43: Got fooled

“Hahaha… Brother Qi, don’t say such idiotic things. Resist the Great Ming? Am I that bored? This place isn’t something I absolutely have to protect. Don’t you know the saying about a cunning rabbit having three burrows? If the Great Ming truly sends a Martial Commander, I’ll just pack up and leave immediately. But right now, it’s not me boasting, with the strength of you people and the equipment you’ve brought, let alone annihilating us, you’ll have trouble even getting out! Don’t think I don’t know that Wang Weidong’s team is still outside. In fact, it’s fine if they don’t come in, but if they do, your losses will only be greater!”

“You?! You dare to fight against the Great Ming military?!” Qi Huaiyi said incredulously.

“Why wouldn’t I dare?! The Great Ming is currently plagued by exotic beasts outside, and internally, it’s a mess due to the princes’ struggle for the throne. The military can only send out a small team like Wang Weidong’s. To annihilate my Dark Night Valley, hehe… let me show you the true strength of our Dark Night Valley!” Night Hawk snorted.

As soon as he finished speaking, Dark Night Valley seemed to change instantly. Suddenly, a bright light shone, and the entire valley was brightly lit. The buildings before them were fully revealed to everyone. Looking up, everyone’s expressions changed!

They saw countless muzzles extending from various buildings, densely packed, all currently aimed at the Black Tortoise Guard…

Seeing this, Qi Huaiyi’s heart sank, realizing he had underestimated the Dark Night Organization before!

He hadn’t expected a mere assassin organization to possess such terrifying combat power. The number of muzzles in just this cluster of buildings was no less than two hundred, and who knew how many more fire points were hidden in the dark!

If a battle truly broke out, he feared the losses from this single round of artillery fire would be unimaginable…

“Hahahahaha… How about it, Brother Qi? I wasn’t boasting, was I? If you still insist on attacking, then I’ll have to risk my life to accompany you. I believe you wouldn’t want to see the final outcome, would you? Why not reconsider the conditions I just mentioned? It’s good for you, good for me, good for everyone. Isn’t a happy ending for all better than a mutually destructive one?” Night Hawk said persuasively.

Qi Huaiyi’s face darkened, and he said, “Night Hawk, don’t get ahead of yourself! If you truly dare to defy the law and open fire on the Jianxuan Envoy Department’s enforcement team and the Great Ming army, the Great Ming will hunt you down to the end. You should be well aware of this. Do you really think you can escape a nationwide manhunt? Or are you saying you believe the Fusang People and Snow Eagle People will protect you? You must know that those not of our race are sure to have different intentions!”

“Brother Qi doesn’t need to worry about my choices. Since I’ve entered the assassin profession, I’ve already cut off my own retreat. So, Brother Qi doesn’t need to doubt whether what I just said was sincere. What I’m interested in now is how you managed to track down my Dark Night Valley. Everything else is non-negotiable!” Night Hawk said indifferently.

“You?! You’re simply incorrigible!!!”

“You’re nothing more than a hawk under the Great Ming Emperor!” Night Hawk retorted.

“Don’t forget you were born and raised in the Great Ming!” Qi Huaiyi sternly said.

“So what? The Great Ming only gave me my body, but not my soul! Do not advise others to be good without having experienced their suffering. If you had experienced my suffering, you might not be as good as I am! Brother Qi, I respect you as a man, so I don’t want to kill you now. But if you want to persuade me to surrender, then give up that idea! Surrender is impossible; it’s impossible in this lifetime! Why not consider the conditions I proposed… I can give you one day!” Night Hawk said.

“This…” Qi Huaiyi was completely stunned.

It seems Night Hawk is truly like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water. He wondered what he had experienced to dare to oppose the Jianxuan Envoy Department and the military. What exactly was he relying on…

The biggest problem now was not knowing the true strength of the Dark Night Organization. How many experts did they have? What was the highest Realm of their combat power?

