Chapter 138: Entering the Stronghold

After slipping through the hole, Zhang Xuan and his three companions found the kitchen area Nie Zheng had described—a standalone structure used for cooking. They pressed their backs against the doorway, scanning the perimeter of the encampment, but saw no signs of life. After exchanging a few words with Zhang Xuan and Yuwen Chengdu, Yang Zaixing and Yang Hu followed their prearranged plan, creeping along the edge of the camp toward the front gate. Once they were gone, Zhang Xuan and Yuwen Chengdu moved in the opposite direction, hugging the perimeter toward the prison cells.

The prison was quite close to the kitchen. Within moments, the pair located it. The area appeared unguarded, and the prisoners inside seemed to be fast asleep; the silence was profound.

Just as they were about to close in, however, they heard voices nearby.

"Are you out of your mind? You're not sleeping in the middle of the night, and you're dragging me out to patrol?"

"I heard a few screams coming from around the camp earlier. I just don't feel right about it; I had to come out and check."

"Brother, I didn't hear a thing. I asked around, and it seems you're the only one who heard anything. Are you sure you aren't imagining it? Besides, this camp is so remote that it’s a miracle anyone could ever find it—let alone that freak who picked such an out-of-the-way spot. You're overthinking this. It’s already past two in the morning. I’m done—I’m going back to sleep. I have to deliver goods when I wake up. If you want to keep checking, go right ahead. Everyone else sent you to stand guard because they knew you wanted to check, so congratulations on being the first person in this camp to actually stand watch. If you find something, call out. I’m going." The man yawned, turned, and walked away.

The other man watched him disappear, muttering, "Could I really have misheard?" He scanned the area, saw nothing out of the ordinary, and let out a long sigh. Convinced he was being paranoid, he sat down on a bench near the prison. He yawned repeatedly, unable to fight his exhaustion, and soon slumped over, fast asleep. Before long, the sound of his snoring filled the air.

Zhang Xuan glanced toward the front gate, wondering if Yang Zaixing and the others had made a move. He leaned out to listen, hearing the faint snoring of the sentry, and whispered to Yuwen Chengdu, "Second Brother, stay here and keep watch. If anything goes wrong, signal me immediately. I’ll take care of him."

Griping his blade, Zhang Xuan crept toward the sleeping man, his eyes darting around to ensure the path was clear. Finding no threats, he gently tapped the man on the shoulder. The sentry’s head lolled and he began to look up. In that split second, Zhang Xuan clamped a hand over the man’s mouth and plunged his knife into his chest, twisting the blade for good measure.

As Zhang Xuan did this, a child sitting in the shadows of the prison cell witnessed the entire event. Zhang Xuan felt as though he were being watched, but a quick scan of the surroundings revealed nothing. Dismissing it as a trick of his frayed nerves, he pushed the thought aside.

Once the sentry had stopped breathing, Zhang Xuan dragged him into the darkness, stripped him of his outer clothes, and returned to Yuwen Chengdu. "Second Brother, there doesn't seem to be anyone in this camp. Or perhaps they're all sound asleep. I’m going to check their living quarters. You head to the front gate; I’m worried there might be heavy guards there."

Meanwhile, Yang Zaixing and Yang Hu had reached the front gate. Two men were sprawled on benches on either side of a table, fast asleep—it was, after all, the middle of the night, and they never received deliveries after sunset.

Yang Zaixing was surprised; he had expected the only entrance to be heavily fortified. Instead, he found only three men, all sound asleep. In truth, the scene he had imagined never existed; usually, no one was stationed there after dark. The only reason these men were there tonight was because the "freak" in charge was unpredictable. Fearing he might return in the dead of night and punish them if no one was there to open the gate, the camp members had taken turns sitting by the entrance just in case.

After waiting a moment to ensure no one was coming, Yang Zaixing whispered to Yang Hu, "Tiger, one each. Quick and clean. Don't let them make a sound." Yang Hu nodded.

They moved in, clapped their hands over the sentries' mouths, and as the men began to stir, they sliced their throats with clinical precision. Once the guards were dead, they dragged the bodies into the shadows and unlatched the front gate.

Just as Yang Zaixing pushed the gate open, a voice boomed from behind them: "What are you two doing? Why are you opening the gate?"