NEC Chapter 77: The Squad on the Verge of Collapse

Before resting, Chen Mo had specifically arranged for two warriors to take turns standing guard. He repeatedly emphasized, "Anyone! Any situation! No one is allowed to leave their post!"

The purpose was essentially to let people in the courtyard see the sentry's figure at a glance through the observation hole.

However, at this moment, while there was indeed a warrior at the observation hole, the original sentry post was completely empty. Only the howling north wind swept up dust from the ground, spinning gently in the sunlight.

Old Locke coughed dryly, "Oh, that's Eliel. He said he wanted to go out and look around, to find some fresh food for the lady..."

Chen Mo's face instantly turned ashen, "Didn't I say no one was allowed to leave the team alone?"

"Um, little Eliel is a hereditary family soldier of the territory. His whole family serves the lord. He wouldn't do anything inappropriate."

"Who allowed him to leave?!"

Seeing Chen Mo's persistent questioning, Old Locke also became somewhat annoyed, supporting himself as he stood up, "It was me. I agreed to it. Emerald's warriors aren't as unreliable as you imagine!"

Chen Mo sighed deeply.

He suddenly realized that Paven's death had actually brought about a very troublesome practical problem: the command authority of the team had become blurred.

Previously, because he held operational rights and manuals for certain special equipment, made tremendous contributions to the team, and controlled global reconnaissance information through drones, Paven had given Chen Mo extremely high decision-making power.

When Chen Mo said there was danger to the east, the team would immediately turn west. When Chen Mo said there was a situation ahead, the team would immediately turn around or hide.

So after Paven's departure, Chen Mo naturally took over command.

But at this moment, he deeply felt that his ability to enforce orders was built on the foundation of Paven's own extremely high prestige.

When this "support" no longer existed, Chen Mo was ultimately just an outsider to the Cloudmist Domain team.

Certain details from their hasty escape journey surfaced one by one.

When Chen Mo issued orders, the soldiers would instinctively glance toward their masters: little Lady Frost, Master Locke, or Attendant Linda.

Only after seeing them nod in acquiescence would Chen Mo's instructions be executed without compromise.

This was deeply rooted class consciousness, completely unrelated to Chen Mo's abilities or the correctness of his decisions.

Chen Mo decided to withdraw.

"There's a saying from my homeland: 'Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together!'"

"The reason we've been able to support each other all this way is firstly to thank the little lady for the medicine, and secondly because Captain Paven promised to get me a piece of territory from the marquis."

"Ultimately, we're just in a cooperative relationship."

"Since you don't recognize my command, let's part ways here and go our separate paths!"

Chen Mo's determination caught Old Locke, who had just been somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, completely off guard. The old man mumbled, wanting to say something but couldn't get the words out.

Attendant Linda quickly stepped forward, trying to ease the atmosphere, "It was our oversight. When Eliel returns, we'll definitely reprimand him severely and never violate your rules again..."

The little lady looked at Linda, then at Chen Mo, a trace of pleading in her eyes.

Chen Mo stubbornly turned his head away and began packing his things.

It wasn't that he was particularly hard-hearted, but during their time together, he had come to trust Paven's judgment.

Paven's action of finishing off their own warriors before dying haunted his mind.

What Paven didn't dare trust, why should I dare to trust?

Before entering the village, Chen Mo had already carefully surveyed the terrain. Behind the village was a continuous mountain range. Never mind hiding one person, even hiding a combined brigade in there would be hard to find for quite some time.

Chen Mo planned to slip into the mountains, find a place to hide out. With the Sacrificial Altar, at least he wouldn't starve to death. Given enough time, he could always figure out a solution.

Anyway, he wasn't playing this heart-stopping game anymore.

He climbed the creaking wooden ladder to the roof and skillfully folded up the solar charging panels. At the same time, he launched another reconnaissance mission. The micro-drone swayed unsteadily in the strong wind.

Just as he came down to the courtyard, the warrior lying at the courtyard wall's observation post suddenly let out a low exclamation, "Eliel! Eliel's back!"

"Good that he's back, good that he's back!"

Old Locke hurriedly squeezed out a smile at Chen Mo, "See, he's back..."

Chen Mo also felt slightly relieved, but he still habitually controlled the drone to continue climbing higher, pulling out a panoramic overhead view.

Then, the image on the central control screen made him feel as if he'd fallen into an ice cave.

A well-equipped team of at least fifty to sixty people was silently moving along the shadows at the foot of the mountain, encircling this lonely village!

The soldiers at the front were less than a hundred meters from the crooked fence at the village entrance!

Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open with a "clang." The young warrior Eliel, who had returned from outside, looked delighted. He clutched a small bundle wrapped in rags tightly to his chest, seemingly containing something precious, and strode in calling out, "Your Highness! I found..."

What greeted him was Little White's dark gun barrel.

"Why did you betray us?"

"Betray? I... I didn't!" The smile on Eliel's face instantly froze, then was replaced by insulted anger, his cheeks rapidly flushing red, "Don't slander me! I went to find some fresh food that the lady could eat!"

"The noble Lady has barely eaten properly for several days. This is game I hunted in the mountains..." The young soldier excitedly held up the bundle, then Chen Mo mercilessly exposed his performance.

"What about those dozens of Greenspine Kingdom bastards behind you? Did they come to share your game?"

Chen Mo's words made Eliel's face turn deathly pale as he stood frozen, and sent the others present into a frenzy.

"What?"

"Eliel, have you gone mad?"

"Bastard! How could you betray the Lady!"

The most furious was Old Locke.

Thinking that his one mistake was about to doom the entire team, especially the little lady's future, the old man's withered body trembled uncontrollably.

The mage's palm suddenly raised, elemental flows began gathering in the air, and a fireball emanating scorching heat slowly condensed above his palm. The air filled with a faintly burning aura.

Faced with everyone's questioning, the soldier called Eliel kept retreating, finally showing a panicked expression on his face.

"No, I didn't betray the lady. I was protecting her!"

"Greenspine won't do anything to the lady. We can have the count ransom her back with money. The one who's afraid of dying is this fellow of unknown origin!"

The young soldier pointed at Chen Mo, shouting somewhat hysterically, trying to shift the target, "Have you forgotten? This crazy fellow, to save his own life, actually struck the Lady. Didn't you see?"

"He struck the lady, he struck the noble lady. This is a grave crime, an unforgivable grave crime!"

Eliel desperately defended himself. At this moment, the terror of death crushed the joy of being promised vast riches.

He frantically waved his hands, trying to evoke sympathy from his comrades, but was met only with several pairs of flaming eyes.

Old Locke's hair and beard stood on end, "Beast! You damned beast! Shame of Cloudmist Domain!"

The old man was a master of healing and enchantment, but before specializing, most mages had learned basic skills.

However, this spellcasting effect obviously couldn't compare with professional arcane mages. The fireball, carrying a scorching blast, slammed hard into Eliel's back as he tried to turn and flee, but failed to achieve a killing blow.

"Boom!"

A muffled sound accompanied by a piercing scream. Eliel was knocked forward, the clothing on his back instantly charred and carbonized, his flesh making a "sizzling" sound.

Eliel rolled on the ground in agony, writhing his partially blackened body and pleading desperately, "No... I don't want to die... Captain Paven was so strong... even he couldn't stop them..."

"We can't escape!"

"I don't want to die..."

[NEXT CHAPTER]