Chapter 241: Shocking News

“I can’t die. Reinforcements should arrive soon. Defending the city is difficult, but it shouldn’t be a problem. Have you gotten some news?” Rod asked skeptically, frowning at the man in black. His words forced Rod to consider that possibility, as there was indeed something mysterious about it. It seemed to Rod that this guy knew some very important things, and his furrowed brows only emphasized that point.
“News? It won’t help you. In fact, you’d probably prefer the monsters to break through the city walls. The demons and humans are sworn enemies—something you’ve felt yourself. An invasion by monsters would be good for you, wouldn’t it? Perhaps that day is coming soon!” With a sigh, the man in black stared at Rod for a long time before speaking in a deep voice. The hint of helplessness and complexity in his eyes made Rod even more puzzled.
“Can’t we live in peace?” Rod asked softly, taking a deep breath.
“That’s impossible. Over thousands of years, resentment has grown deeper and deeper. It can’t be resolved so easily. This is a zero-sum conflict. Don’t delude yourself. If it were possible, there wouldn’t be so many problems. By the way, be warned—this beast invasion might bring demons and vampires. Be careful. Avoid them if you encounter them; don’t fight them. You’re not strong enough yet. If you can’t escape, reveal your identity. If you’re a demon, they might be confused by your identity as a human. If you’re a human, they might spare you out of kinship. Decide based on the situation. Under no circumstances reveal this news!” The man in black warned seriously, staring at Rod.
“Demons and vampires!” Hearing this, Rod’s expression turned tense. His intuition was correct—something major was about to happen. He never expected demons and vampires to appear. Rod knew this man in black had extensive sources of information, so nothing seemed surprising to him. But then he became puzzled again. He knew exactly how difficult it would be to obtain such news—perhaps only this man in black knew about it. How did he find out? Although he knew his sources were widespread, something like this… seemed a bit extreme.
“That’s right. Be careful,” the man in black said firmly, nodding heavily.

Seeing his serious expression, Rod froze in place, realizing there was no doubt—he wouldn’t joke about this matter, nor would he need to deceive himself.
“Damn it, I get it!” Taking a deep breath to calm his shock, Rod spoke in a low voice. The man in black seemed even more mysterious to him now; this person was far from ordinary. After all, not even all the nations on the continent knew this news yet! What if it got out? If others found out, chaos would surely ensue.
The appearance of demons—what an astonishing news! If they knew, the reinforcements sent this time would surely be far more numerous and powerful, perhaps even all eight god-tier warriors on the continent would show up.
“Remember the purpose of your trial. I don’t want to see you here until it’s completed. Someone will contact you once it’s done. We’ll be leaving soon to handle some matters—it might take a long time. Once you finish your task, someone will bring you to us!” After a moment of silence, the man in black sighed and spoke to Rod.
But his words gave Rod the impression that there was something heavy underlying them, as if it were a very difficult task to accomplish. It was the first time Rod had seen him look like this.
“I understand. You… be careful! I’ll meet up with you as soon as possible!” Sensing the man in black’s mood and guessing the difficulty of their task, Rod spoke in a slightly heavy voice, his words hesitant, as if embarrassed.
“Is there anything else?” Taking a deep breath and looking at the man in black, Rod asked, not knowing what else to say.
“No, go now. Don’t stay here too long, or you might attract attention. We’re leaving too today!” The man in black shook his head and said indifferently.
“Then I’ll be going!” Looking around and seeing no one, Rod realized those people might have left first. Hori and the others must have set off too. What kind of task could require the man in black to go in person? It was hard to imagine—perhaps it was today’s task, or something major might happen on the continent soon.
Turning and leaving the mansion, Rod stood at the door, glanced back once more, then resolutely turned and walked away.

With nowhere to go, he remembered Domir he had encountered before. Well, the name Domir seemed quite similar to Domio, the person he met on the city walls yesterday. Could the two be related? Thinking of this, Rod smiled wryly. He didn’t know why he suddenly remembered this person—perhaps it was because the hotel he was staying at was right ahead, and seeing it reminded him of that suspicious guy. To avoid trouble, Rod had no intention of meeting him again! With a slight smile, he realized that the only place he could go for now seemed to be Area C, where the reinforcements were temporarily staying. Thinking of Area C, he remembered Skora! His seasoned experience and somewhat mysterious identity left a deep impression on Rod. He didn’t have any negative feelings about him; on the contrary, he felt quite fond of him. Since he was going there, it was only natural to visit him. After making up his mind, he exhaled and, overwhelmed by fatigue, quickly headed toward Area C.

Leaving the center of Iron Bar Town and entering the military area, Rod walked toward Area C as he watched soldiers coming and going.

In the distance, the massive fire on the defensive walls continued to spread and burn, its fierce flames and dark smoke darkening the sky and earth. It might not be a bad idea to take some time to rest these days.

Upon entering Area C, he found it bustling with activity—people everywhere, almost like a market. The entire area was now occupied by the reinforcements, who had gathered from various places, making it a mix of different groups.

Inside Area C, mercenaries and groups of people could be seen everywhere. Perhaps due to the large fire outside the city, the temperature had risen several degrees. Even in early summer, some strong men were already walking around with their upper bodies bare, showing off their muscular frames.

A burly man with bare arms, carrying a large sword, passed by in a hurry, which made Rod smile wryly. There was no sign of sadness or exhaustion from the war here, nor any tension or worry about another battle approaching. Everyone seemed so carefree and relaxed, which Rod admired in secret. Having such a mindset was indeed a good thing—it could reduce a lot of worries.

“The reinforcements are staying in the south part of Area C. I heard the Ice God, the War God, and the Sword God are all there too. Let’s go check it out quickly!” As more groups of people hurried past, Rod, still puzzled, heard this surprising news.

He never expected that the newly arrived reinforcements would also be stationed here—seems fate really does bring people together. With a faint smile, Rod thought to himself that Skora’s Camp 13 in Area C was also located there by chance. It was truly coincidental. With nothing much to do, he followed the others as they moved forward, amused by their conversations. Status and position truly mattered—the arrival of three god-tier warriors not only provided a boost in strength but also raised morale and served as a spiritual source of strength. They had become the backbone of this defense battle, igniting everyone’s enthusiasm with unprecedented confidence. Especially those warriors who had never met these three before and the newcomers who had risen in the past decade—their passion was unwavering, as if they had endless energy.

On his first time exploring the military camp in such depth, Rod was deeply impressed by its layout and organization. It was well-structured, orderly, and simple, with no signs of complexity or redundancy. Every area served a purpose, maximizing efficiency without waste, reflecting the army’s practical style. Soon, Rod arrived at Camp 13 in Area C, Skora’s residence. Area C was divided into four sub-areas based on the four directions, each containing twenty-one camps besides the training grounds. Each camp had thirty tents, capable of housing a hundred soldiers—truly a form of collective housing.

Watching the others move forward, Rod, based on what he had heard, knew the new reinforcements were assigned to Camp 14 in Area C, also in the south, about six or seven hundred meters away. Having no desire to continue, he entered Camp 13 and, after some inquiries, discovered that Skora was quite a famous figure—almost everyone he spoke to knew his name and eagerly led Rod to one of the camps. It was a large tent, capable of holding a hundred people.

“Brother Skora, someone’s here to see you! Come out quickly!” Before Rod could ask further, the warrior beside him shouted loudly. This really surprised Rod—it was indeed a different approach.