The sky turned dark. The numerous canoes sailed on the surface of the water. There were burning torches one on each of them to light up the path.
Isaac was with Guo Chen and Wang Mei in the same canoe. Behind him, 600 canoes followed suit. They entered the mangrove forest. Their canoes kept moving forward along the flow of the stream, following Cheng Ho's canoe at the front. Strange noises were heard as they entered the mangrove forest.
After they had rowed in the darkness of the forest for an hour, they arrived at a vast area of water with an island in the middle. They quickly extinguished the light from the torches. Cheng Ho raised his hands in the air and twirled his fingers, then some of the canoes parted from the group.
One hundred canoes consisting of 5 crew members moved to the west. The remaining five hundred canoes were still in their place.
Anxiety was evident in Ling Tian's face. His expression was stiff, as if every vein in his face tightened with anxiety. However, Cheng Ho was different. The person in charge of this mission put on a flat expression, making the other couldn't guess what the man was thinking.
"Do you think this mission will succeed?" A gentle voice came out of Wang Mei's mouth. In the shadow of the night and the cold air, her beautiful face was still clearly visible. The woman was skeptical of this mission.
"As long as we believe in ourselves, we will definitely succeed," Guo Chen replied. As usual, the young man was optimistic about everything. Besides, Isaac was involved in this mission. It made him believe the mission would succeed.
Wang Mei sighed. "Thank you for your opinion, Guo Chen. But, I asked Isaac."
After realizing that the question was directed at him, Isaac raised an eyebrow. He turned to the woman beside him. "50-50. No matter how perfect the plan and meticulous it is, there is always the possibility of failure. Never have high expectations, it's better to always think of the worst."
His words made Wang Mei frown. "Sounds pessimistic," the woman replied.
Isaac didn't answer. Guo Chen looked astonished, yet he didn't dare to give any comment. As a Demon Lord who had a taste of failure, hope was Isaac's greatest enemy. Hope would only make people sink into empty dreams. He only used hope for others, not for himself.
Silence enveloped them for a long time. There was only a ragged breath and an erratic heartbeat. Everyone nervously waited for the signal.
Not long after, a red tinge appeared in the darkness. Then, a roar was heard from a distance.
Guo Chen puffed out his chest. Wang Mei was heard taking a deep breath. Cheng Ho, who was in another canoe, stood up.
"Everyone. We're moving!"
The hunters began to row again, and the canoe moved deeper into the mangrove forest. They headed to the other side of the island. The grey stones that were covered by the darkness seemed to stand tall like fortresses. Then, they pulled over the canoes to the outskirts of the island.
People quickly got out of the canoes. Cheng Ho, as the main leader, was at the front line, leading his men along with the homunculus old man, Lawrence. Their footsteps shook the ground.
Isaac was half running, his eyes sweeping around the large trees and bushes. Behind him, Wang Mei also ran, followed by dozens of Nine Sky members. Guo Chen ran behind them.
"Hurry! We'll be there in a minute!" A gasping voice came out of Lawrence. Even though the homunculus was very old, his movements were like a young man in his prime time. As if his wrinkled skin and shriveled body were just a disguise.
After walking deeper through the depths of the forest, Isaac saw a castle made of red bricks. There was no monster guarded at the front, only a 10 meter high concrete wall and a small trench surrounding it. The iron gate was open with a bridge stretched out wide.
Seeing the poor condition of the castle, Cheng Ho smiled broadly. "It's true. Your information is correct, Lawrence," he muttered. The bearded man ordered his men to charge into the castle without hesitation.
The group of hunters quickly rushed to the gate.
Just as Isaac was about to enter the gate, Ling Tian grabbed his shoulder from behind. He was clearly anxious.
"Is it safe to go in?" The golden-armored man's breath seemed to rag when he said it.
Wang Mei, who was about to dash forward, halted in her place after seeing Isaac being stopped by Ling Tian, including Guo Chen.
Seeing the nervousness shown by the Golden Dragon Leader, Isaac smirked. "Calm down. Everything will be fine."
Naturally, Ling Tian wouldn't believe Isaac's words. He didn't agree with the white-haired man. "The gates are wide open, as if they are letting us in. If this lab is heavily guarded, they shouldn't be this careless."
