"Let's get one thing straight. If things don't go as you expect, I'll look for a chance to leave."

Under the cover of night, Carl looked toward the City Lord's residence.

"But rest assured," he said. "Since I've promised to make a move, I will give it my all. However, sometimes human strength has its limits."

Even though he had agreed to take action, he still did not have high hopes for this operation. As long as John was alive, there was little hope for this group.

"Yes," Conni nodded. "I understand. It was always a life-or-death struggle against them. Now, with Elder Carl and Miss Yana joining us, our chances of success have significantly increased."

Carl was Jiliu City's foremost expert, his strength second only to the Legendary Knights. That much was obvious. The key was the Desecration Knight! Conni knew about the Holy Hall's Desecration Knights and understood even more the importance of Yana, a Legendary Knight.

"Tonight, the Death Knights will use the remaining people and puppets to draw away the shark people near the City Lord's residence. Then, they'll take the opportunity to get inside."

Conni held a dry branch and sketched the terrain on the ground. "Based on the shark people we've lured away from the periphery these past few days, we can deduce their subsequent route. As soon as the Death Knights approach the City Lord's residence, we just need to lure the shark people we've drawn away back toward them. That will trap the Death Knights in a desperate situation!"

This task was undoubtedly perilous. Even if they succeeded, they would be surrounded by shark people. Moreover, there were many Legendary Creatures near the City Lord's residence, making it even more dangerous.

"Ron was one of my crew members when I was on the ship." Conni pointed to an inconspicuous young man in the crowd. "He has a special ability: an incredibly loud voice. All he needs to do is shout at the crucial moment... Fei Lin has a coin, an ancient coin that can hide one's presence. The two of them will coordinate their actions."

"Interesting." Carl raised an eyebrow. "Captain Conni's crew are all quite talented!"

"The secrets buried in the Endless Sea Domain... some even predate the emergence of the Divine." Conni gazed toward the Endless Sea Domain, his voice low and distant. "In the process of exploration, one inevitably encounters some fortunes, but more often than not, it ends in death somewhere."

"Yes." He steered the topic back. "At that time, Guild Leader Hawke will also coordinate with us. We'll do our best to take down all the Death Knights."

"So..." Carl asked, "how many Death Knights are there now?"

"More than two hundred," Conni sighed. "These days, the ones dying have been civilians from Jiliu City. The Death Knights seldom take action themselves."

More than two hundred? That meant there had been hardly any reduction in their numbers.

Carl shook his head again. Every Death Knight was an expert; among them, there were eight at the Great Knight level alone. At night, each of these eight Great Knights was no weaker than Conni.

Perhaps even stronger! Their chances were slim!

But it was also apparent that Conni harbored a deep grudge against the Death Knights; the murderous intent in his eyes was unconcealed. He was eager to eat their flesh and drink their blood, willing to risk his own life for revenge.

"I have some tricks up my sleeve. I can set them up beforehand along their route and trigger them if necessary," Carl said. "It should cause the Death Knights some trouble."

"Oh!" Conni's eyes lit up. "That's even better!"

「Time passed.」

Gradually, deep night fell. Dark clouds obscured the shattered crimson moon, and the entirety of Freedom Port was enveloped in darkness. A strange atmosphere accumulated in the air.

"Let's go!"

With this low command, the remaining fewer than one hundred civilians from Jiliu City and less than two hundred Death Puppets marched toward the City Lord's residence. Behind them were the fully armed Death Knights, each mounted.

Everything was proceeding according to plan.

Thanks to the path cleared over the previous days, a corridor had been created by luring away the shark people on the outskirts of Freedom Port. Now, for the inner layer, it was up to the civilians of Jiliu City and the Death Puppets to clear the way.

As the leader of the Sea God Society, Hawke seemed to have aged decades in just a few days. Crow's feet lined the corners of his eyes, white strands streaked his temples, and his gaze had grown haggard, all his immeasurable grief held within.

"Take care!" He patted his companion's shoulder. "This time, after leading away the shark people, there's no need to come back. Our mission... will also be complete."

"Guild leader..." The other man's eyes were red as he nodded heavily. "Take care!"

With that, he abruptly turned and dashed into the darkness with three companions. Before long, roars echoed from afar. This signified that the shark people had been lured away, but whether those who acted as bait would survive was unknown.

The crowd moved forward again. Each time, three to five people would break away to lure the shark people off the path ahead, allowing the main group to inch closer to the City Lord's residence.

Under the dark night, the City Lord's residence resembled a colossal beast sprawled on the ground, motionless. The closer they got, the greater the danger.

The people from Jiliu City were dwindling, so the puppets controlled by the Death Knights also began to charge into the distance. They ran with all their might, solely to draw the nearby shark people far away.

The City Lord's residence gradually became a blur in the distance.

CLOP!

The crisp sound of horse hooves rang out as over two hundred Death Knights advanced, shrouded in darkness, silently closing in.

"Ken!" John's gaze seemed to pierce the darkness, fixed on the City Lord's residence ahead. "Once they've drawn away the nearby dangers, have dozens of riders strike the flank. The rest will follow me inside."

"Yes."

'Ken' was another Divine Blood warrior. He wore a fox-ghost mask, his voice was sharp and grating, and his eyes were cold and sinister. "Sodan is just a worthless cur who happens to possess the bloodline of a Duke. That bloodline should be yours, Captain!"

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