Chapter 258 Blood Battle Between Baits (Part 1)
The time has come to 20:00 on the evening of May 26.
In the mountainous area at the border of Y Province and West G Province, a convoy consisting of more than thirty special police armored vehicles arrived at the Nama River Bridge and then rested at a nearby highway service area that had not yet opened for use.
The local population is sparse, with an average density of less than fifty people per square kilometer. The nearest village is several kilometers away, but it is a vital transportation artery connecting West G Province and Y Province.
A total of fifteen Arrow Strike action teams, spanning two provinces, created five massive pockets. According to the deployment by South Korea Wei, the inspection teams secretly drawn from the eastern monitoring district used this location as a temporary assembly point, responsible for mobile encirclement.
Currently, in Southern Huaguo, the orthodox blood clan families have been severely damaged, the Alliance of Recluses exists in name only, and the order of the blood clans has completely collapsed. A brand new Black Dragon Society is quietly rising, forcing Arrow Strike to take direct action. West G Province has already become the focus of the underground world in Huaguo.
The black blood clans, usually hiding from sight, are now arrogant and act even more unscrupulously, while small wandering blood clan forces tremble with fear. The shrewd have long since fled, while those reluctant to leave their belongings huddle in corners trembling.
Multiple pieces of intelligence indicate that the new Black Dragon Society is intensively active at the intersection of the two provinces, aiming to completely annihilate the remnants of the Liang family, who are now forced to ally with the Lu family and seek secret assistance from Arrow Strike through intermediaries.
For the Liang and Lu families, leaving the eye of the storm is not difficult, but the Wang family behind them, along with the army, will not allow this evacuation. Otherwise, the entire West G Province will become a paradise for the black blood clans, and it could easily spill troubles into other provinces.
At this moment, the Liang and Lu families can only cling to their last hopes, relying on the Wang family and Arrow Strike to regain control of the situation. They do not wish to resort to abandoning all their dignity and being reduced to stray dogs unless absolutely necessary.
For certain behind-the-scenes operators, stirring up turmoil in Southern Huaguo and turning it into a chronic wound that bleeds and festers for a long time, thus concentrating everyone’s attention, has already achieved its purpose.
…
Under the night, on a mountain peak just a few hundred meters from the Nama River Bridge, several shadows are gazing out.
At this moment, in East G Province, from cities to countryside, the new Black Dragon Society is causing various forms of chaos, either in groups of one or two, or three or four, to confuse Arrow Strike’s senses. Meanwhile, Liang Er is secretly moving a large force to this location, preparing to create an unforgettable memory for Arrow Strike.
It’s still Chu Dali who is capable; Arrow Strike’s operations have now become an open book. They still think we will launch a sneak attack on the Lu family… Elder Zhuang, have you clarified the local situation?
Looking at a highway service area construction site across the river, Liang Er stroked his beard and chuckled coldly. His already dark face looked even more gloomy and threatening.
Zhuang Jianfei adjusted his glasses and smiled while pointing to a few lights under the night: “There’s only one mixed regiment of the inspection team here, with a total force of just over a hundred. The others are in the eastern Tuoji Town, at least half an hour’s drive from here.”
“To solve these people within half an hour? That’s still a bit risky. The inspection team is a legacy squad, well-equipped, unless we press forward all at once.”
A short man with a face full of flesh squatted under a large tree, holding a night vision telescope, speaking in a strange accent, clearly not a Huaguo person.
Pan Shangzhen, a confidant of Ruan Shunhong and one of the infamously notorious black blood clan leaders from Vietnam. Although Pan Shangzhen has been stuck at the mid-tier baron level in the Ganges for many years, he is ruthless and particularly enjoys ambushing secret troops from Southeast Asian countries, taking pleasure in torture and murder.
“Old Liang, how about letting Zhu Bixian launch an attack from the north while we maneuver around from the east?”
Another middle-aged man with poor Mandarin and a hot-bodied woman emerged from the nearby thicket.
As the middle-aged man drew closer, a strange, rotten smell wafted into the crowd, making Zhuang Jianfei wrinkle his brow.
