Chapter 554: A Diversion
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The silence was broken by rapid footsteps.
Tang Hanpei’s eyes did not move away from the notebook in his hand as he remained focused.
“My lord!” Shao Xue was somewhat excited, and it showed in her voice.
Tang Hanpei tore his gaze away from the notebook to her face and said gently, “What’s wrong?”
Tang Hanpei’s eyes were like the sunshine of early winter, warm and soft. Shao Xue’s heart trembled, but she remained calm, “Please take a look at this video!”
She cordially inserted a fantasy card into the meter and popped it on the screen to display the video of Chen Mu in the Heavenly Drum Village District’s Elite Competition.
“I see.” Tang Hanpei nodded and said with some regret, “It’s a pity.”
Shao Xue understood what he meant by saying it was a pity. She asked a probing question, “Can we trade with the Desert Camp? To switch him over?”
After thinking about it, Tang Hanpei shook his head, “Not necessary.” He raised his head and asked, “Where are we now?”
“We are two days away from the border of the Vanasi district,” Shao Xue replied.
Tang Hanpei did not speak. He lowered his head again and stared straight at the black notebook. His slender white left hand suddenly turned to the title page of the notebook. There is a sentence written above: “To my younger brother: I hope you can become a hero!”
He stared at the words for a long time, then suddenly snapped his notebook shut.
He looked up. “Tell them to turn southeast and stay out of sight.”
Shao Xue cried out, “Are we not fighting the Bitter Solitude Temple? The southeast… Oh…”
Tang Hanpei smiled, “Our goal is the Star Academy.”
“What about the Bitter Solitude Temple?”
“They are just a cover.”
Tang Hanpei smiled as usual, but this time, it held traces of biting cold instead of the winter warmth and brimmed with hidden war intention!
Qianhu City was a mess. News of the Desert Camp Card Artisan Team’s siege came, and although Moon Frost Island had been fortified, in the face of the full force of the camp, it was like pouring a cup of water on a burning cart of firewood. As for all the other forces, they have only brought personal bodyguards.
Su Heiming firmly grasped the initiative!
Looking at the pale Jia Yingxia, Chen Mu sighed, but this was not the time for regrets. The stadium was completely out of control, the screams lingered in everyone’s ears, and the crowds in the stands seemed crazy.
“Let’s go.” He whispered, ” Wei-ah, bring Copper and Lan Feng here. Quick!”
Without speaking, Wei-ah’s figure disappeared from everyone’s sight.
Many people around him looked horrified.
Soon, Wei-ah appeared in front of Chen Mu with Copper and Lan Feng.
“Let’s get out of here first.”
Chen Mu was followed by a large group of people, including Caesar, Jiao Si, and others. Furthermore, a few shrewd card artisans also joined Chen Mu’s team in succession. They were all thinking that since the White Commander had created so many miracles, perhaps he could do another one this time. As for the Moon Frost Island’s card artisans, they were currently unable to take care of Chen Mu. Jia Yingxia was deathly pale. Now, she was in urgent need to discuss with the leaders of the other houses.
“What about us?” asked the man with the green scar on his face.
“Follow Chen Mu.” The man with the dark gold mask said, “People like us don’t get protection from Moon Frost Island. We might as well follow him and increase our chances of survival.”
The two then joined the team behind Chen Mu.
Chen Mu also noticed that the team behind him was getting larger, but this was not the time for him to reject others. Nonetheless, he increased his speed sharply.
When the others saw this, they all sped up as well!
Through this, the skill gap was apparent. Masters like Caesar were proceeding at a leisurely pace, but those with insufficient abilities dropped out. This depressed Chen Mu, but right now, benevolence would only reduce their last chances for survival. Along the way, people continued to join and drop from the team as people recognized Chen Mu,
But Qianhu City had a lot of masters at this time! There were still more than 400 people who could keep up with Chen Mu’s speed, which made him secretly shocked and cheered him up slightly. These 400 people were all masters, and if they were utilized correctly, they could be a big help.
Once outside the city, the number of card artisans decreased significantly. The card artisans that were originally stationed outside the city were desperately trying to enter the town at that time. There were no tenable defense positions outside the city, only dead ends. As such, Chen Mu’s team, which was rushing out was very conspicuous. Nonetheless, Chen Mu didn’t care and sped up as he rushed forward.
Like a powerful gust of wind, Chen Mu dragged a long ‘tail’ to the south corner of the city. A neat team formation appeared in the public’s line of sight.
“The Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Team!” Someone in the team exclaimed.
The others all appeared joyous but soon changed into puzzled looks. Why did Chen Mu bring them to the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Team? Could it be that he is friends with the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Team?
Chen Mu did not hesitate and took the lead to fly ahead. At the same time, Wei-ah appeared beside him with Copper and Lan Feng. This time, the card artisans were shocked! There were no mediocre people here, so it was natural to see the identity of Wei-ah as a cardless sect. But for a cardless sect to be able to carry another two along with him and still possess such horrifying speed, this was something they had never heard of before.
“Boss!” Bogner, Xi Ping, and the others were relieved to see Chen Mu.
