"Are all the prisoners guarded well?"

"All are guarded well."

"What are the casualties like?" Juer Dan asked the brigade commanders solemnly, hacking through the jungle bushes.

"Light injuries: 29 people, serious injury: 1 person," the medical team leader immediately reported. "All have been properly settled."

"Who is the one seriously injured? What happened?" Juer Dan asked solemnly.

"It was the brigade commander of the Third Long Spear Division, Black Hat Third Corps. In the fight, he accidentally slipped off the side of the slope and hit his head on a rock."

"How many times have I said it? Wear helmets, wear helmets. Don't be lazy just because you think they are heavy and hot." Juer Dan frowned. "Find an old soldier with a general rank to temporarily take over."

After finishing this topic, Juer Dan asked the scouts again, "Why didn't the outer sentry report?"

"Legion Commander, we truly did not discover them. It's as if they can make themselves invisible, appearing directly from behind us…"

"No excuses. Were you lazy? Were you dozing off? Otherwise, where did they come from?"

After arranging most matters, Juer Dan led two Long Spear Masters and two Holy Gun Masters to pursue.

But even halfway through the pursuit, a review still had to be conducted.

This was a system set by Horn, where every battle must be immediately reviewed after completion.

Horn assigned the task of supervision to the military judges, including this point. Later, when enough talents are trained, the Battle Group clerk will compile the battle history.

"Sethis, did your vigilance have a problem this time?"

"Yes, my vigilance had a problem." As the scout brigade commander, Sethis could only stand aside with his head hung low, admitting his bad luck.

While Juer Dan was still interrogating about the specific negligence of the outer scouts, a courier knight came running up, breathlessly.

"Legion Commander, sir…"

"What's wrong?"

The courier knight whispered into Juer Dan's ear, saying two sentences softly, and Juer Dan was stunned: "You first go and pull the black box cart over, I'll go take a look upfront."

Standing in the clearing in the forest, North Knights in three-quarter armor comforted the braying donkeys.

Mira stood amid the bushes, squeezing out a polite smile and hiding his apprehension as the Black Hat Army emerged neatly from the forest.

He finally understood how these soldiers managed to defeat the decree company.

Infantry capable of performing a tidy long spear phalanx counter-charge are absolute hot commodities, even in the Empire's mercenary market.

Previously, Mira heard those Old Black Hat Army say that at the beginning, they tied ropes around their waists to make a tidy charge.

Seeing them now, Mira found it hard to relate them to such a comedic appearance.

Probably just a joke.

Looking back again, with the Black Hat Army near at hand, Mira sighed deeply.

Need to step it up, or these civilian soldiers will outshine them all.

But heard they all hold holy positions, barely counting as religious nobility, right?

Following behind the soldiers in columns, Juer Dan pushed up the brim of his helmet and exchanged a simple military salute with several North Mountain Knights.

"Did Mr. Mira pursue them?" Juer Dan asked Mira politely.

The term 'Mr.' is mostly used for knights, low barons, and wealthy merchants. Among civilians, misuse would mean a beating at least.

However, in Kush Territory, after Horn governed, all restrictions were lifted.

Everyone internally called each other 'teaching friends,' externally called each other 'Mr.', addressed superiors using 'sir,' and used their position titles for subordinates.

With a wry smile, Mira stepped aside, exposing the naked rock wall behind him to everyone's view.

On the moss-covered gray stone wall, there was a dark hole.

Originally, the entrance was covered with hanging vines and webs, burned and chopped down by Mira, with a strange stench seeping from within.

Only then did Juer Dan realize, no wonder the outer sentries didn't see them, they came through tunnels!

"We tried to send in two hunting dogs, but there seems to be a peculiar odor here that quickly led them astray." Mira guided Juer Dan to the entrance, pinching his nose.

"This scent doesn't affect people much, but this cave is more complex than a labyrinth. We've already lost two men inside."

Inserting his head into the hole, inhaling, a smell like debate-crafted onion gas rushed to his head, sour, bitter, salty, almost choking Juer Dan.

Covering his nose, Juer Dan coughed and retched: "They can endure running out of the cave, really enduring."

"Probably accustomed to it." Mira frowned at the sky, "Otherwise, let's wait until tomorrow morning to explore, it's too dark at night."

"No need." Juer Dan then smiled, "His Majesty has considered everything."

Mira blinked, unable to understand Juer Dan's meaning, while Juer Dan ignored and continued reviewing with his subordinates.

Soon after, the neighing of horses startled Mira from almost falling asleep.

Seeing Juer Dan beckoning, two heavy carts were transported to the mountain wall, amid the painful groans of the axles.

"What's this?"

Juer Dan smiled, stepping to the side of the cart, yanking off the black cloth, and everyone around gasped.

The North Knights were even more startled, immediately gripping their weapons and jumping up, eyes fixed intently on the creature in the cage.

"Don't worry, their venom sacs are completely empty, and their limbs are restrained." Saying thus, Juer Dan himself didn't dare to go too near.

Three jumping spiders, one cow spider re-emerged into daylight, began fiercely struggling within the cage, with the gnashing cracking sound from the wooden fibers changing Mira's complexion.

Could your Salvation Army be this brave?

