"Oh my God, it's finally the last batch." One sweaty porter complained, "Even if I was given more money next time, I wouldn't be able to carry food from the whole city." ”

His companion poked him with his elbow, "Hurry up, man, I can't wait to go home and try the bread Jenny made." I've had enough of omelette and vegetable soup for a week. ”

"Hey, you guys!" The overseer shouted at the door, "Hurry up, there's still someone waiting outside!" ”

At his urging, the porters carried the bags full of grain on their shoulders and walked out of the warehouse. The overseer stepped over the last man's shoulder and looked inside. After making sure there was nothing left in the warehouse except for some garbage, he closed the door and locked it with heavy chains.

The empty warehouse was silent for a moment, until the voices faded away, and a ripple rippled in the air in the corner, revealing several previously unnoticed figures. Two of them were standing, and the other two were lying motionless on the ground. As soon as the unrelated person left, Dinein, who had to remain still in order to maintain the effect of the invisibility spell, immediately crouched down and searched the unconscious captive.

"Take this, girl, so you have your homework."

Given that he didn't need to lose it, but condescended to come over, Gianna took the vial full of plague from Dineen more cautiously than before. The liquid inside was dark green, very viscous, and seemed to be tumbling on its own without external force. She held it in her hand and sat it for a while, confirming this. Despite the wax seal on the mouth, Gianna added a thin but strong layer of magical frost to it. Even if she hadn't seen the effects of the plague with her own eyes, she wouldn't take it lightly.

The mage carefully put the disposed potion bottle into the small pocket around his waist, and then raised his head to look at the two fainted people: "What are you going to do with them?" ”

Dinen stared at them with a frown, a small shadow covering his face, making him look more fierce than he actually was, "Can you—" He stopped when he turned to Gianna, looking at her harshly, "Forget it, when I didn't say it." ”

Gianna raised an eyebrow at him in dissatisfaction, so Dinen stepped back and said, "Okay." If you can cast a sound-blocking spell and make sure it doesn't turn around. You know, I didn't mean to scare you. ”

The thick smell of blood in his tone could almost be really smelled. Gianna resisted this association and did not flinch: "What else do you want them to do?" ”

"I still have a few small details to know," Dinen grinned, revealing her sharp canines, "If they know enough, I'll take them to talk to the city guards when they agree to cooperate." ”

"The City Guard is Rivendell's private army. Are you really sure they can believe in you? ”

"Because of this, almost all of these soldiers are locals. Their families are either in the city or in a nearby village. If the Cultists of the Damned did succeed in planting the plague in the food of the civilians, then no one would be able to escape. I do not believe that anyone else in such a situation would be willing to remain loyal to a master who betrayed them. ”

Very reasonable. Gianna unleashed a mute spell as he said, but didn't exclude herself and didn't turn away. Seeing this, Dineen just glanced at her and didn't say anything. He woke up the unconscious captives one by one, communicating with them with a low growl and fist. There were times when the mage tried to stop her, or turn her face away, but she insisted on not saying a word.

When one of the captives finally broke down and began begging for mercy—he was younger, and he didn't look like a mage—Dineen stopped and turned his face to look at her. Gianna looked at him with the most determined gaze, so she didn't miss a slight nod. The gesture of approval surprised her.

"Now that we have a witness." Dinen said, looking at the other captive who had been knocked unconscious again after the interrogation, apparently trying to get rid of him. Before he could actually do it, Gianna preemptively spoke, "Do you think it would be better to leave him here and starve to death?" ”

Dinen sighed and turned to confirm if she meant it. Gianna winked at him, as if she were giving a code to her fellow mischievous companion. A knowing smile appeared on Dineen's face, and it quickly disappeared again. In a wicked tone, he said, "Not bad. It will be half a month before someone comes again, and I hope he won't be too rotten by then. After all, it is used to store grain. ”

"Then maybe they can store salted fish instead." Gianna answered excitedly. The captive's pale face told her that this small cooperation had further intimidated the other party, and it gave her a sense of joy that the prank had succeeded.