The people who had just been shocked by Wei-ah once again stood blankly in the same place. They wondered if their ears had listened wrongly.
Boss?
Some people had recognized Bogner. But did he just call Chen Mu boss?
Oh my God! Is the White Commander not the leader of the Wood Battalion? How did he become the leader of the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Team as well?
Qing Qing was extremely shocked! Perhaps no one here recognized Bogner, but she knew that Bogner was the wolf from over ten years ago. She looked at Chen Mu, astonished. She simply could not imagine that a guy who sold level one energy cards for a living, could actually be that famous in the Federation, and have the service of this wolf which was desired by countless people!
After a moment, she came to her senses. She couldn’t help but gaze at Chen Mu with a complicated look.
To be honest, she was in a very awkward position. In Qianhu City, Jia Yingxia would not go easy on her. But she could not bear with just watching Chen Mu leave. Yet in reality, she had no power to fight against Chen Mu. Whether it was Caesar, Jiao Si, the Demonic Woman, or Fang Shi, she could not guarantee her victory against any of these people, let alone the cardless sect, which had unfathomable capabilities.
“How’s it going?” Chen Mu asked.
“Bad.” Bogner said in a low voice, “The Desert Camp is well prepared this time. We don’t have many chances.” His eyes fell on the 400 people who came with Chen Mu, and he asked in a low voice, “Who are these people?”
“They came with me. They are rather capable,” Chen Mu said.
Bogner nodded, indicating that he understood. If he refused to go along with these people and cause disputes, he might lose his last chance.
Chen Mu turned and stared at the 400 people, saying, “Everyone, you all know the situation. I feel honored to have all of you follow me here. But,” His tone turned cold, “This is a dangerous situation, and you all know it. I can’t promise to get you out of danger, but if we all work together, there’s still a chance. But there is a condition: everyone has to obey my orders! If you can’t do that, please leave!”
Qiu Shanyu was quick to see the opportunity. She said coldly, “From now on, Faya, including me, will obey the orders of Commander Chen Mu! Those who disobey will be killed!”
“Yes!” The Faya card artisans who came with Fang Shi obeyed.
At this moment, Jiao Si took a step forward, “Everyone in the Origins Academy Card Artisan Team including me is free for Commander Chen Mu to dispatch, if there is anyone who disobeys, kill them on sight!”
They were all experienced people and knew how difficult the hurdle before them was at that moment. Chen Mu’s request was reasonable, so they quickly took action.
When the other card artisans saw this, they all gradually began to express their loyalty. After learning that Chen Mu is the head of the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan team, everyone had some hope in their hearts. Not only was Chen Mu a tactical genius in his own right, but there was also Bogner, one of the top tacticians within the Federation, taking charge. The battle strength of the Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Team was pretty strong to begin with.
Moreover, some people with active minds also thought of another trump card in Chen Mu’s hand, and that is the Wood Battalion!
Chen Mu nodded and looked calm, “Good! But I’ll say the ugly words upfront: if someone disobeys the orders, he would be punished mercilessly by military law!”
He didn’t mean to emphasize this, but everyone’s heart was shaken.
Chen nodded and said to Bogner, “Let’s go.”
The Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Team set out first. Everyone vigorously set forth to the Snow Edge Valley.
In the crowd, the man with the green scar asked in a low voice, “What do you think of this Snow Silkworm Card Artisan Team?”
The dark gold mask man groaned, “True to its name! Look at their methodical marching; they are in perfect formation. Then look at their team members, all calm and fearless. These two points itself have exceeded the majority of Card Artisan Teams! As for their firepower, I still can’t tell just yet.”
The man with the green scar agreed, “After hearing what you said, I would think so as well. Do you think Qianhu City can be defended?”
“I don’t think so.” The man in the dark gold mask shook his head. “There is too much of a disparity between the strength of both sides. Although Qianhu City can be guarded, the Desert Camp had everything planned out so precisely. How could they not bring a war card?”
At that time, a nearby artisan interrupted, “That is not necessarily true. As long as they can hold out for some time, the Desert Camp will be the one having a hard time. Hmph, nearly all the leaders of the Heavenly Drum Village District are in Qianhu, and I’m guessing there’s already a rush of card artisans coming this way.”
The dark golden masked man was silent, and the man with the green scar furrowed his brow, “If you say so, then why are you following us?”
That card artisan immediately smiled, “Card artisans like us with no background, will definitely be the cannon fodder that will die first on the front line. I presume that the city has begun to do some mandatory transfers, hehe, and I definitely don’t want to be cannon fodder.”
The guy with the green scar had an odd look on his face. He said in astonishment, “You rascal! But aren’t you afraid that he’ll use you as cannon fodder as well?” He looked toward Chen Mu’s silhouette and pursed his lips in his direction.
“Hehe, it’s not that different, either way, it’d be selling myself off. But this option would be better. With our conditions, if we are sold to Moon Frost Island, they might not even spare us a glance. But if we are sold to the White Commander, he might value us.”
The man with the green scar was stunned for a moment before laughing out loud, “That is true!”
“Dude, who are you?” This card artisan asked curiously.
“Me?” The man with the green scar answered in a carefree manner, “I am Yangshan Fei.”