Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

With a dull thud, the strong man's head rolled to the ground.

Almost at the same time, the glass windows on the third floor exploded, and the figure of the old charlatan appeared at the window, throwing three bodies down casually.

The body fell heavily to the ground in the courtyard, stirring up a cloud of dust.

One of them had a distorted face, wide-open eyes, and an expression of extreme fear frozen on his face - there were no obvious external injuries, but it was obvious that he had suffered some kind of terrible mental attack.

The other two were covered with sword marks, and the wounds were clean and neat, obviously the work of King Saber.

The old charlatan's house is extremely lively tonight, all of them are people found by Bloomer. If the power-grabbing team was not strong enough, they would probably have been captured by that guy.

"The three foreign mercenaries we captured are neither the barbarians from the west nor the berserkers from the north. They are the Kurodo tribe from outside the south."

The old charlatan twisted his beard and told the results of the interrogation. "Their dark skin is the mark of the Kurodo people. They don't look like dead soldiers. They couldn't stand the torture and soon gave away their employer - a wandering poet named 'Bo'. Of course, this name is probably fake."

Lin Yi and Su Xiao looked at each other and looked in the direction of Dai Lila at the same time.

In Bloomer's eyes, Dai Dela was nothing more than a weak and vulnerable little white rabbit, a puppet completely supported by Lin Yi and Su Xiao behind the scenes.

Logically speaking, unless Bloomer was completely out of his mind, he would never really send someone to assassinate Deira.

Even though there have been similar assassination attempts in the past, most of the assassins were just pretending and did not dare to actually kill.

But this time it was different - every move of the opponent was deadly, and it was clear that he was coming for Dai La's life!

"That's wrong. The mercenaries of the Kurodo tribe are very expensive. Even if Bloomer wants to act, there is no need to spend so much money. Unless..."

"Unless the employer isn't Bloomer at all."

Lin Yi answered the following half sentence for Lidya Su.

Realizing that there was another force lurking in the dark, the two immediately quickened their pace and rushed towards Pedela's room.

This time, Lin Yi released all his perception without reservation, and his mental network spread out in the corridor like a spider web.

Just as he was about to push open the door, Lin Yi suddenly stopped.

Su Xiao behind him immediately noticed something was wrong, and the moment their eyes met, they understood each other.

"Squeak-"

The sound of the door opening was particularly harsh in the silent corridor.

The scene inside the room came into view: Princess Pedela was curled up in the corner of the bed like a frightened rabbit, with the quilt wrapped tightly around her body.

Dai Mao Wang was sitting at the end of the bed with his sword unsheathed, while the old charlatan was standing by the window.

"Whoosh-"

In a flash, Su Xiao's sword turned into a silver lightning.

When the blade pierced through the seemingly empty air, it brought up a spray of scarlet blood.

In fact, Su Xiao's perception ability is inferior to Lin Yi's. The reason why he can accurately lock the target is because Lin Yi quietly condensed a small dark mark in the shadow under the enemy's feet.

This scene made the old charlatan and King Daimao in the room look surprised.

With their abilities, they hadn't noticed that there was a fifth person hiding in the room—an expert who could even conceal his breathing and heartbeat perfectly.

The long sword slashed forward, and a man covering his neck appeared.

What is amazing is that even with his throat cut by a sharp blade, he still struggled and threw himself towards Pedra, scratching the air with his bloody fingers, obviously trying to take a hostage.

boom!
Lin Yi's figure flashed, and his right leg swept out like a battle axe.

The assassin in mid-air was kicked away like a rag doll. The moment he hit the wall heavily, his entire body exploded like a bag full of ketchup, creating a shocking scarlet color on the snow-white wall.

"Something's wrong. These assassins are not from the same group as the previous assassin."

After dealing with the enemies in the room, Lin Yi discovered that the two groups of assassins were not from the same group.

Of the assassins encountered in the conference room earlier, except for the last few who could barely be considered professional killers, the rest were simply ready to die.

The assassins who attacked Pedro were not only tactically flexible, but also showed a strong desire to survive in desperate situations - their styles of behavior were very different, and they could not possibly have been sent by the same employer.

"What should I do?"

Pedera huddled in the quilt, revealing only a pair of slightly trembling hands tightly grasping the corner of the quilt. She was well aware of her cowardly character, so she simply covered her head to avoid looking at the bloody scenes, trying not to cause trouble for Su Xiao and the others.

"Just sleep and we'll take care of the rest."

Before Lin Yi finished his words, ten shadow soldiers emerged from the shadows and surrounded the bed like an iron tower.

He raised his hand and set up several translucent barriers. The light golden curtain rippled in the air, completely blocking the area where Pedra was.

