Liam Fuller and the others weren’t stupid. Seeing the situation in front of them, what was there not to understand? They...
They’d walked right into a trap!
"We let our guard down." Max Zhai’s face was taut, his hand gripping the spear unconsciously stiff, palm slick with sweat.
"Let’s just break out first." Evan Yu, for his part, didn’t seem especially scared—this kind of thing happened all the time on the battlefield.
"Battlefield situations can shift in an instant. Right now things look bad for us, but next second, who knows? We still have a chance to turn this around, so don’t panic." That’s why he wasn’t afraid at all. His father always said, until the very last moment, no one knows who’ll win.
"Evan’s right. You guys go first, I’ll cover the rear." Si Xiaocheng pulled his bow, set three black arrows to the string, and aimed at the incoming enemies...
He might not be at his father’s level yet, but taking down one man with three arrows was still no problem for him.
"No way. If we’re brothers, we go in and out together. We’re not leaving you behind." Liam Fuller was just about to run when he heard Max Zhai say this, and suddenly he couldn’t decide whether to go or stay...
Damn it, brother—shouldn’t we be worrying about saving our skins right now?
Seriously, Max Zhai, how am I supposed to run after you say something like that?
Liam Fuller was about to cry, shooting Max Zhai a hateful glare. But Max Zhai was completely oblivious, still sighing, "That’s real brotherhood. I always knew you might be a coward, but when it counts, you’re reliable."
Great... Liam Fuller rolled his eyes, realizing he was stuck for good. If he bailed now, these guys would never speak to him again.
Fine, just his luck—he’d landed with a bunch of idiots. No way he could run off alone now.
Liam Fuller drew his sword and stepped forward. "Once we break out, we split up and run. I’ll take Shane Wang, the rest of you go your own way. Whoever gets to the city first, fetch the adults for reinforcements."
Things had gotten this far—there was no way around calling for help from the grown-ups.
"No way. If reinforcements come, our dads will find out everything." Max Zhai was still scared of a beating, and the others were too...
Shane Wang advised helplessly, "It’s come to this, we can’t hide it. Let’s just do what Liam Fuller says."
Among them, Shane Wang and Tyler Cui played the strategist role. Once Shane spoke, everyone listened, so that’s how the plan was set.
"Young masters, you go first—we’ll cover the rear." The personal guards Max Zhai and the others brought finally came into play. Trusted loyalists, they’d never abandon their young masters, no matter what.
"Yeah." Everyone understood this without needing to say it. Without their personal guards, these little brats wouldn’t stand a chance of getting out.
Just then, the leader of the Three Kingdoms remnants—the village chief—stepped out with his men.
Max Zhai and the others had seen the village during the day. The chief looked like any ordinary farmer, but tonight they realized he was nothing of the sort—broad-shouldered and thickset, clearly a trained fighter. How had they missed it before?
"Saw you brats sneaking around during the day, knew you were up to no good—and look at you now..." The chief strode in, flanked by a row of young men dressed as farmhands, each holding a torch.
By daylight, these men looked like honest peasants, but now their murderous aura was obvious. Every one of them was a killer.
Shane Wang and Liam Fuller exchanged bitter smiles—they really were too green.
Still, now was not the time to lose face. Liam Fuller immediately put on a tough front: "You traitors, surrender now and we might spare your lives."
"Ha! Big words for a bunch of kids." The chief sneered, "You little brats dare bring people to attack us? You’ve got guts, but... if you weren’t so bold, we wouldn’t get this opportunity. I hear you’re all sons of top officials and generals. If we take you alive, what will your fathers offer to get you back?"
"Take us? Dream on." Max Zhai’s face changed; only now did he realize how serious things were.
If they died, fine—but what if they were captured and used to threaten their fathers?
That was a truly deadly problem.
"Better die than surrender." Si Xiaocheng and Evan Yu thought the same way—no matter what, they’d never let themselves become the reason their families were blackmailed. They’d rather die than force their parents to do something dishonorable.
Liam Fuller covered his face, wondering—why...
He was always a step behind.
At a time like this, why talk about dying with honor? If you get caught, just let your dad come save you—a beating is better than dying. But...
These idiots had already sworn themselves to death. What was he supposed to do now?
Inside, Liam Fuller was bleeding, but on the outside he put on his bravest face.
No choice—the words were out, he couldn’t back down now.
To the seasoned village chief and his crew, the kids’ bravado meant nothing. After a round of mockery, he ordered his men to seize Max Zhai and the others.
"Kill the rest. Take these brats alive." These kids were valuable hostages, and just thinking about the power behind them made the chief’s blood race.
As long as he got his hands on these boys, he was sure their families would cave. With inside help, what was a mere imperial capital?
Thinking about this, the chief grew more desperate, eyeing Max Zhai and the others—he kept insisting they be taken alive.
"You think you can take me? Dream on!" Max Zhai charged in with his spear, single-handedly fighting his way into the crowd...
He might be young, but he handled his spear well. With his personal guards protecting him, none of the villagers could get close for now...
"These kids have some skills." The chief saw his men take a beating and realized he’d underestimated them. He immediately ordered everyone to get serious.
"Just keep them alive—broken arms and legs are fine." The chief’s words were ruthless; Si Xiaocheng and the others felt their own killing intent ignite...
Hell no—if you want to break my arms and legs, you must be tired of living.
"Watch out for arrows..." Si Xiaocheng loosed three black arrows straight at the chief...
Though all three arrows were fired, they didn’t fly out at the same time—one after another, not simultaneously...
"Xiaocheng really inherited Uncle Si’s skills." Even from a distance, Little Dumpling could sense the killing intent in those arrows. They might not have Uncle Si’s thunderous power, but they were unstoppable—if they hit, it was certain death...
These were Life-Locking Arrows—once locked onto a target, dodging was nearly impossible. But...
If Uncle Si fired them, the chief would have died for sure. But here it was Si Xiaocheng—still a bit green compared to Uncle Si. The arrows locked onto the chief, but he wasn’t easy prey...
Thud... thud... two arrows missed, and the last one—