Siege

Gu Bing and I fought our way toward the city. As we reached the moat, we saw a Blood-Red Skeleton slaughtering soldiers at the city gate.

"Use your blades to slash it!" I shouted.

The soldiers, gripping their large blades, were trembling with fear. A few of them mustered the courage to strike, but their attacks were easily deflected by the Blood-Red Skeleton.

By the time Gu Bing and I arrived, two more soldiers had fallen. Seeing us attack the Blood-Red Skeleton, the remaining soldiers gathered their courage and joined in. Overwhelmed, the Blood-Red Skeleton couldn't withstand the combined assault and was quickly hacked into a pile of shattered bones.

The soldiers cheered, their morale soaring.

Gu Bing and I had no time to celebrate and pressed on into the city.

"Hurry inside and help protect the citizens!" I shouted at the ecstatic soldiers. They had just defeated what they once thought was an invincible monster, their newfound confidence driving them to charge into the city, slashing wildly at any skeletal creatures in their path.

Inside the city, the number of monsters had noticeably decreased. It seemed that while the Security Patrol was struggling, they had at least managed to keep most of the creatures outside. The few scattered skeletons that remained were quickly dealt with by Gu Bing and me.

Following the trail of destruction, we arrived at Aunt Yu's Protective Gear Workshop.

"I don't see any skeletons here," I said, scanning the surroundings. Indeed, there were no signs of the undead.

"Ah!" A sharp scream came from inside.

Gu Bing and I rushed in. Inside the shop, two Blood-Red Skeletons loomed ominously. Opposite them stood Aunt Yu and Xiao Han. Aunt Yu positioned herself protectively in front of Xiao Han, her face pale but unwavering.

Seeing Xiao Han, I suddenly felt that something about her seemed unfamiliar. There was a subtle change in her appearance, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.

"One each, any problems?" I asked Gu Bing in a low voice.

"No problem! Haha!" Gu Bing, as wild as ever, charged straight at one of the Blood-Red Skeletons.

"Ha!" We both knew that attacking from behind was the perfect chance to deal a heavy blow. Our blades flashed, striking the skeletons with full force.

"Clang!" Two sharp metallic sounds rang out. Something strange happened—our weapons felt as if they had struck solid iron. The Blood-Red Skeletons didn't even turn to block, nor did they react at all. They simply continued their slow march toward Xiao Han and Aunt Yu.

Unwilling to give up, Gu Bing and I delivered another round of heavy strikes, but the result was the same. Our attacks couldn't even scratch them, and they continued forward without hesitation.

A sense of dread washed over us. What should have been an easy fight had suddenly turned into something far more terrifying. If we couldn't defeat them, the only option left was to flee.

"Aunt Yu, take Xiao Han and run!"

Gu Bing and I could no longer rely on sneak attacks. We had to face the Blood-Red Skeletons head-on to buy time for Aunt Yu and Xiao Han to escape.

As we positioned ourselves between them and our friends, the Blood-Red Skeletons finally struck.

"Be careful!" I shouted to Gu Bing. If our weapons couldn't harm them, who knew how devastating their attacks would be?

I dodged sideways, barely avoiding a strike, but Gu Bing chose to block with his sword. The force sent him flying several meters, where he landed hard and didn't get up right away.

"Go! Now!" I yelled at Aunt Yu.

As the Blood-Red Skeletons turned toward Gu Bing, Aunt Yu seized the moment and pulled Xiao Han toward the door. The skeletons reacted and started to chase after them, but I quickly stepped in and blocked their path.

Both Blood-Red Skeletons advanced toward me. One of them was already within striking range and thrust its steel trident at me. I had no choice but to block. Ideally, I should have retreated, but if I stepped back, they would be able to leave the shop and either surround me or pursue Aunt Yu and Xiao Han. That would be an even bigger problem. I had to keep them contained here.

Fortunately, I saw Gu Bing slowly getting back up.

"Clang!" My arms went numb from the impact, but I was surprised—it was strong, stronger than the previous Blood-Red Skeletons, but not as overwhelming as I had expected.

