Chapter 117: Escape and Chaos (38/75)

In the deep of night, when everyone was fast asleep, even the soldiers guarding Mine No.4 had left.

Willis slowly used magic to create a hole just big enough for one person to crawl out, with Nidnia beside her.

Outside, the entrance was camouflaged with wooden boards and stones.

Unless you looked closely, no one would know there was a hole in the corner.

“Remember, split into groups! Someone must be on watch and lookout!”

“Don’t just watch the soldiers’ dormitory—keep an eye on other sleeping miners too!”

Borden’s instructions made the miners smile.

“Don’t worry, we know what we’re doing!”

“All right, move!”

Borden waved his hand, and the miners avoided the lights of the mine.

In the darkness, they headed toward the miners’ dormitory.

Meanwhile, Nidnia and Willis went together toward the soldiers’ dormitory…

“Be careful, Nidnia. I’ll go ahead with Victoria.”

Willis instructed softly.

Nidnia nodded.

“Don’t worry.”

With that, she disappeared into the corner of the wall.

The aura of Dark Magic began to rise in her hand.

Willis then led Victoria out through the hole in the wall, and before long, they arrived at the place where Hill Yu kept the pigeons.

It was a small cave nestled between mountain slopes, with a shallow puddle outside.

Stepping over the water, Willis and Victoria entered the cave.

Sure enough, inside was a soldier named Bane, guarding the pigeons.

“Greetings, Your Highness. I am Bane.”

This soldier wore shackles on his ankles, with a huge stone tied behind him.

Beside the stone were various daily supplies and food.

After Bane introduced himself, Willis learned he had once been part of the City Defense Army of Ushi City.

He had been thrown into prison to die for refusing bribes and being upright.

Hill Yu had rescued him and stationed him here.

Thanks to Hill Yu’s explanation, this soldier believed Willis’s innocent lie.

“I will give my all, with no complaints! I only hope Your Highness can bring new life to Ushi City!”

“Of course.”

As Willis spoke, she accepted a pigeon from Bane.

“This is the information Your Highness sent earlier.”

Bane looked at her with respectful anticipation.

Willis took the letter from the small bamboo tube on the pigeon’s leg, sent by Hill Yu.

She read it several times, then asked,

“Do you have ink and brush here?”

“Yes, yes! Everything is ready, Your Highness!”

Bane hurriedly handed it over.

Willis wrote a reply, gave Bane some instructions, and painted grand promises for him.

After Bane shouted ‘long live’ in excitement, the two left together.

On the way back, a rainstorm began outside.

“Your Highness, let me carry you.”

Amid thunder and rain, Victoria carried Willis back quickly.

But as they entered the wall, besides the heavy rain, there were two shadowy figures moving stealthily nearby.

“Who wants to stay here and die with Barnett!? Let’s get out!”

It turned out they were two soldiers who had packed up and were trying to escape at midnight.

Under the flash of lightning, the two sides ran into each other.

Willis looked closely—it was the soldier who had done the registration at the gate.

“I-It’s you!”

The other party recognized Willis and Victoria as well; after all, female miners were rare here.

“Heh, so you remember me? That’s unfortunate.”

As Willis’s words fell, two cherry-pink lights sliced through the rainy night.

Splat.

The two soldiers fell, eyes wide, clutching their necks.

Victoria sighed, carried the bodies outside the mine to dispose of them, and returned.

Soon after, the two reunited, finding Nidnia leaning exhausted against the wall.

“Are you all right?”

Willis asked.

“I’m fine… just didn’t expect the rain, it’s a bit cold.”

Nidnia grinned.

“But tonight I handled about a hundred people… I didn’t count exactly, too tired.”

They only needed to spread fear—there was no need for Dark Magic to kill.

A touch was enough to make their bodies begin to rot.

“I didn’t dare go near the officers’ quarters—afraid someone would sense the magic…”

“You were right… Victoria, help her walk.”

Willis smiled.

When the three returned, Borden and the others had already mobilized five dormitories’ worth of miners!

The number far exceeded Willis’s expectations!

“Heh, the brothers have been pent up for ages. Some even begged to join without us asking!”

Borden laughed happily, then his face turned cold.

There were over a dozen people tied up underground—those who tried to run off and snitch.

Willis glanced over.

“Leave them to you.”

Borden nodded, then he and the standing miners surrounded the group.

Taking advantage of the rainy night, they gave them a brutal beating and threw them into the latrine.

“So savage…”

Willis sighed.

But Borden and the other miners didn’t share that sentiment.

They were rebels now—leaking the secret meant a death sentence.

If these people tried to snitch?

They deserved death!

“Dawn is coming. Remember my instructions… Let’s head back!”

“Take care, boss! We know what to do!”

The miners in the dormitory clenched their fists solemnly.

But their shivering bodies betrayed them.

Was it from the cold rain or fear and excitement?

By dawn, terrified screams erupted from the soldiers’ dormitory.

“Plague! Ahhh! I’m infected, it’s the plague!”

“My family heirloom, my heirloom! Wuwuwu… Damn it!”

The wailing grew.

Before Barnett could respond, a soldier came running in, stumbling and panicked.

“Sir, sir! It’s bad!”

“What now!?”

Barnett hadn’t slept all night, plagued by nightmares.

Now a plague outbreak?

His bloodshot eyes looked ready to devour anyone.

The soldier was shaking.

He heard his superior demand, “What could be worse than this? Speak!”

“I-It’s… it’s Ushi City. There were deaths last night…”

The soldier trembled.

“City Defense Army soldiers, some junior officers, and instructors… Even people close to the Vice City Lord… All dead…”

“And this morning, a rumor spread through the city… That Willis is preparing to move against the City Defense Army!”

“That’s impossible!?”

Barnett slapped him across the face.

“How could Willis have the army to kill us all!?”

“Sir, every word is true! I’m not lying!”

The soldier sobbed.

At that moment, Gerry stepped forward from behind.

“Sir, let’s act. Or we won’t make it in time!”

Seeing Barnett and some officers’ ashen faces, but with no one giving orders, Gerry sighed.

“Then let’s retreat a bit. At least send people to contact the other mining camps nearby. If things really get dangerous, we’ll act together!”

Barnett looked at the gloomy morning and sighed.

“For now, that’s all we can do.”

Just then, a junior instructor ran over from behind.

“Sir, it’s bad—five or six dozen ran away last night!”

“Shit!”

Barnett cursed.