Isaac sighed. He touched the man's shoulder. The Golden Dragon leader had a sharp foreboding indeed. "This is the moment, Ling Tian. An opportunity. Anything can happen, including traps. However, judging by the current condition, this is pure carelessness."
Ling Tian's expression turned strange. He really couldn't believe what Isaac had said. It sounded like bullshit.
Of course, because after all, what Isaac said was a lie. It was easy enough for him to guess this was a trap. He even sensed a demonic energy within the castle. He would bet with his life now, that the demon didn't realize his presence.
"We enter now, or never. We don't have much time."
Isaac looked at Ling Tian with a reassuring look, while the man in front of him was seen closing his eyes and looking down. Ling Tian then took a deep breath.
"Okay. We will go inside!"
Ling Tian chose to believe him. Instantly, Isaac smiled widely.
Then, the Golden Dragon Leader and his members also ran towards the castle gate. Isaac followed behind, along with the members of Nine Sky.
They all finally arrived inside the castle grounds. Cheng Ho, the first to arrive, ordered his men to disperse.
"Disperse! Some troops to the rear! We're going in from both paths!"
However, the man did not know that their arrival had been awaited.
Just as Cheng Ho gave his orders, there was suddenly a creaking sound behind them. Everyone was shocked. They turned towards the gate and found the 30 centimeter thick metal gate closing really fast.
"What happened! Why is the gate closed!?"
"We're trapped inside."
The hunters began to panic. Tension rose and cold sweat trickled down on their skin. Cheng Ho, who was originally excited, started to look worried after his plan failed when it was just about to start.
Bam!
The gate was tightly closed. The sound of metal banging reverberated in the air. This was just the beginning of the catastrophe.
Not long after, on the guard wall, dozens of homunculus appeared, wearing full combat armor. They were different from the homunculus on the 2nd Floor. There was no white or red hair because of the lack of pigment. They looked exactly the same as humans. Some had blonde hair and blue eyes, some had tan skin with black hair like sheep's fur, some had yellow skin with slanted eyes. Humans of various races gathered into one.
Meanwhile, from above the sky, appeared dozens of ugly creatures flying in the dark night. They looked like bats with red eyes and white fur. Their wings were just thin membranes of skin. Sharp teeth visible from their mouths because they did not stop drooling.
The hunters who witnessed them were stunned for a moment.
"What the hell are they? Human?" Unknowingly, those words came out of Guo Chen's mouth.
"No humans are born from dungeons. They are homunculus," replied Wang Mei in a cold tone.
All the hunters couldn't hide their panic. They realized they had just fallen into a trap.
However, the shocking things didn't stop there.
Lawrence, who was originally by their side, suddenly guarded the front of the castle door. The homunculus old man seemed to burst into laughter. Everyone who witnessed it was shocked, including Cheng Ho.
"Lawrance! What is this!?" The bearded man looked furious. His face turned red, as if blood had risen to his head. The veins on his temples bulged out.
Meanwhile, the homunculus he trusted was still laughing.
"You stupid human. You're still asking? Of course, I obviously tricked you."
The homunculus old man's laughter echoed amidst the disappointment and panic of the hunters. It was Cheng Ho who felt betrayed the most.
"So all these deals are just bullshit? Even after the kindness I've been given to you?" Every word that came out of Chen Ho's mouth sounded disappointed. Even so, Lawrence didn't care. He laughed even harder.
"Na?ve human. You used me while you were with me. Some of you even talk about me from behind. You think I don't know that? Humans are hypocrites. You deserve to die!"
"YOU BASTARD!" Cheng Ho cursed his lungs out. He was really furious. "Kill that traitor!"
Lawrence laughed. "Slaughter these filthy creatures!"
Cheng Ho lunged at Lawrence. His men who were still in shock finally followed their leader's orders even though they were not ready to attack the homunculus.
"Didn't you hear it?! Attack!" Ling Tian also shouted loudly, ordering his members to charge forward. The members of the Golden Dragon then joined the attack.
"Nine Sky! Fight or die!" So did Wang Mei. The mighty woman exclaimed without hesitation.
The homunculus standing on the fortified tower shot arrows and cast magic. The flying monsters swooped down sharply.
Clashes were inevitable. The castle grounds turned into a battlefield. Everyone involved in this battle screamed. Their faces were full of anger.
There was only one person who was smiling brightly, enjoying the current situation. It was Isaac Constantine.
"Time to clear things up."
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