Chapter 3: Hostage Taking

With patients needing care, the camp requiring guards, and a lack of transportation,Neo only took six people—Barrett, Vitz, Arno, Mah, Dick, and Bichir. This way, everyone had a mount, and they rushed forward at full speed. It took just over half an hour to reach the valley where the migration group was located.

The valley had entrances on three sides. At the entrance whereNeo and his group returned, there were only about a dozen bandits in tattered clothes, looking haggard but still with a sharp glint in their eyes. They hadn’t even entered the valley, clearly acting as scouts. SeeingNeo’s group’s formidable appearance and imposing presence, they scattered like birds and beasts.

Neo noticed that these bandits, with their thin legs like reeds, wearing straw sandals and casually wrapped in wood shavings, leaves, and animal fur, could still run at lightning speed. This reminded him easily of his own hardships in his youth. Whether he felt sympathy or not was secondary; what struck him deeply was the impact of hardship on life.

“Let’s go!”Neo didn’t chase those minor threats but led his group down the slightly rugged slope to the valley floor. After walking several hundred meters, they finally saw the migration group’s defensive line.

It was easy to build walls in winter. The red soil, which could be found everywhere in Hilfanis, was quite sticky. Piles of mud and earth, reinforced with plants, with carts serving as a base and planks added on top, created a rudimentary barrier. Coupled with a 5-meter-wide, 3-meter-deep trench studded with stakes like a hedgehog, even an ordinary bandit group of a hundred or so would have to carefully consider whether the cost of attacking was worth it.

A guard on the barrier first spotted the group and exclaimed joyfully, “It’sNeo!Neo’s back!”

A simple wooden suspension bridge was lowered, and the gates opened.Neo exchanged brief greetings with the guards, while the wolves, led by White Sock, headed straight inside.

Eubert’s defenses were well-organized. About a hundred meters behind the barrier, there was another 2-meter-high mud wall with guard posts—this served as a separation line, dividing the military area from the civilian area. Ordinary people were generally not allowed to cross it.

Another hundred meters beyond the mud wall lay the edge of the civilian living area. The situation wasn’t as bad asNeo had imagined. Most people were staying in their “homes” made of sleds and tents, in an orderly manner, just like during a state of emergency in a town.

Three valleys converged at one point, forming a central area of over 5,000 square meters. Xavier and the others lived nearby—not in the center, but along the mountain slope.

Neo patted White Sock’s neck and dismounted. By then, Eubert, who had received reports from the guards, had come out to greet them. He ordered the guards to take Barrett and the others to a nearby tent to rest. Barrett and the others just stared atNeo, who nodded slightly before they followed the guards. Seeing this, Eubert realized that the Gale Force Team had broken away more completely than he had thought.

Neo followed Eubert into the earthen hut. Standing in front of them, pacing back and forth, was Xavier. Others like McKenn, York, Light, as well as the new team officers Frank, and David and Gale, former guards of Valentina, were also there. Aside from Woodrow and Danny, most of the main members of the guard team were present.

Each of these people had a grave expression on their faces, with Light and Jeff especially looking ashamed. Seeing this, Neo’s heart sank—Light was Milien’s guard, and Jeff was in charge of the migration team’s defense and knew about his relationship with Milien. Such expressions from these two gave the sensitive Neo a bad feeling.

Sure enough, Xavier told Neo the news he least wanted to hear in a straightforward manner: Milien had been captured.

Even though Neo was extremely composed, hearing this news still made his temples bulge and his eyes bloodshot. A dark aura surged, turning the entire room into a gloomy, icy graveyard on a snowy day, chilling and terrifying.

Xavier remained expressionless, but inside, he was terrified, with growing wariness and disgust. He had heard that those with dark powers were usually emotional, but once their youthful years of passion passed, those special powers distorted their temperaments, turning them cruel and violent, prone to killing. Add in Neo’s innate wildness and great ambition, and it was easy to imagine that being married to such a person would bring no happiness at all.

As a father, Xavier was very worried about Milien’s situation. He also knew that Neo was the best candidate to rescue her. “Love without regret, huh? Well, here’s another chance to prove it…” Xavier’s emotions were extremely complex. He really hoped Neo could succeed in saving Milien, yet he also felt a sense of schadenfreude at Neo facing such trouble again. Moreover, he wanted to see Neo tortured by the various problems arising from his utterly inappropriate “childish love” for Milien, forcing him to back down. That way, he could convince himself that preventing Milien and Neo from being together was completely right—a wise decision based on experience, a brilliant choice from a father who loved his daughter…

Neo had no idea about Xavier’s mixed feelings—wanting the storm to intensify yet fearing his daughter would be hurt by it. Overcome with anger, he realized he had lost control. There was no need to put on a show here; they were all his colleagues. Who was he showing off to? After taking several deep breaths, he finally calmed down a bit.

“I’m sorry, I lost my temper!”

Neo’s apology was brief, but it still made everyone feel much better.

