CHAPTER 701 A MIDNIGHT RAID

"Yes, it is the area south of Mont City. As a rugged terrain sprinkled with cliffs and alleys, this area is

perfect for laying an ambush on the enemy," said Louis, pointing at the area on the map.

"Perfect! Exactly that's the kind of battleground I need. My plan is simple. Lure part of the Holy Sea

Empire army into this area and fight them. The terrain alone should be enough to throw them off C0ntent © 2024 (N/ô)velDrama.Org.

balance. Once they take the bait, the current slim advantage they have will be as good as gone. They'd

need nothing short of a miracle to win a battle here," Rocky declared, rubbing his chin.

Thinking through Rocky's proposal, Isis wanted to make sure they had an airtight plan. "But how will we

manage to lure only a part of the Holy Sea Empire army there? We should not assume that it will be a

walk in the park, if they deploy huge numbers, beyond our normal capacity," Isis asked.

"Credible sources indicate they have taken many prisoners of war. Both civilians and military, the

prisoners, are now held captive in Mont City. We can save the prisoners and fool the Holy Sea Empire

army into deploying forces to this area. I'm sure they won't realize it's a trap we are setting." Rocky put

aside the map and squinted, leaving Isis time to ponder too.

"Sneaking into Mont City is risky business, let alone saving the prisoners of war. Besides, we don't

have enough people. Only Sabina, you and I can sneak into the city," Isis said, scratching at her

temple.

"It's not as hard as you think!" someone quipped—a man's deep voice that resonated, from behind her.

She turned to check who had spoken at the back. "Head Allen," she called out cheerily. She was

stunned to see him.

What time had he walked in?

"Thanks for coming, Head Allen." Rocky gave Allen a grateful smile. Actually, he had sent a message

to Allen on his way to Mont City, hoping Allen could bring a few members of the Elite Regiment to help

him.

"It's my pleasure," Allen replied, still walking with relaxed strides.

"How many members did you bring along?" asked Rocky, straight away.

"Well, I brought only five. The crown prince would notice it if I bring too many people. You said we

shouldn't let him know," Allen explained.

"Five is enough." Rocky nodded, holding his hands loosely behind the back. Sure, he didn't need too

many people.

With the help of Allen and the five other members of the Elite Regiment he had brought, it would be

easier for them to carry out the plan. Encouraged by that extra team he now had at his disposal, Rocky

began preparations for the rescue operation.

Leaving nothing to chance, Rocky planned to take action before dawn. The timing was essential, and

his chance of success would depend on a quick, well-executed scheme that caught the enemy

napping.

They still had some time before dawn, so Rocky asked Allen to stay. He also had some questions to

find out a few important things.

"I hope you have been keeping tabs on the situation in the Timber Deity Empire, right? If so, please,

bring me up to speed," asked Rocky, fixing his eyes on Allen. He was so grateful to have such reliable

friends as Allen, Isis and Sabina. They made a big difference in his world.

"You guessed it right. Now I realize how cunning Princess Alyssa is. Even the crown prince cannot hold

a candle to her. On a few occasions, she already managed to trap the Crimson Dragon Army into

dangerous situations," Allen said, slowly nodding, aware of how dangerous the girl could be.

"True, Alyssa is an opponent that nobody can underestimate. But Alston is far worse a leader than I

had imagined. He's so wrapped up in his small world that he doesn't know the first thing about the

capabilities of his enemies." Doubtless, Rocky had known how clever Alyssa was. But he

overestimated Alston. With a cavalier attitude, Alston had assumed he would easily command the

Crimson Dragon Army. But for his careless conduct and lack of strategy, he suffered a devastating

defeat at Alyssa's hands.

"To make matters worse, the Timber Deity Empire has brought in reinforcements. Without a major

change of approach, the reinforcements have posed a serious threat to the Crimson Dragon Army. Add

the fact that the Timber Deity Empire has always had meticulous tactics, and pretty quickly the picture

becomes grim," Allen spoke, his shoulders slumping instinctively in disappointment. He despised the

douche-bag that Alston had proved to be.

