed, were released to join their owners in a vigilant search.

Soldiers passed by, their armor rubbing together with a crisp, delicate sound. The hard steel could easily block the blows of swords and blades, firmly protecting its masters.

The gleaming spears and swords reflected a cold light in the firelight; these were designed to tear flesh apart, capable of turning a living creature into a pile of dead meat cleanly and efficiently.

He had only one feeling right now—the whole city had come alive…

The terrifying pressure was everywhere. In every corner, there were groups of men armed with weapons, leading hunting dogs and holding torches, searching for criminals who had committed atrocities in the city.

There was absolutely no gap. As soon as one group of people walked past, before you could even move your own foot, another group would rush out from the end of the street. Angry imperial citizens were everywhere.

More and more soldiers are appearing around. They are more well-trained, more difficult to deal with, and more experienced than the civilians. Some of them carrying longbows will carefully examine the tracks on the ground, then stand up and curse, saying: "Those idiots have trampled all the tracks. They're just here to cause trouble."

He sensed that this wasn't a group of people chasing him, but a terrifying predator with a body as large as a mountain and thousands of sharp eyes. It exuded an incredibly oppressive aura, as if it were about to tear him, this tiny insect, out of the rock.

The young man was silent for a moment, realizing that it was almost impossible for him to escape... Countless people were preparing to hunt him down, people who had been thinking about capturing him all these days, and now it seemed that they were about to succeed.

His hiding place was extremely well-hidden and cleverly concealed, on the roof beam of an old house. Through an opening on the side, one could see what was happening outside, so virtually no one would guess that he was hiding there, which gave him a rare chance to catch his breath.

All he can do now is wait, wait for things to take a new turn, wait for these angry imperial people to calm down, only then will a chance be left for him...

Another group of soldiers in chainmail came over. Each of them carried a longbow on their back, the bowstring already in the slot, dozens of arrows in the quiver at their waist, and a greatsword as tall as a teenager on their back, the sharp blade looking like it could cut a person in two.

These soldiers were very alert. As they walked, they looked around for any signs of danger. Their eyes didn't miss any spot. But they still couldn't find the prey hiding in the rafters. Just as they were about to pass by, a fierce barking suddenly rang out from among them!

In an instant, the mountain people's gazes all turned to the upper side. The hunting dogs they were holding desperately tried to lunge forward but were restrained by their owners' leashes, and the point their sharp snouts were pointing was at the small window high up...

Chapter 155 Attempt

Well-bred hunting dogs possess an extraordinary sense of smell; their noses can easily detect the faintest scent of blood in the air and track down prey that has been on the run for days after being wounded. This is an innate talent of these creatures, far beyond what humans can match.

Therefore, many things that humans cannot perceive with the naked eye and senses are easily detected by these sensitive creatures... such as a murderer who has just killed someone and is now hiding.

The experienced mountain hunters immediately noticed their prey and realized that the prey had also noticed their intentions. In the blink of an eye, they took action and began their hunt.

The sound of the bowstring vibrating was like a swarm of bees leaving its hive. A layer of white arrow fletching covered the roof beams. In an instant, the mountain archers fired dozens of arrows, forcing the rats hiding there to come out.

The effect was outstanding. No one could hide behind that thin wooden board anymore. Doing so would be like sharpening a razor with your own neck. Under the powerful bow and heavy arrows, the thin wooden board used to shield against wind and rain would be riddled with holes in the blink of an eye.

Anyone who dared to hide behind would surely be riddled with arrows by now. But before that, a nimble black figure leaped out of the side window from the roof, flashed through the darkness, and jumped onto the adjacent earthen wall.

Sharp arrows followed closely behind. A mountain archer drawing his bow with all his might could fire dozens of arrows per minute, while still maintaining a general hit range. Under such dense barrage, even though the dark figure had begun to flee at top speed, moving as nimbly as a cat, an arrow still pierced his knee from the side...

The bloody arrowhead pulled out a bit of flesh, its barbs exuding malice. Pulling it out would inevitably bring out more bloody, rotten flesh, or perhaps the arrowhead would be cruelly left to pierce through.

A pierced knee is an injury no human can withstand. No matter how well-trained and agile he was, he could only fall headfirst off the wall and crash heavily to the ground, covered in yellow dust. His screams were swallowed back by the impact of his chest hitting the ground, and the arrow shaft that had pierced his knee broke off with a snap on the ground, bringing even greater pain.

