Chapter 263: Ambush at the Round Table Knights Base

Chapter 263: Ambush at the Round Table Knights Base

As night fell, the Thames River was draped in a serene calm, its waters shimmering with a gentle silver hue under the moonlight.

Along the riverbanks, the city glowed with a tapestry of lights, creating a picturesque scene.

A cruise ship gently glided through the river, its path illuminated by the interplay of light and shadow.

Passengers stood by the windows, some in groups, enjoying the evening riverfront scenery.

Among them were three individuals with black hair and dark eyes, sitting in a corner, as the ship drifted downstream.

These were none other than Lu Heng, Su Muyu, and Lin Zeyu.

After arriving in the city of the Lionheart Empire by plane in the morning, they checked into a hotel for a two-hour rest, rejuvenating themselves before boarding this cruise ship to navigate downstream.

Downstream, in the outskirts of the city, stood a base for metahuman mercenaries.

This was the Thames Base, one of the Lionheart Empire's most formidable mercenary groups, the Round Table Knights.

As the cruise ship slowly made its way downstream, the Thames Base came into closer view.

At this moment, Lu Heng's phone rang. He took it out and saw a piece of information sent by an undercover agent from the Ironblood organization, based in the Lionheart Empire.

The most crucial part of the information was a photo taken that very morning.

In the photo was a metahuman in his thirties, with brown hair and blue eyes, deep-set eyes, and a hooked nose that gave him a fierce appearance.

His name was Willi Belder, a metahuman assassin identified by Ironblood. After committing a crime in Daxia, he had fled back to the Lionheart Empire the same day.

Chen Lianian had discovered this man's identity, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Extradition laws were ineffective, as Willi Belder was a mercenary for the Round Table Knights, backed by powerful forces, making a successful extradition impossible.

The Lionheart Empire even denied that this individual had committed any crime.

Such extradition laws were only effective between strong and weak nations. In cases involving two powerful nations, achieving goals required negotiating terms.

In the photo, Willi Belder was enjoying drinks and entertainment, evidently rewarded handsomely for his assassination mission.

The information also included his rank, but it held little significance.

Willi Belder's rank was only 24, which, while not low among metahumans, was considered a mere foot soldier in the eyes of Lu Heng and his companions.

Thus, capturing him would be effortless.

...

At 8:12 PM, the cruise ship reached the outskirts of the city.

Su Muyu had been scouting with the Celestial Phoenix, and upon locating the Thames Base, she pointed towards the riverbank, saying, "It's over there, about three kilometers away."

"Go invisible, let's move," Lu Heng said, leaping towards the river and entering an invisible state mid-air, striding across the waves towards the shore.

Su Muyu spread her energy wings and flew, while Lin Zeyu shot out an energy grappling hook, latching onto a nearby building and swinging across.

Within a kilometer of the Thames Base, Lin Zeyu started moving independently, activating his Chameleon Camouflage Suit and searching for a sniping position.

Lu Heng and Su Muyu continued their approach towards the base.

At that moment, music echoed from the first-floor hall of the base's administrative building, where a ball was in full swing, creating a lively atmosphere.

A group of mercenaries were drinking and dancing, accompanied by women they had likely captured from somewhere.

Some of the girls were clearly unable to dance, yet they were being forced to spin by the mercenaries.

Fearing retaliation, the girls dared not resist, as the human world's order was on the brink of collapse.

The Round Table Knights, being the Lionheart Empire's strongest mercenary group, boasted powerful metahuman warriors among its ranks.

As long as they didn't provoke the truly powerful, these mercenaries were unrestrained by morals or laws.

Among the dancing mercenaries, Lu Heng spotted the metahuman assassin, Willi Belder.

He was dancing with an Asian girl.

The girl, clearly unable to dance, struggled, but dared not show too much resistance.

She didn't resemble a dancer but seemed more like a student forced to attend the ball.

Willi Belder pulled the girl close, pressing her against him.

