Chapter 46 A Night of Bloodshed
"Numbers Seven and Eight take up strategic positions immediately. Your primary task is to eliminate the four guards at the entrance, then provide cover fire." Leo's voice was barely above a whisper as he issued the orders.
Numbers Seven and Eight replied together, "Understood."
Two figures swiftly moved into position. Numbers Seven and Eight were the team's sharpshooters, each armed with a recurve bow and a quiver of arrows. Years of hunting had honed their skills, allowing them to scale a tree in the moonlit night silently, their movements masked by the darkness.
In the War Wolf Battle Squad, real names were never used on missions; instead, each member was identified by a number.
Leo soon heard a frog croak, a signal that the two were ready. He continued to assign tasks.
"Numbers Five and Six, infiltrate and coordinate with Seven and Eight to take out the guards at the entrance."
Numbers Five and Six replied together, "Understood."
Numbers Five and Six silently drew their combat knives, held them between their teeth, and stealthily made their way over the wall toward the guards.
"The rest of you, follow me. Leave no one alive except our target," Leo said coldly, unsheathing his sword.
The rest of the team answered together, "Understood!"
Number Two also draws his sword, but he also pulls out a round shield as big as a water jar made of fine steel. He is the defender in this team.
Numbers Three and Four each took out two small crossbows from their packs, one in each hand, with a dagger between their teeth.
Leo gripped his sword tightly, his eyes fixed on Numbers Five and Six. As the two silently approached the guards, his heart raced.
Number Five and Number Six, each tightly gripping a military knife in one hand, suddenly reach out with the other to cover the guard's mouth. The military knife instantly pierces the guard's heart from his back, followed by a forceful twist.
Before the other two guards could react...
Two more arrows flew out from the trees, embedding themselves in the necks of the two guards, killing them instantly.
Number Five and Number Six deftly caught the falling bodies, gently laying them on the ground, then gestured towards Leo's position.
"Action!" Leo commanded and rushed forward, quickly entering the courtyard, meeting up with Number Five and Number Six, and then a group of six people sneaked in towards the inside of the courtyard.
They saw eight guards chatting idly just before advancing a few steps, Leo gestured, and several people immediately dispersed out.
"They're partying again, leaving us here in the cold, and even not making some hot soup for us."
"Exactly, they make so much money, but they don't give us a raise. They're always asking me to beat up people for them."
"Greedy merchants. I've killed so many people for them, and they just give me a few copper coins each time."
"I heard that this time they're going to kill that noble..."
The voice abruptly stopped, and there was a short arrow stuck in the speaker's neck.
Before the other guards could react, three of them had arrows in their necks. These were fired by Number Three and Number Four.
At close range, the two rapidly fired four crossbow bolts, taking out four men. The remaining four guards had their throats cut by Leo, Number Five, and Number Six, who had already moved in close.
Leo flicked the blood off his broadsword. He had just killed two men in an instant, one decapitated and the other's throat cut.
The entire process took only two seconds. Leo and his team continued to advance; the guards in the courtyard were assassinated silently.
A guard asked, "Who's there?"
A startled cry suddenly rang out, followed by a long arrow flying out from a tree, killing the guard who had made the noise.
Leo said, "We've been spotted, let's go in hard."
With a cold shout, Leo waved his hand, his broadsword leading the charge.
Unexpectedly, one of the guards had been hiding in the bushes and was now exposed.
Their discovery was due to the carrots that Henry had brought, curing their night blindness.
In this era, over 90% of the population, including the guards, suffered from night blindness. Leo and his team, however, had no such affliction, giving them the advantage of silently eliminating many guards.
A dozen more guards rushed out from the inner courtyard. Leo knew these were the last of the guards, and once they were dealt with, only their target remained.
Without Leo having to say a word, two arrows flew in from a distance, taking out two guards effortlessly.
Leo shouted, "Kill!" He charged into the guards, his sword dancing, creating a spray of blood.
Four short crossbow bolts were fired, and before the guards could even fall, Numbers Three and Four quickly switched to their small military crossbows, grabbed the dagger in their mouths, and skillfully threw it, taking out two more guards.
Numbers Five and Six had just switched their combat knives for swords when the battle ended. The remaining guards were either shot with crossbow bolts or pierced with arrows.
"They're too weak," Number Two said, a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice as he wiped the blood off his sword. He had killed two people that night.
"Shut up, our target is inside," Leo said in a low voice, flicking the blood off his sword.
"Okay!" Number Two said.
Number Two raised his shield and took the lead, being the first to enter the inner courtyard. Leo followed closely behind, while Numbers Three and Four had already loaded their small crossbows, and Numbers Five and Six stood by with their swords.
Numbers Seven and Eight also descended from the tree, their eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly. They were the last line of fire support.
These were all part of the special tactics they had learned in the military, known as the Special Tactics Assault Method.