Ruan Shunhong, head of the Vietnamese black blood clan that runs rampant in the Indochinese Peninsula, is rumored to have an ambiguous relationship with Vietnam’s political and business circles, controlling nearly all the smuggling routes from Vietnam to Qin Country, and has been fighting against Arrow Strike for decades. He harbors deep animosity toward Arrow Strike.
Ruan Shunhong is a high-tier baron of the British blood clan. Although he seems to lack individual combat power, he relies on a unique blood beast, making even the high-tier viscount Liang Er wary of him.
The rancid smell emanating from Ruan Shunhong is the trademark of living long-term with his blood beast—a nearly two-meter-long Southeast Asian round-nosed giant lizard, which is Ruan Shunhong’s terrifying secret weapon.
There’s probably no one else in the world who can turn a cold-blooded animal into a blood beast like Ruan Shunhong.
As for the woman accompanying Ruan Shunhong, she is his lover, Li Caiyu, a lower-tier baron of the Ganges, and quite attractive.
The arrival of the black blood clans from Vietnam, combined with Liang Er and others, weighed heavy on Zhuang Jianfei’s mind. He knew that once these people truly launched a surprise attack on the local inspection team, even if the latter were prepared, the chances of resisting were slim.
Hmph, we are only responsible for creating distractions to hold Arrow Strike back; our objective has been achieved. Don’t be fooled by this desolate wilderness; there are eyes of Arrow Strike everywhere—both in the air and on the ground. Going head-on with them is like making ourselves targets.
Right now, several Arrow Strike teams are surrounding us. If we are exposed, it will be hard to escape. It won’t be easy for Chu Dali and Qin Laowu to have us as cannon fodder on the front lines.
Liang Er coldly snorted in his nose, obviously still wary of Chu Dali’s arrangements.
In Liang Er’s eyes, Chu Dali, Qin Rong, and others from the heartland of Huaguo are undeniably outsiders. If it weren’t for personal demands and Engel’s family leading the charge, he would never have interacted with people like Chu Dali.
The people present exchanged glances. After a few seconds, Ruan Shunhong lightly nodded: “Old Liang is right, as long as we don’t reveal ourselves, Arrow Strike and the Wang family will remain tense. The purpose of our hindrance is achieved. We can rest assured to make our move on the Blood Dragon team.”
Hearing their conversation, Zhuang Jianfei felt uneasy. He was relieved that the other party was too cautious to launch an easy attack on Arrow Strike, but he was also worried that they might escape from Arrow Strike’s encirclement.
Continue creating chaos in the east while we maneuver towards the southwest, and strive to rendezvous with Elder Chu in three days. That person, Elder Zhuang, I’d trouble you to notify Brother Zhu Bixian and convey my intentions.
Having made up his mind, Liang Er switched to a smile and performed a fist salute to Zhuang Jianfei.
Zhuang Jianfei smiled back, showing no opposition, and turned to leave in another direction. After all, according to the initial arrangement, all the personnel here were nominally under Liang Er’s command, while Zhuang Jianfei was merely an assistant.
Watching Zhuang Jianfei’s retreating figure, Liang Er’s smile froze on his face, and by the end, a fierce glare shone in his eyes.
Brother Ruan, before we leave, Chu Dali instructed that this Zhuang fellow has problems with his background; he can’t be allowed to return alive… To avoid future troubles, it’s best to resolve this early…
Liang Er whispered to himself, while Ruan Shunhong and others showed peculiar smiles.
…
Although Liang Er is the nominal vice president of the future new Black Dragon Society, at this moment, the members of the Black Dragon Society, led by Zhu Bixian, are clearly keeping their distance from him.
The nine senior blood clans have distinctly split into two groups. Aside from necessary discussions, most of the time, both sides have little to say to one another.
About a hundred meters from Liang Er and the others, Zhu Bixian was sitting with Cao Kuang, smoking and chatting, while behind them were eight Black Dragon Society knights led by Cao Kuang’s little brother, Lin Guangtou, and twelve messengers.
Brother Zhu, it seems that this Er Ge is looking at us with displeasure… Whenever there’s something, they only tell us after they discuss it and treat us as tools.
After days of travel, Cao Kuang’s already unkempt appearance became even more rugged.
Heh, what is their identity compared to ours… Right now, the two of us are like two dogs tied to the president’s hand, can a dog eat at the table?
