Douluo Continent, Huo Yuhao who returned from Sekiro

Chapter 274 Deep into Enemy Territory (Daily 10,000 words)

Huo Yuhao increased the precision of his mental detection and quickly discovered the footprints. He led Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng to follow them and soon found a cave at the foot of the hill.

Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng were both incredibly shocked by Huo Yuhao's exaggerated ability to integrate information and uncover clues, but they couldn't say a word. In Huo Yuhao's words, this was called mental communication silence.

Keep everything unrelated to the battle to yourself. We'll talk about it when we get back.

After discovering the hill where the bandits were stationed, the three did not rush in. Instead, they used their mental detection abilities to carefully circle the hill until they found the escape tunnel left by the bandits before returning to their original location.

Immediately afterwards, the three climbed Erquezi Mountain, which was a few hundred meters to the west of their target mountain.

The mountain was higher than the target mountain, which made it easier for Huo Yuhao and his team to conduct reconnaissance and determine the distribution of the bandits and other information.

"This is a bit tricky. If they are bandits in a cave, it means we'll have to fight a close-quarters battle. Not to mention, the seven level-six fixed-position soul-guided cannon shells I brought with me are useless."

The mental fluctuations from Huo Yuhao sent chills down Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng's spines. Seven level-six fixed-position soul-guided cannon shells—if their power were even slightly greater, they could have leveled this small mountain.

"We need more intelligence, and we have to take some risks."

Huo Yuhao slipped a handful of light blue Buddhist candy into each of their hands.

"Crush the Buddha Candy and follow my movements. We'll go inside in a bit. Once inside, even if you need to fart, you have to hold it in until you come out. Moon Concealment Candy can isolate your breath and sound, reducing body odor to some extent, but it's not absolute. Elder Xuan, this is yours."

Huo Yuhao knew that Elder Xuan must have followed, so he took out another handful of Buddhist candy.

As expected, Elder Xuan appeared immediately, took Huo Yuhao's Buddha candy, and then vanished without a trace.

Although he felt that giving the candy to Master Xuan was somewhat unnecessary, Huo Yuhao still did so. He put a piece of candy in his mouth, sat cross-legged, made a gesture of worship, and his figure gradually became transparent.

Ma Xiaotao and Dai Huabin followed suit, sitting cross-legged and putting the sky-blue Buddha candy into their mouths to crush it. Instantly, a sharp pain spread throughout their bodies, causing them to groan.

"How amazing."

The two of them were astonished when they saw Ma Xiaotao's mental fluctuations. They stared in surprise at their hands, which had become transparent.

"Let's go, and remain silent."

Huo Yuhao darted away without making a sound, and the two followed closely behind.

The entrance to the cave was not large, but the inside was quite spacious. After walking nearly fifty meters in, a strong smell of blood hit you.

Huo Yuhao remained unfazed, which alarmed Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng.

What exactly did Huo Yuhao go through to develop such a calm and composed mindset?

On the walls of the cave on both sides, there were more than a dozen human skins hanging, and even the corpse of an infant was pierced and hung on a stalagmite.

Continuing deeper into the cave for several hundred meters, they found human skin hanging on both sides of the cave walls. Since they entered the cave, they had seen no less than a hundred such skins, some of which had even dried out.

The cave was equipped with chevaux-de-frise, which was the first layer of defense for the cave, used to block ordinary troops.

The bandits patrolling back and forth served as a second layer of defense, acting as early warnings. Huo Yuhao clearly saw that these bandits were all carrying powerful crossbows, weapons capable of harming low-level Soul Masters.

Soon, as they continued forward, the terrain ahead of Huo Yuhao and the others suddenly opened up, and their vision became brighter. In the center of the cave, a dozen torches were tied together, and many bandits were sleeping haphazardly in a group of places. However, they all looked to be small fry, since they could be described as barely clothed.

Where is the third layer of protection?

A hint of doubt flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes. Unless the evil soul master was stupid, he would not have prepared only these two layers of protection. If he was an evil soul master, he would at least have prepared a large number of traps and tripwires.

Currently, this camp doesn't seem too difficult to attack. The biggest challenge is actually getting into this gathering area. Once he gets in successfully, Huo Yuhao can immediately take control of the high ground and mow down the evil soul masters in this area, killing as many as they come.

Huo Yuhao wanted to continue his investigation, but his path was blocked by a tall bandit leader who was at least 2.5 meters tall. The man blocked the way behind him like a gatekeeper, holding a high-quality heavy soul-guided ray gun.

"Let's retreat. I've memorized the entire layout here, and we know the attack locations. Let's withdraw."

With a somewhat apprehensive look at the minor leader, Huo Yuhao and the others quickly returned to the cave entrance like ghosts, leaving no trace.

"The enemy is all inside the cave. Our original scouting position is no longer usable. Now we'll change positions. You two will use my mental detection to memorize different pieces of information. Number One will be responsible for memorizing the bandits' nighttime patrol routes and frequency, as well as the placement of barricades and other traps."

"Number Two is responsible for memorizing the basic weaponry and equipment information of the enemy that I scan with my mental detection, the hiding places of key figures, and the locations of heavy firepower. I might feel a little dizzy when I perform a fan-shaped mental detection scan, so you two bear with it."

The three of them lay in the shade of the mountain for more than twenty hours, as the sun rose and set. During this time, Huo Yuhao repeatedly used his mental detection to scan the cave, thoroughly investigating all members, including the Grim Reaper.

During this time, many bandits came and went, but the three of them left no trace. They also hid directly above the cave, so the large number of bandits failed to discover Huo Yuhao and his companions.

It wasn't until the moon rose a second time and moved directly above the three of them that Huo Yuhao finally led the two away.

Although it was grueling, it was all worth it. The entire reconnaissance process went without any surprises, and when they left, the entire bandit camp's defenses were under their complete control.

The number of heavy soul-guided ray gunners, the basic weapons and equipment of the enemy and their numbers, the routes, frequency, and times of night patrols, and the residences of the evil soul masters represented by the Grim Reaper.

Having obtained most of the intelligence that could affect the operation, Huo Yuhao decided to end the reconnaissance mission to ensure maximum safety, as the potential gains from continuing the investigation far outweighed the risks.

Back at the camp, Huo Yuhao said he would call a meeting and then sat down for a nap.

He was the one who was most exhausted during this reconnaissance mission.

Even with his mental reserves, the repeated mental probing was already nearing its limit.

(End of this chapter)