Chapter 99: Pursuit in the Dead of Night

In the dead of night, a cool breeze blew. Time passed unnoticed, and the campfire below had almost burned out. Under the cold wind, the ashes vanished, scattering throughout the forest. At that moment, Rod was sitting on a twisted branch high in the air, his eyes closed, allowing the breeze to blow through his scattered hair. A faint blue glow surrounded him, making him resemble a firefly in the darkness, illuminating patches of the sky.

“Is it that kid?” In the distance, several pairs of eyes stared coldly at Rod’s location. Hidden by the pitch-black night, their figures were invisible. Only a cold voice could be heard asking.

“It is him! I’ve been watching him all night—there’s no mistake!” A deep voice replied moments later, with a hint of excitement. He had been watching this guy all night and had long coveted his bulging pack. It was just a minor bronze warrior. If not for fear of the other party escaping, he would have acted sooner and not sought help from their boss. Taking it all for himself was the best option.

“Get ready to act!” After staring at the man in the distance for a while, those eyes narrowed, and a low voice spoke. Soon, a muffled sound slowly approached Rod’s location, hidden by the trees and darkness.

“Crack…” Suddenly, a sharp snapping sound came, causing the men in black to stop in their tracks and quickly crouch down. “What the hell!” It was the same voice that spoke first, growling as he asked those around him.

It was this guy—he failed at the worst possible moment, stepping on a dry branch on the ground and causing that sharp sound. Fearing to disturb the other man, who seemed to be practicing, they watched nervously.

At that moment, the faint blue glow around the man in the distance disappeared. He opened his eyes, and a sharp glint flashed in them, making him clearly visible in the darkness.

Rod quietly picked up the Dark Dragon beside him and scanned the surroundings warily. Just as his practice ended, a sudden noise made him more alert. In such a dangerous place, any sound required caution—it could very well be the sound of a magical beast approaching.

“He’s noticed!” The three men crouched on the ground in the distance saw what was happening to the man over there, and one of them whispered.

“Boss, just go for it! He’s just a Bronze Warrior, while you’re a Silver Warrior. Besides, we two Bronze Warriors are here too. Can’t the three of us take him down? Let’s go all out and attack right away!” Another man said in a deep voice.

Frowning and staring at the man in the distance, the man who spoke first fell silent for a moment. Attacking immediately wasn’t out of the question, but inside Collins Forest, even if one were a Gold Warrior, what difference would it make? Death could strike at any moment, even in this outer area!

Indeed, the opponent was just a Bronze Warrior, nothing worth worrying about. What concerned him was whether the sound of fighting and the smell of blood would attract powerful magical beasts from the surroundings. If those damned creatures took the chance to attack then, it would be troublesome.

“Boss!” Seeing their leader remain silent, the two men who suggested attacking grew anxious and asked urgently.

The man in the distance had already climbed down from the tree branch and was on the ground—clearly he had noticed something unusual. If they delayed any longer and let him leave, it would be a problem. Wouldn’t all the opportunities they had waited for all night be lost?

“Go! Attack with all your might and complete the mission in the shortest time possible!” Taking a deep breath and giving a low shout, the leader suddenly stood up. A sharp white flash appeared, extremely dazzling. Right behind him, the other two men also stood up eagerly, drew their weapons, and followed their leader. The three of them turned into three silhouettes and rushed toward Rod’s location.

“Damn it!” Rod, who was on guard, naturally couldn’t miss what was happening in the distance.

Seeing this, his first thought was that those assassins had come chasing them here. But then he quickly dismissed that idea. The person who assigned him the mission shouldn’t be very strong. Even if they knew he was in Collins Forest, they surely wouldn’t chase after him. Someone else must be behind this.

Three figures—white and two green—arrived before his eyes in an instant: a Silver Warrior and two Bronze Warriors, charging at him with murderous intent.

Without thinking further, he gripped Dark Dragon tightly and turned to retreat. The enemy was stronger than him, so direct confrontation wasn’t an option. Though he hated the feeling of fleeing, there was no other choice. This was the best way to end things quickly. If he could escape and launch a counterattack, he might still be able to teach these guys a lesson.

