A Villain's Journey Begins in the Type-Moon World

But just then, a sudden explosion rang out, and one after another, the tattered tents burst open. Not only the tents, but also the surrounding wooden walls were engulfed in a massive explosion, and flames reignited.

Chapter 41 The Crisis of Another Team

"It's kerosene! Damn it—ah!!"

Tragic screams rang out one after another. The soldiers who had scattered to search for clues had all set themselves ablaze. They rolled in the snow, but they couldn't extinguish the flames on their bodies. The rest of the men, including the captain, were surrounded by the raging fire.

"Shhhhh-"

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!"

The sound of crossbow bolts piercing the air and the fall of several Ursus soldiers made them immediately realize what had happened. But they were surrounded by flames, and there was no way for them to escape.

"Wipe these guys out!!" At this moment, the Sarkaz mercenaries who had been waiting outside the camp grinned and began to enter, reaping the lives of these Ursus soldiers.

……

Several tens of minutes later, this group of 500 men, just like their compatriots before them, died either in the explosions and flames or from crossbow bolts and Sarkaz blades.

Even the captain, his face filled with resentment and rage, fell into a pool of blood after being struck twice in the chest. The Sarkaz mercenary group had once again annihilated the enemy, and this time with a complete and utter zero casualties.

The main contributor was the explosives planted by W using Originium Arts. Combined with some oil, this created a deadly trap from which the Ursus soldiers could not escape, ultimately annihilating them all.

"Ding—Congratulations to the host for successfully eliminating 500 Ursus people under your command. Reward: 500 reputation points. Current reputation: 1700."

Wang Chong swallowed a communications soldier's communicator with black mist. Before the soldier could transmit the information, he was struck in the head by Faust's arrow and died instantly.

Wang Chong used the power of the black mist to extract information about the communication device from the messenger's soul, including the official military channels and codes. Wang Chong smiled slightly, confident that handing these things over to Froststar and the others would bring them unexpected surprises.

However, more important than these things, he learned from the captain's memories another important matter: Talulah and Patriot's situation was getting worse. The Third and Fourth Armies seemed to have no intention of letting the guerrillas go this time and had sent out five battalions, nearly 5,000 men, to annihilate Talulah and Patriot.

Among them are many war mages and powerful warriors who have experienced countless battles. Even if Patriot has the strength to defeat ten thousand men, if these five thousand people were to use their countless Originium Arts to wear him down, given Patriot's current physical condition, he might find it difficult to keep up.

Moreover, Patriot himself should be aware that if he were to truly use his full strength to eliminate these five thousand people, not only would his own power be greatly diminished, but he would also have to face the wrath of the Ursus Empire. At that time, he might not be facing five thousand people, but ten thousand! One hundred thousand! Once the Ursus war machine is activated, unless one reaches a monstrous level of power like a god, no amount of personal bravery will be able to turn the tide of the war.

Therefore, the patriots could only avoid direct confrontation; they had no choice but to retreat back to the snow-capped mountains and fight like cornered beasts under heavy encirclement.

"Hmph, that guy's efficiency is truly astounding. I'm a little curious about what role he plays in Ursus. Does that emperor really indulge him so much?" Wang Chong murmured, then looked at the Sarkaz mercenary group and the crossbowmen, and said, "Alright everyone, after cleaning up the battlefield, we should leave."

……

The Reunion Movement continued its slow advance along the road between the camp and the forest. Because they had so much supplies, they had to move them to one location at a time before moving on to the next. They ran back and forth countless times. Everyone wanted to carry as much as possible, as they were entirely dependent on these supplies to get through the rest of the day.

"Hmm?" Froststar's ears were the first to hear the noise. She looked towards the camp and saw Wang Chong returning safely with his mercenaries and crossbowmen in the distance.

"Phew... It's good that you're back." Froststar was completely relieved. It seemed that Wang Chong and the others had taken care of her worries.

When Wang Chong arrived in front of Shuangxing, he nodded and said, "It's over for now. No one will be chasing us anymore. Now, have your men split into three groups. One group will stay here to guard these supplies, another group will go to the forest to cut timber and make trailers, and the last group will go to the forest to find a suitable place to set up camp and rest. Make sure to mark the route. Everyone has worked hard all night. If they don't rest soon, I'm afraid they won't be able to hold on."