She certainly wouldn't really let anyone starve to death in a warehouse, even if it was a criminal who deserved the death penalty. When the more urgent matters are dealt with, the person will be taken before the kingdom's court. But villains will always fear those who are more vicious and evil, and will despise those who uphold their principles. A little mercy could add more trouble to this captive who had already succumbed, and it would be the callous display that could truly deter the other side.

Dineen pulled a rope out of the pile of debris, tied the stubborn captive firmly, and tossed it aside. Then he grabbed the arm of the captive who had already succumbed, held the other party hostage, and suddenly turned his head vigilantly: "Tell me, you have another place to teleport besides the church basement." ”

Gianna didn't even bother to roll her eyes at his questioning. She put on her hood for herself in a deaf ear, then raised her hand and unleashed the teleportation spell on them. The blue light flickered, as silently as they had come, and the three of them disappeared into the warehouse together.

***

They reappeared on the street behind the warehouse. As soon as Dineen stood still, he looked around with a vicious expression on his face to see who dared to see them. Perhaps because people were busy bringing home the food they had just bought to cook, there were very few people roaming the streets at this time. Only one homeless man saw the sudden appearance of these three people, he was dumbfounded, and then reacted under Dinein's eyes, and quickly slipped away along the wall.

Ignoring this little episode, Dineen rushed to the barracks with his companions. The smell of freshly baked bread filled the streets they walked, Gianna smiled under her hood, and even the captives relaxed slightly in the warm atmosphere, but Dinen quickened his pace with a calm face.

Even after personally examining the food that had been distributed to the residents, he was still extremely uncomfortable with the bad memories he had been awakened. A strange sweet smell began to linger in his nostrils. He concentrated on the smell, and the smell dissipated as if it had come from memory, leaving only the normal smell of bread. But when he looked away, it seemed to be really present in the here and now, causing him to tense his nerves and look for it again.

When they finally left the residential area and reached the barracks, Dineen was almost relieved. But he soon noticed something was wrong. There were no soldiers standing guard in front of the door, and he glanced inside the gate and saw no one moving. The whole barracks looked like it was empty - but that was impossible. A third of the city guards should be on standby at the camp at all times.

Dineen thought for a moment, then decided, "Let's go in and have a look." ”

He walked straight inside, trying to find someone to talk to. Gianna followed with her captive. The more Dinin walked in, the tighter his brow furrowed. He sniffed the air suspiciously, stimulated by the unpredictable situation, and his blood was about to burn.

Soon, they spotted several motionless figures in the open space in front of a row of tents. Dinen immediately stopped and gritted her teeth. The bad premonition he had had from the first step into the camp had finally been confirmed.

Gianna sensed something strange in his suppressed expression. She asked in a whisper, "What's wrong with those people?" ”

Even though she had deliberately lowered her voice, it still alarmed the figures who were as still as stone sculptures. There was barely time left to react, and the moment she spoke, they lunged in this way. Dineen immediately stepped forward and drew his sword to meet him. To him, they were still not fast enough for him to see the enemy.

They look fresher than corpses that have been sleeping in the tomb for years before being awakened. There were no carrions and maggots, and the outfits were still neat, and if it weren't for the posture twisted by muscle spasms, the overly pale complexion, and the residual vomit from their mouths, they would have looked like ordinary human soldiers. But Dineen knew they weren't anymore. Without saying a word, he cut down the undead one by one, skilfully ensuring that they could no longer get up.

"That's what you're going to put in the food for the whole city." Noticing that the captive's legs were weak and his lips were trembling, Dinen told him. The captive, who had been terrified, fell to his knees, let out a painful sob, covered his face with his hands, and muttered inaudible words in his mouth.

Gianna was also taken aback. She stared at the corpses, a disgusted look on her face. "Is Rivendell crazy!" She exclaimed, angry to the extreme, "This is his own soldier!" ”

"So it's going to be easier to get started." Dineen gritted his teeth at this shameless act of betrayal, "You know, the army's rations are transported separately. In Uther's absence, Rivendell was emboldened enough to refuse the Silver Hand to inspect it. ”

He glanced up deeper into the camp, his eyes gloomy and depressed. Rivendell caught him off guard. You must know that when the city defense army is completely transformed into the undead, the command of this army will definitely be transferred to the hands of the necromancer, and doing so will greatly reduce Rivendell's voice within the Cursed Sect. Dinen had expected that he would send someone to check on him again if he found out something was wrong with the plague, so he and Gianna stayed in the warehouse until the food was distributed. But he underestimated his opponent's ruthlessness.

