217: siege

Han Huohuo smiled slightly.

The 'devil' the boss spoke of wasn't necessarily a true devil; in the mouths of ordinary people, 'devil' is merely an adjective. Anything as terrifying as a devil can be called a devil.

It's quite normal for such a large Rainforest to have some unique fierce beasts.

"Customer, I do have some pangolin powder here. Would you like to buy some? It's what I had left from my last trip to the Rainforest."

The boss pulled out a bucket of strange yellow powder from behind the counter, emitting an odd, foul smell.

"Of course, I'll buy it! How much?"

"One hundred gold coins."

"Deal!"

Han Huohuo took out one hundred gold coins and bought the bucket of pangolin powder.

【pangolin powder】: Powder made from dried King pangolin corpses, effective against insect infestations.

The System had certified it, so the boss was honest and not trying to cheat him.

As for miasma, the Armored Vehicle could handle it; the Armored Vehicle had an air filter, so it wasn't a big problem.

Han Huohuo thought to himself, then heard the sound of fighting in the distance and frowned slightly.

"Let's go, let's see what's happening outside."

"Alright!"

The group exited the herb shop and saw the street was somewhat chaotic. Everyone was running around in a panic, unsure of what had happened, and decided to go ask the Tulip Merchant Group.

Upon arriving at the Tulip Merchant Group, they were surprised to find that the Tulip Merchant Group's encampment was deserted and very messy, clearly indicating a hasty departure.

Wails and exclamations came from outside.

The group hurried back to the street and saw many people covered in wounds, writhing and wailing on the ground.

There were also several venomous bees chasing and stinging people. The braver ones were using weapons to drive them away.

Then Han Huohuo saw Qin Yunlong. He was leading the Tulip Merchant Group, also covered in wounds, looking as if he had just fled back from outside the city.

He quickly went to meet him.

"What happened?"

Qin Yunlong looked up and saw Han Huohuo. His face was pale, and he seemed distraught: "It's over, it's over! Black Stone Castle has been surrounded! Lord Cold Blade will slaughter Black Stone Castle!"

The ground was full of wounded soldiers. Han Huohuo and the others went to help, transporting the wounded from the Tulip Merchant Group back to their encampment.

"I remember there were many people here at the Tulip Merchant Group. How come so many are missing?"

"We tried to escape just now, but most of us died outside. Only a few of us made it back."

"What exactly happened?"

Qin Yunlong looked helpless: "We don't know either. The Blackstone Fortress army suddenly started fighting those three masked men. Two were killed, but one escaped. The masked man called for military support, and coincidentally, a Cold Blade patrol unit was outside. They have now surrounded Blackstone Fortress."

Han Huohuo didn't understand: "If Blackstone Fortress and Cold Blade are at war, why are you running?"

Qin Yunlong's mouth twitched: "My Lord, you haven't been to the Southwest; you don't understand. Cold Blade is capricious and sometimes slaughters people like mad. Everyone was afraid to take risks and just wanted to leave first, not realizing they would arrive so quickly."

"Then I'll go see what's happening outside?"

"Don't go. The castle gates are already closed, and outside is full of venomous bees. No one can leave the castle now."

The people of Blackstone Fortress frantically sealed all gaps, including doors, windows, and some hidden passages that opened to the outside.

However, they still couldn't prevent some venomous bees from flying into the castle.

The venomous bees were extremely vicious, stinging anyone they saw, and very agile. Many people were stung by them. Because all sources of light were covered, the inside of the castle was pitch black.

People quickly lit torches.

The soldiers were busy hunting down the venomous bees.

The cries of children, the screams of women, the buzzing of venomous bees, and the sounds of weapons clashing all mingled into a chaotic mess.

Everyone's face was ashen, wondering what was wrong with Lord Lin that he had to cross Lord Cold Blade.

If it weren't for Cold Blade not accepting any surrenders, many people would have already started thinking about killing Lord Lin and pleading for mercy from the army outside.

Han Huohuo and Qin Yunlong hurried through the dark alley, crushing several venomous bees with a flick of their hands. These venomous bees were thumb-sized, entirely black, and extremely vicious.

"The second floor is a military restricted area! No entry!"

At the staircase leading to the second floor, there were guards. Qin Yunlong said, "I am the leader of the Tulip Merchant Group. I need to see your Lord."

The guard mumbled softly, "Then please wait a moment, I will report."

Soon, the guard returned and bowed: "Lord Lin invites you over."

Qin Yunlong, with Han Huohuo and the others, followed the guard to the second floor.

The second floor was a purely military structure, filled with barracks, firing ports, and arrow towers. Originally, there was a large, semi-open-air war platform outside, but now it was inaccessible due to the venomous bees.

Everyone was hiding inside the buildings.

In the combat command room, Han Huohuo saw an exceptionally haggard man, who was Lin Yutang. Han Huohuo was shocked; in just a few hours, the ambitious hero who had been so full of vigor earlier seemed to have aged twenty years in the blink of an eye.

Lin Yutang's face also had marks from venomous bee stings. It seemed this fellow initially tried to escape but was blocked by the venomous bees and had to rush back.

"Lord Lin, I am Qin Yunlong of the Tulip Merchant Group. May I ask, what is the current situation?"

"I'm sorry, brother, none of us can escape. We're doomed."

"Just tell us the situation first."

While Qin Yunlong and Lin Yutang were negotiating,

Han Huohuo stood aside and checked the forum, found Cold Blade, and tried to send him a message to probe him. However, he found that Cold Blade had already blacklisted him.

He thought for a moment and remembered that when he had just advanced to his second job, that guy had congratulated him, but he hadn't bothered to reply. He figured the Kid held a grudge and blacklisted him.

He was quite speechless; this petty guy was so similar to himself.

"Lord Lin, this isn't a solution. Can you organize everyone to fight their way out? Everyone hiding in the castle is in a state of panic."

Lin Yutang stood up: "Let's go. I'll show you what it's like outside, and that will put your minds at ease."

He led the group to another staircase, all the way up to the third floor of the castle.

At the highest point of the castle's third floor was a crystal room with an excellent view. This was the castle's reconnaissance center, where several scouts were specifically stationed to keep watch.

There was even a huge telescope.

Han Huohuo didn't need a telescope; his gaze could directly penetrate the swarm of bees. This was the first time he had seen how venomous bees fought. The entire castle was besieged by venomous bees, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Looking up at the sky, the sheer blackness was terrifying.

Han Huohuo rubbed his forehead, and his Time-Space Eye began to subtly rotate. He directed his gaze through the bee swarm, and behind it, he saw more than twenty masked figures.