I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The remaining survivors of the "One-Armed Gang" were either working together to collect the bodies of their comrades throughout the house, pacing anxiously in the corridors, or lurking in other rooms.

At this moment, in this room used to imprison the hostages, besides the girls being held hostage, the guards led by the one-armed samurai, there is a third party—Takasugi Shinsaku.

Takasugi Shinsaku stood beside the one-armed samurai with his arms crossed, and asked softly:

"Gao Long, do you really think that these few hostages alone are enough to make the Fire Bandits retreat?"

The one-armed warrior, his eyes bloodshot, answered in a hoarse voice:

"Besides this, I have no other choice..."

After saying this, the one-armed samurai looked up at Takasugi Shinsaku, and their eyes met.

"Takasugi-kun, aren't you going to leave here yet? Since you have the ability to 'break through the Fire Thief's defenses at any time and fly away at any time,' then hurry up and leave. Don't stay in this desperate situation any longer."

At this point, the one-armed warrior lowered his head again and slowly closed his eyes.

“I understand very well… you approached us with the mindset of an ‘investigation and extermination group’.”

“I understand perfectly well… after your brief ‘survey’ of us, you look down on us… thinking that our Extermination Group is incapable of achieving anything great…”

"Even though we haven't known each other for very long, and even though you don't think highly of us... I still like you quite a bit."

"Because I can truly feel that you share the same beliefs as us, and that you, like us, have a sincere heart dedicated to killing the enemy and serving your country!"

"Although I hate to admit it... I really don't have Mr. Jinno's courage and drive. I can't rebuild the Extermination Group, and I don't even have the ability to lead my comrades through the current crisis..."

"but!"

As the one-armed samurai abruptly changed the subject, he suddenly raised his head and gave Takasugi Shinsaku a resolute look.

"Alliances may perish, but ideals will never disappear!"

"Takasugi-kun, you are very talented... far more talented than me!"

"You must live! You must...carry out our mission of 'expelling the barbarians' and accomplish the great cause of 'expelling the barbarians'!"

In an instant, the air in the room was filled with an atmosphere of grief and indignation.

The six members of the "One-Armed Party" who were accompanying the one-armed samurai to guard the hostages were all deeply moved by the one-armed samurai's words. They all raised their eyes and focused their resolute gazes on Takasugi Shinsaku.

"..." Takasugi Shinsaku silently rolled his eyes, his calm gaze sweeping over the faces of the one-armed samurai and the others.

After a moment, as if he had made a helpless decision, he sighed silently.

"...The soldiers who were turned into thieves by fire will definitely not let you go just because you have a few hostages in your hands. The only way to survive is to fight your way out."

"Fight our way out?" Before Takasugi Shinsaku could finish speaking, someone hurriedly said, "There are so many government troops outside, how could we possibly fight our way out!"

“No!” Takasugi Shinsaku said decisively, “That’s a misconception! Although there are many soldiers outside, they are far from being in a desperate situation.”

As Sun Tzu's Art of War states: "If you prepare for the front, you will be weak in the rear; if you prepare for the rear, you will be weak in the front; if you prepare for the left, you will be weak on the right; if you prepare for the right, you will be weak on the left; if you prepare for everything, you will be weak everywhere."

"From what I've observed, the Fire Thieves have sent a total of three squads over here."

"At first glance it seems frightening, but they scattered their troops across the vast area like scattering beans."

Takasugi Shinsaku stretched out his finger and pointed to the tatami mat at his feet.

"To prevent you from escaping, they very 'generously' surrounded the wagashi shop right under our feet, as well as all the nearby houses."

"The Fire Thieves' method of modification is not wrong, but in this way, each node of the encirclement they have built will have at most a dozen soldiers."

"If we concentrate all our forces and choose a point within the encirclement to launch a desperate breakout, although the casualties will inevitably be heavy, at least a few people can escape."

"That's my suggestion."

"Do you want to remain trapped here, hoping that the Fire Thieves will spare you because you have a few hostages? Or do you want to follow my advice, gather all the remaining forces, choose a point in the encirclement, and break out in one fell swoop—the choice is yours."

Having said that, Takasugi Shinsaku fell silent, crossed his arms, and waited for the one-armed samurai and the others to respond.

The one-armed samurai and his group stared blankly at Takasugi Shinsaku for a moment, then looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Takasugi-kun, what you said... makes sense...!"

An unusual light began to emanate from the one-armed warrior's eyes.

"Rather than hoping that those corrupt officials and soldiers will take pity on us and spare our lives, we'd rather fight to the death..."

Bang!

Before the one-armed warrior could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a loud sound like a bomb exploding.

Everyone in the room, including Shinsaku Takasugi, was startled by the sudden loud noise and instinctively looked in the direction from which it came.

The sound came from the doorway—a young man stood outside the open paper sliding door.

He was dressed in black, holding a katana in his right hand and a wakizashi in his left.

It was Qing Deng who had successfully infiltrated the house and had just managed to reach the room where the hostages were being held.

