Chapter 160 One Choice (1/2)
”Ah----!!!”
A sudden, shrill scream caused the mercenaries to panic slightly. They quickly turned their heads to glance at each other, trying to find the poor soul that met their demise. But a while a while, to their surprise, the mercenaries found out that none of them were missing.
So then, where did that scream came from?
They started to scan their surroundings cautiously. Rhode frowned and turned his attention to the nearby little residences of the villagers.
It served as a reminder to them that there were other people around. The village which had fallen into darkness and silence previously, suddenly awoke. Under the chilly night, a mixture of painful screams, high pitch screams, angry growls and sharp sorrows could be heard vaguely. This confused the mercenaries even more. They looked towards Rhode, hesitant of their next course of action. At this moment, even idiots would recognize that the undead were targeting the villagers now.
What should we do?
Rhode only stood in the center of the defensive zone and observed the surrounding village; his stoic expression revealed that he didn't actually care about what was happening to the villagers.
”Sir, those people…”
After a brief moment of silence, Randolf finally couldn't take it anymore and spoke. But before he could complete his sentence, Rhode gestured with his hand to interrupt him.
”I know. Let them be.”
”Let them be?”
”The undead's target isn't the village, don't be fooled. And don't forget our mission…”
”Our mission is to take them down. Don't get tricked by them.”
”But, those villagers…”
Shauna also said with hesitation.
”No matter what, the villagers are still outsiders. I don't wish my men to return as lifeless zombies. Compared to all of you, it's much easier for me to cut those guys up into pieces.”
Rhode's casual answer left all the mercenaries stunned. Their jaws hanged loose, thinking how odd can their mercenary group leader's attitude be. Of course, most of the people here were veterans. Thus, they were able to understand Rhode's meaning. The undead's 'strategy' was clear. After they realized that they couldn't break through the mercenaries' defense, they decided to divert their attention to force the mercenaries to scatter their defense. And once the mercenaries scattered, they would be easier to be dealt with. If Rhode sent some of his men to check on the situation, maybe the undead already prepared to ambush them. If so, it would be a huge loss for Rhode's team.
On the other hand, if Rhode used his elites to help the villagers, then his current defensive position would be compromised. In other words, no matter the choice, there is a high chance of falling into the enemies' trap. This tactic was commonly used by bandits, especially when mercenaries were required to escort merchants through dangerous routes. If the bandits weren't able to penetrate their defenses, then they would use more underhanded means such as holding family members captive to force the mercenaries apart. Once the defensive line broke, they would charge in and eliminate the weaker members.
Rhode was 80 to 90% sure that his enemies were coming for Christie. The little girl was too weak for them to escape while fighting against the undead. Celia and Rhode were the strongest members of the group, and if he went into battle himself, he couldn't oversee the entire operation. In the case of an emergency, he did not have enough trust in the other three maidens to command the mercenaries individually. However…
”Master, I'll go check it out.”
Celia turned around and reported softly to Rhode.
”You don't have to worry about me…”
”…”
After hearing Celia's request, Rhode went silent for a moment. Afterwards, he tapped on Anne's shoulder, indicating that he wanted her to protect Christie. He walked out from the circle to Celia's side and drew his sword from his waist area.
Rhode's expression turned solemn and said, ”You have five minutes.” Then, he spoke softly, ”If you're not back after five minutes, I will summon you back by force.”
”Yes, Master.”
Celia answered softly and hurriedly spread her wings, flew into the night skies.
”Mr. Rhode.”
Looking at the angel maiden who flew away, Marlene was a little uncertain.
”Will Miss Celia be okay by herself? What if there's big trouble…”
”I only sent her to check on the situation. Not for her to resolve the issue.”
”But…” Lize said timidly.
”Our mission is to protect the village…”
”No, Lize.”
Rhode shook his head gently.
”Our mission is to get rid of the undead creatures. Don't be mistaken. Our duties do not cover the protection of the village. Strictly speaking, their lives and deaths got nothing to do with me, and whether I will rescue them or not, will depend on my mood. But a pity, until now, my mood isn't too good.”
”What he means is that those baddies in this village aren't worth to be protected.”
Anne grumbled while swinging her little fist around.
”Anyway even if we rescue them, they would turn around to blame us. After all, these people don't understand what gratitude is, so they're better off dead!”