"Good days, but I want to be a thief."
Agu bitterly stuffed the dried wolf meat—the pieces even the leader was reluctant to eat—into a cloth bag.
"It seems I've taken too much."
He glanced at the half-person-high bags. They weighed less than a hundred catties altogether.
At that moment, the storage room door opened silently.
Mu Liang appeared behind Agu. In one swift motion, he covered Agu's mouth from behind and pressed a cold saber to his throat.
"Uuuuu…" Agu tried to struggle, but the icy pressure at his throat froze him in place.
"Don't move, or there will be an opening in your throat," Mu Liang's low, hoarse voice whispered into his ear.
"...!" Agu immediately raised his hands, signaling that he wouldn't resist.
"You're a smart man," Mu Liang said flatly. "Obedience keeps you alive."
"Hmm!" Agu nodded slightly.
"Very well. As a reward for your obedience, I'll share some news."
Mu Liang's voice remained calm, almost indifferent, but Agu felt a chill run down his spine.
"Your leader… when you left with the front foot, I broke his neck."
Mu Liang's casual tone made Agu's heart skip a beat.
Agu's eyes widened in horror, goosebumps rising across his arms. As soon as the front foot left, the back foot leader had been killed—meaning the mysterious figure had been in the hall the entire time!
"Exactly as you think. I stayed in the hall, watching."
Mu Liang's husky voice confirmed Agu's fear. He had been using the interrogation and intimidation skills he'd honed as a special soldier.
"Hmm…" Agu muttered faintly.
"You're smart. Don't turn around. Don't make a sound."
Mu Liang slowly released Agu's mouth, lowering the saber.
"Is there anything you want me to do, Your Excellency?" Agu asked quietly, realizing that since this mysterious person hadn't killed him immediately, he must have a use for him.
"No. I have nothing for you to do," Mu Liang replied indifferently.
"Uh…" Agu was left speechless.
"By the way, I also eliminated the Bloodbeard spies," Mu Liang continued lightly. "They didn't return today. Tomorrow, new spies will arrive. When they discover their camp leader is dead… what do you think Bloodbeard will do?"
Agu swallowed hard. "Of course… he'll bring people over and turn the whole camp into trophies."
"This… is your reward for the news." Mu Liang casually picked up the cloth bag containing the dried meat.
As he reached the door, he turned and said flatly, "I'll always be watching you, smart man."
Agu's face froze. Almost, he wanted to cry. Can't you stop watching me? I'm not that smart… But he didn't dare speak or move.
Mu Liang didn't care about Agu's reaction. If Agu was too stupid to play a part in his plan, it didn't matter. He sent the three-colored lizard to transport the dried meat, signaling to Agu silently with its paw: I'm really following you.
As for the plan? It was still just a rough idea, being perfected as he went along.
---
"If there's food, there's no water."
Mu Liang waited in an empty room for the three-colored lizard to return with the dried meat.
"Hiss~~"
The lizard slid through the window.
"Mino, I should be surprised," Mu Liang said with a smile, tying the jerky to the lizard. It had simply come to fetch water, but unknowingly carried back a lot of supplies.
After sending the lizard away, Mu Liang approached the water storage room, sneaking past the guard at the door.
For someone with his stealth skills, it was simple. He threw a stone down the corridor to distract the guard, then silently incapacitated him with a hand knife.
The room was empty, torches lit, and the layout clearly visible.
"So the underground water well is here," Mu Liang murmured, lifting the wooden boards at the center of the room to reveal a two-meter-wide well.
A wooden bucket hung by the side, the well dark and nearly dry.
"Wow…"
He lowered the bucket, pulled it up, and found muddy water coating the inside. The well was almost empty.
Placing the bucket back, he filled a few stacked barrels in the corner of the room. Each was about a meter high.
"Perfect."
He shook the barrels to confirm the water inside, then carried two on his shoulders. With his strength, it was as easy as carrying two loaves of bread.
"Save a little… this should last a while."
He left leisurely, leaving the room in order.
---
Meanwhile, Agu still dared not move. Mu Liang had terrified him too much.
DaDaDa…
Rapid footsteps approached.
Boom!
The door was flung open. A maid burst in, panicked. "Agu! The leader is dead!"
"Really dead?" Agu's tension melted, and he slumped weakly on the table. "Where? How did he die?"
"In the hall… his neck was broken," the maid stammered.
"So… the Bloodbeard spies are dead too."
Agu's mind raced. Flee. Immediately. He grabbed another empty bag and stuffed the jerky in.
The maid looked confused. "Agu, the leader is dead… do we have to run?"
Agu paused, thinking. Yes… the leader is dead, but there's no need to panic yet.
He recalled the mysterious person's words and wondered why they mentioned the spies' deaths. Unless… there's another motive.
Agu replayed the encounter, muttering the final words he remembered: "I'll always be watching you, smart man."
Follow me? Hidden in the shadows? Or in plain sight?
He looked at the pale maid and ordered quickly, "Go call the hunting team captains. I have urgent news—about life and death in the camp."
"I-I… I understand," she stammered, pale and frightened.
Agu chuckled bitterly. Smart man… He wanted to escape with the camp, and that was the mysterious person's true intention.
"Mysterious person… who are you?"