Published: March 12, 2025
Chapter 344: A Scheme Within a Scheme
However, Zhao Hai did not go to rescue Ryan right away. He did not want to expose his strength too early. Judging by the expressions of these people, they intended to use Ryan to threaten him. For the time being, Ryan would not be in any danger.
The mercenaries' attacks were fierce, and it was clear they often worked together, coordinating well. Most importantly, their methods indicated they were true mercenaries, not regular soldiers.
Regular soldiers are usually engaged in open combat on the battlefield, so their fighting style is very particular—they aim to kill enemies as quickly as possible using their weapons.
But mercenaries are different; they typically do not go to battlefields and may face enemies who are not just human. Therefore, they use all means to deal with enemies. Even if they cannot kill them, they will inflict injuries.
Seeing the mercenaries entangled in a fierce battle, Zhao Hai grew anxious. He didn't want to be entangled with these mercenaries for too long, so he and Meg began their counterattacks using magic.
This time, Zhao Hai used a wind-based magic. Wind magic is fast, and in such a small space, its power is even more evident. Meg, being a wind mage as well, naturally joined in with her wind-based attacks. At this moment, Shun Yi had no way to reach Ryan, so he also fought alongside them.
It was then that Zhao Hai realized Shun Yi's capabilities. Just as Xu Wanying had said, Shun Yi truly deserved the title of Octopus Demon, as he continuously threw out hidden weapons. It was unclear how many hidden weapons he had, but he seemed to have an endless supply, and all of them were poisoned, forcing the mercenaries to struggle to cope.
With Zhao Hai and Meg's magical assistance, more and more mercenaries were injured. The leader saw the situation and immediately shouted, “Retreat!” After saying that, he led the other mercenaries to flee.
In the blink of an eye, the restaurant was left without any mercenaries. Besides some broken tables and chairs and the hidden weapons Shun Yi had thrown, there was nothing else.
At this time, the terrified waiter who had been hiding outside cautiously walked in. Upon seeing the scene in the restaurant, his face was ashen. Just as Shun Yi was about to check on Ryan's condition, Zhao Hai stopped him, saying, “No need to check. She has been taken. Those guards are all dead. Waiter, come here and clean this place up. Don’t worry; I’ll compensate you. Oh, and remember to arrange for the burial of those guards. I’ll pay you extra for that.”
The waiter’s face brightened a bit upon hearing Zhao Hai's words. He immediately responded, ready to start cleaning, but Shun Yi stopped him. He wanted to retrieve his hidden weapons first; otherwise, they might injure the waitstaff.
It was the first time Zhao Hai and the others saw Shun Yi collecting his hidden weapons, and they were all very curious. They watched as Shun Yi took out a few stones and placed them on the ground, pacing back and forth a few times, and all the hidden weapons were collected back.
Zhao Hai understood at once that Shun Yi must have been using something like a magnet, which is why he could collect those hidden weapons so quickly. Furthermore, Zhao Hai noticed that Shun Yi was wearing a pair of leather gloves that fit closely to his skin, appearing very flexible.
Now he finally understood. No wonder Shun Yi's hidden weapons were poisoned, yet he was not afraid of getting hurt. It was all because of those gloves.
However, Zhao Hai did not ask many questions. Once Shun Yi finished cleaning up, the group returned to their room. At the same time, they told the waiter to bring the food they ordered to their room and tipped him a silver coin, which made the waiter extremely happy.
Zhao Hai first went to check on the dead guards. Their wounds were quite simple; it seemed they had not resisted, and all had been killed with a single stab, and they were all attacked while eating.
Xu Wanying and Shun Yi also surveyed the scene. After a while, Shun Yi said, “Young master, it seems they were poisoned first, then killed.”