"Hasn't the Commander in Chief come back to the main camp?" Rocky asked.

"No, he hasn't." Allen shook his head.

"Will he allow Alston to tinker around and muddle things for the entire Crimson Dragon Army?" Rocky

believed that anytime, if things did not pan out well, Lance would take over the Crimson Dragon Army

to steady the ship. But to his surprise, Lance hadn't taken any action yet.

"After we take Mont City back, you should come back to the headquarters and talk to the Commander

in Chief. We can't let it go on like this," Allen suggested. Like Rocky, he feared the Crimson Dragon

Army would lose definitely if Alston's flubbing went on unchecked. In the event that the Crimson

Dragon Army fell, Rocky who had always gone the extra mile would be the biggest loser. For all the

efforts he had put in, the total failure would leave him devastated.

"That's what we can do." Rocky nodded in agreement.

"By the way, where is Sabina, my niece?" Allen now changed the subject.

Pointing to his right, Rocky called out, "Sabina, your uncle is looking for you."

Slowly, Sabina made her way to the place where they were.

"Sabina, you knew I had come here? Why didn't you come to see me?" Allen asked, looking at Sabina,

who seemed ill at ease.

"I hope you can understand. My coming here has nothing to do with you. Sorry, I did not inform you or

seek your permission. But..." Sabina stuttered. Apparently, she didn't seem pleased to see him.

Sensing Sabina's uneasy reaction, Rocky cleared his voice and politely excused himself. "I think I

should give you a few minutes for a word with your uncle," he suggested. Then turning around, he left

immediately.

"How long will you protect Commander in Chief Rocky? I know you are not willing to tell me who sent

you to watch over him and why. But I can guess, almost certainly, it has something to do with General

Marcia. Don't you know who he is? It seems the crown prince has been out to make things difficult for

him. To be honest with you, I find that very weird," Allen said with a serious face.

"No, I don't know him well enough, and I can't tell what's suspect about him. I simply don't have a clue

of what you're talking about." Sabina's eyes became cold as she spoke. Though she knew Rocky's real

identity, she couldn't tell anyone the truth. That was too sensitive a secret for her to disclose. No. Not

even to her uncle. Besides, her master had strictly instructed her not to tell anyone about his real

identity.

"Really?" Allen hesitated. In her usual self, Sabina was a confident person who kept eye contact while

speaking, especially with her uncle. It was very odd for her to act moody. Yet now, she was so nervous,

she kept blinking while answering simple questions. Anyway, Allen trusted her. She had always made

him a proud uncle who celebrated her character and abilities. So he chose not to badger her with

endless questions. Instead, he assured her of his willingness to help her, just in case she was in

trouble. He wished her well, and let her go.

At midnight, the moon was silent.

Outside Mont City, a group of eight men found an unguarded section of the wall. Stealthily, they made

their way through. Then quickly, they moved on to another section, sneaking up on the soldiers on duty

unawares. Deftly they killed the guards without raising an alarm. Then they dispersed quickly and

began a rescue operation.

Two of them quickly ran towards the market in the western part of the city. According to their

intelligence, the captured soldiers and civilians were all locked up in the temporary cell at the market.

Of the eight-man squad running the operation, it was Rocky and Sabina took the responsibility of

breaking in at this particular cell.

Quickly, they got to the market, and crept up the roof. At long last, they reached the center of the

market, where thousands of prisoners were crammed into one fenced area. On seeing the two

strangers, the prisoners nervously huddled up together. They looked so feeble and famished. It was

clear some of them had been physically tortured, judging from their painful groaning. It was a

heartbreaking sight of pain and misery.

There were about a hundred soldiers, among them a few spirit manipulators, on duty guarding the

place. However, they were spaced too far apart and most were asleep, so they couldn't notice any

unusual activity.

"I'll sneak in and meet the commander," Rocky whispered to Sabina.

Sabina nodded in agreement.

Quickly, Rocky climbed down the roof and went straight to one corner of the fence. Carefully dodging

the guards, he soon sneaked inside the fence without their knowledge.