"Who is Bloodbeard?" Mu Liang asked blankly.
Mino's dirty face remained expressionless as he replied solemnly, "Bloodbeard is a local thief leader. He often raids small camps or tribes, or blocks roads to rob travelers."
"Humph… You'd better let me go."
The rogue spy holding the bone knife froze when he saw the two.
Then, his arrogance flared. "Otherwise, when our boss attacks your camp, he'll make sure both of you die!"
From experience, most people wouldn't dare provoke someone whose name alone could strike fear—like Bloodbeard.
Wait… did he just say he's attacking our camp? Mu Liang narrowed his eyes.
"Ah? I—I—I… did I say something wrong?" The spy's expression shifted as panic crept in.
"You four spies?" Mu Liang asked calmly.
"No, we… we were just out hunting," the rogue stammered, shaking his head frantically.
If Bloodbeard discovered that the spy had leaked the attack plan, he would be tied up and dragged to death.
"When will you attack our camp?"
Mu Liang picked up the bone knife lying nearby and pressed it against the spy's chin, his tone calm but deadly: "I'll ask only once. If I don't like the answer, this knife will go from your chin straight to your brain."
"I-I-I…" The spy froze in terror. Even without words, he could see from Mu Liang's eyes that this was no joke.
"It seems you're ready to meet the Underworld out of loyalty to Bloodbeard," Mu Liang said, tilting his mouth slightly as he pushed the knife forward.
"No! I'll tell everything, I swear!"
The spy's eyes widened in horror. "I honestly don't know when Bloodbeard will attack your camp! I only know he decided to send scouts to gather information."
"You really don't know when?" Mu Liang's voice turned cold.
"I really don't… but usually it happens within three days." In desperation, the rogue even revealed the thieves' unspoken rules.
Mu Liang asked a few more questions. The spy started to relax, thinking he was safe.
Click.
Suddenly, Mu Liang twisted the spy's neck.
"Bloodbeard is actually targeting our camp."
Mino grabbed Mu Liang's arm, panic in her eyes. "Mu Liang, what should we do?"
"How many people are in the camp? How many are women, children, and elderly?" Mu Liang asked.
Mino thought for a moment, pursing her lips. "About three hundred… and women, children, and the elderly make up nearly half."
"Evacuate everyone. You're no match for the thieves." Mu Liang shook his head.
From the spy, he learned that Bloodbeard commanded over five hundred skilled thieves. A small camp of three hundred, half of them vulnerable, could not withstand such an attack. Even if they survived, few would make it out alive.
"Escape? But where?" Mino asked, stunned.
"That's not my worry. You go tell your chief what's happening. Let them handle it."
Mu Liang squatted and began searching the spy.
Mino asked urgently, "But… will the chief even believe me?"
"There's a high chance they won't," Mu Liang said after a pause.
A small, unimportant scout suddenly reporting that a thief is planning an attack—without exact timing—would likely be doubted. People might believe it at first, but if the thieves didn't appear in a few days, the girl's warning would be dismissed.
"Even if they don't believe me, I have to say it." Mino bit her lower lip. The camp was her home; she couldn't stand by and watch it be destroyed.
"Alright. Leave it to me," Mu Liang interrupted. He already had a plan. At night, he would speak to the camp leader himself.
Previously, sneaking in would have been difficult. Now, with his ability to 'mime-change color,' he could approach the leader without trouble.
"Mu Liang, you have a plan?" Mino asked, relieved.
"Yes… something like that," Mu Liang replied.
After searching the spy's clothing, he only found a little dried meat. When he searched the spy who had vomited blood, only one last breath remained.
"Can I help?" Mino leaned in, eager.
"You?" Mu Liang said lightly. "Think about it—would Houtian go with me?"
"Yes. I'll go with you." Mino smiled. The camp was gone, so she had no reason to stay behind.
"What about those bunny ears on your head?"
Mu Liang glanced at the top of Mino's head, noting her long ears twitching. No wonder she usually wrapped them in a turban.
"Hehe… I'm a mutant. These rabbit ears are my mutation " Mino smiled sheepishly, reaching up to touch them.
"What powers do they give you?" Mu Liang asked, curious.
"They let me hear faraway sounds," she said softly. "Also, I can run faster and jump higher."
"Rabbit abilities," Mu Liang nodded in understanding. No wonder she had survived alone and dared to hunt little lizards herself. Living alone in the apocalyptic wasteland required skill.
"I'll help search the others' things," Mino said, running toward the bodies.
"Poor things." Mu Liang found only some dried meat on the corpses.
"Wow! There's a fierce beast spar!" The girl's excited voice rang out.
Mu Liang looked down at the thumb-sized white prismatic spar in her hand. Is this the girl's luck?
[Ding! Energy body detected. Does it transform into an evolution point?]