Chapter 204: You Cover the Rear

Chapter 204: You Cover the Rear

Everything happened too quickly.

Before anyone could react, Burke's body had already gone limp.

His body twitched slightly, and blood flowed from the bullet hole in his brow.

The swordsman Gaul Bory drew his sword instantly, while Duke reacted quickly, stepping between the two men.

"Don't do anything rash," Duke said directly.

Gaul Bory's gaze bypassed Duke's tall figure and landed on Wu Heng. "You dare to kill a team member just like that."

Wu Heng glanced at him, then looked down at the corpse on the ground and cast [Speak with Dead].

In the next second, the corpse sat up from the ground, its hollow eyes staring at the group.

The swordsman clearly recognized the skill, even though it was his first time seeing Wu Heng use it.

He didn't show much surprise.

Under the confused stares of the others.

Wu Heng directly asked, "What was your plan for tonight?"

The rogue's corpse replied in a flat tone, "Help the insider open the gate... kill Captain Wu Heng."

As soon as those words came out, everyone's expressions changed instantly.

Before, even though Duke and Marta trusted their captain, they had thought Wu Heng's decisive action was too hasty. They felt at least an investigation was necessary before taking such extreme measures.

But now it seemed that the situation was far more serious than they had imagined.

This new member of Squad 12 clearly had an ulterior motive.

Not only did he intend to open the city gates and plunge the entire city into chaos, but he also had the goal of assassinating Wu Heng.

The thought that someone they relied on had joined their team just to kill made everyone's skin crawl.

Wu Heng, on the other hand, wasn't too surprised.

When he had first woken up, the wraith Glenda, who had been keeping watch, had flown back into his body.

She had shared the scene from earlier with him.

At night, the squad members took turns on guard duty.

During the rogue's watch, he had quietly left for a while, bringing gang members with him to slip through the defense zone and attack the city gate.

They had taken the gate in one swift move.

The guild squad was responsible for patrolling the city walls and supervising the gang members.

Knowing the layout of the entire area and the positions of the guards.

Where the defenses were strong and where they were weak, he must have memorized it all during patrols.

This was how they had been able to open the gate from the inside.

What Wu Heng hadn't expected was that the rogue had another task—to kill him.

When Wu Heng had opened his eyes, he had seen the rogue walking toward him.

He must have been about to make his move.

Wu Heng's quick action had been the right decision. In this situation, hesitation would only have gotten him killed faster.

Wu Heng's expression didn't change as he asked, "Who gave you these orders?"

The rogue answered, "Lord Momlo."

It was an unfamiliar name, but anyone called "Lord" had to be someone of importance from the inner district.

Wu Heng repeated the name twice in his mind to remember it.

He then asked, "What other plans do you have?"

"None. I had two tasks, and once completed, I was to find a way to escape."

"How much do you know about the Warhammer Party's plans?" Wu Heng continued to question.

The rogue was silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "I have no direct contact with the Warhammer Party, but based on the tasks I received, there will be others stationed at different parts of the wall to open the gates. I don't know anything beyond that."

There was only one last question left.

Wu Heng thought for a moment and asked, "How do you communicate with Momlo?"

"He tells me where to meet. If there's a special situation, I send messages to Lord Momlo's estate in the inner district."

After answering all five questions, the corpse collapsed with a thud.

By now, everything was clear.

The rogue had been placed in the squad for a special purpose.

He was here not only to assist the Warhammer Party but also to kill Wu Heng.

It was unsettling to think that someone like this had been assigned to their squad.

It was absurd, really.

Wu Heng shifted his gaze to Gaul Bory, who was still gripping his sword. "What? Are you in on this too?"

"Of course not! How could I be?" Gaul Bory answered immediately.

"Sheathe your sword. We'll deal with your situation later," Wu Heng said flatly.

Gaul Bory froze, wanting to say something but holding back.

He glanced down at the corpse and finally sheathed his sword.

Now it seemed like he didn't have much ground to stand on.

"Captain, what should we do with the body?" Marta asked.

Now that everything had been cleared up, there was no pity for the rogue's death.

But the guild was an organization with strict rules.

Everything had to follow proper procedures.

A private execution, especially of a squad member, clearly violated internal regulations.

