After dealing with this group of twenty people, the two of them finally enjoyed some peace and quiet.
Although they were certain that Zhao Cheng would definitely send people over, they couldn't be sure of the exact time.
So, taking advantage of their free time, they pulled out the map they had obtained from Wang Hu and began hunting down the people who had survived their previous encounters.
Although these people lived far apart, all in all, there were still at least thirty of them left.
They couldn't let them go to waste.
Throughout the day, the two remained busy, constantly going out to capture people.
However, these people lived too scattered, so after a whole day, they only managed to catch eleven.
As for the others...
When they went looking for them, some weren't home, while others no longer lived at the locations marked on the map.
Upon closer inspection, they noticed a thick layer of dust in the houses. It was clear they hadn't just moved in the last day or two, but had changed residences before Zuo Lin'an and Xu Youyou even arrived.
Presumably, they hadn't had the chance to report their move to Wang Hu yet.
In other words, these people hadn't discovered Zuo Lin'an and Xu Youyou's identities. They hadn't been exposed yet.
However, this meant those who had moved had luckily escaped a terrible fate.
Since they couldn't find them, Zuo Lin'an and Xu Youyou didn't dwell on it. A few less prey was fine.
The most critical thing right now was to wait for Zhao Cheng to send his men. They wouldn't wait too long. If no one showed up by tomorrow night, they planned to take the initiative and make their move, heading straight into the enemy's territory under the cover of night.
Meanwhile, at another criminal settlement.
Zhao Cheng stared out at the pitch-black sky, then at his own reflection in the windowpane. His expression was dark enough to rival the night sky.
“Everything you said earlier is true, right?”
Standing not far from him were five men.
If Xu Youyou were here, he would definitely recognize them. These five were the very ones who had previously headed back to find Zhao Cheng. But now, their faces were pale, and they kept their heads lowered.
“Boss Zhao, everything we said is true! Absolutely true, I swear!”
“At the time, they all followed that newcomer to Wang Hu's place!”
“According to the newcomer, Wang Hu is dying, and their place is leaderless right now and needs our help. I think... maybe they're just too busy over there with so many people, so they forgot to send word back.”
Zhao Cheng didn't believe a single word of it. He felt that the men who went to Wang Hu's place had likely met with disaster. They probably hadn't been killed, but they were definitely locked up.
“No matter how busy they are, once they confirmed the situation, they would have definitely sent one or two people back to explain things to me. Since there's been no news at all, something must have gone wrong.”
“I plan to send some people to check it out.”
In truth, he was also in a bit of a bind.
After all, there were a whopping twenty men currently trapped at Wang Hu's place.
And the total population of the settlement under his control, including those hiding, was only around a hundred and twenty. To lose twenty all at once!
If he sent out too many people, it would affect the normal operation of the settlement. So, it was best not to exceed ten.
But... ten people seemed a bit too few, didn't it? After all, Wang Hu's side had probably already set up a trap, waiting for them to walk right into it.
If he sent too few, they could easily be wiped out. Not only would he lose more men, but he also wouldn't get any solid intelligence.
If he wanted to avoid that, he would have to send more men, but sending more also worried him. If these men were captured by Wang Hu as well...
Then the population of his settlement would drop to seventy or eighty. When that time came, if Wang Hu brought his men over to settle things by sheer numbers, Zhao Cheng would definitely lose and be driven out of here.
The other members of the settlement might be allowed to stay if they surrendered some of their benefits, since Wang Hu was short on manpower anyway. But Zhao Cheng was different. As the former ruler of this settlement, there was no way Wang Hu would tolerate him.
Being driven out would actually be the better outcome. What if they broke his legs and threw him outside to fend for himself?
The closest settlement nearby was Wang Hu's. Was he supposed to crawl even further away? What a joke!
“Hmph!”
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, but he forced himself to calm down and began issuing orders.
“First, send some men to check out the situation. Find out what exactly happened to the twenty people who went over there. If everything is fine, have someone hurry back and report.”
“If they've been captured, then... send two people back to report first. The rest will stay and keep watch. If you can rescue them, do it.”
“If not, don't make any rash moves. Wait until I figure out a plan on this end.”
“Understood, Boss Zhao. But... how many people should we send this time?”
Zhao Cheng hesitated for a moment, then pointed at the five men from earlier.
“These five will lead the way, and take another fifteen men with you just in case.”
“Remember, you must be extremely careful when observing the situation. Our settlement cannot afford any more losses, otherwise, the good life we have now will be gone!”
“Do you understand?”
“Yes, Boss!”
Soon, everyone left the office. Before long, a team of twenty set off toward Wang Hu's settlement. They made their way through the darkness of the night.
Perhaps because they believed Xu Youyou's story about Wang Hu being bitten by a snake, they traveled very slowly in the dead of night, terrified of getting bitten themselves. Hurrying as best as they could, they finally arrived at their destination about three hours later.
However, it was pitch-black by then. Having entered Wang Hu's territory, no one dared to make any sudden moves, nor did they dare to light a fire for illumination.
“What do we do now?”
“Should we get closer?”
“No way! What if Wang Hu set up an ambush nearby?”
“Then let's have one person go over and test the waters first. If nothing happens, the rest of us will follow.”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent. It was a good idea, but no one wanted to be the guinea pig.
In the end, they decided to play rock-paper-scissors to select a volunteer. The chosen man had a terrible look on his face. He took cautious, tentative steps, shuffling forward slower than a snail.
However, he quickly realized that the area was dead silent. It didn't look like there was an ambush at all. Had they guessed wrong?
Had Wang Hu not positioned anyone to keep watch? Or was this particular spot just unguarded?
Pondering this, the man continued to draw closer. He only slowed his pace when he reached the collapsed wall of the villa district. From here on, things would get dangerous.
Yet, even after he climbed over the wall and entered the villa district, the surroundings remained dead silent. His eyes darted around. Was there really no one here?
His courage grew significantly.
He spent over ten minutes wandering around the area. Gradually growing bolder, he even ran and hopped around, making quite a bit of noise.
Yet, there was still no reaction. Only then did he feel reassured enough to head back and report the situation to the others.
Rate on N.U.
