Chapter 402: Coming to the Aid (Part 2)

“Since when have the pro-war faction members started hiding and acting like bandits?” As expected, as soon as the man in black spoke, mocking voices filled the air, brimming with disdain and mockery.
“Damn it, you bastard! Stop framing people! If you’ve got the guts, come out and face me!” Hearing this, the man in black grew anxious and shouted loudly. Even the masked bandits around him began to feel uneasy.
Only they themselves knew their true identities—how could anyone else know? Even many of their comrades didn’t know what mission they were on this time, so how could they possibly figure it out? Filled with confusion, they became alert and worried. They had to find this man; otherwise, the consequences of his identity being exposed were unthinkable.
“Pro-war faction? You’re from the pro-war faction? You…” The middle-aged man and the man who had already been suspicious were utterly astonished upon hearing this and seeing the man in black’s behavior. Indeed, they weren’t ordinary bandits, but still, they never expected them to be from the pro-war faction.
After all, they had planned to sell the goods they were carrying to Dark Moon City to the pro-war faction. If they had sold them to the opposition, such actions might have been understandable, but now?
In the next moment, they realized a serious problem: it seemed the pro-war faction had no intention of cooperating with them at all—they just wanted to take advantage of them. With this thought, the two began to regret their decision.
“What, silent now?” With a cold sneer, dozens of figures suddenly appeared in the previously empty canyon, slowly approaching the group!
“It’s you!” Upon seeing the leader, the middle-aged man and the man exclaimed in surprise, but soon followed by immense excitement. They saw hope—unexpectantly, they met this man here again! He had appeared!
At that moment, their faces were filled with the excitement of surviving a disaster. They knew that as long as this man was here, everything was possible—they were saved. Indeed, the group that appeared was Rod and his companions.
“Who are you? Mind your own business! It’s best for you not to interfere in our pro-war faction’s affairs!” With their identities exposed, the man in black leading the group decided not to hide any longer and warned them in a deep voice.

“Heh, the war hawks, so full of arrogance? Even your third prince doesn’t seem to have such an air of superiority. It’s actually a shame for you that he doesn’t have it!” With a cold snort, Rod slowly spoke as he stepped among the caravan. He utterly dismissed these war hawk soldiers; to him, even if the ancient sword itself appeared, it wouldn’t matter at all.

“Bastards! Since you refuse to drink the toast, don’t blame us for being ruthless—kill them!” The man in black was clearly enraged now, throwing his broken weapon aside and shouting at those around him.

Instantly, the remaining hundreds of men in black rushed at Rod and his group like wolves and tigers!

To everyone’s surprise, these men who had been so fierce against the caravan now acted like lizards with broken tails in front of Rod’s group—unable to fight back, they fled in all directions, screaming in pain as blood splattered everywhere. Viski and the others felt no pity for them; there was no mercy.

In just three minutes, two-thirds of the men in black had fallen, and the rest were pale and completely devoid of their earlier arrogance, scrambling to escape.

“Bastards, who the hell are you?” Even the stupidest person could tell something was wrong now. The leader of the men in black shouted in frustration.

Recently, following orders from their superiors, they had started targeting caravans trying to profit from the war due to shortages of supplies. Their choice proved correct—they had indeed succeeded in pulling off many heists. Who would have expected to encounter such a tough opponent today, especially when they were on the verge of success, and then these guys showed up out of nowhere? How could they not be furious?

“Kill them all—leave none!” Instead of answering their question, all Rod heard was his cold voice.

As soon as he spoke, the members of the Reaper Scythe Squad acted like death itself, mercilessly harvesting lives. Screams and curses filled the air, and the bloodshed filled the valley with a faint scent of blood. The cold wind howled, turning the valley into a hellish scene too gruesome to bear.

The caravan members were also stunned. Having never seen such a bloody scene before, they couldn’t help but bend over and vomit. Broken limbs and corpses lay scattered everywhere, and the unbearable sight left them too horrified to look any longer.

