Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
—
Hope Street of Banlo City…
Black sacks filled with sand were being used to set up a barricade.
The barricade was set along the barricades at the center of the city to prevent the Federation’s army from sneaking around to the Brown Army’s flank.
A few militiamen wearing brown singlets were hiding behind the sandbags. They were drinking beer while discussing the ridiculous incident that had taken place that day.
“Did you hear? Five thousand of our men were sent to take down three enemy generals, yet the three still ran away unharmed. That’s crazy,” a soldier with a big nose said.
“I already told you there are powerful Mages in the Federation. We only won this fight because our enemy couldn’t react in time. (Sigh) I’m such a fool for joining the Brown Army. We won’t have anywhere to call home if we lose this war.”
“The battle will happen in a few hours. Let’s find a place to hide.”
A few militiamen were chatting softly when they suddenly heard the sound of glass cracking.
The soldier with a big nose immediately turned around. “Who’s there?”
“We are tourists from Asia. We just want to cross to the other side to reach our embassy,” Mo Fan answered with an honest smile.
“How long has it been since the war broke out? Why the heck are you still here? If we see you roaming around on the streets in another four hours, you will be dead for sure!” the militia scolded the three.
“We were too scared to leave just now. Brothers, please go easy on us and let us pass,” Mo Fan said.
A bulky militiaman who was drinking beer rose to his feet. He seemed a little drunk and hot-tempered. “Are we seriously letting them pass so easily? What if they are from the Federation?” the man blurted out.
Mu Bai was standing behind Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan, who were pretending to be ordinary refugees. He would use his magic if the situation got out of hand.
Mu Bai could not afford to go easy on them to if he wanted to stop them from alerting the army. They were currently in a war zone. Being merciful would only bring them more trouble.
“(Sigh), they are just a bunch of young adults, why are you troubling them? Young man, just go and try not to go on vacation in an unstable country like ours. Isn’t it better to travel around Europe?” The volunteer with a big nose was more approachable.
“It’s not safe in Europe either,” Zhao Manyan shook his head.
“Then just stay in your homeland. Are you Chinese or Japanese? (Sigh), it doesn’t matter. Either one is better than our country. Just go,” the soldier sighed.
He asked his men to move the barricade away so Mo Fan and his crew could pass.
The drunk man was reluctant to let them pass. He stood in front of the trio.
“I hate Asians the most. A rich Japanese hooked up with my woman. She told me she was pregnant when she came back to me, so I sold her as a prostitute instead!” The drunk man grabbed Zhao Manyan’s collar. His breath smelled strongly of alcohol.
“That’s enough!” The other militiaman shoved the drunk man away and said impatiently, “That’s your own business. Why are you putting the blame on others? You have been killing innocent people for no reason, and now you are trying to pick a fight with a few more innocent young men? You are already in your forties, yet you don’t even have a proper job. How could you blame your woman for hooking up with another man?”
The drunk man crawled back to his feet and glared at the leader.
“What now? Are you going to fight me? I’m the sergeant of his militia troop. I’m your superior as long as we haven’t lost the war. You better show some respect!” the sergeant warned him.
“Humph, militia? We are nothing but cannon fodder. You are being too full of yourself,” the drunk man withheld his urge to start a fight. He kept glaring at Zhao Manyan and the others instead.
The sergeant waved his hand and let the three cross the barricade.
Mo Fan immediately expressed his gratitude.
“Be careful, we might be the ones who start the war, but the Federation isn’t your friend either,” the militia warned them.
“Thank you so much, kind sir.”
——
The three immediately found a building and hid in the kitchen of a café after crossing the barricade.
“There are still good people in this world,” Zhao Manyan mused aloud.
He took off the shirt he had wrapped on his arm. Blood immediately poured out from the wound there.
The three had sustained different degrees of injuries. The defenses of Zhao Manyan’s magic Armor and Shield were not perfect. The Wind Gear Wheel had left a huge cut on his arm.
Mu Bai’s back was burned by Light Magic. It looked like he had been scalded by a branding iron.
Mo Fan had more wounds on him, but his flesh was a lot stronger than theirs, and his healing was quicker too. He was still in a good condition, apart from the fatigue of using too much Lightning Magic.
It had taken them a great deal of effort to break free from the regiment’s encirclement. They did not dare to push forward under the circumstances.
They decided to back away from the Brown Army’s territory and went to the other side of the city.
The Brown Army was still searching the streets. They could not afford to kill the soldiers along the way with their magic, as it would alert the army. They had no choice but to disguise themselves as common tourists.
Luckily, they had stumbled into a militia sergeant with some conscience. Otherwise, they would not even have had a chance to catch their breath if they attracted the Brown Army’s attention.
—
“What should we do now? The Brown Army has taken over the city west. There are trenches and barricades even if we take the long way around the city. Their numbers are insane!” Zhao Manyan complained.
“In four hours, the Federation will launch a counterattack. It’s our only chance to reach the Scorching River,” Mo Fan said.
“Are you kidding me? The three of us are nothing but mere ants once the battle breaks out. Tens of thousands of Mages will be involved in the battle!” Zhao Manyan protested.
“It’s almost a hundred thousand if you include the militia,” Mu Bai corrected Zhao Manyan.
Zhu Meng was right, the city would soon turn into a hot war zone. The battle would escalate to a terrifying level.
Super Mages were capable of taking on a hundred people or even a thousand people at once, but were they able to handle an army with more than ten thousand people?
The battle they were just in only had around six thousand Mages, yet they had almost died there!