The girl resisted, but her strength was no match for a 24th-level metahuman, making her efforts futile.

Willi Belder leaned in for a kiss.

The girl desperately tried to pull away, but she couldn't break free.

The surrounding mercenaries laughed, as if watching a spectacle.

Just as he was about to make contact, the girl, in a panic, stomped on his foot with her high heels.

Willi Belder cried out in pain, his embarrassment turning to anger. He grabbed the girl's hair, pinned her down on a long table, and with his other hand, unbuckled his belt to tie around her neck, preparing to commit a heinous act in plain sight.

The girl struggled desperately, but to no avail.

The mercenaries watched, occasionally shouting lewd comments.

Suddenly, a flaming arrow flew in from outside the hall, covering a hundred meters in an instant, and pierced Willi Belder's back.

Willi Belder let out a piercing scream, clutching his wound and searching for cover.

The other mercenaries in the hall reacted swiftly, drawing their weapons and searching for the archer.

At that moment, Lu Heng appeared at the entrance, holding the Aurora Blade. He strode forward and with a swift stroke, beheaded the nearest mercenary to the door.

The hall erupted into chaos, the captured girls screamed and scattered, hiding behind pillars and furniture.

The mercenaries at the venue raised their guns and fired at Lu Heng.

In the instant the bullets left the chamber, Lu Heng activated his Bullet Time skill, causing the world around him to slow down.

With a swift charge, Lu Heng weaved through the bullets, executing the Seven-Section Sword Style, each strike claiming the life of a mercenary.

In just a few short seconds, over thirty mercenaries at the venue were slain.

The gunfire at the ball alerted the entire Thames Base, and two teams of armed mercenaries rushed out, heading towards the ballroom.

Just as they were about to reach the ballroom, a loud, piercing cry echoed through the sky, and a solar wind engulfed the mercenaries, instantly turning them into charred corpses.

Over twenty mercenaries were instantly reduced to cinders by the solar wind.

A few mercenaries with defensive abilities managed to withstand the initial wave of heat, but they couldn't endure the subsequent scorching temperatures.

These mercenaries, screaming in agony, broke free from the solar wind's coverage, collapsing to the ground with severe burns. It was clear they wouldn't survive.

Two of them, in their final moments, attempted to retaliate, but Su Muyu raised his crossbow, shooting them down with two arrows.

...

Inside the ballroom, Lu Heng, after finishing off the mercenaries, glanced at the girls and shouted, "Why aren't you running?"

Startled, the girls scrambled out of the ballroom.

Only Willi Belder remained, hiding under a long table.

The table was covered with a cloth that hung down to the ground, concealing him completely from outside view.

He had been shot in the back and was severely injured, but being a level 24 mercenary, he knew that as long as he escaped alive, the injury wouldn't be fatal.

He had intended to retaliate, but as he drew his assault rifle, he witnessed his fellow mercenaries being slaughtered.

Realizing he was facing a peak metahuman, he immediately hid under the table, hoping to survive this calamity.

Unfortunately, Lu Heng's raid on the Thames Base had Willi Belder as one of its targets.

As Willi Belder trembled in fear, a sword pierced through the tablecloth and rested against his neck.

Willi Belder's face contorted in despair, and he pleaded, "No! Don't kill me. I'll do anything you want. I know the password to the base's warehouse, and there are many crystal cores there."

"Willi Belder, is it?" Lu Heng recited his name.

"Yes... I am... no, I'm not Willi Belder," he said, realizing that this Daxia man might be investigating the case. He quickly denied his identity.

Lu Heng took out a photo, placed it beside Willi Belder's head, and compared it, "Do you think I'm blind?"

Willi Belder immediately knelt and begged for mercy, "Spare me. I'll do whatever you want."

Lu Heng's eyes turned cold as he asked, "Three days ago, on August 27th, what did you do in Daxia?"

