Chapter 446: Snow Rabbit City, Rabbit Fur Town

“Who did we plant at the teleportation formation?” The Axe Gang leader laughed heartily before immediately asking.

Fu Zhao reported a name.

The Axe Gang leader nodded promptly and instructed, “Reward him generously.”

“Understood,” Fu Zhao replied, then asked with concern, "Father, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps has already teleported away. To pursue them, we must rely on teleportation to close the distance. But if we do that..."

Fu Zhao's worry was well-founded.

The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' teleportation departure carried little consequence, as their strongest member was merely silver level.

But if the Axe Gang leader and Lin, both gold levels, were to teleport, the repercussions would be exponentially greater.

Given the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps' immense prestige within the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, any mishap involving them would inevitably trigger a widespread investigation. At that point, the Axe Gang leader and the one known as Lin, who had been acting suspiciously, would be the prime suspects.

If the kingdom launched an investigation, it would be extremely detrimental to the Axe Gang, potentially leading to its annihilation.

The Axe Gang leader smiled faintly. "Rest assured, we won't use the official teleportation formation. In fact, we possess a secret teleportation formation."

“What?” Fu Zhao's mouth fell open, his face etched with utter disbelief.

As the acknowledged successor to the Axe Gang, he routinely managed numerous gang affairs and allocated resources. These experiences had broadened his horizons. Fu Zhao understood very well: constructing a teleportation formation consumed enormous funds. Even the Axe Gang struggled to afford it. Laying a secret formation would require even greater funds than standard construction. Beyond that, it carried immense risk.

Secretly building teleportation formations was prohibited by every government.

The Ice Sculpture Kingdom was no exception, relentlessly cracking down on private teleportation formations.

The Axe Gang leader turned his gaze to Lin: “Rest assured, after I die, my son will be the one to carry my coffin!”

This was his deliberate explanation to Lin.

The stakes of a secret teleportation formation were simply too high.

Lin finally nodded slightly: “In that case, sharing some secrets with him is acceptable.”

The Axe Gang leader turned back to Fu Zhao: "Beyond that, I cannot reveal more secrets. For now, you only need to know we possess a secret teleportation formation. Through it, reaching Snow Rabbit City is effortless."

Fu Zhao's mouth fell slightly open. In that instant, he suddenly realized the relationship between his father and Lin was far more than mere former comrades-in-arms. It seemed these powerful veterans, retired from the military, had formed a secret alliance.

Lin frowned slightly, looking at the Axe Gang leader. "I must warn you. If we use that teleportation formation, neither of us will be able to conceal the spatial fluctuations. That means the secret teleportation formation will be exposed. It will most likely be destroyed or seized by the authorities. I know you and Teng Dong Lang are close, but is sacrificing a secret teleportation formation truly worth it just to take revenge on two silver level opponents?"

The Axe Gang leader snorted coldly, “The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps has close ties with the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord and now collaborates with the Li Jian Clan. They operate as mercenaries on the surface, but rumors suggest arms dealers back them. But do you truly believe they're merely a group of simple arms smugglers?"

Fu Zhao's expression turned puzzled.

Lin's face darkened.

The Axe Gang leader continued, “No, I don't believe they're just arms smugglers!”

"They are daggers, thrust toward our very hearts! They are the vanguard, advancing with great fanfare!"

"They used treacherous schemes to kill Teng Dong Lang directly, annihilated the Bayonet Gang, and yet still gained immense fame. This is a grave provocation against us!"

“We cannot swallow our pride. We must crush them to boost our morale.”

Lin sighed deeply: "Perhaps you are right. "

The Axe Gang leader: "No time to waste, we move now. Map!"

Fu Zhao immediately retrieved the map, unfurling it on the table. He pointed to a spot: “Our men caused a teleportation error. Their current location should be here.”

“Right. They're heading to Snow Rabbit City. This spot along their route is the optimal ambush point.”

The Axe Gang leader nodded. "Good. We'll head to that location ahead of time. But before we teleport again, we must notify Jia Bing. Have him arrive early with his tools. We need him to remove the magic contract binding me before the operation."

