Chapter 40: Twisting the Strongman

After speaking, Wu sincerely bent down and bowed to apologize to these low-status criminals.

After a five-second bow, the criminals watched quietly without saying a word.

After bowing, Wu looked at the criminals seriously.

"At this point, your shackles have been lifted in the crisis just now, and I have no intention of restricting your freedom again."

"What do you mean?"

One of the criminals asked.

"Quite simply, I don't force you to protect me until the end of the mission. If you want to leave, just leave! ”

"But——! For the crime of escaping from the state, we will suffer a more severe punishment! ”

"Please rest assured of this, when I return, I will report it to Brother Wang in the name of sacrificing my life for the country."

What a tempting offer - the criminals began to stir.

This is indeed a very secure proposition, and Wu has already taken care of the way for the criminals.

At this point, several criminals began to get up first—scrambling to leave in the direction of the return trip.

More and more criminals are leaving, and the number of criminals who stay in front of Wu is rapidly decreasing.

Wu is not surprised by this. If it were me, I would have made the same decision.

Clearly, this is the right choice.

was attacked by the ghost anchovy just now, and Wu deeply felt it, and it was also the first time in his life-

- How terrible it feels to lose a companion.

These people weren't even Wu's companions, at best they were escorting guards.

Just dying from his side in such a strange identity is enough to echo in his mind.

Therefore, it is the most merciful thing to do now to let all the criminals go.

This is not only merciful to the criminals, but also to oneself.

Anyway, this mission was originally my own responsibility, and there was no need to drag anyone into the water.

However, the scene in front of him seemed a bit unexpected.

In front of him were five criminals who didn't want to leave - including the fat man.

"What are you doing? Now is the freedom you desire! Don't leave? ”

"Humph——!"

The fat man sneered, expressing a disapproving sneer.

"Only the weak choose to escape! It is our duty to protect the Prince. ”

"The fat man is right! We don't have anything to remember, so we might as well leave the last of our efforts to the prince! ”

"Yes! We know that you are different from Prince Gil and that you are deeply attracted by your charm, and this is our final choice. ”

Wudu was dumbfounded, and he would not easily feel complacent because of these flattery.

Instead, I regretted the stubbornness of these fools.

Knowing that there would be an even more dangerous situation in front of him, doing so was only adding to the pressure on his heart.

Maybe that's what "selfishness" calls it! This emotion even transcends the fear for the lives of the criminals.

Just like the 70-odd criminals, their departure is due to the "selfishness" of their hearts - but this is an acceptable mentality.

Isn't that human nature?

There is no need to condemn oneself, let alone improve - this selfishness is the best protection for oneself and others.

But now, these criminals, or their followers, are special cases beyond human nature.

Obviously, Wu didn't know what to do with these exceptions.

Wu sees everyone as too "evil". When you meet people who are so emotional, you lose your judgment.

To this end, Wu intends to intimidate these "surviving" followers with a slightly harsh tone.

"Don't be stupid! After all, I am only a mortal man, and I have no authority over your lives, let alone the power to protect them. ”

"Even if that's the case, we're willing to eat it."

"Do you hesitate to face even the most painful, cruel and even unspeakable torture?"

"The answer is very obvious – we will definitely stay."

The determined eyes of the five people extinguished the anger in their hearts that wanted to drive away this group of fools.

How loyal? What stubbornness? How noble?

I didn't even have any contact with them, why did they have such a bond with them?

It seems that these people are planning to follow themselves to the end—to follow them with the consciousness of death.

It's so torturous...... I wish I could kill these people now!

If you change to normal, you can make friends with different ideals and ages, which will make you feel an inexplicable sense of accomplishment.

But now—staring at the unknown dangers, I don't want to have any deeper friendship with these people at all.

This will undoubtedly only make yourself more miserable.

Until now, I am still convinced that a one-sided oath cannot guarantee until the last moment.

Looking forward to the moment of dying to be able to scare these people away.

With this mentality, Wu made up his mind to get up.

"In that case, tell me your names."

Although I don't really want to get to know these people, I always need to know each other's names in order to deal with the next crisis.

At this moment, a scrawny hunchbacked man stood up, his eyes full of confusion.

"Under the name 'Tesla. Miles, you can just call me Miles. ”

"Got it, Miles."

The tone was prostration, as if he hadn't slept in months. But the tone is very neat and clean.

Then, it was a muscular sunny man, in stark contrast to Miles's image.

"Me! It's -- young and lively and -- handsome -- 'Os. Gonger. Dat'! It's an honor to know you, it's a shame to be small! ”

"Uh, hello."

Beyond imagination, is this person really a criminal?

Then there was a downcast man who had lost his right hand. That godless face was comparable to Miles.