Looking down the mountain towards the highway service area hundreds of meters below, a cold smile appeared on his face.
Since being turned into Qian Guilong’s blood slave, the once influential Zhu Bixian now completely lost his fighting spirit and became someone who merely waits for death.
Cao Kuang’s eyes twinkled, and he lowered his voice with a smile: Hey, Brother Zhu, actually, Qian Ye cares about us to some extent. Though we can only drink his blood now, I’ve noticed that my bottleneck seems to have loosened up in the past month!
Being a blood slave might sound unpleasant, but at least the president won’t treat us badly. The top few chairs in the new Black Dragon Society will still be ours.
As a newly promoted Iberian blood duke, Qian Guilong’s blood slave ability essentially binds Zhu Bixian and Cao Kuang. As long as the two do not go against Qian Guilong’s will, the personal impact is actually not significant. Moreover, because they can obtain the duke’s blood, Zhu Bixian and Cao Kuang can grow faster.
What are the black blood clans after? Isn’t it an unscrupulous pursuit of faster growth and a more carefree life? Drinking whose blood doesn’t matter—especially when it’s the blood of an Iberian duke, which in the past would have been hard to come by.
Cao Kuang’s words stunned Zhu Bixian for a moment. After thinking for several seconds, he felt there was some truth to it and couldn’t help but nod slightly.
Hmph, it’s those few backstabbers who, as soon as the president shows up, sell us out. One day, we’ll settle the score…
Cao Kuang puffed out a smoke ring and turned to stare at Lin Guangtou and others not far away, saying harshly.
While chatting, a familiar figure appeared in Cao Kuang’s sight.
Zhuang Jianfei approached Zhu Bixian and Cao Kuang, smiling as he pointed behind him: “Brother Zhu, Brother Cao, Liang Er decided not to make a big move tonight, to rest for a while before continuing southwest.”
Hmph… I used to think you, Elder Zhuang, were an important figure, but now I realize you are just someone else’s mouthpiece.
Cao Kuang snorted coldly, turned his head away, unwilling to engage with Zhuang Jianfei. Zhu Bixian merely glanced at him and chose to remain silent, focusing on smoking.
Because of Qian Guilong’s matter, Zhu Bixian and Cao Kuang are extremely dissatisfied with Zhuang Jianfei. The two have not even glanced at him.
Zhuang Jianfei, you are deeply calculated, playing with the Wang family, playing with the Black Dragon Society, playing with the Alliance of Recluses, and now playing with Arrow Strike, treating everyone like cannon fodder. You’ve offended both black and white paths, and this path is getting narrower and narrower. What are you after?
After a minute of silence, Zhu Bixian finally raised his head, staring coldly at Zhuang Jianfei.
Hehe, the world is a chessboard; you and I are merely chess pieces, just at different positions and times of placement…
Zhuang Jianfei didn’t mind Cao Kuang’s subtle insinuations. He simply laughed at himself, lit a cigarette, and sat down on one side.
Just then, several shadows slowly approached from a distance. Zhuang Jianfei turned his head to look and recognized Ruan Shunhong, Pan Shangzhen, and Li Caiyu.
Fifty meters, forty meters, thirty meters — the chaotic aura of senior blood clans was closing in. Zhuang Jianfei slowly stood up, and his expression grew serious.
The chaotic aura among senior blood clans masked their true emotions and strengths. Still, for the hyper-sensitive Apennine blood clan, Zhuang Jianfei noticed a flicker of restlessness as they drew nearer.
Killing intent, the desire to end lives, came from Ruan Shunhong and his companions, and it was directed towards him.
The distance was now only ten meters. Several deeply hidden chilling killing intents invaded Zhuang Jianfei’s mind. He nonchalantly took another drag from his cigarette, his expression returning to calm, but his heart was already on high alert.
In these few seconds, Zhuang Jianfei’s mind raced, starting to observe the surroundings and quietly activating his illusion power.
Elder Zhuang, Liang Er asked me to accompany you to patrol outside to prevent accidents…
At a glance from Ruan Shunhong, Pan Shangzhen and Li Caiyu changed tracks and approached Zhuang Jianfei from different directions.
Just as Zhuang Jianfei prepared to subtly interfere with Ruan Shunhong’s visuals, a domineering aura emitted from the thicket behind him, accompanied by piercing screams.