"Cough cough cough." Juer Dan hurriedly coughed a couple of times, "Someone, quickly stuff these fellows into the cave."

"They will help us track those bandits?" Mira asked incredulously.

"They can't differentiate between humans. Being mistreated by us, they naturally seek 'humans' for revenge." Knocking on the cage, the Natural Priest laughed.

"What if they run away..."

"It's fine, these giant spiders need to feed on a particular mushroom which isn't found in the cave forest. If they escape, they'll just starve to death."

The wagon was brought to the cave entrance, where several Natural Priests stood holding dragon bone flutes, ready for action.

A nimble scout used a long stick to open the cage, then quickly dashed behind the rocks.

"Zzzzz—"

Several giant spiders immediately jumped out of the cage, turning around to make angry and eerie hissing noises at them.

Despite Juer Dan's confident demeanor, Mira and the other North Knights felt chills running down their spines.

A melodious flute sound echoed, abruptly halting the previous hissing noises.

Mira and the North Knights were astonished to see the giant spiders seemingly struck by something, dashing quickly toward the depths of the cave.

"Everyone, stuff cloth into your noses and follow them."

Amid the flute music, a Natural Priest snapped his fingers, and the places where the spiders passed lit up in order.

The fluorescent powder scattered from the spider backs hung onto cave walls and floors, emitting a faint glow.

"Let's go." Juer Dan took the lead, raising a torch, and followed the fluorescent trail into the cave.

Following the others, Lauren was startled as he glanced down at the path.

A crystalline mineral, beneath the fluorescent powder, seemed to turn black as if dyed by ink.

"Holy Junior General Lauren, why are you dawdling?"

"Coming, coming." Ignoring the peculiar sight, Lauren hurriedly caught up.

..........

In the dusky cave forest, the night enveloped everything like thick fog.

The bandits, each nursing their wounds, leaned against the wall, sitting numbly on the ground.

Sitting inside his small home, Grush and Defort faced each other in silence.

They had led nearly two hundred horse bandits in a night raid against the unsuspecting Black Hat Army.

The final outcome was the loss of over a hundred horses and only sixty people safely returning.

Back in the mountain camp, after counting the heads, all they were left with was silence.

Amid awkward silence, the small cabin door opened once again; the two men raised hopeful heads but saw Blackscar slumped silently with a face full of blood.

Two people's silence turned into three people's silence.

"Brother Blackscar, how did it go on your side?"

"They were too fast." He gulped down a large mouthful of potato liquor, numbing his nerves, "I didn't even have time to plunder; as soon as I left the woods, I was ambushed... What about you?"

"Left a hundred behind, came running back." Defort said despondently.

Contrasting with the pre-battle disdain and tension, the wooden cabin now housed a defeated yet friendly atmosphere.

The three thought it was a battle, but it turned into a decisive fight, forcibly rallying villagers, deploying over six hundred bandits, only to end up with just over a hundred survivors.

Given the current speed of the Black Hat Army's advance, even if they couldn't chase from the cave, reaching nearby areas would likely take only three to five days.

They had roamed the mountains for so long based on three skills: intelligence, caverns, and cavalry against serfs.

The Mountain Knights couldn't fully exert themselves in the forest, while the serfs and Armed Farmers infantry were too weak, allowing these bandits to thrive until now.

Yet the Salvation Army first re-registered the population, rooting out the bandits, complemented by heavy infantry comparable to Land Servants.

Now, their only reliance would be the cave, but if they truly had to retreat into the cave to live again... he was already beyond endurance.

With the Salvation Army's current movements, they plan to redevelop this El Ancient Path.

In the future, the cave forest bandits will likely become a thing of the past.

Three people looked at each other, seemingly washed clean of all aggression, their eyes turning clear.

Finally, honesty prevailed; Grush sighed deeply.

"I have some savings as travel expenses, planning to become a mercenary in Norn since I have a few friends there. What do you guys say?"

"I'm planning to go to Falan, and work as a steward in the black market," Blackscar said with some emotion, "Being a bandit isn't sustainable."

Once fierce competitors, now looking at their scattered comrades, he felt a pang of reluctance in his heart.

Defort's face reddened with emotion; he was the most reluctant to accept, but his blush didn't last long before turning pale again.

"I'm planning to go to Jinhe Town," Defort said through gritted teeth, "These Salvation Army won't last long; I'll come back then."

Blackscar and Grush exchanged a glance: "Hopefully."

Defort was about to say something to urge the other two to stay but was interrupted by a chaos outside the cabin.

Standing up and walking to the door, Defort yelled at the bandits outside: "What are you all shouting about? The Salvation Army has attacked?"

Before the words were completely out, a wooden shard flew past Defort's eyes.

Defort's pupils slowly dilated.

He turned his head in horror, only to see the thick wooden door of the mountain camp burst into pieces.

A group of armored knights stormed in from behind the door like the wind, their longswords swinging left and right.

The snowy blades tore through clothes and soft flesh; gate-guarding bandits fell to the ground clutching their blood-soaked chests and bellies, screaming.

"It's the Salvation Army, run!"

Bullets, villagers, and bandits darted past him; Defort stood by the small cabin door as if plunged into an icy pit.

How could they have found us so quickly?

Where were the sentries outside? Why was there no sound?!

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