"Boss, we're here!"
Er Gou, clad in shining silver armor, gestured with his eyes and lips.
Looking ahead,
They saw a majestic mountain stronghold standing hundreds of meters away. Faintly, they could see the stronghold's banner fluttering in the breeze atop the city gate tower.
Chen Yu, narrowing his eyes, couldn't help but gasp.
Having been in the underground for so long, Chen Yu had encountered his fair share of tribal camps. However, compared to the camp before him, those camps were like day and night.
Possessing such scale, it was no wonder Hei Dou's troops had been defeated.
Indeed, their strength was not to be underestimated!
"This camp isn't small," Chen Yu sighed softly. Er Gou also sighed with reluctance, "Isn't it? While I hate to admit it, this camp is indeed not small, and the bandits within are ridiculously strong, not on the same level as the tribes we encountered before."
"I can feel it," Chen Yu murmured.
To understand a faction's overall strength, one looks at the mountain gate for a sect, the reception hall for a corporation, and the village itself for a stronghold.
Being targeted by such a camp was not good news.
As long as he could safely ransom Hei Dou and the others, he had to quickly set about destroying this camp and not allow it to continue developing.
After a moment of thought, Chen Yu looked to the sides.
For the sake of caution,
Chen Yu had brought out all his Meteorite Guards. Barbara and Sona were among them. Though not numerous, each was formidable.
If the stronghold's leader harbored ill intentions,
At least Chen Yu could fight his way out!
"You go back to the city," Chen Yu whispered sternly. "I can handle things here. Our city-state can't be without a leader present."
"Boss..."
Just as Er Gou was about to plead to stay, Barbara suddenly raised her hand and pointed towards the stronghold's banner.
"Hey, Chen Yu, that stronghold's flag seems to have been cut down."
Chen Yu, upon hearing this, quickly looked up and saw the stronghold's banner severed. Several figures were faintly moving on the city gate tower.
"It really was cut down."
"Could this stronghold have changed hands?" Barbara grinned, chuckling at Chen Yu with hidden amusement. "Someone's about to have bad luck."
Chen Yu: "..."
Damn it, he was about to have terrible luck.
In a stronghold inhabited by bandits, even if not all were vicious villains, their leader was definitely not a good person.
The change of hands in the stronghold
meant that the new occupants were even stronger.
This was certainly not good news for Chen Yu.
"Boss, what do we do now..." Er Gou asked tentatively. Chen Yu, licking his lips, clenched his fist tightly. "Since we're already here, can we just turn back without Hei Dou and the others being ransomed?"
Chen Yu raised his arm and strode towards the stronghold.
Upon reaching the stronghold's entrance,
The majestic wooden gate had collapsed. There were no patrolling guards to be seen in any direction. Chen Yu and his group entered the stronghold without any resistance.
"Wow~"
"It looks like this stronghold experienced a fierce battle not long ago."
Barbara said with a smile, looking at the sides.
"It hasn't been long; the sword marks and fire elements from fire magic are still clear here," Sona also murmured softly, squinting her eyes.
"I wonder how Brother Er and the others are doing."
Er Gou, carrying his greatsword, reached behind him and gripped the hilt tightly, his eyes alertly scanning the surroundings.
"Hurry, everyone, hurry!!!"
Suddenly, hurried shouts reached Chen Yu's ears.
A familiar voice,
causing Chen Yu and Er Gou to exchange glances subconsciously.
Following the sound, they hurried over—
The ground was covered with gathered resources: stone, wood, iron, copper, silver, gold... A terrifying amount of basic resources.
In front of the pile of basic resources were many herbs,
and several treasure chests.
Behind the treasure chests, a young man lay asleep on a rattan chair, a towel covering his head.
In the center of the courtyard, Kuka, dressed in a Necromancer set, held a Necromancer's staff and was giving orders.
"Hmm?"
Chen Yu suddenly noticed that on the trunk of a towering ancient tree next to the rattan chair, a tiger-man, beaten and bruised, was tied up. He hadn't moved for a long time, appearing to have been knocked unconscious.
"Who is that tiger-man?"
"He..." Er Gou, who had been holding his greatsword, let go and looked with disbelief. "He... he seems to be the stronghold's leader."
"What?!"
Chen Yu, seeing this scene, showed astonishment and glanced at Er Gou.
"Didn't you say they were captured?"
Damn it!
Was this what being captured looked like?
The stronghold's leader was tied up, and the entire stronghold was now occupied by his city-state's people, who were like worker ants carrying resources to the resource pile.
"Doggy, tell me the truth, did you fucking desert?"
Chen Yu asked with a sharp gaze.
"How is that possible!"
Hearing this, Er Gou's eyes widened.
"How could I desert?"
That was true, Chen Yu understood his trusted subordinates quite well. Er Gou might be reckless and a bit simple-minded, but he was definitely not the type to flee from battle.
The wounds he sustained when he returned to the city-state were also not fake.
"Then what's going on? Did they turn the tables?" Chen Yu murmured softly. Kuka, who was giving orders in the stronghold, seemed to sense someone spying and instantly condensed a dark orb of light with his staff. "Who's there? Come out quickly, my dark magic is not to be trifled with!"
"Hoo, so domineering."
Chen Yu walked out with a smile from a corner. The moment Kuka saw Chen Yu's figure, his face lit up with surprise, and he ran towards Chen Yu, dropping his staff.
"Boss!!!"
"City Lord, it's the City Lord."
Immediately, countless beastmen rushed over from all directions of the stronghold.
Lion Jack, Rouss, and Black Donkey were among them. Even Shan Gang Yu Tai, the young master of the Hound Tribe, smiled and greeted Chen Yu.
"You're all here, where's Hei Dou?"
"Big Brother!!!"
A voice filled with longing and choked with tears reached his ears.
The beastmen surrounding Chen Yu parted ways. Chen Yu glanced over and saw a young man with delicate features, appearing to be only seventeen or eighteen years old. His dark eyes looked at him tearfully.
"You, Hei Dou?"
"Big Brother!!!" Hei Dou cried out, grinning widely and throwing himself into Chen Yu's embrace, tears and snot flowing uncontrollably. "I missed you so much!!!"
"Are you really Hei Dou?"
"Yes!"
Pouting with a face full of grievance, Hei Dou nodded his small head repeatedly like a pecking chicken. Chen Yu slowly let out a breath, a strange smile appearing on his face.
"Since you're Hei Dou, I won't hold back."
"Huh?"
Hei Dou raised his hand in confusion. Before he could react, he felt a hard slap on the back of his head, followed by a kick to his backside.
"You little scamp, you're quite the player!"
"Where's my knife!"
"Today, I'm definitely going to castrate you!"