Wu Heng glanced at the body and said, "Process it as a fallen comrade, pay the death benefits, and send it to his mother afterward."

The three squad members were momentarily stunned but understood the meaning.

They immediately said, "Understood, Captain."

......

After everything had been dealt with.

Wu Heng led the group out of the building.

The Iron Guard Knights and the allied gang members began to climb the city walls to defend once again, while others cleaned up the battlefield.

As per Wu Heng's orders, all the bodies were gathered.

When they saw Wu Heng come out.

The middle-aged commander of the Knights quickly walked over and said, "Captain Wu Heng, I've reassigned the defense personnel. The enemies outside the city don't seem to be planning to continue their assault. They've already started retreating to the flanks, probably because the other sections of the wall have been breached."

According to Burke's information, the other parts of the wall had their own people helping the Warhammer Party.

Although this area was secure, the other parts of the wall were uncertain.

The battle may have already started there.

"You all continue defending. If the enemy starts a large-scale assault, send someone to notify me. I'll come to support you," Wu Heng said.

"Understood, thank you, Captain," the middle-aged commander nodded.

Wu Heng thought for a moment before saying, "Give me your command token. I may need it when I go to assist the other sections of the wall."

"This..." The commander hesitated.

The command token represented his authority, and giving it to someone else was wrong.

"Do you really think that token is going to make the Warhammer Party retreat?" Duke said from the side.

The guild didn't have any use for command tokens.

The captain had a badge that was recognized by all the cities.

It carried more weight than the Rentam City command token.

"Alright!" The commander replied, handing over the token.

Wu Heng took it and said, "I'll return it once this is over. I don't need it for anything else."

"Good. I'll be going back now."

Wu Heng nodded.

The commander turned and headed back to the city wall.

......

Wu Heng put away the token.

He then walked toward the pile of corpses.

There were at least a thousand bodies piled up, forming a small mountain.

The stench of blood filled the entire area, and blood slowly trickled down the pile, forming dark red streams on the ground that flowed toward the drainage channels.

The wastewater from here would flow into the river outside the city.

By now, the whole river was probably blood-red.

Wu Heng looked at the bodies, feeling nothing. After all, in the zombie world, clearing out a few hordes would yield several times this number.

The streets would be lined with corpses, truly a mountain of bodies.

This here was just a small hill.

Wu Heng remained indifferent, but Duke, Marta, and the others were visibly pale.

They weren't afraid of death, but seeing this many bodies was a first.

Wu Heng approached the pile and began casting [Battlefield of the Dead], causing the bodies to stand up, staggering down from the pile.

Wu Heng removed the bone helm from his head and downed two bottles of mana potions.

After restoring his mana, he cast [Battlefield of the Dead] twice more, turning all the bodies into rotting corpses.

Once all the corpses were transformed.

Wu Heng led the swarm of rotting corpses, their stench of blood thick in the air, as they marched out.

The Knights on the distant city wall took a few steps back in fear.

"Captain, what should we do next?" Duke came over and asked.

Wu Heng asked, "Have you made arrangements for your families?"

"We made some, but we're not sure how things are now!" Marta said, her expression showing worry.

Duke added, "I'm not sure either."

Both of them lived in the outer district and had family there.

The situation had happened so suddenly, and no one could be sure what was going on.

It was clear that they couldn't help but worry.

Wu Heng said directly, "I'll give you a few people. Go home and settle your families first."

After saying this, he assigned a few rotting corpses to each of them, allowing them to leave and secure their families.

The two didn't refuse, nodding in agreement.

"Thank you, Captain!"

"Thank you, Captain!"

After thanking him, they turned and left.

Wu Heng looked at the swordsman Gaul Bory, who was still standing by. "Aren't you going?"

"I don't have any arrangements, so I'll stay with you."

Wu Heng nodded. "Alright, let's head to the north gate."

......

The battle had lasted for several hours.

The city's alarm bells were deafening, and fires were blazing everywhere.

There were plenty of people taking advantage of the chaos to loot and kill.

The entire city had fallen into disorder.

It seemed that after today, Rentam City would have a new ruler.

Wu Heng didn't have many people in the city. Minnie and Andviel, both in the inner district, were unlikely to be in danger.

Even if the Warhammer Party breached the outer district, they wouldn't be able to break into the inner district anytime soon.

