43: He who knows the times is a hero

Unbeknownst to them, as they approached the outskirts of Adi Forest, numerous hidden eyes were already intently watching them from the shadows.

“Report to headquarters, this is the outer Squad. We’ve spotted a group of natives. The one leading them is richly dressed and seems like a big fish. Requesting instructions from headquarters.”

“A big fish? Then find a way to capture him alive and bring him back to camp. The tank and armed helicopter Squads are already rushing towards your location at full speed.”

“Understood!”

...Just as the City Lord and his party cautiously stepped into Adi Forest, Soldiers who had long been lying in ambush instantly swarmed out from all directions like a tide, raising their guns without hesitation and aiming them squarely at them.

“Who are you people?!”

Seeing this, the City Lord was both shocked and enraged, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

“Don’t worry about who we are. Immediately drop your weapons, dismount, and surrender!”

Just as the Soldier finished speaking, deafening roars echoed once more from all around. tanks drove in menacingly, their dark muzzles slowly turning, like the gaze of death, ruthlessly aimed at them.

The horses beneath the City Lord and his party were also startled by the powerful roar of the tank engines, neighing and thrashing wildly. In the chaos, they all fell awkwardly from their saddles.

“Damn it! What kind of monster is that…”

Gazing at the enormous steel beast, the City Lord’s face turned pale, but he still slowly raised the longsword in his hand. Even though he and his party were deeply surrounded, the dignity of a Level 7 Warrior would never allow him to surrender so easily.

“Bang!”

A crisp gunshot suddenly rang out, and then the longsword in the City Lord’s hand was instantly struck away. The once-whole longsword broke apart, snapping into two pieces and falling to the ground.

“If you stubbornly resist and refuse to surrender, next time my target won’t be your weapon, but you yourself!”

Looking at how the projectile fired from the muzzle of the Soldier's unknown weapon could so easily shatter his longsword, what about the projectile fired from the even thicker and larger cannon nearby? The City Lord fearfully glanced at the tank’s cannon, and couldn't help but swallow hard.

“I surrender!”

Before the Soldier could continue his earnest persuasion, the City Lord hastily knelt on the ground, raising his hands high to indicate his willingness to surrender.

Seeing that the City Lord had surrendered so readily, his Guards behind him no longer dared to hesitate. They quickly threw down their weapons, obediently knelt on the ground, and raised their hands, fearing they would suffer the same fate as the longsword.

Meanwhile, the kneeling City Lord kept trying to justify himself internally.

“This isn't my fault; the enemy is simply too powerful. This is a last resort. As long as there's life, there's hope.”

Seeing the City Lord and his party surrender, the Soldiers quickly moved forward, skillfully handcuffing and shackling them, then escorted them back to the camp… In the interrogation room… “Name?”

“Sigri…”

“Gender?”

“Huh?”

Sigri, asked about his gender, looked at the Soldier in front of him with a puzzled expression, as if to say, are you serious?

“Just answer my question, don’t worry about it.”

“Male…”

“Identity?”

“City Lord of Border City of the Magical Beast Empire.”

Hearing Sigri’s words, the interrogating Soldier suddenly stood up, his face full of surprise, and asked again.

“Say that again, what is your identity?”

“City Lord of Border City of the Magical Beast Empire, why? Is there a problem?”

Seeing Sigri confirm his identity as City Lord again, the Soldier no longer paid attention to Sigri, but quickly turned and hurriedly left the interrogation room.

A moment later, Andegu strode into the interrogation room. As soon as he entered, he sharply scrutinized Sigri from head to toe.

“Are you truly the City Lord of Border City?”

“Yes, why? Do you know me?”

Sigri frowned and retorted.

Seeing that it was indeed the City Lord of Border City, Andegu couldn't help but break into a brilliant smile, secretly rejoicing in his heart. He hadn't expected this big fish to be no ordinary catch; it was simply a windfall.

“No, but I believe we will get to know each other very soon… Now, you have two choices. One is to defect to us and wholeheartedly help us attack the Magical Beast Empire. I trust I don’t need to explain the other, do I?”

Andegu said with a serious expression, his arms crossed over his chest.

“What? Attack the Magical Beast Empire! Are you crazy?!”

Sigri’s eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

To immediately tell him they were preparing to attack the Magical Beast Empire, such a claim was incredibly audacious.

“Don’t believe in our strength? Someone, bring that Highness to me…”

Andegu clapped his hands. As his voice fell, several Soldiers escorted the unconscious Mogu into the interrogation room.

“This is… Third Highness?”

Seeing the identity of the newcomer, Sigri’s face was filled with surprise. His gaze wasn't just on Third Highness's noble status, but also on the shocking wounds covering his body.

This Third Highness of the Magical Beast Empire no longer had his former arrogant and overbearing demeanor. He was now covered in scars, one of his two horns on his head was broken, and he looked utterly miserable.

“That’s right, he’s another big fish we caught. It took us quite some effort to extract information about the Magical Beast Empire from him… What? Would you like to try?”

Andegu bent down and gently patted Sigri’s cheek with his hand, a meaningful smile on his face, asking in a soft tone.

But in Sigri’s eyes, this person was simply a devil. To treat even the Third Highness of the Magical Beast Empire so cruelly, it seemed their plan to attack the Magical Beast Empire was absolutely true… “I… I am willing to defect, please spare my life…”

Sigri frowned and thought for a long while, finally gritting his teeth and deciding to defect to Andegu.

In fact, upon closer thought, he was already being severely threatened by Duke Labik. If he couldn't find the corpse of his offspring and return, it would undoubtedly be a dead end.

As for telling the truth… Even he himself only dared to believe the current reality after witnessing Third Highness’s tragic state with his own eyes. With Duke Labik’s arrogant personality, he would probably only think Sigri was making things up.

Since returning would lead to death either way, why not simply join them? Perhaps they truly could succeed in defeating the Magical Beast Empire. At that time, as the first to defect, wouldn’t his status be much higher than it was now?

Seeing Sigri willing to defect, Andegu immediately smiled and personally helped Sigri to his feet.

“Hahaha, only a wise man knows when to submit. Mr. Sigri, you have made a wise choice. Guards, quickly unlock our friend’s restraints.”

This sudden 180-degree change in attitude surprised Sigri a little. Wasn’t he afraid that Sigri might suddenly betray them?

However, on second thought, if the other party had the confidence and audacity to attack the Magical Beast Empire, they must be absolutely confident in their own strength. Even if Sigri betrayed them, it probably wouldn’t pose any substantial threat to them.

“Since I have defected, what do you intend for me to do…”

“Hehe, come, come, let’s discuss this in another place.”

Saying this, without giving Sigri any chance to retort, Andegu tightly pulled him and strode towards his Command Room.