Chapter 580: Dangerous Situation

Zong Ge added, “Unless some powerful individual acts on their own accord.”

"Unfortunately, the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's strongest are three saints. Centuries ago, the Snow Elf King was legend level. Though his strength was sufficient, his political acumen fell short. Even his own subjects privately deemed him weak-willed. He never accomplished this task."

Zi Di continued: “This incident has once again exposed a major weakness in our organization.”

“We are sorely lacking in intelligence operatives.”

“Alchemy puppets and undead creatures do offer advantages in reconnaissance, especially when enhanced with the Deceptive Disguise spell and Anti-investigation and Prophecy spell.”

“But genuine intelligence requires living agents to gather, analyze, and orchestrate.”

"We need someone to oversee intelligence operations. Up until now, we've primarily relied on purchasing intelligence."

“This situation desperately needs improvement!”

Zong Ge immediately voiced his strong agreement.

Even now, they still knew very little about the duelists, only that they were a powerful, mysterious force.

This incident at the Wisteria shop was a costly lesson learned from insufficient intelligence. Had they detected even the slightest hint of trouble beforehand, had it raised Zi Di and Zong Ge's suspicions, the situation would never have become so perilous!

Zong Ge sighed, “None among us survivors possess the talent to lead intelligence operations.”

"If we hire outsiders, loyalty is the most critical factor. We cannot guarantee that."

“Indeed,” Zi Di sighed. “If we hired an outsider to handle our intelligence gathering and espionage, they could easily use the information we collect to reverse-engineer many of our secrets.”

“This position is critical, too important!”

"We must ensure this person's loyalty. Relying solely on magic or divine spells is ultimately unreliable."

After Zi Di finished explaining her situation, it was Zong Ge's turn to detail his circumstances.

“The attackers were formidable!” Zong Ge sighed.

"To be honest, I got lucky. At the time, I was actively preparing to rescue you. Had I not been prepped for battle, wearing armor and such, allowing the enemy to secretly steal my gear beforehand, this fight would've been brutal."

"With my strength alone, I never would've detected Hua Tang. But by chance, I received a divine blessing. My Lord granted me a divine spell at the last moment, allowing me to see through the hidden enemy."

"I wore three pieces of silver armor, yet the enemy still bypassed my defenses. He used alchemy tools combined with battle skill to directly tear open space and strike at my internal organs."

"However, I've become highly proficient in defending my vital organs. In that sense, I should perhaps even thank Blood Vengeance for its persistence."

Zong Ge had previously launched surprise attacks against the Axe Gang leader, Lin, and Jia Bing, slaying all three in a resounding victory. Yet at the final moment, he was struck by the Axe Gang leader's counterattack, falling victim to the enchantment upon the Blood Vengeance Axe—Blood Vengeance.

Blood Vengeance activated periodically, striking any part of Zong Ge's body. Through battling this curse, Zong Ge had honed his internal defenses to a high level of proficiency.

This solid foundation rendered Hua Tang's peculiar techniques ineffective.

“Our clash was actually quite brief.”

"I sensed he hadn't fully unleashed his true strength. Most likely, he withdrew voluntarily, concerned about the city guards and such.

“I had no way to keep him.”

“Moreover, before leaving, he left me a ‘gift’.”

Zong Ge's tone grew heavy as he spoke these words.

He didn't know the name of the battle skill Hua Tang had used, Flower Willow, but after examining it post-battle, he had already discovered its troublesome nature.

The black shadow formed from the flower bud and willow branch seemed branded onto his skin. It drained his vitality and battle qi every moment.

“It's merely battle qi, yet it feels alive.”

“It's taking root and sprouting within me, using my body as soil.”

“I have a premonition, when that bud blooms, it will be the day I die.”

“Therefore, before that happens, I must find a way to break free!”

Zong Ge was no stranger to peculiar abilities, yet he had never witnessed such a battle skill.

But as an exceptional commander, he possessed the composure to remain unflappable even as a mountain crumbled before him. When it came to matters of his own life and death, he discussed them as if they concerned some unrelated outsider.

Zi Di frowned deeply upon hearing this: “The Blood Vengeance afflicted upon you remains unresolved. Now another such battle skill has been added...”

“The tower spirit resides within the Deep Sea Monster Fish. We cannot access the database for the time being.”

“The most reliable approach is to find the enemy who attacked you and extract solutions from him.”

Zi Di then posed a crucial question: “Zong Ge, can you confirm it was Hua Tang?”

“According to our intelligence, Hua Tang has never demonstrated such techniques.”

Zong Ge fell silent for a moment, then spoke with deliberate gravity after deep contemplation: "I cannot confirm with certainty."

“In terms of strength, he does fit Hua Tang's profile.”

“After all, this gold level thief is quite legendary, having been active in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom for so many years.”

Zi Di instantly understood what Zong Ge meant. She sighed, “Yes, you are already gold level and wield a gold level weapon.”

“Compared to that, the enemy who attacked you seems more powerful than the ‘Hua Tang’ we encountered in Snow Bird Harbor.”

“The one who attacked you is more likely Hua Tang!”

"But if that guess is true, then our previous speculation in Snow Bird Harbor was wrong. Who, then, was that gold level thief Snow Bird Harbor City Lord killed?"