The mountain people swarmed around quickly, some already drawing their greatswords. They were determined to break one of his arms if he didn't surrender.

As they surrounded the man, and someone had already taken out a leather strap, the man in black, whose head was buried in the ground, reached up and picked up a black earthenware pot, then smashed it heavily on the ground...

A yellowish-green cloud of smoke spread out, carrying a pungent stench, like rotting corpses mixed with fermenting excrement gushing from the ground in a sewer. The mountain people, who had been focused on their work, were caught off guard and inhaled deeply, then uncontrollably bent over, gagging and coughing loudly.

This move was so sudden that no one expected this despicable rat to have such a method. The ones who suffered the most were undoubtedly the hunting dogs with their keen sense of smell. The once docile dogs broke free of their ropes with loud howls and desperately fled into the distance. Their mournful howls could be clearly heard dozens or even hundreds of meters away.

A dense clamor arose from all around, and everyone began to approach. They all realized that their prey had appeared here. The once wide encirclement suddenly shrank to an extreme size, and the sounds of rubbing armor and the cold glint of swords rushed towards them.

The dark figure, who had just gotten up from the ground, took a difficult step forward. His knee had been cut open by the sharp arrow during the impact, and the synovial fluid in his joint cavity was flowing out along with the blood. His entire right leg was now useless.

Even though the ominous sounds around him forced him to unleash his full potential, he still moved slowly. In the end, he could only barely manage to move himself back into the courtyard, then huddled into the pile of firewood next to the courtyard to try to treat his wounds.

It was all in vain—two seconds after he ripped open his pants, he realized the reality: the horrific wound couldn't be treated with emergency measures, and he could no longer escape…

The young man sighed, straightened his body and leaned against the chopped woodpile, stretched out his legs, and stretched his body in the most comfortable way, completely ignoring the blood still trickling from his knees.

The next instant, the wooden gate to the courtyard was kicked open, and fully armed legion soldiers rushed in, quickly surrounded him after a brief search.

"You actually did it... I knew it, Peridot, you stubborn idiot..."

The young man sighed one last time, then let the sharp halberd be placed against his neck, and the sturdy leather ropes bind his wrists and ankles. Amidst the commotion, he was dragged out like a dead dog.

………………

Cheers of joy at the capture of the murderer echoed throughout the city, and the sky began to light up. The city, which had been bustling all night, ultimately did not enjoy the peace and quiet it deserved.

If it weren't for the legionary soldiers surrounding this guy, he might have died at the hands of the angry mob on the way...

The Peridots had a great reputation throughout the neighborhood; everyone knew them as two honest, kind, and warm-hearted neighbors, and knew that their pies were affordable and delicious, and that they hadn't raised their prices in three years...

A surge of anger was brewing among the people, and it was rapidly spreading by word of mouth. More and more people followed the escort team, wanting to see this villain, who deserved to be torn to pieces, receive the punishment he deserved.

His jaw had already been removed, and every gap between his teeth had been carefully examined. A sturdy spearhead pried out more than a dozen teeth, filling his mouth with blood, but his tongue was unharmed, preserving his ability to speak.

It was excruciating pain, but thankfully he couldn't feel it now—the moment they caught him, a packet of powder was smeared over his mouth and nose, easily putting the cunning fellow into a deep coma, leaving him motionless as if his throat had been slit and he was bleeding.

This might not be a bad thing; at least he doesn't have to face that terrible pressure from the surroundings. Not everyone can bear the scene of being condemned by thousands of people. Of course, he might be able to bear it, but after all, he no longer has the opportunity to verify it.

It wasn't until the man was sent to the city prison and interrogated by Terzoles that the angry crowd slowly dispersed under the army's command.

........................

At this moment, Tersolius was making preparations, and many people were making preparations with him. Among them, the busiest and most nervous was undoubtedly Talina. The girl had not rested since midnight yesterday and had been busy until now.

They were about to do something big, something that seemed terrifying and groundbreaking in this era—to attempt a brain surgery…

Of course, it wasn't the kind of major surgery that opened the entire cranial cavity. The previous samples provided them with the exact location of the parasite in the brain, and today they were going to try to remove the unhatched eggs from that location.

This was a decision made without choice. If the parasite problem wasn't addressed first, no matter how many clues they uncovered about the other side, it would be useless, and they wouldn't be able to obtain any more information.

