"Another ruin? The rebels sure like to target excavation sites these past few months," Amon said.
It had been two weeks since he cleaned up Hao Yang’s battalion. He was in his office inside Fort Fresh Maw, receiving another intel from Bu Zheng.
"The rebels have always been interested in excavation sites," Bu Zheng said. "They thought they could gain some sort of hidden power from the past to help their cause. Well, they did find one sometimes, like the firestorm barrier lockdown they used during the Fuxiang City uprising."
"When you can’t depend on your own strength, you hope for a miracle from the past. How pathetic," Amon remarked. "Let us crush their puny attempt again. They had been getting on my nerves lately. They ambushed our two platoons that went on patrol in the Southern region. Only a few survived. Did you hear any talk about a spy from their side when you contacted them?"
Bu Zheng shook his head.
"Never mind. I will gather the troops. You said there are only thirty rebels on site, didn’t you?" Amon asked.
"Yes. Sadly, the area around the site has villages. We will be easily sighted if we bring many troops. Someone sympathetic with the rebels might warn them, and they might flee before we reach the site."
Amon nodded. "I will bring a company of two hundred for this operation. We will go in groups and act like simple travelers. We regroup near the site, and attack before anyone is aware we are kingdom soldiers."
"That sounds like a sound strategy," Bu Zheng agreed.
A few days later, Amon rode into a village near the excavation site from Bu Zheng’s intel. He brought ten people with him, including Bu Zheng. They all wore cloaks. They stopped at the village’s tea house and went in.
Inside the tea house were the locals and a group of adventurers in rowdy clothes. The leader of this group exchanged a brief glance with Amon. When Amon’s group sat down and placed some orders, the other group stood from their chairs and left.
The group of adventurers was a part of the company Amon brought for the current operation. Several groups had come and gone during the day. The same thing happened to other villages near there. They entered under separate groups from different directions and times to avoid alarming the locals that a big force had entered this region.
After enjoying the meal and tea they ordered, Amon’s group left.
They regrouped a few hundred meters from the excavation site inside a large, abandoned mine.
"What is the report from the scouts?" Amon asked after he entered the mine. His group was the last. All the other groups had arrived earlier.
"As of five minutes ago, they reported there were not any unexpected movements among the people working at the ruins. They aren’t aware of us."
Amon nodded at the answer. He said, "Prepare to engage. If we charge from here, they won’t have enough time to react. We move as we have discussed. Two squads rushed from the side and cut off any rebels who tried to flee. The rest charged into the ruins."
With that instruction, everyone went to prepare.
Ten minutes later, they charged out of the mine. Halfway to the excavation site, the right and left flanks split from the group, thirty people each. These were soldiers with better movement arts. They rushed ahead and ran past the two sides of the ruin.
The workers inside the ruin realized something was wrong after hearing the commotion. They stopped their work and watched the two squads that ran past their two sides. They then saw the crowd coming toward them. They rang a bell for alarm. Some started shouting. They ran away like any scared prey would do.
"Leave no one alive...!" Amon shouted as they charged into the ruins.
However, as soon as they entered the ruin, the fleeing rebels suddenly did one-eighty. They ran back toward the soldiers.
Seeing this, Amon immediately knew something was wrong. He ordered everyone to make an emergency stop.
It was too late, though. Many people emerged from inside the ruins. They were all rebels. They lunged at the soldiers as soon as they emerged.
In a short time, the soldiers that charged into the ruin were encircled. They were also outnumbered. Those at the Mystic Stage flew into the sky to avoid getting ganged up, including Amon. There was only a handful. The intel was only thirty rebels at the Human Realm were on site, so Amon didn’t bring many soldiers with the cultivation of the Martial Realm.
On the contrary, more than twenty cultivators with flying capability were on the rebels’ side. They blocked the soldiers to prevent them from fleeing in the air. To make matters worse, one of the rebels in the air was a Spirit Stage cultivator. This person was also not any rebel. She was one of the three rebel elders, Ni Lulu.
"Amon, is it?" Ni Lulu asked with a grin. "I had a feeling I have seen you before. You have changed so much since we last met face-to-face. I’ve never expected the brat we kidnapped from long ago then to be the commander of the force that pledged to exterminate us. What a fate."
"Don’t think you have won just because you get a drop on us!" Amon exclaimed. He brandished a silver, steel dagger.
Two rebels of the Mystic Stage advanced toward him. He used Invisible Sky Steps to bypass them and head directly at Ni Lulu.
"I commend you for facing me," Ni Lulu said with a chuckle. She waved her hand holding a short stick. At the end of the stick was a long pink ribbon. This ribbon danced around her, protecting her. Her weapon was very much like Amon’s Xian Cloth, but hers showed even more flexibility and grace.
Amon used Infinite Phantom Slash. None of his slashes hit. All were deflected by the ribbon. The ribbon suddenly changed direction and headed toward him. He used the Invisible Sky Steps again to flee from being entangled by the ribbon.
"Colonel! Let’s fight her together!"
Amon heard a voice from his left. It was Bu Zheng, who flew to his side. His two hands were enlarged disproportionately by his transformation art.
"You attack from below! I will strike him from above!" Amon instructed.
"Roger that!" Bu Zheng said and slapped to his right. His huge palm slammed into Amon’s side.