The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps had signed a cooperation agreement with the Axe Gang.

Though the agreement imposed few constraints, dissolving it was still the safest course.

In pursuit of maximum victory rates, the Axe Gang leader planned meticulously.

"Father, I want to join the fight too," Fu Zhao pleaded.

The Axe Gang leader had clearly thought this through beforehand and shook his head immediately, “There's no need. Three against two, and we're gold level experts ambushing two silver level opponents. There's no chance of losing. In my absence, you will lead the Axe Gang."

“Trust me, future battles will come in abundance for you.”

Fu Zhao felt deeply regretful but could only accept the order.

The Axe Gang leader and Lin immediately set off, racing against the clock. Both men had military backgrounds, deeply understanding that opportunities in battle were fleeting. Their execution capabilities were formidable.

Snowflakes drifted silently before their eyes.

In the distance.

A mountain peak stood tall in the northeast.

The terrain sloped gently in the other three directions.

“Where are we?” The people of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps looked around in confusion.

“Weren't we supposed to be teleported to Snow Rabbit City?” Many voiced their confusion.

“It's freezing!” Some mercenaries shivered uncontrollably, unaccustomed to suddenly finding themselves in a snowy landscape.

The deeper into the heart of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom they ventured, the colder the climate became.

Taking the royal capital as the center point, the entire Ice Sculpture Island formed an irregular circle. Snow Rabbit City lay roughly at the one-third mark of its diameter, yet the surrounding temperatures already approached those of the inner two-thirds.

The cause of the bitter cold was plain for all members of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps to see.

It was the distant mountain range - Splice Mountain.

The mountains held an exceptionally potent concentration of ice and snow elements, generating the frigid climate.

Chaos erupted within the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.

Zong Ge and Zi Di conferred.

Zi Di deliberately spoke loudly: "Calm down. This is likely due to uncalibrated teleportation coordinates. Such errors when using teleportation formations are not uncommon."

Prompted by her words, a snow elf immediately realized with a start: "So this is a teleportation error! I've indeed heard that such mistakes are unavoidable."

Someone objected, “The Ice Sculpture Kingdom's alchemy is exceptionally advanced. Surely they could fix teleportation errors?”

Zi Di reassured them again, "As far as I know, the Sheng Ming Empire faces the same issue. Such teleportation errors have been significantly improved. Even when mistakes occur, they're usually near the original destination. We shouldn't be far from Snow Rabbit City."

With that, Zi Di produced an activity map.

This map had been acquired from the Li Jian Clan at a steep price.

The cost was justified.

It covered virtually the entire Ice Sculpture Kingdom in meticulous detail. Naturally, military strongholds, royal enclosures, and such were omitted.

Given its extensive and granular coverage, such a map was impossible to find on the open market within the kingdom.

Only a massive power like the Li Jian Clan could sell it without fear of being reported.

Zi Di quickly located their current position on the map.

Just as she had suspected, despite the teleportation mishap, they were indeed near Snow Rabbit City.

Zong Ge leaned in, glanced at the map, and whispered to Zi Di, “Be careful. I don't think this ‘mishap’ is a coincidence.”

As an outstanding commander, he never relied on luck.

Zi Di's gaze fixed on the map.

Based on their current position, they needed to head southeast to reach Snow Rabbit City by evening. To the northeast lay the Splice Mountain.

Zi Di's brow furrowed slightly. "We must indeed be cautious. We won't go to Snow Rabbit City for now. Head south instead. There's a Rabbit Fur Town nearby, which also has a teleportation formation."

"Though it's a small formation with limited range, we can use it to teleport to Snow Rabbit City first. When we want to leave later, we can simply use the large teleportation formation within Snow Rabbit City."

Zi Di was extremely cautious.

At the slightest hint of trouble, she immediately adjusted their strategy.

If the teleportation malfunction was caused by enemies, then Snow Rabbit City was temporarily off-limits.

Zi Di was deeply concerned they might face another ambush along the way.