If danger arose, they would go to the consortium to find Lecia.

Wu Heng had already made sure they had an escape route.

His only concern now was Wen Mansa of the Spikes Gang.

As a gang that had been conscripted by the City Hall, they were responsible for defending the north of the city.

As his first servant, he didn't want her to be in danger.

"Are we going to find someone?" Gaul Bory asked as the group picked up speed.

"We're going to save a friend," Wu Heng replied.

"You have friends?"

"Am I not allowed to?" Wu Heng joked.

"You've only just arrived here. You wouldn't have any friends worth risking your life to save."

Wu Heng was silent for a moment before saying, "She's an informant. I don't want her to get hurt."

"A woman!"

Wu Heng looked at him in surprise.

"I could tell by your expression."

......

In the northern part of the outer city.

Thick smoke rose, and the sounds of killing filled the air.

"Kill your way in! Gold, silver, and women are all in the city. Whoever grabs them, they're yours!" shouted the female orc wielding two blades, as she cut off heads and stood tall among the crowd.

This was the Warhammer Party's Fang-Ikhill, the only female core member.

Her hair stood on end, and she rampaged through the crowd like a berserker.

Wherever she passed, heads rolled, unstoppable.

With a single shout, the Warhammer Party's members grew even more excited, shouting in unison and launching an even more frenzied assault.

The Warhammer Party, having lived deep in the mountains, had long dreamed of this city before them.

Now that they had breached the city, their blood was boiling like lava.

The female orc also shot forward like an arrow, leading her team as they slaughtered through the crowd.

The Iron Guard Knights and the allied gang members were continuously pushed back.

They had no ability to fight back.

Their defensive formations broke apart, and their soldiers fell like wheat being harvested.

They could only retreat, swinging their weapons in panic.

Clang~!

A sharp clang echoed out.

The steel helm of the knight commander was knocked off his head, flying into the distance and disappearing from sight.

In terror, he touched his head, scrambling back into the safety of the crowd.

Life in the city had softened the Iron Guard Knights, leaving them powerless against the Warhammer Party.

He quickly hid in a safe spot, his gaze scanning the allied gang leaders nearby, finally landing on a voluptuous figure in leather armor, with fiery red hair tied up.

This woman had taken over her late husband's gang, but her level wasn't high, and she hadn't been in charge for long.

In terms of strength and authority, she wasn't regarded as important.

She was perfect to use as cannon fodder.

It was just a shame for her good looks.

Having made up his mind, the commander said directly, "Wen Mansa, lead your Spikes Gang to cover our retreat and buy us time. We'll establish defenses in the inner city and wait for you there."

From a distance, Wen Mansa heard the command, her expression turning serious as she looked at the crowd falling like harvested wheat.

She said directly, "Why should I?"

The middle-aged commander's face changed.

He said coldly, "Wen Mansa, obey the order. Lead your people to hold off the enemy, and I'll recommend you for a commendation from the City Hall afterward."

"Ha! You're running away, and you think I need your recommendation?" Wen Mansa didn't back down at all.

"What did you say? Disobey my command, and I'll kill you right now!" The middle-aged commander turned his sword, pointing it at Wen Mansa's position.

Several figures with concealed faces stepped forward, standing in front of Wen Mansa, ready for battle.

Everyone nearby, including the leaders of other gangs, looked at her in surprise.

In the past, the talk about her revolved around taking over her late husband's gang, destroying the White Wolf Gang, and her looks and figure.

Now it seemed she had more guts than Roki ever did.

"Do you think it's a smart choice to fight each other right now?" Wen Mansa didn't back down, glaring coldly at him.

Being sent out there would mean certain death, but from here, she could still negotiate with him.

The commander's face grew darker.

Around him, several members of the Iron Guard Knights turned their spears toward her.

......

"Wen Mansa, think about the bigger picture. Don't throw a tantrum."

"Just follow the commander's order. Hold them off for three to five minutes, and then retreat with your men."

"What's wrong with you? Does the Spikes Gang want to cease existing?"

Several other leaders and core members crowded around.

Each one spoke up, but their formation was clearly pushing the Spikes Gang to the front lines.

---------------------------------

A big thank you to [Trevor Standifer] and [Willi Sarit] for joining my Patreon! Your support means a lot to me.