Chapter 301, "Kill You Along the Way"
The noise from triggering the trap didn't attract much attention.
No residents came out to check, and the patrol guard didn't approach either.
Wu Heng and Glenda quietly watched the scene outside the window.
A few minutes later.
A ranger's bird appeared above the body, landing on the rooftop, peering down.
Soon after, five figures appeared in the night, quickly arriving at the body and lifting its hood to check the face.
Wu Heng spoke into the radio, "Olin, engage. No need to leave survivors."
Swish, swish, swish~!
Several crossbow bolts shot out from the dark alley.
Instantly, two of the figures were struck.
At the same time, Olin raised his hand axe, leading Team Three in a direct charge.
Boom~!
A dull thud echoed.
Olin, the first to engage, was kicked back by one of the pirates, rolling two or three times before barely coming to a stop.
But the pirates showed no fear, drawing their weapons and charging at Team Three with a ferocious battle style.
Their savage fighting clearly marked them as pirates.
"Skull-crusher, help them out," Wu Heng ordered.
Skull-crusher placed a hand on the window frame and leapt down from the second floor.
Landing, he swung his battle axe and charged at the enemies.
His war hammer smashed down, sending the pirate who had kicked Olin flying into a wall.
The pirate spat out a mouthful of blood.
Skull-crusher didn't stop, quickly rushing forward, kicking the man back into the corner, and smashing the hammer into his chest.
The dull impact was accompanied by the sound of bones cracking.
The figure in the corner vomited blood.
Bit by bit, life left his body.
The remaining pirates, seeing this, turned and tried to flee.
But they were entangled by Team Three, and when Skull-crusher returned, he killed each one with a single blow.
......
With the battle over, the alley fell back into silence.
Wu Heng walked out from the distant building.
Olin, holding a torch, checked the bodies. "None of them are on the wanted list."
"Any injuries?"
"No," Olin replied.
Wu Heng nodded, glancing at the bodies in the firelight.
They were dressed like dockworkers, but their disheveled hair and scarred faces resembled pirates.
"Olin, have the men stay on guard here. Be careful of other enemies."
"Understood." Olin nodded.
Wu Heng headed down a side alley, with Skull-crusher and Blood-Axe dragging bodies behind him.
The dark alley smelled of urine.
Wu Heng signaled for the skeletons to put the bodies down, focusing on the one that had kicked Olin.
He cast [Speak with Dead].
The corpse suddenly sat up, its chest and spine broken by Skull-crusher, causing its upper body to lean unnaturally to one side.
Wu Heng asked, "Who are you?"
The corpse responded, "I'm with the Iron Barrel Pirate Group."
The Iron Barrel Pirate Group.
That morning, the corpse at the harbor had also mentioned being killed by the Iron Barrel Pirates.
It seemed the Iron Barrel Pirate Group was indeed active near Gold-Silver Island.
Wu Heng asked, "Why were you trying to kill me?"
The corpse responded, "The captain ordered us to find a way to kill you and bring back your head."
The captain's orders!
"Why does your captain want me dead?"
The corpse replied, "I don't know."
That was the third question, but the intel was still limited.
Wu Heng thought for a moment before asking, "Where is your captain?"
"With the fleet, anchored north of Scorpion Claw Island."
Wu Heng pulled out his tablet and checked the map he had taken earlier. Scorpion Claw Island was closer to Cocktail Island.
After putting the tablet away, he asked, "What level is your captain?"
"A level 15 Professional."
With five questions asked, the corpse collapsed back to the ground.
The intel left Wu Heng somewhat surprised.
In his search for pirate groups with flying dragons, the Iron Barrel Pirate Group had come up.
Before he could track them down, they had come after him first.
His gaze shifted to the second corpse, and he cast [Speak with Dead] again.
The corpse sat up.
Wu Heng asked, "Who was the person next to you?"
"He was a key member of our pirate group."
Wu Heng asked, "Why did you come to the island?"
"To sell off some goods nearby and kill the Deputy Steward!"
"..."
Wu Heng continued questioning each body in turn.
He had gathered most of the necessary intel.
The Iron Barrel Pirate Group had raided a shipment on the shipping lane and planned to sell off the goods nearby, while also attempting to assassinate Wu Heng.
The man Skull-crusher had killed was a key member of the pirate group and led the team onto the island.
The pirates weren't weak.
To be able to kick the guild captain like that, the pirate was at least a level 10 melee class.
But unfortunately, he wasn't strong enough to face Skull-crusher.
Before, Wu Heng had suspected the Barrel Tavern.
After all, he had visited them for information at noon, and by afternoon, this had happened.
But now, it seemed the two weren't connected.
The Iron Barrel Pirate Group had arrived on the island three days earlier and had been observing the guild's activities.
Moreover, these pirates were indeed brazen.
Sending a group of pirates to try to kill a Deputy Steward on the island.
They clearly underestimated the guild.
......
Leaving the alley.
Olin approached and asked, "Deputy Steward, what's the situation?"
"They were with the Iron Barrel Pirate Group. The leader was a key member but wasn't on the wanted list," Wu Heng replied.
"Maybe he's new, or the guild doesn't have intel on him yet," Olin suggested, then asked, "What's the next step?"
"Their ship is at Dock 6. Go back and get the men; seize the ship," Wu Heng ordered.
"Got it." Olin nodded and led his squad toward the guild.
Wu Heng headed in a different direction. Once out of the residential area, he pulled out the [Conductor's Hat] and put it on.
The train whistle sounded.
A train appeared out of thin air, and Wu Heng boarded, writing down his destination: Cocktail Island.
......
About 10 minutes later.
Wu Heng, accompanied by two skeletons, arrived on Cocktail Island.
Reaching the harbor, he spotted a pirate ship covered in shields.
Looking up at the deck, he saw patrolling skeleton sailors.
This was the prize from defeating the Bloodhand Pirate Group. Without a good reason to dock it, the ship had remained here.
Wu Heng climbed up the rope ladder.
He pulled out the map again for comparison, pointing forward. "Head that way."
The warship began moving slowly in the direction Wu Heng had indicated.
......
Iron Barrel Pirate Ship.
Inside the captain's cabin.
The new captain, Brad, was still tirelessly thrusting his hips.
Cursing profanities, he caressed the silky skin of the woman in front of him.
"I should make that old bastard see how things are now. His fleet is mine, his women are mine, hahaha~!" Brad laughed loudly, smacking her and shouting, "Make some noise, let the crew hear you."
The woman remained silent.
"Once we sell this batch of goods and kill that Deputy Steward, I'll have surpassed that old bastard. Serving two captains is an honor for you."
As Brad spoke, his brows furrowed suddenly.
He quickly got up, drew his sword, and yanked open the door.
A filthy, matted figure stood at the entrance. "What do you want?"
"Captain, there's a pirate ship approaching," a sailor called from the deck.
Brad shoved the figure aside. "Next time, speak up sooner. If you're a mute, go scrub the deck."
He grabbed his armor and began putting it on as he headed toward the deck.
The small figure stepped into the room.
He glanced at the woman on the bed and softly asked, "Are you alright?"
......
Brad stepped onto the deck.
His gaze stretched out over the distant horizon.
A ship with no flag appeared within sight.
From the design, it was clearly a pirate ship, one that had seen countless battles.
"Damn it, running into another ship here," Brad cursed and said, "Signal them to get lost, or else ......"
Before he could finish speaking.
A loud pop echoed, and Brad's shoulder suddenly exploded, his entire arm and half his shoulder bone disintegrating.