With their eyes tightly closed, their hearts remained heavy. The heart-wrenching screams seemed to penetrate their very bones, causing them to tremble. Was this what battle was like? It was only at this moment that they truly understood true cruelty. Against the enemy, there was only one choice: to kill, to forge victory with blood. The situation was one-sided—a complete massacre. The fighting prowess displayed by Viski and the others was truly terrifying. After more than ten minutes, the continuous screams suddenly ceased, leaving only the howling wind and the pungent smell of blood. Afterward, the members of the Death Scythe Squad began efficiently cleaning up the battlefield. Rod found it amusing to see the caravan members’ pale faces—they clearly had seen too little of the world. “Thank you!” After a long while, it was the middle-aged man who recovered first. His face was still pale as he spoke gratefully to Rod. After all, this time they had indeed saved his life. “Going to Dark Moon City?” Rod asked softly. “Just doing some small business. I never expected to meet you here! Without you, the consequences would have been unimaginable!” Recalling the previous ordeal, the man was still terrified. “It was just a coincidence. What’s in these goods?” Rod asked, puzzled by the fully loaded caravans, which seemed unusually light. “Just some medicines!” the middle-aged man said with a wry smile. It was because of these medicines that his group had almost lost their lives. “For which side?” Rod asked teasingly. He could guess that these goods were meant for the pro-war faction, though these people could never have imagined that their buyers had such ulterior motives. “You already know, don’t you?” the middle-aged man said helplessly, smiling bitterly at Rod. By now, the battlefield had been cleaned up. Rod and the caravan members decided not to stay in the valley any longer and went to the hillside where they planned to spend the night. There, after chatting, Rod learned a lot. Recently, many caravans had been heading to Dark Moon City, hoping to make a fortune. Although robberies occurred frequently, the allure of huge profits had blinded them, causing them to rush there without thinking too much. They were just one of those groups.

“You must be Knightrod!” Finally, after getting to know each other better, the man asked. Though he had already figured it out, he still wanted to confirm.
Upon hearing his words, a sharp glint appeared in Rod’s eyes. They had indeed recognized his identity. After a moment of thought, he nodded, the atmosphere becoming somewhat tense.
“What benefits has the Pro-War faction given you?” Rod asked after a while.
“Huge profits and promises for the future!” the man replied confidently.
“How many caravans can you contact?” Suddenly, Rod had an idea of his own. He felt a bit excited—if this plan could be implemented, it would undoubtedly be a huge help to them.
“After all these years, I know almost all the caravans. Those with closer relationships are probably over a dozen!” the middle-aged man said after thinking for a moment, with a hint of confusion, perhaps not understanding why Rod asked this question suddenly.
“Over a dozen? That should be enough!” Rod murmured to himself before asking, “Have they all been using this route recently?”
“Yeah, more or less. With the current situation here, it’s where the biggest profits are, so naturally, everyone is heading this way!” the man replied affirmatively after some thought.
“Do they all supply the Pro-War faction?” Rod asked excitedly.
“Yeah. We can’t get into the Opposition faction’s territory, so there’s no way to supply them.”
“Then, the Opposition faction can offer you the same benefits as the Pro-War faction, even better ones, and there will definitely be no more incidents like today. Contact these caravans and tell them to stop supplying the Pro-War faction! Dark Moon City will accept all their goods at the same prices! We’ll also send special teams to protect your caravans. What do you think?” Rod asked after a moment of thought.
He planned to cut off the Pro-War faction’s supply of goods, which would undoubtedly be a huge blow to them. The consequences were obvious, while it would represent a great opportunity and help for the Opposition faction. It was a win-win situation, and Rod was naturally willing to do it.
“Really? Is that true?” The man was excited, not expecting Rod to propose such terms. They certainly understood the implications behind his words. But the temptation was too great—the conditions were far better than those of the Pro-War faction. Most importantly, there was no need to worry about similar deceitful actions from them. With such substantial guarantees and benefits, anyone would be tempted.