"Hello...... The small ...... 'Levinuki' - name forgot. ”

"You...... Hello. ”

Forgot ...... name? Is it because you have been in prison for a long time?

While thinking about it, the fourth criminal also began to introduce himself.

Like Dat, he is covered in muscles, but he is much larger than Dater, and his vicious appearance exudes a little clumsiness.

"Hello...... My name is 'Jason. Kim', please advise. ”

"Please advise, Kim."

I have to say that this should be the most normal of the first four.

At this point, the last criminal does not need much introduction.

The fat man stood up.

"Hello, the little one's name is 'Tyle', please advise."

"Your name is Tyr, please advise."

Finally, the names of the five criminals were also clarified. At least I knew in my heart who they really were.

"Miles, Dat, Levinukee, Kim and Tyre, the next journey is not easy, you should have the bottom of your mind, right?"

"Of course!"

"In that case, as partners in adversity, I hope you don't treat me as a prince."

"How embarrassing is that!"

"Wait—I know you won't get used to it for a while, so I'm not forcing you to call us by our first names. But in your perception, I hope you can treat me as an ordinary person. ”

"Is this really okay?"

"What's the problem?"

"Since you've said so...... We can only obey. ”

"That's right, now that it's all said and done, it's time for us to go."

"Yes!"

A respectful thank you came from the round mouth.

As the fat man said his thanks, the other four criminals behind him also made up for it.

"Thank you very much for the great kindness of the prince!"

"Still——! Before I go, I would like to add a few more words. ”

"Please."

"I can't guarantee that I'm going to be as lucky as I was to survive the crisis I just had. If you want to escape, don't worry about my safety! You can run away alone at any time. ”

"This is impossible, please rest assured. Furthermore, we are not as weak as the prince imagined. ”

"It's not a question of weakness, it's a question of the most basic 'friendship'. Never mind! It's useless to talk too much, so let's go now! ”

"Yes!"

The decision was so difficult that the dust settled.

Sorting out the map and hydration bag, Wu led the remaining five criminals to the unknown forest.

But the road in front of you seems to be more than Wu imagined - smooth?

Everyone walked silently in silence for half an hour, and there was not a single obstacle, not even a small animal jumping around.

Not to mention the danger, there is not even the slightest wind and grass, it is simply not like the tranquility of a natural forest.

It is better to describe it as "dead silence".

It was such a disobedient dead silence that made Wu feel the danger of being on guard.

The forest is a bit shady, as the nearby tree trunks are so thick and dense that the sunlight from the sky does not easily spill into the forest.

Because of this, it is difficult to judge how long the current time has passed.

Let's start by extrapolating from the fact that I first entered the forest—assuming that it took about ten minutes to escape, I had about twenty minutes of conversation and rest with the criminals, and about half an hour of the time of the act, I had been in the forest for a full hour.

In this way, it can be roughly guessed that the time is about seven o'clock, which may be a little later than guessed.

Judging from the length of the path on the map, it only takes about two hours to reach Jiuhu Mountain through the "Lanhua Forest".

After deducting the time for talking and resting, there is actually about forty minutes of time to move forward - which means that we still have some distance from Jiuhu Mountain.

Not even halfway through the forest.

In this kind of forest with no sense of direction, if you lose the grasp of time, you will eventually lose the anxiety in your heart.

For this reason, it is also important to grasp the timing of the action.

According to the shape of the road on the map, it should be a direct path to Jiuhu Mountain.

All in all, as long as we are in the right direction, it is only a matter of time before we arrive at Jiuhu Mountain.

Hopefully you will be able to reach your destination smoothly and without any surprises.

Suddenly, I felt a burst of pressure in my heart, so blessed.

At the same time, the journey seemed more awkward than expected.

Despite the fact that these criminals have shown confidence in themselves, there does not seem to be a common point of convergence for dialogue.

Maybe they're too embarrassed to talk to me – even if they're feeling unwell or something else.

It seems that he still needs to take care of these criminals in a timely manner.

"Are you going to get tired? Need a break? ”

"There shouldn't be any need for this! But Lord Prince, aren't you tired of holding this man all the time? ”

In order to express his concern, Tyre, who still seemed to be blushing and breathless, asked intimately.

"Well—it's a bit heavy, but it's not tiring, and it should be able to hold for a while."

"Otherwise, let's let everyone here do it for you, right? Your Excellency, please rest for a while. ”

"No—Brother Wang has committed a lot of fault against him, and in order to express a trivial apology on behalf of Brother Wang, this fatigue is only as it should be."

"It's great——!"

"Is it great......?"