From Alpert in the south, the shadow of this organization has followed Tersolius relentlessly. Many of the things he encounters bear their imprint, but so far, they know nothing of the organization's name, its origins, or its geographical distribution… everything is unclear, ultimately due to the extreme difficulty in obtaining intelligence.

This is an excellent opportunity, but they cannot afford to squander it. Therefore, they must be fully prepared before taking action, and absolutely no mistakes can be made beforehand.

They were still unsure what triggered the parasite's hatching, so they ordered the soldiers to bring him here without saying a word after capturing him, and then immediately prepare to open his skull to remove the parasite's eggs.

The worst-case scenario is that the insect egg has already started to hatch, so they need to hurry.

A specially made wooden bed was placed in front of him. It was made by a carpenter in the city who rushed to finish it under his name. It had leather straps and a wooden frame to hold his head in place, so that this special patient could not put up any resistance during the operation.

In addition, all sorts of rare herbs were taken out of the dry, cool box—these were precious medicinal materials collected in the capital, some even more valuable than gold, but equally effective. The wealthy Tersolius had used the military funds allocated to him by the emperor to purchase a considerable amount, which allowed Talina to act freely in this situation.

Many of these medicinal herbs have unique storage requirements. Most need to be stored in a dry, cool environment, some need to be soaked in clean sesame oil, some need to be kept in a humid environment, and some even need to be exposed to plenty of sunlight every day...

Although these strange medicinal herbs are processed, they are even more difficult to handle than when they are alive. Moreover, this task must be performed by experienced and knowledgeable individuals. No one else can touch them, which is enough to prove how precious and fragile they are.

Other various solvents and medicine bottles and jars were densely packed on the tea table next to it, so much so that they were dazzling at first glance. If someone was not familiar with the place, they might spend a long time trying to find a specific item.

The tools used for craniotomy were made in the blacksmith's shop and looked not much different from the tools used by carpenters. They were also knives, drills, hammers, and chisels, and required a lot of strength and control to use – a task that Tersolius was responsible for.

He has opened countless heads, and he probably knows more about the structure of the brain than some doctors do. Although he usually opens heads for another purpose, it seems that he is the only one suitable to do this.

All the tools were boiled in boiling water. Although magic could also do this, it was better to conserve precious mental energy for dealing with emergencies later, just in case.

Their prey was quickly brought over. Yarich, bound hand and foot by Pizzo, was immediately tied to the bed, his head fixed to the sturdy hardwood frame with strong iron components at the joints, allowing the frame to restrain the head of a lion.

As luck would have it, this guy woke up at that very moment and immediately realized his terrible predicament—not only was he completely restrained, but there were also bottles and jars all around him, and a low table next to his head was covered with shiny tools. Two men with white headscarves and aprons of the same color were standing next to his head, shaving his head with a razor...

He might not know what a Frankenstein's monster is, but he has seen such scenes many times. In those remote and secluded ancient castles, those eerie and terrifying insect masters often do such things, conducting experiments on human bodies with all sorts of strange potions and things... Many of the results are even things that he himself is using.

Seeing ordinary people who were arrested treated like this, he would only sigh a couple of times, but he didn't actually feel any sympathy at all... But if such a thing happened to him, it would be enough to terrify him and make him want to die of fright.

The sharp razor easily shaved off his flaxen hair, quickly exposing his scalp with short stubble. It grew shorter and shorter with each shave until it was smooth and even.

In utter despair, he couldn't even make a sound, only struggling desperately with his hands and feet—before being knocked unconscious by powder slapped between his mouth and nose by an assistant.

Regardless, what he was about to experience was inevitable...

Thesolius, with great interest, donned the same white apron, white headscarf, white mask, and white gloves as a doctor. Holding a sharp dagger, he gestured towards his already cleaned scalp:

"Where should I cut it from? Draw it for me."

"Wait a minute! Don't rush, I haven't marked it yet... Let's peel off the scalp along here first... Then drill holes and cut into the bone... If we're lucky, we can finish everything in a short time without causing too much damage to his brain."

The two huddled together, gesturing at the bald head in front of them, and using a copper pen filled with ink to mark the scalp, drawing dotted lines to indicate where the blade would cut and peel it open later, just like ordering food from a menu.

Neither of them seemed particularly nervous. Thesolius, in particular, was filled with a unique excitement, eager to demonstrate his skills, like a man who had just learned how to use his spear, wanting to stab anything he saw...