Their efforts cannot be said to be meaningless, at least the citizens of Stratholme escaped the tragic fate of becoming undead. However, the corruption of the City Guard meant that the Silver Hand would still face the plight of the enemy, and even before they could hear the news and arrive, the inhabitants of the vicinity would be slaughtered. At the same time, the higher-ups of the Cursed Sect can prepare their next steps in the Baron's mansion, and no one can threaten them.

He faintly heard a movement, and looked in that direction. A voice was approaching, and Dinen didn't know what it was, so she motioned for Gianna to be on alert. As the commotion approached them, the warrior's keen ears finally picked up useful information—he heard the shouts of humans.

Gianna's hearing was not as good as his, but she saw the source of the sound in time: "Look over there, there are still people alive!" ”

The nimble and natural movements of the living were easily recognizable, and it was clear that a small group of humans were struggling to make their way out of the undead that surrounded them. Moreover, the weapons wielded by the leader flashed with the light they were all familiar with, and the undead in front of them fell like wheat cut by a sickle in front of the brilliant light.

Gianna immediately raised her hand and threw a fireball spell at the undead who were chasing after the survivors. The flames blasted away a small group of undead, and the wave of air pushed the man at the back of the line to a staggering side, nearly crashing into his companion's back. For a moment they seemed to be suspicious of who the target of this spell was, but the speed under their feet did not slow down in the slightest.

"Slow them down first." Dinen said to her. The sound of the battle attracted more and more undead, and perhaps the entire camp was alarmed by them. Gianna immediately changed her strategy. Wisely, she didn't choose targets that were too close to the survivors, but instead froze the feet of some of the undead who were a little farther away. The unconscious corpses fell forward, tripped over their own kind. Dineen quickly made his rounds around, considering his next step.

"Come with me." He grabbed the captive who was lying on the ground, snapped, and ran to the door. The two gates are wooden, but still heavy. He grabbed the beam from the door, gritted his teeth and dragged it. Despite another attempt, it took a great deal of effort for Dineen to close it. When he turned to check the situation in a sweat, he realized that it was too late to close the other side. In order to maintain a safe casting distance, Gianna had retreated to the door, and despite her spell support, the survivors were surrounded by more and more undead. At a quick glance, Dineen could only see that they had not yet lost their numbers, and they were struggling to move towards the door surrounded by the enemy.

"Damn it......," he cursed breathlessly, turning back to the other side, "the carriage!" Push it over! ”

At this time, it is obviously superfluous to consider where the horses pulling the cart have gone. Dineen grabbed the empty harness and used all the strength he had to drag it to the door, blocking the gap. The carriage for freight did not have high carriages, so it was not difficult to climb over from above. Dinen drove his two companions over, and he stood guard in front of the carriage with his sword.

He recognized Tirio Ferding at first sight. And the paladin apparently remembered who he was. After cutting down the last undead who stood in front of him, he simply nodded at Dinein, and without hesitation, he turned his back to the escape passage and continued to devote himself to the battle. Dineen briefly glanced at his back, then stepped forward to stand with the paladin.

By the time the last survivor crawled over the rudimentary barrier with weak hands and feet, the two men covering the retreat had retreated to the side of the carriage. Dinen motioned for Tirio to please. Despite the protection of the Holy Light, the Paladin, who was already exhausted, accepted his kindness. He swung a shockwave forward, emptying the undead within a few paces, then turned and climbed into the carriage. Several hands reached out from the other side and pulled him over.

Dinen finally chopped off the head of an undead and kicked his swaying torso forward, slightly blocking the latecomer. With the help of these few seconds, he leaped forward, avoiding the scratching of several pairs of pale and stiff hands, and landed on the other side of the carriage, rolling on the ground before he stood up.

"I guess," a voice said behind him, "we have time to talk now?" ”