Chapter 140: Lost Bears Mercenary (part 2)
Only then did the leader turn around.
His gaze fell on Ren Kai and the others, and it lingered.
Up close, it was even clearer.
Even injured, even covered in dust and blood, the pressure they gave off was sharp. And dangerous.
The kind of presence you only see from people who have fought real battles.
His eyes paused on Ren Kai first.
Then shifted to Cai Wen.
To Shen Lu.
To Hao Jin.
And finally to Lian Yue, still unconscious but breathing steadily.
A faint frown formed on his face.
"...You five," he said slowly. "You’re inner students from Clear Water Sect, right?"
Ren Kai gave a short nod.
"Yes."
The leader let out a quiet breath, almost like he was trying to steady his thoughts.
"I figured."
Ren Kai studied him for a moment longer, then spoke.
"You’re from the Lost Bears Mercenary Group, right?"
The man’s brow lifted slightly.
"Oh?" A faint grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You know about us."
Hao Jin, still catching his breath, let out a short laugh.
"Of course we do. In Valen City, if you don’t know the Lost Bears, you’re either new or dead."
A few of the mercenaries nearby chuckled at that.
Cai Wen added, "You’re one of the top groups in the city. Hard to miss."
The leader gave a small nod, accepting it without arrogance.
"Name’s Voss." he said.
He rested his saber against his shoulder again, more relaxed now, though his eyes were still alert.
Ren Kai shifted Lian Yue slightly, making sure she was secure before continuing.
"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Did my master hire you for something?"
Voss let out a breath and nodded.
"Yeah. We were hired."
Hao Jin raised an eyebrow.
"To do what?"
Voss glanced back at his men for a second, then back at them.
"To occupy a town not far from here," he said. "That’s all we were told."
Cai Wen frowned.
"Occupy?"
Voss repeated. "Clear it, hold it, and wait for further orders."
Shen Lu leaned slightly against the wall, his voice quiet.
"Oh, so they already decided to move."
He looked down the street again, toward where Vermis had disappeared.
"And after seeing that thing..."
His grip tightened slightly on his saber.
"...I’m starting to think we weren’t given the full picture."
Ren Kai was quiet for a moment.
The wind passed through the broken street, carrying the faint smell of blood and dust. Around them, the mercenaries kept moving, tending to the wounded, resetting their formation, but the tension never fully left.
Then Ren Kai spoke.
"To be honest... we don’t fully know who we’re up against either."
Voss looked back at him, his expression sharpening slightly.
Ren Kai continued, his voice steady despite the exhaustion.
"We only know what’s been left behind."
Hao Jin let out a low breath, his usual grin gone now.
"Five towns," he said. "Wiped out."
Cai Wen added, quieter, "Not raided. Not occupied. Destroyed."
The words settled heavily in the air.
Even the nearby mercenaries who overheard went still for a moment.
Voss’s grip on his saber tightened.
"...Five?"
Ren Kai nodded.
"And if we’re right," he said, "it’s not finished yet."
Shen Lu lifted his gaze slightly, looking toward the distant horizon.
"There are two towns left in this region."
Silence.
Then Ren Kai finished it.
"And whatever this is... it’s likely preparing to hit those next."
Voss didn’t respond immediately.
Behind him, one of his lieutenant stepped closer.
"Boss..." the man said quietly. "If that’s true..."
Voss raised a hand slightly, cutting him off without looking.
He already knew.
The street felt smaller somehow.
Like everything had narrowed down to a single decision.
Hao Jin broke the silence first.
"If you’re heading to occupy a town anyway," he said, "you might want to pick one that’s about to get hit."
Cai Wen gave a short nod.
"Better to prepare a defense than walk into ruins."
Voss let out a slow breath.
Then he looked at Ren Kai again.
"...And you?" he asked. "What are you planning to do?"
Ren Kai adjusted Lian Yue on his back, his expression calm again, back to the same steady control as before.
"We report back," he said. "And prepare."
Voss studied him for another second.
Then he gave a small nod.
"Ok."
He turned slightly, looking at his men. Then back at the direction of the outer towns.
After a brief pause, he spoke.
"I might just do that."
It wasn’t loud.
But it carried weight.
His lieutenant straightened immediately.
"Change of orders?"
"Yeah," Voss said. "We move to the nearest town and help them. Fortify it. Set up defenses."
"What about the original contract?"
Voss glanced back once more at Ren Kai.
"Plans change."
Then his eyes hardened.
"If what they’re saying is true, then sitting around waiting for orders is how people die."
The lieutenant nodded firmly.
"Understood."
He turned and began relaying commands.
The mercenaries moved fast.
Efficient.
Like a machine shifting direction mid-motion.
Voss stepped closer to Ren Kai one last time.
"You should tell your master everything you saw," he said. "That thing. The swarm. How it fights."
Ren Kai met his gaze.
"I will."
Voss gave a short nod.
"...Good."
"Because whatever this is..."
His eyes flicked once toward the empty street where Vermis had vanished.
"...it’s already too big to ignore."
---
Inside a quiet hall lit by dim blue flames, Aiden sat at the head of a long stone table.
The air inside was cold.
Not just in temperature.
There was something heavy in it. Still. Like the room itself was holding its breath.
Three figures stood before him.
Graveknit threads of dark energy faintly weaving along his arms.
Carrion stood across from him, posture straight, hands behind his back, like a soldier waiting for orders.
And Vermis, she leaned slightly against one of the pillars, her head tilted, a faint smile still lingering on her lips. Small insects crawled lazily along her arm, disappearing beneath her sleeve.