If he could figure all this out, this battle would be manageable; otherwise…

Thinking of this, Qi Huaiyi immediately reported the situation to Wang Weidong.

Wang Weidong was also greatly shocked by the news. He hadn’t expected the Dark Night Organization to be so audacious as to openly challenge the Jianxuan Envoy Department and the Great Ming military. No wonder they dared to attack the special plane escorting the criminal!

He thought for a moment and said, “If Night Hawk wants to die, we won’t stop him, but there’s no need to put so many soldiers at risk right now. Since he proposed that condition, we might as well agree to it first. We’ll talk after we rescue that Fusang People criminal and the crew!”

“No!” Qi Huaiyi said flatly.

“Why not? Can’t we just come up with an excuse?” Wang Weidong asked curiously.

“General, Night Hawk, who can build such a large force, is definitely a formidable individual! A casual excuse from us is unlikely to fool him. Furthermore, if we agree to his conditions, it means our Jianxuan Envoy Department has backed down. This is a disgrace to the Black Tortoise Guard. We would rather die in battle than negotiate with the enemy!” Qi Huaiyi said loudly.

“This… Xiao Qi, we’re not negotiating with him, but using a ploy to get the people out first, and then find an opportunity to strike him later…” Wang Weidong persuaded.

“General, I understand what you mean, but our Black Tortoise Guard will never negotiate with others under duress!”

“Xiao Qi, why are you so inflexible? Has no one taught you that on the battlefield, as long as you can achieve your objective, you can use any means necessary?” Wang Weidong said with a hint of anger.

“General, I apologize! Our Black Tortoise Guard has its own beliefs, and perhaps this is precisely where we differ from the military…” Qi Huaiyi said resolutely.

“You…” Wang Weidong was momentarily choked with anger, unable to speak.

After a moment of thought, he sighed softly and said, “You all set up camp in place, and be careful to avoid the muzzles. Wait for me to arrive with the army.”

“Wait, General, be careful! Night Hawk warned that his firepower is considerable. If a large army enters, there might be significant losses, so it’s best to only let those with high cultivation enter!” Qi Huaiyi said.

“Good!”

Soon after, Wang Weidong led dozens of military experts to the bottom of the valley, where they met with Qi Huaiyi and Hai Xiang. Seeing the buildings before them and the two hundred-plus ominous muzzles, Wang Weidong couldn’t help but gasp in cold air…

Although he was at the early stage of Martial Commander cultivation and no longer feared the threat of thermal weapons, these cannons were not ordinary artillery, but Mystic Cannons that used Xuan energy. They might not pose a great threat to Innate individuals, but they were a huge deterrent to Acquired individuals like Martial Apprentices, Martial Artists, and Martial Masters. For example, most of the people here today, apart from a few Martial Ancestors, were Acquired individuals. These people would likely suffer heavy losses under the Mystic Cannons!

It would be fine if he could clear out all these Mystic Cannons in advance, but if there were also Martial Commander powerhouses in the enemy formation, and he got tied up by one, then the problem would be huge…

As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. The biggest problem for the Great Ming side now was knowing themselves but not the enemy, which put them in a passive position everywhere, unsure how to respond to the current situation…

And Night Hawk had only given the Great Ming side one day.

Wang Weidong, Qi Huaiyi, and Hai Xiang looked at each other, somewhat helpless in this situation…

Just as the three were at a loss, Qi Huaiyi’s phone suddenly lit up; a new message had arrived!

He opened it, quickly scanned it, and his expression immediately changed!

Wang Weidong and Hai Xiang saw this and asked in unison, “Is it Director Yu?!”

Qi Huaiyi shook his head and said, “It’s the Southern Division command center. We’ve been tricked!!!”

“Tricked?!!!” The two were stunned.

“That’s right, we were deceived by Night Hawk!!! This is a delaying tactic!!!” Qi Huaiyi said through gritted teeth.

…