Ruan Shunhong’s blood beast, that terrifying round-nosed giant lizard.
In the astonished eyes of Zhu Bixian and the others, a giant shadow slowly crawled out, unlike anything from the blood clans; the blood beast’s boiling aura spread suddenly, catching everyone unprepared.
At this moment, Zhuang Jianfei’s expression turned extremely ugly. Because the illusions of the Apennine baron are ineffective against blood beasts, once any extreme situation occurs, he cannot escape the entanglement of the blood beast.
What are you all doing…
Both the humans and the blood beasts were closing in, and even Cao Kuang felt the residual energy from Ruan Shunhong and the others. He didn’t understand what was going on.
The Black Dragon Society knights and attendants stationed several dozen meters away, now nervously grabbed their weapons and looked towards Zhu Bixian and Cao Kuang.
Zhuang Jianfei, some people say you are with Arrow Strike, I didn’t believe it at first, but you disappeared for an hour last night—where did you go?
Ruan Shunhong had taken up an advantageous position, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes as he spoke, while playing with a dagger in his hand.
Elder Zhuang, you’re quite tense… I suspect you’ve activated your illusion, but we have three barons here. Are you sure you can deceive all of us?
Li Caiyu’s eyes began to redden, a trace of cruel glee on her beautiful face, as a mass of wriggling blood worms appeared on her exposed neck.
Old Cao, this matter has nothing to do with us; if you don’t understand, don’t meddle…
Zhu Bixian was starting to grasp something and stood up, slowly backing away while giving Cao Kuang a significant glance.
The boiling blood surged in an instant; Zhuang Jianfei provided no explanation and directly turned to run towards the gap where Zhu Bixian and Cao Kuang were located, preparing to seize the opportunity to escape amid the chaos.
The hiding places of Wan Yue and others were only a mountain peak away from where Liang Er and the others were temporarily settled, with a direct line distance of no more than a kilometer.
Standing at the highest point, Wan Yue closed her eyes, trying to capture the opponent’s aura from the night.
Unfortunately, at this distance, even an Apennine baron might not be able to break through the suppression of exterior hormone suppressors to find even a trace of aura.
In the distance, the main forces led by the Wang family and the Zhou family had already scattered, with only the Wang family’s twelfth brother quietly guarding the mountain’s edge, whispering something to Liang Tai and others.
Sister Wan, it’s almost ten o’clock. Why is there no movement? Didn’t they say that Liang Er would launch a sneak attack on Arrow Strike tonight?
Zheng Shaolin and Jiang Yao appeared behind Wan Yue, the former glancing nervously at the unfinished highway service area in the distance, while the latter seemed distracted.
Liang Er is cunning; there’s a possibility that the whole thing is just a ruse. Moreover, he must also consider the drones Arrow Strike might deploy. Let’s continue to wait; the Wang family members are trying to approach for reconnaissance.
Wan Yue looked up at the night sky. After a few seconds, she could only sigh softly.
The insider from the Wang family, lurking beside Dali and others, had essentially laid out all of the opponent’s plans on the Wang family’s table. For this, the Wang family specially transmitted a semi-true, semi-false operational message to Arrow Strike through Han Shuqian.
But whether they can truly take down Liang Er will still depend on Liang Er’s actions.
Sister Wan, is my sister safe over there?
After being separated from Jiang Yao for twenty-four hours, Jiang Yao had grown increasingly anxious.
There are more people on the Wang family’s side than here, and she isn’t throwing herself into the net.
Wan Yue smiled, took out a cigarette and lit it, while using her free hand to pinch Jiang Yao’s face: “Keep your attention here, remember my previous instructions? Once the fight starts, your target is Liang Er’s close aide He Jinguai; he’s a high-tier baron from Siberia, posing a significant threat to us.”
In the chaos, finding him won’t be easy, right?
Jiang Yao pulled out a photograph from her pocket, looking at the unfamiliar middle-aged man on it, her brow furrowing.
Wan Yue exhaled a puff of smoke and rolled her eyes: “You silly brat, focus on the one who’s alone. Everyone else will have a corresponding one-on-one. As per the pre-battle arrangements, every senior blood clan in the opponent’s camp will have someone corresponding to engage or restrain them.”