“Okay.” Froststar naturally understood this principle, so she immediately began to arrange for people to do the work.

Ultimately, the most capable guerrilla members and mercenaries guarded the supplies. The other infected mostly went into the forest to cut down trees and build makeshift trailers for transporting supplies, while Frostnova and the Yeti squad led the remaining infected to find temporary shelter, set up camp, and rest.

After working for several hours, with the sun high in the sky, they finally managed to haul batches of supplies to the camp using makeshift carts. Some people in the camp had already started building campfires, cooking meat soup, and beginning to enjoy the fruits of their victory.

Froststar looked at the heartwarming scene before her and a rare smile appeared on her face again. Just then, a familiar warmth enveloped her once more. Froststar looked to the side and saw a steaming bowl of hot soup beside her.

"Here, freshly cooked meat soup. I also added some wild mushrooms I picked; it smells delicious," Wang Chong said, handing it to Shuangxing.

"Hmm, thank you." Froststar took the hot soup, and under the cover of black mist, she could once again enjoy the warm food.

"...What is this yellow thing?" Froststar couldn't help but poke at the "yellow chunks" floating in the soup with her finger and asked.

"Oh, these are potatoes, some of my own private property, and they're quite good. Try some," Wang Chong said with a smile.

Froststar began by tasting the thick soup, then gently bit into the wild mushrooms and potatoes. "Delicious... I've never tasted such delicious food before." Froststar closed her eyes, carefully savoring the savory flavor of the meat, mushrooms, and potatoes. After taking another sip of the soup, Froststar felt a warm glow spread through her body, as if she were floating on a cloud.

"Eat more if you like it, and replenish your strength. After this period of rest, the days ahead will probably be the hardest," Wang Chong said meaningfully. Shuangxing seemed to sense something as well, but simply nodded silently, focusing her attention on the food.

About half an hour later, all the supplies in the tents had been moved, and everyone was resting in their respective camp areas. Froststar had finished her meal and relaxed a bit before turning to Wang Chong and asking, "Speak, Mr. Wang Chong, have you heard any news?"

"When I wiped out the 500 Ursus soldiers who came back, I inadvertently learned some information from them..." Wang Chong told Frostnova about Patriot and Talulah's current situation.

"This! Why didn't you tell me this sooner!" Upon hearing that Patriot and Talulah were likely in danger, Frostnova couldn't calm down. She immediately stood up, wanting to gather a team to carry out a rescue.

"Calm down, Froststar! Those are five thousand elite troops! Even if you lead the team, it will be futile!" Wang Chong stopped Froststar and said, "Besides, this is when everyone is most exhausted. How are you going to rescue them? What strength and fighting power do they have right now to rescue them?"

"Most importantly, where are you going to rescue them now? Do you know their location? Do you know the deployment of the 5 troops in Ursus and the rest of the army group? You're just recklessly rushing to rescue them."

Hearing Wang Chong's questions, Shuangxing couldn't answer for a moment, and thus calmed down a bit. But she still said with great reluctance, "Are you just going to make me stand here and do nothing?"

“Of course, we can’t do nothing. Talulah and the others are in trouble now. And as the current leader of Reunion, you need to stay calm and develop a detailed and correct rescue plan. Whether Talulah and the others can come back is entirely in our hands, do you understand?” Wang Chong said in a deep voice.

Chapter 42 Westward Expedition

"Don't worry, you should know your father's strength... Five thousand men are no match for him. It's just that your father probably doesn't want to completely break ties with the army group, which is why he's been being chased around."

Wang Chong explained his speculations about Patriot's actions to Froststar. After listening, Froststar felt somewhat relieved. Although she was still worried about Patriot's situation, at least she had calmed down and was no longer acting rashly.

“In that case, we need to first determine the location of my father and Talulah. We should send out some scouts to gather intelligence, or we could send a small team to raid a few Ursus soldiers and see if we can get any information,” Frostnova said.

"No need for all that trouble... Look at this." Wang Chong waved out a black mist that landed on the ground, then pulled it back, revealing a complete communication device on the ground.

"This is Ursus's exclusive military communication device!" Frostnova exclaimed in surprise.

