He took the script of an exorcism legend, but became the number one anti-fraud expert.

North of Wind Howl Town lies the Black Swamp.

The muddy soil on the ground was soft, sticky, and when you stepped on it, your leather boots sank in.

Everyone's trouser legs were covered in mud, except for Abby. He seemed to be lighter, so whenever he was about to sink, he would immediately switch feet to prop himself up, moving with ease.

Four squads of four, plus Benjamin and Pete in the middle.

John led a group forward slowly, his bayonet pointing straight ahead.

"The fog here isn't thick, but you still can't see clearly from a distance. Everyone should stay close to each other. There should be people scouting in all directions, and we should report any situation immediately."

Benjamin's methodical adjustments to the tactics reassured the guards.

"Yes."

"Yes, sir."

The sound was so faint it was like a mosquito's buzz, and Benjamin instructed them not to shout, but to communicate with each other by word of mouth.

Pete said softly, "What are you looking for? You seem distracted and in a hurry."

Benjamin glanced at Pete, then thought for a moment.

"Find a businessman, from the Hod family."

"The Horde family? Dude, is there really a Horde family?" Pete frowned, expressing his confusion.

Benjamin smiled. "I have never denied the existence of the Hod family."

Pete remained silent, seemingly recalling something, before finally nodding.

Without further investigation, Pete stretched his neck and turned around once, then relayed a message to the soldiers standing nearby, instructing them to keep an eye out for any trace of the merchant.

Benjamin saw everything.

Although Pitt is considered a partner, his human nature still needs to be considered.

He deliberately leaked false information just now to see how Pete would react.

Is it about persistently getting to the bottom of things, or about helping to solve the problem?

If it's the former, then Benjamin would have to suspect that he might have ulterior motives for approaching him, perhaps to investigate his background.

Fortunately, Pete chose the latter, which put Benjamin at ease.

The group continued to explore, moving forward slowly within a limited visibility range of approximately 5-8 meters.

Finally, after a short while, good news came from Benjamin's side.

Abby hopped out of the mud, swinging his legs: "There's a figure to the northeast."

Benjamin turned his head and saw a black shadow moving in the white mist.

Just as he raised an eyebrow, secretly pleased that he had found the merchant so quickly, Pete's expression suddenly hardened.

He raised his brown bess higher and lowered his voice: "Notify everyone, be on alert!"

"What's going on?"

"Not human, but a ghoul! Damn it, ever since you joined the guard, hunting evil spirits has become extremely difficult. Does the blood of you exorcists have a natural attraction to evil spirits?"

Pete was obviously not serious; you could tell from his tone that he was joking.

With a major cold wave already approaching, the number of wandering evil spirits will only increase, and those troublesome evil spirits will also increase day by day.

As the group continued their exploration, Benjamin immediately realized that it truly was a ghoul.

Not only because the figure's movements were distorted and staggering, but also because there were more and more shadows in that direction.

"God above, I believe in Mr. Hod's abilities. His performance on the shore was absolutely superb, wasn't it, Mr. Hod?"

Benjamin ignored Abby's flattery. He wasn't worried about his own safety; instead, he was concerned about a potential mishap that could lead to the deaths of his soldiers.

After all, the guard group only has so many people. If there are any losses, the trust that they spent money to build will be damaged.

Pete loaded the Brown Beth in his hand: "The ghouls will gather in more and more. If we're surrounded, none of us will be able to leave. The fog is too thick now, which is even more disadvantageous for us. Let's retreat, buddy. We haven't run into the person you want to see all this way. I guess we're probably doomed."

Hearing what Pete said, Abby's eyes widened: "God, let's go back quickly."

Benjamin encounters an army of ghouls in the Black Swamp and enters battle mode. Pete tells him that this battle is likely to end badly.

He would choose...

[Virtue: As a second lieutenant, leading the guard regiment to face difficulties head-on, the merchant's survival will bring huge benefits, +50%]

[Torture: Listen to advice and you'll eat your fill. Pete has extensive experience dealing with evil spirits. Trust him and choose to retreat. +50%]

"No rush, Pete, ghouls move very slowly, right?" Benjamin asked.