But when he got close to Dai La, Lin Yi felt a hint of unusual soul fluctuation from Dai La's body. This hint of soul fluctuation was very weak, but Lin Yi still caught it.

Su Xiao and King Daimao beside him noticed Lin Yi's eyes, but this was not the time to talk.

"What did you find?"

"It's just speculation for now, but I suspect the offender has already made his move."

Hearing this, Lidya Su paused.

As a hunter, his mind was extremely sharp and he understood Lin Yi's hint almost instantly.

"You mean... the assassin who killed Pedra this time was sent by the violator?"

"That's right. In the eyes of other contenders for the throne, assassinating Petra is meaningless. Even if she dies, we can quickly nominate a new candidate, which may even put other forces at a disadvantage in the competition. This kind of thing that harms others and does not benefit oneself is not like their style."

"But the offender is different. It knows our identities and the hunter's action patterns. It sent assassins to attack Pedra just to delay us and disrupt our plans. Now it seems that it no longer intends to hide."

"If it was really the offender who did it, then its purpose might be more than just delaying time."

"It's testing our reaction, maybe even... trying to get us involved."

Lin Yi nodded and looked into the depths of the corridor: "The other party knows the existence of the hunter, but still dares to take the initiative to provoke. Either they are extremely confident, or they have a bigger plan."

After saying this, both of them fell silent.

As expected of an offender marked as "particularly dangerous" by the Samsara Paradise, his first move was a killing one.

If Pedro is really captured by the other party, their entire plan will be disrupted, and they may even fall into a more passive situation.

……

The next morning, when the first rays of morning light climbed over the horizon, a large group of soldiers were already guarding the courtyard. These soldiers had sharp eyes and strict discipline. They were obviously veterans who had just retired from the frontier. Although some of them were physically disabled, they had more combat experience.

"Check all suspicious persons in the surrounding area and seal off all entrances and exits. As long as they are alive, even if they are rats, they must be caught!"

Wu Fu roared at the top of his voice. He had just led his troops to the manor this morning and saw a pile of corpses lying in the courtyard.

Through the old charlatan, Commander Wu Fu learned that Su Xiao was assassinated last night. Wu Fu was so angry that he almost died on the spot. He finally met a royal family who did not embezzle military funds, but the other party was assassinated as soon as he left.

At this moment, Wu Fu was like a mad lion. If Su Xiao had not strictly prohibited a large-scale search, he would have wanted to dig three feet deep within a ten-mile radius.

However, anyone with a discerning eye could see that there was a bit of acting in his anger.

As for the mastermind behind the assassin, Wu Fu knew it very well, but that person's identity... made him suppress his murderous intent deep in his heart.

In less than half an hour, the entire manor had turned into an iron wall.

Except for a few authorized personnel, no one was allowed to enter or leave at will. A triple death defense line was set up at the main gate: the outermost line was twenty elite soldiers with spears and swords, and inside the gate was a gun formation composed of nearly a hundred soldiers. The third line of defense was actually two war beasts as big as houses. Their heavy breathing made the ground tremble slightly.

Even if they could break through these three lines of defense, there were still secret sentries on both sides of the rear corridor, mechanical crossbows hidden in the bushes on both sides, and four war eagles perched above the castle, circling in the air from time to time.

The benefit of spending money on the military was reflected at this time. Under this defensive formation, Su Xiao felt that even if Am cooperated with him, he might not be able to rush in. Unless Bubu Wang buried the explosives first, he would have a chance to break into the courtyard.

As for attacking the castle? The charging soldiers holding tower shields in the hall on the first floor were enough to make any invader understand what despair was.

The front line of defense is okay, but as for the back door, anyone who dares to sneak in from there would be stirring up a hornet's nest. More than 500 elite soldiers are in the backyard.

The current situation is that this manor is almost like a military camp. As long as a flag is put up at the door, no one will suspect that this is a military camp.

……

On the second floor of the conference hall, the morning light shines through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the long table.

Wu Fu and several legion commanders stood upright in front of the conference table, while Lin Yi and Su Xiao enjoyed their breakfast as if no one was around - the golden fried bacon sizzled on the silver plate, and the wheat aroma of fresh bread mixed with the mellow flavor of coffee filled the air.

"Sir, I wonder what you want to talk to us about?" Wu Fu looked at the two people who were eating and didn't dare to disturb them.

Lin Yi slowly swallowed the last bite of bread. When he picked up the coffee cup, he glanced at Wu Fu: "What do you think happened last night?"

Wu Fu's Adam's apple rolled noticeably, and then he forced out a stiff smile: "I will investigate thoroughly and bring to justice all the assassins who dared to attack you all..."

