SWORD OF THE DEMON WOLF

Rescue Mission

Xiao Chen tried hard not to show any sign of surprise, fear, or confusion on his face. The situation he was in required a precise, quick, and accurate response.

He took four more steps before finally turning his head in response to the voice calling out behind him. He purposely kept walking toward a darker area so his face would remain hidden.

"Where are you coming from, friend?" asked one of the two guards.

"Just finished taking a dump outside. Why?" Xiao Chen replied casually, patting his stomach.

The two guards squinted their eyes to get a clearer look at his face. But it was too dark to see anything, so they simply let him pass.

"It's nothing. Just routine checking. You may go," one of them said.

As he walked, Xiao Chen lightly patted his chest and let out a relieved sigh. He had overcome one obstacle. Now, he just had to find out where the three women were being held and figure out a way to get them out of there.

When he arrived at a small, unguarded building, Xiao Chen slipped inside after hearing voices approaching from nearby.

"Aren’t those three women supposed to be guarded?"

"No need. The door is locked tight. Even if they get out, they won't be able to escape this base. Besides, the vast forest will make them lose their way."

From this conversation, Xiao Chen concluded that there was an opportunity to rescue the women. But time was short—dawn would be coming soon.

“It’s really dark in here,” he thought. Xiao Chen started feeling around to figure out what kind of room he was in.

From the objects he touched, he could tell he was inside a kitchen. A faint smile appeared on his lips. His brain began working to find a way to reach another room.

Yes. Food. He got the idea to cook something as a distraction. But the room was too dark. He needed a lantern or a torch. This time, he ran his hand along the wall—torches or lanterns were usually hung there.

Success. He found a bamboo torch. Still groping around and occasionally nudging the floor with his foot, Xiao Chen searched for a clay stove, hoping to find leftover embers.

True to his life principle—no effort goes unrewarded—he finally found what he was looking for. A clay stove sat in the corner of the room. Xiao Chen quickly squatted down and used a stick to poke around inside the stove, searching for embers.

Another smile lit up his face. It seemed the Gods were on his side—the stove, though it looked cold, still held some glowing embers.

After placing a few small pieces of wood inside, he blew repeatedly until the embers burst into flames.

Xiao Chen shook his head and smiled. Just to light a torch, he had to do all this. But his efforts paid off—the torch in his hand now blazed and illuminated the room.

The warm glow calmed him a bit. If any of the bandits grew suspicious, he had the perfect alibi: he was cooking for the leader. Xiao Chen was sure the bandit gang had a leader.

With his experience helping his mother cook at home, the young man swiftly prepared everything needed to make his plan work.

Soon, he walked out carrying food in his hands. The largest building in the area was his destination.

"Where are you going?" asked a bandit who passed by him.

"The boss asked me to cook for him. He told me to bring the food to his room when it’s ready. You want to take it instead?" Xiao Chen replied smoothly.

"Yeah right. He told you, so why would I deliver it?" The bandit chuckled. "Oh right… the boss isn’t in his room right now."

"Then where should I take this food?"

"I saw him heading to the place where those three girls are locked up," the bandit said, glancing at a nearby building. "He probably wants to have a little fun. That means it’s our turn with those girls tomorrow, hahaha!"

"Ah, in that case, I definitely shouldn’t deliver this food now. I’d get chewed out for interrupting him while he’s in paradise," Xiao Chen replied playfully. He acted so convincingly that the bandit suspected nothing.

"Exactly. You’d better wait if you don’t want to get punished. I’m outta here!"

Xiao Chen watched the man leave until he disappeared from view. Then he turned his gaze toward the building where the three girls were held captive.

So far, he still didn’t know how many bandits were inside the hideout. Since he entered, he had only seen four of them. They were likely resting now, he figured.

Xiao Chen hurried back to the kitchen. He had another plan—to create a diversion.

Once inside, he stuffed the clay stove with dry wood and blew on the embers until flames roared again. He also stacked dry wood on top of the stove to make the fire grow even bigger.

He planned to set the kitchen—and eventually the entire bandit base—on fire.

Carrying the torch, he crept toward another building and began setting it alight.

The first building, mostly made of wood, was quickly engulfed in flames. One by one, other buildings followed. The kitchen caught fire too after the stack of wood on the stove ignited and collapsed.

"Fire! Fire!" The two gate guards, seeing the flames, shouted at the top of their lungs. They ran to alert the others, most of whom were still fast asleep.

At the same time, Xiao Chen sneaked toward the building where the three girls were locked up. But just as he was about to reach the door, one of the bandits arrived first and knocked several times.

A tall, burly man with a fierce expression opened the door, his face twisted in rage.

"Don’t you know what I’m doing in here?" he barked, unaware that the hideout was now ablaze. His unsatisfied lust made his mind burn with fury.

"S-Sorry, Boss… our base is on fire!" stammered the terrified bandit, bowing his head.

The bandit leader looked around. His eyebrows furrowed, eyes filled with disbelief at the disaster now consuming their hideout. Dozens of his men were already scrambling to put out the flames.

“My treasure!” he cried internally. Panic swept over him as he thought of all the loot hidden in his room.

After slamming the door shut, he and the other bandit rushed away from the building where the girls were kept.

Xiao Chen seized the opportunity. He opened the door and slipped inside. In the room, he saw two girls tied up and curled in the corner. The third lay on a bed, her wrists and ankles also bound. Her clothes were torn in several places, exposing sensitive parts of her body.