Chapter 270 — Striking Again

According to Gao Yang's original plan, Suojilin was supposed to remain in the domain for the time being, tasked with providing him intelligence on the Typhonian Empire and, while he was at it, fishing out whatever information he could about the Gao Yang Cecil of those bygone years. But plans never keep pace with change. The instability of the Great Wall barrier had instilled a sense of crisis in everyone, and in order to get to the bottom of whatever was going on with the elves as quickly as possible, Gao Heng had no choice but to let Suojilin leave the domain ahead of schedule and find a way to make contact with that ancient empire in the south of the continent.

Before Suojilin set out, Gao Yang sought him out and asked the elven ranger about his plan: "Which way do you intend to go?"

Suojilin held nothing back: "The Silver Empire hasn't set up many barrier observation posts in the north of the continent. The two nearest ones are on the western border of Ansell and near the Typhonian Empire's frontier. To be honest, the one on Ansell's western border is far too distant. I'm planning to head for the Typhonian side."

Gao Yang glanced at Suojilin: "In your current condition, won't you get beaten to death the moment you set foot back in Typhon?"

"If a high-ranking ranger doesn't want to be caught, he has ten thousand ways to dance circles right under the noses of ordinary border troops," Suojilin said with utter matter-of-factness and brimming confidence. "And even if that little wolf general does catch me, all I've done here is spend a few days as your captive—I never surrendered. How would she deal with me? Besides, I'm just a mercenary. I'm not even Typhonian."

There was no one else around at the moment, and Suojilin felt little need to put on airs in front of a man who knew the secret of his strength. Yet his utterly undisguised way of putting things still made Gao Yang's eyelid twitch involuntarily: "Are you sure that living so comfortably in my domain still counts as not having surrendered?"

"Of course. I haven't formally rejoined the Cecil Legion yet, so naturally it doesn't count as surrender," Suojilin said with a remarkably serious expression, clearly not joking in the slightest. "That way, that little wolf general has no grounds to reproach me. I can wait until I return from Typhon and then surrender."

Gao Yang: "..."

Suojilin's reasoning sounded like nothing more than semantic quibbling, but in truth he wasn't playing word games at all—this was simply how elven logic worked. In certain baffling matters, the elven way of thinking was exceedingly peculiar.

That said, Typhon's Winter Wolf Legion might not necessarily accept Suojilin's straightforward line of reasoning, and Suojilin himself knew it. So after voicing his opinion, he composed his expression: "I'll avoid the Typhonian watchful eyes as much as possible—that won't be difficult. Apart from the Winter Wolf Legion, not many people over there know me. I have a route that can get me across the border. Once I reach that Silver Elf outpost in the buffer zone between the Typhonian Empire and the Gondor Wasteland, I'll effectively be on Silver Empire territory, and I'll be safe."

"Good. Since you have a plan, I won't say more," Gao Yang said, gazing deeply at Suojilin. "I wish you a smooth journey."

Suojilin solemnly placed one hand over his chest and bowed: "I swear by the name of the elven ancestors that I will return once the matter is done."

Then he straightened up and turned toward the study door. But just as he was about to push it open and step out, he suddenly halted—and at the same moment, Gao Yang sensed Philip's aura appear outside the door.

The next second, a knock sounded, followed by Philip's grave and slightly urgent voice: "My lord, urgent military intelligence."

"Come in," Gao Yang said loudly. The moment Philip entered, he immediately asked, "What's going on?"

"Word from the watchtower in the Dark Mountains—aberrations," Philip glanced at Suojilin standing by the door, then reported at breakneck speed. "Roughly two thousand in number, still increasing, and among them have appeared colossal individuals never seen before."

Gao Song's expression turned grave in an instant: "Colossal individuals? Give me a rough description. And how fast are the enemies advancing?"

"Exceptionally swollen humanoid forms, between five and seven meters in size. Not many of them—only four or five—but the aberrations around them move with noticeably greater agility and speed. Suspected to be some kind of commander-type individual, though no signs of intelligence have been observed so far. As for their overall marching speed, it's similar to the aberrations that appeared last time. They'll likely reach the domain's border in three to four days. The sentries at the first outpost have already been withdrawn to prevent the aberrations from sensing human presence and suddenly accelerating. Only the second and third outposts remain, observing enemy movements through telescopes."

"It seems you won't be leaving for the time being," Gao Yang said, gazing deeply at Suojilin. "I've got some trouble here."

"I understand. You mentioned those fellows reappearing in the world," Suojilin said. The moment he heard Philip utter the word "aberrations," he had silently walked back to the center of the room, and now a faint smile surfaced on his face. "Our old adversaries, aren't they?"

Gao Yang smiled faintly as well: "Seven hundred years without a fight—are your hands rusty?"

Suojilin raised his hands and mimed drawing a bowstring several times: "I still remember the feel from seven hundred years ago. I can take down at least a hundred on my own. The remaining nineteen hundred are yours."

"The numbers have already exceeded the threshold. Their count will keep rising—by the time they reach the defense line, it won't be just two thousand," Gao Rong said, shaking his head. "But the main force in battle won't be you or me. It's time you saw the power of the Cecil Combat Corps. Philip, sound the alarm according to protocol, set up the positions outside the city, recall the southern engineering teams, and prepare for defense!"

After Philip left, Gao Yang turned his head toward the window: "Amber!"

Amber's figure immediately leaped in through the window: "Here, here~~ I heard everything!"

"Go summon everyone who needs summoning. We're going to be busy again!"

Moments later, loud and continuous bells resounded throughout the entire city.

The alarm bells, carrying their specific meaning, echoed across the city. Soldiers—whether on leave or on duty—immediately ran to their posts according to the rhythm of the bells and what they had learned in routine drills. At the various construction sites, overseers were the first to calm the workers, ordering each team leader to end work early and return home to stand by, while they themselves headed to the nearest emergency assembly point to await further instructions.

Just like that, everyone sprang into action at the same moment—some returning home to stand by, some heading to designated assembly points, some rushing straight to the southern city wall—while batch after batch of peacekeeping squad members poured out from their stations in every district, running through the streets and alleys while loudly proclaiming the concise and easy-to-understand "Emergency Guidelines." Everything unfolded exactly as it had been rehearsed.