Obviously Wu Fu also understood who had done the attack yesterday, but he couldn't afford to offend Bloomer, so he could only solve it in this way.

"Okay, shut up and listen to me." Lin Yi suddenly put down the coffee cup. The crisp sound of porcelain colliding made Wu Fu silent instantly.

Beads of sweat were already oozing out of the commander's forehead - he certainly knew who the mastermind behind the scenes was, but that name was like a red-hot iron that made him afraid to even mention it.

"Yesterday, it was not one wave of people who attacked the manor, but two waves." The moment Lin Yi finished speaking, Wu Fu was stunned. He originally thought that only Bloomer took action yesterday, but he did not expect that there was another force that dared to attack Lin Yi and his companions.

"The first wave of people is targeting Duke Kukulin and me, and the second wave is targeting Princess Deira. The two groups are from different camps. Now, I want you to find out the details of the second force within 24 hours. Can you do this?"

"Yes, sir!" Wu Fu's roar made the candlelight flicker.

The iron-blooded general's face was so gloomy at the moment, "They dared to attack you, sir. It seems that some people in the royal city are tired of living!"

Bloomer is an important official in the Senate, and Wu Fu does have some concerns, but this second force - judging from their style of doing things, it is impossible that they are the ones competing for the throne. They are not stupid enough to that extent.

Not only Wu Fu, but also the several legion commanders standing behind him had frosty expressions.

These battle-hardened generals had just received military expenditure approval from the Ministry of Finance, and the heavy gold coins were still hot in their pockets.

If the adults make any mistakes under their protection, not only will they be wasting the military funds, but even their own medals of honor will be thrown into the gutter.

"Don't worry, sir. I promise to find out everything about this force for you within one day."

Wu Fu pounded his chest and saluted, and several legion commanders behind him also knelt on one knee in unison, with the sound of armor colliding loudly.

“Sir, since the second wave dared to attack in the royal city, they must have a base.” A scarred legion commander said in a deep voice, “The black market, the mercenary guild, the underground slave farm… As long as they show up, they will definitely leave traces.”

Lin Yi nodded slightly and tapped his fingers on the table: "Remember, don't make too much noise, don't alert the enemy."

"Yes!" A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Wu Fu's eyes. "We will act in the name of 'clearing smuggling' and will never let the people behind the scenes find out."

An hour later, in the underground black market of the royal city.

In the damp alley, the turbid air was mixed with the pungent smell of cheap alcohol and the faint smell of blood.

Wu Fu, wearing a gray cloak with his hat lowered, was followed by several elite soldiers disguised as vendors, blending into the crowd quietly.

"Sir, we found out." A soldier reported in a low voice while bending over to adjust his boots, "The owner of the shabby alchemy shop at the end of the alley received several Kurodo mercenaries last night."

Wu Fu narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze like a knife towards the dilapidated shop deep in the alley.

The dim light seeped through the broken window cracks, vaguely reflecting a few blurry figures.

"Keep your eyes on this place." He sneered, "Wait for the fish to take the bait."

In the Senate chamber, Bloomer was rubbing his forehead gently.

"You mean, Wu Fu led 1200 elite soldiers to station at Youyu Manor?"

Bloomer obviously didn't sleep well last night, and some dark circles could be seen under his eyes.

"That's right. Not only that, he also called in two war beasts from the military camp outside the city. The noise was so loud that even the city guards were alarmed. Those 1,200 soldiers were all veterans who had retired from the northern border."

The grey-robed servant whispered, and Bloomer raised his hand to indicate that he already knew.

"Is Wu Fu going to break up with me? How much of the military funds did Kukulin give him?"

"According to the spies' report... the full amount has been disbursed."

"what?"

Bloomer was stunned when he heard this, and the elders at the parliamentary table looked up one after another, they were also very surprised.

"So that's what happened. Wufu had been fed and was busy wagging his tail in front of his new owner. No wonder he didn't reply to my secret letter. Before he knew it, that guy really climbed up on him. In that case, let him climb higher."

Bloomer obviously didn't expect that Lin Yi and Su Xiao were playing a trick of cutting off the source of funds.

Bloomer, who has been working in the imperial bureaucracy for decades, has already mastered the game of power to perfection.

For an old fox like him, being an official is nothing more than a sophisticated game of dividing the spoils - using power to exchange for benefits, and then using benefits to consolidate power.

Every penny must be calculated carefully, and every military expenditure must be cut at every level. This is the way of being an official that they regard as the golden rule.

But Lin Yi and his gang broke this iron rule.

In this case, Wu Fu, who has money, will naturally abandon the Senate.

The midday sun shines through the restaurant's stained-glass windows, casting mottled shadows on the long oak table.