The loud noise that Takasugi Shinsaku and the others had just heard was the sound of Aoto pulling open the paper sliding door.

As Takasugi Shinsaku and the others scanned their surroundings in response to the sound, they witnessed this scene: without saying a word, Aoto flipped his left wrist, changing the wakizashi in his left palm from a regular grip to an inverted grip, and forcefully threw it at the candle placed in a corner of the room not far away.

The sharp tip of the knife struck the candle wick, extinguishing the flickering flame.

This candle is the only light source in the room.

With the only light source cut off, the room was instantly enveloped in a deep, dark gloom.

Takasugi Shinsaku and the others, whose eyes were used to seeing in bright environments, were suddenly plunged into complete darkness, unable to see their own hands in front of their faces.

Only one person was unaffected.

That's Qingdeng, who has the talent of "night vision"!

……

……

"Throwing objects" is an important component of Yunliu's "indoor combat techniques".

As early as the beginning of September, Tian Cangxiao had emphasized this method to Qing Deng.

The system's range of judgment regarding ninjutsu is indeed rather broad.

According to Qing Deng's personal observations and experiments, "throwing small objects" is also regarded by the system as a ninjutsu.

Therefore, with the blessing of the "Master of Ninja", Qingdeng's progress in learning "throwing techniques" was as rapid as his training in the Cloud Flow's extraordinary skills and footwork.

After Qing Deng slammed open the paper sliding door, he immediately located the hostages and the candle. In the next instant, he threw the wakizashi in his left hand at the candle, extinguishing the only light source in the room and indirectly taking away the sight of everyone in the room!

Immediately afterwards, he leaped out, his body soaring high above the room, barely touching the ceiling, and landed steadily in front of the five girls who were being held hostage.

The girls, terrified by the sudden darkness, were screaming in terror.

"Don't be afraid." Qing Deng bent down and said gently to the girls, "I'm here to rescue you."

Having said that, Qing Deng turned around, using his tall body to shield the girls, protecting them tightly behind him. At the same time, he raised his sword and faced the remnants of the Extermination Group who were currently in a panic due to the sudden attack.

In the darkness, a voice suddenly shouted: "Don't panic! Stand with your back against the wall! Don't move! The enemy is holding a knife! Use the flash of the knife to pinpoint their location!"

The person who uttered those words was none other than Shinsaku Takasugi.

As he shouted these words, he leaned his back against the wall to ensure his safety.

Takasugi Shinsaku's formidable mental fortitude was on full display at this moment. Faced with the unexpected attack launched by Aoto, he was only stunned for a moment before quickly regaining his composure.

However... not everyone has his mental fortitude.

Everyone else, without exception, was either screaming in terror or moving around frantically, ignoring Takasugi Shinsaku's commands.

Amidst the panic, a moment of order appeared—the one-armed warrior and the others drew their swords in perfect unison.

Only by drawing the knife and gripping it tightly in their hands could they find some peace of mind.

It will take at least half a minute for the enemy's vision to be restored—there's no reason to miss such a golden opportunity!

Qingdeng glided forward and pounced on an enemy beside him with a diving momentum.

As they passed each other, Qingdeng's left hand gently wrapped around his shoulder, controlling his movements and rendering him unable to move freely.

Before the enemy could even react, Qing Deng swiftly plunged the Ghost-Stabilizing Divine Weapon in his right hand into his throat.

The knife tip probed the neck bone, ripped it out, and then pulled it out.

--2 pcs……!

Qing Deng drew his sword and swept it towards the abdomen of the person on his right.

The air began to hum and vibrate.

According to the novelist, it was like a white rainbow piercing the sun.

The long, gleaming blade sliced ​​open the man's stomach as easily as a hot knife through butter.

Life force surged out of the hole in the man's abdomen, emitting a foul, bloody smell and the gurgling sounds of his bloated intestines.

The man's face turned pale in an instant. He gasped for breath and squeezed out a few painful sounds, his hands instinctively pressing against his wounds, trying to stop the bleeding.

But his effort only lasted a few seconds.

Because a few seconds later, his head, as if it had lost its support, dragged his body forward and fell slumped down.

--3 pcs……!

*******

*******

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone good health and abundant wealth in the new year! We at Shushuzi and Juqingdeng look forward to your continued support and guidance in the coming year!

To bring good luck this year, the author has decided to try to update more frequently during the double monthly ticket period from January 1st to January 7th!

Today's chapter is a long-awaited long one of nearly 8000 words, a successful start!

Please, everyone, considering how sincere Shushuzi is, take advantage of this double monthly pass period and vote for this book! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets!

The one-armed samurai actually appeared quite some time ago. Some observant readers may have noticed that Kanno was always accompanied by a samurai with only one arm. For details, please see...

His full name is "Toudou Takataka". Kanno addresses him by his surname, calling him "Toudou". Takasugi Shinsaku, on the other hand, addresses him by his first name, calling him "Takataka".

This chapter can be seen as a final, nuanced portrayal of the Expeditionary Army before their complete withdrawal from the scene.