60: Transmitting intelligence

Under the deep night sky, Qin Feng moved like a shadow-dwelling raccoon dog, silently approaching the inner city area where the City Lord's residence was located. He dared not get too close; the area was heavily guarded with patrols passing by incessantly.

He had long prepared a slip of paper, on which three key pieces of information were scrawled in his left-handed, clumsy handwriting:

"Tomorrow night at the zi hour, Southeast Fissure, five hundred elites will launch a surprise attack."

"Beneath the Mass Graves West of the City, Barbarians are digging a tunnel leading to the Well in the West Market."

"Three hundred li to the north, Night Hawk Tribe reinforcements: two Martial Kings, three thousand cavalry, arriving in three days."

No signature, no extra explanation.

Finding Xia Xue's residence wasn't difficult. As the City Lord's beloved daughter and an important city defense general, her office and resting courtyard were located on the side near the inner city wall, relatively isolated. Qin Feng observed from afar and confirmed the location of the courtyard's study—a light was still on there.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his aura to the extreme, like willow catkins merging with the night wind. Seizing the brief moment when patrols crossed paths, he flicked his wrist. The paper slip, wrapped around a pebble, flew as if carried by an invisible hand, accurately passing through a slightly open window crack and landing inside the study.

Having done this, Qin Feng didn't hesitate for a moment. With a few flickers of his figure, he disappeared into the shadows of the complex network of alleys, as if he had never been there.

Inside the study, Xia Xue, who had been frowning in thought over a city defense map, was startled by the sudden paper ball. She abruptly stood up, her longsword instantly half-drawn from its sheath. Her sharp gaze swept the surroundings but found nothing amiss.

She cautiously walked forward, used the tip of her sword to unfold the paper ball, and upon seeing its contents, her pupils suddenly contracted!

Each of these three pieces of information pointed directly to the most critical vulnerabilities Star South City currently faced! Especially the last piece about the Night Hawk Tribe reinforcements, which chilled her to the bone!

"Guards!" Xia Xue immediately summoned her personal guards, strictly ordering them to reinforce the courtyard's security. Then, holding the paper slip, she hurried towards the core conference hall of the City Lord's residence.

Inside the conference hall, candle flames flickered. The City Lord and several trusted generals were also frowning with worry. The heavy casualties of the day and the immense pressure of defending the city made the atmosphere unbearably tense.

"Father!" Xia Xue rushed in, not bothering with formalities, and directly handed over the paper slip. "Someone sent an anonymous message. Look!"

The City Lord took the slip, quickly scanned it, and his face instantly turned extremely grim. He passed the slip to the other generals to see, and the conference hall immediately filled with the sound of sharp intakes of breath.

"A sneak attack at the southeast corner? A tunnel in the west city? Night Hawk Tribe reinforcements?" An old general's voice trembled. "This... if it's true..."

"Better to believe it exists than to dismiss it!" The City Lord slammed the table, a flash of resolve in his eyes. "Especially this sneak attack and the tunnel, we must verify and respond immediately!"

He swiftly issued orders:

"Immediately dispatch a battalion of elites, personally led by General Zhang, to secretly ambush inside the southeast corner fissure. Prepare plenty of fire oil, crossbows, and rolling logs!"

"Send people to investigate the Mass Graves West of the City overnight, focusing on ground vibrations and suspicious traces. If a tunnel is found, report back immediately and prepare materials to block it!"

"Simultaneously, send additional scouts to expand the reconnaissance range northward. We must confirm whether there are movements of barbarian reinforcements!"

The entire defense system of the City Lord's residence and even Star South City began to operate tensely once again because of this sudden paper slip... The next day, daytime passed in a suppressed calm. The barbarian army seemed to be resting as well, not launching any large-scale attacks, but the atmosphere within the city was even more strained than the day before.

Night fell once more.

As the zi hour approached, behind the marked section of the southeast city wall, the ambushing defenders held their breath, crossbows drawn, blades unsheathed, their eyes fixed intently on that deep, dark fissure.

Time passed bit by bit.

When the moon's shadow shifted slightly, precisely at the exact moment of the zi hour!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"

Dozens of black shadows, like ghosts, silently scaled up from the fissure. Their movements were swift, their auras fierce—these were indeed barbarian elites!

"Loose arrows!"

At the ambush commander's order, the long-prepared rain of arrows poured down like water! At the same time, ignited fire oil pots were hurled with force, and rolling logs and stones crashed down thunderously!

"It's an ambush!"

"We've been tricked!"

The barbarian elites who had charged up were caught off guard. Instantly, some were turned into pincushions by arrows, others were set ablaze by fire oil, and screams rose one after another. The following barbarian soldiers, seeing the situation turn bad, tried to retreat but were blocked by the subsequent falling boulders and dense volleys of arrows.

The battle erupted suddenly and ended quickly. In less time than it takes to burn an incense stick, of the five hundred barbarian elites attempting the sneak attack, except for a few who reacted quickly and escaped in disarray, most were annihilated beneath the city wall!

"We won! We won!" The defenders let out suppressed cheers, their morale lifting.

The news quickly reached the City Lord's residence.

When the City Lord and Xia Xue heard the report of victory, they showed little joy on their faces; instead, their expressions grew heavier.

The sneak attack information had been verified; it was true.

Then, the other two pieces of information on the slip—the west city tunnel and the Night Hawk Tribe reinforcements—were probably also... Sure enough, not long after, the people sent to investigate the Mass Graves West of the City reported back. They had indeed discovered traces of large-scale artificial excavation, the direction pointing straight into the city! Although the specific exit hadn't been found yet, the existence of the tunnel was confirmed beyond doubt!

And the scouts sent north brought back even more despairing news—they had indeed discovered traces of large-scale cavalry movement. Judging by the direction and scale, it was highly likely to be the Night Hawk Tribe reinforcements mentioned on the slip!

Inside the conference hall, a deathly silence fell.

They had verified the intelligence and successfully thwarted a sneak attack; they should have been relieved. But they couldn't feel any happiness at all.

Because this meant that Star South City not only had to face the sustained assault of tens of thousands of barbarian forces outside the walls but also had to constantly guard against a tunnel that could break through at any moment. Moreover, amidst these internal and external troubles, they had to welcome a fresh force of two Martial Kings and three thousand elites!

"Two Martial Kings... three thousand elites..." The City Lord murmured to himself, the color draining from his face, revealing a trace of bitterness and despair. "Counting me, we only have two Martial Kings on our side, and our troops are already stretched thin... How... how are we supposed to hold them off?"

A massive shadow, as if tangible, enveloped everyone's hearts.

The sliver of dawn brought by successfully thwarting the sneak attack was instantly swallowed by deeper darkness. The fate of Star South City seemed to be sliding irrevocably towards the abyss.

And at this moment, the instigator, Qin Feng, stood silently in the courtyard of Huichun Medical Hall, listening to the faint, small-scale cheers of the defenders coming from the distance. Yet, there was no trace of relief on his face.

He knew the real test was still to come.