Su Xiao put down the wooden spoon in his hand and drank only half of the oatmeal porridge in the bowl - the taste was so bland, as if it had been diluted with water.

Opposite him, Wu Fu, who was less than 1.7 meters tall but as strong as a stone wall, knelt on one knee.

The usually arrogant legion commander now had cold sweat on his forehead, and there were several corpses lying behind him.

The skin of those corpses was as black as charcoal, their tangled muscles were covered with scars, and the faintly visible snake-shaped tattoos on their necks revealed their identities - desperate criminals of the Kurodo tribe.

“Speak.” Lidya Su’s tone was calm, but his eyes had turned cold.

Wu Fu's forehead was covered with cold sweat. "Sir, we followed the clues and found an alchemy shop in the black market 'Gray Rat Alley'. The owner is an old fox and he refused to admit it at first. But... after using some 'tricks', he finally spit out something interesting."

As Wu Fu reported, the temperature in the restaurant seemed to drop a few degrees.

According to the shop owner who used to be an alchemist, the one who hired the Kurodo mercenaries was a mysterious woman.

Although she covered her figure with a long robe, the special fragrance on her body still exposed her - it was the scent of night iris that only high-level alchemical products could carry.

"According to the clues we found, we found that this woman should have suddenly appeared in the Holy City one month ago, and she suddenly disappeared in the past few days."

Wu Fu poured out all the information he had investigated like pouring beans.

Lin Yi and Su Xiao were listening on the side, and soon they had a rough picture of the offender in their minds.

"Okay, you did a good job this time."

After hearing Lin Yi's praise, Wu Fu finally smiled.

The legion commander secretly breathed a sigh of relief - he couldn't afford to offend Bloomer, but tracking down this mysterious woman finally gave him a chance to show his worth.

If he couldn't produce any more results, he was really afraid that these two adults would replace him as a chess piece.

Thanks to this woman, Wu Fu was able to finally show his value to Lin Yi and Su Xiao. Otherwise, Wu Fu was really afraid that the two would replace him.

"By the way, sir, I have already chosen the people you want. Shall we let them in now?"

After seeing that Su Xiao and Lin Yi had almost finished eating, Wu Fu spoke at the right time.

"can."

"come in."

As soon as Wu Fu finished speaking, three people walked into the restaurant. The first thing that caught their eyes was a black-armored giant that looked like a mobile fortress.

With a height of two meters and five and full heavy armor, every step he took made the floor groan under the weight.

Following on both sides of this humanoid chariot were a fat man with a greasy face and a young man with strange tattoos all over his body.

The boy had a head of messy black hair, and except for his face, the exposed skin was covered with black tattoos, most of which were formations of unknown meaning.

Wu Fu pointed at the black armored biotank and said, "My lord, this is No. 1165. The Empire once used the corpses of extraordinary people for experiments. No. was one of the successful ones in that experiment. He has a semi-mechanical structure, which makes him lose the ability to speak and the sense of pain. Including the weight of the armor, he weighs kilograms. His brute force is enough to crash through the -centimeter-thick Mis armor plate."

As Wu Fu spoke, he pulled out a strangely shaped key from his pocket and inserted it into No. 10's arm.

puff~

Steam gushed out, and two red lights appeared under the No. 10 helmet.

"It's activated, sir. As long as it's your order, No. 10 will not hesitate even if it means death."

Although Wu Fu had a smile on his face, he was heartbroken. Number 10 was one of the trump cards of his unit. If he was not eager to show his loyalty, he would never have used it.

Wu Fu turned his gaze and looked at the slightly plump man.

"This is Gray Mouse. He knows the Holy City very well and was once a scout for our army."

As soon as Wu Fu finished speaking, the slightly fat gray mouse took a step forward.

"Hello, sir. If you need anything, please tell me. I will..."

Before the gray mouse could finish his words, Wu Fu glared at him, and the gray mouse quickly smiled and stepped back.

Wu Fu said in a low voice: "Sir, this is my distant relative. Even a gray mouse cannot fully trust this kind of person. This is the most trustworthy person I can find. You see..."

"Just him."

"Thank you, sir."

Wu Fu glared at the gray mouse again, meaning, "Be the best ass."

Wu Fu raised his head to the young man with black tattoos all over his body and said:
"The last one is Zos. He is a transcendent. His eternal power is a dark attribute. His own combat ability is not strong, but he can control animal servants."

Wu Fu winked at Zos, who seemed a little reluctant. Black mist emerged from his hands, forming a vulture, which flapped its wings and landed on his shoulder.

"My Lord, Zos is an alien, but he grew up in the Empire. This child is a little rebellious, but his ability is unquestionable. It's just that he is sometimes impulsive and puts himself in danger."

"Okay, got it." (End of this chapter)