Chapter 3 Ambushed

  "Hello, Mr. Carter."

  Rod lifted his head and greeted the man in front of him with a smile.

  "Thank you for saving me."

  "It's no trouble at all, don't mention it."

  He has a robust physique, tall and majestic in stature. His long, fiery red hair is slightly disheveled and combed back, revealing facial features that suggest he is a Lekatian from the northwestern desert region. Two swords of different lengths hang quietly at his waist, one on each side, while the sharp angles of his face reveal a resolute and discerning gaze, proving that this man is no ordinary person.

  While Rode was observing his opponent, Carter was also quietly sizing up the man in front of him.

  If you just look at the surface, it's easy to think that he is one of those aristocratic young masters who are ignorant and useless. It's not hard to understand why - looking at his weak physique, pale skin, and that face that is a bit feminine, plus the way he dresses, no matter how you look at him, he doesn't seem like an adventurer who goes out on expeditions, but rather one of those rich second-generation kids who are bored and come out to play just for the thrill of it.

  However, Carter thought that this young man seemed not so simple. The reason was the strange and mysterious magic array on his right hand back. As a spiritual master, Lijie could feel the magic power from it, which meant that it was not something ordinary. But with Carter's many years of experience, he had rarely seen anyone directly engrave a magic array onto their own body. This showed that this young man's identity was not simple at all. Moreover, from the previous brief conversation, Carter noticed that this young man's attitude was neither arrogant nor humble, and his expression was extremely calm. According to Lijie, he had only woken up from his coma for over ten minutes, yet he could be so calm and composed in grasping his current situation. Just this point alone made him much stronger than those arrogant and ignorant noble sons.

  "I heard you're from the Eastern Mountains?"

  "Yes."

  Rod nodded slightly.

  "So, where are you planning to go?"

  "I'm just traveling around."

  Rod shrugged his shoulders.

  "I'm an adventurer, and a life of free and easy adventure is what I live for. Don't worry, I won't bring any trouble to you all."

  "That's good."

  Since Rode was so straightforward, Carter didn't say much either. They were still on a mission and didn't want to stir up new trouble. After chatting for a few more sentences, Carter bid farewell and left, as he had many things to attend to as the leader of the mercenary group and couldn't waste time here.

  The following time was also dull for Luo De, but the food brought by Lijie made him a little interested. Although it was just ordinary white bread and dried meat, and Luo De had eaten many times in the game, those were all "fake eating", only to restore character life and soul power, without any taste or filling his stomach. Now he finally experienced the taste of white bread and dried meat described in the food notes, which was a fresh experience.

  But unfortunately, the taste is really not as good as what's described in the annotation.

  "How are you feeling? Is your wound still painful?"

  Sitting beside Rode, the blonde girl looked at the young man in front of her with a worried and serious expression, her slightly anxious eyes falling on his shoulders, feeling somewhat unbearable.

  "It's all right now."

  Rod said, at the same time clenching his left fist, the pain from his sternum was no longer as intense as it had been initially. At first, he even felt a bit short of breath, but now it had improved a lot.

  "That's good."

  Upon hearing Rode's response, Lijie's originally tense expression relaxed a great deal.

  "But you still need to rest more. When we arrive at Shen Shi City, the conditions will be much better, and perhaps your injury can heal faster."

  The girl's expression was very serious, although the person lying in front of her was just a stranger she had just met, but judging from her expression, it seemed that she didn't care about such trivial matters.

  "Thank you."

  "Don't mention it, this is what I should do."

  As she spoke, Lijie stood up, her golden, fluffy ponytail swaying on both sides with her movements, giving off a lively and playful vibe.

  "So......"

  Lijie's words were left unfinished, as at this moment, the ship's hull shook violently.

  The girl's body swayed, almost falling onto the bed, but fortunately she stretched out her hand in time to grab the headboard and barely steadied herself. The two of them exchanged a glance, each seeing a hint of puzzlement in the other's eyes.

  Although the airship is a vessel that acts with the help of strong winds, and the sky does not have reefs or whirlpools like the ocean, it's not necessarily without danger. The current situation is clearly not normal.

