Chapter 188: One Wave After Another

After rolling once and then running at double speed, one’s potential is limitless when in danger—Rod was a perfect example. He rushed forward like an arrow leaving the bow, covering dozens of meters in an instant, and finally made it into the Mercenary Association at the most critical moment.

Watching Knight Rod dodge his last attack and flee into the Mercenary Association, Nightingale behind him turned cold-eyed. Unwillingly, she glared at the spot where Rod disappeared and let out a reluctant snort. After waiting for a long time inside the Mercenary Association, she suddenly seemed to remember something, her eyes lighting up. Without hesitation, she turned and left!

Before departing, she called out in asweetly voice in the direction of the Mercenary Association, “Little brother, don’t worry! You’ll come to find your sister! I’ll be waiting for you!”

Hearing this, Rod, who was standing at the entrance of the Mercenary Association, felt a sudden chill spread through his body as an ominous premonition struck him. It seemed something bad was about to happen.

“Damn it!” he cursed fiercely, panting heavily. But he didn’t delve further into it. The Mercenary Association was now crowded with people, and the looks they gave Rod were somewhat strange. How could they not know what had just happened? They simply chose to ignore it. Of course, some also looked at Rod with sympathy, feeling a sense of shared suffering.

After all, the Mercenary Association wasn’t an ordinary place. Its systems and sense of security made it a haven for many who were being hunted, providing them with a safe refuge.

Feeling the stares around him, Rod smiled bitterly inwardly. It seemed his identity had been exposed. With a sigh, he turned back and, after confirming that the female assassin had left, carefully stepped out of the Mercenary Association. Using the cover of darkness, he rushed toward the other side of the street and vanished into the crowded crowd in an instant.

…

This street was quite bustling, with vibrant lights and lively atmosphere all around. Though only a hundred meters away from the street where the fight had taken place, it wasn’t affected at all and remained orderly and lively as ever.

At this moment, Rod had put on a green coarse linen outfit, and his combat armor also appeared on his body. Feeling the protective embrace of the armor, although he still didn’t know its specific abilities and its defense level was merely average—far from being useful in battles against opponents of Rod’s rank—he still put it on. For some reason, he always felt a special connection to this armor; wearing it gave him a sense of security. Rod knew it was definitely not an ordinary item; perhaps it hid some mystery, and if he happened to uncover it, everything would be perfect. Though he knew the chances were slim, he still hoped to give it a try.

He made his way through the crowd toward the street where the battle had taken place. Now that he was safe, his next task was to find the girls, Kiro, and Wiski, hoping nothing bad had happened to them.

After crossing two streets, he arrived at the street where the fight had occurred. The scene was in stark contrast to the previous streets—deadly quiet, with no one in sight. Clearly, the battle had scared everyone away. The area was in disarray, with various items scattered everywhere, and the surrounding stalls and shops were also damaged due to the collateral effects.

Holding his breath, he stepped forward carefully, keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings, fearing there might still be assassins hiding nearby. Rod dared not be careless or relaxed in the slightest.

“Rod…” As he hesitated about which direction to search, a voice called out from behind, making him tense up immediately. The Dark Dragon in his hand, ready for instant retaliation, also raised its head slightly as Rod turned around, his gaze sharp.

“Kiro… you’re back!” Seeing the figure behind him, Rod finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was Kiro—he had already returned.

“Damn, that guy is strong. We fought, and I almost suffered a heavy loss. Luckily, he didn’t persist and ran away. That’s why I rushed back to see what happened here. Where are Alice and the others?” Seeing Rod’s condition, Kiro frowned slightly and, judging from the chaotic surroundings, guessed what had happened.

“Wait a moment. Where’s Wiski? Did you see him?” After scanning the area and finding no signs of the others, he asked.

