Iron Fist

"Are these the members of the Iron Fist Mercenary Troupe?"Lin Tan asked Galabron in a low voice.

At this moment,the Frege Mercenary Troupe,consisting of thirty-four people,had gathered outside Helker Town,including Lin Tan and Galabron.Facing them was a mercenary group of about forty people.This mercenary group was well-equipped,led by a burly man who was still bare-chested even as winter approached.He had a shaved head,with tattoos of lions,dragons,and other ferocious beasts all over his body,and a giant axe resting on his shoulder.This tough guy was sizing up Lin Tan and his group with a pair of fierce eyes.

"Yes,they are our competitors for this mission,the Iron Fist Mercenary Troupe,"Galabron said in a deep voice,"This group is not to be trifled with.The guy with the axe is named Hansen,a Level 5 warrior who is said to be able to take down a squad of orc infantry by himself."

An elderly man dressed elegantly,wearing a monocle,and with his gray hair combed meticulously,stood between the two groups and said to the bald Hansen,"We hired the Frege Mercenary Troupe first,you..."

Before he could finish,the bald man interrupted him directly,"No need to say more,I know what you're going to say."His voice was loud,matching his formidable appearance,"The mercenary business is about strength.If they can't beat us,this mission should naturally be given to me!"

The situation was actually quite simple.After Lin Tan and his team accepted the mission,the Iron Fist Mercenary Troupe also arrived in Helker Town.They had just returned from the eastern battlefield for a break.If they could take on such an escort mission while they were at it,they would have the money to repair their equipment,and even have some extra cash.Why not?As for conflicting with the Frege Mercenary Troupe...a few months ago,Hansen might have considered it,after all,Sir Frege was a veteran knight who had fought on the orc battlefield,and his strength was not to be underestimated.But now,with three of the four pillars of the Frege Mercenary Troupe gone,and the young man not seeming like much,he began to brazenly try to steal the mission.

Mission poaching was not uncommon among mercenaries.After all,sometimes there were more people than tasks available,and a simple yet well-paying mission was something everyone wanted.Not many mercenaries were law-abiding citizens,and some even doubled as bandits.They had no psychological pressure at all about comparing who had the bigger fists.

The elderly man was the consul of the merchant guild.His attempt to persuade Hansen was merely a formality.After all,sometimes employers couldn't prevent such things from happening,and moreover,some employers actually hoped to see it:who wouldn't want the mercenaries they hired to be stronger?

The old man walked over to Lin Tan and said,"Mr.Edward,I've already tried to persuade Mr.Hansen,but he's not willing to accept my advice.What do you think?"

"Ha-ha,it's okay,Your Excellency the Consul.Mr.Hansen is right.If we can't even deal with them,how can we claim to be able to ensure your safety along the way?"Lin Tan replied with a smile.

"Then I wish you good luck,"the old consul smiled slightly,stepped back a few paces,and left the space between the two teams,preparing to watch the drama from the side.

The burly man,Hansen,took two steps forward and said to Lin Tan,"I know you,Edward.You're Sir Frege's son.I fought orcs on the battlefield with your old man.He even snatched a squad leader's head from me,costing me several gold coins.I advise you to take your men home and drink milk.Playing with swords and axes is for adults."With that,he brandished his axe,making a provocative gesture towards Lin Tan.

"Words are always sharper than axes,"Lin Tan retorted coldly,"How do we know who's stronger without a fight?"

"Humph,kid,"Hansen said,"I'll let you know how powerful my axe is.I've heard you've awakened Dou Qi?Don't think you're that great just because you have Dou Qi.My axe has chopped off the heads of Dou Qi warriors before!"

Hansen returned to his team,and the members of the Iron Fist Mercenary Troupe immediately drew their weapons,eyeing Lin Tan and his mercenaries menacingly.The members of the Frege Mercenary Troupe were not to be outdone,drawing their weapons as well.Ten spearmen were at the front,and twenty two-handed swordsmen were behind,also looking eager for a fight.Both mercenary groups had withdrawn from the eastern orc battlefield for a break,having been baptized by blood and fire,and were no longer greenhorns on the battlefield.Facing such a brawl was child's play for them.

Galabron drew his longsword and stood at the front of the team with Lin Tan,whispering,"I'm not confident I can deal with Hansen.He's very strong."

"Hansen is mine,"Lin Tan whispered back."There are a few good fighters in their team.Keep an eye on them and don't let those guys disrupt our formation too much."For him,this battle was just what he needed to test the capabilities of the soldiers trained through the system.Although the two-handed swordsmen and spearmen were just basic troop types,Lin Tan didn't want to spend faith energy in vain and not see any results!

Soon,at the order of the leaders of both sides,the two teams began to move towards each other.When they were a hundred meters apart,both teams started to charge at the same time!

When they were fifty meters apart,the Frege Mercenary Troupe's team came to an abrupt stop.The spearmen at the front quickly raised their shields and leveled their spears to face the enemy.The two-handed swordsmen behind them hid,waiting for the moment when the enemies were blocked by the spear formation and in disarray to strike!

The Iron Fist Mercenary Troupe did not slow down.Three burly men,only slightly smaller than Hansen,accelerated,carrying heavy weapons like warhammers and great axes,let out a roar,and prepared to charge the spear formation of ten soldiers.Galabron leaped out from the formation,his longsword slicing down to block the charge of the man in the middle,then a horizontal sweep to stop the other two.The four of them fought noisily,and a vacuum immediately formed around them.Generally,no small soldiers would interfere in the duel between stronger opponents.On one hand,their strength was insufficient,and going up would only add to the chaos and risk death.On the other hand,this was just a brawl or a contest,far from the life-and-death struggle on the battlefield.

On the other side,the warriors of the Iron Fist Mercenary Troupe had already made contact with the spearman formation.