“Kid, still trying to run?” A loud shout echoed, and the leader of the group was surrounded by a burst of white light as his speed doubled in an instant. He quickly blocked Rod’s path, preventing him from moving forward.

“Who are you?” Rod asked in a deep voice, looking at the three men surrounding him.

“Hehe, kid, that package of yours looks pretty good. How about this? We want it. Hand it over, and we might spare your life. Otherwise, well, don’t blame us if we become ruthless!” The man on Rod’s right side sneered.

The darkness of the night made it impossible for Rod to see their faces clearly.

“So you’re those free-riding bandits. Damn it!” Upon hearing their intentions, Rod immediately figured out who they were. Indeed, he had heard of these guys at the bar the previous night. Free-riding bandits were those who came to Collins Forest to take advantage of others. They wouldn’t confront magical beasts head-on but instead hid in the woods, waiting for victims among those passing by. Once they found a target, they would attack, rob, and kill without any remorse!

“Mercenary bandits… I really ran into you guys~!” With a bitter smile, Rod said bitterly. The situation was unfavorable for him. These men had extensive combat experience and superior strength, leaving him with little hope.

“Hand it over, or not?” The silver warrior in front of him asked coldly.

“Hand it over…” Rod gripped Dark Dragon tightly, channeling his combat energy. As the other man sneered, he stretched out his voice and added, “Damn it! If you’ve got the guts, come and get it!”

He suddenly pushed off with all his strength and rushed at the man on his left.

From his earlier observations, he realized that this man was likely the weakest among the three. Breaking through from this side was his only hope.

Dark Dragon swirled, creating a gust of wind. A dark streak could be seen even in the darkness, slashing swiftly toward the man.

Rod’s sudden attack caught them by surprise. The men’s faces paled as they rushed to act, while the targeted man hurriedly raised his sword to block it.

Ding… In an instant, a crisp sound erupted as sparks flew. The opponent was pushed back several steps by his full-force strike. He hurriedly followed up while dodging two attackers from behind. Seizing the moment before those two could catch up, he launched a relentless barrage of twelve sword strikes, forcing the opponent to collapse to the ground. Then, concentrating his combat energy in his soles, he dashed forward at full speed.

“Kill him! Get that kid killed—don’t let him escape!” Rod’s strength exceeded everyone’s expectations. Clearly, he had reached the pinnacle of a warrior’s skill. His comrades being attacked and forced back had created a gap for him to escape. Seeing this, their eyes turned red with fury!

Feeling several figures closing in rapidly from behind, Rod cursed inwardly and sped away as fast as he could. Yet he could still sense one of them gradually closing in, even feeling the howling wind and icy killing intent on the back of his head.

“I can’t let them catch up!” he thought frantically. Rod knew that if caught, that person could hold him off for a short while, allowing the other two to catch up and attack him together. With them already on guard, he wouldn’t stand a chance of escaping.

“Die, kid!” He swung his sword at the figure ahead. At that moment,Hill’s anger burned fiercely—after hunting this eagle for so long, it was the first time it had pecked him in the eye.

A chill rushed down his back, accompanied by overwhelming killing intent, making Rod break into a cold sweat. He quickly rolled like a donkey to narrowly avoid the blade that passed right above his head. Seeing a clearing ahead, where the trees suddenly grew dense, he thanked his good luck and scrambled to his feet to keep running. With a flash, he disappeared into the dense woods before the attacker could strike again.

“Bastard!”Hill glared coldly at Rod’s vanishing figure, cursing under his breath.

“Huh… Boss, where’s that kid?” The other two asked, panting as they caught up.

“He’s inside. Come on, let’s go inside and finish him off. That damned bastard—we can’t let him escape today!”

Clutching his weapon tighter, he glared at the two of them, his eyes flashing with cold fury as the killing intent grew stronger. Leading his men, he dashed into the dense woods, following the sounds ahead to continue the pursuit.

“An opportunity to fight back has arrived!” Sensing the three following behind him, Rod muttered to himself. Once inside the jungle, his tense mood eased immediately. With the jungle’s cover, he knew his only chance to fight back had come.