Willi Belder's pupils dilated in shock, for August 27th was the date of his assassination mission.

"It was an order from above, not my intention. I was just following orders. Please spare me, and I can tell you who gave the order," Willi Belder tried to distance himself from the mission.

"No need. After I kill you, I'll naturally go after him," Lu Heng said, raising his sword. With a swift strike, he slashed down, severing Willi Belder's right hand in front of his terrified eyes.

"Ah!" Willi Belder let out a piercing scream, clutching his right hand wound with his left. His entire body was drenched in cold sweat from the pain.

Lu Heng, after cutting off his right hand, raised his sword again and slashed, severing his left hand as well.

Then, he chopped off both his legs, turning him into a human pig.

Lu Heng then took out a card and handed it to Willi Belder, "Bite it."

Willi Belder, now with his hands and feet severed, was terrified. He quickly bit down on the card.

Lu Heng continued, "Tell your superior that I'm waiting for him."

With these words, Lu Heng turned and left the Thames Base with Su Muyu.

...

The matter wasn't over; razing a single base wouldn't stop the Round Table Knight Mercenary Group from their assassination attempts on Daxia's Tempering Artisans.

To truly put an end to this, the targets had to be the strongest metahumans within the Round Table Knight Mercenary Group.

Therefore, after turning Willi Belder into a human pig, Lu Heng left a clue behind.

It was now up to those powerful knights to dare to confront him.

Before leaving the Thames Base, Lu Heng slashed open the warehouse with his sword, took the crystal cores, and rejoined his teammates. They returned to their cruise ship and continued their river tour.

...

The attack on Thames Base shocked the higher-ups of the Round Table Knight Organization.

When Modred, the Shadow Knight of the Round Table Knight Battalion, arrived at the Thames Base, he witnessed a scene he'd never forget.

The entire ballroom had become a slaughterhouse.

Even Modred, known for his cruelty, felt discomfort at the gruesome sight.

Not all the mercenaries in the ballroom were dead; one was left alive, his limbs severed, writhing in a pool of blood like a maggot.

Modred didn't recognize this pathetic human pig, as there were too many subordinates in the Round Table Knights for him to know each one.

Willi Belder, seeing the strongest of the Round Table Knights, found hope in his eyes. He spat out the card and, with his last strength, cried, "Save me! Save me!"

Modred approached, crouched down, and asked, "Who did this?"

Willi Belder, desperate for medical attention, was well aware of the Shadow Knight's temperament.

The man had to answer his questions immediately, or he would be killed, even if he wasn't already dead.

Gasping for breath, he replied, "A Daxia man, a Daxia man. He's here for revenge because I assassinated a Tempering Master in Daxia."

Modred's expression remained cold as he continued his interrogation, "Which Daxia man? What's his name?"

"I... I don't know," Willi Belder, not knowing Lu Heng's name, pleaded with a desperate expression.

Modred didn't get the answer he wanted, and his eyes turned icy.

Willi Belder felt a chill in his heart and quickly added, "He left a card."

Modred picked up the card he had discarded earlier and took a glance at it.

It was a ticket for a Thames River cruise, and according to the attractions listed on the card, they should have already reached the Richmond Park area downstream at this time.

After seeing the ticket, Modred's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he hummed, "Dares to leave a clue, asking for death!"

Willi Belder, losing too much blood, had his eyes turning dark. With his last strength, he begged, "Save me... Save me..."

Modred looked down at him with icy eyes and said, "The Round Table Knights don't keep useless people."

As he spoke, he raised his hand to grab Willi Belder's head, and a faint blue light appeared on his palm. In the blink of an eye, he drained Willi Belder's mana.

Willi Belder let out a final, pitiful scream, his eyes sinking as he completely lost his vitality.

...

Modred emerged from the Thames Base, followed by a group of mercenaries.

The mercenary captain stepped forward and asked, "Sir Modred, what should we do now?"