"Clang! Clang!" The skeleton struck twice more, but I managed to block both attacks. Strangely, each strike seemed weaker than the last.

"Gu Bing, are you okay?" I teased as I saw him getting up, preparing to attack the second skeleton from behind.

"Circle around them and stall for time. Don't rush—something is weakening them." I didn't know why, but I could feel the skeleton's power diminishing with each attack.

After a bit of maneuvering, we engaged the Blood-Red Skeletons again. This time, they felt no stronger than the ones we had fought at the city gate or in the cave. It didn't take much effort for Gu Bing and me to bring them down.

However, Gu Bing was seriously injured. The initial blow that sent him flying had done significant damage, and he had been forcing himself to stay in the fight. I gave him some Golden Wound Medicine, and after a while, he started to recover.

"What just happened?" Gu Bing coughed and asked.

"I have no idea," I replied, shaking my head. It was bizarre. Why had these Blood-Red Skeletons suddenly become so powerful? Our weapons couldn't even leave a scratch on them at first, and yet, after a while, their strength faded.

"Your strength really isn't up to par," I took the opportunity to mock him. "You got sent flying by just one hit and ended up this badly injured."

"Damn it! You have no idea how strong that thing was!" Gu Bing protested.

"It's getting dark. Rest here for a bit. I'll go find Aunt Yu and the others," I said.

I stepped outside and found the streets eerily quiet. The monsters had been cleared out. Security Patrol soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield. I wasn't sure if the creatures had retreated because of the nightfall or if they had actually been driven back.

As I walked, I called out for Aunt Yu and the others. When I reached Wang Family Pharmacy, the door opened. Aunt Yu and Xiao Han were inside. It turned out that when they had fled, they had run to the pharmacy, where Da Xiong had let them in.

After returning to Aunt Yu's shop, she thanked Gu Bing and me, but we thought nothing of it. It was natural to lend a hand when injustice was met, especially for friends as close as ours.

"Is this young lady Xiao Han?" Gu Bing suddenly asked.

His question startled me. I had known Gu Bing for a long time, and we had visited this shop many times. Yet, this was apparently the first time he had seen Xiao Han. Thinking back, I realized it had indeed been a long time since I last saw her.

Ever since I went to the Orc Cave, I hadn't seen her again. When I returned, Grandfather Pan had taken her to Baiqi City. Later, when I delivered the antidote, Aunt Yu had said she was resting. After that, every time I returned to Baiqi City, she was always out making deliveries.

"Yeah, this is Xiao Han, the one I told you about. Her greatsword technique is incredible—she can cut off an Orc Warrior's arm with a single strike," I said to Gu Bing.

After speaking, I looked at Xiao Han again. That strange feeling of unfamiliarity, different from before, washed over me once more.

"Alright, enough boasting. Hurry up and help clean up. It's getting dark—we need to find something to eat and then gather information about the battlefield. If things don't look good, we should leave Baiqi City as soon as possible. It's too dangerous here," Aunt Yu issued several commands in one breath.

I stuck out my tongue at Gu Bing but had no choice but to comply.

After grabbing a quick meal, we headed out to gather information. Walking through the streets, we saw soldiers moving back and forth, transporting the wounded and carrying weapons and equipment.

Suddenly, a wooden cart was pushed past us, carrying around five or six soldiers' corpses. They were all members of the Security Patrol, some young, some older, and most of the bodies were covered in blood.

"This is too tragic," Gu Bing sighed.

I agreed. Just a few days ago, I found these guys annoying, but now, looking at their lifeless bodies, I couldn't help but wonder—whose sons were they? Whose husbands? Whose fathers?

"Where should we go to gather reliable information?" Gu Bing asked. "We can't just grab a random soldier on the street and ask. We need someone in charge."

"Exactly! Then let's go find their leader," I said, pointing at the Security Patrol soldiers.

No matter how much of a scoundrel Lord Wang was, we had saved his life this afternoon. He wouldn't make things difficult for us, right?

With that thought, we soon arrived at the Security Patrol headquarters in the outer court of the Imperial Palace. The place was chaotic—wounded soldiers were either helping each other or resting on the ground, while the uninjured ones were busy transporting supplies. No one was guarding the entrance or paying attention to us.