"Not only that, look at this." Wang Chongchong took out an old booklet from his pocket and handed it to Shuangxing. Shuangxing opened it and immediately recognized what was written on it. A look of surprise flashed across Shuangxing's eyes.

"The military channels of the Ursus Fourth Army, and the corresponding codebooks... With these, finding out the movements of the Fourth Army is a piece of cake."

"With it, we can completely deduce the whereabouts of Father and the others by working backward from the mobilization orders issued by the Fourth Army."

It's no wonder Frostnova was so excited. With these two powerful weapons, she was essentially given a third eye on the Fourth Army. Finding Talulah's forces and avoiding the Fourth Army's encirclement would become incredibly easy.

"Yes, so what we need now is to have people take turns monitoring the communications to thoroughly understand the movements of the Fourth Army and the location of Talulah and her group, and then dispatch an elite squad to break through and provide rescue..."

Next, Wang Chong directly explained the plan he had prepared to Froststar. After carefully considering the team members, Froststar nodded and agreed.

"Then, Miss Froststar, you should have considered your future plans. With these unexpected events, it's no longer suitable for the Reunion Movement to stay in the mountains for too long. The incident at the thousand-man camp will be discovered within a day. We must make a decision on our direction as soon as possible: should we move west or south?" Wang Chong asked slowly.

Frostnova took a deep breath, carefully considering the current situation and the resources that their Reunion Movement now possessed... After much deliberation, Frostnova made her decision.

Five days later, the cold wind howled on the cliffs. Froststar stood on the edge of the mountain path, gazing at the scenery below. This mountainous area was not entirely covered by ice and snow; dense forests and shrubs could still be seen growing at the foot of the mountain, obscuring the view.

Three days have passed since Shuangxing arrived in the mountains. She has already set up camp for the Reunification Movement and is methodically developing routes up and down the mountain, establishing suitable patrol routes, and deploying outposts, all based on Wang Chong's suggestions. In addition, Shuangxing has arranged for people to begin cultivating wasteland on the mountain and planting a crop called potatoes, which Wang Chong provided.

Meanwhile, after five days of constantly eavesdropping on the Fourth Army's intelligence, Frostnova finally determined the current location of Talulah and the others. The situation was becoming increasingly urgent; Talulah and her group were trapped in the Fourth Army's encirclement and interception. If they couldn't break through the encirclement within a week, they would face the desperate situation of running out of ammunition and food.

"rustle--"

Footsteps came from behind Frostnova. She turned around and saw Wang Chong leading the group, followed by a few other people. There was W, the new leader of the Sarkaz mercenary group, and his adjutant Ines, five scouts from the guerrillas, Faust, and Big Bear and Yang from the Yeti squad. This 10-person temporary team had been brought by Wang Chong.

These people were the temporary rescue team formed by the troops that went to rescue Talulah. Although the team members were proposed by Wang Chong, Froststar also fully considered the individual abilities of each person and recognized the possibility of this team's rescue.

"Are you leaving already?" Frostnova couldn't help but ask.

“Well, it’s getting late. If we don’t go now, it’ll be too late. Don’t worry, I’ve already promised to bring your father and Talulah back. And you must keep your promise and follow my plan to build the Reunion Movement’s base. When Talulah and the others arrive, you’ll definitely give them a surprise,” Wang Chong said with a smile.

"I'd much rather you return safe and sound than be startled... I should have led the rescue of Father myself," Froststar said involuntarily.

“Talulah and Patriot are in trouble. Frostnova, you are now the highest leader of the Reunion Movement. You must take responsibility for the entire Reunion Movement. Besides… you have to give me a chance to successfully pursue Talulah, right? What could be more appropriate than a hero rescuing a damsel in distress?” Wang Chong said with a smile.

"Haha...that's true." Froststar smiled faintly, it was hard to tell if it was Wang Chong's joke or if it carried some other emotion. After chuckling twice, Froststar gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear that had been ruffled by the cold wind, and earnestly instructed, "Then be careful...I'm entrusting Talulah and Father to you, Mr. Wang Chong."

"Leave it to me." Wang Chong nodded, then waved to the people behind him before heading down the mountain together. Froststar watched Wang Chong's retreating figure and sighed silently. She had never doubted Wang Chong's strength; if he were to intervene this time, her father and Talulah would most likely be found safely.