Modred handed the ticket to the mercenary captain and ordered, "Find the target and kill him."

"Yes, sir!"

The mercenary captain immediately led the team and rushed towards the downstream area of the Thames River.

...

On the river, a pleasure boat was cruising.

Lu Heng and his two companions continued their river tour, unaware of what had just happened on the shore. The tourists on board were chatting and taking photos.

Just then, a group of Round Table Knight mercenaries arrived at the riverbank, found the boat number written on the ticket, and dispatched a Sensor to scout the people on the pleasure boat.

On the boat, Su Muyu spoke calmly, "They're here, on the shore. There's a sniper."

Lin Zeyu looked towards the riverbank through a telescope and said, "I'll take care of this group."

He took out a grenade launcher and began to channel mana into it.

Two days ago, Lu Heng had reminded him that he could use the grenade launcher to fire Essence Energy Cloud Bombs. After returning, Lin Zeyu immediately obtained a grenade launcher and practiced with it for two days, and now he was ready to test his skills.

Lin Zeyu aimed at the Round Table Knight mercenaries on the riverbank and channeled an Essence Energy Cloud Bomb, then fired it.

A ball of light shot out, crossing a distance of two hundred meters and slamming into the group of Round Table Knight mercenaries.

Boom! The Essence Energy Cloud Bomb exploded, engulfing a radius of 20 meters.

The group of Round Table Knight mercenaries had seen the ball of light and were preparing to scatter and dodge.

However, they only ran for 10 meters before feeling that the danger had passed.

But when the Essence Energy Cloud Bomb exploded, its coverage area far exceeded their expectations. The entire group of Round Table Knight mercenaries was swallowed by the cloud bomb.

The 2500-degree heat scorched them, leaving them severely injured. More than half were directly killed by the explosion, while the rest lay on the ground, wailing in agony, only to be turned into charred corpses by the relentless heat.

Explosions rocked the riverbank, and the Round Table Knight mercenaries screamed in agony as they perished in the flames.

The pleasure boat erupted in cries of surprise, and tourists scattered, rushing back into the boat's cabin to hide.

Some panicked tourists even jumped into the water to escape.

A single Essence Energy Cloud Bomb had eliminated an entire squad of Round Table Knight mercenaries.

Modred sat in a car, driven by his subordinates along the riverbank highway.

Suddenly, he received news from his men that the squad he had dispatched had been wiped out by a single cloud bomb.

Modred narrowed his eyes, finally realizing that this opponent was not to be taken lightly.

Initially, he had no interest in dealing with this personally, thinking that sending a team to eliminate the target would allow him to rest.

But to his surprise, the news of his squad's annihilation came within ten minutes.

Modred narrowed his eyes, recalling the location on the ticket he had seen earlier, and said, "Let's go to Richmond Park."

He finally understood the meaning behind the Daxia man's boat ticket.

It was an invitation to meet at Richmond Park.

At first, he didn't think a Daxia man required his personal attention, so he ignored the information on the ticket.

Now, understanding the situation, he instructed his men to drive to Richmond Park.

On the other side.

The final stop for the pleasure boat was Richmond Park.

After Lu Heng and his companions disembarked, they entered Richmond Park, waiting for the Round Table Knight's top warrior.

Among the Round Table Knight mercenaries, there were three knights with the strongest combat power, and the most formidable among them was the Shadow Knight named Modred.

However, it was unclear which Round Table Knight would show up.

Upon entering Richmond Park, Lu Heng instructed Lin Zeyu to find a concealed position.

Lin Zeyu now had a Chameleon Camouflage Suit and Decoy Traps, making him quite capable of self-preservation.

As a sniper, he needed to learn to act alone after acquiring concealment abilities.

Once hidden, he would rarely fire his weapon, and when he did, it would be to eliminate his target.

Lu Heng stood openly in the most spacious area of Richmond Park, waiting for the Round Table Knight to arrive, he didn't bother to hide.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end