In situations of being unable to devise any effective ideas, Luo’er could only agree to this seemingly absurd plan. As per the plan’s requirements, they had to carry out more reconnaissance.
According to Luo’er’s arrangement, Cheng Ziang and Baiyue went to measure the position and distance from the artillery position to the Mage army camp in order to provide the firing parameters for guiding their bombardment against the Mage Legion. Luo’er and Tangmo went to scout the situation at the legion headquarters to avoid getting lost when the action begins.
Throughout the reconnaissance, Luo’er could feel that someone was constantly watching them from the shadows. Obviously, this wasn’t out of the ordinary since they belonged to Princess Melia. If Rodney hadn’t sent anyone to monitor them, that would have been the most puzzling part.
On the third day after the message was sent, they received a reply from Princess Melia. She fully agreed with the plan set by Luo’er and his people, and provided them with necessary aid, who would arrive at Obus to Enjoy reading on NovelHub - your free online novel platform.
While waiting for the reinforcements, Luo’er kept observing the weather. He noticed that a warm, humid airstream from the southwest was heading north at this time, colliding with the polar air pressure descending from the south. Both airstreams converged near Obus, temporarily raising the temperature above freezing and bringing a lengthy spell of overcast and rainy weather.
In other words, the night-time weather during this period won’t be so pleasant. The usual shiny moonlight reflecting off the snow probably wouldn’t happen. This was indeed an enormous help for the Advance Team’s mission; it was like they had divine assistance.
During this period, they frequently used messenger pigeons to stay in contact with Princess Melia. Once they finally learned that the people she sent had arrived at the predetermined location, Luo’er led his team to the frontline legion headquarters.
"What is it, Captain Luo’er?" Seeing their arrival, Rodney didn’t seem surprised.
"We plan to leave the frontline legion and return to Princess Melia. She promised us better assignments." Luo’er said calmly.
"I see." Rodney showed a strange smile. Of course, he knew that this group of people had been frequently communicating with Princess Melia lately. If it weren’t for the Crown Prince constantly disagreeing with his plans, he would have already dealt with these people right in their station.
It was apparent the previous bombardment not only failed to kill them but frightened them. After communicating with Princess Melia, this group obviously had no intention of staying in the frontline legion anymore.
As per Crown Prince Oliver’s stance, although they belonged to Melia, as long as they didn’t cause a major incident, let them be. If they decided to leave on their own, even better. Rodney’s task was to handle the imminent spring offensive. As for the people of his powerless sister, the Crown Prince obviously didn’t give them much thought.
If Luo’er and his group were to leave, Rodney naturally felt some regret. His regret lay in the two beauties within Luo’er’s team. The girl named Moumou looked like a Southerner, although he’d never seen a Southerner before. But since her features were different from the Aud people, she must be a Southerner.
Rodney had been coveting these two young ladies. Although a member of the Caduluns Family, his status wasn’t high. Had he not prided himself on being close to the Crown Prince, he didn’t know when he could finally get ahead in life.
As the commander of the frontline legion, he had enjoyed the intimacy of some noble girls and their exquisite touch was unforgettable, incomparable to that of the peasant girls.
Having two beauties in Luo’er’s team sincerely touched his heart. Although the Crown Prince was always too busy to deal with them, it didn’t mean he couldn’t take action.
Now that Luo’er was leaving, why not do something big, set up an ambush, kill all three men, and bring all the girls back!
With this notion, Rodney raised his eyes and glanced at the two girls, directly locking gazes with Tangmo. Tangmo gave him a tender look with lowered bashful eyes, further stirring his possessiveness.
It seemed like his desire had clouded his rationality, leading him to overlook a basic issue: Luo’er’s team was an adventurous team that once saved the princess. How could it possibly contain two powerless girls?
You should know that although Tangmo’s combat skills were always at the bottom, as long as she could get close to Rodney, she was sure she could stab a knife into the gaps in his armor and retreat before his counterattack.
Tangmo’s affectionate gaze was obviously arranged by Luo’er. Otherwise, how could she possibly have developed feelings for such a disgusting man in front of her. Just by looking at him, Tangmo felt like vomiting.
Apparently, the whole process was planned by their team. Rodney, bewitched by Tangmo, agreed to their departure promptly.