Back in Snow Bird Harbor, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps had faced an assassination attempt by a gold level thief.

Fortunately, at that time, the roles of Lao Zhong and Hong Teng were played by alchemy puppets.

Moreover, these puppets were imbued with the Deceptive Disguise spell and Anti-investigation and Prophecy spell. Consequently, the gold level thief remained convinced his assassination had succeeded.

The gold level equipment he stole bore tracking devices discreetly installed by the survivors. Yet, under the cover of Deceptive Disguise spell and Anti-investigation and Prophecy spell, the thief remained utterly unaware.

Through precise tracking, the survivors pinpointed his location and alerted Snow Bird Harbor City Lord.

This led to the subsequent battle where Snow Bird Harbor City Lord, leading magic squadrons and coordinating with the Sea Bird Bishop, ultimately utilized the mage tower to surround and eliminate the gold level thief.

Zong Ge attempted to analyze: “We did indeed judge this thief to be Hua Tang earlier.”

“But upon careful reflection, back in the mage tower at Snow Bird Harbor, we only detected that he possessed a Silver Fox Mask.”

“That is indeed a signature trait of Hua Tang, but beyond that, the other characteristics did not match the intelligence we had on him.”

Zi Di nodded. “At the time, Commander speculated this was Hua Tang's deliberate strategy.”

“His goal was to use these inconsistent traits to distance himself from any connection to Teng Dong Lang.”

The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps was aware of the secret alliance between Hua Tang and Teng Dong Lang.

This knowledge came courtesy of Snow Bird Harbor City Lord.

Back then, Snow Bird Harbor City Lord had proactively provided the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps with two magic recordings. His aim was to draw them into action, granting him a legitimate reason to strike against the Bayonet Gang. One of those recordings depicted Teng Dong Lang and Hua Tang engaging in a friendly, private sparring session.

Zi Di sighed. "I always believed Hua Tang perished in Snow Bird Harbor. Now a new Hua Tang has emerged, and his physical features perfectly match the intelligence."

“With the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's national ceremony imminent, his timing to attack you aligns with his characteristic flamboyance.”

“Yet the techniques he used against you were never documented in our intelligence.”

Zong Ge interjected: "Techniques alone aren't conclusive. Many keep secret weapons hidden, only unleashing them when absolutely necessary."

“Given that Hua Tang has operated freely in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom for so long without capture, it's entirely plausible he possesses one or two lethal techniques.”

Zi Di could tell Zong Ge leaned toward believing the attacker was the real Hua Tang. Or rather, compared to the one who died in Snow Bird Harbor, this one felt more like Hua Tang.

Recalling now, Snow Bird Harbor City Lord had also mentioned something in the mage tower back then.

The gist was that even the city lord himself couldn't, or dared not to, confirm that the one who attacked the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps was Hua Tang.

Because many before had claimed to have slain Hua Tang, using it to make a name for themselves. Only for Hua Tang to reappear afterward, continuing his crimes and slapping many in the face. Leaving some powerful figures utterly humiliated.

“Perhaps the thief we killed belongs to this category too.”

“He acted under the guise of Hua Tang.”

This thought sparked a sudden insight in Zi Di. She voiced a new conjecture to Zong Ge: “It's possible that the gold level thief who ambushed us in Snow Bird Harbor originated from that mysterious faction.”

"So it wasn't just the commander who slew Teng Dong Lang. Earlier, we enlisted the aid of Snow Bird Harbor City Lord to ambush and eliminate members of their faction."

Zong Ge listened to Zi Di's analysis through the communication device and nodded slightly. “That's certainly a possibility.”

The two continued discussing for a while, but made little progress.

“We're too short on crucial intelligence. Speculating like this is pointless.” Zong Ge cut in.

His voice grew solemn. "Right now, we need to address the issues at hand. The most troublesome situation is yours. Frankly, I'd prefer it if the Imperial Secret Spy Agency had been framed. I wish the ones who ambushed you were actually our ‘old friends’."

Zi Di sighed deeply, “I wish that were true too, but reality isn't shaped by our fantasies.”

“Judging by the current situation, even if it wasn't the Imperial Secret Spy Agency, it was likely another enemy.”

"After all, before heading to the Wisteria shop, I had reapplied the Deceptive Disguise spell. My current identity is completely severed from the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps."

Zi Di understood Zong Ge's concern, she shared it.

The survivors' predicament was dire.

They faced annihilation by a mysterious force of immense power; a struggle the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps were barely holding their ground against.

The cost had already been heavy—not only had the alchemy workshop been destroyed, but even Bu Quan, whom they'd recruited, along with her teacher and the Honey Snow Tower, had vanished.

This forced Zi Di to take a risk, offering up some of the War Merchant's alchemy creations in exchange for greater support from the Li Jian Clan.

Under these circumstances, if they provoked the Imperial Secret Spy Agency as well...

There was no doubt that under the pressure of two colossal organizations, the survivors would be crushed into dust.

“Is this the pressure Father once faced?”

“No. My situation now seems even more dire than what he endured back then.”

“How did it come to this?”

Zi Di sighed, her spirits sinking.

Once more, she found herself thinking of the dragonman youngster: "Commander, where are you now? If it were you, how would you confront this predicament?"