Extreme Frontier Army: Starting from the bottom ranks, conquering the chaotic world

Lu Jing raised his eyebrows.

"This door is so heavy, the hinges are rusted shut. If you're killing someone inside by yourself, you won't have a chance to seal the door."

Shen Qingqiu raised his hand, which was wrapped like a rice dumpling, and pointed to the door bolt.

"Zhao He's men come in in batches. If they find anything wrong, the ones behind them immediately retreat. If the door can't be closed, all your lime and poisonous fumes will be wasted."

Lu Jing stared at her for a long time.

This woman was so frightened by the sight of a dead body a few days ago that her legs went weak, but now she actually dares to stay and do murder.

"Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"Afraid."

Shen Qingqiu looked directly into his eyes.

"But I'm more afraid that if you die, I'll lose all hope of revenge."

Lu Jing was amused.

"Fine, your life is your own. I won't stop you from going to your death if you want."

He pointed to the pile of hay in the far corner of the granary.

"When anyone comes in, you hide in the shadows behind the door. As soon as I yell 'Make your move,' use every ounce of strength you have to lock the door."

Shen Qingqiu nodded emphatically, turned around and walked behind the door, reaching out to lift the heavy wooden bolt.

The wooden door bolt remained firmly in place.

As soon as the injured hand exerted force, a small patch of dark red seeped out from the coarse cloth wrapped around the back of the hand.

Lu Jing's smile faded slightly.

The bolt was heavier than expected, and the slot was full of rust and dust.

Even if Shen Qingqiu had both hands intact, let alone the fact that he only has one hand injured, he might not be able to push it in in such a hurry.

"Get out of the way."

He walked behind her, kicked away the clods of mud piled up under the door bolt, and reached his right hand over Shen Qingqiu's waist to grasp the wooden bolt.

Shen Qingqiu's back was pressed against his chest, and through two layers of thin clothing, she could almost feel the heat emanating from his body.

Her body instinctively tried to dodge to the side, but Lu Jing blocked her escape route by pressing his knee against the door.

"What are you hiding from?"

Lu Jing glanced down at her reddened ears.

"Now you know about the proper distance between men and women? When we have a knife to your throat, are you going to talk to Zhao He about chastity?"

Shen Qingqiu stomped on his foot hard.

Lu Jing grunted and suddenly exerted force in his arm.

The rusted wooden plug was forced halfway into the slot, grinding off a large patch of dark red rust.

"Look carefully."

Lu Jing held her uninjured hand and pressed it against the bottom of the wooden peg.

"Don't push it flat, lift it up a bit, then bump it with your shoulder. The slot is already worn open, you only need this one push."

After saying that, he released his grip and stepped back.

Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath, supported the wooden bolt as instructed, and slammed his shoulder forward.

The wooden bolt slid into the slot with a dull thud.

A look of joy flashed in her eyes.

Lu Jing squatted down, picked up a small piece of wood from the ground, and stuffed it into the edge of the slot.

"Don't be too happy yet. When it comes to actually doing it, close the door first, then seal it shut. If you miss one step, we'll both be lying on the floor."

Shen Qingqiu carefully memorized the instructions, then reopened the bolt and practiced the movements again and again.

Lu Jing carried a bag of lime and sprinkled a thin layer along the haystack.

Too thick and it won't work, as the torch will easily reveal the marks; too thin and it won't stir up enough dust.

It must be loosely covered with dry grass; if you step into the wrong spot, it will stir up a cloud of white mist.

Zhao He's men will definitely need to carry torches when they come in.

The granary is dark; if you step on a shard of pottery, your formation will be thrown into chaos.

In the chaos, the torches fell to the ground, and the rising white ash could instantly damage their eyes and respiratory tracts.

People can't see in this dust, so they instinctively back away, and as they back away, they step on even more broken pottery shards.

When Lu Jing scattered the hay in the third pile, his movements suddenly stopped.

Beneath the hay, a black charcoal mark the size of a thumb was visible.

Use the tip of a knife to pry open the grass blades.

A very faint triangle was drawn on the muddy ground, its sharp point pointing directly into the depths of the granary.

These are the marks left by the two spies during the day.

Zhao He wasn't stupid.