But... how could she possibly repay this kindness? Froststar suddenly touched the jar in her bosom and took it out. Inside were about a dozen black lumps—the black mist bubbles Wang Chong had given her. During the time he was away, if she wanted hot food each day, she would swallow one of the black mist bubbles. The bubble would then generate black mist from within, producing the same effect as when she was inside the black mist Wang Chong had created.

It felt as if the other person had never left her, always by her side, offering warmth. Thinking of this, Frostnova's heart raced.

……

Meanwhile, on the snowy plains, a rather weary force was busy on the move. Leading the way was none other than Talulah, the leader of the Reunion Movement, accompanied by Patriots.

"Why did things turn out like this? Where did things go wrong?" Talulah muttered to herself. It all started with the raid on the outpost five days ago.

That day, they only intended to attract the attention of the surrounding outposts before quickly leaving with a batch of supplies. But just as they were preparing to detour back to the snow-capped mountains and cross them to rejoin the main force, an unexpected event occurred.

A 5,000-strong elite Ursus army ambushed them mid-journey, catching them completely off guard. Their ranks were nearly scattered, becoming lambs to the slaughter. Had Patriot not intervened and successfully repelled the hundred heavily armored swordsmen, they likely wouldn't have been able to escape this 5,000-strong force.

Even so, the unit relentlessly pursued them, showing no intention of letting them go. They had been chased day and night for more than five days, and everyone was exhausted.

“Perhaps… it should have come to this point long ago… it’s my fault.” Patriot suddenly spoke up at this moment.

“How could it be Mr. Patriot’s fault? It was my failure to plan an escape route and to discover this unit. If we hadn’t been ambushed and suffered serious injuries to most of our men, we wouldn’t have had to flee in such a sorry state. Otherwise, with our strength, we would have been able to break through their encirclement and enter the snow mountain from the very beginning. Once we reached the rugged paths of the snow mountain, we could have held off thousands and successfully rejoined the main force.” Talulah shook her head with a wry smile, taking the blame upon herself.

“That’s not what I meant… Talulah… is because of my identity,” Patriot said slowly.

"They... indulged me and the guerrillas because of past glories... but there is a limit... the death of the inner guard broke the bottom line. They were ready to kill... this is the strength that the Ursus Army Group should have."

Chapter Forty-Three: One Against a Thousand

Listening to Patriot's slow and hoarse narration, Talulah understood what Patriot meant. It turned out that from the very beginning until recently, they had never been taken seriously by the army groups, and those army groups were even intentionally going easy on them.

Now, they've simply stopped pretending and are now serious about taking action against people like themselves.

“Regular army…” Talulah clenched her fists. If there was no way to retreat from the path ahead, she would have no choice but to fight with her back against the wall.

“Five days have passed, and I wonder how the main force of the Reunion Movement is doing now,” Talulah said.

“They…are alright…Froststar…are alright, with him here,” Patriot said briefly.

“That one…” Talulah naturally knew that the person Patriot was referring to was Wang Chong. With Wang Chong around, the Reunion Movement should be able to survive. Especially since he had been getting quite close to Frostnova these past few days, and their relationship seemed to be very good, out of consideration for that, he should be able to guarantee the safety of those people.

“Talulah… Our next area is the Glacier region. We’ll need it if we want to break through their defenses,” Patriot said slowly.

"A glacier?" Talulah opened the map, looked at the terrain layout, and then seemed to realize something. She said, "If we go downstream, we might be able to reach the southern border. If the current is strong enough, we might even be able to break through the checkpoints along the river. So, sir, you intend for me to use my Originium Arts to melt and destroy the structure of the glacier, right?"

“Hmm…this is the most likely of all possibilities,” Patriot said slowly.

……

In the southwestern forest region, Wang Chong was leading his team eastward. Big Bear glanced at the map and said, "Hey Wang Chong, why aren't we climbing the snow-capped mountain near that thousand-man camp to reach the encirclement and carry out the rescue? Why are we heading east towards the river? Are we going to take a long detour?"

“No, we can just stay by the river. You can ask Yang Ge for details. He just overheard some important information yesterday,” Wang Chong said calmly.