We walked straight into the inner hall and saw Lord Wang sitting on a chair in the center of the hall, his arm freshly bandaged.

"Lord Wang," Gu Bing and I greeted with cupped fists.

"It's you two!" Lord Wang looked at us, his eyes showing a mix of surprise and gratitude. "Thank you both for saving my life this afternoon. If not for you, I wouldn't be alive right now."

"You're too kind, Lord Wang," I replied. "We came to check on your injuries and see if there's anything we can help with. How's the current situation on the battlefield?"

"Ah," Lord Wang sighed, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "The skeletal monsters' assault ended this afternoon. Shortly after you two saved me, as we killed more and more of those creatures, the remaining ones suddenly withdrew for no apparent reason."

"Withdrew?" I asked, puzzled.

Lord Wang nodded, looking just as confused as we were.

"Report, my lord!"

Just as I was about to ask more questions, a soldier entered the hall, accompanied by a man in a long robe. The robed man had delicate features, wore a square scholar's cap, and held an open ledger in his left hand while gripping a brush in his right. His posture was straight and formal.

"Wang Qin, how's the tallying going?" Lord Wang asked the robed man. From the way he spoke, it seemed like Wang Qin played a role similar to an advisor or strategist within the Security Patrol.

"The count is nearly complete," Wang Qin reported. "The Security Patrol had a total of 386 men. Today's battle resulted in 58 deaths, 153 wounded, and 14 deserters."

Hearing this, I was both shocked and impressed—shocked by the high number of casualties and impressed by Wang Qin's efficiency. The battle had only ended this afternoon, yet he had already gathered such detailed statistics.

"How many are still combat-capable?" Lord Wang continued to ask.

"161 remain uninjured, and about 100 lightly wounded soldiers can still fight. That brings the total to 260 men," Wang Qin replied after glancing at his ledger.

"Sigh!" Lord Wang let out a heavy sigh.

Just then, a group of people entered the hall. The man leading them wore luxurious robes and an official's hat. He had a stern expression, sharp eyes, and an imposing presence. Behind him were several members of the Tiger Guards.

"Greetings, Prime Minister Wang," Lord Wang, Wang Qin, and the others immediately stepped forward respectfully.

Prime Minister Wang raised his hand slightly in acknowledgment.

"Brother, what brings you here?" Lord Wang asked.

I had heard from Da Xiong's uncle that these two were brothers, but I hadn't expected to see them together so soon. Compared to the overweight, greasy Lord Wang, Prime Minister Wang looked far more refined—though older, he had a lean, elegant build.

"How many men do you have left?" Prime Minister Wang asked without preamble.

Wang Qin immediately repeated the numbers.

"Hmm," Prime Minister Wang nodded, stroking his beard. "Tomorrow, you will continue defending the West City Gate. Any objections?"

"Brother," Lord Wang hesitated. "With the few men I have left, holding the West City Gate will be difficult, especially since we don't know what kind of monsters might show up tomorrow. Could you send me reinforcements?"

"Reinforcements?" Prime Minister Wang snorted coldly. "Where do you expect me to find extra men for you?"

"This..." Lord Wang hesitated, glancing at the Tiger Guards behind his brother.

"Don't even think about it!" Prime Minister Wang's expression darkened. "The Tiger Guards are responsible for protecting the Imperial Palace. They cannot be reassigned."

"But..." Lord Wang seemed to want to argue that if the city fell, the Imperial Palace wouldn't be safe either. However, he ultimately swallowed his words and changed the subject. "What about the Wolf Guards?"

"Forget it!" Prime Minister Wang replied. "I've already deployed 500 Wolf Guards to defend the border villages. The remaining 4,000 fought in today's battle. While they managed to kill around 1,000 Orcs, nearly 2,000 of our own have been lost. We have no idea what tomorrow's battle will bring."

"My lord, how are the border villages holding up?"

Hearing him mention the border villages, I could no longer stay silent. Ignoring any concerns about protocol, I stepped forward and asked urgently.

"Who is this?" Prime Minister Wang asked Lord Wang, pointing at me.