The sudden arrival of the mercenary force made Akdina, who was preparing to launch a surprise attack, abandon her plan.

Reni and Vico were overjoyed. They jumped out of the woods and excitedly ran towards the troops.

Kazt frowned, but when he saw that the people who came were Reni and Vico, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey, old buddy, we're on the same page! Where's Hart? I haven't seen him."

René stopped and touched his nose rather awkwardly.

"We're dead! We've encountered vampires! Damn it, we were ambushed!" Vico cursed.

Kazt frowned sharply. Vampires were terrifying creatures. Besides, had these two gone mad from practicing martial arts? Why were they shouting everything like that?

Wait, vampires?

"You've heard about the female vampire with Yun Zhe, haven't you?" Kazt looked around and, relieved to find that the soldiers didn't seem to have heard their conversation, relaxed.

Realizing something was wrong, Vico lowered his voice, "Hmm, I didn't expect that. There's another trick up your sleeve. Does that mean Yun Zhe already knows about our ambush in Tuer Village?!"

"What should we do then?" Renee also became nervous.

“It takes time to find out,” Kazt frowned, thought for a moment, and said, “When did you encounter that vampire?”

"She was chasing us until just now!"

"What?!" Kazt completely broke down upon hearing this answer. So the vampire had been following them all along! No wonder you two were so happy to see me. You practically lured the vampire right here!

Kazt couldn't help but want to curse, but he was worried about causing panic among the mercenaries. They were already somewhat disunited, and if they encountered vampires, they would definitely run away.

After much deliberation, Kazte decided to hold back.

"Don't make a fuss. There are so many of us, she'll probably have to think twice." Kazte paused. "As long as we don't say anything, the vampire doesn't exist, okay?"

"But? Oh well, never mind." Seeing Kazt point to the soldiers behind him, Viko, who was about to say something more, stopped talking.

“Why don’t you two go back and keep an eye on that vampire? That way, we can ensure our ambush goes perfectly. I just checked, there’s a high ground south of the village with dense trees, perfect for an ambush. I’ve already figured out how to force Yun Zhe and the others onto that road. But that would scatter my troops quite a bit, so I’ll need your help.”

Vico's face fell. Sending them back into the woods to find that vampire? Wasn't that suicide? If all three of them were still alive, they might have a fighting chance. Going now was practically sending them to their deaths.

“Okay, I agree,” Renée nodded.

Vico looked at Reni incredulously, and Reni looked at Vico strangely as well. "Vico? You don't want to avenge Hart anymore?"

Vico thought Reni was utterly unreasonable. His previous desperate counterattack was a last resort, a desperate measure when all else failed. Now that there were so many people blocking his way, what was the point of going back? To throw his life away?

But he couldn't say that out loud. Vico frowned. "If we go back, we might not be able to keep an eye on that vampire. We might even die. Staying here might increase our chances of winning."

"Yun Zhe only brought about twenty people this time, which is enough for us," Kazt said, clearly not wanting them to join. He was joking; although he didn't know how things were going on Garan's side, even if Garan's entire army was wiped out, Yun Zhe wouldn't get away with it. Why share the credit that was already in his hands? It was ridiculous.

Vico said nothing more. He understood perfectly why Kazt had refused. As for credit, it didn't matter; they were just there to clean up the mess. "Hmph, it's fine if you complete the mission, but if you fail, don't blame me for being ruthless."

“Let’s go, René, let’s watch Mr. Kazt’s performance later.” Vico waved for René to follow him. The two didn’t go far, but stopped behind a tree not far from the mercenaries.

"Stay here, don't leave. You really intend to go back for revenge?"

René looked at Vico, puzzled.

“Our mission isn’t to fight this vampire to the death, but to take down Yun Zhe. So, we must make sure we’re unharmed before we complete the mission!” Vico said, pulling out his pipe, leaning against a tree, and stuffing tobacco into it.

Reni seemed to understand, but Vico and Hart had always been the ones making the decisions. He didn't want to argue now; Hart was gone, so whatever Vico said was law.

Kazt knew perfectly well that the two of them wouldn't go looking for that vampire. But things would be much easier as long as they weren't there. Just then, a mercenary approached Kazt, "Boss, I just heard them say something about a vampire?"

Kazt glanced at the soldier. "Hmph, what vampire? He was just killed while clinging to a woman. You don't need to worry about him. Just do as I say, and you won't have to risk your lives for the next year."

The soldier's eyes lit up when he heard the word "woman," and he didn't bother to check how much of Kazt's words were true or false, and happily ran back.

Kazte didn't explain anything further; such words were much better than something as frightening as a vampire.

Akdina didn't listen to their conversation. Instead, she found a secluded spot and noted down their numbers and the locations of those who had gone out to scout. Then she quietly headed south, hoping to encounter Yun Zhe and the others.

However, Tuer Village was at the intersection of two roads, and Akdina couldn't be sure which way Yun Zhe would come. After much thought, Akdina suddenly realized she could inform the nearby garrison and have them rescue Yun Zhe. But Tuer Village only had ten soldiers, hardly enough to even scratch the enemy's surface. Akdina was somewhat discouraged. She stared blankly at the wisps of smoke rising from the village chimneys, when suddenly her eyes lit up, and an idea came to her.

Tumani led his squad on patrol to the village of Tuer, their furthest point on patrol. They would usually check the village here to see if there were any bandits or deserters, then eat and drink something before heading back, enjoying a leisurely and carefree life.

After greeting the local militia, the group of six arrived at their usual tavern, where they saw a striking figure standing out at the entrance.

Akdina was searching for the location of the village's signal fire, but unfortunately, she was only passing through the village and wasn't familiar with it, so she couldn't find it after searching for a while. Just then, she passed the tavern with a slightly furrowed brow and hurried steps.

"Oh, beautiful lady, is there anything I can do for you?" Seeing Akdina's stunning figure and captivating charm, Tumani, who was feeling bored on patrol, immediately stepped forward to strike up a conversation.

Akdina glared at him, about to lash out, but then she saw Donic's logo on Tumani's cloak and couldn't help but laugh.