“I’m back!” A figure rushed forward from ahead and in an instant was at Rod’s side—it was Viski, out of breath, with several tears in his clothes and drenched in sweat. It seemed he had suffered quite heavily; this was the first time Rod had seen him in such a disheveled state.
“Let’s go check on them!” Seeing that the two of them were unharmed, Rod breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly told them to follow. Remembering their previous direction of retreat, he led them there. For some reason, a bad feeling lingered in his heart, as if something had happened.
They ran eastward, scanning the surroundings for signs of the girls, but found none. Instead, there were traces of a fight everywhere, which made him anxious. As expected, the enemy’s forces were strong and their plans meticulous—even John and the others had been attacked.
A jolt went through him as he recalled the meaningful words spoken by that female assassin before leaving, her decisive tone making Rod’s eyes grow uneasy.
“Hurry, check over there!” The traces of the fight ended abruptly here, with nothing but calm ahead. The only thing visible was a dark alley stretching inward. Seeing this, Rod shouted urgently.
With anxiety, they pursued further. Sure enough, after running about a kilometer at full speed, they spotted several figures moving around on the outskirts of the capital.
Seeing those familiar figures, Rod’s heart skipped a beat, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. Without hesitation, he ran over.
“John!” Before even reaching them, Rod called out first.
“Captain… you… you guys came!” Hearing the voice behind him, John turned around. Seeing Rod and the others arrive, his expression tightened as he stammered, his eyes flickering, as if trying to hide something.
“Is everyone here? Good. What happened just now?” Rod exhaled as he looked at them, but his words stopped abruptly. His gaze sharpened, his expression darkened, and he gritted his teeth. After scanning the area, he asked in a low voice, “Where are Lucia and Linda? Where did they go?”
Indeed, those two women were missing from the group. Seeing this, Rod’s heart sank—he knew his bad instincts were correct, and he had already guessed most of what had happened.

“What happened? Where are the two of them?” Kiro and Wiski, who were nearby, also noticed the situation and hurriedly asked.
“Captain… I… I! I’m sorry I failed to complete the task you assigned me…” The truth couldn’t be hidden any longer; it finally came out. Rod noticed this, and John spoke in a low voice, tinged with resentment and tears. But in the end, he didn’t say anything further.
“Kenny, speak!” Rod interrupted John and turned his gaze to Kenny, asking in a stern voice. At that moment, his expression was icy cold, his eyes making one feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, radiating a chill and a faint murderous intent. It was the first time anyone had seen Rod in such a state—everyone felt a sense of fear, even Alice, who had known Rod for so long!
Indeed, Rod’s anger was burning inside him at that moment. A bloodthirsty impulse was pushing him to lose his sanity. His eyes turned blood-red, his fists clenched tightly, and combined with his hoarse voice, he resembled a devil even more than a devil. No one would doubt that Rod could kill at this moment. This was the second time Rod had been in such a state—the last time was when he was attacked by the man in black; his teammates and comrades died one after another, while the captain and vice-captain sacrificed their lives to protect him and continue the mission! This was the second time, and even when facing the Earth Bear, he hadn’t been this enraged.
“C-Captain, they…” Seeing Rod in such a state, even Kenny, who was usually known for his calmness, couldn’t help but become nervous.
“Speak!”
“After Senior Kiro and Wiski were attacked by enemies, you too were pursued by others. We all retreated together, but not far later, we encountered an ambush— a Golden Warrior. We weren’t his match; it took all of us working together to barely hold our own!
It should have been fine, but soon after, a woman in black appeared. She was actually an imperial-level powerhouse. Her arrival crushed us instantly. After defeating us, she captured Senior Lucia and Senior Linda and left a message… The message was…”
Kenny glanced at Rod, his eyes flickering, speaking in a hesitant tone but unable to continue.
“Go on!” Rod glared at Kenny and roared.

“You brat, why be so fierce? These are all troubles you caused. You think you’re the strongest all day long. Surely you must have offended someone. That woman took Lucia and Senior Linda away and left a message, saying to go back to the academy and wait for their news—they’ll get in touch! She also said it would be best if you committed suicide, so they could just release Lucia and Senior Linda without harming a hair on their heads!”
Alice, who had been watching from the side, could no longer bear it and stepped forward, pointing at Rod’s nose and shouting loudly!
“Damn you, bastard! Don’t let me catch you!” Clenching his fists, Rod growled softly. At this moment, he was like a mad beast, losing his sanity.
That woman—there was no need to say it—must be the assassin hunting him. So that’s why she said those words before leaving, saying she would come for him. Such despicable tactics, vile behavior!
His fists were tightly clenched, and his force was so great that his almost invisible nails dug into his flesh. A trickle of blood slowly flowed down from his fingertips. The scene was silent, the atmosphere extremely oppressive. Everyone was staring at Rod, their eyes fixed on him. The heavy mood made it hard to breathe.