When they left, the weather was gloomy, like it’s about to rain. The snow on the ground had hardened from constant trampling, becoming simultaneously slippery. Even the non-slip horse hooves were prone to slip on it. Ambushing them under these weather and road conditions would require Rodney to put in significant effort.
Of course, Luo’er and his comrades were willing to wait for their enemies to attack. About twenty kilometers from the front line, they ran into reinforcements they had been waiting for. All of them were mercenaries recruited by Princess Melia from the populace, and they were incredibly loyal to her.
Upon meeting Luo’er and the others, these mercenaries handed over the supplies they carried and concealed themselves nearby. Luo’er and his comrades began to set up camp, planning to stay overnight.
According to the Cheng Ziang’s reports, they were being followed ever since. When they discovered Luo’er and the others setting up camp twenty kilometers from the camp, the sentries immediately sent pigeon messages to report the situation. Luo’er was confident that it wouldn’t be long before they enticed a group of men to launch an attack.
As night fell, true to expectation, dark clouds blotted out the moon. Luo’er and Hu Daoke had already stationed themselves outside the camp, ready to counter-ambush. Cheng Ziang, on the other hand, focused on the sentry, ensuring he wouldn’t jeopardize their mission after they deal with the ambush.
The two girls stayed inside the camp. On one hand, Luo’er believed that Rodney’s goal was the girls, so they would not harm them; on the other hand, he also believed in their ability to defend themselves.
Apart from them, there were also individuals sent by Princess Melia concealed near the camp. These men, not bound by tradition, wielded bolt-action rifles instead of cold weapons like swords. As previously mentioned, although bolt-action rifles were old and lacked sustained fire, they had a large caliber and were hugely popular in the Otherworld.
These mercenaries were generally equipped with Soviet-made Mosin-Nagant rifles. Luo’er was anxious about their fighting power, especially considering they would have to cock the rifle with their feet in such freezing weather.
After midnight, the visibility was still quite low, and the two girls in the camp were dozing off beside the fire. Just as Luo’er and Hu Daoke were shivering from cold, they suddenly felt a stirring in their surroundings, and their spirits were immediately invigorated.
As expected, after a while, shadows started to surround the camp. They didn’t seem to notice Luo’er and the others concealed under the snow, they focused solely on advancing towards the camp.
Luo’er quickly counted around ten individuals. They wore light armor and carried bolt-action rifles. It was clear that Rodney didn’t have a lot of resources for armor etched with defense runes. Considering the firepower of Luo’er and his team, he equipped each man with a rifle to compensate.
The group slowly approached the encampment; Luo’er motioned for Hu Daoke to suppress his rush and refrain from mounting his machine gun. Luo’er believed that the invaders were here for the girls, thus they should not harm them.
At this time, Tangmo and Baiyue were huddled by the campfire. Suddenly, Baiyue shivered and said softly to Tangmo, "They’re here."
"Hmm," Tangmo nodded. She’d been prepared for a counter-strike, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
The ambushing soldiers drew closer to the camp. The lead soldier made a gesture, enveloping the camp. After ascertaining the girls’ location, a few soldiers began firing towards the tent as the others reached out to grab the girls.
The sound of gunshots prompted the girls to scream. Tangmo, holding Baiyue, skillfully dodged the soldiers’ grasp, retreating while looking at them. Trembling, she asked, "Who are you? Why are you attacking us?"
After firing upon the tent, the soldiers opened the tent flap to find it empty. They hurriedly reported to their leader. Hearing his subordinate’s report, the leader soldier narrowed his sights on the two girls and asked, "Where are the others?"
"I don’t know where they are, please don’t hurt us," Tangmo pleaded with a frightened expression.
Although something seemed fishy, all the leading soldier wanted to do was capture the two girls and finish the mission. With that in mind, he reached out to apprehend the duo.
"You, stay away," Tangmo cried, on the verge of tears. In her desperation, she made a surprising move to betray Baiyue. "Catch her, take her away, please, just let me go!"
With that, she shoved Baiyue towards the lead soldier and turned to flee.
"Stop!" the lead soldier commanded loudly.
He seemed to be too conscious of Tangmo’s escape, overlooking the incoming Baiyue. Surely, he was about to pay a heavy price for his neglect. After all, compared to Tangmo’s abysmal combat skills, Baiyue ranked highly in the academy’s combat courses. Although she appeared petite and delicate, her level of danger was far greater than Tangmo.