Chapter 44: The Dark Wind Fort
Chapter 44: The Dark Wind Fort
September 25, 2017
The crucial issue lay with the very first arrow that Lu Hai Kong had shot, and he swore by all that was good and holy that it had been intended to alleviate the bandits' suspicions.
His aim was as haphazard as it could be, and he had no idea how he managed to hit his target. The hit itself wasn't the main concern, but the excruciating pain caused by the wound significantly reduced the effects of the sleeping powder Lu Hai Kong had used.
Thus, a minor hiccup occurred in what was supposed to be a perfect plan for a complete wipeout. One injured raider managed to escape.
Lu Hai Kong wasn't particularly afraid for himself, as the raiders didn't know his identity and had no way of finding him. He was more concerned that they might cause trouble for the villagers.
Upon returning to the bandit camp, Lu Hai Kong didn't bother to tally the spoils of war but instead quickly splashed a basin of water to wake up the escaped raider and began interrogating him.
Although Lu Hai Kong had only seen interrogations on TV and had never done it himself, watching many shows had taught him some peculiar and seemingly useless skills. These skills often proved surprisingly effective in unconventional situations.
For instance, through his self-taught interrogation techniques, Lu Hai Kong successfully extracted the information he sought from the lone raider.
The Dark Wind Fort was a medium-sized bandit gang operating between Shanwu County and Qiangyin County, with a total force of around four to five hundred men, making them a formidable power. The fort had three leaders, and aside from the weakest one, whom Lu Hai Kong had just eliminated, the other two were formidable opponents.
Despite the raider's cooperation, providing detailed information, including their hideouts and the terrifying strength of their leaders, Lu Hai Kong couldn't directly perceive their attributes due to their indigenous status, and they themselves had no concept of attributes. Thus, he could only gain a partial understanding of the Dark Wind Fort.
However, Lu Hai Kong did learn one crucial aspect—the fort's style of operation.
Initially, Lu Hai Kong thought that even if the Dark Wind Fort sought revenge, they would, at most, extort the small mountain village. In a scenario where he couldn't withstand the raiders, the worst outcome would be the village suffering some extortion, and he could always compensate them later to ease his conscience.
But Lu Hai Kong realized his expectations were too optimistic. From the raider's information, he learned that the bandit gang was exceptionally cruel and ruthless.
In just the past three months, three villages had been destroyed by them due to various reasons and grudges. With the death of the third-in-command, the Dark Wind Fort, true to its nature, would undoubtedly launch another massacre.
Upon understanding the situation, Lu Hai Kong's eyes flashed with cold determination. He had initially planned to avoid confrontation, but now, recognizing the nature of his enemy, he felt it necessary to eliminate this evil force.
Of course, Lu Hai Kong would never admit that his decision was influenced by the raider's revelation that the Dark Wind Fort had a substantial stash of several thousand gold coins.
After gathering the information he sought, Lu Hai Kong didn't kill the raider but instead found an empty room in the camp and locked him up. Only then did Lu Hai Kong proceed to tally his gains from this outing.
(End)
The most noticeable change was in terms of finances. With the addition of the six refugee camps and this group of raiders, Lu Hai Kong's wealth skyrocketed to 77 gold coins. Furthermore, the raider leader provided Lu Hai Kong with two valuable items.
One was a skill book called "Investigation Technique," and the other was a book called "Gale Blade Technique," which Lu Hai Kong had encountered before.
Investigation Technique
Special Skill, Unupgradable
Effect: Can use inner power to view NPC and player attributes.
This item was indeed impressive, and Lu Hai Kong immediately clapped his hands, eager to learn it. He promptly tested it out on one of the captured raiders.
Name: Li Ergou
Occupation: Raider
Affiliation: Darkwind Fort
Attributes:
Strength: 7, Agility: 6, Physique: 7, Intelligence: 5
Skills:
Riding Skill Lv. 5
Basic Blade Technique: 7
Lu Hai Kong was astonished by these attributes, realizing that they were almost on par with those of Dynasty and Ma Han. They were even significantly stronger than the 'Bandit Infantry' under his command. Considering there were around four to five hundred raiders of this caliber, Lu Hai Kong gained a clear understanding of the strength of Darkwind Fort. He knew that for the time being, he had no chance of directly confronting such a formidable force.
However, Lu Hai Kong didn't seem overly concerned, as if he already had a plan in mind. From the start, he never intended to challenge such a nefarious group with his meager forces.
Regarding the remaining book, "Gale Blade Technique," Lu Hai Kong contemplated and ultimately decided to give it to Ma Han. He had witnessed its power and knew it was formidable, but for him, it would only be an additional flourish to his existing abilities. It couldn't bring about a revolutionary breakthrough in his strength, so it was better to use it to nurture Ma Han.
When Ma Han received the "Gale Blade Technique" from Lu Hai Kong, a rare expression of delight appeared on his face. On the other side, Dynasty also visibly showed disappointment. These two guys were becoming increasingly clever.
After briefly comforting Dynasty, Lu Hai Kong went straight to Wang LaoTou. Initially, Lu Hai Kong planned to purchase some 'Bandit Infantry' occupation certificates from Wang LaoTou. However, to his surprise, Wang LaoTou, with a sly grin, offered him an unexpected delight.
Wang LaoTou, with a mischievous smile, presented Lu Hai Kong with a 'Bandit Archer' occupation certificate. Lu Hai Kong's eyes lit up upon seeing this, as he had been contemplating and taking steps to cultivate a team of archers. But despite his efforts over the past ten days, the results were not ideal. He never expected Wang LaoTou to provide such a pleasant surprise.
However, from Wang LaoTou's sly grin, Lu Hai Kong knew he was in for a significant expense. Indeed, Wang LaoTou charged Lu Hai Kong one gold coin for a single 'Bandit Archer' occupation certificate, which was equivalent to twice the price of a 'Bandit Infantry' certificate. For twelve of them, Lu Hai Kong had to pay a total of 12 gold coins, causing him to wince at the cost.
Fortunately, Lu Hai Kong's investment paid off. Although the price was a bit steep, the twelve bandits who changed their occupation to 'Bandit Archer' experienced a direct boost in their four attributes to 5 points each. Additionally, their "Basic Archery Technique" skill level increased to level 5. From this point on, Lu Hai Kong's archer squad was considered to be in its initial formation.
Chapter end
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