Pete frowned: "Yes, it's slow, but there are many of them and they're not easy to kill completely. If you deal with the ghouls for too long, other ghouls will surround you. They're not like fishmen who are afraid; once they see a living creature, they just won't stop."

Benjamin lifted his foot, gesturing for Pete to look at the mud beneath his feet: "Do you think ghouls can even move in this kind of environment? This is a perfect opportunity to wipe them out. It might be much harder to kill them when they slowly cross the Black Swamp and get closer to the town, right?"

Pete's eyes narrowed as he fell into deep thought, but Benjamin sensed his wavering in his gaze.

"This isn't an order; I'm discussing this with you as a comrade. Just don't forget, I paid for this mission, and I feel like it would be a waste to do nothing."

Pete interrupted Benjamin: "I'll listen to you. You're right, the ghouls are indeed heading towards Windhowl Town. We'll encounter them sooner or later. Even if we can deal with some of them here, it will help in the fierce battle to come."

Benjamin chose to confront the ghouls head-on. So what if they outnumbered him? The ghouls in the Black Swamp were clearly just giving him free experience points.

[Virtue: Fountain Accumulation Progress: 111%]

Abby slapped his face: "Oh my god, when did the Guard Regiment become so farsighted? Can I request to stand in the back row? Don't forget, I'm not a soldier of the Guard Regiment."

"Abby, you're in charge of watching behind everyone. Report any emergencies immediately."

"Thank you, Mr. Hord!"

Benjamin didn't intend to force Abby, after all, he didn't have much combat experience, and his value should be reflected in his confrontation with Avery.

Pete looked around, took a deep breath,

"Well, this will be a good opportunity for these greenhorns to overcome their fear of ghouls."

Benjamin immediately turned to the soldiers nearby and told them the strategic plan: "Have everyone take off their boots. They're too bulky and will trip themselves. Form teams of four: one to block, two to finish off the enemy, and one to keep watch and relay messages. Keep your distance, but make sure there are enough opportunities to help each other. Report any situation immediately."

Several soldiers nodded and quickly relayed the message to those around them.

Whispering voices came from the white mist, followed by the sound of shoes being taken off, and soldiers raising their weapons.

This time, Benjamin learned from his previous experience on the shore.

The requirement is that one out of every four people must carry a shield, instead of everyone wielding brownbeam bayonets and going out to kill evil spirits with a sense of grandeur.

Everyone received a fair share of £2 as 'attendance pay,' so no one objected to the division of labor.

To be honest, Benjamin himself wasn't sure. Aside from Pete and John, he didn't know the true strength of the others.

Moreover, the fog severely limited visibility; if my judgment is correct, the ghouls would be fine if they couldn't move.

But what if you just didn't see it clearly? Ghouls are actually quite agile.

After all, anything can happen.

Just then, a loud shout came from the left front.

Benjamin was shocked; it was a loud sound that only an accident would produce, and he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

however,

"Hey guys! These damn ghouls, their feet are stuck in the ground, hahaha! I stabbed two ghouls in the head with one stroke!"

"..."

After a brief silence, joyful laughter and chatter immediately filled the air from all directions.

No one was in mortal danger anymore; they had been suppressing their emotions for too long and now began to hunt down evil spirits with abandon.

The air was filled with the intermittent sounds of bayonets piercing flesh.

Benjamin breathed a sigh of relief; this was, of course, a result he was very happy with.

He was glad he had made the right bet; it not only enriched the soldiers' combat experience but also made the money worthwhile.

"Well done, buddy." Pete stepped forward and patted Benjamin on the shoulder in approval.

"Don't get excited yet. Tell them to shut up, just like last time. If some evil spirit carrying weapons appears, we'll be caught off guard and in trouble. Also, don't forget there are a lot of ghouls. Don't get surrounded. Tell them to control their voices and stick to the original plan. Don't do anything stupid."

Pete looked at the serious-looking Benjamin and nodded.

"Buddy, you're right, we can't let our guard down."