The road was overgrown with weeds, and two deep ruts were embedded in it. Black blood dripped from the grass blades, and two miserable corpses fell to the ground.
The body was hacked and dismembered in a rage, and the head and torso were already rotten. There were random footprints left by trampling all around, extending to the woods beside the road.
A heavy-duty carriage fell into the dead branches and leaves of the woods. The carriage was split open, and the goods transported inside were torn apart and scattered on the ground. Everything valuable and easy to carry was gone.
Adrian frowned and stared at the messy ground, imagining the battles that had taken place here.
This is a curved road through a birch forest, and the edge of the forest is covered with wild flowers and weeds. The vehicle must have slowed down when it reached the curve, and the gangsters lurking in the grass took the opportunity to launch an attack.
The roads in the North are rough, bandits can be seen everywhere, and hungry refugees often launch deadly attacks. Any caravan during transportation emphasizes armed escort.
The fleet of the 'Harmonious Chamber of Commerce' is large in size and has high prices, making it easier to be targeted by gangs. It also pays more attention to security.
The bandits attacked a convoy of more than a dozen heavy-duty carriages. The leading vehicle and the following vehicle were specially armed and had thick carriages that could serve as a fortress for the escorts to resist when attacked.
In order to resist possible attacks in the wild, the escort team is equipped with heavy crossbows and heavy armor, and is extremely well-equipped. Ordinary gangsters have no way to deal with them, and a hasty attack will only leave corpses on the ground.
Judging from the battle scene in front of us, there were more than fifteen corpses of the gangsters. The escort team was very calm after the attack and did not suffer much losses at first.
"This is not an ordinary group of gangsters." Adrian carefully inspected the carriage carriage that had been dumped on the roadside. There were marks on the thick carriage body left by violent slashing with enchanted weapons.
Two people were killed in the attacked transport convoy and more than ten people were slightly or seriously injured. Others realized something was wrong and fled in carriages.
According to the description of the convoy personnel, the leading armed carriage sent out a warning signal, and the entire convoy fought hard to resist. However, several powerful adventurers appeared and broke through their defenses.
Facing a strong enemy, the leading armed carriage tried to break through, but was blocked by a fallen tree trunk in front. A cargo carriage behind tried to dodge and crashed into the grass on the roadside.
Two escorts were killed in the chaos. Their armor was stripped off and their bodies were insulted. Fortunately, the personnel suffered little damage. The following vehicles turned around and ran away.
"The leading armed carriage has been hijacked. Someone is provoking us!" Adrian turned around and returned to the road.
A dozen people gathered around the road.
There are human rangers, orc warriors, halfling rogues, plague priests, specialized wizards, and even a half-elf archer.
This team is generally at level four or five, capable of fighting, resisting, tracking, and hunting. They have the best equipment, intelligence, and logistics. They can take convenient transportation to anywhere within fifty kilometers within a day.
This is the "Special Weapons and Tactics Team" recruited by Zhou Qingfeng in Cold Wind City in order to deal with the endless security problems. It is specially used to deal with difficult problems.
These people gained Zhou Qingfeng's trust because they were not all here for money. Many of them came out of faith, or because they disliked the nobles of the North, or because they liked taking risks.
In short..., they are strong enough.
The tall human ranger searched the corpse and the traces left on the ground, and said in a deep voice: "The attack happened yesterday afternoon, and the gangsters fled west.
If we act quickly, we can catch them tonight and teach those bastards a lesson. As for the provocateurs, we should give them a hard blow."
There are two wizards in the team, one from the necromancy system and the other from the alchemy system. For this operation, Mondino, the newly appointed chief of the necromancer team, joined the team.
This rickety skeleton was recently promoted to level eight. The staff in his hand has changed, and the black robe he wears has been changed. His strength has doubled, and his momentum is booming.
He cast spells to inquire about the souls of the dead and the ghosts in the woods, and came to the same conclusion.