"Of course it's great! Perhaps it is more appropriate to describe selflessness as a voluntary acknowledgment of the mistakes of others, even if they are unrelated, and still be able to pay for the mistakes of others at no cost. ”

"That's too much. I'm not that great. ”

It's not a sneaky excuse, but a visceral belief that Tyre is exaggerating.

This is also Wu's personality, which does not like to be too publicized, which is completely different from Jill's aggressive personality.

"By the way, from your conversation and knowledge, you shouldn't be just an ordinary criminal, right?"

"It's easy to be ashamed to boast about yourself – let's put it this way! In fact, the criminals who are with you today are not simple criminals. ”

"Judging from the strength of the demon anchovy just now, I can indeed see that you are extraordinary, but I want to know your true identity."

"Hehehe...... Your observational skills are indeed sharp. ”

"My observational abilities?"

I don't know if it's Wu's illusion, but from the sentence just now, Wu always has a feeling - Thiel seems to know me very well?

It must be an illusion, right?

"Actually...... We are the special criminals that Einck is trying to hide—criminals known as 'professional'. ”

"You're 'pro'!? Including the seventy or so criminals who left first? ”

"Yes."

Suddenly, Wu threw away the question just now - his face suddenly became amazing.

The mystery of professional-level criminals is not arbitrary, and even Wu, who is the second prince, does not know.

Is it any wonder that Wu is so surprised, or so honored?

At the same time, Wu instantly had a great interest in these professional-level criminals.

My head was filled with a myriad of curious questions—my feet were still walking, but my mind forgot to calculate the time it would take to get there.

This mood is like being flattered by seeing a big star - so excited that Wu forgets the fact that he is the second prince.

After all, professional-level criminals are classified as top secrets in Ironke, and everything from the determination of the criminal's level to the detention will be carried out in the most secretive way.

Of course, the identity of professional-level criminals will also be erased forever, and the family members around him will be given gag orders, and those who violate the order will be beheaded.

When Wu's head went blank, the first problem arose.

"What are the criteria for determining a 'career offender'?"

"It's not a peculiar or lofty standard, and it's even lower than any other level of guilt."

'How is this possible?' Shouldn't the 'professional' be the most vicious of the worst representatives? ”

"Hahahahaha——!"

When Dater heard this, he couldn't help but laugh.

It's not a disapproving ridicule, it's more like a laugh that has been poked at the point of laughter.

"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong? ”

Tyre laughed too, and explained with a smile:

"Not really. ' 'Pro' refers to the status of 'maverick', which is completely different from the other three levels. Of course, it cannot be judged on the basis of guilt. ”

"So—what exactly is the factor used for determination?"

"The most important factor used to determine 'professional level' is ......"

Before the fat man could finish his words, the conversation was interrupted by a sudden explosion.

A violent "bump" sound came from the left side, almost bursting Wu's eardrum.

The forest that had been silent began to shake, not only the air, but also the earth.

The last thing you want to hear.

"What's wrong!?"

"Please stay out of the way! It seems that a huge force is approaching us! ”

"Tremendous power?"

Puzzled and asked repeatedly.

But there was no need for much explanation from Tyre, the source of the power was rushing towards Wu and the others at a super high speed.

There was only the sound of a crash like a boulder falling, and it was a series of explosions.

And then - the figure appeared.

It was a behemoth that was nearly ten meters tall.

It was a giant elephant with blurred flesh and blood, thundering violently and stomping on the fallen trees, rushing towards Wu and the others in a frenzy.

The disgusting that I couldn't look at, the bloody and exposed flesh, the pain as if my body was being tortured back and forth—the Colossus looked pitiful.

The strange thing is that it seems to be so painful that the giant elephant doesn't make a sound as if its voice is blocked.

It should be forced to scream.

At that moment, Wu could deeply feel the pain hidden in the silence, and the giant elephant seemed to be sad.

But Wu had no pity for the giant elephant for time.

The speed of the running was almost not like that of a bulky giant elephant, and the ground caused quite a small earthquake because of the giant elephant's movement.

The ground cracked, and the stones and tree trunks were trampled off by the giant elephant's giant palms, and they were fragile.

"Retreat!"

"Wait!"

Tyre then stopped the man. In the face of the imminent giant palm, the criminals did not seem to be very worried.

"Don't you want to know why we're called 'pro'?"

"Of course I want to know! But now it's time to escape! ”

"Nope! Let's demonstrate with protection! ”

"What?"

Wu doesn't even know what Tyre wants to do, but the criminals begin to empathize.

It's as if you're ready for a battle you've never seen before.

"Twisted Stronghand!"

It was Miles' singing as he pointed his withered hands at the nearby elephant and made a gesture to twist the towel.

It seemed illogical, but it made Wu's eyes widen.

- The giant elephant's fat limbs miraculously twisted and turned.