  "I'll go take a look, you rest assured here, don't worry."

  Lijie said in a low voice, then immediately turned around and left, closing the door behind her. Looking at her back, Luo De couldn't help but open his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He thought he was older than her, did she have to use that tone of speaking to him like he was a child?

  But in the next moment, a figure flying past outside the window made Rode's expression turn serious instantly.

  He slightly turned his head, staring intently outside the window. Soon, three or four green figures flashed by from the outside, and at the same time, a low hum appeared vaguely.

  "Hiss——"

  But at the sound of this voice, Rod's heart sank.

  They're in big trouble!

  At this moment, the deck was in a state of utter chaos.

  "I never thought we'd actually run into this damn thing."

  The red-haired, dual-sword-wielding mercenary captain stood at the forefront, his face stern as he gazed at the green figures flitting about the hovering airship. They resembled snakes with bat-like wings sprouting from their bodies, over a meter in length. Although their slightly emaciated physiques gave an impression of being weak and fragile, the sharp venomous fangs exposed by their open mouths could quickly overturn this conclusion.

  Wind Snake.

  "It seems we've intruded upon the Wind Snake's territory."

  The fat merchant hid beside the leader of the mercenaries, his face pale, and he nervously wiped away the sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief.

  "That son of a bitch, Bick! I knew it, I knew that bastard was giving me this route for so cheap, there had to be something wrong with it! This is murder! When I get back, I'm going to make him know my wrath!!"

  "Let's get out of this encirclement first!"

  Carter interrupted the fat merchant's near-hysterical roar, and as he looked around, there were hundreds of wind snakes surrounding the merchant ship. At first, he could still order his subordinates to use crossbows to attack, trying to scare off these monsters. But the "death-defying" spirit of the wind snakes was beyond his imagination, or rather, the death of their companions had actually stimulated the ferocity of these monsters, and at this moment they had already occupied the outer deck, beginning to penetrate inward. The mercenaries had also long since thrown away their crossbows, wielding their weapons to engage in close combat with the enemy.

  "Get inside and tell the captain we need to get out of here as soon as possible!"

  Carter backhanded the fat merchant into the captain's quarters behind him, then stepped forward two paces, his long swords flashing in the snowy light as he chopped down a screaming wind snake that was charging at him, but another one came right after it.

  There aren't enough people!

  Carter involuntarily furrowed his brow, scanning the deck. He had only brought six people on this mission, and now only these six were left. Although the merchant ship itself had guards, their experience was insufficient. In fact, during the first wave of attacks, a third of the merchant ship's guards had fallen, and now only half were left. Looking at their panicked and disorganized state, they probably wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer. Gazing at those terrifying creatures, Carter's expression turned grave.

  He wasn't inexperienced in facing wind snakes, but facing such a number was a first, which also made Carter feel somewhat tense. He took another step forward, his body agilely turning half a circle, and then his double-handed sword suddenly chopped to the side, heavily striking that wind snake's body. Under the splashing blood, the injured wind snake heavily fell to the ground, letting out several unwilling screams before finally becoming an ice-cold corpse.

  Carter raised his head and subconsciously swept a glance around him, then his heart skipped a beat.

  "Lijie! Be careful!!"

  The girl didn't react immediately.

  She had just finished treating a mercenary's toxin injury and was withdrawing her hands, but due to excessive consumption, the girl's mind was still a bit dizzy. Although she rushed onto the deck only a few minutes ago, several people were already injured. As the only spiritual master with healing powers among them, Lijie naturally took on the responsibility without hesitation.

  After hearing Carter's warning, the girl finally turned her head back in a daze.

  Then all she saw was a big mouth with sharp teeth bared.

  At that moment, the girl's blood froze, she stared blankly at the wind snake in front of her, her mind was a complete blank, and she had no idea how to react. In her eyes, Lijie could clearly see the sharp, gleaming fangs, as well as the flesh-colored inner wall, even the stench was so clear that it could be smelled.

  Just then, a hand suddenly reached out from behind and grabbed Lijie's collar, pulling her away at the last second.