Chapter 0014: Ning Fan's Tactical Plan

Half an hour later, Ning Fan was still sitting by the fire, staring blankly at the map.

In the firelight, his expression was focused, completely oblivious to everything around him.

"Eat something."

A roasted beef bone was held out in front of him.

Ning Fan looked up in surprise to find a simple, honest face staring back at him.

Dazhuang.

"Shadow Hound meat — don't eat too much of it. The Miasmic Poison content is way too high."

Dazhuang grinned. "We're all putting our lives on the line out here. Treat yourself to something good. This one's on me."

A beef bone. Upper City food.

Not much meat on it, but it smelled incredible.

And it was clean.

The rich, savory aroma wafting off the bone was in a completely different league from Shadow Hound meat. Just the smell alone was enough to flood Ning Fan's mouth with saliva.

But what made him genuinely happy wasn't the bone itself.

It was the realization that, starting from this moment, the Hound Shelter seemed to be accepting him.

They were starting to see him as one of their own — just another stray dog in the pack.

"Thanks."

Ning Fan didn't hold back.

Dazhuang chuckled. "We don't do 'thanks' in this dog den. Once you've earned enough Sola, you can buy me a meal then."

"Deal! Brother Dazhuang, I'll take you out for beef!"

Dazhuang nodded with satisfaction, then leaned in closer and glanced at the map. "Brother Chuan said you're in charge of the plan?"

"Yeah."

Ning Fan scratched his head. "But I'm a little nervous."

"Nervous about what?"

Dazhuang clapped him on the shoulder with a greasy hand. "Brother Chuan said your head works better than ours. We trust Brother Chuan, so we trust you."

Dazhuang had meant it as encouragement, but it only added to the weight on Ning Fan's shoulders.

It was only then that Ning Fan noticed Dazhuang's left hand — only the thumb remained. The other four fingers had been cleanly severed, as if cut off all at once by something.

He didn't ask about it. Didn't even look twice. It felt rude to pry.

Soon, everyone had finished resting and gathered around.

"Kid, how's it looking?"

Lin Chuan let out a yawn. From his relaxed demeanor, you'd never guess they might be fighting for their lives in a short while.

"Brother Chuan, I've come up with three plans. Take your pick."

Just as Ning Fan was about to lay out all three, Lin Chuan cut him off.

"Don't overcomplicate it. Just tell me the one you think is best."

Ning Fan frowned.

After a moment's deliberation, he steeled himself and turned to Qiao Fei.

"Sister Fei, you're the only one with a Ten-Soul Tier Spirit Servant, so I've decided to build this mission around you as the centerpiece."

Qiao Fei, who had been polishing her Tang Blade, paused for a moment, then gave an indifferent nod.

"Fine."

Atop a drab, grey hillock in the Ghost Mist Forest.

A broad-faced man of imposing height stood with a nearly burnt-out cigar clamped between his teeth, his gaze fixed on the fog-shrouded treeline below.

"Damn it, staring so long my eyes are starting to hurt."

The broad-faced man muttered with a scowl. "What's taking those strays so long?"

This was Sun Wang — the leader of the War Bear squad.

"Boss, you think… maybe they took a different route?" the wiry, monkey-like man beside him asked cautiously. "What if they went through Serpent Den? We'd have wasted the whole setup."

Sun Wang furrowed his brow, then shook his head. "Shouldn't have. Yang Beihai said it himself — those strays are careful. Serpent Den is too risky. They'll go for the safest route, guaranteed."

"Still, this is taking forever!"

Monkey checked the time and snorted. "You think they got taken out on the way?"

"That'd save us the trouble!"

Sun Wang let out a cold grunt. "Doubt it though. According to Yang Beihai, those strays are no joke. There aren't any real threats on this stretch. Nothing strong enough to take them down."

Monkey was about to respond when Sun Wang's eyes suddenly sharpened.

"There they are!"

Through the haze, a vehicle cobbled together from scrap metal slowly rolled into view.

Sun Wang's eyes lit up. He raised a hand and barked, "Let's get to work!"

The eight men behind him rose as one, moving to the edge of the hillock and locking their eyes on the car creeping through the fog.

"Make sure it's the right one. Don't hit the wrong damn people!"

Sun Wang confirmed it once more.

Monkey squinted for a long moment. "That's it. Green canopy, red wheels!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Hit them!"

Sun Wang didn't hesitate. "Make it quick and clean. Soon as it's done, we scatter. Finish this job and go have some fun back home!"

The moment the words left his mouth, a fireball half a meter across came hurtling down from the hillock — fast and fierce.

At the same time, Monkey lived up to his name, bounding and leaping down the hill with uncanny agility, swinging through the trees of the Ghost Mist Forest and closing in on the vehicle.

Sun Wang stripped off his leather jacket and tossed it aside, baring a solid, broad chest.

"Strays? Ha! No matter how tough a dog is, it's still a dog. What dog can match a bear?"

With that, Sun Wang led the charge.

As they rushed forward, each one unleashed their Spirit Servant, launching a near-devastating barrage of attacks at the vehicle.

In the blink of an eye, the car was unrecognizable. Its surface had turned pitch black, with dark smoke billowing steadily from every part of it.

Under that kind of assault, no one inside could have survived — not even a god.

Yet when Monkey was the first to reach the vehicle, he knew immediately something was wrong.

"Boss! The number of people inside — something's off!"

Monkey shouted down from the treetop.

Sun Wang froze.

Then — a flash of lightning crackled through the air.

"Spirit Servant: Spark!"

Old Duan stood on a distant tree, his face cold and expressionless, sweeping his long staff in a wide arc.

Before Monkey could react, a crackling, popping sound erupted all around him.

"Aaaaagh!!"

Monkey convulsed from the electric shock and toppled out of the tree.

He landed squarely in front of Sun Wang.

Sun Wang and the others stood there, stunned.

Monkey's teeth were chattering as he forced out the words: "Inside the car… there's only… one body…"

A chill ran down Sun Wang's spine.

One hour earlier.

"I gave it some thought, and even though we don't have information on War Bear, the reverse is also true — they don't necessarily have a complete information advantage over us either."

Ning Fan sat by the fire, his gaze sweeping across the group. "At the very least, they probably don't know yet that we've already figured out they're planning to ambush us."

Lin Chuan's eyes brightened. He said nothing, letting Ning Fan continue.

"I tried to look at this from War Bear's perspective, and I suddenly realized something — how exactly are they going to identify us?"

Ning Fan tapped his chin, settling into his rhythm. "They can't just stand in the middle of the road waiting for us. That would throw away the whole advantage of laying an ambush. And the Ghost Mist Forest is shrouded in fog year-round — if they're too far away, they won't be able to make out our faces."

"So…"

Ning Fan pointed toward the cave entrance. "I think I finally understand why Yang Beihai arranged that vehicle for us in advance."