“Let me explain… Yesterday I overheard Ursus’ final move: they plan to build a large enough dam across the river to the east, and send people to set up camp on the hillside upstream of the dam,” Yang explained.

"A dam? What are they planning to do?" Big Bear asked, not quite understanding.

"It's to intercept Talulah and Mr. Patriot." At this moment, Faust suddenly spoke up, "On the map, the only way out for them in the encirclement is this river. Although the upstream to the north is frozen, it's not a problem for Talulah's Originium Arts. She can even use the melting and rising water as propulsion to quickly ride the river downstream."

"You mean the leader and the captain will come here by water?" Big Bear said.

“That’s right, so if there were a dam here to block the river, the consequences would be unimaginable,” Faust said.

"In that case, why not just blow up that damn dam? We happen to have a demolition expert here, don't we?" Big Bear said, glancing at W, who was yawning and clutching a grenade.

“I don’t know, it depends on your arrangements, sir. Also, if a camp has been set up there, the Ursus Thousand-Man Camp, which is on the only way, has probably already been exposed... I’m afraid there are likely enemy scouts in the forest searching for traces and clues. Sir, let me and some other scouts go and investigate the situation ahead.” After finishing his reasoning, Faust asked Wang Chong.

"Okay, go ahead, I'll leave these matters to you. Oh, and take Ines with you. Her reconnaissance abilities are equally strong, and she can provide you with better visibility." Wang Chong nodded, then used the black mist to give Ines instructions.

Faust then turned and explained his deductions to several guerrilla scouts, who then followed Faust and Ines into the dense forest ahead, quickly disappearing from sight.

Wang Chong, along with the remaining men, followed at a leisurely pace. He could handle many things himself, but there was no need. If he had to deal with even these minor matters, he might as well not lead the Reunion Movement at all.

……

A day later, Talulah led her troops to the vicinity of the glacier, where they began building stable wooden boats capable of carrying them, ready to take the risk.

"I'll buy them time," Patriot said, and then slowly walked alone towards the snowfield. Patriot intended to use his own strength to temporarily intercept the 5,000-strong army, giving them time to build the wooden boats.

Talulah didn't stop Patriot from making his choice, because it was the only viable option at the moment. Besides, Patriot couldn't be kept with those five thousand men; he would eventually return at the agreed time to go back with them.

However, after this incident, Patriot's condition will likely worsen further. Perhaps she will never again hear the words of advice and guidance from this elder and mentor who has always been so kind and compassionate towards her.

The Patriot continued walking until he came to a place where he found a withered, ancient tree. He touched it for a while, and as if sensing something, murmured, "This will do."

He then used his giant halberd to cut down the dead tree, leveled the stump, and sat on the stump. He then chopped the felled dead tree into suitable firewood, lit a campfire, and silently sat there guarding the place.

"Boom... Boom..."

About an hour later, the ground began to tremble. Patriot calmly looked ahead at the swirling snow fog. He saw the 5,000-strong army he had dealt with many times in the past few days slowly approaching Patriot's direction.

"stop--"

The legion commander gave the order, and the entire 5,000-strong legion slowly came to a stop. They had all seen the Patriot—Bozokastie—sitting by a fire not far ahead, and thus stopped.

The longer they stayed in Ursus's army, the more they realized just how terrifying Wendigo was, a man who had fought for the empire for many years and made unparalleled contributions. Even just one person sitting there warming himself by the fire, seemingly defenseless, was enough to make them dare not cross the line.

The legion commander slowly walked out from the troops and called out, "Wendigo, stop your stubborn resistance. His Majesty already knows what happened here, and he is very unhappy with your choice. Considering your past contributions to the Empire, and His Majesty's urgent need for capable ministers and soldiers, he has ordered us to take you back to Saint-Germain Castle, so that you may return to His Majesty's glory."

Patriot didn't speak. He just sat there, head down, warming himself by the fire, as if the thousands of troops were nothing more than clay chickens and earthen dogs in his eyes, not worth a second glance.

For a moment, the two sides remained deadlocked, neither making any further moves. His past experience and the sheer aura of solitude alone were enough to prevent the others from easily taking action. The legend of the Patriot continued to this day in Ursus.

……

"How are you, Ines?"