"There are more than thirty gangsters like Zaiyu, so they are not difficult to deal with. As for the provocateurs, there are about five to ten, and their strength is not low. It should be the long-legged family from the south who takes action."
The orcs in the team sat on a stone on the side of the road, holding the big ax in their hands and said happily: "Are they strong enough? I like opponents who are strong enough, so I can try my alloy steel ax with them."
"Stop talking nonsense and get on your horse."
Adrian raised his hand to look at the mechanical watch, got on his horse and took out the map drawn by the caravan from his backpack, "There are more than a dozen villages and towns to the west, the largest is Green Valley Town. I bet the gangsters are waiting for us there.
"
The ranger rode forward and shouted: "Stop the chaos, I will be the vanguard."
The horses' hooves tramped and their heads neighed.
The halfling wanderer jumped out from the roadside, jumped on the ranger's horse with a smile, and followed him. Others also got on their horses and followed closely.
At this moment, Green Valley Town is already in a smoky atmosphere.
The gate of the town was burnt black, the dead residents had not yet been buried, and there were still blood stains on the ground.
The gangsters broke into the town and took some women and children as hostages, forcing the residents of the town to provide food and drinks. They posted people to guard the door of the hotel, shouting and cursing constantly.
The mayor did not dare to step forward at all, so he could only send the threatened residents to obey the gangsters' orders. Everyone in the town could hear the laughter of men and the screams of women coming from the hotel.
But in addition to grief and anger, the town of more than a thousand people was helpless.
Because those bandits are the subordinates of Lord Longlegs - nobles often allow robberies to recruit thieves and villains to do their bidding.
This is a low-cost way to recruit soldiers. The enemies that may be plundered may also be your own territory.
If looting is not allowed, the gangsters will immediately counterattack.
When Lord Exxon appeared in the town on his tall horse, the people in the town habitually showed obedience. The mayor rolled over and came to greet him, expressing his willingness to provide any convenience.
The Long-Legs family has ruled Coldwind City for so long that the people in the territory dare not resist the noble lord. His name alone is enough to make the residents of the town dare not move and ask for anything.
They listened to whatever the prince said. They gave him whatever the prince asked for. Facing the gangsters, the people in the town were still thinking about how to rescue their families.
But when Exon led the team out and said that he would punish Green Valley Town for taking refuge with the Allard family, the residents of the town had no choice but to kneel down and kowtow. Even if they offered sacrifices to their wives and daughters, they could only accept their fate.
In front of the lord's horse's hooves, several heads were banging against the ground. The mayor was begging for forgiveness loudly, completely ignoring that he had nothing to do with this disaster.
Exon's gloomy face burst into sneers, and the knights following him also remained silent and cold, as if everything in front of them had nothing to do with them.
Hahaha... Lord Exon turned his head amidst laughter and said to the young knight following behind: "Tias, do you understand now why we are noble?
You are a member of our long-legged family, and you have noble blood flowing in your body. You don't need to care about how the ants under your feet survive. As long as you stand here, they have to listen to you.
Look, isn't this great? We came back and they knelt down and went back to normal."
Amid the lord's laughter, the young knight lowered his head, indicating that he was retracting his previous remarks. In front of his eyes, the town manager knelt down like a puppet, without the slightest intention of disobedience.
"Provide us with shelter and slaves, everything must be the best." Exon rode past with his head held high, unwilling to take another look at the residents kneeling in front of his horse's hooves.
As for the gangsters who occupied the hotels in the town and acted recklessly, they were even more lawless and had no control whatsoever. They took whatever they wanted and did whatever they wanted.
The residents of the town could only hide in their homes and endure it, even crying silently.
When it got dark, the team led by Adrian galloped for more than ten kilometers and appeared outside the town. The night wind carried the cries and sorrow in the town, and the lights illuminated the helplessness and panic of the residents.
"We've arrived." The ranger leading the way showed a cold gaze at night, "We will once again uphold justice and let order suppress chaos."