Wang family’s seventh uncle is a lower-tier baron, but because he’s injured, he can only barely restrain Liang Er.
The Zhou family’s lower-tier Siberian viscount is responsible for dealing with Zhu Bixian.
As for Wan Yue, she has her sights firmly set on Ruan Shunhong.
The toughest three have been assigned to the tall guy, but what’s left for Jiang Yao is still the formidable Siberian high-tier baron He Jinguai. Fortunately, she has Wang family’s twelfth brother to protect her closely, so Jiang Yao’s odds are actually the highest.
As for Liang Wei and other knights, it’s naturally their job to engage with the opposing knights. After all, in this kind of nighttime infiltration strike, neither side’s knights are likely to get directly involved in high-level encounters.
“Alright, you all stay here; I’ll go speak with Wang family’s seventh uncle about some matters…”
After giving a few instructions to Zheng Shaolin, Wan Yue was about to turn and leave when she suddenly froze, turning back to stare intently at the southern mountain forest.
About a kilometer away, an overwhelming wave of intense boiling blood aura was invisibly spreading, and there was more than one, among which was an aura that felt familiar.
Zhuang Jianfei… Not good!
Wan Yue’s complexion changed dramatically, and like a swift leopard, she dashed towards the direction of the pheromone storm, drawing her weapon from her thigh as she did.
This sudden turn of events not only stunned the lurking Wind Messenger and others, but even the Arrow Strike reconnaissance team a kilometer away was alarmed by the gunfire coming from the south, feeling thoroughly caught off guard.
In the mountains south of the highway, a shadow was frantically running, not looking back.
A strange heat filled his body and mind, yet a trace of bone-chilling cold and numbness surged through his marrow, as Zhuang Jianfei clutched his left arm, his face ashen; he realized he had been poisoned.
The injury came from Ruan Shunhong’s round-nosed giant lizard, the fully mutated blood beast lizard carried toxins that terrified even the blood clans. Even the highly immune Apennine baron found it hard to suppress, and the terrible toxic reaction was now boiling and brewing within Zhuang Jianfei.
The toxic attack of the blood beast lizard, once it enters the bloodstream, could almost rival that of an Iberian baron’s blood poison in terms of effect.
Since the breakout began, Zhuang Jianfei dared not relax his full-blood intensity, relentlessly enduring the increasingly uncomfortable sensations of injury, finally pouring most of his body into a nearby stream, drifting downstream.
Behind him, the intense killing intents were weakening and moving away; Zhuang Jianfei knew he had escaped the encirclement of three Vietnamese black blood clans by relying on illusions.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when he reached the shore, unsteadily walking to sit behind a large tree.
His suit was tattered from the struggle during the breakout, with frightening tears exposing his lower back and left arm.
Shaking hands reached into his pocket for a cigarette, but unfortunately, they were soaked and ruined. Zhuang Jianfei silently chuckled, opened the cigarette box, leaned heavily against the tree trunk, and gazed up at the pitch-black sky without a moon.
The heat filling his body gradually turned into a feeling of alternating hot and cold, and Zhuang Jianfei sensed that the coordination of his limbs was failing, with blood continuously streaming from his ears, nose, and mouth.
Wiping his nose and the corners of his mouth, the smeared blood made Zhuang Jianfei’s refined and clean face look exceptionally horrifying. He felt everything in front of him and the ground beneath him swirling as if sitting in a centrifuge.
Closing his eyes, with every breath he took, more blood flowed from his mouth.
Around him, Ruan Shunhong and the others’ auras re-emerged, but Zhuang Jianfei had lost all capacity to resist.
“I’m sorry, sir, Xiaoyue, Zou Heshan, I’ve tried my best…”
Breathing grew heavier, and the rhythm slowed gradually. After taking a deep breath, Zhuang Jianfei opened his eyes, his gaze vacant, yet his expression extremely relaxed.
He raised his arm, aiming his pistol at the night sky, and with his last bit of strength, pulled the trigger.
The gunshot echoed through the night, startling the flying creatures in the mountains.
Seconds later, the heaving of Zhuang Jianfei’s chest ceased, his pupils gradually dilated, and a trace of smile hung on his lips…
