5: Nighttime Prison Break

Tom stood frozen among the ruins as the mountain wind swirled dead leaves across his blood-stained clothes. Only hours ago, this had been a bustling mountain fortress; now, it was a landscape of smoke and hundreds of corpses strewn across the ground like a horrific painting of hell. Of over 2,000 brothers, only a few hundred remained—a number that carved into his heart like a sharp blade. He looked at the people across from him holding those strange iron lumps, his heart filled with fear and confusion. Those iron lumps had no magical fluctuations yet could emit whizzing sounds that felled his brothers before they could even react, their blood staining the land that once belonged to them.

Wei He observed the carnage through his mind. After a moment's thought, he spoke: "From this day forth, you shall be known as Brad." His voice was low and powerful, carrying an unquestionable authority. Brad took his orders and strode toward Tom. Tom, once an arrogant and cruel bandit leader, had long lost his bluster. He huddled submissively with the other captives, held at gunpoint by the Conscripts, his eyes full of terror and obedience.

Brad’s face was expressionless, his voice cold as frost. "We have the strength to wipe you out completely. Do you know why we spared you?" Tom’s heart trembled, and he immediately understood the other's intent. He hurriedly said, "I know the area around Sentry Mountain better than anyone. Ask me anything, my lord, and I will tell you everything I know." While he spoke, Tom was calculating rapidly. These Conscripts possessed terrifying strength comparable to a mage legion; even ordinary mages would find it difficult to withstand their attacks. Now that the fortress was destroyed and his brothers were mostly dead or wounded, it was better to cling to the Conscripts' legs for a chance at survival than to remain a desperate outlaw. With this thought, he secretly resolved to help Brad with everything he had.

Brad watched the fawning expression on Tom's face with indifference. He continued, "We need a map of Riquan City, and we need your cooperation. If you perform well, we may incorporate you into our ranks. Useless trash, however, belongs in a mass grave." In truth, Wei He had no fondness for these bandits; he only intended to use them as cannon fodder and had no plans to recruit them.

Tom didn't mind Brad's attitude and bowed repeatedly. "Rest assured, my lord, we will cooperate fully! I'll get you the map right away! Just a moment!" Tom presented the map and listened as Brad revealed the true purpose of the operation: a prison break. Tom pondered for a moment, then remembered a merchant caravan they had robbed two days prior. His eyes lit up as he suggested, "We can disguise ourselves as a merchant caravan, cross Sentry Bridge, and take a side path to the prison's vicinity. My cousin Hanks is in the Riquan City Defense Force, so I know their defensive situation very well."

Brad found the plan feasible and began preparations. Soon, a day passed and dusk deepened. Brad and Tom were both disguised as merchants. Twelve jujube-wood wagons were lined up, their wheels wrapped in coarse burlap. Each was loaded with goods tightly bound in tung oil cloth, casting long shadows in the twilight. The caravan set off in grand fashion. When they reached Sentry Bridge, the afterglow of the setting sun painted the bridge in bronze, and the sound of wagons rolling over the bluestone echoed in the silent air. Using Tom's information and the clever disguise, the caravan successfully passed Sentry Bridge and arrived at Seryn Village.

Brad decided to rest here and wait for the right moment. As night fell and moonlight bathed the land like water, over a hundred Conscripts led by Brad, along with Tom's five hundred bandits, set out silently from Seryn Village. They moved cautiously along the side path toward the Riquan City prison. The remaining Conscripts stayed in Seryn Village, ready to provide backup and intercept any Riquan City reinforcements, buying time for Wei He's rescue.

Inside Riquan City Prison at that moment, a group of jailers was gathered, drinking heavily. "Hahaha, those babes from the Venus Temple are really something, hahaha, *hic*~" They shouted loudly, discussing the beauties of the temple, completely unaware that danger was closing in.

Under the cover of the thick night, the five hundred bandits approached the prison like ghosts. They were all Tom's former subordinates. To earn a way to live, they gritted their teeth and moved forward despite knowing this was a near-suicide mission. The torches on the city walls flickered, making the guards' armor glint coldly, yet they could not pierce the murderous intent surging in the darkness.

After the third watch sounded, the bandits moved. They threw specialized grappling hooks and climbed silently toward the top of the wall using rope ladders. However, the faint sound of iron hooks hitting stone alerted the night watch. The watchman's clapper suddenly grew rapid, and the gatehouse was instantly illuminated as arrows poured down like a swarm of locusts. The bandits in the lead couldn't dodge in time and were turned into pincushions, falling from the wall with screams as blood snaked down the cracks in the masonry, staining the ground.

The remaining bandits did not retreat. They drew their blades to cut the ropes and launched a fierce assault from both sides of the gate. The Riquan City Prison guards reacted quickly, raining down boiling oil and heavy logs. For a time, screams and curses intertwined, echoing through the night sky. The bandit leader brandished a scimitar, leading a suicide squad to ram open the side door with their bodies, only to find their path blocked by chevaux-de-frise and tripwires. The guards' spears were like a forest, constantly piercing the throats of bandits who fell into pools of blood, yet they still fought desperately forward.

Wei He, imprisoned in an underground cell, was both shocked and delighted to hear the sounds of slaughter from above. He gripped the iron bars, his eyes full of anticipation as he waited for a turn of fate. The bandits fought their way through and finally reached the cell. They chopped open the heavy iron door with axes. The leading bandit, his voice raspy, shouted: "Lord Wei, follow us!"

However, the return journey was even more perilous. The guards had deployed elites and set up multiple ambushes at the city gate. The bandits used corpses as shields, fighting while retreating as arrows continuously pierced their bodies. Every step forward came at a massive cost. By the time they broke through the gate, only a few dozen of the original five hundred remained. Covered in blood, they had used their lives to carve out a path for Wei He.

Dawn broke, and the morning light slowly stained the walls of Riquan City red. The ground was covered with the corpses of bandits and guards, and the air was thick with the smell of blood. This brutal prison break finally came to an end. Wei He looked at the people who had fought so hard to save him, his heart filled with complex emotions. What awaited them were new challenges and the unknown...