They knew to have someone memorize the location and general layout of the granary beforehand, so as not to wander into the wrong place in the dark.

Unfortunately, the two men only dared to stand outside the door and look inside, and they didn't realize at all that what was piled up deep inside the granary was real grain or wheat bran.

Lu Jing erased the mark with the sole of his boot and added a slightly skewed triangle next to it.

The arrow points directly at the narrow path covered with broken pottery shards.

Since they went to the trouble of leaving the road signs, we might as well make use of them.

After laying the lime, Lu Jing climbed onto the top of the door panel, stepping on several stacked empty burlap sacks.

They took two rusty iron nails and hammered them into the beam, thus securing a roll of rag soaked in hot oil.

One end of the oilcloth roll was attached to an oil-soaked hemp rope, which hung behind the door.

As long as Shen Qingqiu casually breaks the hemp rope when closing the door, the oilcloth roll will fall into the prepared brazier.

The real grain in the granary has already been transferred out, and the remaining stuff, even if burned clean, wouldn't be worth much.

The thick smoke from the fire could choke a person's lungs and cause them to burst within half a cup of tea.

Lu Jing jumped off the sack and dusted off his hands.

Close the door, set off a smoke bomb, and chop someone up.

A one-stop physical ritual for the deceased.

Zhao He was hung on a flagpole and given a fumigation treatment a few days ago.

That day, hundreds of people blocked the tent entrance and cursed his ancestors all day long, making him lose all face and dignity.

I brought men here tonight, firstly to kill someone to vent my anger, and secondly to reclaim that batch of genuine grain.

To ensure that nothing goes wrong.

Zhao He will definitely personally venture into the deepest part.

Only after he goes inside will the coffin be properly sealed.

End of the Xu hour.

It was completely dark.

Lu Jing leaned against the granary door frame, a piece of dry grass clenched in his mouth.

"Pass down the order."

Lu Jing spat the dried grass into the muddy water.

"No fires are to be lit in the entire camp tonight, and no one is allowed to leave their tents. If anyone dares to peek out from the granary, they'll be cooked as special meat tomorrow."

"Sergeant, that burly captain next to Zhao He is not someone to mess with."

The skinny monkey lowered his voice mysteriously.

"How bad are you to mess with?" Lu Jing glanced at him sideways.

"I don't know, but Black Bear and the others said that Gu Changfeng sent it to him."

"Understood, go and relay the order."

The skinny monkey scrambled away.

He and two other agile veterans were sentries that Lu Jing had deliberately left behind, and they were not included in the ban.

Did Zhao He get people from Gu Changfeng?

Lu Jing watched his retreating figure, lost in thought.

Before long, the entire Eighth Battalion was plunged into a deathly silence and darkness.

Even the blind veterans who usually patrolled at night were all gone.

Lu Jing walked behind the earthen wall outside the granary, which was half collapsed.

The earthen wall blocked the biting north wind and also blocked the view from the outside.

He crouched down and gripped the hilt of the steel saber.

The blood grooves on the blade had been worn smooth and shiny.

Shen Qingqiu huddled in the gap behind the door panel, one hand gripping the heavy wooden bolt that weighed dozens of kilograms.

With his other hand, wrapped in coarse cloth, he gripped the piece of wood used to seal the slot tightly, suppressing his breathing to a minimum.

It was just past midnight.

A soft, rapid sound of footsteps echoed from afar.

Behind the earthen wall, the hairs on the back of Lu Jing's neck stood on end.

The beastly instincts honed in the crucible of countless deaths and carnage were on high alert.

coming.

Three very faint scraping sounds came from below the wall.

This was a pre-arranged code between Lu Jing and Skinny Monkey.

Immediately afterwards, the skinny monkey's extremely low voice emerged from under the wall.

"Sergeant..."

"They're here..."

"Thirty men in black armor, led by Zhao He himself, are sneaking towards the granary."

The skinny monkey lowered his voice even further.

"But Zhao He didn't go first."

"That old dog sent ten black-armored men to scout ahead, while he hid at the very back."

Lu Jing narrowed his eyes; the old dog was more afraid of death than he had expected.

But it's okay.

The coffin is already set up. Whoever goes in first will be buried together.

The prey has entered the arena.