In fact, ever since Neo defeated the leader of the Beach Stones, Doge, many elders, including Macken, had begun to think this way: It’s said that once people gain power, money, or strength, their temperaments change greatly. What about the young Neo? Could it be the same?

The strong are respected, but they are also feared. This creates a subtle distance between them. Moreover, Neo’s performance on the battlefield was already very close to what ordinary people consider monstrous.

Of course, the main issue was communication. Valentina was injured, Neo needed to recover himself, and everyone was busy traveling. After staying for just one night, Neo rushed off to the Gale Team, leaving even busier people like Macken with even less chance to communicate.

Neo sensed all this clearly. No matter from which perspective he looked at it, he felt it wasn’t yet time to act arrogantly toward Macken and the others. Realizing his mistake, he immediately admitted it and decided that after this incident, it was time to sit down with everyone and have some liquor. The series of events that had happened recently were indeed bewildering and unexpected—his own changes, and then his sister, Liz Daknis…

While pondering these matters, Neo didn’t neglect the most urgent task at hand: saving Milien. Xavier and the others had already sorted out the whole situation before Neo arrived, and Ebute briefly explained it in just a few minutes, allowing Neo to understand everything.

It turned out that on the second day after the migration group settled in the valley—on the noon day when Valentina, Dave, Neo, and six others left—the scouts stationed outside the valley saw several ragged refugees, old and young, looking pitiful, which stirred their compassion. Upon questioning them, they learned they were also refugees led by Edrith, coming from the Moroloro Mountain Road, aiming to head northeast toward the Central Avenue.

The migration group had been fleeing eastward. Although their route was remote, they had rescued over a hundred people along the way. With ample meat from humans and animals, they had no problem adding five more mouths to feed. After a quick check, they took these people back to the group.

Unexpectedly, all of them—men, women, old, and young—were bandits, and they were quite skilled at dealing with people. The most capable among them was a young woman who called herself Mido. She was not only attractive but also sweet-talking, resourceful, and hardworking, with a decent skill in herbal medicine as well.

Since Liz left, although two Wood Elf druids filled the roles of medical officers in the infirmary, people had always struggled to get along with them due to cultural differences. Mido, with her dexterity and quick wits, filled the role of medical assistant and liaison. By chance, she met Milien, who was visiting the infirmary, and quickly became friends.

Nothing much happened after that. Everyone in the migration group liked Milien and took good care of her. Though she was cautious, her naivety still led her to judge people by appearance. She was deceived and then kidnapped with the help of those who had taken her.

“When I returned, I saw people keeping watch outside. Were those their men?”
Ebute nodded. “Yes. Those guys have been probing our situation thoroughly over the past few days and know about you and the Wind Team.”
“Did they make any demands?”
“Not yet. That’s exactly what’s leaving everyone at a loss.”
Just then, Danny returned. “They want us to send someone who can negotiate the ransom.”
“Phew!” Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to have a clear goal.

Xavier and the others instinctively turned to Neo. In terms of experience, ability, and expertise in military and paramilitary operations, Neo was the most authoritative figure in the Migration Team. Although Xavier didn’t like Neo, he understood the importance of delegating power and still gave Neo face in front of everyone. After all, most members of the Migration Team still thought he and Neo were a model master-slave pair, both truly manly.

Neo’s thoughts were clear—just one simple sentence: “Save them first.”

Of course, everyone could sense from his tone the unspoken part: at any cost!

“I am the full representative of the Migration Team. I’ll come with you,” Neo said, handing over his weapons to Barret. He wasn’t wearing even basic armor—only thin linen undergarments, soft leather clothes, and a fur coat worn backwards. Though his attire was plain, his upright posture, determined gaze, and imposing presence made it impossible for even the shrewdest observers to guess that he was once a slave.

“I hate it when people act like heroes! Tie me up!” one thug with bulging eyes shouted, showing his yellow teeth, right in front of over a hundred guards and Barret.

Vitz, standing beside Barret, immediately flew into a rage, thinking, “Acting like a hero? You think you’re something special? I’ll chop you in half with one swing!”

But before Vitz could act, Barret’s hand clamped like an iron fist around his hand reaching for a weapon. Mah also stepped forward, blocking half of Vitz’s body. Bier whispered behind Vitz, “Trying to cause trouble for the boss, huh?”

The guards were also furious, but thankfully, Macken and the others were there, quickly calming their teammates’ impulsive behavior.

The thug with bulging eyes grinned, his face like a dried orange peel. “It seems you still have some influence. Hmph! Tie me up—strangle me like an ox!”

“Strangling an ox” was a binding method commonly used by soldiers, mercenaries, and bandits. The bound person would end up with more than a dozen “spider legs” on their front, hands tied behind their back, feet tied together and pulled upward and backward. It was a complicated but extremely secure method—impossible to escape without supernatural powers like shape-shifting. Of course, it was also extremely painful.

Carried like cargo on a horse’s back, with a stinking cloth hood covering his head, Neo endured not only the discomfort of the bumpy ride but also the thug’s vile insults: “Damn it, I don’t even have a horse to use—you’re lucky!” From time to time, the thug would whip him, saying, “Heh, you’ve got a nice ass. Has anyone touched your asshole? Want me to give you some pleasure?”

Neo had no interest in listening to the thug’s filthy words. Though he couldn’t see and his nose was impaired by the smell of the hood, he still had ears. With Nancy’s assistance, he counted the beats of the horse’s hooves, sensed the subtle changes in the horse’s center of gravity when turning, and even guessed the horse’s stride length by feeling its muscle movements.

After more than three hours, they finally arrived at their destination. Even for someone with exceptional hearing, it would be impossible to record every detail of such a long journey, let alone analyze the route based on those details. But Neo had Nancy—his judgment combined with her analysis and quick thinking allowed her to clearly outline a map even with incomplete data. The bandits tried to lead Neo on a detour, but the distance wasn’t actually far, less than two hours, and the horses weren’t running at full speed.

Neo could hear various sounds, movements, voices, and even heartbeats. He could distinguish their basic characteristics—men, women, the elderly, children. Most of them were in poor health, and all those noises easily helped Neo visualize a scene reminiscent of a slum in his mind.

After dismounting, he was thrown like a bundle onto a small wheeled cart and carried for over ten minutes before finally reaching their destination.

Removing the hood, Neo saw an earthen cave dwelling of nearly a thousand square meters. The column-and-arch ceiling design made this purely earthen hall spacious and open. The stone columns were easily recognizable—very similar to those used in the deep chambers of the Solis Church, both products of the Rysfa era from 800 to 1200 years ago.

Buildings from the Rysfa era fully incorporated dwarf architectural principles—stately, grand, and using high-quality stone for foundations and main structures, which is why many have been preserved to this day. Moreover, the ventilation systems and water channel designs of that era were unique, hidden yet highly effective. Neo couldn’t detect any musty smell in the air here, and although the ground was covered with a thick layer of soil, the stone floor beneath was flat and even. However, the crude and rudimentary skylights above ruined the overall aesthetic of the hall—quite a failure, in fact.

Footsteps sounded, and a young woman wrapped in a wolf-pelt shawl appeared before Neo. She had a striking figure and was indeed beautiful, though slightly thin, with sunken eyes and unnatural redness on her cheeks—signs of poor health. Though Neo wasn’t an expert in medicine, he could tell this was a result of long-term malnutrition.

The young woman squatted down, resting her right arm on her leg and her chin in her hand, smiling and saying, “So? Neo, are you still able to endure it?”

“Not very well. This position is already uncomfortable. I’ve been tied up for four hours and tossed around on a horse for over three hours. Considering you probably didn’t prepare lunch for me, I’ve barely held back from vomiting what I ate this morning.”

Neo’s straightforward response surprised her slightly. She brushed aside some split golden hair at her temple and laughed, “I thought a hero like you would be more principled, at least on the surface.”

Neo shrugged. “Since you know my name, Neo, you should know my background. Things become worthless when there are too many of them—honors included.”

“That’s only because those honors aren’t what you value.”

“Maybe. But I’m not really concerned about any of this right now. We’d better get to the point.” Ni Zhen remained calm; Neo realized it wasn’t the right time to show such traits. The bandits must have gathered enough information through spying, especially by deceiving the kind and naive Milien—so they had him completely in their grasp. Acting tough now would only make them more alert or invite mockery, with no real purpose.

“No rush! Milien has told so much about your heroic deeds that I naturally hold you in high regard. How could I think a mere rope could trap you?” The young woman said as she reached out and pulled the thorny collar off Neo’s neck. “Tsk tsk, who would have thought that this seemingly ordinary collar harbors two powerful spirits and a water elemental guardian, and can even create a water barrier to block breath? Miao Jing, secret silver—it really doesn’t look anything special at all!” With that, she put it in her own pouch.

Neo sighed. “To fall into your hands—truly, it’s not undeserved. But amidst my anger, I can’t help but feel a bit melancholic.”

The young woman smiled. “What kind of melancholy? That the woman you love is too naive? That you loved her so wholeheartedly that you even revealed secrets that could cost her life? Or that all your efforts and sacrifices were for someone else’s benefit?”

Neo shook his head and said slowly, “I’ve heard of some things—women dragged into alleys to be violated in front of many onlookers. No matter how hard they cried for help, no one stepped in. As a result, their aggressors became even more brazen. There were also sick elders, pregnant women with ruptured amniotic sacs… so many, and no one helped them. I wondered why the world has become so corrupt, why people are so indifferent, why people long for heroes yet can’t find them. Even if a few do appear, they end up failing or disappearing without a trace. Today, I understand.”

Smack!

A loud slap! A bright red handprint appeared on Neo’s cheek, and blood spilled from his mouth. He twisted his lips, revealing his neat teeth stained with blood, and smiled silently without saying anything else.

The young woman stood up, her face dark, looking down at Neo like a rat. In a cold voice, she said, “Now we can talk about the ransom!”